The Blue Sword CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The next morning they left the Madamer Gate, to go back down the mountain as they had come. The little troop was less than half what it had been the morning before, and it moved more slowly, from weariness, wounds and †¦ a slight feeling of anticlimax, Harry thought. She had a foul headache. Every step Sungold took struck like a mallet behind her eyes, and her vision sparkled with it. â€Å"Does one always feel a bit lost, the day after a battle?† she asked Jack, who was riding somewhat stiffly at her side. Draco had suffered a cut over his poll, and the headpiece of the bridle was paddled with a bit of blue cloth. â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"Even when you win.† They rode gently but steadily all that day. That evening Harry said to Kentarre: â€Å"You may leave now, if you wish, to go home. I – we're all grateful for your help. It's very likely we would not have held them off even long enough for – for Gonturan to drop the mountains on them, without you. And,† Harry said more hesitantly, â€Å"it is also good to find another friend and ally.† Kentarre smiled. She smiled much more easily now than she had when she and her archers first stepped out of the trees to pledge to Harimad-sol; and Harry didn't think it was only because the threat of the Northerners had been halted. â€Å"It is good to find a friend, lady, as you say, and it is ill to lose one too soon. We would follow you still, and see your king, and give you a little more glory at your return. I think perhaps we filanon have held alone in our woods too long; and without you, Harimad-sol, we would have no homes now to go back to. We were Damarians not so very long ago, and our fathers called Corlath's fathers king. We would go with you.† Four of her archers had materialized out of the firelight to stand beside her when she began to speak, and they nodded. One wore a white rag around his forehead, and it covered one eyebrow, which gave him a puzzled uncertain look; but there was no uncertainty in his sharp nod. Harry looked unhappily at her hands. â€Å"I – I'm not sure it would be wise of you to come to Corlath on my heels, calling me sol. I came here – left him and his army and his battle plans – expressly against his wishes, and I think it more than likely that I'm riding into trouble, as I choose to go back. I – er – applaud the idea that you should declare yourselves as Damarians again, but I – well – highly recommend that you make your own path to Corlath, without me.† Kentarre did not seem surprised by Harry's words; but then Terim or Senay must have told her the story. â€Å"Your Corlath I think is not a fool, and it would be foolish to treat with less than great honor the one who buried Thurra and thousands of his army. We will come with you, and if he turns you away, we will still come with you. You are welcome here,† Kentarre said with a wave of her hand and a faint musical clatter of the blue beads around her wrist. â€Å"You need not go into exile homeless.† Harry said nothing. She found that she was too tired to argue, and too grateful for their loyalty, for she was simply afraid of what she was returning to – afraid mainly because she realized how desperately she wanted to be able to go back. It was true, Corlath would be forced to honor her as the cause of Thurra's downfall, for he was no fool and he was a very honorable king; but she did not want him forced. â€Å"Very well,† she said at last; â€Å"let it be as you wish.† Kentarre bowed, a brief graceful sweep. â€Å"Thank you,† said Harry. â€Å"It is my honor to follow Harimad-sol,† said Kentarre. Jack smiled at Harry as she knelt down again by their fire, and was swarmed over by Narknon, who seemed in her own way to be as shaken by the mountains' falling as the human beings had been. â€Å"We cling to you like leeches,† he said, and she looked at him in surprise. â€Å"Or so I believe was the gist of your conversation just now.† Harry nodded. â€Å"So perhaps this is a good time to warn you that Richard and I and our lot are planning to come too – throw ourselves at the mercy of your Hill-king. There's nothing at home for us. And um – † he turned his hands over to warm the backs of them by the fire, and stared at his callused palms – â€Å"we'd like to.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"You'll only be able to talk us out of it with an extraordinary amount of effort, because any reason you may come up with we will immediately assume has to do with your praiseworthy desire to spare us pain or trouble, and we are quite selfishly set on riding east on your heels. And we none of us have the strength for protracted arguing anyway, yourself included. And I may be old and stiff and sore, but I'm wonderfully stubborn.† There was a pause. â€Å"Very well,† said Harry. Richard, at Jack's left hand, poked the fire with a stick. â€Å"That was easier than I was expecting,† he said. Jack smiled mysteriously. They came to Senay's village the next day, and they were met with a feast. Senay's father explained: â€Å"We felt the mountain fall three days ago, for the earth shook under us and ash blew over us. The air felt brighter afterward, and so we knew it had gone well for you.† â€Å"The dust was blue,† said Rilly. â€Å"And it is a three days' ride to the Gate from here, so we expected you,† the young woman, Rilly's mother and Senay's father's second wife, explained; and Senay's father, Nandam, said: â€Å"Hail to Harimad-sol, Wizard-Tamer, Hurler of Mountains.† â€Å"Oh dear,† said Harry in Homelander, and Jack snorted and coughed, and Richard demanded to be let in on the joke. But when the platters, heavy and steaming, were passed, she decided that fame had its advantages. She had not eaten so well since she had sat at the banquet that made her a Rider †¦ with Corlath †¦ The next morning, to her dismay, Nandam appeared with a tall black horse with one white foot. â€Å"I will come with you,† he said. â€Å"This leg has made me useless in battle, but I am not without honor, and Corlath knew me of old, for Senay is not the first to ride to the king of the City from my family and my mountain. I will ride in your train too, Wizard-Tamer.† Harry winced. â€Å"But – † It was her favorite word of late. â€Å"I know,† said Nandam. â€Å"Senay told me. It is why I will come.† They avoided the fort of the Outlander town, lying peacefully in the sun, untroubled by the tiresome tribal matters of the old Damarians. The Outlanders had known all along there were too few of the Hillfolk to make serious trouble; and if the earth had shivered slightly underfoot a few days ago, it must be that the mountains were not so old as they thought, and were still shifting and straining against their place upon the earth. Perhaps a little volcanic activity would crack a new vein of wealth, and the Aeel Mines would no longer be the only reason the Outlanders went into the Ramid Mountains. Jack looked rather broodingly toward the iron-bound wall inside which he had spent most of the last eighteen years. He caught Harry looking at him and said: â€Å"Anything there waiting for me is something on the order of ‘Confine yourself to quarters while we decide what to do with you – poor man, the desert was too much for him and he finally went bonkers.' I'm not going back.† Harry smiled faintly. â€Å"I botched it, you know. If I'd known what I was doing, I could have gone alone, quietly dropped half a mountain range where it would do the most good – â€Å" â€Å"And ridden off into a cloud, never to be heard of again,† said Jack. â€Å"I sometimes think the blind devotion – or the press of numbers – of your loyal followers is all that is sending you back to your king at all.† Harry stared unseeingly at the horizon of her beloved Hills, and she remembered Aerin's words, and that Dickie had called her back to this world just a little too soon. â€Å"Is he really such an ogre?† Jack went on. â€Å"Don't you want to go back?† Harry turned and looked back at the smudge on the golden-grey sands that was Istan. â€Å"No, he is not an ogre. And, yes, I want to go back – very much. That is why I am afraid.† Jack looked at her; she could feel his gaze on her, but she would not meet his eyes. The trip back, Harry thought unhappily less than three days later, seemed a lot shorter than the trip away; and this in spite of the fact that they were moving slowly for the sake of their wounded, who had resisted staying in Nandam's village to be healed and demanded to come with them. â€Å"They don't want to miss out on any of the fun,† Jack said apologetically, as if it were all his fault. â€Å"Fun?† she said, exasperated. â€Å"Your attitude is perhaps a little unnecessarily rigorous,† suggested Jack. Harry muttered something that was better not said aloud, and added, â€Å"They take honor and loyalty very seriously here, you know, you Damarian-mad Homelander.† Jack shrugged. â€Å"And if they throw us out on our collective ear – even that is fun of a sort, I believe.† He paused, and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. â€Å"But I'm afraid I have the same optimistic outlook as the rest of Harry's bandits.† Harry protested, â€Å"But I know more about it!† â€Å"Ignorance is bliss,† replied Jack. They had no difficulty finding their way to the camp of the Hill-king. Harry never thought about it, beyond the simple word â€Å"east.† But although â€Å"east† covers a great deal of territory, she had pointed Sungold's nose as surely as if she were a route-rider, covering the same path she had traveled for years. She wished now she weren't quite so accurate. She could see the king's tent looming in the twilight before them, the sunset fading behind them, and their long shadows beginning to dissolve in the ripples of the grey sand underfoot. She knew that they were marked by the king's guard, but no one hailed them. She could well believe that she and Sungold and Gonturan were immediately recognizable, but she was surprised that even if she were not to be taken prisoner on sight the very obvious presence of twelve armed Outlanders in her train was exciting no comment. Since she did not know what else to do, she rode reluctantly but directly to the king's tent; it rose from the center of the other tents, the black-and-white banner flying from its peak. Still no one stopped or questioned her; but several offered her silent hand greeting, the kind a king's Rider might expect, and this comforted her a little. But she wished she would see someone she knew well enough to talk to – Mathin or Innath by choice – to ask what sort of welcome she might expect. There was little sign that this army had fought a desperate battle against the odds only days before; and she suddenly realized that it had never occurred to her that Corlath might lose. She was learning to believe what the backs of her eyelids told her. The tents were all neatly and precisely pitched, and the horses she saw were sleek and fit. There was a hum of tension about the camp, though, which she could feel; the silence had a stretched quality to it, and those people she saw hurrying from tent to tent looked as though their errands might be about life and death. Sungold's steps fell too quickly. She saw no other Rider, and at the door to the king's tent she paused, and her company came up behind her, and fanned out into a little court around their captain. The gold-sashed guard saluted her, just as he had done half a year ago; she thought it was even the same man, although he looked much older, almost as old as she felt. She stayed in the saddle; she wanted to stay there forever; at very least it made her taller than a man on foot – even Corlath. What was she to say? â€Å"The prodigal has returned? The mutineer wishes to be reinstated? The subordinate, having gone to a great deal of trouble to prove her commander wrong, has come back and promises to be a good little subordinate hereafter, or at least until the next time?† Then Corlath put back his golden silk door and stood before her, and she stared down at him, and she could not have gotten out of the saddle then even if she had wanted to. She realized why, when her kelar had shown him to her in battle some days ago, she had not at first recognized him, that his sash was the wrong color. He was wearing her sash. â€Å"Hari,† he said; then â€Å"Harimad-sol,† as he walked to Sungold's side; stiffly he moved, she thought, and her heart failed her at the thought that he might have been wounded. She stared down at him still, and could not move, and then, shyly, he put his hand around her dusty leather ankle and said, carefully, â€Å"Harry.† She pulled her leg over the withers and slid down Sungold's shoulder as she had once slid down Fireheart's, and put her arms around her king and hugged him fiercely; and his arms closed around her and he murmured something, but her blood was ringing in her ears, and she could not hear what it was. It is not very comfortable, holding someone close who is wearing a sword and various unyielding bits of leather armor, and it is less comfortable yet if both parties are so accoutered. Harry and Corlath dropped their arms after a short time and looked at each other, and each distantly thought that the other one was wearing a rather silly smile, and Harry noticed that Corlath's eyes were the color of gold. â€Å"You are unhurt?† she said; her voice sounded tinny in her hot ears. â€Å"I am unhurt,† he said. â€Å"And you?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry, still looking at his golden eyes. â€Å"Or no. I am not hurt.† â€Å"I am glad,† her king said, and his voice was still low and shy, â€Å"to see you – here – and still – † he hesitated – â€Å"still of the Hills?† Harry took a deep breath. â€Å"I will be of the Hills till I die, but what are you going to do to me for going off like that? And it's not their fault,† she went on hurriedly, gesturing behind her, â€Å"but they would come with me even though I warned them how it was with me. Whatever you say, I will obey, but – what is it?† She stopped, for as she tried to make her apologies, or her amends, or whatever they were, she remembered that she and Corlath were not alone, and that she was a deserter. She looked up and around, but her company were only dark figures to her, dim in the fading light. â€Å"I will return to you your sash,† Corlath said, but his hands did not move to untie it from around his waist. â€Å"You should not have lost it – for I assume you lost it. If you had not, but flung it away deliberately, it would be a sign that you denied me, and Damar, and were making yourself an exile forever.† â€Å"Oh no,† said Harry, horrified; and the slightly foolish and uncertain smile on Corlath's face grew into a real smile, one unlike any Harry had ever seen on the Hill-king's face before. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"I hoped not.† Harry whispered: â€Å"You have done me much honor – since the beginning.† Corlath replied: â€Å"I did only what I must, for the kelar gave me no choice; but I – I came to believe in you, and I did not care what the kelar said.† â€Å"Did you believe in me then, when I rode away and left you, my king, and I a king's Rider, against your orders?† The smile faded, but his eyes were still bright yellow. â€Å"I did,† he said. â€Å"Luthe †¦ warned me you would do something mad – and I †¦ feared something else, for thus a man makes a fool of himself, and will not accept the wisdom the gods send him. I did not realize what Luthe had told me – I had forgotten what the kelar had told me – till you had gone.† â€Å"Something else?† said Harry. â€Å"What did you fear?† Her heart beat more rapidly as she waited for his reply, and she hoped he would ask her such a question, that she might answer it as her heart bade her. But Corlath looked around them. â€Å"The Outlanders you bring to my camp are not your escort home?† Harry shook her head violently. â€Å"They are my escort home only insofar as they would bear me company in my home, in the Hills, if you will have them.