Eâ€commerce and management information system

E–commerce and management information system Question This report is based around an in depth critical appraisal of the use of information systems by an organisation of my choice. Choose an organisation Research the activities of the organisation and how it makes use of information systems to help it undertake these activities Critique its use of information systems Provide recommendations for the future use of information system by the organisation. Dr Ger (2010). Individual Assignment, from S708. E Commerce and Management Information System. London College of Business on April, 2010. Available from : Blackboard.( Access o 08/04/10) Answer Background to organisation My chosen organisation is Metropole College. Metropole College Ltd, trading as Metropole Learning is a private company, limited by guarantee. It was established in 1994 and started delivering government funded provision in January 2000, offering Basic Employability Training. In 2001, Metropole Learning started delivering contracts for the Employment Services now (JobcentrePlus) in Basic Employability Training (ESOL and Literacy). In 2003, they started delivering a range of workforce development, this had made the organisation to grow, and this growth continues today. The companys future plan is expand the current delivery and to also to offer teacher training for the new staff. http://www.metropolecollege.com/en/about-us/our-history Services The company render services ( in the area of lifelong learning sector) that are designed to enable adults to get closer to the labour market and to help these learners to maintained/sustained employment by given them long time support at work. They offer the following courses; ESOL, Literacy, Employability, Information Technology (IT/Computer) and give support or assistant in the following areas; Individual Learning Support, Information, Advice and Guidance (I.A.G). http://www.metropolecollege.com/en/our-services The companys services is actually in two sections Pre Employability Post Employability Pre Employability services: here the company help and give support to the learners by improving their language. Their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills are improved through ESOL course. They also improve their employability skills in order to put them on the labour ladder. The learners achieve these skills through employability and IT/computer courses. http://metropole.test-host.net/our-services/pre-employability Post Employability services: metropole provides work based, and flexible learning solution for employed people. http://metropole.test-host.net/our-services/post-employability Aim and objective of Metropole College The ultimate goal of the company is to support the learners into sustained employment. http://www.metropolecollege.com/en/about-us/our-history Bibliography Metropole College (n.d) Our History. (WWW) Metropole College. Available from http://www.metropolecollege.com/en/about-us/our-history Metropole College (n.d) Pre Employability. (WWW) Metropole College. Available from http://metropole.test-host.net/our-services/post-employability (Accessed on 07/04/10) Metropole College (n.d) Pre Employability. (WWW) Metropole College. Available from http://metropole.test-host.net/our-services/pre-employability (Accessed on 07/04/10) Metropole College (n.d) Our services. (WWW) Metropole College. Available from http://www.metropolecollege.com/en/our-services (Accessed on 07/04/10) Metropole College (n.d) Our History. (WWW) Metropole College. Available from http://www.metropolecollege.com/en/about-us/our-history (Accessed on 07/04/10)

Red Bull’s current marketing strategies Essay

How should Red Bull market its brand in the future? I think, although Red Bull has been extremely successful in the past, times have changed and the company and products should change with it, otherwise we probably lose market share to the tremendous increased number of competitors in no time.At the height of early mornings and late nights, Red Bull energy drink became the fuel of choice for people from all walks of life. So how is Red Bull marketing its brand to meet the changing needs and budgets of its customers? How will the privately owned Austrian company expand its product line beyond the silver-bullet beverage that â€Å"gives you wings†? My conclusion is that we should focus on what the consumers want, need, and can afford and different marketing techniques. Red Bull founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, introduced his â€Å"tonic drinks† to the Austrian market in 1987. â€Å"Red Bull got off the ground in no time flat, giving people wings right from the start.