Holes by Louis Sachar Essay

The book â€Å"Holes† by Louis Sachar is an interesting book that relates with friendship, independence and justice. Although this is pure fiction by its immaterial plot, it does not have a bad concept that could affect our child’s understanding of our long history of culture. We could include this book among our collection of stories for the kids in our library because for a child this book is full of fun and adventure. Its content can further contribute to the active imagination of young students and it could also provide interest in their reading for adventure books. Consequently, this book tells the story of a young boy whose family has been experiencing bad luck because his grandfather has been put in a curse. The clan has since been gripped by importunate events. One day bad luck falls on Stanley Yelnats, one of the great grandsons of the cursed man. He was hit by an expensive pair of tennis shoes on the head. Wondering who could have done that thing, the owner of the shoes saw him holding them and was immediately accused of stealing them. Since he is from a poor family the boy cannot afford to defend himself and was incarcerated. He was given options to choose between two camps for his exile and he chose Camp Green Lake assuming it would be full of plants and vegetation out there. But the camp is a dessert and they have to do hard labor digging Holes all day with his campmates. Notwithstanding the harsh weather in the dessert, he also has to deal with his camp mates who are also harshly unpredictable. Each of them has different personalities and eccentricities but they began to form friendship. Digging Holes everyday in the dessert seems like a never ending nightmare to the boys. Although the purpose of these Holes is a puzzle to them the warden’s goal for these digging is to find the long lost buried treasures which Stanley’s grandfather has buried (Sachar â€Å"Read Aloud Recommendations†). The antecedence of the story creates a wondrous marvel to readers. The whirlwinds which seemingly struck the audience is a valor for the author. Analysis There is however a controversial element that this book represents. Somehow this story portrays injustice and justice, bullying, and bad fate and juvenile delinquency. Further, there is also a bit of racism in there where the characters implies that it is against the law to kiss a black person. The term â€Å"negro† was included which was part of the plot in those days. But somehow, the use of history in the book was incredible. We can consider this book a fiction because of its plots, settings and the characters. For an adult it is likely overwhelming to believe such actions and events. But as I have said this book is just for fun nevertheless it could be an interesting book for small children because it has magic as well as values and lessons within (Sachar Holes). This story simply discusses life with friendship and love for freedom. And it could be presume that it does not propose or make any controversial issue which could harm our children’s learning and understanding. We could easily explain to children the way things goes with the story because it discusses the life of a boy in prison and the cruel treatments he suffered with the guards. He was somehow treated unfairly and we have to discuss these matters to the children that not all boys can have this experience and this can only happen in the book judging from our justice system today. And so it is recommended that this book or film could be advised to be read or watch by grade 5-6 students. For an adult, this book can be literally tedious as if everything was too unbelievable. We can just consider this as a tall tale and nevertheless have a little fun trying to pick up little puzzles altogether and connect them in the end. Many readers may have different understanding and association with this book but it surely connects to the point of friendship, loyalty and trust. Discussion With regard with questionable manners portrayed in the story, nothing really delineates the characters to more than just happy people but able to meet unfortunate events and get meshed with it somehow. Although there were instances that the characters show anger, frustrations and hopelessness, the intention to serve and protect other people is clearly indicated. This is the part where we can see changes and grow in the attitude of the characters. If we have to follow certain rules and guidelines in adapting this story to children in California, we have standards in this state that follows guidelines such as stated in the California Standards for Teaching Profession. It indicates that all students must have all the rights in learning with the teacher and this will be built on student’s knowledge, different life experiences and the goal to accomplish learning. That a teacher can use a variety of instructional materials and strategies that can correspond to every student are diverse needs. The teacher with her willingness and all the rights to make use of challenging experiences to each and every student living in different environment thus encouraging autonomy, freedom and interaction. It is also one of the exclusive rights of the teacher to actively participate and engage all the students in problem solving and critical thinking methods that may surpass any subject matter. Skills and concepts will be the tools in encouraging students to use them in real-life which could make their life significant. Teachers are the tools in the development of the students who will be more self-directed, demonstrative, more articulate and evaluative and this can start from the classroom. (California). Going back to the characters in the book, the children can be asked whom among the characters could very well fit to their personality, likes and dislikes and why? We can suggest that Stanley has portrayed the greatest and more challenging part in the story because of his courage and self-reliance. We can also discuss how characters grow to be more self-reliant and cooperative between them. We can also ask the significance of the title â€Å"Holes† to the students and explain its relevance. Or we can suggest meaning such as Holes in the title to signify Holes in our life and our society. The teacher can also suggest that the author wanted the young people to be independent in their shortcomings and weakness to be able to grow and change and merge with the society. All in all this book was made and published for children not to show discrimination, injustices and delinquency to children but to be able to analyze for themselves how they view things in the eyes of another child and how he made things better (Davis). Synthesis Formidably, this controversial story of Holes will not only catch the attention of the â€Å"juvenile† public, but as noted, it’s sense of distinctiveness is quite a pious form of prose which will surely leave minds in question as to whether the story helps in building the most justifiable sense of writing, or nevertheless the puzzling aroma pulls the trigger on bribing the minds of those who contain very minimal rationality. Personally, I loved the flow of the story and the sagacity which it coherently portrays piece by piece. It may have established ‘negative’ constraints towards ideals and perspectives on conventionality, but it fires up all the more.

