Competition Bikes Cost Analysis Essay

Every business is involved in production where some costs are incurred. In order for a business to allocate its selling price to its products, costing analysis is required.Costing which is a method of accounting used by financial management is a very essential process. It gives a full description concerning all costs incurred in the business either variable or fixed. It gives the final production cost which in turn is used in determining the selling price of the commodities, the units to be produced which is equivalent to its market share. Competition Bikes needs to put in place a costing system that is essential and economical to its production processes. Recently it’s using conventional based approach which involves assigning costs according to the volume of goods produced. This makes products to be the main determinant of costs. Competition Bikes are in a dilemma whether to continue with conventional approach or shift to activity method of costing. Activity system of costing divides the costs into a number of activities used in the production process. It takes an assumption that costs in an organization have multiple determinants different from its production. In order for the Competition Bikes to decide whether to shift or not, an evaluation is needed where some advantages of activity costing system are considered over conventional volume method of costing. One of the benefits of adopting activity based system of costing is that it gives an accurate computation. This is as a result of taking accounts for costs incurred in each level of production compared to when taken at the end of the production based on the volume produced. Cost drivers are very essential tools when carrying out costing. The activity system of cost accounting gives a clear identification of the specific and precise drivers used in determining the costs. This is very important to any organization as incase of costing problems, it enables the cost accountants to trace them which making it easy to come up with the best mechanism of controlling cost. Through such analysis, it’s beneficial for the Competition Bikes to shift from conventional to activity method of costing which is a better system. The other area that the report takes in to consideration is the breakeven point. This is important as the company is involved with two productions i.e. Titanium Bikes and carbon lite which is done using the concept of cost-volume-profits. This analysis brings the relationship between the profits, volume of goods produced, and the organizations costs. The benefit of an analysis based on breakeven point is to enable the firm to make proper decisions concerning prices of goods produced. The analysis shows that CVP is not an effective approach. This is because it takes an assumption that the organization deals with a single product which is not true to many organizations. Due to this assumption, an establishment of sales mix must be put into place. In every production there are two key types of costs incurred i.e. fixed and variable costs. The report examines the impact of changing them, of which it has shown that it will have a significant effect on the costs. Costing method This refers to the method of reporting and financial recording. It involves the process of taking computations of the costs incurred in the process of producing goods (Chang, Pelliser, 1996 ). This costing is done by a finance manager who takes into consideration different types of cost information and uses them in the computations. This includes costs of company overheads, labor hours and the units of production. This is a tool used by analysts to identify cost drivers and in turn use them in computing costs. Competition Bikes needs to establish an efficient method of costing which is economical and provides accurate information. In order to come up with such a method, it has to examine whether to take volume based or activity based costing. Volume based costing It’s a traditional method of costing of which competition bikes is currently using in its computations. This type of approach allocates costs using the volume of goods produced. It’s different from activity based method as it uses a single cost driver which is the total volume of goods produced. This approach becomes very challenging to the organization when allocating costs using approach. The reason is that in costing, both variable costs and overhead costs are important, but this approach ignores overhead costs which are assigned to products on the basis of their usage of direct labor. It assumes any activity without direct impact on the volume of goods produced, as it considers the main drivers to be the product. It gives inaccurate reports as it’s a traditional approach used in the past where overhead costs were ignored. This was as a result of these costs taking an extremely small part on the overall costs of the organization, which is different nowadays as they are significantly high and the company cannot afford to ignore them. It’s also a structure oriented approach, this implies that it’s more concerned with the chart of the organization rather than actual involvement in the production. It makes the process of production to be very shallow as it gives information concerning total amount of money used, without giving clear details of why it was spent. This brings a challenge incase the company wants to introduce measures of saving costs as no clear information