Fenix Del Sur Case Study

F ‘Nell del Sure is currently aced with an opportunity to obtain a contract with a mass merchandising retailer to sell their products at 10% below their current prices. The contract would start out with an initial purchase of $750,000 and possibly generate as much as 4 million in sales annually. The dilemma is whether or not the company feels that this contract is a good fit strategically. Also of concern is whether or not this opportunity conflicts with the organizational culture. 2 Available Courses of Action 1 .Accept the contract with the department store This alternative would require tripling the amount of replica products that the F' Unix el Sure is producing. One question that F' Unix del Sure should address is, how would this affect the image of the company? Their focus would be somewhat taken away from acquiring authentic products and directed towards the replica industry. From the SOOT analysis in the appendix, one of Fennel del Subs strengths Is the ability to produ ce high quality replicas. This strength aligns well with the opportunity to obtain the contract with the department store.When evaluating opportunities, It Is good to classify them in terms of the type of strategy employed. Since the contract tit the department store would not necessarily be a new offering, they are looking to execute market penetration with their existing products. The retailer currently sells similar products, and is going to attempt to sell F' Unix del Sure as a more exclusive line. This is a market position strategy In which they are trying to utilize the price and quality attribute of positioning to compete.A few questions that need to be asked are ; What is the desired position? -The position is an exclusive line of decorations, priced higher than current offerings by competition. F' Unix del Cur's products must be understood by customers to be the real deal†, even if they are replicas. ; Which competitors must be bested to gain the position? -Competitor s very similar to F ; Nell are signing salary contracts with retailers, but pro- vide a mixture of quality of products. F' Unix needs to deliver solid quality every time in order to compete well. Is Fiend del Sure capable of holding the position? -F ‘knell's success in holding the position will depend on several factors. Can they Increase their volume of replica products to meet the demand? Will current the quality of their decorations stay in the top tier, and can they build brand equity ever time that allows them to retain a sustainable advantage? 2. Create a sub brand of products that are sold in retail stores. Fiend del Sure could create a sub brand of their replica products, which are only sold in mass merchandising stores.This alternative has several pros and cons. Pros: ; Evoke the reputation for quality associated with their products to sell in the retail environment ; Could utilize a down-market stretch to capture more sales at the lower end of the market. ; Overall g rowth of the business could enable Fiend del Sure to have more purchasing power in the authentic market. Cons: ; If replica brand is too good, sales from it my begin to cannibalize the genuine artifacts. ; Some potential customers might perceive the company as being too cheap if they sell in these stores. Splitting into two brands may cause conflicts within the company and erode the culture they have worked hard to establish. ; Current suppliers may feel undercut by cheap replicas that are sold in retail 3 Recommendation Currently, the gross sales of F' Unix del Sure is at $MOM and information indicated that it has been growing its sales by 20% a year from the previous decade. Adding the retail account will increase estimated sales by $MM on top of current growth. With current growth at $MM over the previous decade, $MM would be a 16% increase.The question that remains unanswered is can Fiend del Sure keep their current growth with the competitive conditions, and would adding the ne w contract hurt their sales? Since their current demand is already calling for more replicas to be made, perhaps F ;Unix del Sure should negotiate with their retailer to obtain a contract that allowed them to sell a dual braded offerings, replicas and genuine artifacts and crafts. They loud sell the brand name as â€Å"Fiend del Sure Designs† This plan would allow them to retain their current plan, and Just retool for increased production.This opportunity could neutralize the threat of a hyper competitive environment that is inevitable. Also, choosing this plan of action would allow them to keep their core culture and be honest about the source of their offerings. Perhaps their new marketing statement could be: â€Å"For the savvy cool elector and interior decorator , Fiend del Sure Designs provides a beautiful rustic look that will I transform any space with real world charm.

Cycle of Life and Death Essay

â€Å"Nothing endures but change† (Heraclitus 540-480BC). People are born, only to die again. In a never-ending cycle of life and death, new ideas replace older ones and an evolution of perspectives takes place. Paulle Marshall aptly portrays this cyclical nature through her last line â€Å"she died and I lived† referring to her grandmother. The death is not physical alone. It is the death of old ideologies, dated traditions and disparate acceptance of modernization. In a vivid recollection of her grandmother Da-Duh’s reluctance to accept change during Paulle’s childhood visit, she narrates how the old lady loathes urbanity and finds delectation in her little island of natural beauty. The interactions that the narrator has with her grandmother remind us of the passage of time between generations. The demise of Da-Duh signifies the change that is inevitable, the transition from the old to the new. Symbolism Paulle Marshall’s work is replete with a richness of literary devices like symbolism, imagery and metaphors. Describing the foreboding character of death, the narrator feels that the planes that bring death to the little village are â€Å"swooping and screaming†¦monstrous birds†. The sugarcanes that grow in the village are Da-Duh’s delight and also the reason for the exploitation in the village. The pride of Da-Duh, the sugarcanes appear threatening to the narrator she feels that the canes are â€Å"clashing like swords above my cowering head†. This is a description of the duality of life. Where there is joy, there is pain and when there is life, death is bound to follow. Cycle of Life and Death 2 Imagery The life-death antithesis is depicted in the closing lines of the book where the narrator paints â€Å"seas of sugar-cane and huge swirling Van Gogh suns and palm trees [in] a tropical landscape . . . while the thunderous tread of the machines downstairs jarred the floor beneath my easel. ’’ Light is identified by the surrounding darkness and life, by death that eventually follows. The transient nature of life is evidenced by the changes that happen over a period of time. Death’s morbidity invades the colorful mind. The narrator imbues the reader’s mind with images that allude to this dark reality. â€Å"All these trees†¦. Well, they’d be bare. No leaves, no fruit, nothing. They’d be covered in snow. You see your canes. They’d be buried under tons of snow. † Metaphor With a judicious use of metaphors, the narrator has drawn us to the reality of inevitable changes that our lives are subject to. Again, the sugarcanes are metaphorically perceived as the ominous danger that â€Å"†¦ would close in on us and run us through with their stiletto blades. † Later, the planes that cause the death of her grandmother are visualized by the narrator as â€Å"the hardback beetles which hurled themselves with suicidal force against the walls of the house at night. † She points at our dogmatism in accepting the fact that the world is constantly changing. Those who fail to see this at first, experience it the hard way later. Conclusion However prejudiced we might be, towards change, the hard-hitting reality of a life-death cycle is inevitable. Time stands testimony to this fact. Paulle Marshall has Cycle of Life and Death 3 illustrated this through the depiction of conflicting ideas between her and Da-Duh and she conveys this message at the start when she writes, â€Å"both knew, at a level beyond words, that I had come into the world not only to love her and to continue her line but to take her very life in order that I might live. References Marshall, Paulle (1967). To Da-Duh, in Memoriam Rena Korb, Critical Essay on â€Å"To Da-duh, in Memoriam,† in Short Stories for Students, The Gale Group, 2002. Martin Japtok, â€Å"Sugarcane as History in Paule Marshall’s ‘To Da-Duh, in Memoriam,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ in African American Review, Vol. 34, No. 3, Fall 2000, pp. 475-82.

Fasb Topics Research Paper

Adjustments to Lower of Cost or Market 330-10-35-1 A departure from the cost basis of pricing the inventory is required when the utility of the goods is no longer as great as their cost. Where there is evidence that the utility of goods, in their disposal in the ordinary course of business, will be less than cost The inventory has a financial importance as it is purchased and recorded at its historical cost or original cost.With respect to a perpetual inventory system, inventory accounts are continually controlled as goods are purchased and placed directly into the inventory account and then later taken out when sold. Therefore the inventory is properly recognized within the period it is sold. Furthermore valuing the inventory with FIFO correctly reports the ending inventory at its market value. When ending inventory is reported at market value, before making proper year adjustments unexpected changes occur in the ordinary course of business causing the market to be lower then the co st basis of the inventory.This departure from the cost basis of pricing the inventory requires the utility of inventory is no longer as great as its original cost. The ASC allows assets to be valued with Lower of Cost or Market when evidence is proving the future utility of the inventory drops below its historical cost. The determination of the businesses cost basis for their current inventory and determination of the market calls for ruling the LCM with the conservatism principal to resolve the issue between these two divergent amounts (original cost of inventory and the market).Justification for applying Lower of Cost Or Market is the recognition of the holding loss resulting from the market being less then the company’s current inventory. Which requires a decision between reporting the inventory at its actual cost or it’s replacement cost. The conservatism principle applies with LCM by reporting the inventory on the balance sheet at replacement cost in the period it occurred also recognizing the loss in the income statement during that same period.Therefore the inventory is reported at its net realizable value on the balance sheet, and the reduction (holding loss) is properly recorded on the income statement. Question 2. Your company has acquired land that is not undergoing activities necessary to get it ready for its intended use. You have been told to capitalize interest costs (the lesser of the actual or avoidable interest costs) associated with the acquisition of the land. Should you capitalize any interest costs? FASB ASC CITATION: Capitalization of Interest 35-20-25-3 The capitalization period shall begin when the following three conditions are present: a. Expenditures for the asset have been made. ? b. Activities that are necessary to get the asset ready for its intended use are in progress. ? c. Interest cost is being incurred. ? Interest capitalization shall continue as long as those three conditions are present. We recognize the gene ral facts stated; the land for the businesses investment is purchased, and with respect to the land, activities have not been started yet to prepare it for the intended use deeming it as an asset or investment.In order for the land to be considered expenditure, it would to prove it meets ASC’s three requirements of capitalization of interest. The land generally speaking the land must be capitalized to provide evidence capitalization rates will be applied, which furthermore qualifies the land to have payments of cash, transfer of other assets, or accruing the liability of recognized interest. Only if the activities of the land are in preparation for its intended use then capitalization of interest is added to the construction of the long-term asset.From a current stand point of the land, expenditures for the land have not been made yet, the activity required for its intended use is not undergoing, and therefore interest cost incurred can not be capitalized but rather expensed on the current periods of the income statement. With respect to the facts stated on the lands current progress the interest incurred can not be capitalized. Question 3: You are to allocate an asset retirement cost (initiated by an asset retirement obligation). What guidance is given over the manner in hich the asset retirement cost should be allocated to expense? FASB ASC CITATION: 410-20-35-2 An entity shall subsequently allocate that asset retirement cost to expense using a systematic and rational method over its useful life. Asset retirement obligation requires properly allocating the asset retirement cost over the assets life of the asset. The allocation of asset retirement cost that is initiated by the asset retirement obligation includes items that that fall under FASB’s issued Statement of Financial Accounting Concepts also known as SFAC No. 6 â€Å"Elements of Financial Statements.The proper manner of allocating requires the retirement cost to be properly measured, r ecognized, and recorded when involving elements in the financial statements. The measurement of the asset must be measured properly at its historical cost. During the ordinary process a business has outflows or using up of its assets in which the expenses are then recognized under the SFAC No. 6 as Expense Recognition Principle. During the period the assets are used up from operational procedures (delivery, and production). The expense accounts recognize accumulated depreciated cost of the asset over its useful life until it fully depreciated.The combination of the assets cost minus its accumulated depreciation results the asset to its net realizable value, when fully depreciated the net amount will have a zero value. The retired asset must then be properly reported in the balance sheet. When a company decides to retire an asset it must reflects the cost properly in the financial statements. When circumstance arise and its liability of the retirement obligation incur over more repor ting periods, the incurring liabilities must be considered as an additional liability over the original liability of allocating the retirement costs.Thus stated the business must recognize and measured as an additional liability (layer) at its fair value. Furthermore guidance to allocate the retirement cost must be expensed in the required systematic way over its useful life. Applying the allocation method doesn’t enable the business from capitalizing any amounts of retirement costs and allocating the same amount to the expense account in the same period. Question 4: A warehouse located in Central Iowa was destroyed by an earthquake, the first earthquake ever reported in Central Iowa.You are questioned why you reported it as an extraordinary item, net of tax, rather than a â€Å"normal† loss related to the business operations. FASB ASC CITATION: EXTRAODINARY and UNUSAL ITEMS 225-20-45-2 Extraordinary items are events and transactions that are distinguished by their unu sual nature and by the infrequency of their occurrence. When reporting extraordinary and unusual items in the income statement some requirements must be met upon reporting the items.The extraordinary items are events and transactions that are 1. Unusual in nature meaning that underlying event or transaction has a high degree of abnormality that it is unrelated to and 2. Infrequent in occurrence meaning its underlying event or transitions is not reasonably expected to recur in the future. The ASC requires that both of the criteria stated above must bet met in order to report any items as extraordinary or unusual.Reporting extraordinary items in the income statement will be reported by its gross amount and then at net after deducting the income tax expense or saving associated with the item. With respect to Iowa, reporting the warehouse as an extraordinary item from the result of an infrequent earthquake that was unusual in nature since this was the first occurring earth quake ever re ported and infrequent because it is a natural disaster and therefore cannot be considered part of normal business operations. Furthermore deeming the warehouse as an extraordinary item.

