CD for Holden Essay

How have you been? I have actually missed you a lot. The other day, I took a road trip with my parents and I thought of you. I remembered how you told me you wanted me to burn a CD with music for you. Thus, I listened to my iPod the whole way and selected many cool songs that I think you would like. Please get back to me and tell me which ones you liked and all. Also, I know you told me to only put around 10 songs but I could not contain myself and I chose 16 of them. I hope you will like them, because to tell you the truth all of these songs kill me. The first song I chose to put in the CD is â€Å"3 Cigarettes† by The Sleeping. Besides the beat and instruments that are cool as hell, the lyrics really remind me of you. First of all, there are the obvious connections to cigarettes, which seem to be one of your passions. Also when he says â€Å"I have been drinking more and eating less† reminds me of you. It is pretty much all that you have done lately, smoked, drank, and thought of Jane. Just remember that just like they say â€Å"we don’t have to blame ourselves† you should not blame yourself for everything that has been happening. Finally, the line â€Å"Do you care? Are you there? Are you listening?† kills me and I am sure it will kill you too. It is calling for people’s attentions, it is calling all those phonies and it makes me wonder if anyone really cares about me. I am sure it will make you feel the same way too. The next song I chose was â€Å"Through the Glass† by Stone Sour. I think that this song is talking about an insider who became a stranger and now they are looking from the outside back in. This makes me think of you because many times throughout your life you have alienated yourself. You just look from the outside as time passes by and sometimes you feel like going back in, and being an insider again but you don’t. The phrase â€Å"I’m looking at you through the glass; don’t know how much time is passed. Oh God it feels like forever† makes me think of you a lot. Because you are always thinking about how quickly time passes by. It seems like you have been alienating yourself for a long time now, it feels like forever. The next song on your CD is â€Å"Tears in Heaven† by Eric Clapton. I just had to add this one. I know that you are really sensitive about your brother’s death and all, and you don’t like talking about it. However, I think that the sooner you face reality the better it will be for you and everyone. This song was made for his son who died. He was very meaningful to Eric Clapton just like your brother Allie was to you. I know you so well, that I am sure that you have wondered about many of the things that this song is stressing about. Such as if Allie would remember your name, and if it would all be the same. Also, there is a bigger picture to it. I remember about an specific conversation with your sister Phoebe you told me about. She asked you to name one thing you really liked and you said you really liked Allie. I think you should listen to lines such as â€Å"Cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven† and â€Å"Cause I know I just can’t stay here in heaven†. The bigger picture that these lines are showing and I am trying to prove to you is that as much as you love Allie you have to let him go. You are both in different worlds now, and wherever he is, you don’t belong there. At least not yet. Holden, you should really get on with your life and just keep with you all of the good memories you have with Allie but let him go. It is the best thing to do. I am sure you will enjoy quite a lot the next song I picked out for you. It is a classic by the great band Pink Floyd. This one is called â€Å"Another Brick in the Wall†. You might have heard of it already. The meaning of the song is to say that in school they treat us all the same and they do not respect that everyone is a separate and different individual. Pink Floyd is saying that this is all â€Å"false control† and they are putting all the students together and trying to make them all the same, therefore losing their individualities. I can tell that you will agree with these lines, and that they will really kill you. When they say â€Å"All in all it’s just another brick in the wall†, the meaning is that every single one of us students are just a tiny brick of the wall of hypocrisy, superficiality, and shallowness that they are trying to build. â€Å"They† are the ones that you every so often refer to as the â€Å"phonies†. That is what I think this song is criticizing, phonies who try to make everyone be the same. They try to make everyone be like them. Hopefully there are still people out there, like me and you, who are going to fight this and knock down this â€Å"wall of phonies†. The next song I picked is called â€Å"Boys Don’t Cry† by The Cure. It makes me think of you and Jane. When I listen to it, I think of how you like Jane so much and she is the only girl that you truly care about but you won’t tell her. Just like the song is describing, you often say â€Å"I would†¦Ã¢â‚¬  You mention things that you would do, such as give her a buzz, and visit her, and ask her on a date. However, you never do any of it. The line â€Å"boys don’t cry† is obviously making a critic to some boys like you, who would rather hide their feelings and appearing tough instead of telling the truth and possibly crying. I love the line â€Å"I try and laugh about it hiding the tears in my eyes† and the one â€Å"I try to laugh about it; cover it all up with lies†. Both of these lines are very strong. They also show things that you do. You often act all nonchalant and like giving Jane a buzz is just something you would do any d ay. However, I think it is much deeper than that. You are scared of being rejected by her because she is the only one you care about. So, you just act casual and cool about it and lie and hide your feels for her. The next song, â€Å"The Permanent Rain† by The Dangerous Summer follows the same line as the one before. I think that just like the singer is saying, â€Å"I won’t let this die†, you shouldn’t let what you have with Jane die. You and her both have a really strong connection and bond. I think it would be very sad if you did not do anything about it. I think you should go and tell her how you feel. It is really the best thing to do. When he says, â€Å"I know it’s not helping to hear me say: I wish it was me in the car the other day† really makes me think of you as well. Even though you have never actually told her about it, you have wondered for a long time about her and Stradlater in his teacher’s car. You wonder about what happened and you cannot help but wish that it were you with her in the car instead of Stradlater. Finally, when the line â€Å"You know it meant a lot, but I was just a kid† comes up it seems like it was wri tten for you. You were both too young to fully understand the connection that you both had. Now, I think you are old and mature enough to understand it and your relationship with Jane should mean even more if you tell her how you feel. The next song, however, is not about Jane. It is about High School, hence the name â€Å"High School Low† by Say Anything. Just like you, the guy in the song is sixteen. He is also worrying about things such as the whole high school experience, and girls. I find there is even a connection to you when he says, â€Å"My teacher says that I’m brilliant†. It reminds me of how Mr. Spencer would try and get the best out of you. He did not say you were brilliant, however, he acknowledge that you had so much more potential than the one you were showing with your poor grades and test scores. The passage about looking at pictures of himself when he was a child can also be compared to you. I know that you have often thought about how it is such a horrible experience having to grow up and all, but we will get to this topic later. To do with the whole grades issue, he also says â€Å"My grades look pretty damn low. I want to motivate myself, but how the hell am I supposed to work†. This is something that is so similar to you that it could have come out of your mouth. At the same time that you realize that your grades are low and you need to make an effort, you don’t know how to. You are confused about what you should do that would motivate yourself. I remember you told me that when your psychoanalyst asked you if you would apply yourself when you got back to school in September you said you did not know. I mean of course you want to, but as you said it yourself, you are not able to tell how you are going to behave. One phrase that is constantly repeated is â€Å"take me away†. Just like you, this boy wants to run away from these high school days and from all the â€Å"phoniness† and move on to a better part of life; be it the past or the future. Speaking of phonies, this is what my next chosen song is about. It is called â€Å"Mutiny!† by Set Your Goals. This song is clearly criticizing people. In my opinion, it is criticizing the phonies. What leads me to think this way is when things such as â€Å"superior, you are inferior† and â€Å"heroes have betrayed† are said. This is talking about people who think that they are better than other s when they really are nothing special. It is also talking about how people can just betray you and change all of the sudden. Finally, the line â€Å"I will find the line and cross it every time† reminds me of you. It reminds me of how you many times alienate yourself as a form of protection. Therefore, I think that crossing the line is a symbol for you of that crazy red hunting hat you wear. You wear it to prove your point and to show people that you don’t care and you’re fine with being different. This is nothing else but a way of â€Å"crossing t he line†. The next song I chose is called â€Å"Flake† and it is by Jack Johnson. In case you don’t know, a flake is someone who says that they will go somewhere or do something and then they don’t. Am I the only one who sees a resemblance here to you?! Yes, I am going to start talking about Jane again. You seriously have to stop saying that you will call her, unless you are actually planning on doing it. Otherwise, you are just flaking. The strong line â€Å"It seems to me that maybe pretty much always means no† is what I feel sometimes when you start talking to me about her. You say that you might call her if you feel like it. Now, I am starting to see it as something you just have to say to feel good about yourself, to show that you have the power to call her. I think you should not â€Å"flake† Jane. Besides that, it is a great song and I really love the instrumental and the beat for it. I am sure you will love it too! The next song I picked is a slow one. I find it truly beautiful. It is called â€Å"Cannonball† by Damien Rice. It is also a love song. What I think it is talking about is about someone whom he really loves but that he cannot be with for a reason or another. He talks about how he remembers the girl all the time, and the things that remind him of her. I think that the way he feels about this girl is just like how you feel about Jane. It reminds me of how you remember her because of little things such as how she always kept her kings on the back. This song also brings up the issue you have of lying and it claims that the issues he had to face in life when dealing with love are the ones that made him be like that. It also reminds me of you when he mentions that â€Å"It is not hard to fall when you float like a cannonball† because you can often be very â€Å"heavy† and therefore you sink into your issues like a cannonball sinking down in an ocean. My favorite like on this song, however, has to be the last one. It says â€Å"when you know that you just don’t know†. I think it is talking about when people are confused and how it takes courage, to even admit that you are lost. â€Å"Speed of Sound† by Coldplay is also sort of a slow song. The main point to this song is that it is talking about time. I think that Coldplay is trying to show how everything moves so fast, like the speed of sound. Time goes by too quickly, Holden. I know you have already realized that before, considering how you have told me countless times and made me notice that once we notice everything has already happened. This song could have been sung by someone who is waiting on a platform and they are noticing how fast things happen. It also talks about the issues we all have with dealing with this fast-moving time. Be prepared because this next song I am about to introduce to you will kill you. I am serious. It is called â€Å"Forever Young† and it is by Alphaville. It is impossible for me to listen to it and not think of you. The main point to this song is the fact that we all get old. The singer obviously wants to be â€Å"forever young† just like you! You tend to resist the natural process of maturity and growing up. It seems like you want to be forever young without having any responsibilities or having to deal with any problems of adulthood. I think this is mostly because you are scared. You are scared of what awaits for you, and it all sort of mystify you. That is why you invent that you do not want to be an adult because it is a world of phoniness. It is your way of running away from the fact that you are actually scared of growing up because you do not have a clue of what any of it is like. A line on this song that I find really interesting is â€Å"Some are like water, some are like the heat, some are a melody and some are the beat†. I think that this line is talking about the people that make our life what it is. The people that are there for us. I think that water is a symbol for the people that are a bit colder and the heat for the ones who are warm. The people who are a melody are the ones, like Jane, who come every once in a while and they completely change how you were before, just like the melody of a song. The â€Å"melodies† of someone’s life are not always there, but we can never be the same after they leave. Finally, the beat is a symbol for the people who are there to support you in your life constantly, just like the beat in a song. It is also impossible to be the same without the â€Å"beats† of our life, such as Phoebe, because they are the ones that we can call whenever we need. I think you will really enjoy the next song I picked. It is called â€Å"Marching Bands of Manhattan† by Death Cab for Cutie. First of all, the main reason of why it reminds me of you is the whole New York experience. I know how much that city describes you. I am sorry but I will have to bring old Jane up once again. I think that this song is mostly talking about how he wants to be with someone that doesn’t know how they feel. I think that this is your type of song, and I hope you will like it. If you like it, you should look up more songs by Death Cab for Cutie, they all send like this and have wonderful lyrics. Well, this is pretty much all, I hope you enjoyed the songs I chose and you will take some of the advice I gave you. Remember to get back to me and tell me what you thought of them. Oh! Also, I hope you like the cover for the CD! I know how crazy you have been about those ducks on Central Park and I just thought you would enjoy that. Love, Deb P.S. The two other songs I added were songs I found searching on the internet that were inspired by The Catcher in the Rye and I thought that they would be interesting to add.