given. Activity based cost accounting It’s a costing method which identifies all the activities involved in the organization concerning the production of goods. It assigns every activity the cost incurred in it before giving the full cost of production. It’s different from volume based which assumes products to be the main cost drivers unlike activities which are the main cost drivers. Activity based puts into consideration the overhead costs of the company enhancing their control through showing the relationship between activities in the organization and the costs incurred. It’s an efficient method as it enables analysts to have a clear cost links between the management responsibilities, products, organizational processes, customers and other cost drivers. Unlike volume based, this approach provides accurate computations as all cost drivers are examined basing them on the cost of running the company. Another benefit of this approach is that it provides the organization with clear ways which can be used when implementing measures of cost saving (Chang, Pelliser, 1996). It’s a process oriented approach as it gathers information about the costs of the firm through organizational process evaluation. Costs problems are well addressed as it provides elaborate information which is used in establishing efficient mechanisms and elaborate information relating to resources used in each activity. Organizational cost levels Unit level; it’s a level where cost is incurred in producing one unit of a product such as cost of cost of direct labor and materials. Batch level; it’s a level where cost is realized after producing a batch of goods such as cost incurred in planning. Product level; it’s a level where cost of every product is computed without considering how many units have been produced such as cost of designing the product. Facility level; these are indirect costs which cannot be linked to any single product such as office expenses and indirect labor. Activity system of costing shows all the activities that leads to overheads costs of the organization. Due to this system enhancing allocation of activity cost pools, it enables computation of the fixed costs in the organization which differentiates period costs from products costs. Recommendation Through the analysis of the two methods of costing, Competition Bikes needs to change from its costing method and adopt activity-based system of costing. The reason behind is that Competition Bikes have a very large portion of its total cost being the fixed cost of over $500000 dollars. Activity based system will help in identifying the different drivers of this cost hence enabling the company to establish measures of saving costs. This approach comprises of six activities namely;factory setups, engineering services, quality controls, products movements, depreciation and utilities. It also identifies cost drivers based on each activity such as setups, engineering, inspections on quality controls and by products used by the factory, which is different from volume based approach which makes it hard for the organization to implement strategies of cost saving. This system is very important as it will enable the company to have accurate costs estimations. This will provide different figures relating to fixed costs as opposed to volume based method. The system will enhance accurate computations by Competition Bikes and them to compute all costs occurring at each level that is variable costs at the unit level, cost of control at the batch level, cost of product movement at the product level and depreciation cost at the facility level. 2. A breakeven point. It’s a situation attained when the total cost of production of a particular product becomes equivalent to the cost of producing it. Its analysis is a very vital tool used in decision making by the business. It helps the business in determining the amount of product to be produced in order to make this product profitable through production plans. This enables the organization to make better decisions concerning prices of the goods from the unit level. Breakeven units It refers to the total number of units an organization is expected to produce in order to make the total cost equivalent to revenues obtained from this product. Titanium breakeven units is 1514, implying that Competition Bikes must sell such units of titanium for the organization to start realizing profits. The one for carbon lite is 915 while for the mix is 2429. This shows that the company needs to produce 2429 units of both products for the business to start making profits. They are calculated by dividing the organization’s fixed cost with the contribution margin. The contribution margin refers to the variation between prices of one unit of a product and the unit cost of the same product. It gives a reflection of amount of money that a specific sale contributes in relation to covering the fixed costs of a firm. The contribution margin fortitanium is $230 since the unit price for titanium is $1500 and its variable cost is $1270. Its sales mix is 550 units for titanium and 350 units for carbon lite. This shows that for every sale of 900 units made by the company, 550 are made up of titanium and the rest 350 are sales of carbonlite. This sales mix for both products is multiplied by their total contribution margin giving 234,500. It’s then divided by 900 so as to attain weighted average that gives a contribution margin of a single unit of the mix