Online library Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Online library - Essay Example My experience with it has been impressive. I did try searching some topics using the Summon engine, and learnt a few critical issues when it comes to utilizing the engine. First, I did search a broad topic, which unleashed over one million results. However, on using parenthesis, the results were reduced to ones that are more relevant. Other steps involved were refining the topics, and specifying the research content material to utilize. Narrowing down the topic did grant an opportunity to fine-tune results granting access to relevant resources (Majumdar, 2012). In essence, the Summon does provide an easy model to filter out the search content. One can be in a position in the search for multiple formats and content at a go. One can filter out books, articles, journals, videos, and other databases. Most significantly, University of Hull Summon Tutorial provides a simple and fast search engine from the library databases. It delivers contents from intensive disciplines. The Summon is easy to use, while the screen results are easy to understand. From the utilization and utility of the system, two lessons were clearly valid: it is important to filter out the information using the keywords to acquire relevant information. Secondly, utilization of simple language is critical to get back authentic information (Insinna,

Provided in the Doc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Provided in the Doc - Essay Example Notably, biomedical technology improvement has tremendously contributed to major boosts in not only treatment of cancer, but also its care and control (Ekins, Hupcey & Williams, 2011). Engineered technologies have been essential to improving drug delivery systems for release of therapeutic agents that are under control. Drugs are vital in improving health as well as giving life an extension. The last few decades experienced significant changes and improvement of biomedical technology is indicated anticipated positive changes in the future. Biomedical technology improvement is not only contributing to substantial comprehension of physiological barriers that hinder efficient cancer drug delivery. Renowned scholars in the field of biomedical technology include Sabrina Galloway, Devaraj Jayachandran, and Robert Hannemman. They have not only conducted research but also written peer-reviewed article on cancer treatment using biomedical technology. The research will involve the use of peer-reviewed articles and credible books as credible literature on the topic. In addition, conducting interviews with resource persons who have researched or worked in environments related to the issue will also be appropriate for the research. The research will address diverse ideas including contributions of biomedical technology in the treatment of cancer. Further, it will address concerns of biomedical technology application in identifying a solution to best methods of providing care to the cancer victims through care. Organization of the research will include an introduction. The introduction will focus on giving definition and meaning of terms. Second, the research will contain an abstract that outlines a brief overview of the issue of biomedical and its relevance in the treatment of cancer (Liu & Huang, 2014). The abstract will cover, in brief, the entire contents of the research. Then literature review will follow. In the literature review, the content will cite works

1997 Return of Hong Kong to China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

1997 Return of Hong Kong to China - Essay Example Thus, the then free wheeled capitalist territory was put under the control of the communists. A huge caesura in Great Britain concerning Hong Kong emerged in 1945 when the British said that it was not automatic that Hong Kong was going to revert to the status it enjoyed before their colonization by the British. The United States had equally preferred that Britain remains in Hong Kong for an extended period of time. In 1950s, Hong Kong growth was attributed to textile exports and growth in the manufacturing industries (Gragan, nd). At some point, Hong Kong acted as the hub of foreign investment in China. Several leaders from Britain helped the growth of Hong Kong during the British reign. One of them was Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth spearheaded the growth of health institutions in Hong Kong. Through the initiatives of the queen, Prince Margaret and Wales hospitals were constructed. The two health institutions improved the quality of health services that were being enjoyed by the i nhabitants of Hong Kong (Chan, 2014). The transfer of Hong Kong to china is an event that had been waited for by the Chinese for a long time based on earlier agreements with Britain in 1984. The agreement was that China was going to bring an end to the opium trade in Hong Kong. However, the British were reluctant about letting go Hong Kong because they were uncertain whether China would be able to gain control of the region for the next 50 years from 1997 (Lowe, 2014). The transfer of Hong Kong to Chinese people was supported by ordinary of people in the region. Hong Kong was voiceless on its own. In 1996, China through its preparatory committee of 150 people ensured that the Hong Kong government began on a strong note. The inhabitants of Hong Kong celebrated within the streets. The celebration was not because the British were going or that the Beijing masters were coming. Gargan (n.d)

The Painting 'Death of Elaine' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Painting 'Death of Elaine' - Essay Example The essay "The Painting 'Death of Elaine' " discovers the painting of Home Watson. Elaine died on a boat with a letter in her hands addressed to the man she loved enough to die for. She remains a true idol of love and the decisions that surround love. Her story inspired the artist Homer Watson to make a painting of her body lying in the boat and holding a goodbye love letter in her hands. Like any other piece of art, the painting tells its story. In interpretation of this piece of art, Thompson’s ideas on the connection of art with history are important. The painting death of Elaine is a unique piece, carrying ideological of history and the social group it belongs to, and expressed in a unique style. Many painting that were done in the ancient times are no more relevant. However, death of Elaine painting, done along time ago, is still a meaningful painting today. In fact, present day painters still borrow much o their work from this painting. Homer did a painting of oil on can vas. The painting carries a heavy message. Thompson argues that every piece of work links closely with the history. Each piece of artwork is unique and carries its message. He starts from explaining what the purpose of art in society is. He describes art as a form of ideological expression that seeks to answer the same question that scientists seek answers for. He explains that although art may not present scientific ideas that need practical approval, it serves to express the consciousness with which man reasons with at different times. Science seeks to provide a direction on how to live life. Art in its own unique way seeks to give the same direction (Thompson 217). Thompson illustrates that art can address two different aspects of social themes. It can address the beliefs, doctrines, or seek to handle propaganda that exists in society. In some cases, people think that some pieces of art lack social reference. Art can carry social ideologies that society does not yet acknowledge. Some forms of art directly address the ideologies that society appreciates. Thompson asserts that the indirect way of addressing ideologies serves better when an individual views art historically. He acknowledges that there are different styles applied in art. There are various forms each of them is predominant during a specific time in history. However, he realizes that societies advance at different rates. Therefore, each of the various forms of art belongs to a certain time in the history of that society. The ideologies expressed in art belong to a certain social group (Thompson 222). Different social groups have different ideologies (Thompson 220). Thompson argues that each form of art must receive an interpretation of the sociological and historical ideologies it carries. Lack of suck kind of interpretation separates the piece of art from the world of the artist. He adds that any form of art must reflect some cultural and economic aspects of its time. From such an analysis, Tho mpson then asserts that any piece of artwork carries its unique message. According to him, generalizations in art or continuation do not exist. Each artist does a unique thing relevant to his or her time. Each piece of art is important. With such an understanding, nobody should discredit any form of art or compare different pieces of work. In addition, there are no aspects of progress in art. Traditional artists did their unique forms of art at that time. Modern artists on the other hand, are doing something different and unique to their time. It is wise to appreciate each of work and