Iron Crowned Chapter 2

I retreated to my bedroom as soon as etiquette allowed, collapsing onto the bed the moment I entered. Dorian had followed me in, and I tossed an arm over my eyes, groaning. â€Å"Do you think that display helped win us over with Ranelle or scared her off?† I felt Dorian sit on the bed beside me. â€Å"Hard to say. At the very least, I don't think it'll turn her king against us. We're too terrifying and unstable.† I smiled and uncovered my face, looking into those green and gold eyes. â€Å"If only that reputation would spread to everyone else. I heard a rumor the Honeysuckle Land might join with Katrice. Honestly, how anyone could call their kingdom that and keep a straight face is beyond me.† Dorian leaned over me, lightly brushing hair from my face and trailing his fingers along my cheekbone. â€Å"It's quite lovely, actually. Almost tropical. I mean, it's no barren wasteland of a desert kingdom, but it's not half bad.† I was so used to his jibes about my kingdom that there was almost something comforting about them. His fingers ran down to my neck and were soon replaced by his lips. â€Å"Honestly, I'm not worried about this Honeysuckle place. It's other potential allies worrying me. Hey, stop.† His lips had moved down to my collarbone, and his hand was starting to lift my shirt. I wriggled away. â€Å"I don't have time.† He lifted his head, arching an eyebrow in surprise. â€Å"You have some place to be?† â€Å"Yeah, actually.† I sighed. â€Å"I have a job back in Tucson. Besides, I'm filthy.† Dorian was undeterred and returned to trying to get my shirt off. â€Å"I'll help bathe you.† I swatted his hand away but then pulled him over so that I could put my arms around him and hold him against me. I knew he wanted more than cuddling, but I didn't have the energy. Considering his fastidious nature, I was surprised he consented to resting his head on my chest, seeing as how dirty and ragged the shirt was. â€Å"No offense, but I'll take human showers any day over some servant lugging water up to a tub.† â€Å"You can't leave without talking to Ranelle,† he pointed out. â€Å"And you can't see her like this.† I grimaced and ran my hand over his brilliant hair. â€Å"Damn it.† He was right. I was still bad at this queen thing, but I knew enough about gentry customs to know that if I really did want the Linden King's help, I would need to look and sound good. So much to do. Never enough time. All so wearying. Dorian lifted his head and looked back down at me. â€Å"Was it bad?† He was referring to last night's battle. â€Å"It's always bad. I'm still not okay with people fighting and dying for me. Especially over one insult.† The living suffered from this war too. I often had refugees coming to me for food and shelter. â€Å"Their kingdom's at stake,† he said. â€Å"Their homes. And that was more than an insult. Letting it pass would make the Thorn Land look weak – like prey. It would make you open to invasion, which is the same as surrendering to Katrice. Your people don't want that. They have to fight.† â€Å"But why do yours fight?† Dorian looked at me like that was a crazy question. â€Å"Because I tell them to.† I left the conversation at that and called for a servant to fill the bathtub in the chamber adjacent to my bedroom. It was a tedious task I hated making them do, though Dorian would no doubt argue it was their duty to. The magic I'd inherited from my tyrant father gave me control over storm elements, so I could have summoned water straight to the tub, rather than making my servants haul it up one bucket at a time. The Thorn Land was so dry, however, that pulling that much water magically would both dry out the castle's air even more and possibly kill surrounding vegetation. The servants had their own entrance to the bath chamber, and as soon as we heard them hauling and pouring water, Dorian grinned and pulled me back to the bed. â€Å"See?† he said. â€Å"Now we have time.† I stopped protesting. And as our clothes came off and I felt the heat of his lips, I had to admit to myself that I wasn't averse to sex, not really. This war really did put our lives constantly at risk, and he had worried about me. Having me here, merging physically, seemed to reassure him that I truly was all right. And I took comfort in it too, being with this man I'd fallen in love with against all reason. I'd once feared and hated the gentry – and it had taken me a long time to trust Dorian. Sex was surprisingly tame for us this time. Usually, we found ourselves caught up in bad, kinky sex, sex that was a game of power and control I both loved and felt dirty about. Now, I sat on top of him, wrapping my legs around his hips as I drew him inside me. A sigh of bliss escaped his lips, his eyes closing as I began to slowly move my body and ride him. A moment later, his eyes opened and held mine with an expression of such affection and lust that a chill ran through me. It always amazed me that he found me so desirable. I'd seen his past lovers – sexy, voluptuous women with curves and cleavage reminiscent of classic Hollywood starlets. My body's build was lean and athletic from all the activity I did, my breasts pretty nicely shaped – though hardly porn star quality. Yet, since we'd officially become a couple these last few months, he had never looked at another woman. It was me he watched, his gaze hungry even at the most unromantic times. I increased my pace, tilting forward and rocking us so that more of my body rubbed against his, bringing me closer to orgasm. I came shortly thereafter, my lips parting without a sound as a sweet ecstasy wracked my body, and every nerve in my skin seemed to ignite. I leaned forward, kissing him, letting his tongue explore my mouth as his fingers stroked my nipples. The door to the bath chamber suddenly opened, and I jerked my head up as a servant peered in. â€Å"Your Majesty? The bath is ready.† Her words were bland, and she disappeared as quickly as she'd come. My being naked on top of Dorian hadn't seemed like any big deal to her – and probably, it wasn't. The gentry had much looser sexual mores than humans, public displays being very common. It probably would have been weirder for her if she hadn't found her monarchs immediately going at it upon my return. This sexual ease wasn't something I'd picked up, and Dorian knew it. â€Å"No, no,† he said, feeling me slow down in my shock. The hands cupping my breasts moved down to my hips. â€Å"Let's finish this.† Dragging my eyes from the door, I turned my attention back to him and found my arousal returning. He rolled me over, not holding anything back now that I'd come. He pushed his body into mine, thrusting as hard and fast as he could. Moments later, his body shuddered, his fingers digging in where he gripped my arms. I loved watching it happen, loved watching this smug, confident king lose his control between my thighs. When he finished, I gave him another long, lingering kiss and then slid over to lie beside him. He exhaled in contentment, regarding me again with that mix of hunger and love. He wouldn't say it, but I knew he always secretly hoped that somehow, some way, our lovemaking would result in me getting pregnant. I had explained to him a hundred times how birth control pills worked, but the gentry had difficulty with conception, making them obsessed with having children. Dorian claimed he wanted a child just for the sake of having one with me, but the prophecy about my firstborn son conquering humanity had always been alluring. Obviously, I wasn't in favor of that idea – hence my emphasis on contraceptives. Dorian had ostensibly let go of that dream for my sake, but there were days I suspected he wouldn't mind fathering such a conqueror. As it was, our alliance already made us dangerous. He loved me, I was certain, but he also craved power. Our united kingdoms put us in a good position to conquer others, if we chose. It was difficult leaving him, but there was too much to be done. I retreated to the bath, washing both sex and battle off of me. Life and death. The tub was only big enough for one, but Dorian seemed perfectly happy watching me and lounging in the afterglow. He was less excited about my wardrobe choice. As queen, I had a closet filled with elaborate dresses, dresses he loved seeing me in. As a human shaman, I'd also made sure it was stocked with human clothes. He looked at my jeans and tank top with dismay. â€Å"Ranelle would be more impressed with a dress,† he said. â€Å"Especially one that showed your lovely cleavage.† I rolled my eyes. We were back in my bedroom, and I was loading myself up with weapons: charmed jewelry and an iron athame, along with a satchel containing a gun, a wand, and a silver athame. â€Å"You'd be more impressed with that. And anyway, it'd be a waste now.† â€Å"Not true.† He got up from the bed, still naked, and gently pushed me against the wall, cautious of the athame's sharp blade. â€Å"I'm ready again.† I could see that he was, and honestly, I probably could have gone back to bed too. Whether that was from lust or a reluctance to fulfill my impending tasks, it was hard to say. â€Å"Later,† I told him, brushing a kiss against his lips. He regarded me suspiciously. â€Å"Later means a lot of things with you. An hour. A day.† I smiled and kissed him again. â€Å"Not more than a day.† I reconsidered. â€Å"Maybe two.† I laughed at the face this earned me. â€Å"I'll see what I can do. Now get some clothes on before the women around here are driven into a frenzy.† He gave me a mournful look. â€Å"I'm afraid that'll happen with or without clothes, my dear.† When we finally managed to part, I headed off toward Ranelle's room, my post-sex good humor fading. A little air magic left me with only semi-wet hair by the time I reached her. Once admitted, I found her writing a letter at her room's desk. Seeing me, she leapt up and curtsied. â€Å"Your Majesty.