† It wasn’t until ten years later, Red Bull charged into the United States, launching a new category of non-soda energy drinks aimed at burned out high school kids, college students, and overworked individuals. In my opinion Red Bull should focus not only on low cost marketing, but also areas of mass marketing. Red Bull is an energy drink with an amazingly clever marketing strategy, but could use an extra shove in areas. Since its inception, Red Bull has shunned print advertising in its marketing strategy. Red Bull has also chosen to eliminate billboards, banner ads, taxicab holograms, blimps, and Super Bowl spots as a form of advertising. It has not created one web-marketing campaign, and it hasn’t nipped or expanded its product line. This could be a good area to begin. Promoting the drink with prints or web-marketing campaigns could add to the many satisfied consumers. Red Bull’s website could also use renovations. The website, http://www.redbullusa.com/start.html, does not include an in-depth analysis on ingredients contained in the drink, whereas Dark Dog and Red Devil do. If consumers wanted to learn what was contained in the drink and how they benefit from the product, the information should not only be available, but in abundance. Also, Super Bowl advertising has proved to be very beneficial,  with more viewers than any TV program. Advanced communications technology is creating a generation where many individual can be touched by one visual. However, Red Bull chooses to use advertising that cost little or nothing. Red Bull has also adopted another form of low cost advertising. Red Bull sets its grassroots ethic into motion with a simple, yet masterful marketing force, student brand managers. In Europe, collegiate buzz junkies have been successfully addicting friends and classmates for years thanks to a foolproof branding plan; Red Bull provides the student representatives with free cases of its energy drink and then encourages the kids to throw a party. Red Bull could also use this technique with older individuals in high stress occupations. This will not only spread the word quickly and cheaply, but to more individuals of different ages. This would allow Red Bull to expand its target. â€Å"In terms of attracting new customers and enhancing consumer loyalty, Red Bull has a more effective branding campaign than Coke or Pepsi,† says Nancy F. Koehn, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and author of Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers’ Trust from Wedgwood to Dell (Harvard Business School Press, 2001). â€Å"Red Bull is building a beverage brand without relying on the essential equipment of a mass-marketing campaign. Perhaps the indispensable tools of marketing aren’t so indispensable after all.† With the little advertising Red Bull uses, an extra push in one of these areas could prove very beneficial for the company. Resources: Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers’ Trust from Wedgwood to Dell (Harvard Business School Press, 2001) http://www.redbullusa.com/start.html http://www.plan-b.biz/pdf/Speed_In_a_Can.pdf http://www.darkdog.com/ http://www.reddevilusa.com/ http://www.safefoodonline.com/safefood/Uploads/appendix_I_stimulant_drinks_in_ireland%2520_trans_mgmt.pdf

The Military Industrial Complex On Foreign Policy Decision...

In his farewell address to the nation in 1961, President Eisenhower warned the country of the â€Å"acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex† (Eisenhower 1961). Despite being a warning from so long ago, time has vindicated Eisenhower’s words. From the time of Eisenhower to present day, the United States has seen an unprecedented growth of the power, size, and influence of the military industrial complex. Today, the military industrial complex exerts great pressure on the foreign policy decision making process of the United States government. This sad state of affairs is the result of a multitude of factors, including iron triangles and issue networks, as well as the foreign policy bureaucracies that serve as actors within these paradigms. In order to fully understand the influence of the military industrial complex on foreign policy decision making, one must first understand the role of the foreign policy burea ucracies in our government. Bureaucratic agencies in the government such as the State Department, Department of Defense, are the primary architects of foreign policy. Of course, the President cannot be the one making the decisions for each and every minutiae of foreign policy. Having bureaucracies in charge of decision making has several advantages. They tend to be extremely efficient, and are capable of functioning independently on a daily basis. Foreign policy bureaucracies are able to become extremelyShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Cyber Security1258 Words   |  6 Pagesgovernment is weak and incapacitated on the world stage, making us dependent upon the very people who wish to annihilate us. 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Different Methods Of Cognitive Behavior Therapy - 1474 Words

