Mma And Regina Settled On The Couch - 1490 Words

mma and Regina settled on the couch. Regina casually leaned sideways against the back, facing Emma, with her legs tucked underneath herself, while Emma sat rigidly, fiddling with her hands. â€Å"Why don’t you start by telling me what you have?† Regina asked. Emma took a deep breath, â€Å"Okay. Well, I have Ehlers-Danlos, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS for short, and Chronic Lyme Disease.† â€Å"I’ve heard of Lyme disease, but I didn’t know it could be chronic? And what are the other two?† â€Å"Ehlers-Danlos is a genetic condition where basically my body sucks at making collagen. The collagen my body produces is faulty. It’s um†¦it’s kinda like if you replaced a bottle of glue with honey, it will be sticky, but it won’t hold well, so†¦show more content†¦It doesn’t make what you’re going through any less significant. And what you’re going through doesn’t make you any less of a person.† â€Å"So†¦you still-you still want to, like, hang out with me and stuff? Even though I sleep a lot and sound like an idiot when I talk and can’t walk long distances and-† Regina chuckled and placed a kiss on the blonde’s lips. â€Å"Yes, I still want to ‘hang out with you and stuff.’ So what if we can’t run marathons together or go hiking through the mountains. I’m happy spending time with you no matter what we do.† â€Å"Really?† Emma said, shocked. â€Å"Yes, really.† â€Å"You’re awesome. You know that?† Regina laughed at what seemed to be the blonde’s favorite description of her. â€Å"I do believe you said that once before.† At that moment, Emma let out a huge yawn. â€Å"You’re exhausted aren’t you? I can tell you’re not feeling well either.† â€Å"I’m fine.† Regina raised an eyebrow in response. â€Å"Okay, okay! I feel like crap. I usually take a nap and have a day in bed after skating.† â€Å"You can take a nap here. I don’t mind.† â€Å"I’ll be-† â€Å"Fine?† Regina finished for her. She could tell Emma constantly pushed herself too much and was determined to get her to take a nap. â€Å"At least lie down. We can keep talking, just lie down, please?† Emma conceded and let her head be guided into Regina’s lap. Gentle fingers stroked Emma’s hair, and

Zara Case Study Answers - 2011 Words

Explain the data collected by Zara to predict the trend. What makes the middle aged mother to buy cloths in Zara while the daughter aged in mid 20s buys Zara clothing? Because it is fashion able and up to trend. By collecting data and focusing on shorter response times, the company ensures that its stores are able to carry clothes that the consumers want at that time. Zara can move from identifying a trend to having clothes in its stores within 30 days. That means Zara can quickly and catch a winning fashion trend, while its competitors are struggling to catch up. Catching fashion while its hot is a clear recipe for better margins with more sales happening at full prices and fewer discounts. In comparison, most retailers of comparable size†¦show more content†¦For that reason, most of all the products Zara offers globally are relatively standardized fashionable products. In terms of marketing costs, Zara relies more on having prime retail locations than on advertising for attracting customers into its stores. It spends a meager 0. 3 per cent of sales on advertising compared to an average of 3.5 of competitors according to the company, choosing highly visible locations for its stores renders advertising unnecessary. Zara provides following options to its targeted market:- Fashionable, affordable clothes Zara’s strategy is to offer cutting edge fashion at affordable prices by following fashion and identifying which styles are â€Å"hot†, and quickly getting the latest styles into stores. They can move from identifying a trend to having clothes ready for sale within 30 days (whereas most retailers take 4-12 months). This is made possible by controlling almost the whole garment supply chain from design to retail. Large choice of styles Zara produces around 1000 new styles every month, which means that fresh fashion trends reach the stores quickly. A typical Zara’s customer visits the store 17 times a year compared to the average of 3 times per year. This high number of styles also means that the commercial teams have more chances to find a winning style. Scarcity by reducing the manufactured quantity of each style, Zara creates artificial scarcity and lowers the risk of having stock it cannot sell. Scarcity in fashion increasesShow MoreRelatedCase Study - Zara International694 Words   |  3 PagesJay Case Study: Zara International Fashion at the Speed of Light Question 1: In what ways are elements of the classical and behavioral management approaches evident in how things are done at Zara International? How can systems concepts and contingency thinking explain the success of some of Zara’s distinctive practices? Answer 1: Elements of the classical management approach are very evident at Zara International. The classical management approach contains three branches, which are scientificRead MoreUnderstanding the Supply Demand Model913 Words   |  