Rbs – Case Study Example

Case Study Example Section I: Summary of Background and Facts Reliance Baking Soda was discovered by James Stewart Augusta in 1915. He called it the â€Å"miracle compound. † It was founded to serve as a leavening agent in baked goods to let them rise properly. With the invent of self-rising flour and instant cake mixes, baking soda’s original use importance declined. With this decline, Stewart Corporation started promoting baking soda for a myriad of other uses, which include household cleaner, laundry aid, and deodorizer.Reliance baking soda holds a 70% market share. They produce three box sizes, 8oz, 1lb, and 5lbs. The 1lb box holds almost 50% of the sales volume. Reliance has excellent brand awareness and customer loyalty. Stewart Corporation is comprised of four divisions. Reliance Baking Soda (RBS) is in the household division. Anna Regnante was promoted Domestic Brand Director for RBS. She was placed in charge of increasing Reliance’s profit by 10% in 2008 . The Household Division is planning to introduce two new product launches in 2008.According to Chris Dale, Managing Director for Stewart’s Household Products Division, they need the incremental profit increase from RBS to â€Å"fund the marketing launch expenses for the new products. † (Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p1) Regnante needs to figure out how she can generate the required profit growth for the old-fashioned, mainstay product of baking soda. Section II: Statement of the core problems Regnante’s core problem is figuring out what marketing mix to use to increase Reliance Baking Soda’s profit by 10% in 2008. One of the main problems with RBS is the current lack of advertising.Regnante’s predecessor had cut the consumer promotion budget in half. Advertising is a key component in making sure the brand’s product is marketed to its consumers. RBS did not properly advertise the significance for what all baking soda could be used to do, which inc ludes outdoor cleaning, baby care, pet care, and a myriad of other things. RBS had established brand awareness and loyalty with customers; but, they needed to educate the customers and position the brand through advertisements which can give RBS more of a competitive advantage. Decreasing the amount of money allocated owards advertising was not a wise choice, especially, when the company needed to revamp how baking soda was marketed. The trade promotions were effective in moving the product; however, they accounted for around 73% of total sales. This led to the company only selling around 25% of RBS at regular prices, which could be leaving RBS a lot less profitable. The trade was overbuying during the promotional periods, which caused inconsistencies in regular purchasing patterns of the product. Another issue was with the cooperative advertising program.Regnante was concerned that RBS was not getting sufficient advertising in exchange for the trade promotions. In fact, she found t hat â€Å"Advertising trade support for RBS is much lower than our branded competitors. †(Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p. 5) RBS also rarely advertised in retail stores, magazines, or television commercials. If RBS was more diverse with advertising, then, they would be able to capture their target audience in other ways. Section III: Secondary Problems Reliance Baking Soda lacked in providing different promotional discounts to grocery stores.By not providing promotional discounts for grocery stores, the store managers did not have a creative way to attract customers into the store to purchase baking soda. Grocery store chains thought that the Reliance Baking Soda needed to market their products better because baking soda was a boring product. Reliance Baking Soda does not manufacture for private label brands. Therefore, their market share decreased. This lack of going after the private label market has caused the RBS to lose 5% of its market share to private label brands.Reliance Baking Soda was the market leader, so, if they were able to manufacture private labels brands they would have not loss 5% market share; and its overall market share could have increase. Also, a problem existed with trade promotion events due to the fact that the company did not negotiate or set a price with the trade on what to sale its products for when they were purchased during a trade promotion. By not having set promotional retail prices, the trade was allowed to stock up on inventory at reduced prices. They did not have to extend the savings to the consumer.This ultimately caused a loss in profit for RBS. To make matters worse, these trade promotions often overlapped with consumer promotions. Therefore, it is hard to tell what the actual real incremental profits for the promotions were. Section IV: Constraints and Limitations Besides the problems listed in the above sections, Reliance Baking Soda is constrained and limited by the fact that baking soda is in the mature part of its life cycle. When a product reaches maturity, there is no room for traditional growth. The product must discover new uses.RBS is not a â€Å"wow† product that can be categorized as a necessity; therefore, it must be aggressive in its advertising in order to stimulate further purchase. The product was old-fashioned and needed some ‘refurbishment’ to make it attractive to the target market. The need for RBS nose-dived, following the introduction of self-rising flour and instant cake mixes. Naturally, it would be cheaper for bakeries to move to baking soda and reduce costs. This was a very big setback for RBS, as the market leader and the largest provider of the â€Å"miracle compound. Randall Todd, an Account Manager, for several of the major grocery chains, stated that even though the product was physically placed on the store shelves, it was not â€Å"visible† to the consumer. It was a very slow moving product, which needed â€Å"a lot of push marketi ng to stimulate trade interest. † (Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p. 2). Randall further observed that it was â€Å"not a natural traffic builder, it does not have high turnover, and it is boring. †(Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p. 2). RBS needed promotional methods which would turn the tide in their favor. According to Exhibit 3, RBS had â€Å"low advertising recall. There was greater need to refocus marketing communication efforts. Another limitation was the continual price increase for baking soda over the last 5 years. The price changes were not good because it had a negative impact on the numbers of cases that were shipped to the stores. This could lead to stores choosing a competitor’s brand or selling more of its private label brand. The final limitation is that RBS being a mature product is sold on the push system. The household sales force is paid based on quarterly sales quotas. This allows the sales staff to wait on trade promotions to sell the product.Therefore, they are not concerned with the day to day sales of RBS. Section V: Alternative Solutions Reliance Baking Soda must increase profit in its household division by 10% in 2008. In deciding how to do this, Regnante must decide what to do about the trade promotions, consumer promotions and advertising. Since baking soda is a mature product, a push system has been implemented at RBS using a quarterly quota system. In order to deal with the problem of 73% of factory shipments being sold using trade promotions, a new monthly quota system could be placed in service.This would make the sales force focus on selling baking soda all throughout the