This summary will provide the reader with different methods of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. CBT can be used for multiple populations and is known for changing the way one thinks. This summary will focus on the use of CBT with children who have experienced a traumatic event in their life, also known as post traumatic disorder (PTSD). The articles that have been reviewed provide different interventions for children who have experienced PTSD and determine how effective the methods were. According to (Cary McMillen, 2012) authors of the article The data behind the dissemination: A systematic review of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for use with children and youth Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) has been used†¦show more content†¦Current research by Bisson Andrew (as cited in Cary McMillen, 2012) reveal that TF-CBT for children and youth has no public systematic review, however there are several reasons why this intervention is effective at reducing PTSD. There have been several randomized trails branded by TF-CBT that have produced positive outcomes. The National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP), gave TF-CBT between a 3.6 and a 3.8 out of 4.0 possible points based on its effectiveness of PTSD. The article discussed a systematic review of TF-CBT intervention’s ability to reduce symptoms of PSTD. About 12 months after termination of treatment the pooled estimates indicated that TF-CBT was highly effective at reducing symptoms of PTSD compared to other interventions. People who suffer with PTSD from traumatic experiences results show that TF-CBT effectively helps them. This is an important finding because it confirms that if a clinician gets trained in TF-CBT they will be able to help children around the world who have been traumatized (Cary McMillen, 2012). In the article Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of PTSD with Comorbid Panic Attacks authors (Falsetti, Resnick, 2000) suggest that people who face a traumatic event in life such as physical and sexual assault develop PTSD. The intervention that was used in this study was called multiple channel exposure therapy (M-CET). This intervention has been used to treat women who’ve had multiple traumatic incidents. This

The Life Of Catherine Malabou And Levi Bryant - 1631 Words

Catherine Malabou and Levi Bryant: A critical comparison of materialisms Speculative materialism arose in response to the post-Kantian philosophy of correlationism. Scholars have since debated the relationship of the perceived (object) and the perceiver (subject). Kant’s transcendental materialist philosophy supports what Quentin Meillassoux terms weak correlationism in that it allows for the thinking of the unknowable. However, strong correlationist (i.e. Heidegger and Hegel) refute that humans can escape their own thoughts, therefore making it impossible to know or even imagine that anything outside of the correlationist circle (objects in and of themselves) exists. Both Catherine Malabou and Levi Bryant can be seen as emphasizing speculative materialism in that they attempt to move beyond this subject-object correlate. While Malabou describes neuronal plasticity in What Should We Do With Our Brain, Bryant focuses on â€Å"machines† and their ontology in Onto-Cartography: An Ontology of Machines and Media. Malabou’s ultimate descr iption of the resistance and contradiction between the brain and mind fails to be accounted for by Bryant’s ontology and conception of â€Å"machines†. Bryant’s object oriented ontology does little to explain the origin of freedom in his â€Å"machines† (whereby we can begin to take charge of society); however, Bryant does suggest the use of thermopolitics to attack institutions. Together, Malabou and Bryant’s philosophies provide new ways of thinking about

Storm Born Chapter Fifteen Free Essays

string(54) " Her fingertips grazed my cheek, icy cold but gentle\." I don’t care how old you get or how tough you are. Nothing, nothing at all, can ever replace your mother taking care of you when you’re sick. The feel of a cool, wet cloth touched my head, and the sound of familiar humming just barely penetrated my weary brain. We will write a custom essay sample on Storm Born Chapter Fifteen or any similar topic only for you Order Now I opened my eyes and saw the same funny-shaped pieces of sunlight cast through my blinds onto the bedroom ceiling. Only this time, their positions had changed, their colors dimmer and darker orange. The humming abruptly stopped. â€Å"Eugenie?† â€Å"Mom,† I croaked. My throat felt torn and raw. She moved into my field of vision, face drawn with worry. I couldn’t believe it. She looked almost entirely normal. Her hair had a bit of a wind-swept look, and I could see a few bruises. Other than that, she seemed fine, not like she’d just endured a paranormal attack and subsequent magically induced maelstrom. For just a moment, I questioned my own memories. Had I imagined what happened? Had it been a trick or a vision? No. I felt like shit. No delusion could have caused this pain. â€Å"You’re okay?