Short Pest or Pestle analysis Essay Example for Free

Short Pest or Pestle analysis Essay This short ‘PEST’ or ‘PESTLE’ analysis will be carried out on the supermarket sector and discount retailers in Northern Ireland with the majority of the analysis being carried out specifically on Lidl. A PESTLE analysis will be ideal for Lidl in terms of effective market research and will help them come to decide how much they should expand given the fact that they have plans to do so particularly in the UK over the next 12 months. The PESTLE analysis directly and comprehensively evaluates the industry’s external environment elements in order to identify the overall available opportunities and dangers of specific procedures. It cannot be undermined how crucial effective market research is for companies such as Lidl who are constantly looking to gain a competitive advantage in the supermarket sector. Specifically, a PESTLE analysis mainly highlights the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental variables of the company and, if carried out efficiently, can be instrumental in terms of helping Lidl to improve their overall profit margins through expansion and their profits in terms of their overall net income. EXPRESS REFERENCE From the opening of its first ever store in the early 1970’s in Germany, the Lidl brand has grown a great deal to become one of Europe\s leading food retailers, a growth beyond their wildest expectations. Lidl first opened its doors in the UK in 1994 and since then they have went from strength to strength as they now have a grand total of over 650 stores and ten distribution centres across Great Britain employing some 20,000 people. Lidl has just recently just beaten close competitor Waitrose to become the UK’s seventh largest supermarket chain, according to the latest grocery market share figures (BBC, 2017). Lidl are currently drawing on a net income of  £5.8 billion for 2017 rising some  £800 million thus growing their overall market share by 0.6 percentage points to 5%. Aswell as being active in the retail business, Lidl also carry out a number of services such as DVD rental (launched in 2009) and bakery services which have been an excellent addition since their introduction in 2012. Through expansion, in what can be considered an oligopolistic market, companies like Lidl are hoping to get ever closer to the ‘big 4’ who are currently Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons. Companies such as Lidl, Aldi and Waitrose have thrived after the economic crash of 2007-08 as consumer behaviour since then has led us to believe that the trend of low prices for good quality products is a popular one and has led to a shift to the right in demand for the products and services of such companies. The first aspect of this PESTLE analysis is the political aspect. With over 10,000 stores in Europe alone, Lidl have the tricky task of managing many unique political factors that affect their everyday business operations. One of these major political components that heavily influences the day to day running of the organisation comes in the form of natural assurance laws. These specific laws compel companies to comply with all the government requirements. Another imperative law that Lidl must abide by is the UK government vitality advance for innovative work of retail products. With the sheer political anarchy that the UK is currently going through at this moment in time Brexit negotiations and the legal trading aspects surrounding it are another external component that Lidl must carefully juggle. According to Mintel, following the Brexit vote, political and economic volatility and uncertainty are widespread across consumer markets with the BPC market which Lidl operate in no excepti on. While changes to laws and regulations will affect business operations and brand practices, consumers already report that they are feeling the impact of the UK’s divorce with the EU. This is likely to result in BPC companies facing challenges following the changes in legislations, while consumers are likely to feel the impact of Brexit on their disposable income. With potentially limited spending money the BPC market might note fluctuations in retail value across various segments. As a result of the instability, over 40% of Irish consumers are unsure how Brexit will affect their finances, with a quarter of NI consumers worrying about the future. Only a fifth of NI consumers believe that their personal situation may improve. In addition Lidl uses economic internal and external factors.

An analysis of the budgeting in management accounting

An analysis of the budgeting in management accounting With the fast development of in the area of management accounting, more and more managers are aware of the importance of the budgeting, budgeting is an important control system in almost all organizations (Stephen C. Hansen, Wim A. Van der Stede, 2004, Management Accounting Research, Multiple facets of budgeting: an exploratory analysis,), and it provides an expression of the steps which management must take in the current period if it is to fulfil organizational objectives. (M.W.E.Glautier and B.Underdown. (1997) Accounting Theory and Practice, p531, 6th Edition, Great Britain: PITMAN PUBLISHING). This paper will discuss that what is budgeting and the budgeting committee, the budgeting purpose and types of budget, the benefits and limitations in the budget, and how to be a successful budgeting. The budgeting process focuses on the medium term period, normally one year, and it is an expression of plan in monetary terms, which is aim to achieve the organizational objectives, as Colin Drury said the budget is a financial plan for implementing the various decisions that management has made.