† I motioned her down and took a nearby chair. â€Å"No need. I just wanted to have a quick chat before I returned to the human world.† Her face twitched a little at this, but ambassador training quickly moved her past how strange she probably found that. The ease with which I jumped worlds wasn't normal for gentry. â€Å"I'm sorry for the grisly display this morning. And that I haven't been around much during your visit.† â€Å"You're at war, Your Majesty. These things happen. Besides, King Dorian has been quite hospitable in your absence.† I hid a smile. Ranelle was hardly in a frenzy, but it was clear Dorian had charmed her, as he did so many women. â€Å"I'm glad. Were you writing your king?† She nodded. â€Å"I wanted to send him my report right away, although I'll be leaving later today.† Magic filled the Otherworld and the gentry, and there were those among them with the power to expedite messages. A magical e-mail, of sorts. It allowed gossip to spread fast and meant her letter would get back to her homeland before she did. I eyed it on the desk. â€Å"What will you tell him?† She hesitated. â€Å"May I be blunt, Your Majesty?† â€Å"Of course,† I said, smiling. â€Å"I'm human. Er, half human.† â€Å"I empathize with you. I understand your grievance and know King Damos will too.† She was carefully skirting the explicit details of Leith raping me. â€Å"But tragic as your situation is †¦ well, it is your situation. I don't believe it's one we should risk the lives of our people for – begging your pardon, Your Majesty.† Delivering bad news obviously made her uneasy. My father, honorifically referred to as Storm King, had been known for his power and cruelty. I wasn't as ruthless, but I'd had my share of frightening shows of power as well. â€Å"No offense taken,† I assured her. â€Å"But †¦ if I may also be blunt, your king is in a precarious situation. He's growing old. His power will eventually fade. Your kingdom will be open for others to move in on.† Ranelle went perfectly still. The lands of the Otherworld bound themselves to those with enough power to claim them. â€Å"Are you threatening us, Your Majesty?† she asked quietly. â€Å"No. I have no interest in another kingdom – especially one so far away.† Distance was relative in the Otherworld, but the Linden Land did take a bit longer to get to compared to some of the kingdoms nearer to me, like the Rowan Land and Dorian's Oak Land. â€Å"Perhaps not,† she said uncertainly. â€Å"But it's no secret King Dorian has wanted to expand his territory. That's why he took you as a consort, right?† Now I stiffened. â€Å"No. That's not it at all. Neither of us have interest in your land. But your neighbors – or people within the land itself – probably do. From what I've heard, Damos would like his daughter to inherit.† Ranelle nodded slowly. Inheritance was by power here, not by blood – but most monarchs still longed for family succession, if they were lucky enough to have children at all. I gave Ranelle a knowing smile. â€Å"Her control of the land depends on her own power, of course. But if Damos helped us now, we could certainly help later against any †¦ usurpers hoping to claim the Linden Land.† Assassination, outright war. The methods were less important than my meaning. Ranelle stayed silent, no doubt turning this over in her mind. Was a promise like that worth committing their armies to? Unclear. But it was certainly worth bringing to her king. â€Å"And,† I added casually, shifting us from that dangerous topic, â€Å"I'd be happy to negotiate very favorable trade agreements with your king.† By which I meant my staff would negotiate it. I hated economics and the politics of trade. But, my kingdom had literally and figuratively become a hot commodity. My shaping it in Arizona's image had created harsh conditions – but also brought along tons of copper deposits. Copper was the chief metal in a world that couldn't work with iron. Ranelle nodded again. â€Å"I understand. I'll bring this to his attention.† â€Å"Good.† I rose from my chair. â€Å"I'm sorry I have to go now, but definitely let anyone here know if you need anything else. And send my greetings to Damos.† Ranelle told me she would, and I left her, feeling rather pleased with myself. I disliked these sort of diplomatic talks almost as much as economic ones, mostly because I didn't think I was very adept. But that one had gone well, and even if the Linden Land didn't join us, I felt certain Dorian had been right: they wouldn't fight against us either. I was walking toward the castle's exit, intending to go to the nearest gate back to the human world, when I passed a certain hallway. I hesitated, staring down it as I waged a mental war. Then, grimacing, I altered my destination and turned the corner. The room I sought was easy to find because two guards stood outside of it. Both were Dorian's soldiers, chosen because if anyone was going to father the heir to Storm King's legacy, they wanted it to be their own lord. And everyone knew I was the mother he wanted, not the room's occupant. One of the guards knocked and then opened the door slightly. â€Å"The queen is here.† I didn't need permission to enter any room in my own castle but still waited for a response. â€Å"Come in.† I entered and found Jasmine sitting cross-legged on her bed, attempting some kind of embroidery. Seeing me, she irritably tossed it aside. â€Å"This is the stupidest thing ever. I wish the shining ones had more fun things to do. I wish I could go horseback riding.† That last part was spoken with a knowing tone, and I ignored it. Jasmine was under house arrest, and I wasn't about to allow an activity that might let her slip her guards. I picked up the green velvet she'd been working on and studied her stitches. â€Å"Goldfish?† I asked. â€Å"Daffodils!† she exclaimed. I hastily set it down. Really, considering the loose iron chains she wore on her wrists to stunt magic use, it was impressive that she could sew at all. â€Å"I'm going back to Tucson,† I said. â€Å"I wanted to check on you.† She shrugged. â€Å"I'm fine.† Despite her young age, Jasmine had wanted – and still did want, I suspected – to be the mother of Storm King's heir. The prophecy hadn't been specific. It simply said his daughter's first son would be the conqueror. That made it a race between the two of us – except I wasn't playing. Her forced stay here ensured she wasn't either. She'd hated me for this initially but had grown more civil after the war started. She considered Leith's actions an insult to our family. It was bizarre logic, but seeing as it had stopped her temper tantrums, I welcomed it. â€Å"Do you †¦ need anything?† I asked. A stupid question to ask someone who wanted freedom. She pointed to the iPod lying beside her. â€Å"It needs charging again.† It always needed charging. Normal battery life aside, the Otherworld interfered with electronics. â€Å"Books or magazines or something. I'd kill for a TV.† I smiled. That one was out of my reach. â€Å"Sometimes I would too when I'm here.† â€Å"How'd it go with that Linden lady? Is she going to help us beat up Katrice?† Jasmine's moping face suddenly turned fierce. She had powers similar to mine, and while not as strong, they could still cause a lot of damage. If I'd let her loose, Jasmine would probably march right over to the Rowan Land and try to bring the castle down. â€Å"I don't know. I'm not getting my hopes up.† Jasmine's gray eyes turned calculating, making her seem wiser than her fifteen years should be capable of. â€Å"As long as you and Dorian stay together, you're the badasses around here – especially you.† Surprisingly, there was no sneer as she said this. â€Å"But you've gotta make sure Maiwenn doesn't join Katrice. You know she's thinking about it.† Yes, despite her often pouty and childish attitude, Jasmine was smart. â€Å"You're right,† I said. â€Å"But thinking and doing are two different things. You said it yourself: Dorian and I are badasses. I don't think she's going to want to mess with us.† There was something comfortable about being able to have a discussion with someone not using the gentry's formal language construction. â€Å"Probably not. But she's scared to death you're going to have our father's heir.† Jasmine eyed me carefully. â€Å"You haven't changed your mind, have you? You and Dorian certainly do it enough.† â€Å"That's none of your business,† I said, wondering if that servant had already talked about what she'd seen in bed. â€Å"Tell that to Dorian. He brags about it all the time.† I groaned, knowing it was true. â€Å"Well, regardless, I'm not having kids anytime soon.† â€Å"You should,† Jasmine said. â€Å"Or let me. Katrice would totally back off.† â€Å"And then Maiwenn really would come after us.† Maiwenn ruled the Willow Land and was very much against Storm King's prophecy coming true. She also had a few other reasons for not liking my alliance with Dorian – or rather, her associates did. â€Å"Yeah,† said Jasmine. â€Å"But you could still kick her ass.† I rose and scooped up the iPod, putting it in my satchel. â€Å"Let's stick to one ass-kicking at a time.† An awkward silence fell. How odd that we'd just had a civil conversation. I'd grown up an only child, sometimes wishing I had a sister. The one I'd ended up with was hardly what I'd expected, but maybe I should be grateful for even this. â€Å"Well,† I said at last. â€Å"I'll see you soon.† She nodded and picked up the velvet, scowling at it as though it had given her personal offense. I was almost at the door when she suddenly said, â€Å"Eugenie?† I glanced back. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Will you bring me some Twinkies?† I smiled. â€Å"Sure.† She didn't look up from her embroidery, but I was almost certain she smiled too.

