Pestle Analysis Biman Bangladesh Airlines free essay sample

PESTEL Analysis on Biman Bangladesh Airlines Introduction PESTLE an analysis is very important for case analysis political, economic, social, technological factor of any company. We have selected Biman Bangladesh airlines for doing Pestle analysis. So, this entire report will cover the importance of Pestle analysis and we will show how The pestle analysis of Bangladesh Airlines are flying. Biman Bangladesh airlines is the leading airlines Industry and oldest airlines industry in Bangladesh. We are selecting Biman Bangladesh Airlines because the flag carrier airline of Bangladesh.Its main hub is at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, and also operates flights from Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, earning revenue from the connecting service to Osmani International Airport in Sylhet. Biman provides international passenger and cargo service to Asia and Europe, as well as major domestic routes. It has air service agreements with 42  countries, but only flies to 16. The airline was wholly owned and managed by the Government of Bangladesh until 23  July 2007, when it was transformed into the countrys largest public limited company by the Bangladesh. We will write a custom essay sample on Pestle Analysis Biman Bangladesh Airlines or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The airlines headquarters, Balaka Bhaban, is located in Kurmitola, Dhaka. It is the benchmark for the all other airlines organization in Bangladesh. Background of the Industry Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd the national flag carrier of Bangladesh has started its journey from scratch virtually with no aircraft, no ancillaries. It came into operation immediately after the war of independence. Despite many odds on its journey towards a long and challenging way to progress, Biman has been able to establish its reputation as an airline of welcome smile and an ocean of hospitality.Biman now carries the nation’s flag to South Asia, South-East Asia and Far-East, Gulf and Middle-East region and European. A steady progress has been made with better services ensuring increased passengers. To make Biman passengers feel â€Å"once Biman always Biman† the airline has recently brought in some qualitative changes in its service concept. Biman has been aiming in achieving the goal of being truly international commercially viable airline of the region with its warmth and friendliness, care, safety record, traditional hospitality and comfort of the services it offered. Biman is now flying even higher with great pride around the globe with the bi-color, the nation’s flag. What is PEST ANALYSIS? A scan of the external macro-environment in which the firm operates can be expressed in terms of the following factors: †¢ Political †¢ Economic †¢ Social †¢ Technological ? Political Factors Political factors include government regulations and legal issues and define both formal and informal rules under which the firm must operate. Some examples include: †¢ Tax policy †¢ Employment laws †¢ Environmental regulations †¢ Trade restrictions and tariffs Political stability ? Economic Factors Economic factors affect the purchasing power of potential customers and the firms cost of capital. The following are examples of factors in the macroeconomics: †¢ Economic growth †¢ Interest rates †¢ Exchange rates †¢ Inflation rate ? Social Factors Social factors include the demographic and cultu ral aspects of the external microenvironment. These factors affect customer needs and the size of potential markets. Some social factors include: †¢ Health consciousness †¢ Population growth rate †¢ Age distribution †¢ Career attitudes Emphasis on safety ? Technological Factors Technological factors can lower barriers to entry, reduce minimum efficient production levels, and influence outsourcing decisions. Some technological factors include: †¢ R;D activity †¢ Automation †¢ Technology incentives †¢ Rate of technological change ? Environmental factors Environmental factors include ecological and environmental aspects such as weather, climate, and climate change, which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance. †¢ Weather †¢ Climate †¢ Climate change †¢ Environmental law Legal factors Legal factors can affect how a company operates, its costs, and the demand for its products. †¢ Discrimination law †¢ Consumer law †¢ Antitrust law †¢ Employment law †¢ Health and safety law. PEST Analysis on Biman Bangladesh Airlines ? Political factor Incompetent and corrupt management, falsified repair bills, unprofitable routes all these lacking for political intrusion. A parliamentary sub-committee has found corruption involving Tk 700 crore in purchase and maintenance of aircraft and equipment of Biman Bangladesh Airlines in the last 18 years.Giving an example of corruption in purchase, a Biman official said the price of an elevator slew switch used for flight control system was showed $7,500 in the bill while its market price was only $235. ? Economic Factors The VRS (voluntary retirement scheme) provided compensation based on length of service, at a cost t o the government of over $40  million borrowed from the World Bank. The government is the sole shareholder of the 1. 5  billion shares, but intends to offer 49  percent to the private sector while retaining majority ownership.How Oil prices increasing, is this affecting their profits from increased fuel costs. The authorized share capital was increased to BDT  2  billion in 1987, During the same period, Biman reported its biggest annual loss of over US$120  million (BDT  8. 3  billion as of 2010), with a US$100  million (BDT  6. 9  billion as of 2010) loss reported the following year. Biman also fell behind on millions of dollars in payments to its fuel supplier, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation. ? Social Factors Biman has air service agreements with 43 countries. the 2005–06 fiscal year, Biman carried 1. 15  million passengers, a growth of 70% over the previous decade. Safety measures they employ on board and on the ground. Population’s growth does an ageing population affect them i. e. baby boomers, lots of people in that life stage have more disposable income to spend. ? Technological Factors McDonnell Douglas DC-10s and Airbus A310-300s make up most of Bimans international fleet. Fokker F28s make up the remainder of the fleet for the domestic and regional sectors.Bimans fleet contains the second-to-last Douglas DC–10 to come off the production line (l/n 445), and only three other Airbus A310–300s were produced following Bimans purchase of two new Airbus A310s in 1996. As things improve technology becomes cheaper. Its most distinguishing feature is the two turbofan engines mounted on under wing pylons and a third engine at the base of the vertical stabilizer. ? Environmental factors Environmental factors include ecological and environmental aspects such as weather, climate, and climate change, which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance.Furthermore, growing awareness of the potential impacts of climate change is affecting how Biman operate and the products they offer, both creating new markets and diminishing or destroying existing ones. ? Legal factors An initiative in 1998 cost Biman $1. 