The Past, Present and Future of RFID Research Paper

The Past, Present and Future of RFID - Research Paper Example It is that need for an obscure, yet handy source of data information storage that led to the development and rising use of the Radio Frequency Identifier chips. With the use of the RFID, all necessary information has become just a tag scanner away. No more losing files or misfiling information. RFID is the wave of the future although it is currently mired in doubt and controversy due to privacy issues and the high cost of creating the chip. But as the RFID becomes a truly integral part of our daily lives, the cost and distrust of the technology is bound to go down. Through this research paper, evidence shall be presented showing that there is a growing use for the RFID technology and that the public as slowly learning to get over their apprehensions of the technology's use. As more and more industries come to use the RFID technology in non obtrusive ways, we will find the people more accepting of it and perhaps some people, won't even be aware that have it on their person. In the end , this research paper will show that the RFID technology is the future of our society. It shall play an integral part in our military, social, medical, and financial field. RFID technology cannot be ignored. It is here to stay. The Past, Present, and Future of RFID The history of the RFID system can be traced back to the early RADAR detection systems of World War II. the RADAR technology was first discovered by Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Wyatt in 1935. His technology was created in order to identify incoming planes but it could identify if the plane was friend or foe. It was during this time of war that the passive RFID system was first developed by Germans who reflected the radar signals back as their rolled their planes upon return to base in order to identify themselves as German instead of allied aircraft. (Roberti, The History of RFID Technology). This particular technology led the British to develop the Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) system which was a transmitter located insid e each British plane. The system would receive ground RADAR signals and then send back a signal identifying it as friend. That is the concept that the modern RFID is based upon with a slight difference. An RFID receives a transponder signal which is then interpreter by the chip and answers with either a signal (passive) system or it broadcasts a signal as an active system. (Roberti â€Å"History of RFID Technology†) The early scientists had already seen the possible real world applications of the radio frequency technology beyond wartime use. Which is why research in the RF communications system continued well into the 1960's with the United States, Europe, and Japan all collaborating on its possible remote uses in the field of object identification. Commercially, stores began tagging their items in an effort to curb shoplifting by using radio waves to determine the payment status of an item. This is done through the use of electronic surveillance tags that are either turned on or off. Upon payment of the item, the cashier turns the tag off and it can clear the detectors standing at the exit doors of the store. (Roberti â€Å"History of RFID Technology†) The first patent for the RFID tag with a rewritable memory was awarded to Mario W. Cardullo on January 23, 1973. Charles Walton also received a patent in the same year for his passive transponder invention that could be used to unlock a door without a key. (Roberti â€Å"

ART APPRECIATION - Understanding and Evaluating the Arts (U1IP) Essay

ART APPRECIATION - Understanding and Evaluating the Arts (U1IP) - Essay Example The artist’s technique in painting on an arid wall with the use of paint that was not dissolved with water produced an output that easily deteriorates as soon as Michaelangelo completed the painting. The great Royal Portal (c.1150-70) at Chartres Cathedral in France is wonderful sculpture which serves representation functions. It has a tympana depict that includes several subjects such as the Ascension, the Apocalypse, and the Incarnation of Christ. Aside from this feature, the sculpture also has several columns which serve as the foundation of door jambs below. The great Royal Portal is a transitional monument which embodies Romanesque appearance as well as the incorporation of a framework depicting Gothic style. URL: http://fenway.boston.k12.ma.us/library/art_resources/gardner_slides/prehistoric-gothic.htm Temple of the Pantheon of the Gods is found in Rome. This architecture functions as a monument used to worship the Roman gods. This temple has become a well-known tourist attraction throughout the years. Classic Alfred Stieglitz photograph, The Steerage exemplifies exceptional assemblage of black and white photos. Stieglitz started his career with the use of soft-focus photographs which can be proven by his styles, the medium and the subjects that he uses for his early photographs. Most of his art work is shot at the New York City with the negatives of the images being etched into printing plates. An example of printmaking art is "The sleep of Reason creates monsters", conceptualized and created by Francisco Goya. This art work has a personal meaning to Goya. It was his way of expressing his mental restlessness which resulted to unusual techniques and subjects. An example of conceptual art is Sol LeWitt (American, 1928-2007), Wall Drawing #263. These directions call for dividing a wall into sixteen equal parts with all one, two, three and four part combinations of lines in four directions. The first row of this

Effects of climate change in an area Term Paper

Effects of climate change in an area - Term Paper Example Introduction To further discuss climate change it is important to discuss what climate change is. Climate change can be identified by, â€Å"a long term shift in climate measured by changes in temperature, precipitation, wind, and other indicators.† (GovernmentofCanada2011). Climate change is basically the result of too much pollution within earth’s atmosphere. The pollution causes the ozone layer to become thin. The thinning of the ozone layer allows earth’s climate to become warmer than usual. The slow increase in earth’s temperature creates an effect on earth’s resources. Because of these changes, oceans, wildlife and nature have been forced to adapt and many creatures and habitats have become unsuccessful in adapting. History of Climate Change Climate change is said to have begun during the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution was a time during the 1800’s when manufacturing began to take over the world. According to, The Cambr idge Dictionary of Scientist, â€Å"the increase of carbon dioxide has jumped overwhelmingly since the mid 1800’s.† Studies on carbon dioxide levels show that the concentration of carbon dioxide in ppmv’s has gone up by over one hundred. Many things that one may see and do everyday are contributors to an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The most common contributor is human transportation. Almost every type of human transportation emits carbon dioxide into the air. Planes, automobiles, trains and anything that burns fuel is a contributor to climate change. Automobiles are not the only contributor. Manufacturing plants are all over the world and can account for huge carbon dioxide emissions. An article by The New York Times explains, â€Å"Eating lunch in a cafeteria can cause climate change† (Rosenthal2010). One may contemplate the truth of the given claim. How can eating lunch at a cafeteria cause climate change? The answer is simple. Many of the foods in a cafeteria are produced in a manufacturing facility. Manufacturing facilities create carbon dioxide. When eating foods that have been made by creating harmful gasses, one is contributing to global warming which creates climate change. Climate Change effects on the Ocean Climate change is harmful to the earth’s ocean. Water is a necessary for survival. The ocean, like many other water sources does not stand still. The ocean circulates. The circulation allows for water to remain fresh. The circulation of water is like natures own way of cleaning itself. â€Å"The winds of the air drive most of the oceans circulation† (Toggweiler2008). The warming climate changes the way that the winds blow. Since the winds are changed, so is the way that the ocean circulates. The changes in water circulation due to climate change have their affects on our oceans. The ocean cools and warms by circulation. It is obvious that the changes in circulation will have its affects o n the ocean. Since the ocean makes up more than half of the earth, it is important to keep the ocean temperatures stable. Change in ocean temperature cause many problems. The warming of the ocean because of climate change and global warming has its affects on ocean life. Coral in the Mediterranean, â€Å"is becoming bleached and no longer produces as vibrant of colors† (Global Changing Biology2005). The bleaching of the coral is not the only problem that affects the ocean. Fish and fisherman dependent on fishing are affected by the climate change of

The Shapes of Human Communities Essay Example for Free

The Shapes of Human Communities Essay 1. In 1500, the world had all different societies, gatherers and hunters to empires, but it was different   2. Paleolithic Persistence a) gathering and hunting societies (Paleolithic peoples) still existed throughout the world but they had changed over time b) b. had new improved technologies and ideas, e.g., outrigger canoes, fish hooks, etc (had not adopted agriculture) c) exchanged goods over hundreds of miles and developed sophisticated sculpture and rock painting and northwest coast of North America developed very differently 3. Agricultural Village Societies a) predominated in much of North America, in Africa south of the equator, in parts of the Amazon River basin and Southeast Asia b) their societies mostly avoided oppressive authority, class inequalities ( forested region in present-day southern Nigeria – 3 political) c) Benin: centralized state ruled by a warrior king ,EwuareP d) Igbo : dense population and trade, and rejected kingship and state building e) Yoruba, Benin, and Igbo peoples traded among themselves and beyond 4. Agricultural village societies went through change in the centuries before 1500 a) population growth, emergence of distinct peoples b) rise of warfare as key to male prestige -creation of the Iroquois confederation c) some European colonists appreciated Iroquois values of social equality and personal freedom (even for women)agriculture,depose officeholders5. 5. Herding Peoples of the a) Turkic warrior Timur tried to restore the Mongol Empire ca. 1400 but ended up devastating Russia, Persia, and India b) his successors kept control of the area between Persia and Afghanistan for a century c) Timur’s conquest was the last great military success of Central Asian nomads d) the steppe nomads’ homeland was swallowed up in expanding Russian and Chinese empire 6. African pastoralists -independent from empires (Fulbe -West Africa’s largest pastoral society) 7. migration after 1000 c.e. ( small communities among agriculturalists) a) adopted Islam b) some moved to towns and became leaders c) jihads -created new states ruled by the Fulbe 2) Civilizations of the Fifteenth Century: Comparing China and Europe a) majority of the world’s population lived within a major civilization. b) China had been badly disrupted by Mongol rule and the plague and recovered under the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) i. Confucian learning 1) Emperor Yongle (r. 1402–1422) summarizing all the wisdom of the past and reestablished the civil service examination system (centralized government) 2) Chinese sailors and traders had become important in the South China Sea and in Southeast Asian ports in the eleventh century d) Emperor Yongle commissioned a massive fleet; launched in 1405 e) Admiral Zheng ried to enroll peoples in the tribute system f) no intention of conquering new territories, establishing Chinese settlements, or spreading culture 3) Chinese government abruptly stopped the voyages in 1433 g) Chinese merchants and craftsmen continued to settle and trade in Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia,( without government support) 3) European Comparisons: State Building and Cultural Renewal 1. a similar process of demographic recovery, consolidation etc 2. 2. European population began to rise again ca. 1450 a) state building fragmented -independent and competitive states 3. the Renaissance: reclamation of classical Greek traditions 4. began in the commercial cities of Italy ca. 1350–1500 5. . greater interest in the individual and in accurate depiction of the worl 4) European Comparisons: Maritime Voyaging 1. Portuguese voyages of discovery began in 1415 2. 1492: Columbus reached the Americas 3. 1497–1498: Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa to India 4. European voyages -small compared to Chinese ones a) unlike the Chinese voyages, Europeans were seeking wealth in Crusades against Islam 7. Chinese voyages ended; European ones kept escalating a. no political authority in Europe to end the voyages b.   rivalry between states = more exploration c. China had everything it needed; Europeans wanted the greater riches of the East 5) Civilizations of the Fifteenth Century: The Islamic World 1. Islamic world +four major states or empires. Took process of within and beyond new states 2. In the Islamic Heartland: The Ottoman and Safavid Empires 3. Ottoman Empire lasted from fourteenth to early twentieth century (huge territory) A .sultans claimed the title â€Å"caliph† and the legacy of the Abbasids (effort to bring new unity to the Islamic world 4. Ottoman aggression toward Christian (fall of Constantinople in 145 -1529 siege of Vienna) Europeans feared Turkish expansion 5. Safavid Empire emerged in Persia from a Sufi religious order -empire was established shortly after 1500 6. Sunni Ottoman Empire and Shia Safavid Empire fought between 1534 and 1639 1) On the Frontiers of Islam: The Songhay and Mughal Empires 1. 1. Songhay Empire rose in West Africa in the second half of the fifteenth century a. Islam was limited largely to urban elites. b. Sonni Ali (r. 1465–1492) followed Muslim practices, but was also regarded as a magician with an invisibility charm ( center of Islamic learning/trade) 2. Mughal Empire in India was created by Turkic group that invaded India in 1526 b. over the sixteenth century, Mughals gained control of most of India. 3. The age of these four great Muslim empires is sometimes called a â€Å"second flowering of Islam. new age of energy, prosperity, and cultural brilliance 4. spread of Islam to new areas, such as Southeast Asia 2) spread by traveling merchants, supported by Sufi holy men 6) rise of Malacca as a sign of the times—became a major Muslim port city in the fifteenth centuryMalaccan Islam blended with Hindu/Buddhist traditions (Islamic learning) Civilizations of the Fifteenth Century: The America a) Both the Aztec and the Inca empires were established by once-marginal peoples who took over and absorbed older cultures .(Both empires were destroyed by the Spaniards) b) The Aztec Empire a seminomadic people who migrated southward from northern Mexico c) Aztec Empire was a loosely structured, unstable conquest state ( population of 5–6 million d. local and long-distance trade on a vast scale (included slaves) 1) professional merchants (pochteca) became rich a. human sacrifice much more prominent in Aztec Empire than in earlier Mesoamerica 2) b. Tlacaelel is credited with the of state giving human sacrifice such importance Aztec Empire’s purpose is to maintain the cosmic order by supplying blood for the gods ocean trade in the west Atlantic/Indian Ocean picked up VII. A Preview of Coming Attractions: Looking Ahead to the Modern Era (1500–2000) A. No fifteenth-century connections were truly global. 1. those came only with European expansion in the sixteenth century 2. 1500–2000: inextricable linking of the worlds of Afro-Eurasia, the Americas, and Pacific Oceania B. â€Å"Modern† human society emerged first in Europe in the nineteenth century and then throughout the world. 1. core feature: industrialization 2. accompanied by massive population increase C. The prominence of European peoples on the global stage grew 1. , Western Europe became the most innovative, 2. spread of European languages and Christian religion throughout the world