(Colin Drury. (2008) MANAGEMENT AND COST ACCOUNTING. p10, 7th Edition, China: GENGAGE Learning) The various decisions are covered in cost and revenues, cash flow, assets and liabilities. In additional, the annual budget likely to be sub-divided for reporting periods, such as monthly budget reports, because the risk can be reduced in the monthly budgets and it helps managers easy to find the problems during the operation. In organizations, budgeting is often in the hands of a budgeting committee (M.W.E.Glautier and B.Underdown. (1997) Accounting Theory and Practice, p533, 6th Edition, Great Britain: PITMAN PUBLISHING), so the members of the budget committee is very important. For example, in the sales budgeting process, marketing department may be deliberately underestimated future sales, thus contributing to their performance evaluation. However, underestimate the quantity of sales will result in a corresponding reduction in production, which means the production will not be able to achieve the most efficient state. Another example, some department may padding the expenses in order to get more budget funds, resulting in a waste of money. Therefore, the budget committee should consist of the various important department managers, and some high-level executives be the leader. Furthermore, it usually has an accountant to be the budget officer in the budget committee, the role of the budget officer is to coordinate the individual budgets into a budget for the whole organization, so that the budget committee and the budgetee can see the impact of an individual budget on the organization as a whole. (Colin Drury. (2008) MANAGEMENT AND COST ACCOUNTING. p357, 7th Edition, China: GENGAGE Learning). The budgeting purposes and types of budget setting There are six useful purposes of budgeting, which are planning, coordinating, communicating, motivating, controlling and evaluating. Therefore, the budget will help managers through the planned activities to determine the target of the organisation and allowed managers to consider all possible situations. however it not only to reflect projected revenue and expenditure budget as of the amount of financial figures, the budget is a kind of resource allocation, input and output of the program content, quantity, and the input-output timing details. Through the budget, so that business managers can have clear objectives. In addition, the budget serves as a vehicle through which the actions of the different parts of an organization can be brought together and reconciled into a common plan. (Colin Drury. (2008) MANAGEMENT AND COST ACCOUNTING. P355, 7th Edition, China: GENGAGE Learning) and it is an effective way of the communication in the organization. Managers and staff can be motivated b y the budget because of it can help to enhance the predictability and avoid blind behavior and thereby to motivate they to complete the objectives. The Budget is based on quantitative way to show management standards, it can thus be judged according to the budget implementation effectiveness of the work and analyze differences improve their work. Two types of the budget setting are top down and bottom up. The table of illustration as following TOP DOWN BOTTOM UP OVERALL BUDGET FUNCTIONAL BUDGETS DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS In the top down way, it typically start with overall budget then broken down into functional budgets and then into departmental. If budget setting is top down, it can be directly link to the organization objectives and reflected to the authority and mandatory of budget. However, it may be limited of the information from lower levels thus that separated from reality and may reduce the effect of budget in planning, coordination and control. On the other hand, in the bottom up way, it typically start with departmental budgets then build up into functional budgets and then into overall budget. Similarly, if budget setting is bottom up, although it can solve the lack of the information from lower levels, but the exchange of information in each department may be not enough thus plans of one department is conflict with others, therefore the lack of coordination will arise. To solve those problems, the budget setting should be repeated between individuals and the budget committee. Firstly, the objectives proposed by the budget committee, such as the quantity of sales, production costs and target profits. Next, use those indicators to discuss with the various departments in order to reach an agreement, and then the budget committee will based on the agreement to determine the master budget and give to the departments. After this, the various departments based on the master budget to set out departmental budgets and build up into functional budgets. Finally, the budget committee use those individuals budget to set out the final master budget and gives to each department. The benefits and limitations The budget has some benefits to the organization, and it will show in the figure as follow: Provide a basis for a system of control Budgets Provide a system of authorization Help co-ordinate the various sections of the business Motivate managers to better performance Promote forward thinking and identification of short-term (Perter Atrill. Eddie McLaney. (2008) Accounting and Finance for Non- specialists. P312. 6th edition. Essex: Prentice Hall Europe.) However, the budget has also been found a number of limitations, such as the time lag in the system, which means the results of last month may not be reported in time and be delayed to next month or later. Moreover, there will always be some changes in the organization during the budget period; such as the shortage of funds, labour and materials, and the budget may be impacted thus the objective of organization cannot achieve the optimal state. To be successful budgeting As we have discussed in this paper, there are some limitations of the budget, and those limitations may lead to it hard to implement and dissatisfaction may express regarding how budgeting operates in practice. The following is some way to solve those problems and make the budgeting more successful. Firstly, the budget should be always concerned to achieve the objectives of organization, and need to avoid to only focus on its own target, the reasons of the budget may only focus on its own target and forget the objectives is that it may not properly reflect the requirements of objectives.. In order to prevent the replacement of the budget target, it should enable the budget to more reflect with the organizations objectives. Secondly, the budgeting should be flexibility, it because of that business conditions are always changing. Although we have planned the business conditions for the situation may occur in the future and make appropriate action to deal with changes, but on the one hand the budget setting cannot cover everything, and on the other hand the situations are always changing that some problems cannot be foresee. Therefore, it is necessary to view the budgeting process as a guide to future action, rather than a rigid plan which must be followed irrespective of changing circumstances.(M.W.E.Glautier and B.Underdown. (1997) Accounting Theory and Practice, p532, 6th Edition, Great Britain: PITMAN PUBLISHING) Conclusion In conclusion, budgeting is an important tool for management planning and control, and it has some useful functions for businesses and organizations, but it also has great limitations. The key point in the budgeting is make the benefits of it to be maximum, and reduce the limitations and solve problems during the period, thereby the budgeting can be achieved the most effective level. References ¼Ã… ¡ Colin Drury. (2008) MANAGEMENT AND COST ACCOUNTING. 7th Edition, China: GENGAGE Learning M.W.E.Glautier and B.Underdown. (1997) Accounting Theory and Practice. 6th Edition, Great Britain: PITMAN PUBLISHING Perter Atrill. Eddie McLaney. (2008) Accounting and Finance for Non- specialists. 6th edition. Essex: Prentice Hall Europe. Stephen C. Hansen, Wim A. Van der Stede. (2004) The electronic journal: Management Accounting Research, Multiple facets of budgeting: an exploratory analysis. P415-439. ScienceDirect [online] ¼Ã… ½ Available at ¼Ã… ¡http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6WMY-4DN9VP9-1_user=128592_rdoc=1_fmt=_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1095268002_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000010620_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=128592md5=f55e2a67d72ee304d2f1bc3f24de73eb