Guest Loyalty Programs

Implementing a Guest Loyalty Program is a form of building a loyal client base, and also enticing new guests to patronize a particular business establishment. The inclusion of Guest Loyalty Programs is part of managing a business establishment that aims to develop   sound and desirable relationships with its clients and take advantage of their worth for the business, such as added revenue. Primarily, Guest Loyalty Programs attract guests and encourages them to return for more offers and services. (Otwell & Davis, 2005) Moreover, guests who frequent business establishments are awarded benefits and advantages in order to show appreciation for their loyalty and patronage through the Loyalty Program Guest Loyalty Programs come in different forms. For instance, businesses allow guests who frequent their establishments to earn advantage points for their every visit in the establishment. These points allow them to redeem added services and offers that fit their most pressing needs. These benefits include for example health and relaxation services such as spa treatment services and a day at the gym programs for luxury hotels, food discounts, freebies and gift certificates for restaurants, etc. while others include complimentary full course meals of breakfast, lunch, or dinner buffets, etc. In order to gain a better understanding of Guest Loyalty Programs, several examples that are widely used at present in business establishments shall be compared and contrasted in the following paragraphs. Visible Results Limited has launched an innovation for the purpose of Loyalty Programs, called the Graphicardâ„ ¢. The Graphicardâ„ ¢ is a form of a loyalty card the exceeds the standards of ordinary membership cards that we know of. The Graphicardâ„ ¢ is digitized and it incorporates elements of technology that make it easier to use and track down accumulated points as well as the corresponding benefits that shall be granted to the client. For every transaction in the particular establishment that a client makes, it is reflected on the face of the card. Moreover, as the client accumulates more points, the benefits and advantages granted to him are also reflected on the face of the card. (Visible Results, 2006) The good thing about it is that it updates itself for every transaction, it shows value for every transaction that the client makes, it utilizes a pointing system that is needed to establishing the particular Loyalty Program, it is much more enticing than other Loyalty Programs because it employs high technology, which represents the current trend, and it also accumulates all the benefits and services that are incurred during a specific period of time, with the client’s continuous patronage. Another example of a Guest Loyalty Program is one that is employed by the Carnival Cruise Lines. It also implements subscriptions for a membership card called the â€Å"Platinum† card wherein a client gets to be a member of the â€Å"Carnival Concierge Club.† Upon membership, the client is automatically granted specific and identified benefits and services that he may enjoy while aboard the ship. Benefits and services include personalized club items such as stationeries, priority laundry services and dinner reservations, etc. (Carnival Cruise Lines, 2006) The similarity between the Graphicardâ„ ¢ and the loyalty program implemented by Carnival Cruise Lines is that they both grant benefits and services to their clients. However, the difference lies on how clients are included in the program and what benefits and services shall be granted to them. For instance, the Graphicardâ„ ¢ shall be given to clients and the benefits and services that they receive shall depend on how often they use the card. On the other hand, the loyalty program of Carnival Cruise Lines shall only be awarded to clients who have sailed with their ships for over ten times and the benefits and services that shall be granted to them is fixed and applies for all. Some industry best practices that businesses employ include personalized loyalty programs that allows clients to get involved with how they become members of loyalty programs (such as personalizing membership card themes and mode of payments, etc.), partnership marketing or an business establishment’s links to other establishments and organization in order to provide benefits and services for clients wherever they are, â€Å"green† marketing or a business establishment’s involvement with nature that allows him to establish a socially responsibly image and reputation,   and digitized types of membership. (Pearson, 2007) Business establishments are able to implement different types of guest loyalty programs. Rewards Loyalty Programs allow customers to earn points for their every transaction. Accumulated points are redeemed through rewards that the business establishment shall grant to their clients. Rebate Loyalty Programs provide for gift checks or cards that the client is able to redeem during the next transaction. Usually rebate checks and cards are granted to clients if they reach a certain amount throughout their course of spending within the business establishment. Loyalty Programs that show appreciation to the continued patronage of their clients are not granted in monetary form. They are usually non-monetary benefits and services such as complimentary meals in restaurants, room upgrades in hotels, etc. Partnership Loyalty Programs are benefits or services awarded to clients that are provided for by the business’ partner establishment. For valued guests who have proved their loyalty to the business establishment, the loyalty program by affinity is implemented, such that benefits and services are additions to preview rewards and bonuses. (Summers) Guest Loyalty Programs are successful if it encourages clients to purchase or patronize services and offers provided by a business establishment. After the client’s primary experience, he is convinced to return to the particular business establishment. Basically, loyalty programs are successful for the obvious facts that they attract many clients, not only to the point of attracting them but also in making them stay. Moreover, successful loyalty programs are those, which encourage clients to spend more, thus, increasing the revenue of the business establishment. (Customer Service Point) The advantages of employing different approaches in Guest Loyalty Programs is that it motivates clients who have already been a member long before, to learn more and explore about the new offerings of the business establishment. Moreover, innovations are appreciated by clients because of the efforts that business establishments do to satisfy their clients. Generally, people are always encourage to try things that are new to them, so introducing innovative loyalty programs shall motivate them to continue patronizing the services that business establishments provide. The disadvantage is that, perhaps, new members who have been part of the previous loyalty program might get discouraged if the system of gaining points and earning rewards, without having them to accumulate points in order to gain rewards, is changed ever so often. In addition, membership cards that are needed to be renewed for the changes in loyalty programs might become costly for clients who have to pay for the membership again. (De Weaver, 2002) References Carnival Cruise Lines. (2006). â€Å"Carnival Cruise Lines Rolls Out New Past Guest Loyalty Program.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Carnival Cruise Lines. Customer Service Point. (2008). â€Å"Loyalty Programs Characteristics.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Customer Service Point. Website: http://www.customerservicepoint.com/loyalty-programs-characteristics.html De Weaver, G. (2002). â€Å"The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Loyalty Programs.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from B&T Today. Website:   http://www.bandt.com.au/news/6a/0c010f6a.asp Otwell, K. & Davis, D. (2005). â€Å"Guest Loyalty Programs for the Vacation Rental Industry.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Visual Data Systems. Website: http://www.vdsys.com/presentations/garezfest.pdf Pearson, B. â€Å"The Global Loyalty Infusion: Best Practices and Innovations Around the World.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Penton Media, Inc. Website: http://chiefmarketer.com/cm_report/global_loyalty_0211/index.html Summers, J. (2008). â€Å"Five Types of Loyalty Programs: Which is Right For You?† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Restaurant Coaching Solutions. Website: http://restaurantcoachingsolutions.com/five-types-of-loyalty-programs-which-is-right-for-you/ Visible Results. (2006). â€Å"Graphicardâ„ ¢.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Visible Results Limited. Website: http://www.visibleresults.com/loyalty/graphicard.htm                  

Short term and long term environmental impact of the Royal Ascort Essay

Short term and long term environmental impact of the Royal Ascort - Essay Example This includes improving the gateway view from the Western Approach and opening up the views of open land and Ascot’s high street. Introduction of the new pond must have improved the areas ecological standing through habitat diversification. Redevelopment of the racecourse came with inherent benefits like infrastructural improvements especially in road networks which are meant to make the racecourse to be more accessible. The construction of two underpasses improved the traffic flow in the region. The most notable aspect of the 2006 redevelopment of the Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire is that the developer endeavored to keep the service roads, all the perimeter walls, and under and inside the new grandstand, clear of construction debris even as the construction work was ongoing. The racecourse developer worked with a team of road sweepers to ensure that during the entire project, existing roads, underpasses and new roads were swept clean. Prior to the opening of the racecourse, the team worked for 24 hours a day for a period of one week to ensure that the service roads and the highways are clean. This approach ensured that the high street areas and the racecourse were clear of rubbish and site debris which helped to control the environmental impact of the reconstruction and prevent disruption of residents in the two year period. As a key event in the British social calendar, the Ascot racing facility hosts up to 80,000 people during some of its key events. Such a gathering of people in an open space is bound to lead to noise pollution as the massive crowd shouts to cheer their favorite horse to victory. Traffic congestion has a negative environmental impact because of the high concentration of exhaust fumes that is likely to take place as a result of the congestion. Event days at Ascot Racecourse are often characterized by a high traffic

Engineering Challenges Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Engineering Challenges - Assignment Example Thus, this poses as great challenge to world since it is the world’s responsibility to liberate everybody so that they can achieve their full potential. To do so, the engineering aspect has to come in handy to provide a solution in this thorny issue. Water is available in large amounts underground. This water can only be made available by use of sophisticated equipment to drill the ground in some parts of the world that are rocky. Thus mechanical engineering comes in handy by providing these services. Further, mechanical engineers have come up with a machine that can be used to clean contaminated underground water. The machine cleans the water by hydrolysis hence removing impurities and salt that may have long term effects on the health status of the individuals. Furthermore to make the process affordable and sustainable, the mechanical engineering students from MIT have come up with a machine that uses solar energy to clean water that can be used by up to 5000 people in one village (Hoek and Ghosh, 40). Thus this cuts down on costs that could have been used to run big machines using electricity form the

Analysis Of The Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay

Analysis Of The Sir Gawain And The Green Knight - Essay Example The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is based on the challenges that are made against his ethics in terms of being a knight and the changes that come with age that refine those ethical considerations. The heart of the tale begins as Arthur asks for a story to be told that would inspire him to eat his dinner. At this point, the Green Knight appears and wants to talk to Arthur. He comes to challenge the court because he wants to know whether or not the court and its knights can live up to their legend. The challenge is that one of the knights can take one swing of his giant ax and in exactly a year the Green Knight can return that swing. Sir Gawain uses the ax to cut off the Green Knight’s head when the Knight has offered his neck for the blow. For most people, this would be the end of the game, but the Green knight speaks and reminds the assembly of the deal they have struck before taking his head and riding out of the celebration. Use of the word covenant appears frequently throughout the book, creating a sense of obligation between characters in the story. When the Green Knight first faces Sir Gawain who is to be the person with whom he exchanges strokes of the ax he says â€Å"Make we our covenant ere we go further†, suggesting that the agreement is the lynchpin on which the entire ‘game’ is based (Weston 14). This creates a foundation of ethics on which the events that unfold can be examined. It is the ethical and moral character of Sir Gawain, as well as that of Arthurs court, which is being examined through honoring the idea of a covenant. There is a description of the changing of seasons that occurs within the poem. The changing of the seasons can be equated with the idea of the change that occurs over time as a person begins to mature. The seasonal changes are reflective of the cycle of life in which Sir Gawain believes he has come to an end.

