Profitability And Risk Essays - Nestea, Patent Medicines, Iced Tea

Profitability and Risk Qualitative Criteria and Evaluations Profitability and Risk Alternative one offers the highest profitability. The net income after taxes for alternative two is $104,996,299 compared to $160,658,065 for alternative one. Alternative two also offers a high profitability, but not as much as the first alternative. The risk for alternative one is very high. The risk for the second alternative two is average. Purchasing Nestea is risky because the alternative beverage industry is declining. Coca-Cola's dissolution of their alliance with Nestea also raises some concerns of risk and profitability. The additional profits received from alternative one are not a large enough amount to consider taking this high of a risk. Competitor's Reaction Competitor's reactions were thought to be more prevalent in alternative two. The repackaging and offering the non-tea products in cans would cause an immediate reaction. The expected increase in sales would cut into the competitor's share of the market. When Snapple refocuses itself in the international market, the other alternative beverage companies will also enter the market. Competitor's reactions for alternative one are expected to be low. The main competitor left after the purchase of the alternative beverage division of Nestea from Nestle would be Pepsi's Lipton product. There are no clear strategic actions to counteract this movement from Pepsi Lipton. Society's Reaction Society's reactions for both alternatives would be high. Buying Nestea, alternative one, would give Snapple the profits they would receive from loyal Nestea customers. This brand loyalty might also help the image of Snapple's drinks. The convenience of having Snapple in a can, included in alternative two, should have a positive reaction. The slightly lower price of Snapple, for both alternatives, should create increased sales because consumers always appreciate being able to purchase goods at a lower price. Timing The timing of both alternatives is crucial because of Snapple's declining market share and the slowing growth of the industry. It may also be a good idea to wait a while to purchase Nestea because of its declining sales, which could lower the purchase price. This is the right time for Snapple to enter the international market due to the industry's growth decline in the alternative beverage market in the United States. Entering the international market should increase Snapple's sales in a market that is not yet overcrowded. Feasibility Purchasing the Nestea division of Nestle could be difficult to accomplish. It is unknown if Nestle is willing to sell Nestea. Also, acquiring the amount of capital needed to purchase Nestea would be complex. Alternative two is more feasible. There are some promising prospects for international trade markets. It should be easy to offer Snapple in cans because the costs are lower and the company does not produce its own bottles. However, Snapple would be forced to find companies that produce cans and will be willing to bottle the product in cans. Effectiveness Both of the alternatives address the problem that Snapple is facing. Alternative one solves the problem of Snapple's declining market share by purchasing the Nestea division of Nestle. Alternative two solves this problem by entering the international market. The key success factor of maintaining and improving the image of the company is included in alternative two. Both suggested methods of cutting costs, that would lower the price to the consumer, would also help to improve Snapple's image Lowering the amount of flavors offered would make it easier to obtain shelf space for Snapple's products. Choice Alternative two is the chosen solution. This decision was based on its strong numerical rating as well as its strengths. Alternative two was rated at 3.9 compared to 3.05 for alternative one. Entering the international market will increase the sales at less of a risk than alternative one. Alternative two also requires a considerably lessor amount to invest than the other alternative. Alternative One Description As the sales in the alternative beverage industry have slowed, Snapple has to figure out new ways to survive. Snapple needs to look at cutting prices, varieties, and acquiring other investments. These suggestions lead to an alternative which will help Snapple survive and grow in the industry. Snapple needs to cut their prices to some extent, since they have a profit margin of 42.11% according to 1993 standings. They can cut this to 30 percent and still make a great

User Needs Essay Example

User Needs Essay Example User Needs Essay User Needs Essay I am going to create a database for a cinema organiser/manager to help them keep on task with the cinema club that the students go to, an up to date with their members. At the moment the data is held on a paper based document, this can cause problems because paper can easily be lost or damaged and back-ups are some times impossible or hard to deal with because to copy all the information out again will take a long time.My database will be electronic, which means I can save changes and make back-up copies of the data easily. My database will allow them to do searches and queries to find data. The database is going to include a list of names, genders, addresses and telephone files. This database will be professional, reliable and easy to use; particularly if the owner does not know the necessary ICT skills. The database will be able to print out reports and present data.The user will need the necessary software and hardware to run the software and also a printer to print out reports. T hey will need to have a back up storage facility e.g. another drive, memory sticks or floppy disks.The plan of my databasePlan for the Card Holder Table:Field NameField TypeFormat/LengthRequired?Primary Key?Personal Reference NoNumberIntegerYesYesSurnameText20YesNoFirst NameText15YesNoSchoolText30YesNoGenderText1YesNoDate of BirthDateMediumYesNoAddressText150YesNoPost CodeText8YesNoPlan for the Schools Table:Field NameField TypeFormat/LengthRequired?Primary Key?School NameText30YesYesHeadteacherText25YesNoAddressText150YesNoPost CodeText8YesNoTelephoneText12YesNoSetting up the databaseI choose to set up the tables in design view, so that I could control how the tables were going to be formatted. After opening the design view the blank design form can be typed into so that you can create your own field names. Data types and field lengths.Relationships in my databaseTo make the relationship database work I had to form relationship between the two tables by clicking on the relationship icon and dragged one key field to another to create it (shown below on the left of the screen shot). Because one school can have many pupils I chose a many to one relationship, between my tables. On the right hand side of the screen shot shows the relationship editing window which shows that I have created a one-to-many relationship which means one school in the schools table will relate to many schools in the card holders table.How I entered data into the databaseWhen entering data you should not enter data straight into the tables particular if you want someone to enter data for you. Its easier for a novice to enter data because its more accurate and secure if they use an input form. I created an input form for both tables by clicking on the Forms tab in the database window and using the form report wizard to createCard holders form School formTo move through the records or check and edit them you have to use the navigation button at the bottom of the form box.Checking and correc tingSearching/Sorting the databaseReporting using the databaseI created two reports from my two queries by using the report wizard. To do this you should click on reports in the database window and then create report by using the wizard. This will take you through various steps to create the report. You can choose the data source, the style of the report, the layout, the fields you want to include and how to sort the report. I created two reports from my two queries. In the first one I chose one style for the report and in the second I chose a different one to look at the more suitable style. The two reports are shown below. One is landscape to get all the data in (even then I had to amend the formatting in design view because the first and last fields did not fit on the paper). The bottom one is much neater and professional looking and has fewer fields so that it can fit in a portrait orientation.Backing UpYou need to back up your data regularly in case there is system rash or othe r data loss of some kind. Backing up ensure that you have another copy that you can refer to if you lose the original copy.

Internal and External Analysis of General Motors Research Paper

Internal and External Analysis of General Motors - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that PESTLE aids in the evaluation of the variables in the external environment that affect the ability of a company to operate efficiently in a certain industry mainly, in the long run. Political: Regulations on the safety and environmental effects of vehicles in the automotive industry are one of the political influents of the external environment. Re-gelation and successful implementation of guidelines on vehicle’s safety and environmental impacts began in 1960 and have increased since then. Economic: the automotive industry is important in the economy through the creation of jobs and being the main user of iron, steel, plastic, vinyl, textiles, rubber, computer chips, and aluminum creating demand and augmenting economic growth. Social: these factors include increased concern for the environment, emphasis on eco-friendly products, and attitudes. The automobile industry produces quality vehicles that provide for esteem and provide for their owners and ensuring esteem and safety. Environmental: challenges of environmental protection in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency affect the automotive industry. Addressing issues of climate change is one of the main factors that have to be considered by the automotive industry players. So what? According to the PESTLE, there are many things that need to be considered. Being in the automotive industry there are a lot of legal rules and regulation that need to be followed, such as the Automobile Recycling law. The environmental factor also plays a big a part in the automotive industry. Every time a company produces a car they need to address the climate change. All in all the industry provides safe cars and also creates a lot of jobs.

Impenitent Surveillance Solutions Company (ISSC) Essay

Impenitent Surveillance Solutions Company (ISSC) - Essay Example The company is owed by a group of young innovators out to avail innovations that are affordable and offering solutions to problems affecting virtually all individual at the residential and corporate, business world. This business plan has been drafted as a guide and a management tool for the start of this business venture, as well as serves as the basis for a detailed marketing plan. The following highlights the main points of the plan. The objective of ISSC is to generate income to the group, offer jobs to various individuals in the contemporary world rocked with increasing levels of unemployment. The mission of ISSC is to provide a solution to the surveillance process by introducing a gadget that is affordable and efficient. The initial product will be availed at the surrounding areas with respect to the various market segments identified. The local and international market for the product is wide owing to its affordability and means of using mobile telephony for alerts and monitor ing the premises. Finally, the initial financial analysis of the viability of the project clearly shows the outstanding promise and results. With respect to various studies done, closed circuit television has been very critical in crime reduction and investigation. The inclusion of mobile phones to this technology lessens the burden of monitoring gadgets and enhances the critical extension of security measures in the current high technology world. In conclusion, as this plan will outline, this plan projects a rapid growth and eventual high net returns in the coming three years. The effectual implementation of the plan coupled with a detailed marketing strategy will ensure that ISSC eventually and abruptly turns to be a profitable venture to the team of the innovators and satisfying to the customers. 1.2. Objectives The objectives of the business plan are: 1. Introduce a guided format for managing the growth of ISSC: a strategic practice for developing a comprehensive tactical market ing plan. 2. Establish the intended market base capitalisation. 3. Establish the expected proceeds of the venture and its viability. The objectives of ISSC are: 1. Generate sufficient profit to enhance future growth and innovation. 2. Come up with affordable and effective surveillance gadgets. 1.3. Mission The mission of ISSC is very clear and simple: Purpose: ISSC has been introduced to avail effective and affordable, portable CCTV. Vision: in the provision of effective and affordable surveillance gadgets, majority of households and small companies will acquire surveillance gadgets. Marketing slogan: â€Å"ISSC the impertinent solution to your premises protection.â€Å" 1.4. Key to success The set keys to success for ISSC are: Ensuring high product quality. Upholding high marketing and networking strategies Enhancing responsiveness in the surveillance sector. Developing a loyal and cordial relationship with its family of customers. 1.5. Business Concept in Brief Impertinent Surve illance Solutions Company has