4 PagesOne of the situations that will change the result of the curve on the graph is when the Zara shoes price decreases (which is considered expensive among other shops like HM) and this will lead to the curve shifting to the right. Using the demand curve, it will show the quantity of Zara shoes the consumer could purchase when its price begins to fall; hence this results intomore consumersable to afford buying Zara shoes because the price has fallen than its expensive original price. With the shiftingRead MoreInformation Systems and Operations Management1750 Words   |  7 PagesPlease read the article: Zara: Fast fashion from savvy systems available for free at http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/gallaugher/41128#pdf-7 This article makes up Chapter 1 of the free, open access book titled, Information Systems: A Managers Guide to Harnessing Technology, by John Gallaugher. Please ensure that you read the entire Chapter 1 of the book consisting of 3 parts (Part 1 Introduction; Part 2 Don’t Guess, Gather Data; and Part 3 Moving Forward). Now answer the questions below: Read MoreMarketing and Customer Orientation1614 Words   |  7 PagesDiscuss what is meant by the term â€Å"customer orientation† for an organisation in the context of the marketing mix. Please discuss two elements of the marketing mix and illustrate your answer with examples of products or brands of your choice. This essay is for discussing customer orientation and analysis how customer orientation works. During this essay, I will show you what is customer orientation and compare it with other different orientations. In addition,Read MoreZara case study Essay2280 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿Coursework Header Sheet 209896-18 Course OPER1027: Operations Mngt: Proc/Value Ch Course School/Level BU/UG Coursework Case Study 1 Assessment Weight 25.00% Tutor J Whiteley Submission Deadline 25/11/2013 Coursework is receipted on the understanding that it is the students own work and that it has not, in whole or part, been presented elsewhere for assessment. Where material has been used from other sources it has been properly acknowledged in accordance with the UniversitysRead MoreZara Success2041 Words   |  9 PagesArab Open University Faculty of Business Studies Business Functions in Context I B203A -- Second Semester 2015-2016 Tutor Marked Assessment Managing Marketing Channels: Zara | One global retailer is expanding at a dizzying pace. Its on track for what appears to be world domination of its industry. Having built its own state-of-the art distribution network, the company is leaving the competition in the dust in terms of sales and profits, not to mention speed of inventory management andRead MoreAnalyzing Zara, S Supply Chain Essay3398 Words   |  14 PagesQUESTION 1 As completely as possible, sketch the supply chain for Zara from raw materials to consumer purchase. ANSWER ZARA’S SUPPLY CHAIN Description Zara makes about 40% of their raw material (fabric). The remaining 60% is outsourced from within Spain, mostly from the La Curuna. Designing of clothes at Zara is done by creative teams of over 300 professionals at the headquarters in La Curuna, Spain. They act on the information fed to them from the stores managers. The first stage inRead MoreInformation Technology2051 Words   |  9 Pagesrelate to the way Zara runs its business. What types of systems are the most essential for this company in its current environment? In this new era of globalization, the using of technology has been very common and can be conclude as part of human’s life. In order to survive in today’s challenging business world, every organization has to be confronted with highly competitive pressure to bring out more effectiveness and efficiency when running a business. This case study is about Zara, large internationalRead MoreZara Five Forces Analysis5583 Words   |  23 PagesThe role of market orientation on company performance through the development of sustainable competitive advantage: the Inditex-Zara case Andres Mazaira  University of Vigo, Oureuse, Spain E. Gonzalez  University of Vigo, Oureuse, Spain Ruth Avendano Ä University of Vigo, Oureuse, Spain Keywords Market orientation, Competitive advantage, Clothing industry, Organizational culture Abstract This paper has been developed as a part of research seeking to verify the effects of organisationalRead MoreZara Mis2318 Words   |  10 Pagescreating ZARA in 1975 in la Coruà ±a, Spain Zara came under the holding company Inditex in the year 1985 and is today the biggest fashion brand of the group. Zara believes that the prime factors for running a successful business are quick response to customers, use of computers, and disintegrated decision-making (McAfee, Dessain, amp; Sjoman, 2007) Inditex has a total of 1,558 stores operating in 45 countries out of which 550 stores are of Zara. Inditex’s major sales contribution is Zara accounting

Bloodlines Chapter Nine Free Essays