giving us 260.56. The contribution margin was obtained by dividing $500,000 by the common weight of the contribution margin giving us; Titanium = 550/900 * 2478 =1514 Carbonlite = 350/900*2478 = 964 Breakeven points in terms of dollars It gives an indication of the amounts of sales that have to be achieved so to enable the firm to cover its entire production cost. In terms of dollars, it’s obtained by multiplying units’ price of the product and its breakeven units. Titanium = 1514 units *$ 850= 1,286,900 Carbonlite= 964 units *1500= 1,446,000 The analysis above indicates that Competition Bikes has to make a sale 1,286,900 of titanium and 1,446,000 of carbonlite for the business to start realizing profits. b. Change in Breakeven analysis Any change made in the fixed costs of the organization brings an impact that is significant to the breakeven analysis. Breakeven point brings the relationship in the organization between its price, fixed costs, variable costs and the volume of sales. If the company decides to increase its fixed cost by $20,000 it gives a new value of $ 520,000. This indicates that the company needs to sell additional units so as to cover that increase. Any change in the business direct materials will also cause significant impact on the breakeven point. If the company increases the cost of direct materials with 20% of the cost, variable cost of both products will increase by the same margin. If contribution margin changes, it results to changes in the contribution margin of the weighted average. Since sales mix of carbonlite is 350, its contribution margin and sales mix becomes 15400. While that of titanium is 550, its contribution margin and sales mix becomes 104885 giving a total of 120,285. Average weight of the contribution margin 120,285/900= 133.65 Breakeven point for the mix 520,000/ 133.65 = 3900 Breakeven points using sales mix of each product Titanium = 550/ 900 * 3900= 2200 Carbonlite = 350/ 900 * 3900= 1517 Breakeven value change in terms of dollars Titanium = 2200 units *$850 = $1,870,000 Carbonlite = 1517 units *$1500 = $2,275,500 Conclusion Every business should adopt a costing system which helps in computing costs incurred in the business. This information is very important in making decisions concerning the prices of the products. Within the two systems of allocating costs, that is volume based and activity based systems of costing. Volume based is not an efficient method as it assumes that product is the main cost driver. Through the above analysis, it’s clear that Competition Bikes should adopt activity based system as it provides accurate information, elaborate information that can be used in providing cost saving mechanism. It has also considered the breakeven analysis which is an important tool in deciding the prices of commodities. Lastly, the report has shown that if there is a change in either the fixed or variable costs, it brings a significant effect on the costs. References Brimson, J. A. (1991). Activity accounting: an activity-based costing approach. J. Wiley. Cao, P., Toyabe, S. I., &Akazawa, K. (2006).Development of a practical costing method for hospitals.The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine, 208(3), 213-224. Park, S. E., & Lee, Y. K. (2006). Efficient bid pricing based on costing methods for Internet bid systems. In Web Information Systems–WISE 2006 (pp. 289-299). Springer Berlin Heidelberg Source document

Cost of Capital Essay

LEI’s expected net income this year is $34,285.72, its established dividend payout ratio is 30 percents, its federal-plus-state tax rate is 40 percent, and investors expect earnings and dividends to grow at a constant rate of 9 percent in the future. LEI paid a dividend of $3.60 per share last year, and its stock currently sells at a price of $54 per share. LEI can obtain new capital in the following ways: Preferred: New preferred stock with a dividend of $11 can be sold to the public at a price of $95 per share. Debt: Debt can be sold at an interest rate of 12 percent. a. Determine the cost of each capital structure component. b. Calculate the WACC. c. LEI has the following investment opportunities that are typical average-risk projects for the firm: Project Cost at t = 0 Which projects should LEI accept? Why? [2(382)] 2. The Heuser Company’s currently outstanding 10 percent coupon bonds have a yield to maturity of 12 percent. Heuser believes it could issue at par new bonds that would provide a similar yield to maturity. If its marginal tax rate is 35 percent, what is Heuser’s aftert-tax cost of debt? [2(383)] 3. Trivoli Industries plans to issue some $100 par preferred stock with an 11 percent dividend. The stock is selling on the market for $97.00, but Trivoli must pay flotation costs of 5 percent of the market price, so the net price that firm will receive is $92.15 per share. What is Trivoli’s cost of preferred stock with flotation considered? [2(383)] 4. Zwing-Zook Enterprises has a beta of 1.45. The risk-free rate is 6 percent and the expected return on the market portfolio is 10 percent. The company presently pays a dividend of $2 a share and investors expect it to experience a growth in dividends of 7 percent per annum for many years to come. a. What is the stock’s required rate of return according to CAPM? b. What is the stock’s present market price per share, assuming this required return? [1(77)]

Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 9