Outline for essay topoc. Critically cinsider the role of insuranse law

Outline for topoc. Critically cinsider the role of insuranse law and practice in the regulation of international business transactions - Essay Example Regulations of insurance agents and insurance companies will also be introduced. There will be arguments on insurance policies and regulatory issues concerning risk and operation management of insurance businesses. There will be a discussion of the nature and fundamentals of insurance, its functions and purpose in commerce, and its effects and function on tort litigation and recovery. These will be discussed in relation to insurance contract, structure, interpretation, and use. This section will discuss international company, business transactions involving insurance law. Examples of treaties and international trades will be highlighted, as well as the benefits and effects to the global economy. This section will highlight private law of transactions involving the movement of goods from one country to another. It will also describe the public law controls which effect such transactions and transactions which are governed by other legal systems such as WTO. This section will describe the way in which major projects are financed, focusing on the key features of the financing and the players who bring infrastructure projects to life.   There will be emphasis on the key legal and other risks in the project financing. This section will examine the international trade landscape, the main institutional protagonist, namely the World Trade Organization, and its rules. It will also examine the legal issues surrounding cross-border investment decisions and disputes Oduntan, Gbenga C.I.F. Gatwick and Other Such Nonsense Upon Stilts: Incoterms and the Law, Jargon and Practice of International Business Transactions6. International Company and Commercial Law Review, (2010). Organization. RH, Robert Hunter, Federal Insurance Administrator from 1974 to 1978, is president of the National Insurance,Consumer Organization. REFORM INSURANCE, NOT LIABILITY LAW; TAMING THE LATEST INSURANCE CRISIS. New York Times 1986 Apr

Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream - Essay Example For instance, he starts his speech by saying, â€Å"One hundred year later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination† (Incomeexperts, 2012). In his speech, he also states a number of times on the way he dreams of for equality in the United States of America. King argues that â€Å"I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character† (Incomeexperts, 2012). Martin Luther King goes further to point produce documents, which he uses to emphasize his argument. In addition, he explains to his audience on how the Emancipation Proclamation document was a milestone in the wake of equality in the United States of America Negros. The then president, Abraham Lincoln, signed this document states, which set free the slaves in many states. These were among the first signs of the black minority getting their rights. He goes even further to mention about the United States Constitution to emphasize his point on how his dream his of equality could be realized. Through emphasize of many of his introductory words, king puts his audience in a position to remember what they heard about the speech. This is one of the characteristics of a good speech presentation; moreover, the voice of Martin Luther King is sophisticated. This is seen through his use of descriptive words with these words he gives his audience the view of how they are being treated and what he dreams about. Furthermore, he uses other descriptive styles like metaphors to give the audience a better understanding of his speech, for example he says, â€Å"America has given the Negro a bad check, which has come back marked insufficient funds† (Incomeexperts, 2012)   

Operations & Service Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operations & Service Management - Assignment Example Orientation, Legal Restriction, Layout and Design, Composition, Process Photography, Darkroom Procedures, Stripping, Plate making, Offset Ink and Paper, Bindery Operations, Offset Press Operation, Production Problems, and Occupations and Evaluation .Main is the usage of special paper for printing for M& S. Note: All corporate and promotional material (e.g. booklets, leaflets and posters) must be approved by the Publications Officer, before being passed to the Print Unit for reproduction. 3-5 working days should be allowed for this, depending on the complexity of the job. In order to obtain order from M&S,Wace Burgess need to focus and assess on the potential risks and reward for its sustenance and integrity .It is ideal to sign a printing services agreement including the expectations of the client stating all the possible format for orders, Costing ,Capacity planning,Utilisation,Turn around time ,Accuracy parameter, designing process and die cutting etc .There should also be stringent clause on payment terms and penalty or adjustments in terms of late completion of order based on impact of loss incurred by W&S. Wace Burgess should also the need to commercialize the new technology on a large scale and to make profits and prove its sustainability." It is important to note that the Wace Burgess is noticed by M&S because they have been successful in printing technology. Now they are faced with a new challenge of managing creativity while getting a big order from a profound organization like M&S: an identity-shift from a small organisation to larger organisation is a bit

Movie Review The Color Purple Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Color Purple - Movie Review Example Celie spends her time cooking and cleaning, caring for Albert's children, and putting up with Albert's father whom Albert all but worships and Celie hates. Celie makes a friend in tough Sophie, a young girl who marries a Harpo, a dapper young man. Even though Harpo's father is against the marriage, Sophie wins the battle and they are married in the small church. Sophie and Harpo squabble over who is the boss of the house, and one day when Celie is working in the yard, Harpo asks her how he should control Sophie. She tells him the only thing she knows: "Beat her." After Sophie bawls Celie out for the advice and Harpo shows up with a black eye, Sophie leaves Harpo for something better. Celie wishes she could leave like that, but she knows Albert would likely kill her if she even thought about it. Celie often thinks of Nettie, who had taught her how to read and write, since Nettie had gone to school and Celie did not. Unknown to Celie, Nettie was writing her letters, which she never saw but asked for often when the post was delivered. When Celie went to town, she often thought she saw her baby girl, whom she had named Olivia.

What Principles of Time and Stress Management are Violated by Chet Assignment - 1

What Principles of Time and Stress Management are Violated by Chet - Assignment Example Chet is more focused on how effective he was during that day forgetting that an effective manager should have results for what he has done during the day. Indeed he is a manager who has studied his work habits, a very crucial step to determine his strengths and weaknesses but his work habits survey is mainly based on time management and not the results. As a manager, he should be more concerned with performing top-level management functions which will include long-term decisions planning and delegate the other duties to middle and first line management. The structure of management in Chet’s company has a major role to play in his shortcomings, there doesn’t seem to be a defined middle level and supervisory branch this is seen when the pressmen report directly to him instead of reporting to a foreman Carl Jung in his trait theory categorizes people into type A and type B in relation to their ability to handle stress. Type A personalities when in a managerial post tend to not trust their subordinates to handle anything so they do it all themselves. This leads to them being stressed because they have too much work to handle all at once. Chet, in this case, is a type A personality. The second aspect of his personality is that he anticipates stress and does not have a procedure to handle them he instead faces them head-on. This increases his level of stress and negatively affects his ability to make the sound judgment on what’s important and what’s urgent. Chet should, in this case, adopt type B personality. This personality when in a management post according to Carl Jung is one who is good at delegating duties to his subordinates, he focuses only on important aspects of the institution leaving the rest to be sorted by middle or first line management. He should try as much as possible to delegate the trivial duties to other employees.

Explaining the Goal of Financial Management and the Role of Ethics Essay Example for Free

Explaining the Goal of Financial Management and the Role of Ethics Essay It has always been the goal of the financial managers to maximize the wealth of the shareholders of the firm. That is to say, we maximize the potential benefits that the firm’s stakeholders get by increasing the value of the firm in which these shareholders have taken the risk of investing to. According to Ingram (1992), the worth of a company is dependent on the capacity of the assets to produce cash flows over a period of time. This means that if the firm is able to generate a positive net cash flow including a reasonable dividend to its owners, then it said that value is created. Firms face two kinds of profits. They are accounting profits and economic profits. Maximizing accounting profits normally refers to the general corporate goal of maximizing profits as maximizing economic profits generally refers to maximizing the shareholder’s wealth. Ingram (1992) has distinguished them by defining accounting profits as the income accumulated after the overall cost is deducted from the overall revenue before the payment to shareholders is considered and economic profits as the income accumulated after compensating for the factors of production such as capital, labor and others. Moreover, she differentiated the two by saying that accounting profit does not consider all the factors of production as economic profit does and that it also does not consider compensating the shareholders for taking the risk in investing in the firm. Maximizing wealth does not consequently mean that the firm has to face an unethical decision making. It is still up to the firm as to how it will perform this task. As according to Goizueta (1997), everyone in the company would be better of if it plans for a long-term goal rather than a short-term goal. Through this, the firm can still plan on how it will maximize the wealth and at the same time be consistent with ethical standards.