† â€Å"I will have them, and be honored,† said Corlath, and his eyes lingered on Jack, who sat Draco quietly between Richard and Terim, â€Å"they who stood at Madamer Gate and watched the mountain fall on Thurra. This tale they will tell, I hope, and tell often.† â€Å"And I hope I will never have to do anything like that again,† said Harry, and for a moment she could not see Corlath's yellow eyes, but a demon-thing that had once been human on a white stallion with the teeth of a leopard. Corlath looked down at the top of her bent head. â€Å"For you I hope that you do not either; the kelar strength is not a comfortable Gift. â€Å"I saw – I watched the mountain fall. I heard you call me and knew then who it was you faced – and thus why it was that I had not seen him before me: why we were able to throw the Northerners back, for all that they outnumbered us. They did not, I think, expect us to be so strong, or Thurra would not have divided his army as he did; for Thurra's demon blood had told him that only the demon Gifts are strong. â€Å"I was proud of you – and I was glad that it was I you called upon.† His voice died away to a murmur, but then he spoke loudly: â€Å"There is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years, to Aerin and Tor, that we do not often see today, for there have been few women warriors of late, till Gonturan rode to battle again. But tradition is that a betrothed pair may exchange sashes, and thus they pledge their honor to each other, for all to see. I will return you your sash if you choose, for I have no right to wear it, as you have not granted me the right. But I have been honored to wear it, in my people's eyes, till you returned – for as I had had so little faith in you despite Luthe's words to me, so I decided to have faith that you would return, to the Hills and to me, and to hope that your answer might justify me.† Harry said clearly, that all might hear: â€Å"My king, I would far rather you kept my sash as you have kept it for me in faith while I was gone away from you, and gave me your sash to wear in its place. For my honor, and more than my honor, has been yours for months past, but I saw no more clearly than did you till I had parted from you, and knew then what it would cost me if I could not return. And more, I knew what it would cost me if I returned only to be a king's Rider.† Then a cheer went up from many throats, and not only from those of Harry's company; for many of the camp had gathered in the center court before the king's zotar to hear how this meeting would go, for they had seen Harimad-sol's sash around their king's waist, and those who remembered the tradition had told of it to those who did not. And there was no surprise, in those who had followed Harry or in those who had fought with Corlath, and there was much joy; and the echoes of those cheers must have come even to the city boundaries of the Outlander town called Istan, and the barred gate of the General Mundy. And the Outlanders who had followed Jack Dedham when he decided to follow the young Harry Crewe, who had become Harimad-sol and the Hill-king's Rider, and who did not know the Hill tongue, looked around them, and at the two tall figures before them standing beside the chestnut stallion, and they cheered too; and Jack, in a lull, said to them: â€Å"In case you would like to be sure what you're cheering, our Harry is going to marry this chap. He's the king, Corlath.† Under the cover of the shouting Corlath drew Harry closer to him and said: â€Å"I have loved you long, though at first I did not know it; but I knew it when I sent you into the Hills with Mathin and Tsornin for your teachers, for I saw then how I missed you. And when in the City I found that Narknon had followed you, I was jealous of a cat, who could go where she wished.† Harry said, softly, that only his ears might hear: â€Å"You might have spoken.† Corlath smiled wryly. â€Å"I was afraid to tell you, for I had stolen you from your people, and the awakening of your kelar might make you hate me, for she whose blood gave you the Gift left the Hills long ago. When you knew what it was that this heritage gave you, it might drive you back all the more strongly to your father's people, to a fate the Hills had no part of. The Gift is not a pleasant burden. â€Å"But when I saw you were gone I looked to the west, for I knew where you must be going, and I vowed that if we both lived, when we met again I would tell you that I loved you, and ask you to stand by me not as Rider but as queen; for suddenly it seemed worth the risk, and I could not bear it that you might never know.† Harry said: â€Å"I love you, and it has haunted me that for my disobedience I would be exiled, not from the people I have claimed as my own, though this were punishment enough, but from you that I loved best of anything and best of all. I think I knew you could not exile me, for the victory Gonturan had won for you and your Hills; but I knew that for you to have turned against me for leaving as I did, it would have been the bitterest exile, even if I sat at your left hand as Rider all my life.† It was Innath who grabbed her away at last and danced her around, for Innath had no dignity, and Corlath and Harry seemed able to ignore the tumult around them indefinitely. Then Jack took her away from him, and then she was embraced and knocked about and swung back and forth till she was dizzy; but she laughed and was happy, and thanked everyone who touched her. But there was one face in particular that she looked for and could not find, and its absence troubled her. At last they let her go to Corlath again, and her happiness was shaken for the face she could not find, and she seized his arm anxiously and said, â€Å"Where is Mathin?† Corlath, who had been dancing too, went very still. â€Å"He is not dead?† she said, and her voice rose till it broke; but when he shook his head it gave her no comfort. He took her hand in his and said, â€Å"Come,† and led her away, through the tents. Now she could see the traces of battle, for by lantern light she saw blood-stained gear and unidentifiable bits and tatters moving mournfully in the evening breeze, and some few people, bandaged, limping, or lying by campfires, gently tended by those who were unhurt. Corlath led her to a long low tent and drew her inside, and the smell of death struck her at once, although the figures lying on rugs and blankets and cushions were well cared for and cleanly bandaged, and their chests still rose and fell with breathing, and there were many nurses watching over them and bringing drink and thin invalid food. Corlath brought her to the far end of the narrow tent, and the figure there turned its head toward them. Harry threw herself on her knees, weeping, for here was Mathin. â€Å"I knew you would return,† said Mathin, and one hand moved a few inches to close weakly around Harry's; and Harry gulped and nodded, but still her tears flowed and she could not stop them. â€Å"And you will marry our king?† he went on, in what would have been a conversational tone if it had not been so faint, and Harry nodded again. â€Å"I wanted you to toast us at the wedding, my old friend and horse-breaker and teacher,† she said. Mathin smiled. â€Å"I leave my honor in good hands, best of daughters,† he said gently. â€Å"No,† said Harry, and while her tears still fell her voice gained strength. â€Å"No.† As she knelt, Gonturan dug a hole between her ribs, and she stood up impatiently and unbuckled her and let her fall; and as she bent down again a few of her tears fell on her own hand, and they were hot, scalding hot, and left red marks where they touched the skin; and she realized that her eyes and cheeks burned with them. She drew the blanket away from Mathin's chest and belly, where a long mortal wound oozed through its wrappings; the blood was almost black, and green-tinged, poisoned, and there was an unhealthy smell. â€Å"In Aerin's day,† murmured Harry, â€Å"kelar was good for things. It didn't only hurt things, and make trouble.† Corlath came to stand behind her. Mathin looked up at his king and said, â€Å"Aerin – â€Å" Harry felt Corlath's hands on her shoulders, and twisted where she knelt, and seized his hands. â€Å"Help me,† she said. â€Å"You helped me on that mountaintop. It was as though you held me up, held me by the shoulders as you did the first evening when I tasted the Water of Sight.† Her eyes, wide open, were going blind; it was like the golden war-rage, only worse; it would split her skin, she would wither and blacken in the heat of it. Corlath said, as if against his will, â€Å"Mathin fell, guarding me, while I was far away on a mountaintop; if it had not been for him, I would have had no body to return to.† Harry shivered and the heat plucked at her nerves and ate up her strength, and blindly she reached out one hand to touch Mathin, and her fingers touched the bare skin of his upper arm, and she felt him shudder, and his breath hissed between his teeth. Whatever it was thundered through her veins and filled her lungs and stomach, her hands and mouth; and she let go of Mathin and turned to the next bed, and scrabbled with the bedclothes, for she could see nothing but the golden storm and feel nothing but one of Corlath's hands tight in one of hers, and she touched the throat of the occupant of the pallet next to Mathin. She groped her way down the long length of that tent, stumbling, almost crawling but for Corlath, touching foreheads and hands and shoulders, and the nurses turned back the bedding, and the eyes of the dying looked into her blind eyes and hoped for her touch but feared it, and none but Corlath who were themselves whole came near enough even to brush the hem of her tunic, for it was hard just to breathe if she, with the power that was in her, was too near. The fire rose through her and crackled in her ears, so that she was deaf as well; but at last they came to the door, and Corlath led her out, her feeble feet not sure where they would find the earth with each step; and she felt the evening breeze, and the fire began to subside, reluctantly at first. But as it drained out of her, back to where it had come from, it took with it the marrow of her bones and the elastic of her muscles, for such was the fire's fuel, and she leaned against Corlath. He put his arms around her, and when the fire flickered at last and went out and she crumpled, he picked her up and carried her back to his zotar, and she lay in his arms as limp a burden as when he had put the sleep on her, the night he stole her from the Residency. Harry woke up feeling as if she had been sick for a year and was now approaching convalescence. She stared at the peaked roof of the zotar and slowly realized where she was. Even her thoughts were too weak to entertain the idea of moving. Narknon, by some extra feline sense, knew when she opened her eyes, and without moving from her sprawl across Harry's legs, began to purr. With the purr came Corlath, who had been sitting just beyond the curtain that had been hung by Harry's bed to give her peace from the comings and goings of the king's tent. He put back the curtain when he heard Narknon. He was himself weary, for much of the strength Harry had used the evening before was his; and he had not been able to sleep that night for watching her. He watched her sleeping, hoping only that she would awaken and still be Harry. His heart was in his mouth as he dropped down beside her. The look on his face brought Harry more strongly back to herself, and she sat shakily up; and he put an arm around her shoulders, and she was happy to rest her head against his chest and be silent. She did not want to ask, but she could not help herself, so at last she said: â€Å"Mathin?† His voice sounded deeper than ever with her ear against his chest when he spoke. â€Å"He will carry a handsome scar, but he will carry it lightly, and he will be strong enough to sit on Windrider when we leave this place to return to the City, in a few days' time; although his right arm still pains him somewhat, from the long raw burn near the shoulder, as though a fire had scorched him.† Harry remembered how she had known the fire was eating her, that it would leave nothing of her; and she opened her right hand, the hand that had touched Mathin. It looked as it always had, but for the small white mark across the palm, which was only two months old. â€Å"And the others?† â€Å"None will die, and while none is as quick to recover as Mathin, none either bears the mark of where Harimad-sol touched them.† â€Å"And – my people? Jack, and Kentarre, and those who follow them? And Nandam, and – and Richard? Have you met my brother Richard?† â€Å"Your Jack has introduced us.† Corlath had remembered Colonel Dedham when he saw him standing in the twilight behind Harry; remembered him as the one man who had seemed to listen to what Forloy said, and believe that the men of the Hills might be speaking the truth, even to Outlanders. It was that sight of the man who had offered the Hill-king his loyalty while standing on the Residency verandah that had given Corlath the courage to declare his love for Harry the night before. It had seemed a fine bold thing to him at the time to bind her sash around himself and wear it openly; it hadn't occurred to him till he saw her with her company at her back, and her pale eyes fixed on him with an expression he could not read, that it would force him to face her with it and what it meant immediately, whenever he saw her again – if he saw her again. It would doubtless have been kinder or more courteous – and less dangerous – to choose his time and place; and not make such a public display of it. But then, without the sash around his waist and his people watching eagerly for the outcome, it was so extremely possible that his courage would have failed him again, for all his noble words about risk-taking. All these things he would tell Harry later. â€Å"But Richard has the face of your family, though he has not the eyes, and I would have guessed who he must be.† â€Å"Jack would like better than anything in the world to ride a Hill horse.† Harry heard the beginning of his laugh far inside him before it burst out into the air; and she raised her head and looked inquiringly into his face. He shook his head at her and said, â€Å"My heart, your Jack shall have a hundred of our horses, and welcome,† and then he bent his head and kissed her, and she drew him down beside her. A few minutes later Narknon, with an offended growl, climbed off the bed and stalked away. Mathin was a trifle paler than usual when Corlath's army mounted and set their faces to the east, but he sat easily on Windrider and looked all around him as if reminding himself of what he thought he had lost; but most often he looked at Harimad-sol, riding at the king's right hand. The army moved slowly, for there were litters to carry, and they need not hurry. Even the desert sun overhead seemed glorious rather than relentless, and their king was to marry the damalur-sol who bore Gonturan the Blue Sword, and the Northerners had been defeated, at least for their time, and probably for their children's time, and perhaps even their grandchildren's; and Damar was still theirs. And it was as well also that the army was moving slowly for the sake of Jack Dedham and Richard Crewe, who were riding Hill horses, and finding Hill horsemanship a little more difficult than Harry had, and were dismayed at the idea of being able to stop a horse at full gallop simply by sitting down a little hard er in the saddle. Harry, when she was not with Corlath, rode circles around them and teased them and made Sungold do all sorts of fancy passes and turns, not really to annoy them but only because she could not contain herself for happiness. Sungold bucked and bounced till even Harry had to clutch at his mane to stay on – Jack had the temerity to laugh – and behaved not at all like a well-schooled war-horse, and seemed just as happy as she.