Thomas Hobbes Essay Example for Free

Thomas Hobbes Essay Thomas Hobbes was an Englishman who wrote the Leviathan during the English Civil War in the 17th century. Naturally Hobbes spends chapter five, and most of the Leviathan describing how to avoid internal conflict. Hobbes argues that by using logical reasoning and eliminating disagreement a state can avoid internal conflict. Hobbes begins chapter five with a definition for reason and the operations that are involved. Hobbes continues his explanation of reason by describing the proper use of reasoning and how absurdity arises. He elaborates on errors and absurdities, explicitly their causes. Hobbes ends chapter five with his description of the connection between reason and science. Hobbes describes reason as the summation of information, or the analyzing of the repercussions of the actions to which we are reasoning for or against. Particularly, the consequences others will pay in one’s attainment of their goal. Hobbes describes operations used by mathematicians: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; Logicians use the same operations but with words. Politicians use these same operations to delegate duties among men. Hobbes elaborates, â€Å"In sum whatsoever the matter, a place for addition and subtraction, there is also a place for reason; and where these have no place, there reason has nothing at all to do†(32). Addition and subtraction are not caged in mathematics; these operations are also the foundation of reason. Hobbes then explains that reason does not exist without fault. Even the most capable, attentive, practiced men can reach false conclusions. Just as mathematicians can make mistakes in their calculations, no mans reason is certain even if approved by many. Hobbes states that reason can be driven by ulterior motives. Men create reasoning that will help to push their agenda and reach their intended goal. Hobbes explains that when we are using reason we must proceed cautiously. Man must carefully analyze the foundation of his reasoning. Hobbes then describes how an error and absurdity can occur. Relying on knowledge of previous reasoning can lead one to a different outcome; this is what Hobbes defines as an error. When one draws a conclusion based on false assumptions, this is what Hobbes defines as absurdity or senseless speech. However, Hobbes further explains that an error is a deception, there is no way to truly determine whether it is impossible. Hobbes argues that the phrase free will is absurd. The word free itself is not free from opposition. Hobbes argues that philosophers are the most guilty of preaching absurdities, â€Å"Nothing so absurd, but may be found in the books of philosophers†(34). Unlike mathematics, there is no solid foundation of information to work upon. Hobbes then explains how these absurdities arise. In seven points Hobbes explains that absurdity arises from the preaching of unaccredited philosophies and improper estimation of ramifications of applying said philosophies. Hobbes argues that a man can avoid absurdity by properly analyzing consequences of actions in order to reach a particular goal. A man must have a good foundation of principles in order to reason logically. Hobbes states that reason is not inherent, nor can it be obtained by experience only. There is no right reason constituted by nature. One must properly identify the components involved in their reasoning and have a solid method of operation to analyze the ramifications of one’s actions. Hobbes explains the connection between science and reasoning, â€Å" Science is simply the knowledge of consequences, and dependence of the one fact upon another†(35). To Hobbes, the process of science is reason. In practicality man should use prudence in reasoning, however many profess their sapience, using alternative untested methods to yield the same results. Rather than rely on the credited work by authors, they create their own version of reasoning and mode of operation. Hobbes argues that this philosophical reformation is necessary to the preservation of peace. This reformed logical reasoning will be easily applicable to everyone. If a state promotes the use of practical logic as definite as geometric logic, the state could avoid internal warfare. Hobbes argues that we must not accept that something is true just because many believe it to be true. In order to properly analyze the truth, the people must appoint a leader to judge and determine the proper way to deal with issues that face the state. Hobbes states that the only way to eliminate internal conflict is to eliminate disagreement. By subduing to a higher power that promotes logical reason rather than false philosophies, a state can eliminate internal conflict.

Treaty Of Versailles Dbq History Essay

Treaty Of Versailles Dbq History Essay The Treaty of Versailles was a controversial treaty, not only because of what it embodied, but what it took to get the Treaty in motion. The Great War, or World War I, lasted between 1914 and 1918. This war occurred over a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, political alliances between nations, ethnic tensions in Europe, and most of all, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Austria-Hungary. With the bloody stalemate continuing without any end, the United States still held its position as a neutral world power, but events, such as the sinking of the Lusitania, caused the United States to recant its neutral position to a position in fighting against Germany. The end of World War I officially ended by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, but wasnt signed by the U.S. Whether this was President Wilsons fault or the Senates fault, has been questioned over the last decade. There were a variety of reasons that the United States did not sign the Treaty of Versailles with the biggest reasons being that the Senate felt that the Treaty embodied ideals and practices, such as joining the League of Nations, which directly contradicted American foreign policy. As seen in Document A, William Borah stated that the League is essentially creating more problems to solve problems. He said that shouldnt we want a League run by Americans who have the same values and ideals rather than delegates from foreign countries? In Document B, it is stated that, â€Å"The Treaty of Versailles†¦it does much to intensify and nothing to heal the old and ugly dissensions.† It was common knowledge and a wide held belief that the United States should remain neutral in foreign matters. The American citizens knew about Washingtons Farewell Address and how it stated that we would stay out of the business of foreign countries. The Treaty of Versailles only created bigger rifts in American society with its controversial policies. Woodrow Wilson, the President at the time, also included that, along with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the American public should accept his Fourteen Points. Also seen in Document F, John Maynard Keynes spoke about a certain aspect of the Treaty of Versailles that many people were afraid to talk about; maybe it was because he wrote a book dedicated to his cause. Keynes stated that simply forcing a country to accept a set of reparations and servitudes isnt really creating progress. Document E shows how if any country shows just cause for their actions, that they can then be truly forgiven. These are just the views of the American public and the Legislative Branch (mainly the Senate). But what about the views of Woodrow Wilson, a man who recanted his views of neutrality to that of an active role in war matters? Woodrow Wilson had a lot going for himself when he first took office as the President of the United States. Wilsons postwar plans detailed his Fourteen Points, which were imbued with the ideals of Progressivism, and a permanent League of Nations, which he planned on making the United States join. In an address to Woodrow Wilson, former President Herbert Hoover stated how it would be beneficial to have a League of Nations, even how much better it would be if it got an early ratification (Document D). In a speech by Woodrow Wilson on September 5, 1919, he stated, â€Å"When you read Article X, therefore, you will see that it is nothing but the inevitable, logical center of the whole system of the Covenant of the League of Nations, and I stand for it absolutely† (Document C). Woodrow Wilson wanted a â€Å"real† end to the War; an end that could only come by United States joining the League of Nations in order to fight international problems. In his â€Å"Appeal to the Co untry† on October 3, 1920, Wilson stated, â€Å"The Founders of the Government thought of America as the light of the world as created to lead the world in the assertion of the rights of peoples and the rights of free nations†¦This light the opponents of the League would quench† (Document G). Woodrow Wilson is interpreting certain aspects of historical events to his liking and is attempting to persuade the public to support him in the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. It was also a known fact that Wilson suffered from a variety of illnesses, which many people believed altered his mind, so he eventually lost all support from the public as well as his colleagues in government. With the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson came an era of Progressivism; an era that would be defined by many of his successful and failed attempts in gaining public support for his actions. His most failed attempt was getting the public and government to support his views on passing the Treaty of Versailles, supporting his Fourteen Points, and joining the League of Nations. Many believed that joining the League of Nations would destroy all that this nation stood for, as detailed by George Washington in his Farewell Address. Although the Treaty of Versailles was not passed, which was a fault on both the Senate and Wilsons part, Wilson eventually tried hard to concentrate on problems back at home through certain social programs and his ideology of the â€Å"New Freedom.†