Levels Of Pollution In The Brisbane River Environmental Sciences Essay

Levels Of Pollution In The Brisbane River Environmental Sciences Essay River Brisbane is the longest river in the southeast Queensland of Australia. It originated from the foothills of the great dividing and flows through Brisbane city before releasing its water into Moreton bay. The river was named after Thomas Brisbane, New South Wales Governor, by John Oxley in 1823. The river provided and still provides a main form of transport between the city of Brisbane and Sydney. Before the European settlement Brisbane River was very clean and unpolluted. It was then used as a source of food and also for recreational purposes. For quite a long time the growth and settlement of people around river Brisbane has adversely affected the quality of its water as well as the life that it supports (Straughan 1972 p.93). As the town of Brisbane grew the river became very unclear and polluted and by 1928 the water quality had deteriorated to the extent that it was not safe even for bath. However the government of Australia decided to protect the river from pollution and by adopting antipollution acts as well as educating the public on the importance of protecting the environment. The river was used the source for agricultural water and also provided sand used in the construction around the growing city. The river faced so many risks of pollution from the growing industries and from the waster vessels that transported petroleum products and other substances. Nitrogen from sewage treatment and phosphorous from industrial discharge as well as other metals, were and still are among the main pollutants (MacKey, Hodgkinson Nardella 1992). However the data taken on the nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the river shows that the efforts of protecting the river have bared some fruits. In 2000 the average nitrogen levels were about 2.2mg/l while in 2009 the average level had dropped to 0.5mg/l. A graph plotted for both nitrogen and phosphorous show a decrease in their concentr ation in the river. Introduction For more than 400 million years now, the Brisbane River has been flowing. Its catchments have endured a number of floods and droughts seasons while its origins have continuously shifted as the surrounding land kept changing from time to time. In 1823 when John Oxley entered River Brisbane for the first time, the river was very clean and unpolluted. After a while Oxley realized that the river could be used as a new site for new settlement and through his suggestion, the city of Brisbane was developed alongside the River in 1825. The Brisbane River, whose origin is at the base of Great Dividing Range, has a catchment area of about 30,000km square and it releases its water into the bay of Moreton (National Library of Australia 1988). The once pure water of Brisbane was mostly used for drinking and for recreational purposes like swimming and the like. However as the city of Brisbane developed, industries started growing in it. At that time industries took the river as an efficient and cheap point for waste disposal. The Brisbane River was the only means of transport between Brisbane town and Sydney until when the road links were established. This river has for long been the most important asset for of Brisbane city as its still used for transportation, recreational and relaxation purposes. For the better part of the twentieth century, this river has been polluted and overused as its basin provided grazing grounds as well as fertile lands for agriculture (Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1986). According to AsiaRooms.com, the river basin also provided suitable catchment areas which could be used for damming purposes. The river presented several advantages which for the town and its people but the people exploited these advantages so carelessly such that self reparation appeared unfeasible. Today the Brisbane River has undergone considerable modifications to meet the requirements of the citys population which is increasing. Through diverse public awareness on the need to protect the environment, the river has gained significant political support in form of anti-pollution acts and policies that were adopted by the government (Doyle Kellow 1995 p.180). Currently the duty of checking pollution levels and water quality of river Brisbane is currently on the Queensland parliament. The parliament has so far made a lot of progress in its efforts of maintaining the quality of the river by establishing two anti-pollution acts. These acts comprise the 1971; Clean Waters Act and the Pollution of Waters by Oil of 1973. Due to the current public awareness on environmental protection and by the help of these acts, the quality of River Brisbane has significantly improved although its not yet at the safe levels. According to Doyle Kellow (1995), the River is currently supporting a population of 2 million people while transport and industries and still dependent on the river, which then helps to understand why its pollution level is still above the safe levels (p.180). The aim of this essay is to give a report on the levels of pollution of Brisbane River from the year 2001 to 2010. For the 150 years that the Europeans have occupation the region, River Brisbane has seen a number of modifications. The river has survived waves of exploration including agriculture, grazing, urbanization and settlement, etc. the urbanization and settlement required flood mitigation strategies and water storage for drinking purposes (Straughan 1972 p.94). Shipping channels and flood prevention measures also needed to be taken as the river was the main means of transport between the city and