Suburban Regional Shopping

Running head: CAN THE MAGIC BE RESTORED? Suburban Regional Shopping Malls: Can the Magic Be Restored? Stephanie Austin Upper Iowa University Suburban Regional Shopping Malls: Can the Magic Be Restored? Imagine yourself as the manager of a struggling local suburban regional shopping mall. What do you think the mall should do to improve its performance? According to the textbook, the retail life cycle consists of the introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. (Perreault, Jr. Cannon, & McCarthy, 2011) To keep a local suburban regional shopping mall from reaching its decline, one must spend time and money during the maturity phase to keep with today’s trends. If a mall is declining, a manager must get more department or anchor stores to draw in business. Fill other spaces with specialty stores, offering products that consumers can’t get anywhere else. Another option for managers is to find a niche in the community that will draw consumers in. A suggestion that was used in the book was to add entertainment to the center of the mall.The entertainment can be anything from holiday shows, occasional concerts, a playground for kids, or even just an open area with comfortable resting spots where customers can relax and de-stress. A perfect type of idea would be a small coffee house type of area that serves coffee and soda with a waitresses on staff to cater to each patron’s needs. Especially during the holiday season, this would be a great relaxing way for customers to rest their feet and collect their thoughts before heading to the next store on the list. Another change that would need to be made is changing store configurations, referred to as zonal merchandising.This is where you group together stores that serve the same basic need and draw the same basic shoppers. This will help those shoppers that come to the mall to purchase a specific product. They then will see the other stores that sell similar products to what they are looking for and poss ibly stroll on into a new store. The most common use of zonal merchandizing has been used in food courts, which has been proven effective. â€Å"†¦ several new [building] projects have incorporated zonal merchandising principles, including Rivertown Crossings in Grand Rapids, Mighigan, which†¦ rouped some categories of stores by product line carried, and Park Meadows in Denver, Colorado†¦ has grouped stores by customer lifestyle. Attempts to reconfigure existing centers around zonal merchandising ideas, such as the changes at Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California, seem to be successful as well. † (insert book authors) The last thing and possibly most important thing a manager should do is create a mall website that lists all the stores, any possible coupons, discounts, or specials that may be happening, as well as links to all the stores so a person can â€Å"window shop† before ever stepping foot into the mall.One could even go as far as to offer di scounts to those who shop online thru the mall website, therefore drawing traffic to the website. Through the mall website, a consumer may find a link to another store that he/she has heard of before and then can check out its merchandise. Possibly aiding that store in achieving another customer. What shopping trends do you foresee over the next 10 years? How might these trends affect suburban regional shopping malls?Shopping trends over the next 10 years will include more technology with online shopping with tagging, kiosks for easy check-outs when a consumer does venture out, and apps that allow you to pay via smartphone. â€Å"This will also bring many benefits to life like automatic checkout, as you walk out, making cashiers less necessary in many categories. This means no more checkout lines and more service personnel to make your shopping experience a pleasure. This is already happening in Japan and other counties outside the US. † (site article)Shopping via tagging wil l be a new concept that will be a big hit. See a cute pair of shoes on the girl across the street? Consumer will point and say â€Å"tag it†. The smartphone will search the internet for that product and allow the consumer to see it and purchase that pair of shoes, right then and there. Everyone has been somewhere where they see something they like on someone, but are too afraid to ask the person where he/she got the item or even how much they paid for it. Experience Rethink author Brian Regienczuk has this to say, â€Å"As you move through your day, it will be asier to tag items you like and buy them immediately or add them to your shopping list. For example, a purse or pair of shoes on a passerby catches your eye. You say â€Å"tag item† as you look at the item and immediately receive confirmation that the item has been identified. Buy it now or add it to a list for later. † (Year of article) These trends will affect suburban regional shopping malls negatively at first, but as time goes by, consumers will still be drawn to the feeling and concept of strolling through malls, talking with their friends, and paroozing in and out of stores.Things that will be lost with the online shopping world. What new retail concepts can you identify? How might you learn about more? To learn about more, a mall manager could tour and visit other malls with similar demographics. What strategies do you suggest for learning about new retail concepts? To learn more about retail concepts, a company could hire a marketing firm and a technology firm to identify up and coming trends in the new markets. Certain firms specialize in this area.References Heller, L. (2011, April 20). The Future of Online Shopping: 10 Trends to Watch. Retrieved from www. Forbes. com: http://www. forbes. com/sites/lauraheller/2011/04/20/the-future-of-online-shopping-10-trends-to-watch/ Perreault, Jr. , W. D. , Cannon, J. P. , & McCarthy, E. J. (2011). Basic Marketing: A Marketing Stragety Planning Approach. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Company. http://experiencerethink. wordpress. com/2010/09/23/the-future-of-shopping-2020/