CONSIDERING I WAS ONLY SUPPOSED to visit Clarence’s twice a week for feedings, I was kind of amazed that I seemed to be here practically every day. Not only that, this was my first time visiting the estate alone. Before, I’d been with Keith or Jill and had a very well-defined goal. We will write a custom essay sample on Bloodlines Chapter Nine or any similar topic only for you Order Now Now, I was on my own. I hadn’t realized how much that would freak me out until I was approaching the house, which became even more looming and dark than usual. There’s nothing to be afraid of, I told myself. You’ve been with a vampire and dhampir all week. You should be used to it. Besides, really, the scariest thing about this place was the old house itself. Clarence and Lee weren’t all that intimidating, and Adrian†¦ well, Adrian was pretty much the least scary vampire I’d ever met. He was too bratty for me to feel any real fear, and actually†¦ as much as I hated to admit it, I kind of looked forward to seeing him. It made no sense, but something about his infuriating nature made me forget about my other worries. Weirdly, I felt like I could relax around him. Dorothy escorted me in, and I expected to be taken to the sitting room again. Instead, the housekeeper led me through a few twists and turns of the dark halls, finally landing in a billiards room that looked like it could have been straight out of Clue. More dark wood lined the room, and stained glass windows let in filtered sunlight. Most of the room’s illumination came from a hanging light centered over a rich green pool table. Adrian was lining up a shot as I shut the door behind me. â€Å"Oh,† he said, knocking a red ball into a hole. â€Å"It’s you.† â€Å"You were expecting someone else?† I asked. â€Å"Am I interrupting your social calendar?† I made a big show of glancing around the empty room. â€Å"I don’t want to keep you from the mob of fans beating down your door.† â€Å"Hey, a guy can hope. I mean, it’s not impossible that a car full of scantily clad sorority girls might break down outside and need my help.† â€Å"That’s true,† I said. â€Å"Maybe I can put a sign out front that says, ‘ATTENTION ALL GIRLS: FREE HELP HERE.'† â€Å"‘ATTENTION ALL HOT GIRLS,'† he corrected, straightening up. â€Å"Right,† I said, trying not to roll my eyes. â€Å"That’s an important distinction.† He pointed at me with the pool stick. â€Å"Speaking of hot, I like that uniform.† This time, I did roll my eyes. After Adrian had teased me last time about my uniform looking like my normal clothes, I’d made sure to change out of it before coming today. Now I wore dark jeans and a black-and-white printed blouse with a ruffled collar. I should have known the outfit change wouldn’t save me from his snark. â€Å"Are you the only one here?† I asked, noting his solo game. â€Å"Nah. Clarence is around doing†¦ I don’t know. Old man stuff. And I think Lee’s fixing that lock before he heads to LA. It’s kind of funny. He seems upset that he needs to use tools. He keeps thinking the strength of his own hands should be more than enough.† I couldn’t help a smile. â€Å"I don’t suppose you offered to help?† â€Å"Sage,† Adrian declared. â€Å"These hands don’t do manual labor.† He knocked another ball into a hole. â€Å"You want to play?† â€Å"What? With you?† â€Å"No, with Clarence.† He sighed at my dumbfounded look. â€Å"Yes, of course with me.† â€Å"No. I need to talk to you about Jill.† He was silent for a few moments and then returned to the game as though nothing had happened. â€Å"She wasn’t sick today.† He said that with certainty, though there was a funny, bitter tone to his words. â€Å"No. Well, not in the same way. She got sick out in the sun during PE. I’m going to see Keith after this to see if we can get a medical excuse.† I’d actually tried calling him earlier, with no luck. â€Å"But that’s not why I’m here. There’s a guy who likes Jill – a human guy.† â€Å"Have Castile rough him up.† I leaned back against the wall and sighed. â€Å"That’s the thing. I asked him to. Well, not rough him up, exactly. It’s Eddie’s roommate. I asked Eddie to tell him to back off and make up some reason for staying away from Jill – like that she’s too young.† Fearing Adrian would be as lax as Eddie in this, I asked, â€Å"You understand why it’s important, right? No Moroi and human dating?† He was watching the table, not me. â€Å"Yup, I’m with you there, Sage. But I still don’t see the problem.† â€Å"Eddie won’t do it. He says he doesn’t think Jill should be denied the chance to date and go to dances. That it’s okay if she and Micah hang out, so long as it doesn’t get serious.† Adrian was good at hiding his feelings, but this looked like it’d caught him by surprise. He straightened up and spun the base of the pool stick on the floor as he thought. â€Å"That is weird. I mean, I get the logic, and there’s something to it. She shouldn’t be forced into isolation while she’s here. I’m just surprised Castile came up with it.† â€Å"Yeah, but that’s a hard concept to live by. Where do you draw the ‘casual’ line? Honestly, I get this feeling Eddie just didn’t want to confront Micah – the roommate. Which is crazy, because Eddie doesn’t seem like the type to be afraid of anything. What is there about Micah that would make Eddie so uneasy?