She was in his mind. It was all around her, like astrange and perilous world. A terribly frighteningworld, but one that was full of stark beauty. Everything was angles, as if she'd fallen into theheart of a giant crystal. Everything glittered, coldand clear and sharp. There were flashes of color aslight shimmered and reflected, but for the most part it was dazzling transparency in every direction. Like the fractured ice of a glacier. Really dangerous,Maggie thought. The spikes of crystal around her had edges like swords. The place looked as if it had never known warmth or softcolor. And youlive here?she thought to Delos. Go away.Delos's answering thought came to her.on a wave of cold wind. Get out! No,Maggie said. You can't scare me. I've climbed glaciers before.It was then that she realized whatthis place reminded her of. A summit. The bareand icy top of a mountain where no plants-andcertainly no people-could survive. But didn'tanything goodever happen to you? shewondered. Didn't you ever have a friend†¦or apet†¦ or something? No friends,he said shortly. No pets. Get out of here before I hurt you. Maggie didn't answer, because even as he said itthings were changing around her. It was as if the glinting surfaces of the nearby crystals were suddenly reflecting scenes, perfect little pictures withpeople moving in them. As soon as Maggie lookedat one, it swelled up and seemed to surround her. They were his memories. She was seeing bits ofhis childhood. She saw a child who had been treated as aweapon from the time he was born. It was all aboutsome prophecy. She saw men and women gatheredaround a little boy, four years old, whose blacklashed golden eyes were wide and frightened. â€Å"No question about it,† the oldest man was saying. Delos's teacher, Maggie realized, the knowledge flowing to her because Delos knew it, and shewas in Delos's mind. â€Å"This child is one of the Wild Powers,† theteacher said, and his voice was full of awe andfear. His trembling hands smoothed out a brittlepiece of scroll. As soon asMaggie saw it she knew that the scroll was terribly old and had been keptin the Dark Kingdom for centuries, preserved hereeven when it was lost to the outside world. â€Å"Four Wild Powers,† the old man said, â€Å"who willbe needed at the millennium to save the world-or-to destroy it. The prophecy tells where they willcome from.† And he read: â€Å"One from the land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One from the Day World where two eyes are watching; One from the twilight to be one with the dark.†, The child Delos looked around the circle of grim faces, hearing the words but not understandingthem. â€Å"‘The land of kings, long forgotten,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ a womanwas saying. â€Å"That must be the Dark Kingdom.† â€Å"Besides, we've seen what he can do,† a big mansaid roughly. â€Å"He's a Wild Power, all right. The bluefire is in his blood. He's learned to use it too early, though; he can't control it. See?† He grabbed a small arm-the left one-and heldit up. It was twisted somehow, the fingers clawed and stiff, immobile. The little boy tried to pull his hand away, but hewas too weak. The adults ignored him. â€Å"The king wants us to find spells to hold thepower in,† the woman said. â€Å"Or he'll damage himself permanently.† â€Å"Not to mention damaging us,† the rough mansaid, and laughed harshly. The little boy sat stiff and motionless as theyhandled him like a doll. His golden eyes were dryand his small jaw was clenched with the effort notto give in to tears. That's awful,Maggie said indignantly, aiming herthought at the Delos of the present. It's a terrible way to grow up. Wasn't there anybody who cared about you? Your father? Goaway, he said. I don't need your sympathy. And your arm,Maggie said, ignoring the cold emptiness of his thought. Is that what happens toitwhen you use the blue fire? He didn't answer, not in a thought directed ather. But another memory flashed in the facets of a crystal, and Maggie found herself drawn into it. She saw a five-year-old Delos with his armwrapped in what looked like splints or a brace. Asshe looked at it, she knew it wasn't just a brace. It was made of spells and wards to confine the blue fire. â€Å"This is it,† the woman who had spoken beforewas saying to the circle of men. â€Å"We can controlhim completely.† â€Å"Are you sure? You witches are careless sometimes. You're sure he can't use it at all now?† Theman who said it was tall, with a chilly, austereface-and yellow eyes like Delos's. Your father,Maggie said wonderingly to Delos. And his name was †¦ Tormentil? But †¦She couldn't go on, but she was thinking that he didn'tlook much like a loving father. He seemed just likethe others. â€Å"Until I remove the wards, he can't use it at all.I'm sure, majesty.† The woman said the last word in an everyday tone, but Maggie felt a little shock.Hearing somebody get called majesty-it made him moreof a king, somehow. â€Å"The longer they're left on, the weaker he'll be,† the woman continued. â€Å"And hecan't take them offhimself. But I can, at any time – â€Å" â€Å"And then he'll still be useful as a weapon?† â€Å"Yes. But blood has to run before he can use the blue fire.† The king said brusquely, â€Å"Show me.