† I asked doubtfully. She nodded. â€Å"Fine. What about you?† I tentatively attempted to make contact with the muscles in my body. They told me to leave them the fuck alone. â€Å"I hurt.† She adjusted the cloth on my head, making it fractionally more perfect. As she leaned over, a lock of her hair slipped forward, and I made out muddy fingerprints on her neck. No. Definitely not my imagination. â€Å"I called Roland. He was up in Flagstaff with Bill. He’s on his way back now – should be here in a couple of hours.† â€Å"Mom†¦how’d you recover?† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"You were really messed up from those spirits. Don’t you remember?† â€Å"I got a little shaken up but nothing worse. Nothing like you.† She frowned, giving a little sigh. â€Å"God, how I wish you were a lawyer instead. Or maybe a pharmacist.† â€Å"What do you remember happening?† â€Å"Not much,† she admitted. â€Å"I remember going after one of those†¦creatures. After that, it’s a blur. I must have panicked. Your living room is, uh, going to need some help.† I closed my eyes, feeling tired. My living room would probably need to be bulldozed and rebuilt from scratch. No telling how the rest of the house had fared. It could probably collapse at any moment. My room actually looked kind of normal. A few things were knocked over, probably casualties of stray gusts of wind. â€Å"You’ve got people here who want to see you.† I opened my eyes. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"No one I know. A man and a woman.† â€Å"Is the man a fox?† She stared at me, confused. â€Å"A fox? He’s very handsome, yes, but, sweetie†¦maybe I should send them away. You don’t sound like you’re better yet.† â€Å"No, no, let me talk to them.† I had a feeling the missing pieces of what had happened during and after the storm lay with Kiyo. â€Å"And I need to talk to them†¦alone.† My mother looked hurt. â€Å"It’s not personal. It’s business.† She started to argue, then shook her head and stood up. â€Å"I’ll go get them.† While she was gone, I dared a hasty assessment of my appearance. I was still in my underwear and camisole. The top in particular was ripped and dirty. I pulled the covers up almost to my neck and ran a hand over my hair and face. I could feel more dirt on my skin plus a scab on my cheek, distantly reminding me of a shard of something flying out and cutting me. My hair stuck out everywhere. I attempted to smooth it down, but then my mom returned with Kiyo and a strange woman. â€Å"I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me,† Mom said protectively. She pulled the door closed behind her, all but a crack. Kiyo’s face told me all I needed to know about the way I looked. â€Å"You should see the other guy,† I said. A small smile broke over his face. â€Å"I did. He’s in pieces in the other room.† â€Å"Oh.† He beckoned to the woman. â€Å"Eugenie, this is Maiwenn, queen of the Willow Land.† I started in surprise. She didn’t look like a Willow Queen. Of course, I’m not sure what exactly I expected – maybe something akin to Glinda the Good Witch. But this woman looked like Surfer Girl Barbie. Her skin glowed with a deep bronze tan. Platinum blond hair fell in supermodel waves to her waist. Her eyes were the color of the sea in the sun, blue-green with long lashes. She wore a simple blue dress, a bit old-fashioned but nothing that screamed, â€Å"I’m a fairy queen.† It was looser than the form-fitting gowns other gentry women seemed to favor but was still quite pretty. My feelings of inadequacy about my appearance increased tenfold. â€Å"Nice to meet you,† I said. I could hear the tentativeness in my voice. Kiyo might swear to her character, but I still carried a lot of apprehension around the gentry, monarch or no. â€Å"And you,† she said. Her voice was rich and sweet, her face serene. â€Å"I’m sorry I could not heal you too.† â€Å"‘Too’? Oh†¦was it you? Did you heal my mother? She doesn’t remember anything†¦.† She nodded. â€Å"I didn’t have the power to heal you both. She was more severely injured, and with your age and stamina – and your blood – well, I thought you’d have an easier time recovering.† I thought about the aches and pains shooting through my body. Easier? That might be a subjective term. â€Å"You made the right choice. Thanks. I’ll be fine.† Kiyo stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. â€Å"Eugenie doesn’t like to admit weakness. It’s one of her more charming traits.† I shot him a glare, and Maiwenn offered a small, polite smile. â€Å"Nothing wrong with that.† She approached me and extended a hand toward my face. â€Å"I think I have enough strength for a small healing. May I?† I nodded, not entirely sure what I was agreeing to. Her fingertips grazed my cheek, icy cold but gentle. A tingle ran through me, and she drew back, suddenly looking pale and tired. Kiyo started to help her when she stumbled, but she waved him off. â€Å"There. No scarring this way.