† â€Å"Is Micah some big, hulking guy?† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"He’s built, I guess. Good at sports. Really friendly and easygoing – not the type you’d have to be afraid would turn on you if you warned him away from your sister.† â€Å"Then you can talk to him. Or just talk to Jailbait and explain things to her.† Adrian seemed satisfied he’d solved the matter and knocked in the last ball. â€Å"That was my plan. I just wanted to make sure you’d back me. Jill listens to you, and I thought it’d be easier if she knew you agreed with me. Not that I even know how she feels. For all I know, this is all overkill.† â€Å"Can’t hurt to be too careful with her,† said Adrian. He stared off, lost in his own thoughts. â€Å"And I’ll let her know how I feel about it.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said, kind of surprised at how easy this had been. His green eyes danced mischievously. â€Å"Now will you play a round with me?† â€Å"I don’t really – â€Å" The door opened, and Lee walked in, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt. He was carrying a screwdriver. â€Å"Hey, Sydney. I thought I saw your car out there.† He glanced around. â€Å"Is, uh, Jill with you?† â€Å"Not today,† I said. New insight struck me as I recalled that Lee attended school in Los Angeles. â€Å"Lee, have you ever dated a human girl at your school?† Adrian arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Are you asking him out, Sage?† I scowled. â€Å"No!† Lee turned thoughtful. â€Å"No, not really. I have some human friends, and we go out as a group and hang out†¦ but I’ve never done more than that. LA’s a big place, though. There are Moroi girls around, if you know where to look.† Adrian perked up. â€Å"Oh?† My hope that Lee might tell Jill he too had to avoid dating faded. â€Å"Well, that would make your dating situation much easier than Jill’s.† â€Å"What do you mean?† asked Lee. I recapped everything to him about Micah and Eddie. Lee nodded along thoughtfully. â€Å"That is hard,† he admitted. â€Å"Can we go back to the part about Moroi girls hanging out in LA?† asked Adrian hopefully. â€Å"Can you direct me to some of the†¦ oh, let’s say, more open-minded ones?† Lee’s attention was on me, however. His easy smile grew uncertain, and he glanced at his feet. â€Å"This might seem kind of weird†¦ but I mean, I wouldn’t mind asking Jill out.† Adrian was on that before I could even think of a response. â€Å"What, do you mean like on a date? You son of a bitch! She’s only fifteen.† You never would’ve guessed he’d been talking about easy Moroi girls only moments before. â€Å"Adrian,† I said. â€Å"I’m guessing Lee’s definition of a date is a little different than yours.† â€Å"Sorry, Sage. You’ve got to trust me when it comes to dating definitions. Last I checked, you aren’t an expert in social matters. I mean, when was the last time you were even on a date?† It was just another of the witty barbs he tossed around so easily, but it stung a little. Was my lack of social experience that obvious? â€Å"But,† I added, ignoring Adrian’s question, â€Å"there is an age difference.† I honestly had no idea how old Lee was. His being in college gave me some clue, but Clarence seemed awfully old. Having a child late in life wasn’t that weird, though, for humans or Moroi. â€Å"There is,† said Lee. â€Å"I’m nineteen. Not a huge gap – but big enough. I shouldn’t have said anything.† He looked embarrassed, and I felt both sorry for him and confused for myself. Matchmaking wasn’t in the Alchemist handbook. â€Å"Why would you want to ask her out?† I asked. â€Å"I mean, she’s great. But are you just doing this to distract her from Micah and give her a safe dating alternative? Or do you, um, like her?† â€Å"Of course he likes her,† said Adrian, quick to defend Jill’s honor. I had a feeling that there was really no good way for Lee to answer at this point. If he expressed interest in her, Adrian’s bizarre chivalric instincts were going to kick in. If Lee wasn’t interested, Adrian would no doubt demand to know why Lee didn’t want to marry her then and there. It was one of those fascinating – but weird – quirks of Adrian’s personality. â€Å"I like her,† said Lee bluntly. â€Å"I’ve only talked to her a couple of times, but†¦ well, I’d really like to get to know her better.† Adrian scoffed, and I shot him a glare. â€Å"Once again,† I said. â€Å"I think you guys have different definitions for the same words.† â€Å"Not true,† said Adrian. â€Å"All guys mean the same thing when they want to ‘get to know a girl better.’ You’re a well-bred young lady, so I understand why you’d be too innocent to understand. Good thing you’ve got me here to interpret.† I turned back to Lee, not even bothering to respond to Adrian. â€Å"I think it’s fine if you go out with her.† â€Å"Assuming she’d even be interested,† said Lee, looking uncertain. I remembered her smile when he’d stopped to talk to her yesterday. That had seemed pretty promising. But then, so had her enthusiasm over Micah. â€Å"I bet she would.† â€Å"So you’re just going to let her go off alone?