Analysis of leadership and managerial effectiveness

Analysis of leadership and managerial effectiveness Leadership power, influence, path-builder and director. it can defined in many ways, but most commonly Leader is person who influences the thoughts and behaviors of others; a leaders is one who establishes the direction for others to willingly follow. One person can serve as a leader or several persons might share leadership. A person may be appointed as leader or may be elected by people within his circle. Leaders play vital role in standardizing performance. Leaders can influence other to perform beyond the expectations. Managers plan, organize, lead and control so that â€Å"leading† and â€Å"managing† are inseparable, they are both integral part of each other. If one cant influence and inspire others to work willingly towards aims then all planning and organizing will be ineffective. Similarly setting direction is usually not enough, no matter how inspiring one can be, management skills are crucial. Main characteristics of leadership:- Self Confidence- They have c omplete confidence in their judgment and ability. A vision- This is an idealized goal that proposes a future better than the status quo. The greater the disparity between idealized goal and the status quo, the more likely that followers will attribute extraordinary vision to the leader. 3.Ability to articulate the vision- They are able to clarify and state the vision in terms that are understandable to others. This articulation demonstrates an understanding of the followers’ needs and, hence acts as a motivating force. 4.Strong convictions about vision- Charismatic leaders are perceived as being strongly committed, and willing to take on high personal risk, incur high costs, and engage in self-sacrifice to achieve their vision. 5. Behavior that is out of the ordinary- Those with charisma engage in behavior that is perceived as being novel, unconventional, and counter to norms. When successful , these behaviors evoke surprise and admiration in followers. 6.Perceived as being a change agent- Charismatic leaders are perceived as agents of radical change rather than as caretakers of the status quo. 7. Environmental sensitivity- These leaders are able to make realistic assessments of the environmental constraints and resources needed to bring about change. Main objective of leadership:- 1- Begin with the End in Mind Clearly define AND communicate the objective; then lead unapologetically to its conclusion 2- There is no â€Å"I† in TEAM Team players have value and are contributors to a group effort; self promoters do not have value and steal from the group. Cultivate team players and cull self promoters 3- Develop an Institutional Memory Remember mistakes – and the costs associated with fixing them – or they will repeat themselves ad nauseum 4- Set a good example by being a good citizen at home, in your community and at work No business success will make up for being a lousy citizen 5- Control the environment effectively, without suppres sing creativity & flow Don’t let the environment control you. 6- Do reward behavior you want repeated Behavior (and success) that is rewarded will increase in duration, intensity and frequency. 7- Don’t reinforce and don’t ignore behavior you want stopped Fear of conflict and avoidance of accountability will only lead to wide spreaddys function and more unwanted behavior.

Etiology of bipolar disorder Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Etiology of bipolar disorder - Research Paper Example ological but lately intensive psychotherapy is being increasingly recognized as a better alternative, although absolute therapy is still considered to be in its experimental stages. There have numerous studies to explain the etiology of the disease which have progressed from explanations of behavioral, social and psychological factors as its causes to the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain and genetic defects making certain individuals particularly prone to it. As bipolar psychiatric disorder is characterized by sporadic, alternating events of depression and hyper manic state, the excitatory and inhibitory neuronal transmission have been the prime targets of pharmacological interventions. Molecular and cellular targets include inhibition of enzymes such as inositol monophosphatase, inositol polyphosphate 1-phosphatase, etc. by the administration of lithium salts whereby the lithium ion competes for a magnesium binding site which is responsible for prompting the action of such enzymes (Gould et al, 2004). Similarly valproate and carbamazapine inhibit another set of enzymes, as well as molecular signaling pathways in neuronal transmission. Inhibition of these enzymes is responsible for the tentative therapeutic action. Another aspect which has been noticed in psychiatric disease is the high heritability of schizophrenia as well as bipolar disorders which points a finger at the genetic predisposition to such disorders (Owen et al, 2004). Experimental studies in molecular genetics are already underway and chromosomal abnormalities have been noticed at specific locations of the human genome obtained from sufferers of psycho somatic disease. In bipolar disease, involvement of multiple genes has been suspected for long and studies are therefore intricate in design, but feasible with the modern tools of molecular biology which have become available only recently. In a genome wide association study conducted on pooled samples obtained primarily from European

Law Definitions Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law Definitions Review - Essay Example The essay "Law Definitions Review" presents the review of such definitions as law, policies, guidelines, strategies, and tactics. For example, the law is a rule of conduct established and enforced by the authority, legislation, or custom of a given community, state or nation. And policies govern the way in which public and private resources, eg. land, labor, and capital are used, rather than the kind and quantities of resources used. Policies could be the plans and procedures adopted by the Government for achieving pre-determined objectives for the guidance of decision and actions. This could also be said to be a plan of action adopted by the Government which lays down the parameters of its functioning and the logical reasoning behind pursuing goals, objectives, and plans for the achievement of projects or executive function. Policies differ from laws in the scope of their operationality and adherence. While laws are enforceable mandatorily, policies may be devised and used on a situ ational basis, depending upon the exigencies of the circumstances and the need for enforcing policies. Common examples of policies are Children and family health policies which may, or may not be governed by laws, The policies relating to increasing taxes, taking action for reducing alcohol consumption among young people and rehabilitation of HIV/AIDS victims may all be governed by policy decisions taken by the government. Guidelines are documents produced by the regulatory agencies to accompany the regulations and acts.

An External Cost Is a Produced-to-Producer or Consumer-to-Consumer Cos Assignment - 7

An External Cost Is a Produced-to-Producer or Consumer-to-Consumer Cost - Assignment Example Through profits, businesses have the capacity to reward its employees, who in turn get the ability to cater to their needs. For instance, through online jobs, I find some extra income for my upkeep. The other principle is economic viability. This enables businesses to have the capacity to cater for the needs of individuals in the society in future. For this to occur, businesses need to avoid the depletion of their resources and save for future usage. 5. The life cycle costs allow a business to undertake a lifetime comparison of the available options in making a purchase. This allows the conversion of future costs to their present value to account for inflation, and that has the lowest cost in its lifecycle is the most viable. 6. Effective EPR policies ensure that businesses have a liability of future external costs that for instance, relate to land contamination. Companies will internalize the costs in the form of business decisions that results in the pricing of raw materials commercially. This leads to the reduction of the external costs. 9. Ecological footprint relies on the fact that the earth produces all the renewable resources. It is the reliability of such resources for the production of goods and services, in order to sustain a particular lifestyle. 10. External costs lead to an increase in credit risks that cause a decrease in opportunities due to the limitation of resources such as bank loans. Therefore, businesses have a constraint in competing effectively in the market. 12. Third-party certifiers subject the products of a given company to sustainability tests. They determine the sales of certain products due to strict conditions that only certified products should be available in the market. 13. It is cheaper to purchase products that have negative impacts on the environment, as compared to the products that have a less environmental impact. Businesses do not have a strict obligation to pay the taxes on their operations on a full scale. Therefore, it has been hard to define equity in most businesses and this has led to the maintenance of external costs.