† My fingers examined the place she had touched. No more scab. â€Å"Thank you.† Silence fell, and I looked from face to face. With me in bed and them hanging around so casually, I didn’t really feel like I was having a meeting with a bona fide queen. It was all so informal. â€Å"What happened?† They exchanged uncertain glances. â€Å"We’re not really sure,† he said. â€Å"You and your mother were both unconscious. The elemental was dead, and your living room†¦it looks kind of bad.† â€Å"But†¦that was it?† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"What more could there be?† â€Å"There was no storm when you showed up?† They exchanged conspiratorial looks again, and something about their solidarity rankled me. â€Å"Tell us what you remember,† Maiwenn said. I did, starting with the spirit attack and ending with the vicious storm. Neither spoke when I finished. Kiyo sighed. â€Å"What?† I demanded. â€Å"What happened? You obviously know.† â€Å"It’s complicated.† â€Å"Everything’s complicated lately. Let me guess. It was the magic, wasn’t it? Storm King’s inherited power?† He didn’t answer. She did. â€Å"Yes. It seems it has been passed down after all.† â€Å"Can I stop it? Keep it locked up so it doesn’t come out again?† â€Å"Not likely. You might be able to bury it so it isn’t consciously used, but†¦if it’s there, it’s likely to burst out again when your emotions let loose. You’ll get the same kind of disastrous results if you don’t learn to manage it.† â€Å"I don’t want it.† I shuddered, recalling that horrible blackness and deadly lightning. Uneasily, I remembered what Volusian had told me, that embracing my magic could protect me and those I loved. I looked at Maiwenn nervously, hating what I was about to ask. â€Å"But I don’t want to hurt anyone either. Can you teach me to use it? Or at least control it?† Kiyo’s eyes widened. â€Å"Eugenie, no – â€Å" â€Å"What do you expect me to do?† I demanded. The expression on his face mirrored what I felt inside. â€Å"It’s not like I want to do this. But you saw what happened. I destroyed my house, and worse, I nearly killed my mother. And myself.† He sighed but didn’t argue. Maiwenn regarded him calmly. â€Å"She’s right.† â€Å"I know. But I don’t have to like it.† â€Å"I don’t know if I can teach you or not,† she murmured, turning back to me. â€Å"Your magic – storm magic – is a very physical, outward sort of power. Healing is more internal. Less aggressive. Some of the basics will be the same, but we’ll probably have to find you a teacher with similar powers.† Like someone who can call up pieces of the earth and rip castles apart, I thought. I didn’t give voice to that. Kiyo and I might be â€Å"friends,† but I immediately knew he wouldn’t like me getting close to Dorian. â€Å"Kiyo says you’re against the invasion thing, that you weren’t a supporter of Storm King.† â€Å"Yes. That was part of the reason I wanted to meet you. I’m happy you survived today, Eugenie Markham, but†¦this possibility of the prophecy coming true alarms me. I’ve spent years believing Storm King had no children. Your existence causes all sorts of complications.† It occurred to me then that Maiwenn might have slept easier if I’d been killed today. â€Å"So is it true?† she asked. â€Å"You have no intention of fulfilling the prophecy?† â€Å"Of course not.† â€Å"Turning one’s back on such power can’t be easy. Even now, you’re considering his magic.† â€Å"That’s a necessity. I don’t want it. Besides, none of this is about power. It’s about keeping my world safe. You forget that until a few weeks ago, I had no clue about any of this. In most ways – me whipping up a storm aside – I still consider myself human. I’m not going to let some army subjugate or destroy my race.† â€Å"You see?† Kiyo said to her. â€Å"I told you.† I could still see the doubt on her face. â€Å"I’m serious. I don’t want to usher in some terrible era of gentry domination. I sure as hell don’t want to be a plaything for every gentry guy. And even if the worst happens† – I shuddered, remembering the elemental’s proximity – â€Å"well, there are ways of making sure I don’t actually get or stay pregnant.† I didn’t feel like getting into logistics with her. â€Å"Hopefully, I can just keep up the avoidance, though. I’m not jumping into anyone’s bed soon.† Sympathy replaced Maiwenn’s doubt. â€Å"Yes. I’m truly sorry for what you’ve endured. It sickens me. I honestly can’t imagine it. You’ve surpassed your fearless reputation. I couldn’t have coped so bravely.† I thought again about the terror that had filled me when the elemental had me trapped. The tears. The desperation. I didn’t know how brave I’d really been. Kiyo’s eyes met mine then, and while Maiwenn looked distracted with thought, I think he might have glimpsed a little of my emotion. Affection for me burned on his face, and I fell into it. The moment shattered when a loud voice sounded outside my room. â€Å"What the fuck happened in here? No way am I cleaning this up!