year, not just when promotions are in place. Another option is to totally revamp the co-op advertising reimbursement system. At this time retailers are not promoting the product with the same size ads of RBS’s competitors. RBS offers a 5% of invoice incentive for any ad. RBS should offer 50% of the ad cost up to a certain percentage of the invoi ce for a purchase made within 45 days of the ad. The ad also needs to be submitted for approval prior to the ad being placed.RBS needs to make sure that their co-op advertising plan states what an acceptable ad size is. This will encourage the retailers to do local advertising for RBS. The third option would be to increase the advertising and consumer promotions through event advertising. With this option, RBS could focus on important events like Earth Day. They could create a whole marketing campaign around this event and others like it. Another option would be to mount an internet campaign on the alternative uses of baking soda. This alternative would not involve huge cash outlays.RBS could create blogs on websites as well as have a complete interactive website devoted to helping the consumer understand the myriad of uses for baking soda. The final option is to focus on pushing the product through trade promotions. RBS could offer 10-15% off total invoice price several times durin g the year to make sure that our product is being shipped. With this increased trade promotion, RBS could list a lower suggested retail price on the promotional packages, so that stores will have to pass the savings along to their customers. This would alleviate the problem of purchasing simply to increase revenue.Section V: Implementation of Best Alternative The best solution is to take a holistic marketing approach and incorporate a marketing plan that uses trade promotions, consumer promotions and advertising in conjunction with one another. This approach should focus on event marketing for its major advertising expenditures. One such event that lends itself to the promotion of the different uses for baking soda is Earth Day. With more and more of the American population focusing on Eco-friendly products, RBS can showcase baking soda as being a one stop wonder.RBS should partner with Earth Day events and hand out 2oz samples with pamphlets on how baking soda is an environmentally safe cleaning agent. It should list all of the possible uses of the eco-friendly baking soda. The pamphlet could, also, reference RBS’s Eco-pack, which will include a $1. 00 off rebate. RBS can package 1 lb boxes of baking soda in twin packs called Eco-packs. The packaging should have new ideas of how to use baking soda in environmental friendly ways. Since this is a special packaging product, RBS should offer a trade promotion on the twin pack only for the six weeks starting the first of March.This promotion should consist of buy eleven cases, get one free. During this time RBS should also beef up television, print and internet advertising, which all should include the environmental aspect of the product. To coincide with the company’s marketing efforts, RBS should offer an incentive for the trade to promote RBS through advertising. RBS could pay for 50% of the advertisement cost attributable the RBS product, up to 5% of a total invoice purchase within 45 days of the advertisement this promotion would run through the entire month of April.Other events that could be marketed include the Start of Summer, Fire Prevention Month and the Holiday Season. For the start of summer, RBS should focus its advertising efforts on its uses for outdoor cleaning, pool, camping and weed removal. This is not a traditional high volume time; therefore, they should also use their trade partners by offering the same advertising incentives that were offered during the Earth Day promotion during the months of May and June. Since RBS can be used to put out certain fires. The company should focus on fire safety and prevention during the month of October.RBS could put a pamphlet and a $. 25 coupon in the bags that children traditionally bring home from school during this month. The pamphlet should focus on key fire safety initiatives and highlight RBS commitment to fire prevention and uses of RBS in fire situations. During the first three weeks in October, RBS should offer a trade promotion of 10% off invoice prices on all sizes. This will help the trade partners get ready for the upcoming holiday season. The final event marketing campaign of the year should focus on the holiday season and getting your home in tip-top shape for the holiday’s in a health conscious manner.RBS should again partner with other Household Division products to advertise nationally how to get your home ready for the holidays. This ad should run in the October/November editions of top Women’s magazines. It should also offer a contest for a $10,000 kitchen makeover. This contest will be open to the purchasers of the products advertised in the magazines. This will also be advertised on the internet and through POP displays in the stores. During the months of October and November, RBS should offer its co-op advertising promotion as defined in the Earth Day section.Section VI: Justification Since Reliance is in the maturity stage of its life cycle, it is important fo r them to focus on extending the usage rate and repositioning itself in the market. According to Shaeffer (2009), â€Å"As a market matures, the customer buys solutions and not products. † Therefore, it becomes more vital to focus advertising efforts on new ways of using baking soda. By focusing on event marketing, Reliance can help the consumers understand all the possible uses of traditional baking soda.This increased knowledge will drive the sale of baking soda to the levels needed to meet the 10% profit increase of the household division. To increase the profit by 10% the Profit before SG&A, Overhead and Taxes needs to be $20,587,000. The event marketing campaign proposed will increase the profit to $20,974,000, which well exceeds the 10% increase. The 2008 Profit and Loss Budget is listed as Exhibit 1. This budget was prepared based upon historical cost and sales data to gauge the response level of both the trade and consumer promotions. Exhibit 1 Reliance Baking SodaPro fit and Loss Budget For the Year Ended December 31, 2008 | | | | | |2007E |2008 | |Manufacturer's Price Per Case | | | | | |8oz | | | |7. 2 |7. 2 | | |1lb. | | | |12. 02 |12. 02 | | |5lb. | | | |54. 28 |54. 8 | | | | | | | | | |Factory Shipments (in 000's of cases) | | | | |8oz | | | |714 |883 | | |1lb | | | |1226 |1531 | | |5lb | | | |648 |660 | | | | | | | | | |Variable Manufacturing Cost Per Case | | | | |8oz. | | | |3. 38 |3. 38 | | |1 lb. | | | |5. 58 |5. 58 | | |5 lbs. | | | |24. 8 |24. | | | | | | | | | |Gross Sales | | | | 55,051 | 60,585 | |Variable Manufacturing Cost | | 25,325 | 27,896 | |Gross Margin | | | | 29,726 | 32,690 | | | | | | | | | |Advertising | | | | | | | |TV | | | 3,815 | 4,300 | | |Print | | | | 694 | 1,000 | | |Internet | | | | 248 | 300 | |Total Advertising | | | 4,757 | 5,600 | |PR/Media Production Cost | | 198 | 297 | |Consumer Promotion | | | 551 | 839 | |Trade Promotion | | | 5,505 | 4,980 | | | | | | | | | |Total Marketing Expense | | | 11,011 | 11, 716 | | | | | | | | | |Profit before SG&A, Overhead and taxes | $ 18,715 | $ 20,974 | Works Cited Shaeffer, Lee. (2009, October 14). Maximize Product Profitability as the Market Matures. Product Management Library of Knowledge. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from http://www. aipmm. com/html/newsletter/archives/000359. php

Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Three

â€Å"WHAT DID YOU DO?† I was sitting on the end of a row of seats at Jill's fashion show almost a week later, in downtown Palm Springs, waiting for things to start. I hadn't even known Trey was at the show and was startled to suddenly find him kneeling beside me. â€Å"What exactly are you referring to?† I asked him. â€Å"There are about a million things I can take credit for.† He scoffed and kept his voice pitched low, which wasn't too necessary with the dull roar of conversation around us. Several hundred had turned out to see the show. â€Å"I'm talking about Slade and friends, and you know it,† Trey said. â€Å"They've been really upset about something this week. They keep complaining about those stupid tattoos.† He looked at me meaningfully. â€Å"What?† I asked, putting on a face of innocence. â€Å"Why do you think this has anything to do with me?† â€Å"Are you saying it doesn't?† he asked, not fooled in the least. I could feel a traitorous smile playing over my lips. After raiding Keith's apartment, the Alchemists had made sure his tattooist partners no longer had the means to administer illicit tattoos. There'd also been no more talk of Zoe replacing me. It had taken days before Slade and his friends had realized their connection to performance-enhancing ink was gone. I'd been observing their furtive conversations with amusement this week but hadn't realized Trey had noticed as well. â€Å"Let's just say that Slade may soon no longer be the superstar he's been,† I said. â€Å"Hope you're ready to step up and take his place.† Trey studied me a few moments more, apparently hoping I'd add something else. When I didn't, he simply shook his head and chuckled. â€Å"Anytime you need coffee, Melbourne, you come see me.† â€Å"Noted,† I said. I gestured toward the still-growing crowd. â€Å"What are you doing here anyway? I didn't realize you were interested in today's hottest fashions.† â€Å"I'm not,† he agreed. â€Å"But I've got a couple of friends working on the show.† â€Å"Girlfriends?† I asked slyly. He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Friends who are girls. I have no time for silly female distractions.† â€Å"Really? I figured that's why you got your tattoo. I hear women go for that kind of thing.† Trey stiffened. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I remembered that Kristin and Julia had mentioned how strange it was that Trey had a tattoo of his own and Eddie had later mentioned seeing it on Trey's lower back in the locker room. Eddie had said it looked like a multi-rayed sun made of very ordinary ink. I'd been waiting for a chance to tease Trey about it. â€Å"Don't play coy. I know about your sunshine. How come you always give me such a hard time, huh?† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was truly at a loss. More than that. He looked uncomfortable, worried – like this was something he hadn't wanted me to know about. That was weird. It wasn't that big a deal. I was about to question him more when Adrian suddenly made his way to us through the crowd. Trey took one look at Adrian's stormy face and immediately got to his feet. I could understand his reaction. Adrian's expression would've intimidated me too. â€Å"Well,† said Trey uneasily. â€Å"Thanks again. I'll catch you later.† I murmured a goodbye and watched as Adrian slipped past me. Micah sat beside me, then Eddie, and then two empty seats we'd saved. Adrian sat down in one of them, ignoring Eddie's greeting. Moments later, Lee came hurrying in and took the other seat. He looked troubled about something but still managed to be friendlier than Adrian. Adrian stared stonily ahead, and my good mood plummeted. Somehow, without knowing why, I had a feeling I was the reason for his dark mood. We had no time to pursue it, though. The lights went down and the show began. It was emceed by a local newscaster, who introduced the five designers showing tonight. Jill's designer was third, and watching the others go before her made the anticipation that much more intense. This was worlds away from the practice sessions I'd seen before. The lights and the music took everything to a more professional level, and the other models seemed so much older and seasoned. I began to share Jill's earlier anxiety, that maybe she was out of her league. Then Lia DiStefano's turn came. Jill was one of her first models and emerged wearing a flowing, silvery evening gown made of some fabric that seemed to defy gravity. A half mask of pearls and silver covered up her part of her face, obscuring her identity to those who didn't know better. I would've expected them to tone down her vampire features a little, to possibly give her a little more humanlike color. Instead, they'd played up her unusual looks, putting a luminescent powder on her skin that enhanced her paleness in a way that made her look otherworldly. Every single curl had been arranged into place, artfully falling around her and bedecked with tiny glittering jewels. Her walk had improved vastly since that first practice. She'd practically slept in those high heels and had gone beyond simply not trying to fall over. There was a new confidence and purpose that hadn't been there before. Every once in a while, I'd catch a faint glimpse of nervousness in her eyes or an adjustment in her stride as she managed the tall silver heels. I doubted anyone else noticed those things, however. Anyone who didn't know Jill and her traits well would see nothing but a strong, ethereal woman striding down the catwalk. Amazing. If she could transform this much with only a little encouragement, what more was to come? Glancing at the guys beside me, I saw similar feelings mirrored in their faces. Adrian's was filled with that brotherly pride he often had for her, all traces of his earlier bad mood vanished. Micah and Lee both displayed pure, unfiltered adoration. To my surprise, Eddie's expression was adoring too, along with something else. It was almost†¦ worshipful. This was it, I realized. In coming out as this beautiful, larger-than-life goddess-like creature, Jill was giving flesh to all of Eddie's idealistic, protective fantasies. She was the perfect princess now, with her dutiful knight waiting to serve. She appeared two more times in Lia's line, stunning each time, though never quite matching that initial debut in the silver dress. I watched the rest of the show with only half an eye. My pride and affection for Jill were too distracting, and honestly, most of the clothes I saw tonight were way too flashy for my tastes. There was a reception after the show, where guests, designers, and models could mingle over refreshments. My little group found a corner near the hors d'oeuvres to wait for Jill, who had yet to make an appearance. Lee carried an enormous bouquet of white lilies. Adrian watched a waitress go by with a tray full of champagne glasses. His eyes were filled with longing, but he made no moves to stop her. I was proud and relieved. Jill, balance, and alcohol were not things we wanted to mix. When the waitress was gone, Adrian turned to me, and I finally saw that earlier anger return. And, as I'd suspected, it was directed toward me. â€Å"When were you going to tell me?† he asked. It was as enigmatic as Trey's earlier opening line. â€Å"Tell you what?† â€Å"That the financial aid isn't going to come through! I talked to the registrar's office, and they said you knew.† I sighed. â€Å"I wasn't keeping it from you, exactly. I just didn't have a chance to tell you yet. There were kind of a lot of other things going on.† Okay, I actually had been putting it off, for exactly this reason. Well, not exactly. I hadn't anticipated he would get so worked up about it. â€Å"You apparently had enough time to pay the auditing fee, though. And enough money. But not enough to fund new lodging.† I think what was more upsetting about this than the topic was the insinuation that I had somehow chosen to act in a way that would inconvenience him. Like I'd purposely subject myself to this if there'd been some way to avoid it. â€Å"A onetime payment was easy to slip in,† I told him. â€Å"Month-to-month rent? Not so much.† â€Å"Then why bother at all?† he exclaimed. â€Å"The whole point of this was to get me money to get out of Clarence's! I wouldn't be taking these stupid classes otherwise. You think I want to ride the bus for hours each day?