A Time to Kill Essay Example for Free

A Time to Kill Essay I want to tell you a story. Im going to ask you all to close your eyes while I tell you the story. I want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to yourselves†¦. Can you see her? Her raped, beaten, broken body soaked in their urine, soaked in their semen, soaked in her blood, left to die. Can you see her? I want you to picture that little girl. â€Å"Now imagine shes white! † (Schumacher, 1996) In the 1996 release of his film A Time to Kill, film director Joel Schumacher submits a formidable adaptation of John Grishams 1989 legal thriller novel of the same name. The film’s plot, set in the Deep South (Mississippi) involves the rape of a young black girl and the arrest of white rapists responsible and their subsequent murder by the girls father. The remainder of the film then focuses on the trial of the killer, who surprisingly chooses a young unheralded white male lawyer to defend him. At issue are several questions, to be approached and responded to from the Christian tradition. The questions are as follows: 1. Why does Carl Lee take the law into his own hands? 2. Why does Jake take Carl Lee’s case? 3. Jake indicates to Carl Lee that they are friends. Carl Lee corrects him quickly. What is Carl Lee’s rationale? Race, defensibility, access to resources 4. Explain the impact of the 2 psychologists’ testimony. 5. Explain the impact of the deputy who was shot during Carl Lee’s revenge. 6. Why is Jake’s closing argument so effective? What type of strategy is he using? 7. Why does Jake bring his family to Carl Lee’s party at the end of the movie? My summation is as follows: (1)Carl Lee decides to take up arms once he is confident that the violators of his daughter would likely walk free or receive light punitive sentences for their vicious assault. Quite frankly, while his lawyer vies to go for he insanity defense, Carl Lee informs all that he, in fact, was not insane during commission of the murders. What is clear is that, due to the racial climate, Carl Lee felt that ‘justice’ could only be served in this instance †¦ if he meted it out himself as prejudice would surely veil justice as it had many times over. â€Å"Yes, they deserved to die – and I hope they burn in hell† (Schumacher, 1996) is Carl Lee’s response when asked what would’ve been a fair sentence to those that nearly fatally assaults his daughter. (2)It is my opinion that Jake takes on the case of Carl Lee due to several factors. My first notion is that he felt as if he and Carl Lee were ‘neighbors’, as Carl Lee’s brother had previously been helped by the lawyer; not to mention that both men had daughters that were practically the same age. Moreover, while Jake was fully aware of the practical possibility of the rapists ‘getting off easy’, he realized that racial prejudice within the law was unjust. He seemed to relate to and understand Carl Lee’s plight and providing a good defense was ultimately the ‘right thing to do’. (3)While meeting his client in jail, Jake makes the naive mistake of referring to Carl Lee as a friend. Understandably so, Carl Lee takes offense to such a characterization as he reminds the counselor that he had never visited the home of this ‘so-called’ friend and also that their girls (while peers) would never have the opportunity to play together. Carl Lee goes on to dispute Jake’s naive approach to race relations in the South and informs him (Jake) that he is, in fact, ‘the enemy’. Carl Lee grabs his assessment of their relationship primarily due to his pragmatic world view. He was Black and Jake was white. More importantly to Carl Lee was that the jury, which held his life in their hands, would also be lily-white. Jake was not chosen for representation due to friendship or otherwise; but, simply because he would be in a better position to understand what would be needed to convince white people to view the world (and thus his situation and/or circumstance) differently. Carl Lee would add, â€Å"You are my secret weapon because you are one of the bad guys. You dont mean to be but you are. Its how you was raised†. (Schumacher, 1996) (4)On the witness stand, during the trial of Carl Lee, there was expert testimony from separate and distinct psychologists’. The one, a Dr. Rodeheaver, the more impressionable of the two, was an agent of the State. Dr. Rodeheaver’s testimony, while definitely stirring, seemed to shed light on civil injustices used to finance the State’s mental institutions. This testimony, which ordinarily would have been discredited, , was seemingly taken with a ‘grain of salt’ by the all-white jury who did not think outside of the black/white dichotomy. Another psychologist, presented as a ‘defense’ expert would wound up hurting his own cause as he was exposed as a drunken ‘has-been’ bearing no confidence and even less self respect. (5)While carrying out what he surely felt was ‘justice’, Carl Lee (father of the assaulted child) mistakenly shot a town deputy. This deputy, who had to undergo an amputation due to Carl Lee’s recklessness, proclaimed to the jury, the judge and the world, â€Å"I got a little girl. Somebody rapes her, hes a dead dog. Ill blow him away just like Carl Lee did†. (Schumacher, 1996) Deputy Looney goes on to command the jury to â€Å"turn him loose† regarding Carl Lee’s future. The impact of Looney’s testimony, I felt, was a breakthrough in the case as ‘finally’, it seemed that a white face (and one that was nearly killed by the gunfire) was relating to the injustice prevalent in Deep Southern courthouses. Whether proximity or empathy, Deputy Looney’s testimony certainly opened eyes in the courtroom and the viewing audience; it actually got the jury to thinking†¦. †what would I have done, IF I were Carl Lee†? (6)During the movie, Jake calls on God – in the form of human resource, as he seeks advice from his debunked mentor; a former law professor who tells him, â€Å"Your job is to find justice no matter how well she hides herself. And, struggle as he may, even at one point willing to cop a plea, Jake throws all caution to the wind (even at the cost of losing his everything) to find the truth. In his closing statement to the jury, he states, â€Å"I set out to prove a black man could receive a fair trial in the south, that we are all equal in the eyes of the law. Thats not the truth, because the eyes of the law are human eyes yours and mine and until we can see each other as equals, justice is never going to be evenhanded. It will remain nothing more than a reflection of our own prejudices, so until that day we have a duty under God to seek the truth, not with our eyes and not with our minds where fear and hate turn commonality into prejudice, but with our hearts where we dont know better. (Schumacher, 1996) As denoted in this paper’s opening quote, Jake Brigance uses the juror’s own hearts to free their souls. Having been primed by Deputy Looney, the jury (and the viewing audience) finally is able to realize their own veiled prejudices; and, it is this ‘affect’ that brings warmness to all witnessing Jake’s rhetorical deliverance. Whet her we would have done as Carl Lee did, we now could definitely ‘feel’ what he must have felt as an (excluded) individual seeking justice. (7)The last scene of the film brings the point of community to the forefront. By inducing inclusion into the hearts and minds of the all-white jury, Jake is able to obtain a ‘not guilty’ verdict. Just like in a Rocky movie, viewers were cheering the underdog on by film’s end. Naive in his approach†¦. inexperienced in matters he’d just overcome, Jake (victorious, acclaimed and relieved) sought to validate his sincerity by visiting Carl Lee’s home. As mentioned, while fully aware of the social climate (as it pertained to race), Jake had and still remained an idealist – seeing a world without racial walls. The world had showed him a different reality; yet, still, ever the dreamer, Jake was insistent. If he and Carl Lee weren’t â€Å"friends’ before, Jake saw no reason why they should not be. Moreover, according to Jake – his diluted view of race relations may have been needed to be updated – but the idealistic nature of his being (a color equal world) would need to exhibit what he envisioned. Carl Lee had once told him that their daughters would never play together. I smile as I type that †¦ Jake realized that he (as a white) would need to extend the olive branch to address the racial situation from the top-down, as opposed to the bottom-up angle he once believed. And finally, Chapter 5, Building Community (Windley-Daoust, 2008) articulates the importance of ‘community’ as a human survival tool. Specifically, it addresses Jesus’ idea of whom and/or what constitutes a ‘neighbor’ as it is mentioned that we ought to love our neighbor as ourselves. Neighbor, as it meant in the Gospel, simply means ‘all’. The subject of exclusion versus inclusion (in the sense of community) is discussed at depth within the chapter †¦ and, it is to that end that I address the question presented within the text. †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Who is excluded from a community to which you belong? Why are they excluded? How does their exclusion hurt them? How does it hurt the whole community? † (Windley-Daoust, 2008, p. 151) I actually had a struggle with answering this question because (initially) I took the inquiry personally. Having virtually no prejudices to mention, I couldn’t figure out how to answer succinctly; but after thought, the question doesn’t address me or my outlook but rather that of my community. That being said – the most ‘excluded’ of my community would have to be those that are addicted to crack cocaine. Strangely enough, those that distribute the highly-addictive substance within and throughout my community are lauded and placed on economic pedestals while those that actually use the peddled product are oft-times ostracized and detested as ‘less than’. I would suppose such an attitude is employed due to the personal (proximal) damage done by the users (i. e. , thievery, child mistreatment, uncleaniness) which cause such an position against all; yet, â€Å"the way we treat others is based on the way we view them† as elucidated in our text. Windley-Daoust, 2008, p. 151) What is lost in stereotyping ‘crack heads’ within the community is the danger of ‘pigeon-holing’ an entire segment of the population, thus depriving them and ourselves of the God-given gifts and talents that they possess. Moreover, it is not uncommon to hear people say that â€Å"once a crack head, always a crack head†; which many times will compel an individual to believe that they have little or value to add to such a huge human existence. With education and understanding (and prayer), hopefully, the community ‘at large’ will come to realize that addiction is a disease and that drug use is merely a symptom of a much larger societal ill. And, as long as ‘exclusion’ on any level exists, we (as a collective) will always fall short of reaching our human potential in the eyes of God.