† Kiyo straightened up, alarmed, but I waved away his concern. â€Å"Don’t worry. It’s just my housemate.† Sure enough, Tim burst in, outrage written all over him. He wore buckskin pants and a matching vest over his bare chest. Feathers decorated his black hair. Beads ringed his neck. His face fell as soon as he saw me. â€Å"Oh God, Eug. Are you all right?† I started to give him the â€Å"other guy† line, then opted for simplicity. â€Å"Fine.† He jerked his thumb behind him. â€Å"That room’s in pieces.† â€Å"I know. Don’t worry. I’ll clean it up.† â€Å"What happened?† â€Å"You’re better off not knowing. Tim, this is Kiyo and Maiwenn.† Remembering himself, Tim raised his right hand in a sort of â€Å"How, white man† kind of way. â€Å"I am Timothy Red Horse. May the Great Spirit smile down upon you.† This latter part seemed to be for Maiwenn in particular. She smiled formally. Kiyo appeared to oscillate between hilarity and disgust. Greetings done, Tim walked over to me, shaking his head ruefully. â€Å"You’re into some crazy shit.† â€Å"You might want to find another place to stay,† I said seriously. â€Å"I don’t think it’ll be safe around here.† â€Å"Are you kidding? I’m never going to find this good a deal. What’s a little death and destruction?† â€Å"Tim – â€Å" His face sobered. â€Å"Don’t worry, Eug. I know what you do. If things heat up, I’ll get out.† â€Å"Did you see the living room? That’s pretty hot.† â€Å"Yeah, but so long as the house is standing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You’re more difficult than I am.† I remembered I was supposed to find a witch to boost the wards around my house. I’d forgotten. Instead, I had created some wards of my own, but they weren’t very strong, as evidenced by the recent invasion. A witch couldn’t keep everything out but would do a better job than me. Tim grinned. â€Å"Well, let’s not get carried away. Anyway. You look like you’re in the middle of something. You want anything? Chicken soup? Foot massage?† â€Å"You can get me a Milky Way. And see if my Def Leppard CD survived the war zone.† â€Å"Don’t get your hopes up on that last one.† He said goodbye to the others and left. â€Å"An odd man,† mused Maiwenn. â€Å"You have no idea.† Yet, while Tim and I had bantered, I’d noticed Maiwenn and Kiyo speaking quietly to each other in the corner. She had rested a hand on his arm as they talked, and there had been something almost†¦intimate in the way they stood together. Like they were comfortable being in each other’s personal space. Very comfortable. I remembered Kiyo’s resolute support of her, his claim that he worked with her because he believed in her cause. But was that truly it? Or was there more? She was a â€Å"good friend.† They stood apart now, but a jealous, ugly feeling kindled in my chest. She finally turned away from him and gave me a small, tight smile. â€Å"I don’t mean to be rude, but†¦I’m not feeling well and must return home.† â€Å"It’s no problem. Thanks for coming, and†¦thank you for healing my mother.† Maiwenn nodded, and I could tell she really was sick. Weariness ringed those lovely eyes. â€Å"I’m happy to. And I’m glad we were able to talk. You have no idea how relieved I am to see where you stand. I’ll do what I can to keep others from trying to†¦take liberties with you.† Kiyo’s fingertips brushed her arm to stop her, and I watched that contact with a critical eye. â€Å"Wait for me outside.† She nodded and then swept out of the room in all her golden beauty. Kiyo walked over to my bed and sat down, running a hand along my cheek. â€Å"I’m glad you’re okay. When I walked in†¦I thought you were dead.† â€Å"I’m hard to kill,† I said lightly. He smiled, shaking his head with exasperation. â€Å"I can believe that.† Reaching down, he picked up my hand and brought it to his lips, eyes on mine. He lingered a moment, and my skin burned where he kissed me. Then carefully, gently, he laid my hand back down, lacing his fingers with mine. â€Å"I’m going to make sure she crosses over okay, and then I’ll be back to stay with you.† â€Å"You gonna take care of me? Massage my feet and feed me chicken soup?† â€Å"Anything you want,† he promised. â€Å"That’s what friends do.† He kissed my hand again and then stood up. â€Å"Be back in a few minutes.† I could still feel where he’d kissed me, but for once, my infatuation with him went on hold. I was thinking about the conversation I’d just had. It still bothered me, but I’d meant what I said. Learning gentry magic was about the scariest thing – other than rape by a mud elemental – that I could imagine right now. Yet, I wanted no more storms in my living room, no storms anywhere that I was incapable of controlling. And for what it was worth, that meant getting a grip on my power. I knew whom I had to go to for that control, and it held its own set of terrors. Necessary evils, though. I had no choice. So while I waited for Kiyo’s return, I began a mental to-do list. Summon Volusian. Plot strategy. Buy high-heeled shoes†¦ How to cite Storm Born Chapter Fifteen, Essay examples