Discussion questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion questions - Assignment Example There are some interrogation techniques that are more physical than lingual and this enhances the difference with interviews even further as interviews even though uses different methods such as telephone is still spoken (Gordon and Fleisher, 2010). Coercion and duress involve using psychological and emotional pressure and threats during interrogation process to try and force information from the suspects or get them to cooperate. This method is used when interview bring forth no useful information. Creating duress in a suspect only taints the process of interrogation as the suspect or prisoner refuses to cooperate once in emotional stress. Even if the prisoner was willing to cooperate at some point and willingly provide information, once subjected to psychological torture, they refuse to cooperate. Duress and coercion are used to gather particular information interrogators need or a confession they need to close the case. Using them only affects the credibility and in turn reliability of the information the suspect will provide as they may give the information needed to be heard not because it is the truth but simply to stop with the psychological and emotional torture. Application of these two cases means that the suspected criminals after being captured will not reveal any details of the crime. They refuse to tell anything to the interrogating officers because these two rights prevent them from saying anything that may incriminate them and which may later be used to send them to jail. These two rights as they are now are protected by the fifth amendment of the constitution and hence once they are established no interrogator using whatever techniques can force them to talk. This is frustrating to the interrogators who have to interrogate in front of lawyers who is simply pointless as the lawyer will advise the client not to talk or simply seek other avenues of getting the information from. Many people worldwide are

Hoe does the concept of Europeanisation seek to explain policy Essay

Hoe does the concept of Europeanisation seek to explain policy adaptation in EU member staes - Essay Example However, the European Union is not just a ‘consortium’ of countries that discuss in common on certain issues. It is mainly a political, financial and social co-operation1 which provides its members with a series of rights but also of obligations which guarantee their financial and political strength but also the Union’s existence and operation. Current paper examines the phenomenon of Europeanisation as can observed in general but particularly in Britain, Germany2 and France (three of the most important and powerful members of EU). The particular policies of these countries regarding the application of EU’s rules in their internal environment are also examined in order to formulate an integrate result of the national policies of the above states compared to the strategies required by the European Union in order for its policies to be successfully applied in all member states. The definition of europeanisation presents a lot of differences in the literature. This fact can be explained by the existence of significant theoretical differentiations between the scientific researchers that have worked on this area. In this context, according to Massimiliano (2000), the process of europeanisation has been explained by the political scientists at least in four different ways: a) As a process of centre-building, of state-building, which implies a centralisation of powers and functions at supranational level (Haas 1958) or anyway a â€Å"political institutionalisation at European level† (Caporaso, Jupille 1998), b) As a process which serves for the already existing national states to co-ordinate policies (Hoffmann 1966; Moravcisik 1998), c) as a process which adds a new level of decision making without deleting the old ones, but contributing to a re-definition of the relations between different level of decision and between different kinds of actors (Sharpfà ¢â‚¬â„¢s â€Å"multilevel polity†, 1994), or d) as a process of domestic changing in

The Grand Rapids Michigan Furniture Strike of 1911 Essay

The Grand Rapids Michigan Furniture Strike of 1911 - Essay Example Grand Rapids workforce was within a few ways in advance of to a large extent of the state in provisos of manual labor categorized & division awareness. The fundamental manual labor assemblage, the  Knights of Labor, embarked on management in Grand Rapids in 1883 & was prominent in receiving Grand Rapids to be solitary of the primary metropolis to commemorate May Day following the  1886 Haymarket mutiny. The KOL too acquired associates nominated to the Grand Rapids municipality charge at the closing stages of the 19th  Century & near the beginning fraction of the 20th  Century. Next toward the identical era the workforce were systematizing, the home production privileged were in addition running on top of conduct to engender further affluence and opinionated have power over all through the metropolis. The furnishings corporation proprietor were a rigid interlace faction that engaged a propos one third of the labor force in the near the beginning part of the 20th  Century & h ad initiated their personal furnishings maker organization in 1881 trailed via an owner society in 1905 that had notice certificate on each employee in the furnishings production. Additionally, the furnishings mugger magnate had as well instigated to be in charge of a vast deal of the neighborhood bank and intertwined structure of to be in command of inside the furnishings manufacturing amid proprietor sitting additional panel of administrators of apiece other corporations (Powell, 2007).  In truth, the intertwined scheme of industrial unit proprietor & the neighborhood depository arrangement was therefore so noteworthy that they were below examination pro infringement of antitrust act. The rampant affluence of the furnishings tycoon & the mounting manual labor strife around the state that was belligerent pro an eight hour exertion daylight hours, improved earnings, improved functioning environment & the desire to organize was the ideal framework for a colossal clout in 1911. Pres ently there are incongruity above the definite numeral of workforce who went on the clout, bar nearly all historians give the impression in the direction to place the figure at 4,000 originally & while numerous as 7,200 next to the conclusion of the four month clout. Workforce jointly sauntered off the post on April 19, 1911 in remonstration in opposition to the furnishings proprietor deficient of rejoinder to employee demand. April 19 was in addition the date subsequent to the furnishings manufacturer organization had in print a reaction to the workforce pronounce so as to that they wouldn't consent to communal haggle. The clout swelled rapidly & integrated the prop up of the Mayor & the Catholic Church underneath the headship of Bishop. Ultimately the furnishings proprietor pulled in strike breakers to endeavor to maintain the industrial unit unwraps and generating. Subsequent the objection on 19th April 1911, manufacturing entity landowner akin to Harry Widdicomb warren within th eir heel, & implemented their preeminent to preserve make up via means of conveying within supplementary physical employee. Umbrage elevated amid the conspicuous labor force. Anxiety flew into a rage on 15th May subsequent to Widdicomb shot to pressurize industrial action breaker in the route of the workplace all the way through a mass of a propos 1,200 protester & followers amassed on the John Widdicomb Co. on Fifth Street NW. That belatedly daylight, populace poured

Supplier evaluationfor achieving long-term performance Essay

Supplier evaluationfor achieving long-term performance - Essay Example outside the business then it follows that the biggest opportunities for improvement in their cost position will also be found in that wider supply chain (Christopher, 2005). Having the right suppliers ultimately makes a significant difference to an organization’s future in reducing operational costs and improving the quality of its end products, whereas having the wrong suppliers can cause operational and financial problems (Zeydan, Colpan and Cobanoglu, 2011). This has led firms to focus on improving their supply chain by continuously evaluating the performances of their suppliers. To achieve this, firms are increasingly building collaborative relationships with partners in their supply chain in order to achieve efficiencies, flexibility, and a competitive advantage (Whipple, Lynch, and Nyaga 2009). Such a relationship which involves collaborative activities, such as information sharing, joint relationship effort, and dedicated investments leads to trust and commitment. Trust and commitment in turn lead to improved satisfaction and performance. Unlike a transactional relationship where there is only a simple exchange between buyer and supplier, where the supplier provides goods or services and the buyer provides money in payment, the collaborative approach that firms are adopting allows the buyer organization to seek to develop a long-term relationship with the supplier. The strategic view is that the buyer organization and the supplier share common interests, and both benefit from seeking ways of adding value in the supply chain. There is a win-win situation, where buyer, supplier and end-customer can all benefit (CIP, 2010). However, in order for the buyer to keep track of these relationships and assess the supplier performance, an evaluation process must be in place (Stueland, 2004). It is quite understandable why companies today turn to buyers to reduce costs because good buyers will reduce the overall costs suffered by their organization. In turn, this

Act three of the crucible Essay Example for Free

Act three of the crucible Essay This leaves Mary Warren accused, with no way out, as Abigail expands on this statement to make it seem more realistic. Abigail has achieved what she wanted, she has gotten the attention away from herself using her accusations. The tension builds as we dont know what Abigail is going to do next and we know that she is capable of destroying peoples lives. The Puritan society meant that everything revolved around God, the girls, knowing this, found that the strongest way to act was to accuse people of being against God. It would make them look in a better light as they are doing Gods work by ferreting the evil out of the village. Danforth, Hale and Hathorne believe that God is using the girls to help the village. This constant reference to the Bible and repetition of the puritan beliefs adds to the tension as it shows that they will not doubt the messengers of God. There is also a moment of humour were Proctor forgets one of the commandments, when he is trying to prove his wifes innocence. Throughout the whole ordeal Proctor stands as the voice of reason, speaking the truth but not being heard over the tumult of lies. He voices sensible faults to Abigails accusations. When Abigail sees a yellow bird, Proctor says that he cant see it and asks Hale the same thing even though he is being quieted by Danforth as he is trying to get the words out. He asks Hale because he thinks that Hale is starting to lose faith in the reliability of the court and calls to him for back up and support. He frantically tries to tell Danforth that the girls are just pretending in order to help Mary Warren, other wise he would feel guilty for Marys fate because he brought her there and told her to face up to Abigail and to tell the truth, Theyre pretending, Mr. Danforth! . . . Theyre gulling you Mister! This again adds to the tension as everyone is shouting over each other and the anger builds. As soon as everyone has been calmed down, once more they begin to yell their accusations over each other. The tension is built in peaks and troughs to keep the audience on edge. It is first built at the beginning when the characters first come on stage. It is lulled by Hale who asks for calm, and as they discuss the proceedings rationally, it is raised once more upon the entrance of Proctor as Parris claims he is there to overthrow the court. Another raise in tension is when Proctors wife is accused of keeping poppets in the house. Proctor cannot, despite the confession of Mary Warren, convince Danforth that it did not belong to Elizabeth. Abigail becomes worried that Danforth is starting to believe Proctor and so to strengthen the girls story she pretends she can feel a cold wind which is freezing her. The other girls pick up the act quickly and can also feel the wind. Proctor knows that they are only acting but cannot convince anyone else, as the girls have done it so much they start to believe it themselves. Act three Abigail : I I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. (her eyes fall on Mary) Mary : (terrified, pleading) Abby! Mercy : (shivering) Your Honour, I freeze! Proctor : Their pretending! Hathorne : She is cold, Your Honour, touch her! Abigail makes several attacks like this on Mary, when her and the other girls copy everything that Mary says and the one which finally cracks her, the yellow bird story. All these fantasies which Abigail makes up adds to the tension as we do not know what will happen to Mary if she does not confess. When Mary accuses Proctor she thinks she is doing what Abigail wants her to do but it ruins Abigails plan to get rid of Proctors wife so she could be with him instead. This is the end of the climax where Proctor is so angry at the injustice of the events and terrified of what with happen to him that in a moment of outrage that seals his arrest and ultimate hanging when he shouts out, I say I say God is dead! In the video the fury of the towns people is shown as they, in a Theocracy, feel very strongly about blasphemy. Proctor has seen the truth as he says that both Danforth and himself are doomed to hell as they have both sinned, Proctor : God damns our kind especially, and we will burn , we will burn together! . . . You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore! Hale has had enough and says he had nothing to do with the court proceedings and the overall verdict and storms out of the court. This is the final climax that Millar was building to the end were Proctor is so angry at Abigail and the court that he doesnt care any more. When he says, I say I say God is dead! He is basically signing his own death warrant as the tolerance for blasphemy in his society was non-existent. Proctor knew this and knew this would anger everyone but he also knew that he couldnt win. The end of the scene ends in chaos, as Hale storms out, The court falls apart, symbolising the less than perfect world of the Theocracy and their entire beliefs, which do not work when people have the freedom to lie and cause such thing as murder to happen legally and with the authorisation of the courts. I think that the point Arthur Miller is trying to make is that people will only believe what they want to believe. Also, there is not a straight line drawn through right and wrong, how crime and punishment are often influenced by thoughts, feelings and individual ideals. I think he is also trying to say that good doesnt always conquer over evil no matter how superior their principals, intensions or morals are. Stephanie Moore English Crucible essay Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Social Networks and Online Games Essay Example for Free