† The woman murmured a few words and strippedthe brace off the boy's arm. She took a knife fromher belt and with a quick, casual motion, like Maggie's grandmother guttinga salmon, opened a gash on his wrist. Five-year-old Delos didn't flinch or make asound. His golden eyes were fixed on his father's faceas blood dripped onto the floor. â€Å"I don't think this is a good idea,† the old teachersaid. â€Å"The blue fire isn't meant to be used like this,and it damages his arm every time he does it= â€Å"Now,† the king interrupted, ignoring him andspeaking to the child for the first time. â€Å"Show mehow strong you are, son. Turn the blue fire on †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He glanced up deliberately at the teacher. â€Å"Let'ssay-him.† â€Å"Majesty!† The old man gasped, backing againstthe wall. The golden eyes were wide and afraid. â€Å"Do it!† the king said sharply, and when the littleboy shook his head mutely, he closed his hand onone small shoulder. Maggie could see his fingerstighten painfully. â€Å"Do what I tell you. Now!† Delos turned his wide golden eyes on the old man, who was now shrinking and babbling, his trembling hands held up as if to ward off a blow. The king changed his grip, lifted the boy's arm. â€Å"Now, brat! Now!† Blue fire erupted. It poured in a continuousstream like the water from a high-power fire hose.It struck the old man and spreadeagled him againstthe wall, his eyes and mouth open with horror. Andthen there was no old man. There was only a shad owy silhouette made of ashes. â€Å"Interesting,† the king said, dropping the boy'sarm. His anger had disappeared as quicklyasithad come. â€Å"Actually, I thought there would bemore power. I thought it might take out the wall.† â€Å"Give him time.† The woman's voice was slightlythick, and she was swallowing over and over. â€Å"Well, no matter what, hell be useful.† The kingturned to look at the others in the room. â€Å"Remember-all of you. A time of darkness is coming. Theend of the millennium means the end of the world.But whatever happens outside, this kingdom isgoing to survive.† Throughout all of this, the little boy sat andstared at the place where the old man had been.His eyes were wide, the pupils huge and fixed. Hisface was white, but without expression. Maggie struggled to breathe. That's-that's themost terrible thing I've ever seen.She could hardly get the words of her thought out. Theymade you kill your teacher-he made you do it. Yourfather. She didn't know what to say. Sheturned blindly, trying to find Delos himself in this strange landscape, trying to talk to him directly.She wanted to look at him, to hold him. To comfort him. I'm so sorry. I'mso sorry you had to grow uplike that. Don't be stupid,he said. I grew up to be strong.That's what counts. You grew up without anyone loving you,Maggiesaid. He sent a thought like ice. Love is for weak people. It's a delusion. And it can be deadly. Maggie didn't know how to answer. She wanted to shake him. All that stuff about the end of the millennium and the end of the world-what did that mean? Exactly what it sounded like,Delos said briefly. The prophecies are coming true. The world o f hu mans is about to end in blood and darkness. And then the Night People are going to rule again. And that's why they turned a five-year-old into alethal weapon? Maggie wondered. The thoughtwasn't for Delos, but she could feel that he heard it. I am what I was meant to be,he said. And I don't want to be anything else. Are you sure?Maggie looked around. Althoughshe couldn't have described what she was doing, she knew what it was. She was looking forsomething†¦ something to prove to him †¦ A scene flashed in the crystal. The boy Delos was eight. He stood in front of apile of boulders, rocks the size of small cars. Hisfather stood behind him. â€Å"Now!† As soonasthe king spoke, the boy lifted his arm.Blue fire flashed. A boulder exploded, disintegrating into atoms. Again! Another rock shattered. â€Å"More power! You're not trying. You're useless!†The entire pile of boulders exploded. The bluefire kept streaming, taking out a stand of trees behind the boulders and crashing into the side of amountain. It chewed through the rock, meltingshale and granite like a flamethrower burning awooden door. The king smiled cruelly and slapped his son onthe back. â€Å"That's better.† No. That's horrible,Maggie told Delos. That'swrong. This is what it should be like. And she sent to him images of her own family.Not that the Neelys were anything special. Theywere like anybody. They had fights, some of them pretty bad. But there were lots of good times, too, and that was what she showed him. She showed him her life†¦ herself. Laughingasher father frantically blew on a flaming marshmallow on some long-past campingtrip. Smelling turpentine and watching magical colors unfold on canvasas her mother painted. Perch ing dangerously on the handlebars of a bike while Miles pedaled behind her, then shrieking all theway down a hill. Waking up to a rough warmtongue licking her face, opening one eye to see Jake the Great Dane panting happily. Blowing out candles at a birthday party. Ambushing Miles from herdoorway with a heavy-duty water rifle †¦ Who is that?Delos asked. He had been thawing;Maggie could feel it. There were so many thingsin the memories that were strange to him: yellowsunshine, modern houses, bicycles, machinerybut she could feel interest and wonder stir in himat the people. Until now, when she was showing him a sixteenyear-old Miles, a Miles who looked pretty muchlike the Miles of today. That's Miles. He's my brother. He's eighteen and he just started college.Maggie paused, trying to feel what Delos was thinking. He's the reason I'm here.He got