Sydney. Sand dredging along the river has been the main activity as sand was highly needed for construction in the city. Between the year 1900 and 1970 approximately 12 million cubic meters of sand were extracted from the banks of River Brisbane. Extraction reached its peak latter in mid 70s when about 1.45 million cubic meters of sand were being extracted annually. The extraction later dropped to 1 million per year and eventually ceased in 1996/7. The riches of the river between mt Crosby and Wivehoe are most pleasing aesthetically because of their cool atmosphere. Between Jindalee and mt. Crosby the river widens and then flows through rural and residential areas. In this area pollution by human beings is very evident and likely. Currently the Brisbane port is accountable for extraction of sand in the lower reaches of the river so as to maintain deep channels for water vessels. This long time dredging has considerably deepened the river hence making its banks quite unstable (Olafson 1978). Strong urban development has been evident throughout the city and on the south bank reach. As this river proceeds towards the Pinkenba, commercial and industrial areas dominate while further down from Murarie to the mouth, the river passes through mangrove lined region which is dominated by commercial shipping activity (MacKey, Hodgkinson Nardella 1992 p 418-420). The speed of water in this region is often determined by season. In this region the river reaches its highest flow speed during summer when there is high rainfall while the minimum flow is in winter when rainfall is minimal. Due to the slow flow of water in this region, there is likelihood of pollutants accumulation and overall deterioration of water quality. However this accumulation of pollutants can be cleaned by the release of water from storage dams situated in the river upstream. Wivenhoe and Somerset dams release certain amounts of water that are satisfactory to the water needs of the people of Brisbane. These two dams enable a more even water flow throughout the year thus maintaining and improving the qu ality of water in the river. The dams are also used as a means for flood prevention by reducing water flow from the range. Analysis of the past and current pollutants of river Brisbane According to Connell Shaw (1980), the major sources of pollutants of the river comprise the many large scale discharge points where wastes from industries and treatment plants discharge into the river (p.356-358). Currently the discharge from sewage is treated to a safer secondary standard with only a small portion of it being left in the primary standard. The small portion of primary standard sewage discharged into river Brisbane does not only contribute considerably to the toxicant load in the river but also to the nutrient load and increased demand for oxygen. This pollution leads to the contamination of fish and other aquatic life by such substances. Sewage discharge around the city of Brisbane is usually chlorinated hence causing a negative impact to the river. The most common discharges to river Brisbane resulted from the highly industrialized section of the river. The city of Brisbane has two main treatment plants for waste water as well as Gibson Island on the Southside and a luggage point on the North side both of which are found at the industrialized section of the river. Moreover River Brisbane faces other risks of pollution from the BP and Caltex oil refineries which discharge into the river discharge streams from potentially contaminated areas. Other discharges into the river such as runoff from the urban and industrial parts, and from upstream parts of the catchment, discharge substantial toxic pollutants into the river (Wong Tam 2005). Sometimes accidents occur resulting to spills of petroleum and insecticides among other substances. This often results to contamination of the river leading to fish death and other water lives. For instance in April 1998, a tanker known as Barrington was docked at White Island in Brisbane collided with a local boat named Austral Salvor. This accident resulted to a spill of 8 tonnes of heavy fuel into the river. Conclusion In order to recommend any possible measures that can help improve the quality of River Brisbane one must understand the past and the current pollutions characteristics of the river. In this paper, the pollution analysis of river Brisbane is based on the data provided by Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management. Nitrogen and phosphorous which are the main pollutants of the river have been measured and their levels in the river minimized. Nitrogen is found in fertilizers and it usually reaches the river when rain water passes through agricultural fields where fertilizer has been applied. Its also produced during sewage treatment processes. Phosphorous is produced in the waste treatment plants in Brisbane and from confined livestock operations. According to Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (1997), both nitrogen and phosphorous are can be harmful and toxic to aquatic life since their enhance growth of aquatic plants which then depletes the water of oxygen hence posing d anger to fish and other organisms (p.35). The graph below shows the levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in River Brisbane from the year 2000 to 2009. The concentration of these pollutants was measured in milligrams per litre of water. Fig.1 graph of nitrogen and phosphorous concentration against years From the graph we see that in 2000 the level of nitrogen in river Brisbane was quite high with more than 2mg of nitrogen in every litre of water. However due to the extensive public awareness and the anti-pollution measures taken by the government these levels reduced drastically between 2000/1 to below 1.5 mg/l. the downward trend in decrease of nitrogen continued until 2008 when the average level was about 0.5 mg/l. in 2009 the levels appeared to be rising again which shows that the government as well as the general public of Brisbane may have relaxed in its efforts to maintaining the quality of the river. On the other hand phosphorous levels have been low all through with level of below 0.4mg/l in 2000. The phosphorous levels have also shown a general downward trend and show a likely hood of reaching zero levels within the next few years if the same trend is maintained. The analysis of the past and the present pollution situations of river Brisbane indicate the government as well as the local authorities have done tremendous work in controlling the water quality of the river. If the efforts are maintained, the river will reach its old clean levels within a few years.