The Four Steps Of Problem Solving Information Technology Essay

The Four Steps Of Problem Solving Information Technology Essay The initial problem that Mark Singleton was trying to resolve is the implementation of a CRM system to increase sales by raising the number of contacts relationship bankers were making and improving the tracking of these activities so that the bank could learn more from them. Also Singleton wanted a CRM system that places a great value on the person-to-person interactions between his relationship bankers and their customers and doesnt interfere with those interactions and diminishes the relationship bankers rapport with customers. In the problem-solving process which is especially valuable when we need to build new systems as a solution to a problem or set of problems the organization perceives it is facing. The problem in this case came from the management realization that the organization should take advantage of new opportunities to perform more effectively, but they didnt apply the four steps of problem solving. In the problem-solving process to system building, we would need to take the following four steps: (1) Define and understand the problem. (2) Develop alternative solutions. (3) Choose the best solution. (4) Implement the solution. Citizens National Bank CEO Mark Singleton achieved the first step with an outstanding performance in defining and understanding the problem for which they need to build a new system but he failed dramatically in applying the rest of the steps required by the problem-solving process to build a new system. Mr. Singleton did not devise, develop or try several alternative solutions before opting for a new CRM system to solve the problem of paper and manual work and replace it with a new information system to automate some of the bankers tasks. Because he did not develop alternative solutions, he couldnt choose the best solution which led to a failed implementation in the first solution. What was the business case for implementing a new system? What were some of the tangible benefits? What were some of the intangible benefits? Organizationally, Citizens National Bank of Texas is a private, full-service bank with headquarters in Waxahachie, Texas, and 200 employees that has operated independently since 1868. Citizens National Bank relies on personal, retail, and commercial customers and serves businesses and consumers in Ellis County and other nearby counties, primarily in communities with populations of 25,000 or less. Citizen National bank operates heavily manual and count on paper system in which sometimes a salesperson that left Citizens National could take records of customer interaction with him or her, leaving the bank with no information to maintain the relationship. The paper system also created too much information for Singleton and his branch managers to process effectively. So that the old paper system cannot support the large number of new customers and the annual grow at a rate of 12 percent. A major part of Citizen Nationals strategy for continuing growth was to implement customer relationship management (CRM) software. The CRM strategy targeted the banks two main contact points with customers: the banks call center and its sales force. The objectives of a solution for Citizens National Bank would be to reduce the amount of time, effort, and errors in the tracking of activities made by relationship bankers and to increase sales by raising the number of contacts relationship bankers were making and improving the tracking of these activities so that the bank could learn more from them. Tangible Benefits Increased productivity: Using a CRM system will enable relationship bankers to improve their tracking activities with customers, which in turn increase their productivity and give them ability to serve more customers. Lower operational costs: using electronic records will substantially reduce papers used and result in cost saving. Reduced workforce: this is will be the result of increasing bankers productivity to serve more customers, which in turn will considerably reduce the workforce required to handle the projected increase in sales. Reduced rate of growth in expenses Reduced facility costs: due to paper reduction, and workforce reduction. Intangible Benefits Improved organizational planning and flexibility: because the paper system created too much information for Singleton and his branch managers to process effectively. The CRM system will give them efficient information to make effective decisions. Improved decision making: having accurate information under executives and managers control will dramatically enhance the decision making. Improved operations: The CRM system will enable the bank to approve credit and loan applications more quickly. Improved asset utilization and improved resource control. More information available in a timely manner. Enhanced employee goodwill: because under the old paper system, a salesperson that left Citizens National could take records of customer interaction with him or her, leaving the bank with no information to maintain the relationship. Increased job satisfaction among employees. Higher client satisfaction: nothing will satisfy the customers more than getting a quick approvals and smooth transactions. Better corporate image: this is will result automatically from an increase in job satisfaction among employees and a higher client satisfaction. Why didnt the implementation of the Siebel CRM solution work out for Citizens National? What were the biggest factors? How would you classify these factors in terms of organization, technology, and people issues? I believe that the implementation of the Siebel CRM solution didnt work out for Citizens National because it was not the best solution that applies or fits into the defined problem; it didnt work out because it was not a result of a thorough selection that went through precise evaluation for multiple alternatives or solutions. The implementation failed for many factors, I will classify these factors in terms of organization, technology, and people issues Organization: the approach of Citizens National toward nearly all business functions, from tracking customer leads to generating reports about them, was very basic. The Siebel software was simply too rich in features. From the start, Citizens National had trouble getting the software to fit its rather straightforward, basic customer-lead tracking and reporting needs. With Siebel, we were spending way too much time turning off capabilities that we didnt need, Singleton explains. An example of functionality that didnt fit Citizens Nationals business model was Siebels capability for setting up customer support cases. While some large corporations may want to set up a support case with detailed complaint-tracking and resolution functions, the small bank had no use for it. Service complaints that come in to Citizens National are handled on the spot by its call center. For service inquiries that require a follow-up, such as a customer asking about the reordering of checks, the call-center representative schedules an activity by sending an e-mail to the employee who handles check orders. (Bartholomew, 2007) People: Employees found the software to be too complicated. They were surprised to learn, for example, that the system did not automatically generate potential business opportunities for customers on their records. Furthermore, bankers were not able to view multiple relationships between a customer and the bank on the same screen. The extra navigation was confusing and inefficient. The relationship bankers were the key employees; the system was intended to be of value to them, and, in turn, provide value to the bank. However, they found no incentive in the Siebel environment because their compensation was based on sales, and sales had become harder to make. Another issue was Siebels complexity. Citizens Nationals bankers found the system difficult to navigate. For instance, the banking representatives couldnt understand why an opportunity to make a loan to a particular customer wasnt listed under the customers record. You have to assign that opportunity to that person, explains Doug Furney, president and CEO of The Small Business Solution. If you dont make those relationships when entering the data, the opportunity wont appear under that customers record. Not everyone easily grasped this concept. (Bartholomew, 2007) Furney says the way the screens were laid out in Siebel, Citizens bankers had to flip back and forth between the various screens to identify different relationships that customers had with the bank. Understanding these relationships in the system was very confusing to their bankers, he says. As a result, the banks top sales representatives, who werent eager to change the way they did their work to fit the needs of the software, found Siebels learning curve too steep to negotiate. Citizens Nationals 16 relationship bankers never got over the ease-of-use problems that Siebel presented, Furney says. (Bartholomew, 2007) Deloittes Davis says that the Siebel implementation at Citizens National may have indeed failed because of a lack of buy-in from those expected to use it most-the relationship bankers. If the people using the system dont know whats in it for them and dont see the value of using it, then it will not work the way the company expected, Davis says. (Bartholomew, 2007) Technology: Citizens National experienced compatibility issues between the database formats in Siebel and those used by the banks core banking application, developed by Kirchman. As a result, the two systems had difficulty exchanging information properly. The bank was forced to spend a significant amount of time fixing such compatibility issues, which negatively impacted its ability to serve customers. Citizens National also had to deal with a raft of customization issues, often stemming from the differences between databases. Furney worked to integrate Siebel with Citizens Nationals core banking application. The bank uses banking software from Kirchman, whose vertical systems are used by numerous small and medium-size banks to process and track customers deposits, loans and trust accounts. Trying to get these two systems to talk was a challenge, he says. (Bartholomew, 2007) One basic difference was the way the core banking application set up its customer data fields. The Kirchman system did not have individual fields for both the customers first and last names, choosing instead to include the full name in a single field. By contrast, in Siebel, the customers first and last name each had a data field. Thats the kind of thing we ran into when we tried to marry data from these two different systems, Furney says. This kind of integration takes time, and customers dont realize how much time is required. (Bartholomew, 2007) Was QuickBase a better solution for Citizens National? If so, why? What factors suggest that the bank ended up with the right approach and the right choice of product? In my perspective, QuickBase was the best alternative solution that meets the requirements of Citizens National Bank for a new IT system that is an easy to use, capable of doing some tracking activities, and store the interactions between relationship bankers and their customers and doesnt interfere with those interactions and diminish the relationship bankers rapport with customers. QuickBase was designed for organizing, tracking, and sharing information among team members in the workplace while encouraging progress by notifying workers via automated e-mails of updated files, new task assignments, and approaching deadlines. Because QuickBase was not programmed as a specific business application, businesses could modify its database structure to meet specific business functions. One reason some small and medium-size companies, as well as groups within larger ones, are adopting QuickBase is its flexibility. Intended not just for customer management, QuickBase-which is actually more of an easily modified database than a full-fledged business application-can be harnessed for other business tasks. For example, Procter Gamble uses the system to track technology projects. Because its easy to use, runs online via any browser and doesnt require an I.T. professional to set up, the hosted application is finding its way into all kinds of businesses. (Bartholomew, 2007) There are many factors suggest that the bank ended up with the right approach and the right choice of product, some of these factors are: The Citizens National staffs were able to make changes to QuickBase themselves, so the costs of ownership and maintenance fees were much lower. QuickBase offered Citizens National flexibility that it did not have previously. Because the system was Web-based, the relationship bankers were able to use it anywhere that they had access to a browser. Relationship bankers and management received daily updated access to all interactions and transactions, enabling them to track business in a way that was never possible previously. For the first time, Citizens National was able to completely track sales opportunities and, as Singleton said, where we lost business, so we know where we need to make those extra 10 or 15 sales calls. Also central to the success of QuickBase at Citizens National was Furneys ability to integrate the system with the Kirchman core banking application. Furney configured QuickBase to upload new account information to the core system every night via an XML interface. For example, a banking representative can click on a commercial customers file and immediate see all the contacts that have been made with that customer by bank staff, any actions that were taken on the customers behalf, and the end result. Citizens National bank representatives use it to check on customers to see if there has been a follow-up call to a contact, whether a voice-mail message was left with the customer, who the salesperson was and the status of the contact. Its been an invaluable tool for us to keep track of our customers, Singleton adds. (Bartholomew, 2007) 5. Based on this case study, what kind of organization do you think would benefit from using the Siebel CRM package? Give an example of such an organization and justify your choice. You may use the Web to research your answer, including Oracles Web site. 6. Could Citizens National have made a better choice of software for its CRM system the first time around? Explain your answer.