† asked Adrian, giving me a look that told me not to question him. This time, his concern was legitimate. I shared it. Jill was in Palm Springs to be safe. She was enrolled at Amberwood because it was also safe. Suddenly going out with a guy we hardly knew would not meet either Alchemist or guardian protocols for safety. â€Å"Well, she can’t even leave campus,† I said, thinking aloud. â€Å"Not without me.† â€Å"Whoa,† said Adrian, â€Å"if you get to come along as a chaperone, so do I.† â€Å"If we both do, then Eddie will want to as well,† I pointed out. â€Å"Doesn’t sound like much of a date.† â€Å"So?† Adrian’s brief moment of seriousness and concern had vanished in the face of what he saw as social fun. How could anyone’s mood flip so quickly? â€Å"Think of it as less of a date than a faux-family outing. One that will entertain me while protecting her virtue.† I put my hands on my hips and turned toward him. This seemed to amuse him more. â€Å"Adrian, we’re focusing on Jill here. This isn’t about your personal entertainment.† â€Å"Not true,† he said, green eyes sparkling. â€Å"Everything’s about my personal entertainment. The world is my stage. Keep it up – you’re becoming a star performer in the show.† Lee glanced between us with a comically helpless look. â€Å"Do you guys want to be alone?† I flushed. â€Å"Sorry.† Adrian made no apologies, of course. â€Å"Look,† said Lee, who kind of seemed like he was beginning to regret bringing this up at all. â€Å"I like her. If it means bringing your whole group so I can be with her, then that’s fine.† â€Å"Maybe it’s better this way,† I mused. â€Å"Maybe if we do more things as a group – aside from her feedings – she won’t be in danger of wanting to go out with a human guy.† Who we didn’t even know for sure that she was interested in. We didn’t even know if she was interested in Lee either. We were being awfully heavy-handed with her love life, I realized. â€Å"This is kind of what I wanted before,† Adrian said to me. â€Å"Just more of a social life.† I thought back to yesterday’s conversation, in which he’d demanded I find him lodging. â€Å"That’s not quite what you asked for.† â€Å"If you want to get out more,† said Lee, â€Å"you should come back to LA with me tonight. I’ll be back here after class tomorrow anyway, so it’d just be a quick trip.† Adrian brightened so much that I wondered if Lee had suggested it to try to smooth over any tension remaining about his interest in Jill. â€Å"Will you introduce me to those girls?† asked Adrian. â€Å"Unbelievable,† I said. Adrian’s double standard was ridiculous. I didn’t notice the door opening until Keith was completely in the room. I was never exactly happy to see him, but it was good luck that he was suddenly here, right when I needed to talk to him about Jill and her problems with PE. My best plan had been to show up at his apartment and hope to catch him there. He’d saved me the trouble. Keith looked at all three of us – but he didn’t share our smiles. No winks or pretty boy charm from him today. â€Å"I saw your car out there, Sydney,† he said sternly, turning to me. â€Å"What are you doing here?† â€Å"I had to talk to Adrian,† I said. â€Å"Did you get my message? I tried calling earlier.† â€Å"I’ve been busy,† he said crisply. His expression was hard, his tone chilling the room. Adrian and Lee had lost their smiles, and both now looked confused as they tried to figure out why Keith was so annoyed. I shared their curiosity. â€Å"Let’s talk. In private.† I suddenly felt like a naughty child without knowing why. â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"I†¦ I was just leaving anyway.† I moved to join Keith at the door. â€Å"Wait,† said Lee. â€Å"What about – † Adrian nudged him and shook his head, murmuring something I couldn’t hear. Lee stayed quiet. â€Å"See you around,† said Adrian cheerfully. â€Å"Don’t worry – I’ll remember what we talked about.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"See you guys later.† Keith left without a word, and I followed him out of the house and into the late-afternoon heat. The temperature had gone down since the ill-fated PE class but not by much. Keith trudged through the gravel driveway, coming to a halt beside Latte. His car was parked nearby. â€Å"That was rude,† I told him. â€Å"You didn’t even say goodbye to them.† â€Å"Sorry if I don’t bring out my best manners for vampires,† snapped Keith. â€Å"I’m not as close to them as you are.† â€Å"What’s that supposed to mean?† I demanded, crossing my arms. Staring him down, I felt all my old animosity bubble up. It was hard to believe that I’d been laughing just a minute ago. Keith sneered. â€Å"Just that you seemed awfully cozy with them in there – hanging out, having a good time. I didn’t know this was where you spent your free time after school.† â€Å"How dare you! I came here on business,† I growled. â€Å"Yeah, I could tell.† â€Å"I did. I had to talk to Adrian about Jill.† â€Å"I don’t recall him being her guardian.† â€Å"He cares about her,† I argued. â€Å"Just like any of us would for a friend.† â€Å"Friend? They’re not like us at all,† said Keith. â€Å"They’re godless and unnatural, and you have no business being friends with any of them.