6  million in consultancy fees with no positive results. Legal factors include discrimination law, consumer law, antitrust law, employment law, and health and safety law. These factors can affect how a company operates, its costs, and the demand for its products.Macro-environmental Issues Opportunity: †¢ One statistics shows in Bangladesh air transport sector has 8% annual growth rate. This indicates opportunity to carry more passengers across different destinations. †¢ Biman has air service agreements with 43 countries, but only operates its routes to 18, so when it have sufficient aircraft then it can able to conduct flights to other destinations. †¢ The annual Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah Al Mukarramah for the Hajj is undertaken by thousands of Bangladeshs predominantly Muslim population. In 2010 about 60% more Bangladeshi muslims went Jeddah for Hajj from the previous year. †¢ International travellers to and from Shahjalal International Airport surged to 35. 23 lakh in 2009 from 26. 18 lakh in 2005, according to air transport data of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. Imran Asif, chief executive of Regent Airways, said air travel market grew more than 6 percent in the last one decade. The market share of the local airlines rose to 38 percent in 2008 from 33 percent a year ago, according to traffic movement data at Shahjalal International Airport.So, there is a possiblity to grab this share. †¢ A syndicate of nine local banks has finalized a proposal to give Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd a loan of $114. 75 million for procuring two aircraft from Boeing. Biman is taking the $114. 75 million loan from the local banks syndicate led by Eastern Bank Ltd at a low interest rate of 4. 57 percent. Biman signed an agreement with Boeing in 2008 during the caretaker governments rule to purchase 10 aircraft for $1. 31 billion to strengthen the fleet of the national flag carrier. Conclusion

Free Essays on Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien â€Å"John Ronald (â€Å"Ronald† to family and early friends) was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on January 3, 1892. His memories of Africa were slight but vivid, including a scary encounter with a large hairy spider, and influenced his later writing to some extent; slight, because on February 15, 1896 his father died.† (Doughan 1) But before Arthur Reuel Tolkien died, â€Å"Tolkien, his mother, and his brother Hilary boarded the SS Guelph at Cape towns harbor. The voyage took three weeks to arrive at Southampton, England.† (Neimark 5) Within six months of finding out his son had died, John Benjamin Tolkien, Arthur’s father, devastated, also died. (Neimark 9-10) In 1900, his mother Mabel and her sister May were received into the Roman Catholic Church. Tolkien and Hilary were brought up in the faith of Pio Nono and were devoted Catholics during the rest of their lives. Father Francis Morgan, a parish priest who was half-Welsh half-Spanish regularly visited the family. (Doughan 2) By the time Tolkien was just 5 years old, his mother taught him to read Latin, French, German, and English. His mother, encouraging his love for plants, also introduced him to the science of botany. (Neimark 10-11) Tolkien returned to King Edward’s in the fall of 1903 on a scholarship. He studied Greek, and on his own, read Chaucer in its original Middle English, the language of England between the 12th and 15th centuries. (Neimark 19) Only a year after returning to King Edwards his mother died on November 14, 1904. He was only twelve years old. Father Francis Morgan was named as Tolkien and his brother Hilary’s legal guardian. (Grotta 25-26) The boys were sent to live with an unsympathetic aunt-by-marriage, Beatrice Suffield. Ronald did not enjoy living with his aunt, but the Oratory and Father Morgan were close and he spent many hours a day there. In King Edward’s he met Christopher Wiseman, a boy who would become his best ... Free Essays on Tolkien Free Essays on Tolkien J.R.R. Tolkien â€Å"John Ronald (â€Å"Ronald† to family and early friends) was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on January 3, 1892. His memories of Africa were slight but vivid, including a scary encounter with a large hairy spider, and influenced his later writing to some extent; slight, because on February 15, 1896 his father died.† (Doughan 1) But before Arthur Reuel Tolkien died, â€Å"Tolkien, his mother, and his brother Hilary boarded the SS Guelph at Cape towns harbor. The voyage took three weeks to arrive at Southampton, England.† (Neimark 5) Within six months of finding out his son had died, John Benjamin Tolkien, Arthur’s father, devastated, also died. (Neimark 9-10) In 1900, his mother Mabel and her sister May were received into the Roman Catholic Church. Tolkien and Hilary were brought up in the faith of Pio Nono and were devoted Catholics during the rest of their lives. Father Francis Morgan, a parish priest who was half-Welsh half-Spanish regularly visited the family. (Doughan 2) By the time Tolkien was just 5 years old, his mother taught him to read Latin, French, German, and English. His mother, encouraging his love for plants, also introduced him to the science of botany. (Neimark 10-11) Tolkien returned to King Edward’s in the fall of 1903 on a scholarship. He studied Greek, and on his own, read Chaucer in its original Middle English, the language of England between the 12th and 15th centuries. (Neimark 19) Only a year after returning to King Edwards his mother died on November 14, 1904. He was only twelve years old. Father Francis Morgan was named as Tolkien and his brother Hilary’s legal guardian. (Grotta 25-26) The boys were sent to live with an unsympathetic aunt-by-marriage, Beatrice Suffield. Ronald did not enjoy living with his aunt, but the Oratory and Father Morgan were close and he spent many hours a day there. In King Edward’s he met Christopher Wiseman, a boy who would become his best ...

Human Resource Training Class Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resource Training Class - Assignment Example Performance assessment highlights both deficiencies and strengths as well. For a retail business especially selling products also through the online method, the role of customer support service becomes highly critical and important as well. It is critical in the sense that the most customers use telephone service for registering their complaints or receiving additional required information relating to purchase of specific products. And it is important in the sense that it leads to increase or decrease sales volume. Five essential ways that highlight and justify the needs assessment for evaluating performance of support service are: frequent similar complaints, unfriendly behavior towards customers, no follow-up procedure, no coordination between the relevant departments, and drawing no lessons from previous mistakes. They summarize performance and highlight gap between actual and required level of performance. For these measures, both quantitative and qualitative information provide fundamental support for evaluating the performance of employees working in the support service department. For example, if the number of similar complaints is increasing, this would suggest that the customer support service has not properly addressed and pursued the complaints. Subsequently, this evaluation can be done every month and the collected data can be compared for understanding the trend. If the trend suggests increase in the number of similar complaints, this would conclude the customer support service employees.