Rural-Urban Linkages, Their Role in Sustainable Development

Although policy makers and the development community have widely used the phrase â€Å"rural development. The concept of rural development has changed significantly during the last 3 decades. Until the 1970s, rural development was synonymous with agricultural development and, hence, focused on increasing agricultural production. This focus seems to have been driven primarily by the interests of industrialization to extract surpluses from the agriculture sector to reinforce industrialization. With the focus on increasing agricultural production, the stated objective of most countries was to promote smallholder agriculture. Over time, this smallholder agriculture-centric concept of rural development underwent changes. By the early 1980s, according to Harris, the World Bank defined it as â€Å"†¦a strategy designed to improve the economic and social life of a specific group of people—the rural poor. Four major factors appear to have influenced the change: increased concerns about the persistent and deepening of rural poverty; changing views on the meaning of the concept of development itself; emergence of a more diversified rural economy in which rural non-farm enterprises play an increasingly important role; and increased recognition of the importance of reducing the non-income dimensions of poverty to achieve sustainable improvements in the socio economic well-being of the poor. The establishment of the Millennium Development Goals has significantly reinforce d the concerns about non income poverty. With the paradigm shifts in economic development from growth to broadly defined â€Å"development,† the concept of rural development has begun to be used in a broader sense. It is also more specific, as Harris noted â€Å"in the sense that it focuses (in its rhetoric and in principle) particularly on poverty and inequality. † In more recent years, increased concerns on the environmental aspects of economic growth have also influenced the changes. Today’s concept of rural development is fundamentally different from that used about 3 or 4 decades ago. The concept now encompasses â€Å"concerns that go well beyond improvements in growth, income, and output. The concerns include an assessment of changes in the quality of life, broadly defined to include improvement in health and nutrition, education, environmentally safe living conditions, and reduction in gender and income inequalities. â€Å"Today there seems to be a universal consensus that the ultimate objective of rural development is to improve the quality of life of rural people. As the concept of rural development changed so has the focus and approach to tackling and planning for rural development also change. Thus as already explained, today rural development is an integrated concept that that requires an integrated approach to development . thus the focus now is on sustainable development; hence an integrated sustainable rural development strategy is used to plan for rural development. However in order to successively design a strategy for integrated sustainable rural development, one must take into consideration rural-urban linkages because of the significant role it plays in sustainable rural development. Before proceeding with a discussion about the role that rural-urban linkages play in integrated rural sustainable development strategy, it may be necessary to define rural-urban linkages. In general, â€Å"rural-urban linkages† refers to the flow of (public and private) capital, people (migration, commuting) and goods and services (trade) between rural and urban areas. It is important to add to these three economic flows, the flow of ideas, innovation and information. These rural urban linkages could be expanded as; * The movement of people between rural and urban households many of which are of circular nature. These include temporary migration(as in seasonal moves ) and labour migration including weekly commuting; * The more permanent migration of people from rural to urban areas and vice versa. * The movement of people operating from a single rural urban household as in daily commuting or school trips, shopping and short term visits. * The movement of resources such as money and remittances, commodities and services. * There is also the more permanent type of linkages found mostly in infrastructure such as roads railway lines water and electricity telecommunication etc. Over the past few years, interest in the linkages between urban and rural areas has increased considerably. This is clear, for instance, from the activities of the United Nations. The Habitat Agenda, adopted at the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul in 1996, states that â€Å"policies and programmes for the sustainable development of rural areas that integrate rural regions into the national economy require strong local and national institutions for the lanning and management of human settlements that place emphasis on rural-urban linkages and treat villages and cities as two ends of a human settlements continuum. † (UNCHS, 1997: 93-94). however, Studies of rural urban linkages indicate that the nature of the linkages differs from one place to another and differs for different sectors in the same place. It is equally necessary to identify successful practices that promote local rural and urban development and alleviate poverty, using rural-urban linkages, and to build the capacity of rural and urban local governments to review, adapt and replicate such practices. The growing understanding and the pool of good practices should form the basis for capacity building of local governments. Among the above linkages the ,focus would be on the point 1 and 4 that’s the migration and the economic exchange of goods and services and their implication on rural development . this is because they are among the important rural urban linkages necessary for integrated sustainable rural development. These would be dis cussed shortly. To begin with the economic exchange between urban and rural areas can be beneficial or detrimental to either or both areas . hus with economic links between rural and urban areas, the extent to which economic development in the one area benefits or obstructs economic development in the other area. For instance an exclusive focus on rural areas would result in an under-investment in urban areas and this would limit the growth of the urban sector and its ability to absorb the rural labour surplus. Likewise an exclusive focus on urban development would produce similar results, because it would accelerate rural-urban migration and reduce food production per capita (Richardson, 1987: 210). Reardon (n. d. : 8-9) distinguishes three stages in the development of rural non-farm sector and of rural-urban linkages: †¢ During the first stage, rural non-farm activity tends to have a production or expenditure linkage with agriculture while farming directly employs a large share of the rural population. Rural non-farm activity tends to centre on the countryside itself, with little dependence on rural-urban links. Rural non-farm activities are mainly home-based and small-scale production of goods, mainly sold locally. During the first stage, agriculture tends to depend on local supplies of farm inputs and services and on local processing and distribution of farm products, usually carried out by small to medium-scale firms. †¢ A greater mix of situations characterizes the second stage. The mix includes activities based on linkages with agriculture as well as on other, separate activities (e. g. tourism, mining and services), although the latter did grow out of a historical rural non-farm sector based on linkages with agriculture. The share of rural population dependent on farming is lower than during the first phase. Rural-urban links as the basis for rural non-farm employment have a greater weight than in first stage with nascent sub-contracting of rural companies by urban or foreign businesses and a rapid rise in the labour force commuting between the countryside and rural towns and intermediate cities. †¢ The third stage shows an intensification of the characteristics that differentiate the second stage from the first stage. There is a greater weight of urban-rural links manifested by the greater importance of more advanced forms of business linkages, such as subcontracting arrangements and labour commuting. A number of other tendencies also characterize this stage: the expansion of subcontracting beyond light durables to medium durables. The great heterogeneity of the non-farm sector in rural areas implies that there is little scope for general, broad, policy prescriptions. This observation may well provide an important lesson for our thinking about the process of policy formulation. A wide variety of interventions may be required to promote the non-farm sector, each tailored to specific local conditions. Decentralized decision-making may be necessary: mechanisms should be devised whereby local information flows upwards so that the localized bottlenecks are relieved and specific niches can be exploited (Lanjouw, 1999: 9). From the above it can be realised that, rural-urban linkages can play an important role in economic development and poverty alleviation in urban and rural areas. However,it is important to recognize that the nature of the rural-urban linkages differs from one place to another and from one function to another. As Douglas (1998) has pointed out, a particular urban centre may play a crucial economic role for the surrounding rural areas in one respect, while the rural area may completely bypass that same urban centre and link directly to more distant urban centres and cities in other respects. It is, therefore, dangerous to generalize about the nature of rural-urban linkages and to base policy interventions on such generalizations. What is necessary is the recognition of (a) the existence a regional economy as a reality, rrespective of administrative boundaries, and (b) the need to develop knowledge about such regional (i. e. sub-national) economies (World Bank, 2000). The development of this knowledge should be demand-driven, as urban and rural local governments come to recognize their shared interests and constraints. The political impetus for this process of knowledge development may be t decentralization. In order to distribute economic and social opportunities equitably, the Government s hould strengthen grassroots economies that can provide sustainable incomes for the rural population. The Government should establish economic clusters that link rural and urban areas, and the cluster-based economic development should be consistent with the economic potentials, preferences and functions of each area. Another important rural urban linkage that has immense implication for today’s rural development is the rural urban migration. Thus the movement of people between rural and urban households . these include temporary migration and labour migration. Rural-urban migration reduces population pressure in the rural areas and, thereby, should improve economic conditions and reduce rural poverty. However, disparities between urban and rural areas in terms of income and employment and the availability of basic infrastructure and services persist. Urban areas offer more and better opportunities for socio-economic mobility of the poor and rural-urban migration, therefore, will continue. Labour migration could result in shortage of labour force for productivity in the rural areas which would intend result in low productivity and underdevelopment in the rural areas. Whereas the urban areas may not also be able to absorb the all the labour from the rural areas ,resulting in unemployment and increase in sanitation costs and government expenditure. it also increase population pressure in urban areas resulting in pressure on the few social amenities in urban centres. in this case, rural urban migration has more adverse effect on rural development. In addition to the above, Circular and temporary migration is already a common pattern in many countries, but working and housing conditions in the urban areas may not always be conducive to this form of migration. Housing is often an acute problem for temporary migrants who prefer to rent rather than to own housing, because they feel that their home is in the rural areas. Temporary migrants are sometimes not entitled to urban services and this makes their life in the urban areas more difficult than necessary. Local governments and private employers in the urban areas should accept temporary rural-urban migration as inevitable and perhaps even as desirable, and they may consider measures to facilitate such forms of rural-urban migration. For instance, Remittances are a crucial component of rural households’ incomes and a key element of the continued links between migrants and their home areas across all wealth groups. In northern Mali, migrants’ remittances have become probably the most important source of family cash, and are used for consumption and for the purchase of consumer goods such as radios and bicycles, but also for the purchase of agricultural inputs or for investment in livestock. In southeast Nigeria, it would be socially unacceptable for migrants not to send remittances and gifts: financial support to their parental households has greatly contributed to making young women’s migration socially acceptable. Most importantly, remittances and gifts ensure that migrants can maintain a foothold in the home area, and that they will be welcome upon their return. Gaile (1992: 134) argues that the problem is not urbanization as such, because the urban areas need to absorb the additional rural labour. The problem is that migrants have only a limited choice when migrating, because most local economic development occurs in one or a few large cities. He points out that the problem is really â€Å"under-urbanization†, i. e. the underdevelopment of the urban system. The major impediment to the working of the general market and the consequent development of a labour market is the undersupply of centres of sufficient minimal size to provide sites for market development. The above implies that in developing a strategy for sustainable rural development projects that encourages the bridging of gab between rural and urban areas should be considered. This would help reduce rural urban migration. Besides, major effort is required to ensure that the urban areas can absorb the growing urban population and that urbanization will not result in an urbanization of poverty. Small and medium-sized towns can play an important role in the urbanization process by absorbing rural-urban migrants. For instance Economic development in small towns can have a positive impact on the economy of the surrounding rural areas, if the increase in purchasing power results in the purchase of agricultural and non-agricultural products from the surrounding rural areas. This will obviously depend on the types of products produced, their quality and cost and their competitiveness compared to products from other parts of the country (and elsewhere). The development of the local urban economy may also lead to a reduction in rural-urban migration to the larger urban centres and the city and redirect migration flows to smaller urban centres. This in the long run led to sustainable development in both the rural and urban areas. Conclusion and Recommendations From the above discusions, it can be observe that there is growing interdependence of urban and rural areas that reduces the significance of the rural-urban distinction. The flow of people, capital, goods, services and ideas between urban and rural areas, made possible by improvements and cost reductions in communication and transport, is reinforcing the existing rural-urban linkages and more than ever conditions and developments in the urban areas have an impact on the rural areas and vice versa. Rural residents adopt urban lifestyles and occupations; small settlements require urban infrastructure and services; residents of rural areas commute between rural and urban areas; industries move to rural areas; urban waste pollutes natural resources in the rural areas; and agriculture in urban areas is becoming important for both economic and environmental reasons. It is, therefore, an anachronism that governments still design policies and programmes that are focused either on urban or on rural areas, but rarely on both. Rural and urban communities need to have an interest in each other’s conditions, and policy-makers need to consider these when formulating policies and programmes for sustainable rural development. Coordination of decision-making and cooperation between authorities of urban areas and their surrounding rural areas are critical to ensure that the development of urban areas and rural areas support each other. However, the continuing integration of rural and urban areas requires more than simply coordination and cooperation, it requires planning that incorporates rural and urban development. Such regional planning should not be an urban-centred exercise as it often has been in the past. Rural and urban areas need each other and each can benefit when the other’s needs are met. Backward linkages and forward linkages between agricultural production and industry and services can foster positive rural-urban interactions and a virtuous circle of development. However, policies that encourage such mutually reinforcing linkages need to overcome the traditional separation between rural and urban planners. They also need to avoid generalizations and be grounded in the specifics of the regional context (Tacoli, 1998: 13).