† I wanted to shout back that from what I’d observed, Lee was a hundred times more decent of a person than Keith would ever be. Even Adrian was. It was only at the last second that my training kicked in. Don’t raise a fuss. Don’t contradict your superiors. No matter how much I hated it, Keith was in charge here. I took a deep breath. â€Å"It was hardly fraternizing. I simply came by to talk to Adrian, and Lee happened to be here. It wasn’t like we’d all been planning some big party.† Best not to mention the group date plan. â€Å"Why didn’t you just call Adrian if you had a question? You called me.† Because being face-to-face with him is less sickening than being around you. â€Å"It was important. And when I couldn’t get ahold of you, I figured I’d have to drive over to your place anyway.† Hoping to shift away from my â€Å"bad behavior,† I jumped in and recapped everything that had happened today, including Jill’s sun exposure and Micah’s attentions. â€Å"Of course she can’t date him,† he exclaimed, after I’d explained about Micah. â€Å"You have to put a stop to that.† â€Å"I’m trying. And Adrian and Lee said they’d help.† â€Å"Oh, well, I feel a lot better now.† Keith shook his head. â€Å"Don’t be naive, Sydney. I told you. They don’t care about this stuff as much as we do.† â€Å"I think they do,† I argued. â€Å"Adrian seemed to get it, and he has a lot of influence over Jill.† â€Å"Well, he’s not the one the Alchemists are going to come after and send off to re-education for playing around with vampires when she should be disciplining them.† I could only stare. I wasn’t sure which part of what he’d just said was more offensive: the well-worn insinuation that I was a â€Å"vamp lover† or that I was capable of â€Å"disciplining† any of them. I should’ve known his false friendliness wouldn’t last. â€Å"I’m doing my job here,† I said, still keeping my voice level. â€Å"And from what I can see, I’m doing more work than you, since I’m the one who’s been putting out fires all week.† I knew it was an illusion, seeing as the glass eye couldn’t really stare, but I felt like he was glaring at me with both eyes. â€Å"I’m doing plenty. Don’t even think to criticize me.† â€Å"What were you doing here?† I asked, suddenly realizing how weird that was. He’d accused me of â€Å"socializing† but had never explained his motives. â€Å"I had to see Clarence, not that it’s any of your business.† I wanted more details but refused to let on how curious I was. He’d been here yesterday too, according to Lee. â€Å"Will you call the school tomorrow and get Jill excused from PE?† Keith gave me a long and heavy look. â€Å"No.† â€Å"What? Why not?† â€Å"Because being out in the sun won’t kill her.† Again, I bit down on my anger and tried for the diplomacy I’d been schooled in. â€Å"Keith, you didn’t see her. Maybe it won’t kill her, but it was miserable for her. She was in agony.† â€Å"I don’t really care if they’re miserable or not,† Keith said. â€Å"And neither should you. Our job is to keep her alive. There was no mention of making sure she’s happy and comfortable.† â€Å"I wouldn’t think anyone would have to tell us,† I said, aghast. Why was he so upset? â€Å"I’d think being sensitive human beings, we could just do it.† â€Å"Well, now you can. You can either get someone above us to issue a note to the school or you can give her ice baths after gym class. I really don’t care what you do, but maybe it’ll keep you busy enough that you’ll stop coming over here unannounced and throwing yourself at creatures of darkness. Don’t let me hear about this happening again.† â€Å"You are unbelievable,† I said. I was too upset and at a loss for words to manage anything more eloquent. â€Å"I’m looking out for your soul,† he said loftily. â€Å"It’s the least I can do for your dad. Too bad you aren’t more like your sisters.† Keith turned his back on me and unlocked the car door without another word. He got in and drove off, leaving me staring. Tears threatened my eyes, and I swallowed them back. I felt like an idiot – but not because of his accusations. I didn’t believe for an instant that I’d done anything wrong by coming over here. No, I was mad – mad at myself – because I’d let him walk away with the last word and because I hadn’t had the nerve to say anything back. I’d stayed silent, just like everyone always told me to. I kicked the gravel in my anger, sending a spray of it into the air. A few small rocks hit my car, and I winced. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Would he accuse you of being evil for talking to an inanimate object?† I spun around, heart racing. Adrian was leaning against the house, smoking. â€Å"Where did you come from?† I demanded. Even though I knew everything there was to know about vampires, it was hard to shake superstitious fears of them appearing out of thin air. â€Å"Other door,† he explained. â€Å"I went out to smoke and overheard the commotion.† â€Å"It’s rude to eavesdrop,† I said, knowing I sounded unbearably prim but unable to stop myself. â€Å"It’s rude to be an asshole like that.† Adrian nodded toward where Keith had driven away. â€Å"Are you going to be able to get Jill out of class?