SLP - 5 ENTRY INTERNATIONAL MARKET SELECTION AND MARKET Essay

SLP - 5 ENTRY INTERNATIONAL MARKET SELECTION AND MARKET - Essay Example This study looks into the entry strategies that the company employs in new markets, especially the strategies that the company used in selecting the Chinese market. According to Wang (2008), coco cola entered the Chinese market in 1979 and ever since has been one of the most trusted brands in China China is one of the largest economies in the world, with its market dominating in the world market system. Every company would like to have a link with Chinese economy due to various economic factors. Coca cola in this case has used its internationalization approach to thrust its brands into the Chinese market with a characteristic transitional organization that integrated a responsive framework with the global entry strategy. It is important to note that the major strategy that the company used, as described by Wang (2008), is that achieving high expansion using the economies of scale principle and adopting to the needs of the Chinese. In the end of every marketing program, the company is known to establish an independently owned foreign subsidiary. One of the major experiences of the company in China is that, as stated by Piercy (2009), at some point, the transaction costs of executing, enforcing and writing contracts in a foreign country through the market may be higher than the cost of internationalizing the market. In this case, therefore, the company has opted to use its internationalization approach to expand its product niches to the extreme regions of Chinese market. Based on the company’s long history in China, the company has experienced myriad competition from like-companies in the highly versatile Chinese local market environment (Wang, 2008). The company has gained many experiences and marketing ability that does exceeds external circumstances hence its survival in the Chinese market thereby capturing the largest beverage market share among the multinational

The Design Procedure for Fire Suppression Systems Research Paper

The Design Procedure for Fire Suppression Systems - Research Paper Example The team must unearth whether the process is a chemical synthesis or merely a mixing process. The team must also ascertain the pressure and temperature conditions of the raw materials. Accordingly, the project management team must proactively assess and understand the duration of the process and the role of each operation staffs. The team must also consider such factors as the existence of purification or drying step. The mechanism of packaging and storage, as well as storage of finished products, call for attention. In addition, it is significant to gain an understanding of the unit operation and process within the facility. Such information results from the study of process and instrumentation diagrams and narrative process description. Finally, there must be a complete list of hazardous materials. The list must be accompanied by chemical names, container type and size, and solution concentrations. Various codes and criteria particularly on the industrial and chemical plants provides critically relevant and essential information on the fire suppression and detection designs. FPE identifies the applicable codes as well as standards for a given industrial process and assists particular facility operators to fathom their respective and appropriate to particular situations. The codes and standard are in line with the understanding of engineering benchmarks for manufacturing procedures and facility design. The design and industrial operation also rests on the underwriting requirements. The FM Global datasheets are critical in determining the requirements for a range of industrial facilities that shapes the fire suppression designs. Underwriting standards presents valuable data against the hazards further impacting the fire suppression designs. Finally, the design process for fire suppression richly rests on the technical information from FM Global Datasheets 7-44

Product Development Strategy

Product Development Strategy Given the rapid changes in consumer tastes technology arid competition companies must develop a steady stream of new products and services A firm can obtain-new products m two ways. One is through acquisition by buying a whole company a patent or a license to produce someone else s product The other as through new-product development m the company s own research -and-development department By new products we mean original products product improvements product modifications and new brands that the firm develops through its own research-and-development efforts. When an organization introduces a product into a market they must ask themselves a number of questions. Who is the product aimed at? What benefit will they expect? How do they plan to position the product within the market? What differential advantage will the product offer over their competitors? New products continue to fail at a disturbing rate. One source estimates that more than 90 percent of all new products fail in within 2 years Another-study suggested that of the staggering 25,000 new consumer food, beverage, beauty, and healthcare products to hit the market each year, only 40 percent will be around 5 years later Moreover failure rates for new industrial products may be as high as 30 percent. Why do so many new products fail? There re several reasons Although an idea may be good the market size may have been overestimated Perhaps the actual product was not designed as well as it should have beer Or maybe it was incorrectly positioned in the market priced too high or advertised poorly A high-level executive might push a favorite idea despite poor marketing research findings- Sometimes the costs of product development are higher than expected, and sometimes Competitors fight back harder than Expected. However the reasons behind some new product failures seem pretty obvious Try the following on for size. Review of Literature Product strategies When an organization introduces a product into a market they must ask themselves a number of questions. Who is the product aimed at? What benefit will they expect? How do they plan to position the product within the market? What differential advantage will the product offer over their competitors? We must remember that Marketing is fundamentally about providing the correct bundle of benefits to the end user, hence the saying Marketing is not about providing products or services it is essentially about providing changing benefits to the changing needs and demands of the customer (P.Tailor 7/00) Philip Kotler in Principles of Marketing devised a very interesting concept of benefit building with a product For a analysis the book of Principles of Marketing by P.Kotler. Kotler suggested that a product should be viewed in three levels. Level 1: Core Product. What is the core benefit your product offers?. Customers who purchase a camera are buying more then just a camera they are purchasing memories. Level 2Actual Product: All cameras capture memories. The aim is to ensure that your potential customers purchase your one. The strategy at this level involves organizations branding, adding features and benefits to ensure that their product offers a differential advantage from their competitors. Level 3: Augmented product: What additional non-tangible benefits can you offer? Competition at this level is based around after sales service, warranties, delivery and so on. John Lewis a retail departmental store offers free five year guarantee on purchases of their Television sets, this gives their `customers the additional benefit of peace of mind over the five years should their purchase develop a fault. Idea generation New product development starts with idea generation the systematic search for new product ideas. A company typically has to generate many in order to find a few good once. According to one well-known management consultant, For every 1 000 ideas, only 100 will have enough commercial t0 promise to merits a small sca1e experiment only 10 of those will Warrant substantial financial commitment and of those a couple will turn out to be unqualified successes. His conclusion? If you want to find a few ideas with the power to enthrall customer, foil competition, and thrill investors you must first generate hundreds and potentially thousands of unconventional strategic ideas. Internal Idea Sources Using internal sources the company can find new ideas through formal research and development. It can pick the brains of its executives Scientists engineers manufacturing staff Sand sales people Some companies have-developed successful entrepreneurial programs that encourage employees to think up and develop new product ideas. For example 3M s well known 15-percent rule allow employees to spend 15 percent of their tine bootlegging -working on projects of personal interest whether or not those project directly benefit the company. Companies some times look for creative innovation approaches that overcome barriers to the free flow-of new product ideas For example firms like Eureka Ranch-a well known new product hatchery -employ both method and madness in helping companies to jumpstart their new product idea generation process. External Idea Sources Good new product idea also come from watching and listening to customers The company can analyze customer questions and complaints to find new products that better solve consumes problems Company engineers or salespeople can meet with and work. Alongside customers to get suggestions and ideas The Company can conduct surveys or focus groups to learn about Consumer needs and wants. Heinz did just that when its researchers approached children who consume more than half of the ketchup sold find out what would make ketchup more appealing to them The answer change the color So, Heinz developed and launc1iedEZ Squirt green ketchup that comes iii a squeezable bottle targeted at kids