gene therapy :: essays research papers

Gene Therapy is hope or disaster for Human Being? ◊Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DNA determines the placement of amino acids according to DNA sequences. A specific chain of amino acids composes a specific protein that plays the essential functions in the bodies. The defect of the gene, however, results in producing wrong protein; as a result, some part of the bodies abnormally works compared to that of other normal bodies. This is called ?gGenetic Disorder?h. The scientists studied about genetic disorder and suggested an alternative for genetic disorder called ?gGene Therapy?h. Recently, gene therapy is useful to cure other diseases such as a cancer or other. (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.shtml http://www.asgt.org/ ) ◊History of Gene Therapy David suffered from a rare inherited disease known as adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA). He spent all his life in a germ-free plastic bubble, because gene causes a lack of enzyme that helps immune system to fight disease from outside. In 1984, he received a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, cells from donator?fs marrow attacked his body. As a result, he was died after a year. This event was a big issue at that time and scientists studied gene therapy to stop this bad event. In 1989, at first, W.French Anderson and a team at the National Institutes of Health gained permission for experiment to inject gene into human beings. In 1900, at first, he applied gene therapy to 4 year girl who suffered from adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA). He extracted T- lymphocytes from her bloodstream and injected gene-corrected T lymphocytes to her with a normal gene function for ADA; then he repeated a few times more. After a year, she lives as a normal kid. Her treatment was successful. In 1 991, 9 years old girl was applied to this gene therapy and her treatment was also successful. (http://www.frenchanderson.org/history/history.asp, Mapping our genes by Lois Wingerson, Medical Dilemma by Margaret O.Hyde& Elizabeth H. Forsyth. M.D.) ◊Gene Therapy Today, basic theory of gene therapy is that normal gene is inserted into genome to replace disease caused gene. The gene by itself, however, is almost impossible to get the target cell. To deliver gene successfully, a carrier called vector is necessary and virus is good for delivering gene, because virus genetically approaches human genes. Virus, however, can have a potential toxic or respond a massive immune system. In fact, some people died because of that. For this reason, scientists tried to find replacement of virus as vector. The most common virus for vector is adenovirus that causes cold.

john dryden :: essays research papers

John Dryden was born on August 9, 1631 in the Vicarage of Aldwinkle All Saints in Northamptonshire, England (DISCovering Authors 1). He was a cute, young boy who was described as â€Å"short, stout, and red-faced† (Britannica 8). His father was a countryman, and both his parents were very fond of Parliament siding with the Parliament Party against the King (Britannica 1). He was eleven years old when the war broke out between the royalist forces and the revolutionary forces, and that is when his life began to change. It was the start of a period of time when England became a republic ruled by Parliament. His parents were well known around the town, and had a lot of connections with wealthy people. Because of those connections, they were able to find a scholarship so that he could attend Westminster School at a very young age (DISCovering Authors 1). His Professor, Richard Busby, provided him with an education (DISCovering Authors 1). It was here that he published his first poem, Upon the Death of the Lord Hastings (DISCovering Authors 1). This poem had special meaning for him because it was about one of his good friends who died of small pox. At the age of 19, he was elected to attend Trinity College in Cambridge. Dryden graduated in 1654 while earning a Bachelor of Arts degree (Britannica 1). A few months after his graduation, he received some very bad news- his father had died suddenly. He then became in charge of his family and the small estate where he grew up (DISCovering Authors 1). In 1658, his career was revived and he began to write once again. His first work was an elegy called Heroique Stanzas, which was about the death of Cromwell, and detailed how he was such a brave English statesman (DISCovering Authors 1). He began writing poetry in 1660 in the form of Neoclassical (Wasserman 40). That same year, he was granted a couple of patents from Charles II for a theatre. However, the plays were not too successful. Two years later, the theater was closed by the Puritans (Britannica 1). Dryden published Astraea Reddux in 1660 which was the most successful and prominent of all his poems. Along with others, they wrote a poem to welcome Charles II as he was being restored to the throne. It contained more than three hundred lines in rhymed couplet (Britannica 1).