† â€Å"Those classes are good for you,† I countered, feeling my own temper rise. I hadn't wanted to lose control, not here and certainly not with our friends witnessing everything. Yet I was appalled at Adrian's reaction. Couldn't he see how good it was for him to do something useful? I'd seen his face when he showed me his paintings. They'd given him a healthy channel to deal with Rose, not to mention a sense of purpose for him. And besides, it killed me to see how casually he could just toss aside those â€Å"stupid† classes. It was another reminder of the unfairness of the world, how I couldn't have what others took for granted. He scowled. â€Å"‘Good for me?' Come on, stop being my mom again! It isn't your job to tell me how to live my life. If I want your advice, I'll ask for it.† â€Å"Right,† I said, putting my hands on my hips. â€Å"It's not my job to tell you how to live your life – just my job to make it as easy as possible for you. Because God knows you can't suffer through anything that's a little inconvenient. What happened to all those things you told me? About being serious about improving your life? When you asked me to believe in you?† â€Å"Come on, you guys,† said Eddie uneasily. â€Å"This isn't the time or place.† Adrian ignored him. â€Å"You have no problem making Jill's life as easy as possible.† â€Å"That is my job,† I growled back. â€Å"And she's still a girl. I wouldn't think an adult like you would need taking care of the same way!† Adrian's eyes were filled with emerald fire as he glared down at me, and then his gaze focused on something behind me. I turned and saw Jill approaching. She was back in the silver gown, her expression full of radiant happiness – happiness that plummeted as she got closer and realized there was an altercation going on. By the time she was standing next to me, all her excitement from a moment ago had been replaced by worry and concern. â€Å"What's happening?† she asked, looking between Adrian and me. Of course, she had to already know because of the bond. It was a wonder his dark feelings hadn't messed up her performance. â€Å"Nothing,† I said flatly. â€Å"Well,† said Adrian. â€Å"It depends how you define ‘nothing.' I mean, if you consider lying and – â€Å" â€Å"Stop it!† I cried, raising my voice in spite of my best effort. The room was too noisy for most to notice, but a couple people standing nearby glanced at us curiously. â€Å"Just stop it, Adrian. Can you please not ruin this for her? Can't you just for one night pretend there are other people in the world who matter besides you?† â€Å"Ruin it for her?† he exclaimed. â€Å"How the hell can you say that? You know what I've done for her! I've done everything for her! I've given up everything for her!† â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"Because from what I can tell, it doesn't seem like – â€Å" I caught sight of Jill's face and promptly cut myself off. Behind the mask, her eyes had gone wide with dismay at the accusations Adrian and I were slinging back and forth. I'd just told Adrian he was selfish and not thinking of Jill, yet here I was, continuing to engage with him on her big night, in front of her and our friends. It didn't matter if I was right – and I felt certain I was. This was no time to be having this discussion. I shouldn't have let Adrian bait me into this, and if he didn't have the sense to stop things before they got worse, then I would. â€Å"I'm leaving,† I said. I forced as sincere a smile as I could for Jill, who now looked on the verge of tears. â€Å"You were amazing tonight. Really.† â€Å"Sydney – â€Å" â€Å"It's okay,† I told her. â€Å"I've got some things to do.† I groped for what they would actually be. â€Å"I need to, um, clean up the stuff Keith left behind. Can you get her and Eddie back to Amberwood?† This was directed to Micah and Lee. I knew one of them would step up. I felt no need to make any such provisions for Adrian. I honestly didn't care what became of him tonight. â€Å"Of course,† said Lee and Micah in unison. After a moment, though, Lee frowned. â€Å"Why do you need to clean up Keith's stuff?† â€Å"Long story,† I muttered. â€Å"Let's just say he left town and won't be back anytime soon. Maybe never.† Inexplicably, Lee seemed bothered by this. Maybe during all the time Keith had spent at Clarence's, the two guys had become friends. If so, Lee owed me. Jill still looked upset. â€Å"I thought we were all going out to celebrate?† â€Å"You can if you want,† I said. â€Å"As long as Eddie's with you, I really don't care.† I reached awkwardly to Jill. I almost wanted to hug her, but she was so elaborate and magnificent in her clothing and makeup that I was afraid of ruining her. I settled for a halfhearted pat on the shoulder. â€Å"I meant it. You were breathtaking.† I hurried away, half-afraid that either Adrian or I would crack and say something stupid to the other. I had to get myself out of there. My hope now was that Adrian would have enough sense to let the topic go and not make this night any worse for Jill. I didn't know why the fight with him upset me so much. He and I had been bickering nearly since we'd met. What was one more quarrel? It's because we'd been getting along, I realized. I still didn't think of him in human terms, but somewhere along the way, I'd come to regard him as a little less of a monster. â€Å"Sydney?† I was stopped by an unexpected source: Laurel. She had touched my arm as I passed by a group of girls from Amberwood. I must have looked really mad because when I fixed my gaze on her, she actually flinched. That had to be a first. â€Å"What?† I asked. She swallowed and stepped away from her friends, eyes wide and desperate. A fedora covered most of her hair, which – I'd heard – she still hadn't been able to restore to normal. â€Å"I heard†¦ I heard you might be able to help me. With my hair,† she said. That was another favor Kristin had done me. After letting Laurel suffer for a few days, I'd had Kristin put out the word that Sydney Melrose – with her dorm room pharmacy – might be able to fix what was wrong. I'd also made sure, however, that it was understood that Laurel wasn't my favorite person and that it would take a lot to convince me. â€Å"Maybe,† I said. I tried to keep my face hard, which wasn't difficult since I was still so upset over Adrian. â€Å"Please,† she said. â€Å"I'll do whatever you want if you can help me! I've tried everything on my hair, and nothing works.† To my astonishment, she shoved some yearbooks at me. â€Å"Here. You wanted these, right? Take them. Take whatever you want.† Another five days of scrubbing with heavy detergent would actually fix her, but I certainly wasn't going to tell her. I took the yearbooks. â€Å"If I help you,† I said, â€Å"you need to leave my sister alone. Do you understand?† â€Å"Yes,† she said quickly. â€Å"I don't think you do. No more stunts, bullying, or talking about her behind her back. You don't have to be her best friend, but I don't want you interfering with her anymore. Stay out of her life.† I paused. â€Å"Well, except to offer an apology.† Laurel was nodding along with everything I said. â€Å"Yes, yes! I'll apologize right now!† I lifted my eyes to where Jill was standing with her admirers, Lee's flowers in her arms. â€Å"No. Don't make this night any weirder for her. Tomorrow's soon enough.† â€Å"I will,† said Laurel. â€Å"I promise. Just tell me what to do. How to fix this.† I hadn't expected Laurel to approach me tonight, but I had been expecting her one of these days. So, I already had the small bottle of antidote ready in my purse. I retrieved it, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head as I held it in front of her. â€Å"One dose is all you need. Use it just like shampoo. Then you'll have to re-dye it.† She reached for the bottle, and I jerked it back. â€Å"I mean it. Your harassment of Jill ends now. If I give this to you, I will not hear one more word about you giving her a hard time. No more grief if she talks to Micah. No more vampire jokes. No more calling Nevermore and asking about tall, pale people.† She gaped. â€Å"No more what? I never called anyone!† I hesitated. When the tattooist had mentioned someone calling and asking about people who looked like vampires, I'd assumed it was Laurel running with the vampire joke. From the baffled look on her face now, I no longer thought that was true. â€Å"Well, if I hear about any of the other stuff continuing, then what happened to your hair will be nothing in comparison to what happens next. Nothing. Do you understand me?