Blastin Green ketchup was a smash hit, so Heinz followed up with an entire rainbow of EZ Squirt colors, including Funky Purple Passion Pink, Awesome Orange, Totally Teal, and Stellar Blue. The EZ Squirt bottle s special nozzle also emits a thin ketchup stream, so tykes can autograph their burgers (or squirt someo ne across the table though Heinz neglects to mention that). In all the new line earned the Company a 5 percent increase in sales ii the first year after hitting the grocery shelf. Consumers often create new products and uses on their own and companies can benefit by putting them on the market. For example for years customers were spreading the word that Skin-so-soft bath oil and moisturizer was also a terrific bug repellent. Whereas some Consumers Were content simply to bathe an water scented with the fragrant oil others carried it in their backpacks to mosquito-infested campsites or kept a bottle on the deck of their beach houses Avon tuned the idea into a complete line of Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard PLUS lR335Â ® products including the Insect Repellent Gentle Breeze Moistures Sun block Lotion SPF 30 a combination moisturizer insect repellent and sunscreen. The search for new-product ideas should be systematic rather than haphazard. Otherwise few new ideas will surface and many good ideas will sputter and die Top management can avoid these problems by installing an idea management system that directs the flow of new ideas to a central point where they can be collected reviewed and evaluated hi setting up such a system the company can do any or all of the following. Appoint a respected senior person to be the company s idea manager. Create a cross-functional idea management committee consisting of people from RD, engineering purchasing operations finance and sales and marketing to meet regri1rly and evaluate proposed new product and service ideas. Set up a toll-free number or Web site for anyone who wants to send a new idea to the idea manager. Encourage all company stakeholders-employees suppliers, distributors, dealers-to send their ideas to the idea manager. Set up formal recognition programs to reward those who contribute the best new ideas. Idea Screening The purpose of idea generation is to create a large number of ideas. The purpose of the succeeding stages is to reduce that number. The first idea-reducing stage is idea screening, which helps spot good ideas and drop poor ones as soon as possible. Product development costs rise greatly in later Stages, so the company wants to go ahead only with the product ideas that will turn into profitable products. The object is to eliminate unsound concepts prior to devoting resources to them. The screeners must ask at least three questions: Will the customer in the target market benefit from the product? What is the size and growth forecasts of the market segment/target market? What is the current or expected competitive pressure for the product idea? What are the industry sales and market trends the product idea is based on? Is it technically feasible to manufacture the product? Will the product be profitable when manufactured and delivered to the customer at the target price? Many companies require their executives to write up new-product ideas on a standard form that can be reviewed by a new-product committee. The write-up describes the product, the target market, and the competition. It makes some rough estimates of market size, product price, development time and costs, manufacturing costs, and rate of return. The committee then evaluates the idea against a set of general criteria. For example, at Kao Company, the large Japanese consumer-products company, the committee asks questions such as these: Is the product truly useful to consumer and society? Is it good for our particular company? Does it mesh well with the companys objectives and strategies? Do we have the people, skills, and resources to make it succeed? Does it deliver more value to customers than do competing products? Is it easy to advertise and distribute? Many companies have well-designed systems for rating and screening new-product ideas. Concept development and testing An attractive idea must be developed into a product concept. It is important to distinguish between a product idea, a product concept, and a product image. A product idea is an idea for a possible product that the company can see itself offering to the market. A product concept is a detailed version of the idea stated in meaningful consumer terms. A product image is the way consumers perceive an actual or potential product. Develop the marketing and engineering details Who is the target market and who is the decision maker in the purchasing process? What product features must the product incorporate? What benefits will the product provide? How will consumers react to the product? How will the product be produced most cost effectively? Prove feasibility through virtual computer aided rendering, and rapid prototyping What will it cost to produce it? Concept Development After 10 years of development, DaimlerChrysler is getting ready to commercialize its experimental fuel-cell-powered electric car. This cars nonpolluting fuel-cell system runs directly on methanol, which delivers hydrogen to the fuel cell with only water as a by-product. It is highly fuel efficient (75 percent more efficient than gasoline engines) and gives the new car an environmental advantage over standard internal combustion engine cars or even todays stupefacient gasoline-electric hybrid cars. Last year, DaimlerChrysler put 60 F-cell cars on the road in Japan, Germany, and the United states to test their worth in everyday operation. Based on the tiny Mercedes A-Class, the car accelerates quickly, reaches speeds of 90 miles per hour, and has a 280-mile driving range, giving it a huge edge over battery-powered electric cars that travel only about 80 miles before needing 3 to 12 hours off recharging. Fuel cell systems are also being tested in busses, trucks, and other vehicles. Now DimlerChryslers task is to develop this new product into alternative product concepts, find out how, attractive each concept is to customers, and choose the best one. It might create the following product concepts for the fuel-cell electric car: Concept 1 A moderately priced subcompact designed as a second family car to be used around town. The car is ideal for running errands and visiting friends. Concept 2 A medium-cost sporty compact appealing to young people. Concept 3 A inexpensive subcompact green car appealing to environmentally conscious people who want practical transportation and low pollution. Concept 4 A high-end SUV appealing to those who love the space SUVs provide but lament the poor gas mileage. Concept Testing Concept testing calls for testing new-product concepts with groups of target consumers. The concepts may be presented to consumers symbolically or physically. Here; in words, is concept 3: An efficient fun-to drive fuel cell-powered electric subcompact car that seats four. This methanol powered high-tech wonder provides practical and reliable trans potation with virtually o pollution It goes up to 90 miles per hour and unlike battery-powered electric cars, it never needs recharging It s priced, fully equipped at $20000. For some concept tests a word or picture description might be sufficient. However a more concrete and physical presentation of the concept will increase the reliability of the concept test Today some marketers are finding innovative ways to make product concepts more real to consumer subjects For example some are using virtual reality to test product concepts. Virtual reality programs use computers and sensory devices (such as gloves or goggles) to simulate reality A designer of kitchen cabinets might use a virtual reality program to help a customer see how his or her kitschier would look and work if remodeled with the companys products. After being exposed to the concept consumers then may be asked to react to at by answering questions such as those. The answers will help the company decide which concept has the strongest appeal For example the last question asks about the consumers intention to buy Suppose 10 percent of the consumers said they definitely would buy and another 5 pe rcent said obab1y The company could project these figures to the full population in this target group to estimate sales volume Even then the estimate is uncertain because people do not always carry out their stated intentions. Marketing Strategy development Suppose DaimlerChrysler finds that concept 3 for the fuel cell powered electric car tests is best The next step is marketing strategy development designing an initial marketing strategy for introducing this car to the market. The marketing strategy statement consists of three parts. The first part describes the tar get market the planned product positioning; and the sates, market share, and profit goals for the first few years. Thus: The target market is younger well educated moderate to high income individuals couples or small families seeking practical environmentally responsible transportation The car will be positioned as more economical to operate, more fun to drive, and less polluting than today s internal combustion engine or hybrid cars It is also less restricting than battery powered electric cars which must be recharged regularly. The company will aim to sell 100 000 cars in the first year at a loss of not more than $15 million In the second year the company wall aim for sales of 120,000 cars and a profit of $25 million. The second part of the marking strategy statement outlines the product s planned price distribution and marketing budget for the first year: The fuel cell powered electric car will be offered an three colors-red white and blue-and will have optional air-conditioning and power drive features It will sell at a retail price of $20,000-with 15 percent off the list price to dealers. Dealers who sell