The Gold Rush of California :: The California Gold Rush

In the United States, there would be a new overhaul to its identity. By 1848, businesses would eventually see a new and prosperous way to make money. The U.S. also began to see a few cultures begin to spark and the attitudes of people would change, especially their views about taking risks. This overhaul is known as the Gold Rush of California. The Gold Rush made an impact on American society through diversity and people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The traditional beginning of the Gold Rush was the story of James Marshall. Marshall was instructed by John Sutter, a business man, to find an area to build a sawmill. Marshall, traveled with a few workers, it took him a while to find the right spot because: "nothing but a mule could climb the hills; and when I would find a spot where the hills were not steep, there was no timber to be had" (Holliday 56). Marshall had finally found an area where he could build a sawmill, and managed to get his team through the steep hills of California. One morning he came upon an area of the camp to check the status of the camp. When he was observing the water flow, he noticed something really shiny. Marshall picked up the gold pieces, assuming that this was a fluke, but as the day grew older, he found a few more pieces of gold. Then there was that famous quote that people tend to still say today: "Boys, by God I believe I have found a gold mine. (Holliday 58)†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This story was taken in to account as the first story to hit the globe about gold being found in California. Actually, there is another story. This one is about a Mexican, who found gold in the hills of California, long before news had spread about gold being found by James Marshall. His name was Francisco Lopez. He was traveling in the San Fernando Valley, in 1842, during the time California was still a territory. Lopez was taking a rest, when he found a few pieces of gold, as he continued to dig, he found more gold. Ironically enough, the gold mines that Lopez had discovered were in the south of California towards Los Angeles and the gold that was found by Marshall was in the north towards present-day San Francisco. Also the mines that were used to dig up the gold found by Lopez were rarely used during the great Gold Rush in the north, despite a rush The Gold Rush of California :: The California Gold Rush In the United States, there would be a new overhaul to its identity. By 1848, businesses would eventually see a new and prosperous way to make money. The U.S. also began to see a few cultures begin to spark and the attitudes of people would change, especially their views about taking risks. This overhaul is known as the Gold Rush of California. The Gold Rush made an impact on American society through diversity and people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The traditional beginning of the Gold Rush was the story of James Marshall. Marshall was instructed by John Sutter, a business man, to find an area to build a sawmill. Marshall, traveled with a few workers, it took him a while to find the right spot because: "nothing but a mule could climb the hills; and when I would find a spot where the hills were not steep, there was no timber to be had" (Holliday 56). Marshall had finally found an area where he could build a sawmill, and managed to get his team through the steep hills of California. One morning he came upon an area of the camp to check the status of the camp. When he was observing the water flow, he noticed something really shiny. Marshall picked up the gold pieces, assuming that this was a fluke, but as the day grew older, he found a few more pieces of gold. Then there was that famous quote that people tend to still say today: "Boys, by God I believe I have found a gold mine. (Holliday 58)†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This story was taken in to account as the first story to hit the globe about gold being found in California. Actually, there is another story. This one is about a Mexican, who found gold in the hills of California, long before news had spread about gold being found by James Marshall. His name was Francisco Lopez. He was traveling in the San Fernando Valley, in 1842, during the time California was still a territory. Lopez was taking a rest, when he found a few pieces of gold, as he continued to dig, he found more gold. Ironically enough, the gold mines that Lopez had discovered were in the south of California towards Los Angeles and the gold that was found by Marshall was in the north towards present-day San Francisco. Also the mines that were used to dig up the gold found by Lopez were rarely used during the great Gold Rush in the north, despite a rush

Native American Relations :: American America History

Native American Relations During the numerous years of colonization, the relationship between the English settlers and the Native Americans of the area was usually the same. Native Americans would initially consider the settlers to be allies, then as time passed, they would be engaged in wars with them in a struggle for control of the land. This process of friendship to enemies seemed to be the basic pattern in the majority of the colonies. When the English landed in Jamestown in 1607, the dominant tribe of the area was the Powhatan (which the English settlers named after the leader of the tribe, Powhatan). At first meeting, the Powhatan considered the settlers as allies, who may be able to aid them in their struggle for land and power over the other tribes in the area. These relations strained when starving settlers started to take food from the Native Americans. In 1610, any notion of alliance between the Powhatan and the Virginia settlers was immediately crushed when Lord De La Warr arrived with a declaration of war against all Indians in the Jamestown area. De La Warr used his "Irish Tactics" of burning houses and crops and taking prisoners to destroy the Native Americans in what was known as the First Anglo-Powhatan war. A peace treaty was signed, but lasted only eight years. The Powhatan killed 347 settlers, which lead to the Virginia Company to give orders for "a perpetual war without peace or truce." Although th e Powhatan made one more attempt at destroying the Virginians, they were defeated again in the Second Anglo-Powhatan war. The peace treaty of 1646 eliminated all chance of the Powhatan coexisting with the Virginia settlers. The treaty also banished the Indians from their native lands, which lay the president for what was later known as a reservation. After this the number of Native Americans in Virginia dwindled to a low 10% of the population. In Carolina, the relationship between the settlers and the Native Americans started strongly as the Savannah Indians aided the settlers in their search of slaves for their plantations. They used the Manacled Indians as a major slave export, although it was greatly opposed by The Lords Proprietors in London. But in 1707 the Savannah Indians ended the alliance. They planed migrated to Maryland and Pennsylvania, which had better relationships between the Native Americans, but the Carolinas didn't like this idea so they attacked the Savannah Indians in a series of bloody raids and left the Native Americans practically completely come.

Defining Moments in Song of Solomon, Push, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas :: comparison compare contrast essays

Defining Moments in Song of Solomon, Push, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas      Ã‚  Ã‚   For those who bask in the light of privilege in the dominant culture, they take for granted their right to assert themselves and to be acknowledged as "somebody who matters". For those who live in the shadowy margins (such as the American poor and/or minorities), they experience the systematic denial of the basic human rights - to live at one's fullest potential, in other words, an outright denial from living a "dignified life". Such a denial might cause one to feel "voiceless and choiceless" (Objective 1b). It has been the minority's experience, (historically and in the present day) that the right to achieve one's full potential is kept just out of reach. Minorities must first fight for survival. Then, if there is enough energy and hope remaining, they can strive to utilize vehicles of assimilation or resistance (Objective 4) in order to carve a place for themselves in the world. However, this does not mean that a full realization of the "American dream" is even possible. For every small victory, there remains a bitter aftertaste. In other words, for every step gained, there is a "personal or cultural sacrifice" (Objective 4). Meanwhile, on the journey to freedom, the individual is plagued with 'ghosts' of the past. These 'hauntings' can appear in the form of individual/family oppression: (knowledge of emotional pain, physical violence) or in the form of a historical haunting: (i.e. knowledge that your ancestor was a slave; the traditional family unit broken)(Objective 3). These disturbances continue to surface and demand to be worked through, thus a 'haunting' is another factor that holds one back from achieving their full potential.    Whether oppression comes from a large, historical institution such as slavery, or from inter-family abuse, it is the process of suppression that I am exploring in this essay. The process of oppression is where families or institutions withhold or prevent one's self-worth or self-identity to develop. I will explore the personal journeys of the following characters; 1) Frederick Douglas from The Classic Slave Narratives, 2) Milkman from Song of Solomon, 3) Precious from Push, noting how they all share a common path through the darkness of oppression towards the ability to assert their self-identity.