Social Networks and Online Games Essay Introduction The future of the country depends upon the youth of today, these calls to a large extent on how youth or students are educated.  Man can become man through education only. He is what education makes him. (Immanuel Kant, 2000). Schools are such as an integral part of our society, so that its mission then is to serve its society by preparing young people to cope effectively with its problems and to contribute to the pool of human talents the society needs in order to function successfully, through education, a person has a better chance to achieve what is quite unique to him as an individual living in a free democratic world. Education nowadays is free for everybody; hence, the government provided a free elementary and secondary education as stated in Article IV, Section 2 of the Universal Declaration o Human Rights.  The home, school, community and media served as forms of socializing agent and education of a student. Different forms of technology had been introduced for effective teaching learning process. However, some of high school students nowadays used social networking sites as socialization agent and instrument in their studies, they used it as a connection or communication to their other classmates, to connect with their old friends to meet new friends with the same interest, social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, MySpace and others are attracting millions of people around the globe especially the students. It had been the source of happiness for many students. Some play with the games or applications available in SNSs. But, nowadays, students are addicted to these kinds of sites which led to low scores on test and quizzes, sleeping in class because of lack in sleep and eventually, low grades, performance and achievements of students are greatly affected in school. With these observations, the researchers became interested to find out  the impact /effects of social networking sites and online games on the study habits of students, with this, the output of the study could be used by school authorities as in the field of education reforms and innovations. Statement of the Problem The general problem of the study is: How Social Networks and On-line Games affects the study habits of the students in Tibagan National High School. Especially the study seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What are the social networks and on-line games that student spent more time and interest? 2. What interventions the School Administrators, teachers and parents must extend to help the student to get more focus or attention in their studies? 3. What recommendations may be forwarded to help students manage and budget their time to studies and leisure activities? 4. How do students interest in social networks and on-line games can be converted into informative games and help them to be productive and responsible social networking users? Significance of the Study Specifically the study may be of great help to the following: The Administrators. This study will help them make a workable plan to win back the interest and good study habits of their students in their studies and produce quality of graduates. The Teacher. The findings in this study will be used as a baseline data in identifying, understanding and analyzing the best strategies/interventions a teacher may use to bring back the full attention of students to their studies. The Parents. This study would not just help parents know why their children get low grades or perform badly but they will become conscious of their duties and responsibilities to their children especially in their educational endeavors. The Students. It help them realized the value of education, time management, discipline and being responsible user of internet and technology. Scope and Delimitation of the Study The locality of the study will be used in Tibagan National High School. This study will focus on impact/effects of social networking sites and online games on the study habits of students. The respondents of the study will be the selected high school students from first year to fourth year during the school year 2012 – 2013. The method to be used is delimited to the descriptive type of research and a questionnaire will be used I gathering data.