† I sighed, suddenly feeling tired. â€Å"Yeah, I should be able to. It’ll just take a little longer while I get some other Alchemist to be our fake parents. Would’ve been a lot faster if Keith had done it.† â€Å"Thanks for looking out for her, Sage. You’re okay. For a human.† I almost laughed. â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"You can say it too, you know.† I walked over to Latte and paused. â€Å"Say what?† â€Å"That I’m okay†¦ for a vampire,† he explained. I shook my head, still smiling. â€Å"You’ll have a hard time getting any Alchemist to admit that. But I can say you’re okay for an irreverent party boy with occasional moments of brilliance.† â€Å"Brilliant? You think I’m brilliant?† He threw his hands skyward. â€Å"You hear that, world? Sage says I’m brilliant.† â€Å"That’s not what I said!† He dropped the cigarette and stamped it out, giving me a devil-may-care grin. â€Å"Thanks for the ego boost. I’m going to go tell Clarence and Lee all about your high opinion.† â€Å"Hey, I didn’t – â€Å" But he was already gone. As I drove away, I decided the Alchemists needed an entire department devoted to handling Adrian Ivashkov. When I got back to my dorm room, I found Jill sitting surrounded in textbooks and papers, undoubtedly trying to catch up from yesterday. â€Å"Wow,† I said, thinking of the homework that waited for me too. â€Å"You’ve got a whole command center set up.† Rather than smile at my joke, Jill looked up with an icy gaze. â€Å"Do you think,† she said, â€Å"that maybe next time you want to mess with my dating life, you could talk to me first?† I was speechless. Adrian had said he’d talk to Jill. I just hadn’t realized it’d be so quickly. â€Å"You don’t have to go behind my back to keep me away from Micah,† she added. â€Å"I’m not stupid. I know I can’t date a human.† So Adrian had apparently told her that much. â€Å"And,† Jill continued, still in that cold tone, â€Å"you don’t have to set me up with the only eligible Moroi within a hundred miles in order to keep me out of trouble.† Okay†¦ Adrian had apparently told her everything. I would’ve expected more discretion from him, especially with the Lee part. â€Å"We†¦ we weren’t setting you up,† I said lamely. â€Å"Lee wanted to ask you out anyway.† â€Å"But rather than talk to me, he asked permission from you guys! You don’t control my life.† â€Å"I know that,† I said. â€Å"We weren’t trying to!† How had this just blown up right in front of me? â€Å"Lee acted on his own.† â€Å"Just like you did when you went to talk to Adrian behind my back.† Her eyes glittered with angry tears, daring me to deny it. I couldn’t and only now realized the wrongness of what I’d done. Ever since she found out she was royal, Jill had watched other people dictate her life for her. Maybe my intentions to get Adrian to talk to her about Micah were good, but I’d addressed them in the wrong way. â€Å"You’re right,† I said. â€Å"I’m sorry that I – â€Å" â€Å"Forget it,† she said, slipping a pair of headphones on. â€Å"I don’t want to hear any more. You made me look stupid in front of both Adrian and Lee. Not that they’ll even think twice about me in Los Angeles tonight.† She waved a hand at me and looked down at the book in front of her. â€Å"I’m done with you.† Whether she couldn’t hear me because of the music or simply because she’d now chosen to ignore me, I couldn’t say. All I knew was that I once again found myself comparing her to Zoe. Just like with Zoe, I’d tried to do something good for Jill, and it had backfired. Just like with Zoe, I’d ended up hurting and humiliating the one I’d tried to protect. Sorry, Sage. Last I checked, you aren’t an expert in social matters. That, I thought bitterly, was the saddest part of all – that Adrian Ivashkov was right. How to cite Bloodlines Chapter Nine, Essay examples

Dixon Case free essay sample

In order to calculate WACC, we need to first start with the beta of equity. We are given the beta of equity of 1.06 of Dixon as a firm in Exhibit 7. However, the beta given is not an appropriate measure of the systematic risk of the Collinsville Plant, because Dixon produces many other chemical products other than Sodium Chlorate. Therefore, in order to accurately capture the systematic risk of the plant which only produces Sodium Chlorate, we decided to calculate the beta of equity with comparable firms’ beta. Selection of Comparable Firms: We use â€Å"Brunswick Chemical† and â€Å"Southern Chemicals† as the comps to calculate the ÃŽ ²E ,because they are firms that only produce Sodium Chlorate that have similar capital structure as Dixon and are located in the Southeastern region. Static or Dynamic Debt: We determine that Dixon has dynamic debt to keep a relative constant D/E ratio from the data available in the financial statements of Dixon Corporation (Exhibit 7); therefore, the â€Å"tax term† is removed from our calculation of WACC. 3 million in 1980 and rise steadily to a stabilized level of near $12 million by 1984. A 15% power reduction will lead to savings of $1. 16 million in 1981 and annual savings of $1. 77 million from 1984 – 1989. A 20% power reduction will lead to savings of $1. 