Marketing Communication Essay

â€Å"Brand positioning is an attempt to create and maintain a unique representation of the brand in customer’s mind, a representation that is expected to stimulate choice of that brand† (Rossiter, 2005, p.42). Positioning, in fact, refers to how customers think about different brands in a market. Through brand positioning a company attempts to build a sustainable competitive advantage on product attributes in the consumer’s mind. Nevertheless, developing a successful positioning strategy is not easy. Positioning products in a complex market can be one of a company’s most difficult decisions (Gwin, 2003, p.30). Brand positioning is the first stage of marcoms planning. â€Å"Before the manager can make a reasonable decision about where the brand should be headed via its marcoms, the manager first has to decide – to change, if necessary, or to shore up and reconfirm – the brand’s positioning† (Rossiter, 2005, p.32). The three-level procedure for positioning, presented by Rossiter and Bellman (2005, p.42), contains T-C-B positioning model, I-D-U benefit analysis and a-b-e benefit claim model. The T-C-B positioning model requires managerial decisions on three factors – Target Customer (T) for the brand, Category Need (C) into which the brand should be positioned and Key Benefit (B) which will be offered by the brand. In order to correctly determine the category need, benefits sought and the purchase decision process, managers have to rely on a customer research. The most useful types of research are individual depth interviews and Marcoms Situation Audit (Rossiter, 2005, p.44). The Target Customer decision answers the question â€Å"Who is the brand for?†, and it has to be defined for different types of customer, known as stakeholders. However, the most important is the decision on End-Customer target for brand positioning, and it should be defined as broadly as possible, including all current and potential users of the brand. Category Need (C) is another positioning decision, and it aims to answer the question â€Å"What is the brand?†. It is essential that the Category Need is identified and described in customer language and from customer’s point of view. The Key Benefit (B) decision is the third factor in the brand’s positioning, and it includes several sub-decisions. Firstly, managers have to decide between central, differentiated and central me-too benefit positioning within the category. Secondly, the decision on the emphasised benefit type has to be  made. The benefit to be emphasized, or the Key Benefit, can be instinctual, archetypal, emotional or rational. Finally, managers must decide on entry-ticket benefits that have to be mentioned, and any inferior benefits, which should be tr aded off or omitted in the marketing communications. Key Benefit (B) selection for the T-C-B brand positioning decision is accomplished by conducting an I-D-U Benefit Analysis of competing brands in the category. The manager has to select the Key Benefit that is important or motivating to target customers (I), deliverable by the brand (D) and unique to the brand (U) (Rossiter, 2005, p.62). To decide which benefits are important, deliverable and unique, managers have to evaluate the potential of multiple benefits, using multiattribute model. Importance or desirability of benefits could be determined by identifying the important customer benefits in a product category, and asking users to rate the desirability of each benefit. To find out the Delivery, the same customers who provided the importance ratings could be asked to rate how well each competing brand delivers on each of the important benefits. Uniqueness, or differentially superior delivery, could be determined by calculating Brand Preference score from I-D-U ratings – by multiplying delivery rating of the brand by the importance weight for each benefit and then summing them (Rossiter, 2005, p.64). After completing the I-D-U analysis, managers have to choose one of five strategic options for increasing the brand’s market share via Key Benefit positioning. These options are: to increase the brand’s perceived delivery on an important benefit; to increase the perceived importance of a benefit; to decrease a competitor’s perceived delivery; to add a new benefit; and to change the choice rule. The a-b-e benefit claim model is the third, final stage of positioning. This model looks at the structure of benefit claims, and distinguishes between attributes (a), which are ‘what the brand has† (objectively), benefits (b), which are â€Å"what the customer wants† (subjectively), and emotions (e), which refer to â€Å"what the customer feel†. Decisions made in T-C-B positioning model, I-D-U benefit analysis and a-b-e benefit claim model are incorporated in the positioning statement for the brand. In our consultancy report we used T-C-B positioning model to perform the  positioning analysis for Mortein insect spray. Keeping in mind that the definition of Target Customer should be broad and include all current and potential users of the brand, the End-Customer target for Mortein insect spray was defined as â€Å"Consumers of household insecticide products†. Category Need into which Mortein insect spray is to be positioned was defined, from the customer’s point of view, as â€Å"Insect killers†. The benefit to be emphasised, or the Key Benefit, was identified as â€Å"Fast killing of insects†. We decided to adopt central positioning within the category because Mortein is the leading brand in the Australian household insecticide market. Rational approach, or Rational Selling Proposition, which is focused on a functional performance benefit, was used to identify the Key Benefit. Since the choice between brands of insect spray is Informationally motivated, the rational approach is the best alternative for identifying the Key Benefit. In order to identify the importance or desirability of benefits, we provided a small sample of users of insect spray with a list of benefits, and asked them to rate each of these benefits on a 9-point scale from extremely desirable to extremely undesirable. From their responses we found out that the most important benefits were fast killing, low price and safety. To determine the delivery by each brand we asked the same group of users to rate, on a five point rating scale, how well different brands perform on each of the important benefits. Mortein insect spray scored 4.5 on fast killing, 1.5 on price and 5.0 on safety. Uniqueness was estimated by calculating the Brand Preference score for Mortein insect spray, which was 32.5, or72% of the Ideal brand score. Based on that analysis, first I-D-U strategy option – to increase our brand’s perceived delivery on an important benefit – has been selected. We would like to increase the delivery rating on the most important benefit – fast killing, and, also, to slightly increase delivery rating on price. Regarding the a-b-e benefit claim model, since Mortein insect spray is an Informationally motivated product, we decided to use e-→b (negative emotion → benefit), or Problem-solution benefit chain. People feel annoyed because of the presence of insects in their homes (they have a strong negative emotion), so Mortein will offer them a benefit of fast killing of insects. There are also other models for brand positioning that managers can employ. Perceptual mapping techniques are frequently used to aid managers in making brand positioning decisions (Kohli, 1993, p.10). Perceptual maps could be used to determine where the brand is positioned with the respect to the competitive brands, and to help identify product or service attributes which are important to customers, and which can be used to differentiate one company’s offering from the others in the category. The perceptual mapping delivers a graphic map of the various attributes, locating in space the different brands already in the marketplace with relation to each other and with relation to various attributes uncovered by quantitative surveying of customers and potential customers (Cahill, 1997, p.101). Amongst various techniques of perceptual mapping, the most frequently used are Factor Analysis, Discriminant analysis and Multidimensional Scaling. Factor Analysis is essentially a data reduction technique in which the objective is to represent the original pool of attributes in terms of a smaller number of dimensions or factors (Kohli, 1993, p.10). After the factors have been identified, the brand’s ratings on these factors are used to position the brands in perceptual space. Factor Analysis works best for promotional and communications strategies because it yields more affective dimensions (Gwin, 2003, p.33). Discriminant analysis is also used to reduce the number of attributes to a smaller number of underlying dimensions. However, unlike Factor Analysis, it focuses on attributes which show differences between brands (Kohli, 1993, p.11). Since it yields more objective dimensions, Discriminant analysis is most often used for new product design. Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) enables managers to map brands spatially, so that the relative positions in the mapped space reflect the degree of perceived similarity between the brands. Respondents are asked to evaluate brands in pairs, judging the overall similarity of the brands, not individual attributes (Kohli, 1993, p.12). The best use of Multidimensional Scaling is in established markets, with numerous brands available to respondents. On the other hand, Gwin and Gwin (2003) favour another tool, the Product Attributes model, over perceptual mapping techniques. Product Attributes model assumes that consumer choice is based on the characteristics (or attributes) of a brand. The consumer’s choice is based on maximizing the level of satisfaction received from the product attributes  subject to a budget constraint (Gwin, 2003, p.32). The main strength of this model is the ability to incorporate the impact of price into assessment of brand positioning. Perceptual mapping is useful because it makes easier for people to see and understand relationship when they are presented graphically, rather than when they are offered in columns of figures or in long verbal descriptions (Cahill, 1997, p.101). If we used perceptual mapping in our consultancy report it would, enable us to locate different brands in space, and, actually, see what Mortein stands for in relation to the competitors. Nevertheless, this technique has several drawbacks. Firstly, it compares only two, usually most important attributes, while other attributes ate neglected. Secondly, there is no way of representing benefit importance in perceptual maps because the attributes are invariably plotted as though they were of equal importance (Rossiter, 2005, p.70). In our particular case, for Mortein insect spray, if we employed perceptual mapping, we would probably obtain similar results to those from I-D-U benefit analysis. However, by using perceptual mapping techniques, we would have to spend considerably more time and effort on research and statistical analysis. Therefore, we believe that the I-D-U model favoured by Rossiter and Bellman (2005) is superior to perceptual mapping and other models of brand positioning. References Cahill, D., (1997), How Consumers Pick a Hotel: Strategic Segmentation and Target Marketing, The Haworth Press, Inc., New York Greenberg, M., and McDonald, S. S., (1989), ‘Successful Needs/Benefits Segmentation: A user’s Guide’, The Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 6, Iss. 3, pp. 29-36 Gwin, C. and Gwin, C., (2003), ‘Product attributes model: A tool for evaluating brand positioning’, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Vol. 11, Iss. 2, pp. 30-42 Haley, R., (1995), ‘Benefit segmentation: A decision-oriented research tool’, Marketing Management, Vol. 4, Iss. 1, pp. 59-63 Kohli, C. and Leuthesser, L., (1993), ‘Product positioning: A comparison of perceptual mapping techniques’, The Journal of Product and Brand Management, Vol. 2, Iss. 4, pp. 10-20 Kotler, P. et al., (2004), Marketing, 6th edition, Pearson Education Australia Rossiter, J. R. and Bellman, S., (2005), Marketing communications; theory and applications, Pearson Education Australia Wedel, M. and Steenkamp, J. E. M., (1991), ‘A Clusterwise Regression Method for Simultaneous Fuzzy Market Structuring and Benefit Segmentation’, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 28, Iss. 4, pp. 385-392

PA module

You will notice that the self-test and demonstration case solutions provided in this module and other modules attempt to cover all possible solutions and to provide an example of an â€Å"exceeds† solution. They may, therefore, be longer than would be required in an examination situation. You may wish to use the Competency Area Checklist to help you sort through the case data. Once you have determined which competency areas are relevant, consider the specific issues that need to be addressed. At times, the course materials use generic dates rather than real dates.When you come across instances of generic dates, consider the date to correspond with standards that are currently In effect. Overview In keeping with your role as an accountant, your ability to communicate effectively is a professional quality and skill that you are expected to demonstrate in all of your assignments, whether for study or for work. You will also be expected to demonstrate several communication compete ncies on the PAP examination. The module provides practical suggestions for enhancing your writing skills and opportunities for self- assessing your writing ability.This module introduces the case analysis process. It gives you to a step-by-step framework for approaching case questions and provides tips on how to avoid common errors in responding to case questions. The framework is designed to enhance your case analysis skills as you practice with self-test cases and prepare your responses to assignment cases. You learn about different forms of analysis, both quantitative and qualitative, and review strategies for generating alternatives and selecting decision criteria. The evaluation of alternatives and final recommendation