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 17

I woke to the sound of Aubrey purring in my ear. Sensing my consciousness, she moved closer and licked the part of my cheek near my earlobe, her whiskers gently rubbing against my skin. It tickled. Squirming slightly, I opened my eyes. To my astonishment, light, color, and shapes came through to me – albeit in a blurred, distorted manner. â€Å"I can see,† I muttered to Aubrey, trying to sit up. Immediately, myriad aches and pains screamed all over my body, making the motion difficult. I lay stretched out on my couch, an old afghan tossed over me. â€Å"Of course you can see,† Jerome's cold voice informed me. Aubrey fled. â€Å"Though it'd serve you right if you couldn't. What were you thinking, looking at an angel in full form?† â€Å"I wasn't,† I told him, squinting at his dark-clad shape pacing in front of me. â€Å"Thinking, that was.† â€Å"Obviously.† â€Å"Lay off,† came Carter's laconic voice from somewhere behind me. Straightening up and peering around, I made out his fuzzy form leaning against a wall. Peter, Cody, and Hugh also stood nearby in the room. It was a regular, dysfunctional family reunion. I couldn't help but laugh. â€Å"And you were there, and you were there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Cody sat down beside me, his features materializing into sharp focus as he leaned in to study my face closer. Gently, he ran a finger along one of my cheekbones, frowning. â€Å"What happened?† I sobered up. â€Å"Is it that bad?† â€Å"No,† he lied. â€Å"Hugh was worse.† The imp made a nondistinct noise across the room. â€Å"I already know what happened,† snapped Jerome. I didn't need to see the demon's face in detail to know he was glaring at me. â€Å"What I don't understand is why it happened. Did you actually try to come up with the most dangerous situation possible? ‘Hmm, let's see†¦ dark alley, no one around†¦ ‘ That sort of thing?† â€Å"No,† I shot back. â€Å"I wasn't thinking of that. I wasn't thinking of anything except getting home.† I related the evening's events to the best of my ability, beginning with the footsteps, ending with Carter. When I'd finished, Hugh sat down in an armchair across from me, pensive. â€Å"Pauses, huh?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"The way you tell what happened†¦ you got hit, pause, then another one, pause, then another one. Right?† â€Å"Yeah, so? I don't know. Isn't that how fights work? Punch, draw back, get ready for another? Besides, we're talking about breaks of, like, a second or so. Not real breathing time.† â€Å"There was nothing like that for me. I had slashing too. It was an onslaught. A stream of blows, continuously. It defied understanding or ability. Definitely supernatural.† â€Å"Well, so was this,† I countered. â€Å"Believe me, I couldn't fight against it. It wasn't some mortal mugging, if that's what you're suggesting.† Hugh simply shrugged. Silence fell, and I gave the imp a sidelong glance to the best of my limited vision's ability. â€Å"They're looking meaningfully at each other, aren't they?† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Carter and Jerome. I can feel it.† I turned to Carter, suddenly wondering if my trip last night had been for naught. â€Å"I don't suppose you salvaged the shopping bag I had on me?† Walking over to my kitchen counter, the angel produced a bag and tossed it to me. My depth perception still off, I missed, and the bag bounced off the couch onto the floor. The book slipped out. Jerome snatched it up in an instant and read the title. â€Å"Fuck me, Georgie. Is this why you were out skulking in dark corners? This is what you nearly got killed for? I told you to lay off the vampire hunter investigating – â€Å" â€Å"Oh come on,† cried Cody, jumping up in my defense. â€Å"None of us believe that anymore. We know there's an angel doing this – â€Å" â€Å"An angel?† I heard heavy amusement and even a scoff in the demon's words. â€Å"No mortal did that to me,† I agreed hotly. â€Å"Or to Hugh. Or to Lucinda. Or to Duane. It was a nephilim.† â€Å"A nephi -what?† asked Hugh, startled. â€Å"Isn't that a character on Sesame Street?† Peter spoke up for the first time. Jerome stared silently at me for a moment, then finally demanded, â€Å"Who told you about that?† Not waiting for an answer, he turned toward the angel. â€Å"You know you're not supposed to – â€Å" â€Å"It wasn't me,† retorted Carter mildly. â€Å"I'm guessing she figured it out on her own. You don't put enough faith in your own people.† â€Å"I did find out on my own, though I had help.† I briefly detailed my string of leads, how one had led to another, from Erik to the book at Krystal Starz. â€Å"Shit,† muttered Jerome, after listening to my spiel. â€Å"Fucking Nancy Drew.† â€Å"Okay,† said Peter, â€Å"compelling chase or no, you still haven't told us what a nephilopogus is.† † Nephilim,† I corrected. Hesitantly, I looked at Jerome. â€Å"Can I?† â€Å"You're asking me for permission? How quaint.† Taking that as acquiescence, I began uncertainly, † Nephilimare the offspring of angels and humans. Like in that passage in Genesis. Where the angels fell and took human wives? Nephilim are the result. They have certain abilities†¦ I don't know all of them†¦ strength and power†¦ like Greek heroes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Or like major nuisances,† added Jerome bitterly. â€Å"Don't forget that.† â€Å"How so?† Hugh asked. I continued when Jerome didn't. â€Å"Well†¦ what I read said they used to cause strife and slaughter among humans.† â€Å"Yeah, but this one's not going after humans,† pointed out Peter. Carter shrugged. â€Å"They're unpredictable. They don't play by anyone's rules, and honestly, we're not really sure what this one's intentions are. It's playing a game, that's for sure, what with its attacks on random immortals and that note it sent Georgina.† â€Å"Two notes,† I corrected. â€Å"I got another one just before Lucinda died, but I was with Seth all night and didn't read it until the next day.† Hugh and the vampires turned to stare at me. â€Å"You were with Seth all night?† asked Cody, astonished. â€Å"Which one's he again?† Hugh asked. â€Å"The writer,† provided Peter. The imp regarded me with new interest. â€Å"What'd you do ‘all night' then?† â€Å"Can we not discuss Georgina's love life right now, fascinating though it may be?† Jerome gave me a speculative look. â€Å"Unless, of course, this Seth person is someone of strong moral character and principle whose life energy you plan on stealing soon in support of the greater cause of evil and its goals.† â€Å"Right on the first, not on the rest.† â€Å"Damn it. I need a drink.† â€Å"Help yourself.† Jerome wandered over to my liquor cabinet and sifted through its contents. â€Å"So how can we spot this nephilim ?† asked Cody, getting us back on track. I glanced uncertainly at Carter and Jerome. I didn't know any of the technicalities. â€Å"You can't,† the angel announced cheerfully. â€Å"They can hide their signature too, then. Like higher immortals. â€Å" He nodded back at me. â€Å"Yes, they have the worst characteristics of both their parents. Ample power and pseudo-angelic abilities, mixed with rebelliousness, a love of the physical world, and poor impulse control.† â€Å"How much power?† I wanted to know. â€Å"They're half-human, right? So half the power?† â€Å"That's the clincher.† Jerome looked much more cheerful with a glass of gin in hand. â€Å"It varies wildly, just as each angel has a different level of power. One thing is clear: Nephilim inherit a lot more than half their parent's power, though they can never exceed it. It's still plenty – which is why I've been trying to knock sense into all of you to stay clear. A nephilim could easily blow one of you out of the water.† â€Å"But not one of you.† Peter spoke the words more as a statement than a question, despite the uncertain note lacing his voice. Neither angel nor demon responded, and another piece clicked into place for me. â€Å"That's why you guys are going around with your signatures masked. You're hiding from it too.† â€Å"We're merely taking appropriate precautions,† Jerome protested. â€Å"It ran from you,† I reminded Carter. â€Å"You must have been stronger than it.† â€Å"Probably,† he agreed. â€Å"I was more concerned with you, so I didn't get a good sense. An angel in full form will freak most beings out – it'll kill a mortal – so I could have been stronger than it or not. Hard to say.† I didn't like that answer, not at all. â€Å"What were you doing there anyway?† The angel's trademark sarcastic smile appeared. â€Å"What do you think? I was following you around.† I started. â€Å"What? Then I was right†¦ that day at Erik's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Afraid so.† â€Å"My God,† said Peter, amazed. â€Å"You really were on to something, Georgina. At least about him stalking you.† I felt semivindicated, even if Carter obviously didn't seem to be the culprit anymore. Hugh had been right in accusing me of bias. I had really wanted Carter to be the responsible party for all these attacks, as a sort of payback for all the times he'd mocked me. His timely intervention in the alley only muddled my opinion of him now. Carter explained, â€Å"After realizing that first note was probably from this nephilim, I thought it'd be prudent to pop in once in a while since our friend here seems to have an especial interest in you. My intention was to catch him or her off-guard, not to help you, though I'm happy to have been able to. Plus, that day at Erik's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked over at Jerome. The demon threw his arms in the air. â€Å"Sure? Why not? Tell them. Tell them everything. They already know too much.