more than 10 cars per month will get an additional discount of5 percent on each car sold that month An advertising budget of$5Q million will be split 50-50 between a national media campaign and local advertising. Advertising will emphasize the cars fun spirit and low emissions. During the first year, $100,000 will be spent on marketing research to find out who is buying the car and their satisfaction levels. Business analysis Once management has decided on its product concept and marketing strategy it can evaluate the business- attractiveness of the proposal. Business analysis involves a review of the sales costs, and profit projections for anew product to find out whether they satisfy the companys objectives. If they do the-product can move to-the product development stage. To estimate sales, the company might look at the sales history of similar products and conduct surveys of market opinion. It can then estimate minimum and maximum sales to assess the range of risk. After preparing the sales forecast, management can estimate the expected costs and profits for the product including marketing RD operations accounting and finance costs. The company then uses the sales and costs figures to analyze the new products financial attractiveness. Estimate likely selling price based upon competition and customer feedback Estimate sales volume based upon size of market and such tools as the Fourt-Woodlock equation Estimate profitability and breakeven point Product development So far for many new product concepts the product may have existed only as a word a thawing or perhaps a crude mock-up If the product concept passes the business test it moves into product development Here RD or engineering develops the product concept into a physical product. The product development step however now calls for a large jump in investment It will show whether the product idea can be turned into a work able product. The RD department will develop and test one or more physical versions of the product concept RD hopes to design a prototype that will satisfy and excite consumers and that can be produced quickly aid at budgeted costs. Developing a successful prototype can take days, weeks, months, or even years. Often products under go rigorous tests to make sure that they perform safely and effectively, or that consumers will find value in them. Here are some examples of such product tests: Procter Gamb1e (PG)spends $150 million on 4,000 to 5 0O studies a year test in everything from the ergonomics of picking up a shampoo bottle to how long women can keep their hands in sudsy water. On any given day subjects meet an focus groups e11 their dirty laundry to researchers put prototype diapers on their babies bottoms and rub mysterious creams on their faces Last year one elementary school raised $17000 by having students and parents take part in PG product tests Students tested toothpaste and shampoo and ate brownies while their mothers watched advertising for Tempo tissue PG s paper wipes packaged to fit in a car. At Gillette almost everyone gets involved in new product testing. Every working day at Gillette, 200 volunteers from various departments come to work unshaven troop to the second floor of the companys gritty South Boston plant and enter small booths with a sink and mirror. There they take instructions from technicians on the other side of a small window as to which razor, shaving cream or after shave to use The volunteers evaluate razors for sharpness of blade, smoothness of glide and ease of handling In a nearby shower room women perform the same ritual on their legs, underarms and what the company delicately refers to as the bikini area. We bleed so you. 11 get a good shave at home says one Gillette employee. Test marketing If the product passes functional and consumer tests, the next step is test marketing the stage at which the product and marketing program are introduced into more realistic market settings. Test marketing gives the marketer experience with marketing the product before going to the great expense of full introduction. It lets the company test the product and its entire marketing program-positioning strategy advertising distribution pricing branding and packaging and budget levels. The amount of test marketing needed varies with each new product Test marketing costs can be high, and it takes time that may allow competitors to gain advantages. Produce a physical prototype or mock-up Test the product (and its packaging) in typical usage situations Conduct focus group customer interviews or introduce at trade show Make adjustments where necessary Produce an initial run of the product and sell it in a test market area to determine customer acceptance When the costs of developing and introducing the product are low or when management as already confident about the new product the company may do little or no test marketing In fact test marketing by consumer package-goods firms has been declining in recent years Companies often do not test market simple line extensions or copies of successful competitor products For example. PG introduced its Folgerss decaffeinated coffee crystals without test marketing and Pillsbury rolled out Chewy granola bars and chocolate covered Granola Dips with no standard test market. However when introducing a new product requires a big investment or when management is not sure of the product or marketing program a company may do a lot of test marketing. For instance Lever USA spent 2 years testing its highly successful Lever 2000 bar soap in Atlanta before introducing it internationally. Frito-Lay did 18 months of testing in three markets on at least five formulations before introducing its Baked Lays lin e of low fat snacks. And Nokia test-marketed its N-Gage cell phone/mobile game player extensively in London before introducing it worldwide. Standard test Marketing Using standard test markets, the company finds a small number of representative test cities conducts a full marketing campaign in these cities and uses store audits consumer and distributor surveys, and other measures to gauge product performance. The results are used to forecast national sales and profits discover potential product problems and fine tune the marketing program. Standard test markets have some drawbacks. They can be very costly and they may take a long time-some last as long as 3 to 5 years Moreover competitors can monitor test market results or even interfere with them by cutting their prices in test cities increasing their pro motion or even buying up the product being tested. Finally test market give competitors a look at the companys new product well before it is introduced nationally Thus competitors may have tune to develop defensive strategies and may even beat the company s product to the market For example while CLOROXÂ ® was still test marketing its new detergent with bleach in selected markets PG launched Tide with Bleach nationally Tide with Bleach quickly became the segment leader GLOROXÂ ® later withdrew its detergent Despite these disadvantages standard test markets are still the most widely used approach for major in-market testing However many companies today are shifting toward quicker and cheaper controlled and simulated test marketing methods. Control Test Marketing Several research firms keep controlled panels of stores that have agreed to carry new products for a fee Controlled test marketing systems like ACNielsens Scan track and Information Resources Inc s (IRI) Behavior Scan track individual consumer behavior for new products from the television set to the checkout counter. In each Behavior Scan market WI maintains a panel of shoppers who report all of their purchases by showing an identification card at check-out in participating stores and by using a handheld scanner at home to record purchases at nonparticipating stores. With in test stores, IRI controls such factors as shelf placement price and ia-store promotions for the product being tested IRI also measures TV viewing in each panel household and sends special commercials to panel member television sets Direct mail promotions can also be tested. Commercialization Commercialization is the process or cycle of introducing a new product into the market. The actual launch of a new product is the final stage of new product development, and the one where the most money will have to be spent for advertising, sales promotion, and other marketing efforts. In the case of a new consumer packaged good, costs will be at least $ 10 million, but can reach up to $ 200 million. In general one can say that it will cost about a dollar for each dollar of sales turnover achieved. Commercialization is often confused with sales, marketing or business development. The Commercialization process has three key aspects: The funnel. It is essential to look at many ideas to get one or two products or business that can be sustained long-term It is a stage-wise process and each stage has its own key goals and milestones It is vital to involve key stakeholders early, including customers Commercialization of a product will only take place, if the following four questions can be answered: When? The company has to decide on the introduction timing. When facing the danger of cannibalizing the sales of the companys other products, if the product can be improved further, or if the economy is down, the launch should be delayed. Every single bank in Nigeria today has been commercialized. But its sad enough to know that most of these banks are not straight forward in their various dealings with their clines/customers. Where? The company has to decide where to launch its products. It can be in a single location, one or several regions, a national or the international market. This decision will be strongly influenced by the companys resources, in terms of capital, managerial confidence and operational capacities. Smaller companies usually launch in attractive cities or regions, while larger companies enter a national