Social Work Law and Organisational Context

Social Work Law and Organisational Context Introduction The law and organization context of social work is extremely important when looking at specific cases and scenarios. The aim of this essay is to examine two specific cases, one involving children and families and the other involving community care issues. In these cases the relevant issues regarding social work and law will be identified, and recommendations will be made regarding the assessment criteria that need to be met and what the likely outcome of the cases might be. This will be done by looking at relevant government legislation and case examples, as well as general social work and law practice. The first section will look at a case of Children and families, and examine the issues of significant harm and children in need in relation to the scenario. There will be a definition of these two concepts as they are laid out in the Children Act and Every Child Matters document, as well as recommendations on how best to assess and determine the outcome of this case. The second case will look at community care issues involving a disabled parent and elderly carer. The assessments regarding the welfare of the child and parent as well as any potential care issues will be looked at. This will involve consultation with the Children Act, the Human Rights Act, the Community Care Act and the Carer’s Act. Recommendations will be given regarding how to properly assess this situation and what benefits may be offered to the parties involved. Scenario 1 Children and Families Scenario: Working in Children’s social services, you receive a referral from a church worker about the Jones family. She says that the parents (18 and 19) are often under the influence of drink or drugs, that the children (2 and 4) are dirty and smelly and not being fed properly. You are asked to carry out an initial assessment. What is the role of the local authority when children are in need and if they are facing significant harm? What options does the law offer to ensure that these children are safe? In this situation, the first thing that needs to be referred to is the Children’s Acts of 1989, and of 2004 (OPSI, 1989 and 2004). These acts are the basis by which social workers determine how at risk children are in particular environments, and what the assessment criteria should be used when looking at such a case. In this case, the main issues are the definitions of ‘significant harm’ and ‘children in need’. Looking at the 1989 Children Act, we will start with the concept of significant harm. The concept of significant harm and its definition is referred to in section 47 of the 1989 Children Act. This says that the local authority is under a duty to investigate or create inquiries into the suffering of a child where there is cause to suspect that significant harm is being done to the child or significant harm is likely to befall the child (OPSI, 1989, s. 47). From this, a court can only make a supervision order or care order if the child is suffering or likely suffer significant harm, and this harm is caused by the lack of adequate parental care or control (OPSI, 1989, s. 31). In this case, ‘harm’ refers to ill-treatment such as physical and sexual abuse, as well as mental abuse, poor physical or mental health cause by the parent’s lack of care and impairment of health or development. These factors are compared to what a ‘normal’ child would be expected to have at a particular age (OPSI, 1989, S. 31(9-10)). However, there are no precise guidelines on what would constitute significant harm in each case. Despite this, it is fairly clear in this scenario that where alcohol and drugs are involved and the children are dirty, smelly and potentially malnourished, a duty to investigate is there. The children are being physically impaired at the very least with regards to their health, and the involvement of alcohol and drugs means that this is potentially being caused by the lack of parental care. In such a case, the family context would need to be looked at, as would the child’s development, any special needs the child has, and the exact nature of the harm and the adequacy of parental care. In this case the parents are both very young, but this alone is of course of no particular issue as discrimination laws prevent such discrimination of parental rights based on age. The most important things in this case would be to investigate and prove or disprove the claims about the parent’s alcohol and drug abuse, and also look at the exact state of health of the children. However, there is another concept to look at as well, regarding the nature of children in need. This definition is located in section 17 of the 1989 Children Act. This part of the Children Act shows where legal work and social work combine to form the assessment criteria for families (Tunstill, in Parton, 1997, pp. 40-43). The legal definition ‘Children in Need’ is that the child is unlikely to achieve or maintain or have the opportunity for a reasonable standard of health or development without provision of services from the local authority, and that the child’s health is likely to be impaired or further impaired without such services (Surrey County Council., 2008). In this case, it is not yet determined whether the children are suffering because of the parents, or whether there is some medical reason why the children are in a poor condition. However, if it is proven that the parents are abusing alcohol and drugs; this would most likely constitute a case of child ren in need or children with the likelihood of suffering significant harm. However, in such a case it is unlikely that a permanent care order would be given, and more likely that a temporary care order or supervision order would be put in place, giving the parents the chance to deal with their problems and raise their children properly. If the parents failed in this, then a permanent care order may be issued. There may also be police investigations in light of the allegations regarding illegal drug abuse. If when the children are initially assessed they appear to be in poor physical health, then it is likely that an emergency protection order will be put in place in order to protect the children from further harm in the short-term, whilst the parental and family situation is better assessed and looked at. This way the children will not be placed in further danger, and a more measured approach can take place with regards to the ability of the parents to look after the children (RPsych, 2008). If the children are taken away, then the first option for many Councils currently is to place the children with suitable relatives or friends. It is often found that children are happier and less distressed in such situations, particularly in the short-term. However, this is not always possible and if not a foster home will be assigned for the children should an emergency care order be put in place. The use of drugs and alcohol by the parents, if proven, is a strong indicating factor of danger to the child. In a study in the London area of 290 cases it has been found that nearly 1 third of cases involved substance misuse, and that these children were even more vulnerable than many of the others because of this. The children were generally very young, as in this case, and the parents had a variety of problems in addition to the substance misuse, either directly or indirectly linked to this problem. Therefore, this case must be looked at extremely carefully and all efforts made to safeguard the children (Department for Education and Skills (DfES), 2002, s. 2.16). This is particularly crucial because many studies have also shown that in many cases, the children were not fully safeguarded and not enough was done to protect the children from harm. Although this must not mean looking at the parents immediately as if they were guilty, it is important to fully and thoroughly assess the situation so that the children remain safe, as this is the number one priority (DfES, 2002, s. 2.11). It is clear in this case that investigation is warranted; as one such allegations are made there is a duty on the part of the local authority to investigate. However, in order for any action to be taken, the threshold for significant harm needs to be met. As mentioned before in this case it seems likely that significant harm might be occurring or likely to occur, but the threshold needs to be met, and this can only be determined by a detailed investigation of the family. This can prove difficult, as a study of 105 cases found that there were varying interpretations of significant harm, even with the guidelines set out in the Children Act. This can make it very difficult to determine what exactly constitutes significant harm, and whether or not action should be taken. However, it seems that being more cautious and putting the rights of the children first, without immediately determining the parents as guilty, is the most appropriate way to act in light of the guidelines (Brandon, Lewi s, and Thoburn, 2007, pp. 15-19). Giving parents ‘the benefit of the doubt’ or not looking deeply into the situation can prove extremely harmful, as was shown in the Victoria Climbie case. In light of this, the government has made sure that organizations are now much more integrated, and that the principle responsibility in such cases is the welfare of the children and making sure the children are safe. This means that staff can now more accurately and easily determine cases of abuse or ill-treatment, and they have the necessary support to follow through such investigations. This is certainly important in this case, as the abuse may be hard to determine, especially if the children are merely dirty or have hygiene issues rather than noticeable wounds or damage (Department of Health., 2003) One of the most difficult factors to decide is if the child is suffering significant harm from seeing violence committed by their parents, perhaps on each other rather than the child. Whilst this cannot yet be determined in this case, if the children themselves are unharmed then the harm caused by witnessing violence cannot be underestimated. In another study by Brandon and Lewis (2007), it was discovered that 49 of the 105 cases reviewed included children who witnessed violence, and in many cases the harm caused to the child was often overlooked or downgraded by the social work professional. Although in this case the circumstances may be different, because the children are already being reported as in poor physical health. However, this issue of witnessing violence must be considered an issue in light of the claims regarding alcohol and drug misuse. In this case, the allegations would require a full investigation of the family, to see whether the thresholds for significant harm and children in need have been reached. If this is the case, then the children will be fully examined, and should be put on a program of health improvement. This may involve removing the children from the parents for a period of time if their health is a real issue or the parents have alcohol and drug misuse problems. However, if this is not the case then a supervision order may be enough to improve the health of the children. If this does not look like improving matters, then more drastic care measures may be taken so as to make sure the children are safe. Whilst this is occurring, it needs to be made sure that all issues of discrimination are dealt with, particularly in the form of racial or age discrimination as these issues are often a problem in child safety assessments such as this. It must also be remembered that whilst the parents may be having problems at this time, if the parents can get support as well then any care placement or supervision order may be short-term, as the aim wherever possible is to keep children with their parents if they can remain safe and healthy in that environment (Bretherton, Huzzard, and Little, 2006). It must also be remembered that whilst the care and safety of the child is important, the