involved with this girl called Sylvia-Ithinkshe's a witch. And then he disappeared. I went tosee Sylvia, and the next thing I know I'm waking up ina slave-trader's cart. In a place I never knew existed. Delos said, I see. Delos, do you know him? Have you seen him be fore?Maggie tried to keep the question calm. She would have thought she could see anything thatDelos was thinking, that it would all be reflected inthe crystals around her, that there was nothing he could hide. But now suddenly she wasn't sure. It's best for you to leave that alone,Delos said. I can't,Maggie snapped back. He's my brother! If he's in trouble I have to find him-I have to helphim. That's what I've been trying to explainto you. We help each other. Delos said, Why? Because we do. Because that's what people are supposed to do. And even you know that, somewhere down deep. You were trying to help me in my dream She could feel him pull away. Your dreams are just your fantasies. Maggie said flatly, No. Not this one. I had it before I met you. She could remember more of it now. Here in his mind thedetailswere coming to her, all the things that had been unclear before. And there was onlyone thing to do. She showed it to Delos. The mist, the figure appearing, calling her name.The wonder and joy in his face when he caughtsight of her. The way his hands closed on hershoulders, so gently, and the look of inexpressibletenderness in his eyes. And then -I remember!Maggie said. Youtold meto look for a pass,underneath a rock thatlooked likea wave about to break You told me to get awayfromhere, to escape. Andthen†¦ She remembered what had happened then, andfaltered. And then he had kissed her. She could feel it again, his breath a soft warmthon her cheek, and then the touch of his lips, just as soft. There had been so much in that kiss, somuch of himself revealed. It had been almost shy in its gentleness, but charged with a terrible passion, as if he had known it was the last kiss theywould ever share. It was †¦ so sad,Maggie said, faltering again.Not from embarrassment, but because she was suddenly filled with an intensity of emotion that fright ened her. I don't know what it meant, but it was so sad†¦. Then, belatedly, she realized what was happeningwith Delos. He was agitated. Violently agitated. The crystalworld around Maggie was trembling with denialand fury-and fear. That wasn't me. I'm not like that,he said in avoice that was like a sword made of ice. It was,she said, not harshly but quietly. I don't understand it, but it really was you. I don't understand any of this. But there's a connection betweenus. Look what's happening to us right now. Is thisnormal? Do you people always fall into each oth ers' minds? Get out!The words were a shout that echoedaround Maggie from every surface. She could feel his anger; it was huge, violent, like a primal storm. And she could feel the terror that was underneath it, and hear the word that he was thinking anddidn't want to think, that he was trying to bury and run away from. Soulmates.That was the word. Maggie couldsense what it meant. Two people connected, boundto each other forever, soul to soul, in a way thateven death couldn't break. Two souls that were destined for each other. It's a lie,Delos said fiercely. I don't believe in souls. I don't love anyone. And I don't have any feelings! And then the world broke apart. That was what it felt like. Suddenly, all aroundMaggie, the crystals were shattering and fracturing.Pieces were falling with the musical sound of ice.Nothing was stable, everything was turning to chaos. And then, so abruptly that she lost her breath,she was out of his mind. She was sitting on the ground in a small cave lit only by a dancing, flickering flame. Shadows wavered on the walls and ceiling. She was in her ownbody, and Delos was holding her in his arms. But even as she realized it, he pulled away and stood up. Even in the dimness she could see that his face was pale, his eyes fixed. As she got to her feet, she could see somethingelse, too. It was strange, but their minds were still connected, even though he'd thrown her out of his world. And what she saw†¦was herself. Herselfthrough his eyes. She saw someone who wasn't at all the frailblond princess type, not a bit languid and perfect and artificial. She saw a sturdy, rosy-brown girlwith a straight gaze. A girl with autumn-coloredhair, warm and vivid and real, and sorrel-coloredeyes. It was the eyes that caught her attention: there was a clarity and honesty in them, a depth and spaciousness that made mere prettiness seem cheap. Maggie caught her breath. Do I look like that? she wondered dizzily. I can't. I'd have noticed inthe mirror. But it was how he saw her. In his eyes, she wasthe only vibrant, living thing in a cold world of black and white. And she could feel the connectionbetween them tightening, drawing him toward her even as he tried to pull farther away. â€Å"No.†His voice was a bare whisper in the cave.†I'm not bound to you. I don't love you.† â€Å"Delos-!' I don't love anyone. I don't have feelings.† Maggie shook her head wordlessly. She didn'thave to speak, anyway. All the time he was tellingher how much he didn't love her, he was moving closer to her, fighting it every inch. â€Å"You mean nothing to me,† he raged through clenched teeth. â€Å"Nothing!† And then his face was inches away from hers, and she could see the flame burning in his golden eyes. â€Å"Nothing,† he whispered, and then his lipstouched hers.