The Ferrero Group Is A Family Limited Company Marketing Essay

The Ferrero Group Is A Family Limited Company Marketing Essay This paper was written in order to present Ferrero solutions and possible strategies to increase its profit during the period of Christmas 2010, in the UK. The report will comprehend the global chocolate market along with the current trends; with a special highlight on the UK market. First, the situation analysis of the company is the crucial step that will allow us to understand on what the objectives and strategies must be based on. In order to do so, we will undertake a macro and micro environment description and analysis to see how is influenced the company; starting with the company itself, we will define its place in the market, its product line, its culture, and its goals. This will lead us to the study of the collaborators such as the distributors and the suppliers which have a key role in these busy times. Analysing the market size and growth will help us to understand the English customers, their behaviour, their needs and expectations and particularly in such important period. We will also define the appropriate target markets. Certainly, we will also have a look on the competitors of the market; the direct or indirect ones based on their positioning and market shares. And finally a PEST Analysis will help us to understand the current climate and context and the current political, economical, social and technological factors that can have an impact on our objectives. Ferreros budget on this project is  £ 740  000. Based on this budget and on the fact that Christmas count for 40% of the annual sales we expect a 3 % profit increase in comparison with last year. We will give our advices on how implement and control the whole project. Introduction The FERRERO group is a family limited company of the Italian food-processing industry created in 1946 by Pietro Ferrero. The company was founded in 1956 in Alba, Italy. Ferrero ranks today 4th in global confectionery and chocolate. The company is active on five major markets (spreads, dried snacks, chocolate, confectionery and chocolate confectionery pocket), with highly targeted product of international renown such as Nutella, Mon Cheri, Kinder, Ferrero Rock. The company is today employing 21600 people all around the world. Very involved in environmental and social problems, Ferrero is a large sized company which based its success on its core values: fun, innovation, respect for those who manufacture goods and those who consume them, quality and accountability involving all the employees. (MINTEL, 2009) The Corporate Objectives: Peter Drucker in his book Management-Tasks, Responsibilities and Practices suggests that a company should have objectives in each of these goals areas: Market standing Innovation Productivity Physical and financial resources Profitability Management performance and Development Worker performance and attitude Public responsibility Regarding the market standing, Ferrero aims to be leader on the confectionery market. The policy adopted by Ferrero Group is to keep an excellent quality, to be developing markets with products that are unique, different from those of competitors and technologically innovative and have the ability to respond to consumer tastes, whatever their nationality and their age. Over the years, Ferreros policy is to consolidate the position of existing brands, accelerate growth, launching at least one new product every year, always advancing the customer satisfaction invest in the territory and finally promote employment. EXTERNAL MARKETING AUDIT Macro environment PESTE analysis is the tool we used to analyze the strategy macro-external environment within which Ferrero operates. PESTE factors play an important role in value creation opportunities of a strategy. However they are usually beyond the control of the business and must normally be considered as threats or opportunities. (TELLIS,2006) POLITICAL Political factors can affect Ferrero. It could be either an advantage or a disadvantage. Indeed, if taxes increase, therefore consumption decreased and sales of stock decrease. However, if taxes decrease is consumers will probably buy more. Laws and regulations can also affect Ferrero income, especially regarding international trade and food labeling. Also, the Government is very concerned about obesity and is warning the population on the harmful effects of confectionery. ECONOMIC The new Christmas strategy will have to take into account economic factors because they have a strong impact on business. The first factor that could disturb the business is inflation. Prices will go up increasing the production costs of the company but the customers will not agree with paying more money. Also, inflation rates must be involved ina strategy. Indeed, if the interest rates go high then Ferrero will not expand its business. Also if consumers are under pressure due to their loans they would not want to buy unnecessary products. SOCIAL The main social factor which could influence Ferrero business is the current trend of snacking. Indeed, the number of people eating on the go is increasing over the years. Also, any social change taking place outside Ferrero could have an impact on the new strategy. If for example, the birth rate falls, like expectancy will increase. We can suppose that there will be a larger demand on confectionary for middle aged consumers. On the other hand, if the birth rate increases we can assume a larger demand for the young population. Also, diets are a problem. Indeed, all the current studies announced that obesity increases, and will even more in the coming years. This means that demand will decrease, people will prefer a fruit rather than chocolate. Finally, fashion is a contemporaneous factor that changes customers mind and tastes. Even if chocolate is not really the main preoccupation it is still essential to keep in mind that fashion is changing very quickly. Ferrero needs to adapt adverts and promotions in order to keep catching customers attention. TECHNOLOGICAL Today, production is high. This is thanks to high technology machines, quicker and more efficient. Also, factories are enabling high quality mass production. Then, the new ways of communications have improved. Indeed, it is easy and cheap to use Medias such as the internet, magazines, television, newspapers, and the radio to advertise and promote the products. Finally, Internet is still a good place to sell goods, even confectionary ones. This PESTE Analysis allowed us to comprehend the external environment barriers that can affect Ferrero business. This analysis introduces us on the direction that the company should go in order to increase the products success and minimize the cost. We are now going further working on the micro environment factors. Micro-environment The Company What helped Ferrero to reach its position on the international market is based on a few keywords. The first one is the very high quality of each item of their different ranges of products. Actually, the excellence of the raw materials is a determining factor in the companys products performance. Moreover, they are conscious about the fact that being in a long term and strong relationship with the best suppliers is the only mean to offer some of the best products on the market. To make sure that Ferreros products quality meets all the customers expectations and desires, at a reasonable price, Ferrero established a set of rules which constitute its Quality Management System. It is a certification mean applied to standards for raw materials and packaging, choice of suppliers, checking of goods, recipes, production instructionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In order to reach an entire customer satisfaction, the company worked a lot on its last key success factor: Freshness. To be able to offer the best freshness to each of its product range, Ferrero settled high standards of hygiene and food safety. Being constantly innovating is the last key factor of the brands success. It is evident that Ferreros biggest strength is its continuous research in order to be able to develop and offer new and original products to the consumers. This task is carried out by Soremartec (Socià ©tà © de recherches marketing et technique) whose mission is to study, develop and realize innovative products capable of creating new market sectors, characterized by exclusive ingredients and manufactured using technologically complex production processes. Furthermore, Ferrero is also implied in social issues, environmental causes and cares a lot about food safety. But the companys main characteristic is its way of being GLOCAL. It means that its thinking globally, and its acting locally. That is to say that they are influencing the international market, while taking care about individual localities. These values led the confectionary group to the top, by making its products known and loved by millions of consumers worldwide. Overview of its products Ferreros products are part of the existing chocolate market. Generally, all the products offered are sold at a medium price, and the brand makes the difference playing on the content of the selections. Range of products sold on the market Ferrero classified its product in five categories according to the following logic: Kinder product: the first Ferrero category, is divided itself into three smaller ones: Kinder Bars, such as: Kinder Bueno, Kinder Chocolate, Kinder Maxi,Kinder Country. Chilled Kinders, such as: Kinder Pingui, Kinder Choco Fresh, Kinder Maxi King. Playful Kinder Eggs, such as: Kinder Surprise Kinder Schoko-Bons Ferrero products, is the second category, is made of: Nutella and Duplo products such as Nutella Go, Nutella Snack Drink, the classical Nutella jar and also Duplo and Duplo Nocciolato. As a third category, there are Chocolate products which are presented in transparent boxes: Ferrero Rocks, Raffaello, Mon chà ©ri, Then comes the Sugar Confectionary category, mainly composed of Tic Tac products such as: Tic Tac Tic Tac Silvers Tic Tac King Size Drinks is the last category classifying two Ferrero products: Estathà © and Nutella Snack Drink c. The market The company Ferrero is present on the international market; its geographic distribution is also international. It is a company of large size which invested a lot each year, who obtains a positive growth each year and whose profitability cannot ceases to increase; the subsidiary has seen its turnover multiplied for twelve years. France therefore takes the third place in terms of turnover after Italy and Germany. Ferrero is currently evolving differences on five markets: hazelnuts spread, confectionery chocolate, snacks dry more ultra-fresh, candy pocket, chocolate bars. Our product will position itself therefore on the confectionery market of chocolate. Currently, Ferrrero products located in the category sweets chocolate are at the stage of the maturity. Ferrero group is located in the fourth place in the world in the sector of confectionery. In the UK and over the 2005-2009 period, the consumption (Appendix 1) has increased as well as the total sales in value by an estimated 10%, to  £4.83bn. Chocolate remains the largest of the two main sectors and also showed the highest growth over the period. The Customers Geographical range Ferrero is present in the world, on all continents. Sociodemographic This market being very narrow, Ferrero had tried to expand and make chocolate a food as pleasure according to all. That is why, confectionery shock of Ferrero chocolate are addressed to all ages, all social classes, all nationalities, all religions, all income, all the socio-professional categories, etc. The Ferrero market shares by sector: (Source: ACNNielsen July 2005) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Spreads batter: 89, 2% of the shares of total market: Nutella à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Snacks dry and ultra-fresh: 30,3% of total market shares Dry Kinder (Kinder Dà ©lice), Kinder Ultra-fresh (Kinder Pingui, Kinder Chocofresh, Kinder Happy Time) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Confectionery chocolate: 20% Bars (Kinder Bueno, Kinder Maxi, Kinder Country, Duplo, Mouthful and rocks (Ferrero Rocher, Raffaello, Mon Chà ©ri, Ferrero Prestige Confectionery playful (Kinder Surprise, Kinder Shokobons) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The confectionery pocket: 11, 5% of the shares of total market: TIC TAC à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The chocolate tablets: 3, 2% of the shares of total market: Kinder chocolate Regarding all these segments, Ferrero is very present for children, it must therefore continue on this track because the chocolates pleasing to children but also to parents who buy for children. And if the mothers buy chocolates to children, is that they are seduced and convinced of the quality of Ferrero chocolates. This means therefore that the targets of Ferrero are fair and respected. Ferrero may not only strengthen its segmentation because it is already very developed on all segments. And it should not ignore in any case a small part of a segment. Chocolate is a food consumption of which quality is constantly increasing. In the years 2000, chocolate becomes a means of comfort, of delight, and pleasure of share its mixture bold and sweet highly taste. It is weapons natural style but also a good anti-stress. Each year, the total production in UK is about 380,000 tones, an increase of 33% between 1990 and 2000. Each year, the consumption of chocolate increases by about 3%, for indicative purposes, in 2002, the consumption of a one person was 4, 86 kg per year. It is by helping of such data that we can explain the excellent results in terms of sales and turnover of Ferrero. Competitors Years ago, the God-fearing and abstemious English Quakers were responsible for the early development of chocolate in the UK. They created the foundations of todays leading confectionery conglomerates. Some of the most famous Quakers names in chocolate making are Rowntree, Fry, Cadbury and Terrys. Then the Swiss took advantage of the market with their technical and commercial expertise. They created Nestle, Lindt, and Tobler perfecting the art of chocolate-making on a large scale. Today, the worlds leading chocolate manufacturer is still the Swiss based Nestle. It is followed by the US based Mars Inc. The other major players have almost the same size and each of them has an essential position in different markets. Philip Morris-owned Jacobs Suchard dominates in most of European countries. Cadbury Schweppes is the UK market leader. By 2010, the Total European Chocolate Market Will Reach a Value of $35.4bn, with Germany accounting for a 32% share, followed by the UK with 25%. Nestle, Mars, Ferrero, Jacobs Suchard and Cadbury are the market leaders. (HOOVERS) Also, the chocolate bars like Crunchie, Picnic, Mars, Snickers, Kit Kat and Violet Crumble account for about 40% of chocolate market sales. But it is the emerging markets in Asia, South America and Eastern Europe which offer the greatest growth prospects for the worlds chocolate makers. Asia, hampered by humidity, often inadequate refrigeration and poor distribution, is nevertheless seen as a major growth market due to its sheer size. International rank of Ferrero, in terms of percentage of Sales in value Distributors Ferreros success is based primarily on the success of different brands developed by the group. But, to maintain this level of excellence, Ferrero must anticipate any change and adapt as soon as possible. This involves the establishment of a supply chain is performing particularly well. With all its products, Ferrero uses the normal distribution channels for small, medium and large retailers. Ferrero uses short distribution channels, 1 or 2 intermediate before end user, allowing an increase in awareness and geographic implementation locations. This choice of circuit is essentially due to the large size of Ferrero as well as its relocation. Its leading position gives it a certain assurance of profitability and its distribution is assured by its experience. INTERNAL MARKETING AUDIT Operating results Regarding the entire Ferrero Group, and despite its kitsch reputation in the UK, it ended the 2008-2009 financial year with a consolidated turnover of 6,345 million euros, an increase of 2.1% (+131 million euros) compared with the previous financial year 2007-2008. The Group worldwide includes 38 trading companies, 18 factories and around 21,500 employees. Strategic issues analysis Marketing objectives will allow us the secure the loyalty of our customers and attract those whoo are not yet convinced. Our core competencies and our competitive advantage are all about quality, taste, and customers satisfaction. Our products are positioned as premium confectionery products on the market. This position is due to the high quality and the relative high price of our products. Finally, regarding the segmentation Ferrero is now globally sold to individual consumers and families from all socio-professional categories. Marketing mix effectiveness Products This strange mix of tradition and modernity is a strategy that, in the design, manufacturing and communications products, is avoiding the beaten track. (KOTLER 2003). Ferrero creates few brands, but always on high value-added niche, where they quickly become leaders. That is because Ferrero plays on latent demand. More than products, the Italian group invents new ways of consuming the candy. With Nutella was born the chocolate spread, and forty years later, Ferrero still holds nearly 50% volume share of the English sector. Thanks to Kinder, children discovered their first chocolate. And the five products of the brand (Kinder Surprise, Kinder Country ) now represent nearly 30% of the group turnover. The Patent Secrecy is also well guarded that any new process invented by the laboratories Ferrero is industrialized by its wholly goods. Ferrero products have a longer life cycle and are almost all in the maturity phase. The packaging is changing but without much disruption. For example, t he product Nutella is still sold in a glass jar and the dominant colors are red and black. But now thanks to Ferreros research and innovation system, there is a product especially created for each event. There are Christmas tree Ferrero Rocher boxes, bell boxes for Easter and Maxi Kinder Surprise Eggs for childrens birthdaysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Price Several factors explain the relative dearness of the Ferrero products. Firstly, there is a historical factor: their products are almost always the first appearing on the various market segments they covet and they quickly become successful. The group can afford to set a high price. Then there is a need to reward quality factor. Ferrero products achieve to have this unique taste because they are made with the best ingredients. Moreover, being a Group highly focused on innovation, Ferrero supports large costs of R D. Finally, Ferrero products are often quasi-monopoly on the segments they occupy; there is no competition from cost. Ferrero is free to set its prices, there are no substitute products having the same quality. The Ferrero Group products are related to high-end products that appeal, however, all segments of customers. Place With all its products, Ferrero uses the normal distribution channels for small, medium and large retailers. Depending on the size and type of linear switching surface, the end product is more or less present. Ferrero uses short distribution circuits, one or two intermediaries before the final consumer. Ferrero products are easily accessible as customers can purchase them while going shopping, in any retail store. If the customers do not go shopping especially to buy a Ferrero product, it can become a purchase on impulse, as generally, on special occasions, these products are settled in end-aisle displays to be visible. Promotion The communication strategy is at hand. Not that advertising is neglected, in Italy the Group is the 2nd of advertisers on TV behind Procter Gamble, all brands and all media. Ferrero spent last year around  £11 million a year in the UK advertising its brands. Ferrero Rocher for example has invested over the past 20 years, more than  £50 million in adverting in the UK.A strong past activity in the UK included a tie-up with The Simpsons. But Ferrero has never forgotten his rural roots, is very down to earth: the product, just the product. Advertising extols the nutritional benefits the Kinder, is more milk and less cocoa. It even explains how to eat the egg. Like all other links in the chain, and contrary to what happens in many other food groups, advertising is an integrated service of the company, which has its own management, Pubbliregia. With a golden rule: Never call on behalf of Ferrero. Because the label is hidden behind Ferrero brands. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES INTERNAL ANALYSIS -Awareness of the brands High quality of the products it offers. Constant political revolution of marketing. Great capacity to meet demand. Innovation research/technology Strong dependence on many suppliers Probability of lack of control by the heavy dependence on many providers. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS EXTERNAL ANALYSIS Easy to buy: easily accessible for the customers. Considered as an ideal product for gifting. New flavors Emerging markets. Health regulations Strong competitors/Imitation Internal Environment Description of the Internal Environment is based on strengths and weaknesses. First, regarding the strengths, one of the essential assets that Ferrero possess is the quality of the chocolate. Quality remains the same over the years. Ferrero knows its customers and is able to perfectly meet the demand. Also, regarding RD, continuous researches are done aiming at developing new and original products by Soremartec (Marketing Consulting Agency). Ferrero invest every year in bringing technical and organizational innovation to the production line. Indeed, the uniquely shaped components of Ferrero required the design and construction of unique machinery, not available on the market. On the other hand, Ferrero has a strong dependence on its suppliers (cocoa suppliers for instance). This strong dependence result that the company may have to interrupt its production if the providers do not supply raw materials. This could result to a lack of control then. External Environment The external environment consists of Opportunities and Threats. The main opportunity is the easy access of the product. Customer can find at least one Ferrero products wherever he goes. Ferrero products are considered as an ideal product for gifting (Christmas or Eastern). It is a kind of tradition that will not change soon. However, the introduction on new flavors will help in gaining more market share. Finally, the emergent countries such as China or India are more and more willing to eat as the Western World. On the other hand, new health regulations such as anti-obesity campaigns for instance can have an impact on the chocolate consumption. Also, even if Ferrero is a leader, there are some strong competitors on the market. Some of them are working with the same technology and high quality end products; there is a risk of imitation. MARKETING STRATEGY Target Market For next Christmas 2010, our objective is to put together all our previous segmentations. This trial will last only for a short time (1month). Kinder Surprise and Ferrero Rocher are the top Christmas chocolate gifts. We decided to first target the young audience with children, who will have an impact on their parents decision making process. But we will still target adults and parents (especially mothers), as the price will not be affordable by young people. Marketing Mix Product For next Christmas 2010 the main preoccupation is to assemble people together. The product will a limited edition of Christmas tree made in Kinder chocolate around 1.4 feet height. The tree will be decorated with six Ferrero Rochers and six Moncheri chocolates, by way of ornaments and baubles. The offer will start on the 1st December and will end on the 27th. We will hide 10 little Golden Stars in the whole English production trees. Each Golden star offers a family trip to Dominican Republic for New Years Eve. Price Looking at the competition and our other prices for example during eastern, we will set our price at  £22/Christmas tree. Place Customers will be able to find this product in everyplace where Ferrero already is (Hypermarket, Supermarket, Convenience stores). Also, we will organize in every point of sales within the supermarkets, a special display stand where the trees will be exposed. The offer will be visible on a promotional banner. Promotion In order to promote the tree, we will first use mass media such as television and radio. As we do not have a lot of time, we need to be quick with our communication. On TV we will create a special advert in a Christmas spirit. But we will put together all the three worlds in the ad (the young Kinder, the gourmand Ferrero Rocher, and the subtle Monchà ©ri). We could adapt the famous catchphrase Christmas isnt Christmas without Ferrero by adding together. Together define the Christmas atmosphere, a kind of love one for family and friends. At the end a special flash will announce our special Sunny Christmas offer. On radio, a special short spot will be broadcasted explaining the offer. Positioning brand The positioning must be done according to competitive offers. It is important to differentiate its product or service in the minds of consumers especially in such busy period. According to Kotler et al 2009 matrix (Appendix 3) our Ferrero product is a high quality product with a quite high price. The positioning must be as a premium brand. Indeed the brand is quite expensive in comparison with other chocolates that customer can find. Implementation and Control Budget We will produce 100  000 Christmas trees for the UK market. Our cost of production are estimated at  £150  000. We assume another  £150  000 in order to distribute the product on the whole market. We will need a total  £400  000 for the all the promotion. In order to launch on the radio the advertisement  £25000 are required. The same amount will be necessary to publish the our newspapers campaigns. The display stands will have a cost of  £40  000. Or TV advertisement will cost  £300  000. Finally our special 10 sunny trips offered will cost  £40  000. If all stars are not discovered before the 26th of December, trips will be offered to a children care association. (See appendix 3) Roll on time table Our product manager Dave Tucker and his team will be in charge of the design of the product Our marketing manager Nell McIntosh will be in charge of distribution and promotion of our all concept. Our financial services in collaboration with the production and marketing department will manage the price strategy. Our product will be advertised 15 days before the launching. The offer starts on the first of December and stops the 26th. The aim is to urge people to buy the Christmas tree to introduce all the Ferrero worlds within families. Monitor and Evaluation We will first analyze sales and financial results and comparing them to our projections. If results are positive we will improve the idea next year. If not, we will undertake corrective actions. But analysis the sales is not enough to reveal how well a company is performing among the competitors. Then we will analyze the market shares Then, we will check either the advertising had a catching impact on our customers by post marketing survey and researches. Finally, we will organize some store checks enquiring about the customers satisfaction. These surveys will be conducted in 10 stores asking for their feelings regarding the product, the allocation of shelf space, the price and the promotions underway. BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson E. and Simester D. (2003) Mind your pricing cues, Harvard Business Review, September. Berger W (2003) Thats advertainment, Business 2.0, March. Brown S. (2001) Torment your customers (theyll love it), Harvard Business Review, September-October. Codol J.P, Tap P.(1988) Revue internationale de psychologie sociale, n ° 2. Dhar R and Glazer R. (2003) Hedging customers, Harvard Business Review, May. Dubois B. (1998) Lart du Marketing, Village Mondial. Drucker P. (1975) Management-Tasks, Responsabilities and Practice. Eliott S. (2006) Letting customers control marketing  : priceless, New York Times, 9 October. Johnson M.D. (2004) Customer portfolio management, Journal of Marketing. Kapferer J.N. (1995) Les marques, capital de lentreprise, Les Editions dorganisation. Kotler Ph.(1967) Marketing Management  : Analysis, planning and control, Prentice Hall. Kotler, Philip (2003) Marketing Management, Prentice Hall. Lendrevie J, Lindon D, (2006) Mercator, 8à ¨me à ©d, Dunod. Malcolm McDonald (2007) Marketing Plans: How to Prepare Them, How to Use Them. Mintel (2010) Chocolate Confectionary, UK. Mintel (2010) Seasonal and Boxes chocolate, UK. Nagle T.T. and Holden R.K. (2002) The strategy and Tactics of Pricing, 3rd edition. Nohria N. (2003) What really works, Harvard Business Review, 81. Pieters R; and Wedel M (2004) Attention capture and transfer in advertising: brand, pictorial, and text-size effects, Journal of marketing. Sangera A. (2005) Too many mission statements, Financial Times, 22 July. Tellis G.T (2000) Which ad works, when, where, and how often? Modeling the effects of direct television advertising, Journal of Marketing Research. Tellis G.T. (2006) Modeling marketing mix, Handbook of marketing research. Underhill P (2000) La Science du Shopping, comment le merchandising influence lachat, Village Mondial. Vettraino-Soulard M.C. (2000) Luxe et publicità ©, Retz. Appendix 1: Western Europe: Consumer expenditure on chocolate confectionery by country (2007)