† â€Å"Erik?† I prompted. â€Å"This thing, this nephilim†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Carter paused thoughtfully. â€Å"This being knows a surprising amount about us and about the immortal community.† â€Å"Well†¦ it's like you said, right?† asked Peter. â€Å"This nephilim would find one of us and follow him or her around.† â€Å"No. I mean, yes, that's possible, but evidence indicates this one knows much more than simple surveillance might give it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"For Chrissake,† Jerome snapped, â€Å"if you're going to tell them, tell them. Stop speaking in riddles.† The demon turned to us. â€Å"He's saying this nephilim is working with a leak. Someone's feeding it information about the immortal community here.† Cody caught the insinuation just as I did. â€Å"You think Erik's doing it.† â€Å"He's the strongest suspect,† admitted Carter apologetically. â€Å"He's been here for decades, and he has the talent to sense immortals.† â€Å"And to think, he spoke so well of you,† I murmured, feeling aghast. â€Å"Well, you're wrong. It's not him. Not Erik.† â€Å"Don't get huffy about it now, Georgie. He's not our only lead, just the most likely.† â€Å"And I don't like it any more than you,† the angel added. â€Å"But we can't dismiss any possibilities. We need to neutralize this nephilim threat soon. It's out of hand; we'll get outside involvement before long, and that's always a pain.† â€Å"Then why aren't you letting us help you?† I cried. â€Å"Why all the secrecy?† â€Å"Are you deaf? It's for your own protection. This thing could blast you to Armageddon!† Jerome downed the rest of his gin in a flurry. I didn't buy it. There was more than just our safety at stake here. Jerome still hadn't come clean. â€Å"Yes, but – â€Å" â€Å"The committee meeting is over,† he interrupted me icily. â€Å"Would the rest of you excuse Georgina and me?† Oh shit. I looked desperately at my friends, hoping they might stay and defend me, but they all scurried out. Cowards, I thought. None of them would cross Jerome when he spoke like that. Okay, I wouldn't have either in their shoes. Carter, I noticed, did not leave. The directive apparently did not apply to him. â€Å"Georgie,† began Jerome carefully, once the others were gone, â€Å"you and I seem to be facing off more often than not lately. I don't like it.† â€Å"It's not exactly facing off,† I noted, squirming uneasily, recalling his display of power at the hospital and threat to â€Å"stash† me somewhere. â€Å"We're just having differences of opinion lately.† â€Å"Differences that can get you killed.† â€Å"Jerome, this can't possibly just be about – â€Å" â€Å"No more.† A wall of power slammed into me, throwing me back against the couch. It was like one of those carnival rides where people stand along the sides of a round room that spins faster and faster until inertia pins everyone's limbs to the walls. Moving became agony. Even breathing was a struggle. I felt like Atlas, bearing the brunt of the world's weight. Jerome's voice boomed inside my head, and some brave part of me cursed his parlor tricks, even as the rest of me recoiled. I need you to listen to me for once without constantly interrupting. You cannot keep poking around here. Doing so calls attention to yourself, and you already have a lot more of it on you from this nephilim than I would like. I neither need nor want a new succubus. I've grown accustomed to you, Georgina. I do not want to lose you. I am more lenient with you than I should be, however. You get away with things no other archdemon would allow. I haven't minded indulging you thus far, but things can change – especially if you continue to be insubordinate. I can have you transferred somewhere else, away from this cozy delusion of a human life you've established. Or I can call Lilithin and report your behavior to her directly. I'm sure she'd he happy to do a little retraining with you. My heart stopped at the mention of the Succubus Queen. I had met her only once, when I first joined the ranks. That encounter, rather like seeing Carter in all his angelic glory, was not an experience I wanted to repeat anytime soon. Do you understand? â€Å"Y-yes.† Are you sure? The pressure increased, and it was all I could do to manage a weak nod. The psychic cage abruptly dropped, and I slumped forward, taking in deep breaths. I could still feel where his power had touched me, rather like a tactile version of the afterimage one sees with a camera flash. â€Å"I'm glad you understand, and I'm sure you'll also understand if I don't entirely believe you. It's part of the nature of our side.† â€Å"Is this†¦ is this the part where you stash me somewhere?† He chuckled softly. Menacingly. â€Å"No. Not yet at least. Frankly, I think you just need a little supervision to stay out of trouble. I'm also not entirely convinced you and the nephilim merely have a passing relationship.† A retort was on my lips, but I bit it off, my skin still burning. â€Å"I'd have one of your friends do it, but I don't doubt you could wrap any of them around your smallest finger. No, you need babysitting by someone who won't bend, who won't fall for your tricks.† â€Å"Tricks? Who then?† For a minute, I half thought he referred to himself until I noticed Carter's smug smile. Oh man. â€Å"You can't be serious.† â€Å"It'll ensure you toe the line, Georgie. What's more, it will keep you alive.† â€Å"You're practically our best lead at the moment,† Carter explained. â€Å"This nephilim has some interest in you, even though that interest seems to have shifted a bit from note-passing to assault.† â€Å"Carter will be ready if it tries to finish what he interrupted. He can also shield your apartment from prying eyes.† â€Å"But it'll sense him when we go out – † I tried weakly. â€Å"No more than you can now,† Carter reminded me. â€Å"And I'll be invisible. A ghost at your side. An angel on your shoulder, if you will. You won't even know I'm around.† â€Å"Jerome, please, you can't do this – â€Å" â€Å"I can, and I will. Unless, like I said, you want me to have a chat with Lilith ?† Damn him. The threat of Lilith was stronger than any potential stashing, and he knew it. â€Å"Good. If there's no further discussion then, I'll take my leave and let you two get situated.† Jerome glanced between us, dark eyes resting on me a moment. â€Å"Oh, by the way. Do check yourself out in a mirror at some point.† I scowled, thinking of Cody's scrutiny of my injuries. â€Å"Thanks for reminding me.† â€Å"What I'm reminding you of is that you're a succubus. Those bruises are a manifestation of believing you're human. You are not. You have to feel them, but you don't have to wear them.† With that, the demon vanished in an eye blink, leaving a faint smell of brimstone in his wake that I suspected was pure showmanship. â€Å"So, do I get the couch?† Carter asked me cheerfully. â€Å"Go to hell.† I left the room to go check out my reflection. â€Å"Hardly a nice way to treat your new roommate.† â€Å"I didn't ask for your – â€Å" I stopped halfway down the hallway. I'd spent the last couple of weeks suspecting Carter of murder and other terrible things; I'd spent the last half-century hating him as a person. Yet he'd just saved my life, and I hadn't uttered one word of thanks. I turned toward him, dreading what I now had to say. â€Å"I'm sorry.† He wore a look similar to the one Jerome had had when I asked his permission earlier. â€Å"Really? For just now?† â€Å"For not thanking you earlier. For saving me out there. I mean, I'm not happy about you shacking up here, but I am grateful for what you did then. And I'm sorry, too, if I haven't exactly been†¦ nice to you.† The angel's expression was unreadable. â€Å"Glad to have helped.† Not knowing what else to say, I turned and kept walking. â€Å"What are you going to do now?† he asked. I paused again. â€Å"Look at the damage and then go to bed. I'm tired. And I hurt.† â€Å"Aw, no slumber party games or popcorn? No makeovers?† â€Å"Don't take this personally, but you could use a makeover. You look like a refugee. Why†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I swallowed and rephrased my words as I studied him. â€Å"When I saw you out there, on the street, you were†¦ you were so beautiful. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen.† My voice came out as a whisper. Carter's face turned grave. â€Å"Jerome's the same way, you know. In his true form. Just as beautiful. Angels and demons come from the same stock. He chooses that John Cusack wannabe shape by choice.† â€Å"Why? Why does he do that? And why do you choose to look like a junkie or a bum?† The edges of the angel's lips turned slightly upward. â€Å"Why does a woman who claims she wants to avoid the attention of nice men choose a form that makes everyone around her do a double take and stare?† I swallowed again, lost in the far reaches of his eyes, but not in the same way I had been lost in Roman's or Seth's eyes. It was more like the angel could see all the way through me, through all of my facades, down to my soul or what remained of it. With great effort, I broke that scrutiny, turning back toward my bedroom. â€Å"No one is punished forever,† he told me gently. â€Å"Yeah? That's not what I hear. Good night.† I went into my bedroom, closing my door behind me. Just before it clicked, I heard Carter call, â€Å"So, who's making breakfast?†