E-Businesss Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E-Businesss Marketing - Essay Example By doing this an organization faces both the advantages and the disadvantages of conducting business internationally. Advantages include competing with multinational firms and exploiting regions more suited to the products of the firm. The disadvantages include; entering a new country successfully will require studying the culture of the country and adapting to the situation and the potential risk of failing. Security is one of the major issues that are being faced by any organization in the present world. Internet crime has been one of these problems for organizations doing business on the Internet. Viruses and hacking have become very common, steps to reduce these have been taken and are being taken. An organization doing business online must convince its customers that data transmitted about them while buying online is safe from hackers and alteration. This can be done by formulating a security policy that provides the most secure transactions. A good security policy not only builds trust within the consumers but also helps an organization build a reputable image. The organization should also be efficient in responding to potential threats that are present before they harm the organization in any way. Importance to systems privacy is given while formulating a security policy as it determines a user's freedom while using Internet to purchase from the organization's website. Integrity i s also given importance while formulating a security policy as to avoid policies that might hinder the cohesiveness of different systems that are integrated into the E-Business. Another major security issue apart from all these is the physical security of the system. Physical security ensures that a system is safe from physical damage and thefts. Ant viruses help organizations in conducting a secure e-business and Fire Walls help control the traffic flow, balancing activities and stopping unexpected actions. Fire Walls also restricts unauthorized access in the systems. A security system that I have recently been exposed to is McAfee Antivirus system that protects the System from viruses, hackers and different potential threats on the Internet. 3. Some of the specific security objectives for protecting Web business assets and customer privacy are: - How do you protect client computers from security threats - How do you protect information as it travels through the Internet communication channel - How do you protect the security of Web server computers Pick any one of these topics to give your discussion contribution. Protecting Client Computers from security threats is not a very easy task to accomplish but it's the most important one too. Until and unless a client computer is safe it's impossible to conduct e-business with trust. The main threats are hackers

Engineering Analysis 4 - Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Engineering Analysis 4 - - Assignment Example Its highly encouraged to use different methods apart from the above mentioned since they are able to yield precisely better results, a way to counter this problem. b Many Laplace Transform software have been developed to solve the differential equations, this software need someone with skills in computers and knowledge in the Laplace so as to use the software efficiently and to be able to guide it to produce error free results. Its encouraged to use the right software that has been tested for to reduce these errors. d The method is tiresome and one mistake in the process can produce wrong results. This can problem is easily countered by looking carefully at the equations and also making sure each variable is corresponding to the value its assigned. The Laplace transform is a method that is applied in solving linear ordinary differential equations. It finds its way in different fields such as in Physics, Control Engineering, electrical Engineering, Signal processing and also Optics. Here we look at different areas were its applied a Application in Physics (It is part of engineering study)- it can be used to solve the harmonics vibrations of the beams at their both end. The formula is correctly inserted to calculate these harmonics c In power system load frequency control- power systems are comprised of transmissions, generations and distributions of systems.There must be turbines which drives a generator that serves the load through distributing and transmission lines. C) The analytic solution does not give the exact solution of the y value. Furthermore, analytic method cannot be used to solve complex differential equations. Analytic solutions can only be used to solve ordinary differential equations of systems where approximations are allowed hence they cannot be used in the design of medical systems and other sensitive engineering systems. Analytic methods are used to solve system equations where complex

ENGLISH 4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ENGLISH 4 - Research Paper Example This keeps off diseases that cause death in humans. Even so, the presence of accidents both in the present and future stands out as the only deterrent to the achievement of this objective. Thus, this research report analyses examples from the article to determine the effectiveness and reliability of the emotional, ethical and logical appeals that the author uses to pass across the intended arguments and persuade the reader. Emotional Appeal In this essay, figurative language has been used to appeal to the reader’s emotions. For example, the word, â€Å"party,† has been used by the author in place of the word, â€Å"life,† as in the phrase â€Å"leave the party† (McCarthy 550). This portrays life as being fun that one cannot afford to lose. It thus becomes easier to have a discussion on immortality appeal to the readers. Therefore, the author uses this figurative language to emotionally