Part Two Chapter X

X Andrew left Yarvil at half-past three, to be sure of getting back to Hilltop House before five. Fats accompanied him to the bus stop and then, apparently on a whim, told Andrew that he thought he would stay in town for a bit, after all. Fats had made a loose arrangement to meet Krystal in the shopping centre. He strolled back towards the shops, thinking about what Andrew had done in the internet cafe, and trying to disentangle his own reactions. He had to admit that he was impressed; in fact, he felt somewhat upstaged. Andrew had thought the business through, and kept it to himself, and executed it efficiently: all of this was admirable. Fats experienced a twinge of pique that Andrew had formulated the plan without saying a word to him, and this led Fats to wonder whether, perhaps, he ought not to deplore the undercover nature of Andrew's attack on his father. Was there not something slippery and over-sophisticated about it; would it not have been more authentic to threaten Simon to his face or to take a swing at him? Yes, Simon was a shit, but he was undoubtedly an authentic shit; he did what he wanted, when he wanted, without submitting to societal constraints or conventional morality. Fats asked himself whether his sympathies ought not to lie with Simon, whom he liked entertaining with crude, crass humour focused mainly on people making tits of themselves or suffering slapstick injuries. Fats often told himself that he would rather have Simon, with his volatility, his unpredictable picking of fights – a worthy opponent, an engaged adversary – than Cubby. On the other hand, Fats had not forgotten the falling tin of creosote, Simon's brutish face and fists, the terrifying noise he had made, the sensation of hot wet piss running down his own legs, and (perhaps most shameful of all) his whole-hearted, desperate yearning for Tessa to come and take him away to safety. Fats was not yet so invulnerable that he was unsympathetic to Andrew's desire for retribution. So Fats came full circle: Andrew had done something daring, ingenious and potentially explosive in its consequences. Again Fats experienced a small pang of chagrin that it had not been he who had thought of it. He was trying to rid himself of his own acquired middle-class reliance on words, but it was difficult to forgo a sport at which he excelled, and as he trod the polished tiles of the shopping centre forecourt, he found himself turning phrases that would blow Cubby's self-important pretensions apart and strip him naked before a jeering public †¦ He spotted Krystal among a small crowd of Fields kids, grouped around the benches in the middle of the thoroughfare between shops. Nikki, Leanne and Dane Tully were among them. Fats did not hesitate, nor appear to gather himself in the slightest, but continued to walk at the same speed, his hands in his pockets, into the battery of curious critical eyes, raking him from the top of his head to his trainers. ‘All righ', Fatboy?' called Leanne. ‘All right?' responded Fats. Leanne muttered something to Nikki, who cackled. Krystal was chewing gum energetically, colour high in her cheeks, throwing back her hair so that her earrings danced, tugging up her tracksuit bottoms. ‘All right?' Fats said to her, individually. ‘Yeah,' she said. ‘Duz yer mum know yer out, Fats?' asked Nikki. ‘Yeah, she brought me,' said Fats calmly, into the greedy silence. ‘She's waiting outside in the car; she says I can have a quick shag before we go home for tea.' They all burst out laughing except Krystal, who squealed, ‘Fuck off, you cheeky bastard!' but looked gratified. ‘You smokin' rollies?' grunted Dane Tully, his eyes on Fats' breast pocket. He had a large black scab on his lip. ‘Yeah,' said Fats. ‘Me uncle smokes them,' said Dane. ‘Knackered his fuckin' lungs.' He picked idly at the scab. ‘Where're you two goin'?' asked Leanne, squinting from Fats to Krystal. ‘Dunno,' said Krystal, chewing her gum, glancing sideways at Fats. He did not enlighten either of them, but indicated the exit of the shopping centre with a jerk of his thumb. ‘Laters,' Krystal said loudly to the rest. Fats gave them a careless half-raised hand in farewell and walked away, Krystal striding along beside him. He heard more laughter in their wake, but did not care. He knew that he had acquitted himself well. ‘Where're we goin'?' asked Krystal. ‘Dunno,' said Fats. ‘Where d'you usually go?' She shrugged, walking and chewing. They left the shopping centre and walked on down the high street. They were some distance from the recreation ground, where they had previously gone to find privacy. ‘Didjer mum really drop yeh?' Krystal asked. ‘Course she bloody didn't. I got the bus in, didn't I?' Krystal accepted the rebuke without rancour, glancing sideways into the shop windows at their paired reflections. Stringy and strange, Fats was a school celebrity. Even Dane thought he was funny. ‘He's on'y usin' yeh, yeh stupid bitch,' Ashlee Mellor had spat at her, three days ago, on the corner of Foley Road, ‘because yer a fuckin' whore, like yer mum.' Ashlee had been a member of Krystal's gang until the two of them had clashed over another boy. Ashlee was notoriously not quite right in the head; she was prone to outbursts of rage and tears, and divided most of her time between learning support and guidance when at Winterdown. If further proof were needed of her inability to think through consequences, she had challenged Krystal on her home turf, where Krystal had back-up and she had none. Nikki, Jemma and Leanne had helped corner and hold Ashlee, and Krystal had pummelled and slapped her everywhere she could reach, until her knuckles came away bloody from the other girl's mouth. Krystal was not worried about repercussions. ‘Soft as shite an' twice as runny,' she said of Ashlee and her family. But Ashlee's words had stung a tender, infected place in Krystal's psyche, so it had been balm to her when Fats had sought her out at school the next day and asked her, for the first time, to meet him over the weekend. She had told Nikki and Leanne immediately that she was going out with Fats Wall on Saturday, and had been gratified by their looks of surprise. And to cap it all, he had turned up when he had said he would (or within half an hour of it) right in front of all her mates, and walked away with her. It was like they were properly going out. ‘So what've you been up to?' Fats asked, after they had walked fifty yards in silence, back past the internet cafe. He knew a conventional need to keep some form of communication going, even while he wondered whether they would find a private place before the rec, a half-hour's walk away. He wanted to screw her while they were both stoned; he was curious to know what that was like. ‘I bin ter see my Nana in hospital this mornin', she's ‘ad a stroke,' said Krystal. Nana Cath had not tried to speak this time, but Krystal thought she had known that she was there. As Krystal had expected, Terri was refusing to visit, so Krystal had sat beside the bed on her own for an hour until it was time to leave for the precinct. Fats was curious about the minutiae of Krystal's life; but only in so far as she was an entry point to the real life of the Fields. Particulars such as hospital visits were of no interest to him. ‘An',' Krystal added, with an irrepressible spurt of pride, ‘I've gave an interview to the paper.' ‘What?' said Fats, startled. ‘Why?' ‘Jus' about the Fields,' said Krystal. ‘What it's like growin' up there.' (The journalist had found her at home at last, and when Terri had given her grudging permission, taken her to a cafe to talk. She had kept asking her whether being at St Thomas's had helped Krystal, whether it had changed her life in any way. She had seemed a little impatient and frustrated by Krystal's answers. ‘How are your marks at school?' she had said, and Krystal had been evasive and defensive. ‘Mr Fairbrother said that he thought it broadened your horizons.' Krystal did not know what to say about horizons. When she thought of St Thomas's, it was of her delight in the playing field with the big chestnut tree, which rained enormous glossy conkers on them every year; she had never seen conkers before she went to St Thomas's. She had liked the uniform at first, liked looking the same as everybody else. She had been excited to see her great-grandfather's name on the war memorial in the middle of the Square: Pte Samuel Weedon. Only one other boy had his surname on the war memorial, and that was a farmer's son, who had been able to drive a tractor at nine, and who had once brought a lamb into class for Show and Tell. Krystal had never forgotten the sensation of the lamb's fleece under her hand. When she told Nana Cath about it, Nana Cath had said that their family had been farm labourers once. Krystal had loved the river, green and lush, where they had gone for nature walks. Best of all had been rounders and athletics. She was always first to be picked for any kind of sporting team, and she had delighted in the groan that went up from the other team whenever she was chosen. And she thought sometimes of the special teachers she had been given, especially Miss Jameson, who had been young and trendy, with long blonde hair. Krystal had always imagined Anne-Marie to be a little bit like Miss Jameson. Then there were snippets of information that Krystal had retained in vivid, accurate detail. Volcanoes: they were made by plates shifting in the ground; they had made model ones and filled them with bicarbonate of soda and washing-up liquid, and they had erupted onto plastic trays. Krystal had loved that. She knew about Vikings too: they had longships and horned helmets, though she had forgotten when they arrived in Britain, or why. But other memories of St Thomas's included the muttered comments made about her by little girls in her class, one or two of whom she had slapped. When Social Services had allowed her to go back to her mother, her uniform became so tight, short and grubby that letters were sent from school, and Nana Cath and Terri had a big row. The other girls at school had not wanted her in their groups, except for their rounders teams. She could still remember Lexie Mollison handing everyone in the class a little pink envelope containing a party invitation, and walking past Krystal with – as Krystal remembered it – her nose in the air. Only a couple of people had asked her to parties. She wondered whether Fats or his mother remembered that she had once attended a birthday party at their house. The whole class had been invited, and Nana Cath had bought Krystal a party dress. So she knew that Fats' huge back garden had a pond and a swing and an apple tree. They had eaten jelly and had sack races. Tessa had told Krystal off because, trying desperately hard to win a plastic medal, she had pushed other children out of the way. One of them had had a nosebleed. ‘You enjoyed St Thomas's, though, did you?' the journalist had asked. ‘Yeah,' said Krystal, but she knew that she had not conveyed what Mr Fairbrother had wanted her to convey, and wished he could have been there with her to help. ‘Yeah, I enjoyed it.') ‘How come they wanted to talk to you about the Fields?' asked Fats. ‘It were Mr Fairbrother's idea,' said Krystal. After another few minutes, Fats asked, ‘D'you smoke?' ‘Wha', like spliffs? Yeah, I dunnit with Dane.' ‘I've got some on me,' said Fats. ‘Get it off Skye Kirby, didja?' asked Krystal. He wondered whether he imagined a trace of amusement in her voice; because Skye was the soft, safe option, the place the middle-class kids went. If so, Fats liked her authentic derision. ‘Where d'you get yours, then?' he asked, interested now. ‘I dunno, it were Dane's,' she said. ‘From Obbo?' suggested Fats. ‘Tha' fuckin' tosser.' ‘What's wrong with him?' But Krystal had no words for what was wrong with Obbo; and even if she had, she would not have wanted to talk about him. Obbo made her flesh crawl; sometimes he came round and shot up with Terri; at other times he fucked her, and Krystal would meet him on the stairs, tugging up his filthy fly, smiling at her through his bottle-bottom glasses. Often Obbo had little jobs to offer Terri, like hiding the computers, or giving strangers a place to stay for a night, or agreeing to perform services of which Krystal did not know the nature, but which took her mother out of the house for hours. Krystal had had a nightmare, not long ago, in which her mother had become stretched, spread and tied on a kind of frame; she was mostly a vast, gaping hole, like a giant, raw, plucked chicken; and in the dream, Obbo was walking in and out of this cavernous interior, and fiddling with things in there, while Terri's tiny head was frightened and grim. Krystal had woken up feeling sick and angry and disgusted. †E's a fucker,' said Krystal. ‘Is he a tall bloke with a shaved head and tattoos all up the back of his neck?' asked Fats, who had truanted for a second time that week, and sat on a wall for an hour in the Fields, watching. The bald man had interested him, fiddling