market at once. Global roll outs are generally only undertaken by multinational conglomerates, since they have the necessary size and make use of international distribution systems (e.g., Unilever, Procter Gamble). Other multinationals use the lead-country strategy: introducing the new product in one country/region at a time (e.g. Colgate-Palmolive). To Whom? The primary target consumer group will have been identified earlier by research and test marketing. These primary consumer groups should consist of innovators, early adopters, heavy users and/or opinion leaders. This will ensure adoption by other buyers in the market place during the product growth period. How? The company has to decide on an action plan for introducing the product by implementing the above decisions. It has to develop a viable marketing mix and create a respective marketing budget. Test marketing gives management the information needed to make a final decision about whether to launch the new product. If the company goes ahead with commercialization- introducing the new product into the market-it will face high costs The company may have to build or rent a manufacturing facility. And it may have to spend in the case of a new consumer packaged good between $10 million and $200 million for advertising sales promotion, and other marketing efforts in the first year. The company launching a new product must first decide on introduction timing. If DaimlerChrysler s new fuel cell electric car will eat into the sales of the company s other cars its introduction may be delayed If the car can be improved further, or if the economy is down, the company may wait until the following year to launch it. Next, the company must decide where to launch the new product-in a single location, a region the national market or the international market. Few companies have the confidence capital and capacity to launch new products into full national or international distribution. They will develop a planned market rollout over time. In particular small companies may enter attractive cities or regions one at a time Larger companies, however may quickly intro- 1uce new models into several regions or into the full national market. There are the following step of commercialization. Launch the product Produce and place advertisements and other promotions Fill the distribution pipeline with product Critical path analysis is most useful at this stage Organizing for new product Development Many companies organize their new product development process into the orderly sequence of starting-with idea generation and ending with commercialization Under this sequential product development approach one company department works individually to complete its stage of the process before passing the new product along to the development next department and stage. This orderly step-by step process can help bring control to complex and risky projects. But it also can be dangerously slow. In fast changing highly competitive works markets such slow but sure product development can result in pro4uct failures lost sales arid profits and crumbling market positions Speed to market and reducing new product development cycle time have become pressing concerns to companies in all industries. In order to get their new products to market more quickly many companies are adopting a faster team-oriented approach called simultaneous product development (or team bad or collaborative product-development) Under this approach company departments work closely together through cross functional teams overlapping the steps in the product development process to save time and increase effectiveness Instead of passing the new product from department to department the company assembles a team -of people from various departments that Stays with the new product from start to finish. Such teams usually include people from the marketing finance design, manufacturing and legal departments and even supplier and customer companies. top management gives the product development team general strategic direction but no clear cut product idea or work plan It challenges the team with stiff and seemingly contradictory goals- turn out carefully planned and superior new products but do it quickly -and then givers the team whatever freedom and resources it needs to meet the challenge In the sequential process a bottleneck at one phase can seriously slow the entire protect In the simultaneous approach, if one functional area hits snags it works to resolve them while the team moves on. The Data Collection Primary Data BOOKS Principal of Marketing (Eleventh Edition) Part III Chapter# 9 Page # 274,276,280,282 Web site www.learnmarketing.net www.wikipedia.org www.infotrends.com Secondary Data Organization PG Pakistan Private (Ltd

Traditional Medicines: Tomorrows Miracle Drugs :: Journalistic Essays

Traditional medicines as they were passed on through generations formed the basis of health care in the earliest civilizations. New medical discoveries evolved from this foundation as the medical field developed throughout the ages. Of particular interest are the highly developed Turkish traditional medicines. Important trade routes from advanced societies such as the Chinese and Islamic nations passed through Turkey, thus introducing their respective medicinal knowledge to this area. In addition, Turkey has a large diversity of endemic plant species which provided them with the necessary natural products used in these "remedies". Dr. Nil Sari has translated Islamic medicinal documents and has identified traditional medicines used to treat what presently is termed "cancer". Professor John Snyder's lab has used Dr. Sari's discoveries to isolate a plant-derived bioactive compound and is currently in the process of synthesizing it. I joined Professor Snyder's synthetic organic lab group September 1995. I have been assigned my own project under his supervision. The research involves synthesizing a series of triazines with varying substituents. Triazines are molecules with three nitrogen atoms in its structure. These compounds will then be used as prototypes so that I may test different cyanide replacement reactions. In these reactions, cyanide replaces a specific original substituent on the triazine. Cyanide withdraws electrons from the rest of the molecule, making the atoms around the cyanide "electron-deficient". Dr. Snyder's lab synthesizes ringed molecules through an "inverse Diels-Alder" reaction. Generally, an orbital of an electron-deficient molecule with a "double-single-double" bond sequence overlaps with an orbital of an electron rich reactant. The overlapped orbitals form a bond, which in turn forms the reactants into a ringed molecule. Cyanide displacements are thus an important technique in preparin g electron-deficient reactants to form ringed molecules. The triazine series will also be used as testing molecules in the development of a "nitrogen-15" probe. Dr. Hodge Markgraf from Williams College is developing a nuclear magnetic resonance machine for the nitrogen-15 atom. NMR determines the structure of a molecule by plotting the nuclear-spin transitions of the atoms when exposed to an external magnetic field. So far, NMR has mainly focused on the hydrogen-1 and carbon-13 isotopes. The N-15 atom is also NMR active because it has an uneven number of protons (7) and therefore has magnetic properties. Traditional Medicines: Tomorrows Miracle Drugs :: Journalistic Essays Traditional medicines as they were passed on through generations formed the basis of health care in the earliest civilizations. New medical discoveries evolved from this foundation as the medical field developed throughout the ages. Of particular interest are the highly developed Turkish traditional medicines. Important trade routes from advanced societies such as the Chinese and Islamic nations passed through Turkey, thus introducing their respective medicinal knowledge to this area. In addition, Turkey has a large diversity of endemic plant species which provided them with the necessary natural products used in these "remedies". Dr. Nil Sari has translated Islamic medicinal documents and has identified traditional medicines used to treat what presently is termed "cancer". Professor John Snyder's lab has used Dr. Sari's discoveries to isolate a plant-derived bioactive compound and is currently in the process of synthesizing it. I joined Professor Snyder's synthetic organic lab group September 1995. I have been assigned my own project under his supervision. The research involves synthesizing a series of triazines with varying substituents. Triazines are molecules with three nitrogen atoms in its structure. These compounds will then be used as prototypes so that I may test different cyanide replacement reactions. In these reactions, cyanide replaces a specific original substituent on the triazine. Cyanide withdraws electrons from the rest of the molecule, making the atoms around the cyanide "electron-deficient". Dr. Snyder's lab synthesizes ringed molecules through an "inverse Diels-Alder" reaction. Generally, an orbital of an electron-deficient molecule with a "double-single-double" bond sequence overlaps with an orbital of an electron rich reactant. The overlapped orbitals form a bond, which in turn forms the reactants into a ringed molecule. Cyanide displacements are thus an important technique in preparin g electron-deficient reactants to form ringed molecules. The triazine series will also be used as testing molecules in the development of a "nitrogen-15" probe. Dr. Hodge Markgraf from Williams College is developing a nuclear magnetic resonance machine for the nitrogen-15 atom. NMR determines the structure of a molecule by plotting the nuclear-spin transitions of the atoms when exposed to an external magnetic field. So far, NMR has mainly focused on the hydrogen-1 and carbon-13 isotopes. The N-15 atom is also NMR active because it has an uneven number of protons (7) and therefore has magnetic properties.