† She nodded shakily. â€Å"P-perfectly.† I handed her the bottle. â€Å"Don't forget.† Laurel started to turn away and then cast another uneasy glance at me. â€Å"You know, you can be scary as hell sometimes.† I wondered if the Alchemists had had any idea what I'd be doing when it came to this job. At least this settled one thing. Laurel's desperation convinced me the vampire jokes had only been a tactic. She didn't really believe any of them were true. It did, however, raise the unnerving question about who had asked about vampires at Nevermore. When I was finally out of the building and heading toward my car, I decided I really would go to Keith's. Someone needed to sort through his belongings, and it seemed like a safe way to avoid the others. I still had a couple of hours before curfew at Amberwood. Keith's apartment hadn't been disturbed since the Alchemists had raided it. The telltale signs from before were there, where we'd discovered his stash of Clarence's blood and silver supplies. The Alchemists had done little more than retrieve the essentials they needed and had left the rest of his belongings behind. My hope in coming tonight had been to get ahold of his other ingredients, the ones not used to manufacture illicit tattoos. It was always handy to have extra amounts of those chemicals on hand, be it for destroying Strigoi bodies or making dorm room chemistry experiments. No such luck. Even if his other supplies hadn't been illegal, the Alchemists had apparently decided to confiscate all chemicals and ingredients. Since I was here, though, I decided to see if any of his other possessions were items that would be of use to me. Keith certainly hadn't held back in using his illicit funds to furnish the apartment with every comfort of home. Scratch that. I doubted his home had anything like this: a California-king-sized bed, giant flatscreen TV, a theater-worthy sound system, and enough food to throw parties every night for the next month. I peered through cupboard after cupboard, appalled at how much of that food was junk food. Still, maybe it'd be worth taking some of it back for Jill and Eddie, so I bagged up the more portable sweets for them, organizing by color and size. I wondered also about the practicality of hauling the TV back to Amberwood. It seemed like a waste to leave it for the Alchemists' repo crew, though I could already imagine Mrs. Weathers's expression if she saw us dragging it up the stairs. I wasn't even sure Jill and I had a wall big enough to hold it. I sat down in Keith's recliner to ponder the TV issue. Even the recliner was top of the line. The luxurious leather felt like butter, and I practically sank into the cushions. Too bad there was no room for it in Ms. Terwilliger's room. I could see her relaxing back in it while drinking cappuccino and reading old documents. Well, whatever became of the rest of Keith's stuff, it was going to require the rental of a moving truck because Latte certainly couldn't handle the TV, chair, or most of the other things. Once this was decided, there was no reason for me to stay any longer tonight, but I hated to go back. I was afraid of seeing Jill. There was no reaction of hers I welcomed. If she was still sad from the argument, that would make me feel guilty. If she tried to defend Adrian, that would upset me too. I sighed. This chair was so ridiculously comfortable, I might as well enjoy it a little longer. I dug into my messenger bag, looking for homework, and remembered the yearbooks. Kelly Hayes. I'd had almost no time to think about her or the murders, not with all the drama surrounding Keith and the tattoos. Kelly had been a junior when she died, and I had a yearbook for each of her years at Amberwood. Even as a freshman, Kelly took lots of space in the yearbook. I remembered Mrs. Weathers saying Kelly was a good athlete. No kidding. Kelly had participated in nearly every sport Amberwood offered and been exceptional at all of them. She'd made varsity teams during her first year and won all sorts of awards. One thing I also immediately discovered was that Kelly was definitely not a Moroi. That much was obvious, even in black and white, and confirmed in the sophomore-year color spread in the middle. She had a very human build and tanned skin that clearly loved the sun. I was skimming the index of the junior yearbook when I heard a knock at the door. For a moment, I didn't want to answer. For all I knew, it was some loser friend Keith had made while here, looking to eat his food and watch TV. Then I worried it could be something Alchemist related. I found the Kelly tribute section I'd been seeking and set the yearbook down before tentatively approaching the door. Looking out the peephole, I caught sight of a familiar face. â€Å"Lee?† I asked, opening the door. He gave me a sheepish smile. â€Å"Hey. Sorry to bug you here.† â€Å"What are you doing here?† I exclaimed, beckoning him inside. â€Å"Why aren't you back with the others?† He followed me into the living room. â€Å"I – I needed to talk to you. When you said you were coming here, it made me wonder if what my father had said was true. That Keith isn't here anymore?† I sat back down on the recliner. Lee took a spot on the nearby loveseat. â€Å"Yup. Keith's gone. He was, uh, reassigned.† Keith was off being punished somewhere, and I said good riddance. Lee glanced around, taking in the expensive furnishings. â€Å"This is a nice place.† His eyes fell on the cabinet that had held the alchemy supplies. Its door still hung precariously from its hinges, and I hadn't bothered tidying up where the Alchemists had cleaned out its other contents. â€Å"Was this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lee frowned. â€Å"Was this place broken into?† â€Å"Not exactly,† I said. â€Å"Keith, um, just needed to find something in a hurry before he left.† Lee wrung his hands and looked around some more before turning back to me. â€Å"And he's not coming back?† â€Å"Probably not.† Lee's face fell, which surprised me. I'd always gotten the impression he didn't like Keith. â€Å"Will another Alchemist be replacing him?† â€Å"I don't know,† I said. There was still some debate on that. Turning Keith in had stopped me from being replaced by Zoe, and Stanton was now considering just having me fill in as the local Alchemist since the duties were light. â€Å"If someone does, it may be a while.† â€Å"So you're the only Alchemist in the area,† he repeated, sounding sadder still. I shrugged. â€Å"There are some in Los Angeles.† That inexplicably perked him up a little. â€Å"Really? Could you tell me their – â€Å" Lee stopped as his focus dropped to the open yearbook lying at my feet. â€Å"Oh,† I said, scooping it up. â€Å"Just a research project I'm doing on – â€Å" â€Å"Kelly Hayes.† The cheerful look was gone. â€Å"Yeah. Have you heard of her?† I reached for a nearby piece of scrap paper, intending to use it as a bookmark for the tribute section. â€Å"You might say that,† he replied. I started to ask what he meant, and that's when I saw it. The spread they'd done in honor of Kelly had pictures from all parts of her high school life. Unsurprisingly, most of them were pictures of her playing sports. There were a few from other areas of her social and academic worlds, including one of her at the prom. She wore a stunning blue satin dress that made the most of her athletic figure and was giving the camera a big grin as she wrapped an arm around her dashing, tuxedo-clad date. Lee. I jerked my head up and looked at Lee, who was now regarding me with an unreadable expression. I turned back to the picture, scrutinizing it carefully. What was remarkable wasn't that Lee was in the picture – though, believe me, I hadn't figured out what was going on with that yet. What had me hung up was the timing. This yearbook was five years old. Lee would've been fourteen at the time, and the guy looking back at me with Kelly was certainly not that young. The Lee in the picture looked exactly like the nineteen-year-old sitting across from me, which was impossible. Moroi had no special immortality. They aged like humans. I looked back up, wondering if I should be asking if he had a brother. Lee saved me from questioning, though. He simply regarded me with a sad look and shook his head. â€Å"Shit. I hadn't wanted it to happen like this.† And then, he took out a knife.