55 million in 1981 and annual savings of $2. 36 million from 1984 – 1989. In the calculation of incremental cash flow from these improvements, we also must factor in the initial outlay of $2. 25 million and the effects of depreciation. Since the improvement is depreciated over ten years, we have an annual increase to cash flow of $225,000, which is the annual depreciation expense. We have started effects on cash flow besides initial outlay in 1981 due to the installation taking place at the very end of 1980. No effects from the improvements will be realized in 1980. Overall, the installation of this laminate is a great project. Power savings will lead to an IRR of 16. 37% for the 15% power reduction case and 18. 14% for the 20% power reduction case. The NPV of the project became positive $ 97,000 for the 15% power reduction case and $ 1. 23 million for the 20% power reduction case when discounting at the WACC (Exhibit III). Attractiveness of Collinsville Proposal on economic grounds From an economic standpoint, the Collinsville proposal is not attractive due to a negative NPV. This acquisition will devalue of the firm by $ 1. 8 million and will provide a 12. 86% IRR which is below WACC for Collinsville plant. Namely, expected return of the project will not satisfy estimated risk. Thus, Dixon should not invent in the plant and is recommended to research other alternative projects if possible. In more competitive market, easier entrants can push any economic revenue down to â€Å"zero. † The sole reason why the firm decides to enter the competitive market is to take alive economic revenue. For this Collinsville plant, there is no economic driver for Dixon to enter the market with the acquisition. Attractiveness of Collinsville Proposal on Strategic grounds From a strategic standpoint, Collinsville appears to be a good investment for Dixon even though there is no beneficial motivation on economic ground. From the fact that Dixon Corporation had produced a number of chemicals for sales primarily to the paper and pulp industry, it can be said that it is a value-added business with the experience rather than venturous business. As such, the acquisition of the Collinsville plant would fit well with Dixon’s strategy, incorporating a new product in its business, thereby giving it a more comprehensive range of products and a new source of revenue. In addition, since Dixon and Collinsville share a number of major customers, economies of scale can be applied, allowing the corporation to save on selling costs by marketing sodium chlorate through Dixon’s existing sales group. Besides the potential synergies obtained from acquiring Collinsville, Dixon should consider the opportunity costs incurred if they do not purchase the plant. For one, if Dixon does not acquire the plant it is a reasonable assumption that one of their competitors will. Another consideration is the market share Dixon may gain from expanding its product line. Decision and Recommendations We believe that Dixon should not approve the acquisition of the Collinsville plant. This acquisition has a negative NPV and will devalue $1. 8 million of value to the firm. Even though there is benefit on strategic grounds, it is still hard to say firmly â€Å"But it. † We made some requirement to approve the acquisition. Only condition is that Dixon guarantees benefits on both strategic and economic grounds. We analyzed that there is strategic benefit to acquire the plant. In other hands, we were unable to find economic driver for Dixon. As we projected â€Å"Incremental Cash Flows Associated with Acquisition with Laminate Technology Investment†, we know a way that can overturn a negative NPV to a positive NPV. That is Ramp;D. Investment in new technology would be only way for Dixon to survive this competitive market and be leading company. There should be cash outflow for Ramp;D expenditure, but it would bring competitive advantage of cost-saving which results in considerable increasing of IRR and NPV. From the fact that Ramp;D is the most important factor on this project decision, we recommend the Dixon to invest/ acquire plant that is long-lived. And with less attractive appreciation schedule with longer term, purchase price would be amicably negotiable. We would recommend that Dixon would choose to invest in another project even it had never experienced. It should also satisfy benefits on both strategic and economic ground. Within the scope, if Dixon finds an alternative project meeting both benefits and has favorable funding required, it will be more valuable project than Collinsville plant. The dilemma for Dixon to make a decision on any potential project is the degree of importance on strategic and economic grounds. We understand that both are critical criteria for project judgment. But we insisted that importance on strategic ground is superior to that on economic ground. Simply, economic ground depends on whether NPV is greater than zero or not. It is like â€Å"True/False† question. Once, Dixon sees there is economic benefit, the strategic driver dominates. This strategic approach is long-term driven business implementation.