gain the support of the reader on the need to increase human life so as to allow for a longer time of fun with life. Furthermore, the author appropriately uses metaphors and comparisons to appeal to the reader’s emotions. For example, talking of the â€Å"path of long life† and the â€Å"highway of immortality† aims at portraying the intended lifespan as being long, just as a path or highway is (McCarthy 544). Moreover, placing the phrases in the same paragraph helps the author make immortality more appealing by comparing it to a highway rather than long life which she compares to a path. The author makes immortality more appealing, even though both long life and immortality entail longer life. The author also uses irony to appeal emotionally to the reader. For example, â€Å"I have accepted my own mortality†¦ [but] I don’t accept the mortality of my loved ones†¦ I don’t want them ever to die† (McCarthy 548). This shows that the author is least concerned about whether she dies, but willing to do all i t takes to ensure that her loved ones do not die. It is ironical for one to wish others well more than self. The author uses this irony to emotionally gain the reader’s trust who will consider her as selfless. It, thus, becomes easier for such an audience to agree with the author’s arguments. Ethical Appeal In this essay, the author establishes ethos through appropriate choice of words. Use of technical terminologies related to the studies of human anatomy gives the article an ethical appeal. Terminologies used in human science such as DNA, chromosome and telomerase have been used by McCarthy (545) in the essay. This enables the author to convince the reader that she has the technical knowledge on human anatomy. The perception of a qualified author in the field of human science makes the reader qualify her as a reliable authority to discuss human immortality. Logical Appeal Examples used in the essay have been appropriately chosen so as to establish logos. The author h as borrowed examples from credible sources so as to logically appeal to the readers. The use of titles and describing the cited sources aims at establishing a logical appeal in the essay. For instance, McCarthy (545) cites the argument by Dr. Francis Collins, a director at the National Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH, that within the next 30 years, the genes responsible for aging in humans would have been known. She further cites Dr. Huber Warner, a director at the aging program biology based at the National Institute of Aging, NIA, as being optimistic about humans living longer through

Marketing Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Planning - Essay Example Starbucks would essentially adopt a value delivery based distribution strategy that would imply that the company adds value in each of the stages of distribution (Hooley & Graham, 2008, p.6). Starbucks would also try to undertake a vertical backward integration that would help the company reduce the cost leakage and would also enable greater value creation. This would help generate cost advantage that could be passed on to the customers as price discounts. Moreover, a backward integration would also enable the Starbucks to generate greater value in the finished product in the form of better quality standards as it would enable the firm to have greater control over the supply chain increasing its bargaining power to a considerable extent. This would also help the company to create entry barriers for new entrants. In addition to pricing and distribution marketing communications also plays a major role in the success of a product in the market. Starbucks would adopt an integrated market ing communication strategy that would include using multiple channels of communication. Considering the fact that Starbucks has its operation spread around diverse areas of the globe hence a ‘glocalisation’ strategy of thinking globally and acting locally would be followed by the company across its entire line of business. This would imply that the company would essentially take into account the local culture and sentiments of the target market while implementing the marketing communication strategy.... Considering the fact that Starbucks has its operation spread around diverse areas of the globe hence a ‘glocalisation’ strategy of thinking globally and acting locally would be followed by the company across its entire line of business. This would imply that the company would essentially take into account the local culture and sentiments of the target market while implementing the marketing communication strategy (Carey, 2007, p.143). New Product Launch New product development includes a number of steps beginning from idea generation, idea screening, evaluation, prototype launch, final screening and actual launch (Waters, 2006, p.278). A new product to be launched by Starbucks would be a smoothie that would be a blend of coffee and chocolates. The product would come up with fruit flavours that would essentially include local fruits as well as seasonal fruits. The new product would be positioned as a drink with a nutritional value that would also have a good taste and nut ritional value. The product would be targeted at the younger age group of 15-45 years. The company would launch this new product simultaneously across all the markets that are being currently served by the company. In this regard the company would add local tastes and flavours that would help the company easily popularise the product. This would be in line with the ‘glocalisation’ strategy of thinking globally and acting locally (Hamel, 2001, p.100). Starbucks would adopt an effective integrated marketing communication strategy that would essentially use different media sources including the print as well as electronic media. Billboards and hoardings would be also used to promote the new product. In addition attractive initial discount