Technology Evaluation - Big Data Analytics Research Paper

Technology Evaluation - Big Data Analytics - Research Paper Example Furthermore, Sathi (2012) explains that most enormous data projects normally originate from the desire of answering specific questions relating to business operations. These questions might include on how to increase sales, effectively manage the organization's human resources, and methods of cutting organizational costs. Liebowitz (2013) therefore maintains that with the right platform of big data analytics, an organization will gain the capacity of increasing efficiency, boosting sales, improving operations, risk management, and customer service. This paper is an evaluation study plan, aimed at understanding the benefits and costs of using the technology of Big Data Analytics. In meeting the objectives of this paper, the researcher will identify the research questions that this technology aims to solve, methods used in conducting the study, the limitations, and timeline of events. As large business organizations initiate measures of improving the security system of their computer networks, a common method is being used to employ security staff, as well as establishing a central Information Technology security system (Bethlehem and Biffignandi, 2012). Business organizations have increased an emphasis on the physical security, personal safety, as well as the protection of their important critical infrastructures. This has led business organizations and higher learning institutions to develop a wide range of job titles, reporting relationships, segmented job functions, for purposes of describing how to approach the privacy of data, and protecting personal information, intellectual properties, and security of networks and computer systems (Kibert, 2012). Big Data Analytics concerns itself with analyzing enormous volumes of data, and this becomes a security issue.

Narrative paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Narrative paper - Essay Example It was a holiday and, thus, most of the people were out. Our car was at a signal. On green light, the driver in front of our car did not move. My dad is very short-tempered but, still, he kept his nerves. We got out of the car, and went to the driver. I saw that he was trying to grab his cell phone from the back seat that his kid has thrown there. â€Å"No, I don’t!† He shouted at dad, â€Å"I’ll move, just go, I know I don’t have to stay here forever. Hey Jimmy, did you find the damned phone?† This time he shouted at his kid. The signal had already turned red again. My dad wanted to end the situation without any quarrel. But he looked annoyed, and this annoyed me. I wanted to punch that man right in his face. He really wanted some lesson. But I kept silent and let my dad talk. â€Å"Hey man,† Dad said loudly this time, â€Å"I won’t allow you to be rude to me. Move your car right now. I’m getting late.† Everyone was giving horns and shouting at us to move. I could see all other drivers staring at us. That infuriated my dad but I held his arm and told him not to indulge in quarrel. I could sense him getting furious. The man turned his ignition on and moved away with a jerk staring at us which was even more exasperating. We, at once, got into our cars and moved away from the scene to unblock the traffic behind us. There was a lesson for us in this experience. We learned that it is a very unmannerly thing to annoy other drivers on road, especially on signals. No driver should look hither and thither, looking for lost things, eating food, reading magazines, talking on cell phones, quarreling with other passengers, or doing things that distract him from concentrating upon driving. Hence, to ensure peaceful driving, drivers must stick to the indispensable dos and don’ts of driving if they want to keep others and themselves safe and

Analysis of competitiveness of Chinese textile in EU market Essay

Analysis of competitiveness of Chinese textile in EU market - Essay Example The paper tells about the entry of China in the world market since 2005, with the quota-benefits is instrumental in her rising position as an important player in the world market with cutting edge of competitiveness and higher standards. Clark observes in his study of international competitiveness the need for the management and organization to work in harmony. â€Å"Management and organization is the focal point of Clark’s study. It is the force of international competitiveness that creates incentive for change. A government can create temporary incentives but can do little to get domestic firms optimize their objective functions in the long run†. The study conducted by Caves indicates that producers behaviour and resource allocation are altered by trade changes, rate of adjustment of the structure of the manufacturing. Industries to import competition and the amount of the sunk capital are highly correlated, marketing opportunity at a global scale enhances the plant-s cale economies, and the product differentiation changes the effect of import competition.Collis advocates a different approach saying â€Å"that an appropriate industrial policy corrects market imperfections and creates congenial environment for successful business. To adopt suitable industrial policy, it is essential to clearly define industry’s role, understand company’s strategies in the light of shifting comparative advantage and the changing structure of the global industries, identify market failures and implement coherent policies to minimize the pitfalls.†