IKEA Expansion Strategies

IKEA Expansion Strategies IKEA was established in 1943 by its founder, Ingvar Kampard when he was just 17 years old. During its early days, the company mainly supplied fish, Christmas magazines and a variety of farm seeds. In 1948, Kampard started to sell household furniture (Back 2). During this era, elegant furniture was expensive.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on IKEA Expansion Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, young individuals usually inherited old furniture from their relatives since it was expensive to buy new ones given their minimal salaries. As a result, Kampard focused on selling high quality furniture that meets the needs, desires, and expectations of his target market at an affordable price. This strategy proved to be effective in the business operations as IKEA increased its market share in Sweden. Due to the viability of the business, the firm expanded its operations in Western Europe, America, and Asia (Bac k 2). At the present moment, IKEA is the leading furniture retailer in the world. It has over 300 outlets in 35 countries in the world. However, to achieve all this success, the company’s operations have been based on basic plans and strategies that have ensured that its operations are sustainable and profitable in the short run and in the long run. IKEA’s operations are based on its basic principle that aims at producing high quality furniture at the lowest price possible (Back 3). With this strategy, IKEA has been able to stand at a competitive edge over rival firms in almost every market that it enters into the world. In the USA for example, IKEA faced stiff competition from companies such as Wal-Mart and Costco that had low quality that were sold at low prices. On the other hand, companies such as Ethan Allen that sold high quality products at a high price (Back 3). To stand at a competitive edge, IKEA sold high quality products that meet the needs and desires of i ts target market at a low price. This strategy enabled the company to maintain its loyal and satisfied customers hence increasing its market share as well as its profitability. Success of IKEA Strategies IKEA success was also determined through its market analysis strategies. The company had a clear understanding of its target market, its purchasing power, and its tastes and preferences. Throughout its operation, IKEA has always been targeting young individuals who are between their 20s and 30s. This target group has a taste of elegance.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, it lacks the purchasing power to achieve this dream. Therefore, to meet the needs of this target group, IKEA has an effective pricing strategy that ensures that the final product is priced at the lowest price possible. The company sources its products from the cheapest manufactures within an d outside their target markets. In its early years, the products that were sold in the Swedish market were manufactured in Poland (Back 5). To reduce the operating costs in the US market, IKEA sourced its products from local suppliers to cut on transportation costs. This move ensures that the final product is not only sold at the lowest price possible but it is also of a superior quality, hence meeting the tastes and preferences of its target market. Modification of IKEA Strategies In the course of its operations, IKEA has modified its strategies to meet the requirements of its target market. For instance, IKEA’s location strategy has changed over time. All IKEA stores are located outside the city enhancing the shopping experience of customers. At the same time, the stores have been divided into different sections with each section containing a range of goods that can meet the specific needs of different customers. With the home assembly strategy, customers can easily carry t heir products and assemble them at the comfort of their homes. Most importantly, the stores are run by highly qualified, skilled, and dedicated individuals (Back 4). It has been the tradition of IKEA to employ young individuals who have the passion of the company rather than experienced individuals from other firms. Through extra-role performance and high quality service delivery, IKEA employees always meet the needs and desires of their customer. As a result, the customers are always satisfied with IKEA products, as well as the services they receive from the company. This has increased the global success that the company is enjoying. IKEA’s Current Strategy The operations of IKEA are based on the transnational strategy (Hill 402). To ensure that its operations are sustainable and profitable in the long run, IKEA has come up with strategies modified its store layout, store location and product line to suit the local market while entering the Chinese market (Back 3). In the pr ocess, the firm has greatly reduced its production hence selling its products at lower prices as compared to its competitors. This move was successful and by 2008, IKEA had 4 stores in China alone. Given the current market conditions, this strategy is effective since it has greatly increased the number of units sold hence increasing its global market share as well as its profitability.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on IKEA Expansion Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Future Changes All businesses operate in a dynamic environment. Therefore, IKEA will have to modify its operations to keep up with market trends. For instance, the firm needs to enhance the application of internet technology to enhance its internal and external operations. IT will enable the firm to monitor its inventory and staff in an effective and effective and efficient manner. IT will also increase its profitability through online sales. Wi th the help of social media, the firm can enhance its relationship with its customers hence having a better understanding of their tastes and preferences. Through research and development, the firm can come up with better products, effective marketing and pricing mechanisms and better management systems. Back, Alison. IKEA: Furniture Retailer to the World. PDF file. Web. Hill, Charles. Global Business Today. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.

Vellum Review Read This Guide Before Using It!