David Wu Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

David Wu (Oregon's 1st Congressional District) David Wu is a member of the 110th Congress representing Oregon's 1st Congressional District. Wu was sworn in for his fifth term earlier this year on January 3, 2007. Stretching from Portland to the Oregon coast, Oregon's 1st congressional district has a population of 743,195. Congressman Wu's priorities include: improving our nation's public education system and making college more affordable; growing Oregon's economy by encouraging new business investment and supporting high tech research; improving our nation's healthcare system and the Medicare prescription drug benefit; and meeting our obligation to future generations by preserving Social Security and protecting our natural environment. David Wu was born on April 8, 1955 in Taiwan. He grew up in Portland, Oregon and has an impressive academic background that includes receiving a B.S. from Stanford University, a J.D. from Yale, and having attended Harvard Medical School. Wu is married to his wife Michelle and has two children. Wu started as a lawyer in the Portland area. His career includes a clerkship with a Federal judge in Portland, and in 1988 he co-founded the law firm Cohen & Wu. The firm served both the high technology industry and small business across Northwest Oregon. Wu is the only Chinese-American to serve in the United States House of Representatives. He currently is a member of the Executive Board for the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served as Chair from January 2001 to January 2004. Congressman Wu is also a member of the New Democrat Coalition (NDC), a group of moderate Democrats in the House. As stated above, Oregon's 1st Congressional District has a total population of ... ...rgely in part to the emergence of Silicon Forest. The district has an extremely high level of educated people, a low unemployment rate, and a low poverty level. It is very democrat, and has a found a representative they like in David Wu, now serving his fifth term for the district. Wu is active in the house, serving on many committees and subcommittees, and he has the distinction of being the only Chinese-American to ever serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Under his service Oregon's 1st Congressional District has thrived economically, which he lists as one of his proudest accomplishments. Also, another one of his key objectives was education, the districts high school and even college graduation rate is astounding. All in all David Wu has done a great job both pleasing his constituents and making Oregon's 1st Congressional a great place to work and live.