parents have needs and rights too and traumatizing them unduly when a more appropriate measure might be an initial talk rather than a full investigation. The children should always come first, but if their parents are accused wrongly then the child’s needs are not being met (Spratt, 2000, pp. 611-615) Scenario 2 Community Care Scenario: Julia, 45 contacted her local disability action group to find out what support might be available to her. Her husband left the family home six months ago, shortly after Julie had given birth to a baby girl and received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Julia’s sight has recently deteriorated and her mother, Anna who is 75, has been commuting thirty miles per day to provide general help around the home and support with the care of the baby. As the social worker/advocate taking Julia’s call how would you advise her? What is she entitled to from social services? What support might be available to the family? In this case, there is a delicate balancing act to be had between giving the disabled parent the right amount of support, making sure the child is adequately cared for, and providing support for the elderly carer. This involves looking at the legislation and guidelines laid out in the Community Care Act, and the Carer’s Act. Firstly, it must be decided whether or not the disability or health issue of the parent is separate from them being a parent, and does not impact on the quality of the life of the child. If this is the case, then the assessment for support is based on an adult assessment framework. However, if it is judged that the child is in need and the disability or health issue of the parent impacts on the well-being of the child, then an assessment must be made under the Children Act with regards to the child’s welfare. Firstly, the parent would be advised that they can be assessed by the NHS and Community Care Act framework to determine the level of support they require. This assessment will not only look at the needs of the disabled parent, but also the ability of the parent to take care of the child. This is included in section 47 of the Community Care Act, which states that a person will be assessed who has a disability, and their needs will be determined with regards to welfare and accommodation. This may involve an inspection of the home to see how it could be improved to meet the needs of the disabled parent, and also in this case the child (North Somerset Council., 2003). This assessment would also determine how much support the parent needs, and therefore how capable they are of looking after the child (OPSI, 1990, S. 47). In this case, it must be pointed out that the parent already requires care in order to look after the child, which at the moment is provided from her elderly mother. However, needing support in order to take better care of the child does not mean that the parent is incapable of looking after the child. However, because of the nature of the disability as something which is only like to get worse from a degenerative illness, an ongoing monitoring of the child’s well-being may well take place. This is so that the child can remain with the parent, but also remains safe should the condition of the parent deteriorate to a point where they can no longer provide adequate care for the child. The parent should be advised that as well as having their own situation looked at with regards to support, an assessment of the child’s care will also be done. It should be pointed out to the parent that this is in no way indicative that their child will be removed into care, but it helps the local authority to make sure the needs of the disabled parent and the child are looked after. The process will eventually lead to a care strategy being created that should allow for services that will help the parent to look after their child and also meet the needs of the adult. It is crucial that the adult is not discriminated against because they are disabled, and that it is not immediately assumed that they are incapable of looking after the child. Whilst the potential for degenerative blindness in the parent is worrying, with adequate support they should still be able to look after their child effectively. This is important because a number of studies have shown that disabled parents are often treated poorly, with their rights as parents looked down upon and their needs not met. A disabled person has the right to have a family and get support for this family, within reasonable limits, and as long as the child can be taken care of so that they are not in need. This is covered by the Human Rights Act of 1998, and means that discrimination against disabled parents is prohibited. In these cases, the children protection agencies and adult care agencies should work together to provide support for the adult so that they can best look after themselves and their child (DirectGov, 2008). The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2003) found that disabled parents often face the assumption that their disability is placing the child at risk. It should be made clear to parents that they are entitled to assistance with parenting tasks from adult community care services. It is important that the rights and needs of the parents are looked after, because by doing this they will be able to look after their child. One other problem is that much of the emphasis is put on ‘Young Carer’s whereby children who are capable will help to care for their parents when they can. They of course receive support, but the overemphasis on this side means that the needs of the parents are overlooked and perhaps too much responsibility is placed on the children. In this case such a young carer is not possible as the child is still only a baby (Wates, 2007). Another issue here is the care being given by the elderly mother of the disabled parent. At 75 years old it is certainly not ideal that she be in charge of caring for the baby and the parent, not because she is incapable but because it is a lot of strain for someone elderly to have to go through. However, if this is only to be a short-term measure or partial relief along with other support services, then the elderly mother can claim support and benefits as a carer under the Carers and Disabled Children Act (OPSI, 2000) and the Carers Act (OPSI, 1995). The carer will be assessed to see if they are qualified or capable of being a care giver, and support will be given to them in order to help carry out this duty. Although in this case it is more likely that this would only be as a short-term or emergency measure, given the age of the potential carer and the fact a young baby and a disabled parent need care. The most important factor here is to make sure that both the adult assessment and child assessment are carried out with the desire to make sure the adult gets the support they need to look after themselves and their child adequately (Solihull NHS., 2006). In this case, one of the best ways to gain support might be through the use of direct payments to the disabled parent, thereby allowing them the chance to arrange support that suits them and their child. The assessment will give the parent a chance to understand the ways in which support can help them, and the direct payment scheme can help them to remain independent (Bytheway et al, 2002, pp. 341-343). Conclusion In both cases, the most important factors are to make sure that the assessment criteria are fulfilled, and that adequate support is given so that both parents and children can remain together in a safe and stable environment. In the first case, the welfare of the child must be of paramount importance, and any risk to the child should be put first. However, it must also be made sure that every effort is made for the parents and children to remain together if the parents can receive support to improve their care giving abilities (Whitney, 2004, pp. 52-55). In the second case, the most important factor is to make sure that the disabled parent gets the support they need and, if possible, continue to look after their child effectively with this support. If these procedures are implemented then both parents and children will be able to remain safe and receive the support they need. Bibliography General: Butler, I., Butler, I.G., and Roberts, G., 2003. Social Work with Children and Families: Getting Into Practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Millam, R., 2002. Anti-Discriminatory Practice: a guide for workers in childcare and education. Continuum International Publishing Group. Parton, N., 1997. Child Protection and Family Support: Tensions, Contradictions and Possibilities. Routledge. Whitney, B., 2004. Protecting Children: A Handbook for Teachers and School Managers. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Scenario 1: Brandon, M.B., and Lewis, A., 2007. Significant harm and childrens experiences of domestic violence. Child and Family Social Work, 1(1), pp. 33-42. Brandon, M.B., Lewis, A., and Thoburn, J., 2007. The Children Act definition of significant harm—interpretations in practice. Health and Social Care in the Community, 4(1), pp. 11-20. Bretherton, H., Huzzard, S., and Little, P., 2006. Family Justice Research Digest, Issue 1. Available at: http://www.family-justice-council.org.uk/docs/rd_06_issue1.pdf Department for Education and Skills (DfES)., 2002. Children Act Report 2002. Available at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/childrenactreport/docs/DfES-Childrens%20Act.pdf Department of Health., 2003. Keeping Children Safe: The Government’s Response to the Victoria Climbià © Inquiry Report and Joint Chief Inspectors’ Report Safeguarding Children. Available at: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/684162953674A15196BB5221973959E3.pdf Department of Health., 2008. Department of Health Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm (Accessed 17th August 2008). Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)., 1989. Children Act 1989. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1989/ukpga_19890041_en_1 Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)., 2004. Children Act 2004. Available at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2004/ukpga_20040031_en_1.htm RPsych., 2008. Overview of the Children Act 1989. (Online). http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/files/samplechapter/102_0.pdf (Accessed 18th August 2008). Spratt, T., 2000. Decision making by senior social workers at point of first referral. British Journal of Social Work, 30, pp. 597-618. Surrey County Council., 2008. What does the term children in need mean? (Online). Available at: http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/What+does+the+term+Children+in+Need+meanQ?opendocument. (Accessed 16th August 2008). Scenario 2: Bytheway, B., et al. 2002. Understanding Care, Welfare and Community: A Reader. London: Routledge. DirectGov., 2008. Rights, legislation and disabled parents. (Online). Available at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Disabledparents/DG_10037905 (Accessed 17th August 2008). Joseph Rowntree Foundation., 2003. Disabled parents are undermined by poor support and negative attitudes, says task force. Available at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/pressroom/releases/240903.asp North Somerset Council., 2003. Parents with Care Needs. Available at: http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/611F9138-4C4F-4762-9ECB-5AC16C94622D/0/document_20030701_Protocol19ParentsWithCareNeeds.pdf Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)., 1990. National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (c. 19). Available at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1990/ukpga_19900019_en_1   Available at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2000/ukpga_20000016_en_1 Solihull NHS., 2006. Supporting disabled parents – Solihull MBC inter-directorate protocol and staff guidance. Available at: http://www.solihull.nhs.uk/foi/policies/social_care/D%20-%20Disabled%20Parents%20Protocol.pdf