Vellum Review Read This Guide Before Using It! Vellum Review: Read This Guide Before Using It! From Google Docs to Scrivener to our very own Reedsy Book Editor, there are countless tools out there for writers to create, edit, and ultimately format and export their books to publish. Vellum is another one that you probably recognize, though you might not be completely familiar with its mechanics. That’s why we wanted to comprehensively review the latest Vellum software! In this post we'll evaluate key features, overall pros and cons, and how to know if it’s the right software for you.First off, let’s cover what Vellum is, as well as the different packages and pricing available.What is Vellum?Vellum is a book creation tool for Mac that allows you to professionally format books for publication. The Vellum software is free to download and use, but you’ll need to purchase a package to actually export your files to publish.The Vellum package options are:1. Vellum Ebooks - allows you to create and export unlimited ebooks. 💠°Cost: $199.992. Vellum Press - allows you to create and export unlimited ebooks and paperbacks. 💠°Cost: $249.99 What is the Best Service for Print on Demand Books? Read post If you purchase Vellum Ebooks first, you can upgrade to Vellum Press for an additional $99.99. However, the mathematically-minded user will realize that this is $50 more than you’d pay for Vellum Press alone. So if there’s even a chance that you’ll end up printing your books, you might want to invest in Vellum Press outright.These prices might seem pretty steep for publishing software, but keep in mind that you’re not just going to be using Vellum as a replacement for Microsoft Word. Indeed, its primary function is formatting, not writing, and its features allow for fairly sophisticated book design. Its strengths include great import and export abilities, style templates, and a multi-platform previewing tool - all of which we’ll cover below.Did you know? The material â€Å"vellum† is parchment made from stretched calfskin, used by writers for centuries in lieu of paper. Though it’s much rarer nowadays, vellum is still used for certain religious and archival purposes, such as printing scrolls of the Torah and the British Acts of Parliament.Key features of Vellum 2.5.3📠¥ Import capabilities If you’d like to test out the importer (or any of the following features) yourself, you can do so using the sample documents provided on the Vellum Tutorial page.ðŸ“â€" Book StylesIf any one feature makes Vellum worth its hefty price tag, it’s Book Styles. Once you’ve arranged your chapters to your heart’s content, you can navigate to this panel (under â€Å"Styles† on the left) to tailor just about every other aspect of your formatting and interior design. Start by selecting the overall aesthetic of your book under the main Book Style heading (with stylishly named options such as â€Å"Meridian,† â€Å"Artisanal,† and â€Å"Oxford†). Then go on to customize just about everything else!As you switch back and forth among the different styles, Vellum will also display each option in an e-reader preview on the right, so you can get a sneak peek at the final product. Speaking of which, those previews aren’t just for experi menting with Book Styles†¦Ã°Å¸â€˜â‚¬ Preview modeAnother helpful feature of Vellum is its Preview mode. Most formatting tools have a preview mode of sorts, but Vellum’s is particularly thorough. It allows you to see how your book will look on a wide variety of e-readers: Kindle Fire and Paperwhite, Apple iPad and iPhone, Nook SimpleTouch, Kobo Glo, and Android tablet. Simply click on the tablet icon in the toolbar to select your mode of choice.You can also preview how your pages would appear in a print book. Vellum definitely shines here, as it has both Draft mode (for looking at the overall text) and Proof mode (for scrutinizing the layout and design). The only downside is that Proof mode can be a bit slow to run. So if you’re using Vellum to preview a print book, you should probably save the â€Å"Proof† preview until your very last once-over.📠¤ Export capabilities What Are the Standard Book Sizes in Publishing? Read post Finally, we have Vellum’s export capabilities, which match its trusty import capabilities: the app exports smoothly and true to preview. As long as you’ve checked over your book on every kind of e-reader, you should have no trouble. Naturally, it also exports in various file types for ebooks, and different trim sizes for print books.However, it’s easy to forget that you won’t be able to export files from Vellum without paying for a full package - and you don’t want to frustrate yourself by designing the perfect book, only to realize you don’t actually have the budget for it. So be honest with yourself about what you’re willing (and able) to spend, and weigh your formatting options carefully before you begin this process. Luckily, our next section should help you with that!Overall pros and cons of Vellum👠 ProsVarious professional, aesthetically pleasing formatting options with Book Styles.Can include links to external sources a nd your other books. If you provide it with the right identifier, Vellum will even generate the correct link depending on what kind of file you export - so for example, if it’s a MOBI for Amazon, Vellum will automatically insert the appropriate Amazon link.Preview function helps clearly envision the final product, whether it’s an ebook or print book.No limit to the number of books you can export after you’ve purchased a package - great for authors self-publishing long series, and even has built-in box set capabilities.👎 ConsMuch more expensive to use than comparable book formatting tools, such as Apple Pages (free), Kindle Create (free), the Reedsy Book Editor (free), and Scrivener ($45).Not available for PC - though you can still use Vellum on a PC, if you’re willing to pay for access to a â€Å"virtual† Mac.Doesn’t lend itself well to substantial textual edits. For example, if you write a new sentence to replace an old one, but then want to undo the typing (Ctrl+Z), Vellum will undo each individual letter rather than the whole sentence at once. (This is why, though it can be used as a word processor, we recommend waiting to import your book into Vellum until you have a final draft.)The bottom lineVellum software is a solid investment if you’re planning on self-publishing multiple books, especially if you’ve been dissatisfied with other DIY formatting options in the past. However, if this is only your first book, and/or you’re not sure whether you’ll go the self-publishing or traditional publishing route, it’s best to hold off for now - especially if you’re on a budget, since $199.99 (at minimum) is nothing to sneeze at. The Best Novel Writing Software of 2019 Read post In the meantime, why not check out some free book formatting tools, just to get a feel for the process? (We hear that RBE is pretty cool.) Or if you’re on the hunt to purchase some writing software, but don’t quite have Vellum-deep pockets, check out this post on the best - and relatively affordable - pieces of novel writing software in 2019. Don’t be afraid to try out lots of different programs: that’s the only way to find out what’s right for you!Have you used Vellum to format your books? If so, tell us about it in the comments - and if not, leave a question for someone who has!

Organisation that fail to plan are in essence planning to fail' Essay

Organisation that fail to plan are in essence planning to fail'. discuss this statement. in your answer consider types of organisational plans, and the link be - Essay Example act that the company’s mission and vision statements are chalked up when it is in the early stage and thus the whole concept of finding out what it wants from its different processes and activities, whether or not to go for the short term incentives or substitute the same for the long term gains and a host of other things that come in line with these points as well. [DEAN, 2002] Organizations in the present times are doing their utmost in order to know more and more about their valued customers. For this, they have devised certain strategies which are in line with the values that their business has set for itself. These values are thus deeply intrinsic within the mission and vision statements of the company. In order to gain further knowledge about the customers, research is being given proper emphasis which would eventually discern the exact basis for the customers to come and make that vital purchase. [McNAMARA, 2007] Even when the same has been done, the need is to find out how the same customers can be retained and in what manner they will come back for the repeat purchase of the product. Organizations do their best to conduct research which will harness their business outcomes as well as help them achieve positive results in the light of unbroken grounds, at least in the marketing and business circles. They want to reach out to the customers in whatever capacity they can and for that they aim to find out the best and most efficient means possible. In order to gain this deeper understanding, they are seeking in depth research from third party research affiliates like A C Nielsen, Dunn & Bradstreet and others. These research companies find the exact basis for the company to reach out to the potential customers as well as hit upon the ones who are actually buying the competitor products and are simply unaware of their product or do not want to use theirs due to certain malice, prejudice, immoral or disliked advertising campaigns and a host of other reasons as

Events surrounding Royal Bank of Scotland acquisition of NatWest Dissertation

Events surrounding Royal Bank of Scotland acquisition of NatWest - Dissertation Example The analysis of the paper shows that the motives behind mergers and acquisitions of NatWest or other business consolidation across Europe are the synergies and various integrative benefits that can be derived in banking industry. Major impact of macroeconomic factors motivating such practices were domestic deregulation, lower interests rates leading to sliding interest income margin and rising growth. Moreover, the 1990s financial dominance was shifted from Eastern financial institutions to the Western banks and technological development especially in terms of IT, changes in corporate thinking and increasing importance of corporate governance practices and shareholder wealth creation were other major factors that motivated the banks to look for possible acquisitions. Therefore, costs reduction, revenue augmentation and NatWest’s wide presence attracted a much smaller banks like RBS to bid and acquire Britain’s one of the oldest banking institutions. The analysis of RBS annual reports provides valuable insight in to whether this has increased RBS’ shareholders’ wealth. The results show that there have been more than expected revenues and costs savings in post acquisition period while the net interest income, total income, and EPS have all increased in absolute terms. However, the comparison of RBS and NatWest with the market returns shows that no value is created for the shareholders in post acquisition period. The reason could have been that RBS continued its acquisition spree without consideration of shareholders, which shows poor governance practices in RBS Group.... Drivers of NatWest Acquisition 13 2.1.5 Structure of Global Banking Industry in 1990s 15 2.1.6 Impetus of Mergers in UK Banking Industry 16 2.1.7 Impact of Consolidation on Firms’ Efficiency 20 3. Chapter 3 22 3.1 Critical Evaluation and Analysis 22 4. Chapter 4 35 4.1 Conclusion and Recommendation 35 Reference List 37 Bibliography 44 1. Chapter 1 1.1 Project Background & Introduction The expansion of world trade as evident from financial and economic globalisation has provided substantial benefits to the countries. Much of these benefits have been a result of the mergers and acquisition activities that has taken place around the world in every sector. Improvement in cost to income ratio is one of the major reasons for merger and acquisition. At the same time, acquisition has another broad aspect. This helps in increasing market share and reducing competition significantly, which enhance firm’s presence and bargaining power over not only consumers but also suppliers. Th is paper is a critical analysis of one of these acquisitions that took place between RBS and NatWest at the turn of 21st century in UK. This project is outlined in four sections. The first section provides the research aim and objectives. The second section is the literature review, which encompasses the definitions of merger and acquisition, background of NatWest and RBS, drivers of NatWest acquisition, structure of global banking industry, and the impetus for consolidation in general and in UK banking industry and finally, the impact such consolidation has had on the structure and efficiency of the merged banks. The third section is the critical evaluation of the theories in the light of the acquisition’s effects on both the banks. And lastly, the fourth section concludes the paper. 1.2 Project