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 8

Grace called me that night while I was on my way to talk to Isabelle. â€Å"Hello, Georgina. This is Grace.† I waited patiently for Mei's complementary greeting. When it didn't come, I asked in surprise, â€Å"It's just you? Not Mei?† Grace's voice, while as flat as usual, held the tiniest puzzled note in it. â€Å"Why would Mei be here?† It apparently hadn't occurred to her that I had never received a call or a visit from either of them alone. They always functioned as a unit, kind of giving the impression that the fabric of the universe might rip open if they were ever apart. This was as weird as them nearly accepting coffee the other day. â€Å"Never mind. What's up?† â€Å"Jerome wanted me to tell you that he is†¦pleased.† â€Å"Over what?† â€Å"Over you successfully embarrassing Cedric.† â€Å"But I didn't-† I bit my lip, suddenly wondering if I should be so quick to deny my involvement. Jerome hadn't been happy with me recently. While the stupid spectacle at Queen Elizabeth Park had put me on Cedric's shit list, it might very well take me off Jerome's and hasten my permanent return to Seattle. I stayed silent. â€Å"He's glad you took his talk to heart,† Grace continued. â€Å"Although, he does wish to remind you that you being sent to Cedric is supposed to be a gesture of good will. So try not to be too efficient. Jerome encourages you to keep up with these small jabs but to remember that you do ultimately want this group undone.† I sighed. â€Å"Noted.† Grace disconnected. Great. This was all I needed. Jerome thought I was guilty too-of trying to score extra credit with him. Cedric had told me I could find Isabelle at a jazz club a few miles from my hotel. It was over on a street lined with clubs and bars, and the excitement and energy in the air as I walked toward Isabelle's hangout was palpable. It was Saturday night, after all, and the streets teemed with humans eager and excited for life and love. I couldn't see their souls or energy the way an imp like Hugh could, but I didn't need to. It was apparent in the way they moved and talked and eyed each other for potential hook-ups. Even after my recent tryst, being in this electric atmosphere made me itch for another conquest. I'd have to cruise these clubs once I'd concluded business with Isabelle. The jazz club was small and dark, exactly the way you expected such places to be. All the tables were filled, and lots of people stood by the bar or along the wall. I didn't have any trouble finding Isabelle, though. The signature of a greater immortal filled up a place like this. Hers made me think of sunlight shining through crystals, fracturing into sparkles of color. She sat alone at a corner table. Most obviously single women in there were being hit on-in fact, I got a number of appraising looks as I walked through-but no one other than the wait staff seemed to notice Isabelle. It reminded me of how no one ever noticed Jerome's resemblance to John Cusack. Isabelle wore a long blue dress with spaghetti straps, surprisingly risqu? ¦ for an angel. Her hair was sunny blond and worn loose to her lower back-not unlike a golden cloak, I thought wryly. She sensed me, of course, and didn't seem surprised at all when I sat down across from her. With a smile, she glanced up and crooked a finger toward the nearest waiter. He hurried over and took my gimlet order. Once he was gone, Isabelle turned her attention on me. â€Å"So. Jerome's succubus.† Cedric had called me the same thing when we first met. I kind of resented my identity being based on my association with-or rather, possession by-someone else. â€Å"Yeah,† I said. She watched me pleasantly, neither cold nor friendly. With angels, you never knew which extreme you might get. Mostly, she looked curious, so I figured I could get right down to business. â€Å"So I-â€Å" â€Å"Shh.† â€Å"Wh-â€Å" She held up her hand, dark eyes focusing on something beyond me. The band was in the middle of a song, and the trumpet player had just put the instrument to his lips. A long, high note came out, kicking off what turned into a mournful solo. When he finished a minute or so later, I turned back to Isabelle and saw the waiter had brought my gimlet. The angel's face was alight with wonder-and wistfulness. â€Å"Did you hear that?† she asked me. â€Å"Those notes weren't complicated, yet he managed to put so much into them. His heart, his emotions, his soul. A world of sorrow, exquisite agony†¦all in those few notes.† She took a sip of her wine. â€Å"You can't do that. Not even I can do that-not the way he did.† Her words surprised me, but I knew exactly what she meant. Part of the reason I was always a little in awe of Seth's books was because he, as a mortal, had a talent that an immortal like me never could possess. â€Å"Only humans have the gift of creation,† I murmured. Her eyebrows rose slightly, and she smiled. â€Å"Yes, exactly. So tell me, what can I do for you, Jerome's succubus?† I felt a little weird interrogating her now. There was something a little sad and vulnerable about her that made her appealing. Nonetheless, I pushed forward. Angels and demons came from the same stock. Both were good at making you believe what they wanted. â€Å"You†¦you know about those so-called Satanists, right? The Army of Darkness?† Isabelle's smile twitched. â€Å"Great movie, silly cult. Did you have anything to do with their display today? I really liked the goat mask.† I shook my head. â€Å"Actually, I was wondering if you had anything to do with it.† â€Å"Me?† She laughed. â€Å"I only wish I could think up things that good-but there we are again: humans and creation. Why do you ask?† â€Å"Because they say they're being directed by an angel.† I gave her an abridged version of what the group had told me. â€Å"And you assume they literally meant an angel?