around in the back of an old white van. ‘Nah, tha's Pikey Pritchard,' said Krystal, ‘if yeh saw him down Tarpen Road.' ‘What does he do?' ‘I dunno,' said Krystal. ‘Ask Dane, ‘e's mates with Pikey's brother.' But she liked his genuine interest; he had never shown this much inclination to talk to her before. ‘Pikey's on probation.' ‘What for?' ‘He glassed a bloke down the Cross Keys.' ‘Why?' †Ow the fuck do I know? I weren't there,' said Krystal. She was happy, which always made her cocky. Setting aside her worry about Nana Cath (who was, after all, still alive, so might yet recover), it had been a good couple of weeks. Terri was adhering to the Bellchapel regime again, and Krystal was making sure that Robbie went to nursery. His bottom had mostly healed over. The social worker seemed as pleased as her sort ever did. Krystal had been to school every day too, though she had not attended either her Monday or her Wednesday morning guidance sessions with Tessa. She did not know why. Sometimes you got out of the habit. She glanced sideways at Fats again. She had never once thought of fancying him; not until he had targeted her at the disco in the drama hall. Everyone knew Fats; some of his jokes were passed around like funny stuff that happened on the telly. (Krystal pretended to everyone that they had a television at home. She watched enough at friends' houses, and at Nana Cath's, to be able to bluff her way through. ‘Yeah, it were shit, weren't it?' ‘I know, I nearly pissed meself,' she would say, when the others talked about programmes they had seen.) Fats was imagining how it would feel to be glassed, how the jagged shard would slice through the tender flesh on his face; he could feel the searing nerves and the sting of the air against his ripped skin; the warm wetness as blood gushed. He felt a tickly over-sensitivity in the skin around his mouth, as if it was already scarred. ‘Is he still carrying a blade, Dane?' he asked. †Ow d'you know ‘e's gotta blade?' demanded Krystal. ‘He threatened Kevin Cooper with it.' ‘Oh, yeah,' Krystal conceded. ‘Cooper's a twat, innee?' ‘Yeah, he is,' said Fats. ‘Dane's on'y carryin' ‘cos o' the Riordon brothers,' said Krystal. Fats liked the matter-of-factness of Krystal's tone; her acceptance of the need for a knife, because there was a grudge and a likelihood of violence. This was the raw reality of life; these were things that actually mattered †¦ before Arf had arrived at the house that day, Cubby had been importuning Tessa to give him an opinion on whether his campaign leaflet should be printed on yellow or white paper †¦ ‘What about in there?' suggested Fats, after a while. To their right was a long stone wall, its gates open to reveal a glimpse of green and stone. ‘Yeah, all righ',' said Krystal. She had been in the cemetery once before, with Nikki and Leanne; they had sat on a grave and split a couple of cans, a little self-conscious about what they were doing, until a woman had shouted at them and called them names. Leanne had lobbed an empty can back at the woman as they left. But it was too exposed, Fats thought, as he and Krystal walked up the broad concreted walkway between the graves: green and flat, the headstones offering virtually no cover. Then he saw barberry hedges along the wall on the far side. He cut a path right across the cemetery, and Krystal followed, hands in her pockets, as they picked their way between rectangular gravel beds, headstones cracked and illegible. It was a large cemetery, wide and well tended. Gradually they reached the newer graves of highly polished black marble with gold lettering, places where fresh flowers had been laid for the recently dead. To Lyndsey Kyle, September 15 1960-March 26 2008, Sleep Tight Mum. ‘Yeah, we'll be all right in there,' said Fats, eyeing the dark gap between the prickly, yellow-flowered bushes and the cemetery wall. They crawled into the damp shadows, onto the earth, their backs against the cold wall. The headstones marched away from them between the bushes' trunks, but there were no human forms among them. Fats skinned up expertly, hoping that Krystal was watching, and was impressed. But she was gazing out under the canopy of glossy dark leaves, thinking about Anne-Marie, who (Aunt Cheryl had told her) had come to visit Nana Cath on Thursday. If only she had skipped school and gone at the same time, they could have met at last. She had fantasized, many times, about how she would meet Anne-Marie, and say to her, ‘I'm yer sister.' Anne-Marie, in these fantasies, was always delighted, and they saw each other all the time after that, and eventually Anne-Marie suggested that Krystal move in. The imaginary Anne-Marie had a house like Nana Cath's, neat and clean, except that it was much more modern. Lately, in her fantasies, Krystal had added a sweet little pink baby in a frilly crib. ‘There you go,' said Fats, handing Krystal the joint. She inhaled, held the smoke in her lungs for a few seconds, and her expression softened into dreaminess as the cannabis worked its magic. ‘You ain' got brothers an' sisters,' she asked, †ave yeh?' ‘No,' said Fats, checking his pocket for the condoms he had brought. Krystal handed back the joint, her head swimming pleasantly. Fats took an enormous drag and blew smoke rings. ‘I'm adopted,' he said, after a while. Krystal goggled at Fats. ‘Are yeh adopted, are yeh?' With the senses a little muffled and cushioned, confidences peeled easily away, everything became easy. ‘My sister wuz adopted,' said Krystal, marvelling at the coincidence, delighted to talk about Anne-Marie. ‘Yeah, I probably come from a family like yours,' said Fats. But Krystal was not listening; she wanted to talk. ‘I gottan older sister an' an older brother, Liam, but they wuz taken away before I wuz born.' ‘Why?' asked Fats. He was suddenly paying close attention. ‘Me mum was with Ritchie Adams then,' said Krystal. She took a deep drag on the joint and blew out the smoke in a long thin jet. ‘He's a proper psycho. He's doin' life. He killed a bloke. Proper violent to Mum an' the kids, an' then John an' Sue came an' took 'em, and the social got involved an' it ended up John an' Sue kept 'em.' She drew on the joint again, considering this period of her pre-life, which was doused in blood, fury and darkness. She had heard things about Ritchie Adams, mainly from her aunt Cheryl. He had stubbed out cigarettes on one-year-old Anne-Marie's arms, and kicked her until her ribs cracked. He had broken Terri's face; her left cheekbone was still receded, compared to the right. Terri's addiction had spiralled catastrophically. Aunt Cheryl was matter of fact about the decision to remove the two brutalized, neglected children from their parents. ‘It ‘ad to ‘appen,' said Cheryl. John and Sue were distant, childless relatives. Krystal had never known where or how they fitted in her complex family tree, or how they had effected what, to hear Terri tell it, sounded like kidnap. After much wrangling with the authorities, they had been allowed to adopt the children. Terri, who had remained with Ritchie until his arrest, never saw Anne-Marie or Liam, for reasons Krystal did not entirely understand; the whole story was clotted and festering with hatred and unforgivable things said and threatened, restraining orders, lots more social workers. ‘Who's your dad, then?' asked Fats. ‘Banger,' said Krystal. She struggled to recall his real name. ‘Barry,' she muttered, though she had a suspicion that was not right. ‘Barry Coates. O'ny I uses me mum's name, Weedon.' The memory of the dead young man who had overdosed in Terri's bathroom floated back to her through the sweet, heavy smoke. She passed the joint back to Fats and leaned her head against the stone wall, looking up at the sliver of sky, mottled with dark leaves. Fats was thinking about Ritchie Adams, who had killed a man, and considering the possibility that his own biological father was in prison somewhere too; tattooed, like Pikey, spare and muscled. He mentally compared Cubby with this strong, hard authentic man. Fats knew that he had been parted from his biological mother as a very small baby, because there were pictures of Tessa holding him, frail and bird-like, with a woolly white cap on his head. He had been premature. Tessa had told him a few things, though he had never asked. His real mother had been very young when she had him, he knew that. Perhaps she had been like Krystal; the school bike †¦ He was properly stoned now. He put his hand behind Krystal's neck and pulled her towards him, kissing her, sticking his tongue into her mouth. With his other hand, he groped for her breast. His brain was fuzzy and his limbs were heavy; even his sense of touch seemed affected. He fumbled a little to get his hand inside her T-shirt, to force it under her bra. Her mouth was hot and tasted of tobacco and dope; her lips were dry and chapped. His excitement was slightly blunted; he seemed to be receiving all sensory information through an invisible blanket. It took longer than the last time to prise her clothes loose from her body, and the condom was difficult, because his fingers had become stiff and slow; then he accidentally placed his elbow, with all his weight behind it, on her soft fleshy underarm and she shrieked in pain. She was drier than before; he forced his way inside her, determined to accomplish what he had come for. Time was glue-like and slow, but he could hear his own rapid breathing, and it made him edgy, because he imagined someone else, crouching in the dark space with them, watching, panting in his ear. Krystal moaned a little. With her head thrown back, her nose became broad and snout-like. He pushed up her T-shirt to look at the smooth white breasts, jiggling a little, beneath the loose constraint of the undone bra. He came without expecting it, and his own grunt of satisfaction seemed to belong to the crouching eavesdropper. He rolled off her, peeled off the condom and threw it aside, then zipped himself up, feeling jittery, looking around to check that they were definitely alone. Krystal was dragging her pants up with one hand, pulling down her T-shirt with the other, reaching behind herself to do up her bra. It had become cloudy and darker while they had sat behind the bushes. There was a distant buzzing in Fats' ears; he was very hungry; his brain was working slowly, while his ears were hypersensitive. The fear that they had been watched, perhaps over the top of the wall behind them, would not leave him. He wanted to go. ‘Let's †¦' he muttered, and without waiting for her, he crawled out between the bushes and got to his feet, brushing himself down. There was an elderly couple a hundred yards away, crouching at a graveside. He wanted to get right away from phantom eyes that might, or might not, have watched him screw Krystal Weedon; but at the same time, the process of finding the right bus stop and getting on the bus to Pagford seemed almost unbearably onerous. He wished he could simply be transported, this instant, to his attic bedroom. Krystal had staggered out behind him. She was pulling down the bottom of her T-shirt and staring down at the grassy ground at her feet. ‘Fuck,' she mumbled. ‘What?' said Fats. ‘C'mon, let's go.' †S Mr Fairbrother,' she said, without moving. ‘What?' She pointed at the mound in front of them. There was no headstone yet; but fresh flowers lay all along it. ‘See?' she said, crouching over and indicating cards stapled to the cellophane. ‘Tha' sez Fairbrother.' She recognized the name easily from all those letters that had gone home from school, asking her mother to give permission for her to go away on the minibus. ‘†Ter Barry†,' she read carefully, ‘an' this sez, â€Å"Ter Dad†,' she sounded out the words slowly, ‘†from †¦ â€Å"‘ But Niamh and Siobhan's names defeated her. ‘So?' demanded Fats; but in truth, the news gave him the creeps. That wickerwork coffin lay feet below them, and inside it the short body and cheery face of Cubby's dearest friend, so often seen in their house, rotting away in the earth. The Ghost of Barry Fairbrother †¦ he was unnerved. It seemed like some kind of retribution. ‘C'mon,' he said, but Krystal did not move. ‘What's the matter?' ‘I rowed for ‘im, di'n I?' snapped Krystal. ‘Oh, yeah.' Fats was fidgeting like a restive horse, edging backwards. Krystal stared down at the mound, hugging herself. She felt empty, sad and dirty. She wished they had not done it there, so close to Mr Fairbrother. She was cold. Unlike Fats, she had no jacket. ‘C'mon,' said Fats again. She followed him out of the cemetery, and they did not speak to each other once. Krystal was thinking about Mr Fairbrother. He had always called her ‘Krys', which nobody else had ever done. She had liked being Krys. He had been a good laugh. She wanted to cry. Fats was thinking about how he would be able to work this into a funny story for Andrew, about being stoned and fucking Krystal and getting paranoid and thinking they were being watched and crawling out almost onto old Barry Fairbrother's grave. But it did not feel funny yet; not yet.