The Golden Lily Chapter 23

IT TOOK SONYA a few days to recover, thus delaying her return to Pennsylvania. When she was ready to go to the airport, I offered to drive her. The rental car had been found, but Dimitri was using it to clean up after the mission. Within twenty-four hours, the Warriors had vacated their compound, which had turned out to be a rental facility generally used for retreats. They'd left almost no trace of their presence behind, but that hadn't stopped the guardians from scouring every inch of the abandoned compound. â€Å"Thanks again,† Sonya told me. â€Å"I know how busy you must be.† â€Å"It's no problem. It's the weekend, and anyway this is what I'm here for – to help you guys.† She laughed softly to herself. Her recovery in the last couple of days had been remarkable, and she now looked as pretty and bright as usual. She wore her auburn hair down today, letting it fall in fiery waves around the delicate lines of her face. â€Å"True, but it seems like you keep having to go above and beyond your job description.† â€Å"I'm just glad you're okay,† I said earnestly. I'd grown close to Sonya and was sad to see her go. â€Å"Back in that arena†¦ well, it was kind of terrifying.† Some of her amusement faded. â€Å"It was. I was out of it most of the time and not really able to process what was going on around me. But I do remember your words. You were pretty amazing, not to mention brave, to face down that crowd and defend me. I know how hard it must have been to be in opposition with your own kind.† â€Å"Those people are not my kind,† I said adamantly. Some part of me wondered exactly who my kind were. â€Å"What's going to happen to your research now?† â€Å"Oh, it'll continue back East. Dimitri will be returning soon too, and there are other researchers who can help us at Court. Having an objective spirit user like Adrian was extremely useful, and we've got plenty of data to keep us busy now, thanks to the blood samples and aura observations. We'll let Adrian continue with his art and get in touch later if we need him again.† I still couldn't shake the guilt over how my refusal to give more blood had indirectly resulted in Sonya's kidnapping. â€Å"Sonya, about my blood – â€Å" â€Å"Don't worry about it,† she interrupted. â€Å"You were right about me being pushy and also that we need to focus on Dimitri first. Besides, we might be making some headway with getting Alchemist help.† â€Å"Really?† Stanton had seemed pretty against it when we spoke. â€Å"They said yes?† â€Å"No, but they said they'd get back to us.† I laughed. â€Å"With them, that's a pretty positive answer.† I fell silent for a moment, wondering if this meant everyone would forget about my blood. Between the Warriors and the potential of Alchemist aid, surely my blood was no longer important. After all, initial study had found nothing special. No one had any reason to worry about my blood anymore. Except, the thing was†¦ I was kind of worried. Because no matter how much I dreaded being experimented on, that nagging question wouldn't leave me alone: Why hadn't the Strigoi been able to drink my blood? Sonya's earlier mention of auras reminded me of another burning question. â€Å"Sonya, what does purple mean in someone's aura? Adrian says he saw it in mine but won't tell me what it is.† â€Å"Typical,† she said with a chuckle. â€Å"Purple†¦ well, let's see. From what I've observed, it's a complex color. It's a spiritual but passionate color, tied to those who love deeply and also seek a higher calling. It's interesting in that it has such depth. White and true gold tend to be the colors associated with higher powers and metaphysics, just as red and orange are linked to love and baser instincts. Purple kind of has the best of all of those. I wish I could explain it more clearly.† â€Å"No, that makes sense,† I said, pulling into the airport's circle driveway. â€Å"Kind of. It doesn't exactly sound like me, though.† â€Å"Well, it's hardly an exact science. And he's right – it's there in you. The thing is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We'd stopped at the curb, and I saw her studying me carefully. â€Å"I've never noticed it before. I mean, I'm sure it's always been there, but whenever I looked at you, I just saw the yellow of most intellects. Adrian isn't as adept at reading auras as I am, so I'm surprised he noticed what I missed.† She wasn't the only one. Spiritual, passionate†¦ was I really those things? Did Adrian believe I was those things? The thought made me feel warm all over. Elated†¦ and confused. Sonya seemed like she was about to say more on the matter and then changed her mind. She cleared her throat. â€Å"Well, then. Here we are. Thank you again for the ride.† â€Å"No problem,† I said, my mind still swimming with visions of purple. â€Å"Have a safe trip.† She opened the car door and then paused. â€Å"Oh, I have something for you. Clarence asked me to give it to you.† â€Å"Clarence?† Sonya rustled through her purse and found an envelope. â€Å"Here you are. He was pretty adamant you get it – you know how he is when he gets worked up about something.† â€Å"I do. Thanks.† Sonya left with her luggage, and curiosity made me open the envelope before I drove away. Inside was a photograph, showing Clarence and a young guy, close to my age, who looked human. The two of them had their arms around each other and were smiling at the camera. The unknown guy had straight blond hair that just barely brushed his chin and stunning blue eyes that stood out against suntanned features. He was extremely handsome, and although his eyes mirrored his smile, I thought there was a little sadness too. I was so caught up in his good looks that I didn't notice his tattoo right away. It was on his left cheek, an abstract design made of clustered crescents of various sizes and orientations, lying together so that they almost looked like a vine. It was exotic and beautiful; the rich indigo ink a near match for his eyes. Studying the design more closely, I noticed something familiar about its shape and swore I could see a faint glimmer of gold edging the blue lines. I nearly dropped the picture in shock. The crescents had been tattooed over an Alchemist lily. I flipped the picture over. One word was scrawled on it: Marcus. Marcus Finch, whom the Warriors had claimed was an ex-Alchemist. Marcus Finch, whom the Alchemists had claimed didn't exist. The crazy thing was, unless someone locked away like Keith counted, there were no â€Å"ex-Alchemists.