† â€Å"I'm trying not to assume anything. But I think someone or something is directing them, and your side has as good a reason as any to stir up trouble for Cedric and make the authorities on all sides come down on him.† â€Å"And your side has just as good a reason. Demons try to oust each other all the time.† I tapped my nails along my glass's edge and eyed her warily. â€Å"And you haven't actually answered my question,† I pointed out. â€Å"You haven't directly denied being involved.† Angels couldn't technically lie, but oh, they were masters at not always telling the truth. Isabelle finished off her wine and smiled at me again. â€Å"Oh, you are delightful. This is just like being on a TV cop show. No wonder Carter likes you so much.† I sighed in exasperation, realizing I was going to get nowhere. Fucking angels. Her grin dimmed a little, but she was still clearly amused. â€Å"Look, Georgina,† she said. She knew my name; no real surprise. â€Å"I like you. You're clever and endearing, but here's how it is: I don't want to see Cedric leave Vancouver. I like him. And anyway, that saying about keeping your enemies close is true. I know him, I understand him. And when you're playing a game like ours, the better you know the pieces on the board, the better you'll do. I don't want to have to live with an archdemon I don't know, one who's a lot more unpleasant than he is.† A new glass of wine had been delivered, and she paused to take a sip. â€Å"And that's the truth.† I didn't know what to say. I wanted to believe her but had no idea if I could. I simply sighed again. â€Å"What are you thinking?† she asked. â€Å"I wish I could believe you when you say you aren't involved. Even with the whole not-lying thing, I don't know that I can. I don't think that I can trust anyone.† â€Å"That,† she said firmly, â€Å"is absolutely something I agree with: you can't trust anyone. On any side. Everyone's got their own agenda, and there's something in the air right now-it's like a building storm, to use a clich? ¦. Be careful.† Her face looked momentarily troubled, and then she relaxed again as her attention returned to the stage. â€Å"Ah, the soloist is back.† I slid my empty glass to the center of the table. I started to take out some cash too, but she waved it away. â€Å"Thanks for talking,† I told her, rising from my chair. Suddenly, I hesitated. â€Å"You mentioned Carter. I don't suppose†¦I don't suppose you know where he's been lately?† I'd never thought I would utter those words. Carter had tormented me for years with his unsolicited, cryptic advice. He'd particularly loved to comment about Seth and me, as though he had some special interest in our relationship. Since it had ended, I'd hardly seen Carter at all. He used to come hang out with my friends and me but had only surfaced a couple of times in the last few months. Isabelle smiled. â€Å"He's closer than you think.† â€Å"Typical angel answer,† I groaned. I turned around to leave and then yelped. Carter stood by the club's entrance. Abandoning Isabelle, I hurried across the crowded room. Oblivious to the dress code, Carter wore his typical grungy clothing, ratty jeans and a plain gray T-shirt. A flannel shirt was tied around his waist, and his blond hair could have handled a good washing and brushing. He smiled expectantly at my approach and stepped outside to the crowded street. I followed. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked, taking out my cigarettes. I grabbed one for myself and then offered him the pack. He took one too. â€Å"What are you doing here?† he returned pleasantly. â€Å"You know what I'm doing here. Everyone knows what I'm doing here.† I fumbled in my purse for my new lighter and found a matchbook instead. I pulled it out. Mark's Mad Martini Bar. I'd forgotten them. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Carter, noting my frown. I shook my head. â€Å"Nothing.† I traded the matches for my lighter, and we lit up. â€Å"You were lurking with your signature hidden,† I continued. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Element of surprise,† he said. â€Å"It was worth it to see your face.† We walked past the club lines and drunken groups, no clear destination in mind-at least none that I knew of. â€Å"You haven't been around in a while,† I accused. â€Å"Why, Daughter of Lilith, have you missed me?† â€Å"No! But I was starting to feel like you were only interested in me while I was dating Seth.† â€Å"Of course not.† There was a long, overly nonchalant pause. â€Å"So†¦have you talked to him lately?† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"You are only interested in Seth! You're going to have to let it go, Carter. Seth and I are finished. Why can't you obsess on me and my new boyfriend instead?† â€Å"Because you can do better.† â€Å"Everyone keeps saying that. But I'm a succubus. How much better can I do?† â€Å"The fact that people keep telling you that should be answer enough.† â€Å"Seth broke up with me ,† I said through gritted teeth. â€Å"He doesn't want me anymore, end of story.† â€Å"Oh, come now. Do you really believe that?† â€Å"Seeing as I was there at the break-up? Yes.† Carter tsked. â€Å"Georgina, Georgina. You're letting your anger and other emotions cloud your reason, which is unfortunate since you're a lot smarter than people give you credit for. Go back and think. Why did Seth break up with you?† I stared off at the far side of the street, refusing to look at him. â€Å"Because he thought if we stayed together, we'd both get hurt. That it would be better if we split, no matter how painful at the time.† â€Å"And you think that makes him a bad person?† â€Å"Yes.† I turned back toward Carter. â€Å"Because I didn't agree. I was willing to take the risk. He gave up.† â€Å"Sometimes it takes more courage to know when to retreat than to keep fighting.† â€Å"I don't think it could have taken that much courage. He ended up with Maddie pretty quickly.