EVALUATION OF PLAY IN DESIGN FOR BEHAVIORAL CHANGE Essay

EVALUATION OF PLAY IN DESIGN FOR BEHAVIORAL CHANGE - Essay Example However, through the interview there are both mistakes and improvements that when well covered would lead to a better game design that would accommodate all the aspects that would have been ignores in the previous design (Wolock et., al, 2010). It would be difficult to design a perfect game without a trial version. Through gained knowledge on the research nature it would be easier for the researcher to come up with aims and objectives that are supposed to be taken into account when designing a game. This would reduce the common mistakes which are obvious even to the fans hence creating a better understanding about the research in both quantitative and theoretical manner (Breakwell, 2006). Through research methodology, the dissertation is aimed at utilizing the various aspects such as philosophy, research design, research approaches and data collection to ascertain the requirements of play and design through research methodology (Ackermann, 2008). Fig1. Designing a game, Accessed from : http://moerg.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/img_1469.jpg?w=390&h=289, on 6th Nov 2011. Research Philosophy: Through the philosophical aspects it is important that the designer realizes the philosophical content of the research, for instance the realism, positivism and interpretive. These factors will determine the effects of the players and the audience. ... Research Strategies: According to Wolock et., al, (2010), in order to achieve any researcher has to strategize on the best methodology to use which depends on the requirements of the research design and play. There are effective research strategies like data collection resources, research objectives and approaches that would enhance the achievement of research project within the requirement, limits and scope of research (Archer, 1993). Working on effective research processes includes but not limited to case study, interviews, experiments, observations, surveys and literature review. These factors bring out a wider perception and research integrity within the projects that were managed according to the experimental analysis (Hourcade, 2008). Data Collection Through appropriate data collection method, the researcher would achieve a good play design with valid and reliable data and information. The researcher should involve both primary and secondary data collection methods (Ackermann, 2008). The primary date collection methods can be done through first hand information obtained from surveys and interviews conducted directly between the interviewer and the interviewee. This reduces chances of conveying irrelevant information as the interviewer would be able to study the interviewee to get more information (Breakwell, 2006). The secondary data collection method includes reading from journals, books and academic articles lust to mention. Once both methods of data collection are conduce about the play design, comparison can be done to ascertain the required information to be implemented on the play design (Bell, 2006) Needs and Pleasures    In order to achieve research design; we have to consider the design practice itself. At first

MARKETING INTELLINGENCE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MARKETING INTELLINGENCE - Assignment Example 50). Example, when an individual feels thirst he or she will have need to buy water or a cold drink. Stage4: The decision of purchasing. After the consumer has gone through the above stages and evaluated the solutions, he will choose the brand that suits him according to his needs. Then the consumer will go ahead with the real purchase of the products. Stage5: Post purchase behavior and evaluation. After the consumer purchased the product, he or she will carry out customer’s analysis. This is to know whether the product is useful to you or not. And also knowing if it had fulfilled the needs or not (GERBER, 2008 p. 50). In conclusion, it’s very important for the consumer to carry out specific research and follows the five stages before and after purchasing a given product that he or she may need. This will enable him or her to have the right product without a regret. There are a number of theories which are in line with the buyer behavior in terms of individuals and market. These theories include environmental theory of buying behavior, generic theory of buying behavior, cultural theory and internal theory of buying behavior. This is explained below. Environmental Theory of buying behavior: Individuals can show different buying behavior basing on the situation and the environment the individual is in. The environment in which the individual is will make very big measure in the market in which the individual is in. Example an individual can be in the supermarket and buy a water bottle at a cheap price, but after a long day of working in a busy place the individual will buy that bottle of water at a higher price than it was in the supermarket (HOWARD, 1969 p. 45). Cultural theory of buying behavior: The individual and market behavior of a buyer can be affected by the culture in which the individual is in. When an individual was being raised and brought up in the family, the person’s behavior can be influenced by the family member. Example the

Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Apple - Essay Example There are also problems of transit from country to country caused by manufacturing and logistics of different countries. Economic factors are more inclined in the differences in currency of different countries which manufacture and assemble its technological software sector. After recession, most of the economic conditions of the countries involved improved significantly; however, this came with the increase in the prices of oil and consequently inflation. This inflation hit most global markets reducing the purchasing power of the consumers. As such, most of its technological software was considered a luxury as most of the consumers were unwilling to buy them. Furthermore, USA and Europe which are the major operators of Apple Inc. experience high rates of unemployment recently which reduced the sales of their technological products. The volatility of the currency exchange rate between countries makes the economic condition very unpredictable. There is a global call for all the manufacturing companies to produce products which are recyclable if not biodegradable. This move is propelled by many Environmental protection and Health & Safety initiatives and organizations which impose regulations and laws of environmental protection. This has been the fate of many countries where Apple operates and thus it affects its production by raining its production costs. This is unfavorable to the financial conditions of the company. Europe and Canada are some of the most hit areas which have been affected as the regulations require production of recyclable products. Technology is not static and thus requires Apple to be on the lookout for new and improved models. The fast technological changes coupled with the intense competition especially in the smart phone industry causes Apple to spend a lot of money on improving the quality of their products. This involves massive research and developed especially given the short nature of

Medium Fidelity Prototype Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Medium Fidelity Prototype - Assignment Example The primary goal of this interactive user interface design is to create a user friendly system that is easy to use by any registered voter. Just like using cash machines (ATM), the voters will simply be required to have an electronic voting card before thy can log into the system and vote. Generally the central principals of adopting the new e voting prototype will be to present all the potential voters with a equal right to participate in a secure, free and fair elections. The first step of the electronic voting process will involve proof of the identity of the voters by the election officials in present in each electronic voting terminal. Consequently the voter will be required to present identity documents to the relevant election officials at the designated polling station. After verification, the election officials will then provide the voter with an electronic voting card. The pictures of the candidates and their assigned voting numbers will appear on the screen as shown in the diagram below. The dynamic user interface will be integrated with a number of interactive features such as drop down menus to allow voters scroll down the list of candidates and select their preferred one. After successfully entering the number of your preferred candidate and pressing OK, the information of the selected candidate will appear on the screen and the voter will be able to confirm whether they have voted for the correct candidate. A message indicating that the voting process is complete! Will appear on the screen and the voter will be prompted to remove the voting card and take it back to the election officials. In the case where you have entered an incorrect number, press clear and enter again. However if you enter a voting number that does not belong to any of the candidates on the list, an error message will appear on the screen and to continue, the voter