Financial Management - Alcoa

Question: Describe about the Article for Financial Management - Alcoa. Answer: Financial Management - Alcoa The essay contains an analysis of the Alcoa Stock. The essay will have a calculation of a rate of return of the stock of Alcoa Stock from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2016. The calculation will be done on the consideration of historical price form the Yahoo! Finance with the implication of dividend as well. Further, there is an estimation of a weighted average cost of capital from the data extracted from the company website. Finally, there will be an explanation on the decision of Alcoa acquisition on two separate companies. The data for which will be extracted from the annual report as well as through some public source of information. By taking into consideration, the extracted data from Yahoo! Finance there calculation of a rate of return has been done which has come to in negative figure with 0.11% whereas after considering the holding period return approach which includes dividend in the calculation the figure comes to 3% which is positive one. So from the calculation, it can be said that approach of the holding period return serves to be a beneficial strategy for getting a high return (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2013). Next is the calculation of the weighted average cost of capital, which is calculated by extracting the recent data of the company and corporate tax rate taken into consideration will be 35% which is as per the US Federal rate. WACC stand to be 2% which is quite reasonable (Titman et al., 2015). As per the public source, the news of Alcoa split has become fire in the forest (Alcoa.com.2016). The company will be splitting into a publicly trading company, has been acknowledged as a legacy in the aluminum operation as well as diversification in the automotive industry. The company has achieved high growth from its titanium and aluminum production as well as from the aerospace sector. According to the CEO of Alcoa, this is the right time for getting split. Division of a company has served to be good position and strategy for a company getting high revenue as well as profit. After the company getting split up, it will be adding 40% of the revenue to the sector of Alcoa's Aerospace, automotive and transportation as well as in the construction of the building (Alcoa.com.2016). After the company getting split, Arconics shareholders will receive 80.1% of the shares in new shareholding. Arconic will be acquiring 85% of the companys shareholding $9 billion in the form of debt, by givin g a boost to Alcoas survival in the aluminum market. The split will help the company in increasing the expected trading price of the common stock, which in turn will help in improving the liquidity of the company (Alcoa.com.2016). On the overall analyzing the financial position of the Alcoa's stock, it has been observed that company will be earning a huge profit after getting a split of in two separate entities. Further, it has been observed that at present, the company has 1.8 billion of authorized shares. On this division, Arconic will be focusing on the specialty of the value adding products of aluminum. Whereas, another division of the company will be focusing on the aerospace and automotive as well as transportation sector, for the objective of achieving high return as well as profit. Reference and Bibliography Alcoa.com. (2016).Alcoa in the USA. [online] Available at: https://www.alcoa.com/usa/en/home.asp [Accessed 27 Sep. 2016]. Arnold, G., 2014.Corporate financial management. Pearson Higher Ed. Brigham, E.F. and Ehrhardt, M.C., 2013.Financial management: Theory practice. Cengage Learning. Brigham, E.F. and Houston, J.F., 2012.Fundamentals of financial management. Cengage Learning. Brown, M.T., Rascher, D.A., Nagel, M.S. and McEvoy, C.D., 2016.Financial management in the sport industry. Holocomb Hathaway, Publishers. Finkler, S.A., Smith, D.L., Calabrese, T.D. and Purtell, R.M., 2016.Financial management for public, health, and not-for-profit organizations. CQ Press. Jones, C.S. and Tuzel, S., 2013. Inventory investment and the cost of capital.Journal of Financial Economics,107(3), pp.557-579. Kaplan, R.S. and Atkinson, A.A., 2015.Advanced management accounting. PHI Learning. Lasher, W.R., 2013.Practical financial management. Nelson Education. Li, X., 2015. Accounting conservatism and the cost of capital: An international analysis.Journal of Business Finance Accounting,42(5-6), pp.555-582. Thompson, B.K., 2015. Cost of Capital and Economic Development: The Case of Ghana's Liberalized Capital Market.Journal of Finance,3(1), pp.01-10. Titman, S., Keown, A.J. and Martin, J.D., 2015.Financial management: Principles and applications. Pearson.