† No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice. â€Å"That takes courage too, forcing yourself to start over with someone new, to keep moving on with your life.† â€Å"Seems more like a rebound to me.† Carter took a long drag on his cigarette. â€Å"Seth didn't leave and go to Maddie because he stopped loving you. If there were no complications in the world, you would be the one he chose. You are his ideal, his first choice.† â€Å"That's not flattering to Maddie.† â€Å"It doesn't make her less. It just means he loves her differently. And when you decide you have to move on, that's how it is. Just because things don't work out, it doesn't mean there aren't other people you can't love. Love is too big a thing for you to go without it in life.† â€Å"Oh yes,† I said. â€Å"I have so missed these cryptic conversations.† Carter crooked me a grin. â€Å"I'm glad to see you're back to your old self.† â€Å"I've missed the sarcasm too.† â€Å"No, I'm serious. You weren't a lot of fun these last few months. You were kind of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦bitchy?† He shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. You were angry and depressed and frustrated. You stopped caring about the people around you. You weren't†¦well, you.† â€Å"You don't know me or what I am.† â€Å"I know you better than you think. I know you're still hurting and think the universe has given up on you. It hasn't. I also know that as far as all this demon business is concerned, your curiosity is going to tangle you up further in something you shouldn't be involved with in the first place. Jerome,† he declared, â€Å"is a fool.† â€Å"Do you know what's going on?† I asked eagerly, coming to a stop. â€Å"Who's leading that cult? Who's supposedly running this huge game that's going on that I can't see?† â€Å"No,† said Carter, expression dark. â€Å"I don't know any of that. But if I were you, I'd get back to Seattle soon. Stay close to Jerome.† â€Å"He hates me right now.† â€Å"No, he doesn't. Stay close to him. He'll protect you. If he can't†¦well, I will. If I can.† There was nothing romantic in his offer of protection. It wasn't spoken with chivalrous fierceness. His manner was uneasy, like he was dealing with a last resort. I also couldn't help but replay his last words: if I can . Angels-or demons-didn't use the word â€Å"if† very often. â€Å"What do you mean if-â€Å" â€Å"Go back home, Daughter of Lilith.† He tipped his head back to stare at the night sky, blew smoke into the air, and then looked down at me with his silvery gray eyes. â€Å"We'll talk soon.† He dropped the cigarette to the sidewalk and vanished. I glanced around, worried someone had seen us, but we'd walked far from the partiers. I stamped out the cigarette, turned, and headed back in the direction of all the nightlife to go find some guys I'd noticed checking me out. A night with drunken men might still leave me feeling hollow, but at least their motives were easier to understand than angels'.

Achieving Operational Excellence: Evaluating Supply Chain Management Services Essay

UPS Logistics Schneider Logistics How can these companies be used for supply chain demand? When you don’t know where to start, our industry experts will evaluate your network and supply chain processes through a structured diagnostic process. We have experienced, cross-functional teams who will consult with you to identify and prioritize savings opportunities and maximize your bottom line. Streamline your distribution network, reducing costs and improving customer service Provide insight into logistics design, re-engineering, and supply chain management Implement leading-edge information systems Implement benchmarking processes to measure productivity What supply chain process can each of these companies support for their clients? Assess Design Implement Execute Work with your suppliers at origin to prevent stock-outs, shortages, and delivery delays Make arrangements for pickup, handling, and air or ocean freight transport Provide detailed in-transit inventory visibility through UPS Order Watch How can customers use the Web sites of each company to help them with supply chain management? When you need technology, resources, and unmatched transportation and logistics expertise on a global scale, turn to Schneider. Our associates are experts in supply chain strategy, and will help you understand the key drivers that transform your supply chain from a list of uncertainties to a competitive advantage. Our supply chain design and planning services will help you create the supply chain you need to bring out the best in your company. Our designers and engineers will go beyond the abstract, and produce a plan that will leverage the unmatched scope of UPS logistics capabilities to benefit your business. Compare the supply chain management services pr ovided by these companies. Our  experienced team can design and optimize your logistics network to handle: changing demand, acquisition distribution redundancy, service level rationalization, and logistics cost pressures. We excel in tailoring optimization models to mirror customer specific constraints and business rules. From site analysis and selection to supply chain modeling, network optimization, and parts planning, our services can help you start the process of making your supply chain a more effective part of your business’ operations. Which company would you select to help your firm manage its supply chain and why? I would use this company because it was easier to access online. The page was also easier to understand.  I also liked that the website said â€Å"when you don’t know where to start, our industry experts will evaluate your network and supply chain processes through a structured diagnostic process.† If someone is not familiar with this, an expert can guide them through the process. Not applicable.