Strengths One of the Largest Players in Hypermarket Retail Industry

Strengths One of the Largest Players in Hypermarket Retail Industry According to some estimates which published in The Star Online (2010), Tesco enjoys a 30% market share of the Malaysian hypermarket industry by sales, followed by Giant (24%) and Jusco (22%). Giant grew substantially in markets mainly through the continued expansion of its hypermarket branches around Malaysia. As stated in Giants Official website (www.giant.com.my.), Giant was awarded the Top Retailer in Malaysia and Best of the Best in Asia Pacific Retailers Award for 2 consecutive years in 2007 and 2008. Giant has built a very strong retail brand, with a reputation of good value for consumers money and convenience because of a wide range of different products and services in one store. Diagram X: Market share of hypermarkets in Malaysia Sources from http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/3/business/6973298sec=business Low Price Leader Pricing a product or service properly can mean the difference between success and failure for a company especially in these challenging economic times.  In Malaysia, Giant is synonymous with its powerful slogan which says Everyday Low Prices, Big Variety and Great Value. There is no doubt that the slogan successfully publicizes the companys mission to the public where it offers a wide variety of products at the lowest possible price (Giant, 2010). The price comparison between Giant and its competitors is frequently advertised in the newspaper for public references (refer Appendix X). It is clear that products that sold in Giant are cheaper compared to other stores. This has also resulted that Giant is still the low price leader in Malaysia. High Brand Value of House Brand Products Bernard Chia, Merchandise Director for Fresh Grocery at Giant Hypermarket Singapore, says: Consumers have started to be more receptive of house brands as retailers are continuously educating them on the good quality and lower prices of their house brands. Consumers are seeing greater value in house brands. And with the economic downturn, many are turning to house brands for instant savings. (Source: Nicole Liang, 2009, from Food Export International) Fulfilling customer needs and wants to gain customers satisfaction are vital to companys existence. Giant has been offering its house brand range since the beginning when its first store opened in June 2000 (Nicole Liang, 2009). The Giant brand comes with unique yellow and green packaging that is instantly recognizable and differentiates with other brands. Every product is backed by a quality guarantee and is always priced competitively in the category (Giant, 2010). Examples: The Giant brand products packaging Sources from http://www.giant.com.my/ourbrand/brand/2 With the intention of keeping its high brand value in the market, Giant goes as far as to introduce the Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back scheme, to further emphasize its safe food quality (Nicole Liang, 2009). Customers are welcome to return and get a refund for the purchased products if they have found any Giant brand product not up to their expectations. Great nationwide growth Giant always understands the market taste and responsive to customer needs where having over 85 branches spread throughout all the states in Malaysia. Additionally, most of the branches are strategically and conveniently located in residential areas, regardless of new or old areas. Through its nationwide expansion, Giant managed to capture more market share compared to its competitor like Jusco which mostly focus on suburban residential areas and tapping the middle to high income group consumers (Jusco, 2009, pg15). Picture X: Giant Stores Location Sources from http://www.giant.com.my/location The Star Online, 2010, Sale of Carrefour may interest Competition Commission, Retrieved 15 September 2010, from http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/3/business/6973298sec=business Nicole Liang, 2009, Supermarket chains: House brands are here to stay, Retrieved 15 September 2010, from http://www.foodexportonline.com/html/oct09/privatelabels_supermarket-chains.html Jusco, 2009, pg15, Annual Report, Retrieved 15 September 2010, from http://www.jusco.com.my/juscohome/html/aeon_v2/oa/bursa/AEON_AnnualReport2009.pdf?PHPSESSID=l24l6cspr34mn9j0003bggme04 C:UsersLydiaDesktop20090524-2giant-vs-tesco2.jpg Weaknesses High Marketing Cost One of the Giants weaknesses is their relatively high marketing cost. Giant spends quite a lot of money for marketing purposes. To let more people to know more about the on-going promotions in Giant, Giant places their advertisements on local newspaper such as The Star, The Sun and other news press. Such advertisements are usually published on the weekend newspaper. Placing advertisement on newspaper can be quite costly. Besides, Giant prints out their promotion catalogue. Printing out the catalogue can be quite costly. Giant has different promotion catalogues for different places. For example, promotion catalogue for Sarawak Special, Malacca Special or even Putra Heights Special. This promotion catalogue is often distributed from house to house. This requires distribution fees as manpower is needed to distribute the catalogue. Recently, Giant Hypermarket also puts on advertisement on television. All these contribute to the high marketing cost. No loyalty and membership program Giant has no loyalty and membership program. Loyalty and membership is very important in order to create customer loyalty. This can be parts of their customer retention plan. It is said that retaining customers is much easier than getting a new one (Marzahn, 1996). By offering rewards to customers, they will most likely to make repurchasing from them. Compared to other hypermarket that has their own loyalty and membership program, customers are usually more attracted to them. While the economy is still recovering from the previous global recession, customers are stricter in budgeting and they are always attracted to rewards and privileges. They will want to get something in return from their purchasing. The ability to gain some rewards such as discount, cash voucher and cash rebate makes their purchase much more worthwhile. Poor pricing method Giant hypermarket has poor pricing method compared to other hypermarkets. Whenever promotions are conducted, the prices of the products will be different. The price list sometimes is not updated. Whenever the cashier scans the bar code, the price will be different from the displayed price. This sometimes causes customers to pay more than the actual price. This will create dissatisfaction to customers if they find out they have paid extra for the goods. The price list is hand written on a piece of yellow board. This price list is placed together with the products. The price list can be wrongly placed. This causes confusion to the customers. They are not sure the price of the products they wanted to buy. Besides, customers find it difficult to find a price reader to check for the price. The price readers which are wrongly placed makes it hidden from the customers. Figure: Hand written price list at Giant (Giant- About Us, 2010) Lack of Information Technology Utilization Giant website is not fully utilized Giant Hypermarket is still lacking in terms of utilization of information technology. Their own Giant website is not fully utilized. The content of the website is mostly promotions and the contest. The website is only for customers for viewing. To fully utilize the website, they can more features into their website. They can add in the products they sell in Giant and by categorizing them, it will be easier for customers to find the products they want. The website later can be enhanced into an e-commerce site where Giant can sell their products online. Thus, instead of having to go to the physical store, customers will be able to do online shopping. They can add in the wish list and shopping bag for customers in the website. Besides, in the website, there is no e- newsletter which customers can subscribe to. E-newsletter helps Debenhams to keep their existing and potential customers in touch with the latest offering such as promotions in store as well as news and events. This improves the sites traffic as well as building and expanding their customer database. Without this, customers will be sometimes being oblivious on the promotions as well as the happenings in Giant. Therefore, newsletter features should be added into Giants website. Customers can sign up for the newsletter. This consequently further improves Giants relationship with the existing customers. No Electronic Customer Relationship Management (E-CRM) Keeping in touch with customers and understanding what they think about Giant is paramount to achieve Giants goals. Customers feedback is an important component which allows customers to voice out their view or share their shopping experience which doing their shopping at Giant. Customer feedback is vital to Giants continuous improvement. Regardless of compliments or criticisms, customer feedback actually helps Giant to understand their customers need and consequently enhances their services. Giant practices traditional customer relationship management. Whenever Giant customers have any complaint, they have to approach the staff directly. Sometimes, face-to-face talk can lead to misunderstandings. Thus, Giant should utilize their website to provide electronic customer relationship management (E-CRM) for their customers. The website should allow the members to register and through login into Giant website, they are able to give their feedbacks online. Whenever they have any complaints, they can submit their complaints online. Besides, customers should be encouraged to give ratings and write product reviews after their purchases in Giants website. This helps other potential customers to make better purchase decision and this indirectly drives the product sales. Through the E-CRM, Giant will be able to know how the customers really felt towards Giant. Through those opinions, Giant will be able to take the initiatives to improve their services. Threats Competition The threats experienced by Giant are that there is stiff competition within the industry, there are other major supermarket chains, such as Tesco, Carrefour, Jusco, etc. in Malaysia that is competing alongside with Giant in the retail industry. Major example are, If competitors offers new innovative product and services why not Giant do the same thing too which more creative. Competitors might find new ways to enhance sales or production or they have superior access to cheaper raw materials. Giant famously losing market share  [1]  to particularly other well-known brand names like Tesco, Jusco and Carrefour in price competition as customers can find better pricing at other hypermarkets like Carrefour. Political New political issues in the future that might have negative impact on their business, for example, no price hike despite rising import costs, ban on construction, etc. Ban on hypermarket construction Another political issue that had negative impact on Giant business development was the rules implemented back in 2003  [2]  . The new rules banned any further development or expansion of hypermarkets in Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur and other states such as Johor and Penang in order to give the business opportunities for small businesses. This new rule was introduced because the three regions previously mentioned were already saturated with hypermarkets. With this rule, Giant could not expand their coverage to these areas. Fortunately, this rule is no longer in place and Giant does have few branches open in those areas. In fact, for example, to date Giant has 8 stores just in Kuala Lumpur itself  [3]  . House brand issues Another threat is that although their customers know their house brand, but it is not their customers preferable brand, their customer still prefers other established brand name products compared to theirs. Also, Giant shows that initially Bruneian cannot accept Giant due to numerous reasons, this can be scary for them because if their customers still cannot accept them for a long-term period, thus less people will shop in their store and sales will decreases. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨ Increase market share Strategies that would be appropriate for Giant would be to continue strategy to open more branches to increase market share and to eliminate competition. Besides, to increase marketing effort to gain customer awareness on their house brand products so that it can be a customer preferable brand in the future. In addition, Giant should add more variety on all the existing product line in their supermarkets, because this way, it will attract more customers as they will enable to buy everything under one roof, therefore make Giant their favorite and preferable shopping place. Lastly, Social or economic issues: changes on demographic trend can have significant impact on consumer spending. Risk of another economic downturn in Malaysia will have negative effects on their sales growth.

Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit Essay -- Education

"Sustainable development is development that continues to meet the requirements without compromising the ability of future generations to live quality lives of their own." Sustainable development is commonly thought to have three components: environment, society, and economy. According to the toolkit the three are to be considered as overlapping, congruent circles. In which case, the area of overlap, or center, is considered human well-being. The further alignment of said circles would indefinitely lead to the increase of the center, human well-being. The balance of each component is delicately dependent on the next. For example, a healthy, prosperous society relies on a healthy environment to provide food and resources, safe drinking water, and clean air for its citizens. The sustainability pattern denies the disputation that casualties in the environmental and social jurisdictions are inevitable. This is in addition with the argument that the casualties are acceptable conseq uences of economic development. Thus, the authors consider sustainability to be a paradigm for thinking about a future in which environmental, societal, and economic considerations are balanced in the pursuit of development and improved quality of life. The lower middle class is a sub-division of the grander middle class. Comprehensively the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not accomplished the status of the upper middle class associated with the prestige ranks of the middle class. The lower middle class establishes roughly one third of households, consisting mostly of semi-professionals, such as lower-level managers or school teachers, small business owners and skilled craftsmen. The lower middle class sh... ...hat continues to meet the requirements without compromising the ability of future generations to live quality lives of their own. Sustainable development is commonly thought to have three components: environment, society, and economy. Sustainability is considered to be a archetype for thinking about a future in which environmental, societal, and economic reflections are stable in the pursuit of expansion and improved quality of life. Works Cited International Joural of Sustainability in Higher Education> Volume 4 issue 1. (2000). http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=839800&show=abstract Education for Development Toolkit> Version 2 (2002). http://www.esdtoolkit.org/discussion/whatisesd.htm Insight- University of Gloucestershire> Sustainability Education (2005-2010). http://insight.glos.ac.uk/sustainability/Education/Pages/default.aspx