† You were in it for life. You couldn't walk away. Yet, that obscured lily spoke for itself. Unless Marcus had had a name change that somehow eluded the Alchemists, Stanton and the others were lying to me about knowing who he was. But why? Had there been some rift? A week ago, I would have said it was impossible that Stanton wouldn't tell me the truth about him, but now, knowing how carefully information was parceled out – or not – I had to wonder. I stared at the picture a few more moments, caught up in those haunting blue eyes. Then, I tucked it away and returned to Amberwood, resolved to keep the photograph a secret. If the Alchemists wanted to deny Marcus Finch's existence to me, I would let them continue until I figured out why. That meant my only lead was Clarence and the absent Warriors. Still, it was a start. Somehow, sometime, I was going to find Marcus Finch and get my answers. I was surprised to see Jill sitting outside our dorm when I walked in. She was in the shade, of course, still able to enjoy the nice weather without the sun's full force. We'd finally moved into a sort of autumn around here, not that eighty was what I usually associated with brisk fall weather. Jill's face was pensive, but she brightened a little when she saw me. â€Å"Hey, Sydney. I was hoping to catch you. Can't find you anymore without your phone.† I made a face. â€Å"Yeah, I need to replace that. It's been a huge pain.† She nodded in commiseration. â€Å"Did you drop Sonya off?† â€Å"She's on her way back to Court and Mikhail – and hopefully a much more peaceful life.† â€Å"That's good,† said Jill. She glanced away and bit her lower lip. I knew her well enough by now to recognize the signs of when she was bracing to tell me something. I also knew better than to push the matter, so I waited patiently. â€Å"I did it,† she said at last. â€Å"I told Micah it's over†¦ really over.† Relief flooded me. One less thing to worry about. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. â€Å"I know that must have been hard.† She brushed curly hair away from her face as she considered. â€Å"Yes. And no. I like him. And I'd like to keep hanging out with him – as friends – if he wants to. I don't know, though. He took it kind of hard†¦ and our mutual friends? Well†¦ they're not very happy with me right now.† I tried not to groan. Jill had made such headway with her status here, and now it could be shattered. â€Å"But it's for the best. Micah and I live in different worlds, and there'd be no real future with a human anyway. Besides, I've been thinking a lot about love†¦ like, epic love†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked up at me for a moment, her gaze softening. â€Å"And that wasn't what we had. Seems like if I'm with someone, that's what I should feel.† I thought epic love was kind of a stretch for someone her age but didn't say so. â€Å"Are you going to be okay?† She snapped back to reality. â€Å"Yeah, I think so.† A small smile played over her lips. â€Å"And once this has passed, maybe Eddie will want to go out sometime – away from campus, of course. Seeing as we're ‘related.'† Her words were almost a repeat of what I'd heard the other night at Clarence's, and I stared in surprise as realization dawned on me. â€Å"You don't know†¦ I thought you would since Angeline's your roommate†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jill frowned. â€Å"What are you talking about? What don't I know?† Oh God. Why, oh why, did I have to be the one to deliver this news? Why couldn't I be locked away in my room or the library doing something enjoyable, like homework? â€Å"Eddie's, um, asked Angeline out. I don't know when it's going to happen, but he decided to give her a chance.† He hadn't borrowed my car, so presumably there'd been no date yet. Jill looked stricken. â€Å"W-what? Eddie and Angeline? But†¦ he can't stand her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Something changed,† I said lamely. â€Å"I'm not sure what. It's not like, er, epic love, but they've gotten closer these last few weeks. I'm sorry.† Jill seemed more devastated by this than breaking up with Micah. She looked away and blinked back tears. â€Å"It's okay. I mean, I never encouraged him. He probably still thinks I'm dating Micah. Why should he have waited around? He should have someone.† â€Å"Jill – â€Å" â€Å"It's okay. I'll be okay.† She looked so sad and then, amazingly, her face grew even darker. â€Å"Oh, Sydney. You're going to be so mad at me.† I was still thinking of Micah and felt totally confused at the topic change. â€Å"Why?† She reached into her backpack and pulled out a glossy magazine. It was some kind of southern California tourism one, with articles and ads highlighting the area. One of the pages was marked, and I turned to it. It was a full-page advertisement for Lia DiStefano, a collage of pictures of her various designs. And one of the photos was of Jill. It took me a moment to catch it. The picture was a profile shot, with Jill in sunglasses and a fedora – as well as that peacock-colored scarf Lia had given her. Jill's curly hair streamed out behind her, and the angles of her face looked beautiful. If I hadn't known Jill so well, I would never have identified her as this chic model – though it would certainly be obvious that she was a Moroi to anyone who knew what to look for. â€Å"How?† I demanded. â€Å"How did this happen?† Jill took a deep breath, ready to accept her blame. â€Å"When she dropped off the costumes and gave me the scarf, she asked if I'd let her take a picture to see how the colors photographed. She had some of the other accessories in the car, and I put those on too. She wanted to prove to me that with the right coverage, she could hide my identity. But I never thought†¦ I mean, she didn't say she'd use it. God, I feel so stupid.† Maybe not stupid, but certainly naive. I nearly crumpled up the magazine. I was furious at Lia. Part of me wanted to sue for using a picture of a minor without permission, but we had much bigger problems. How wide was this magazine's circulation? If Lia had only put Jill's photo on display in California, maybe no one would recognize her. Still, a Moroi model could raise eyebrows. Who knows what kind of trouble this was going to cause for us now? â€Å"Sydney, I'm sorry,† said Jill. â€Å"What can I do to fix this?† â€Å"Nothing,† I said. â€Å"Except to stay away from Lia.† I felt ill. â€Å"I'll take care of this.† I really didn't know how, though. I could only pray no one noticed the picture. â€Å"I'll do whatever you need if you think of something. I – oh.† Her eyes lifted to something behind me. â€Å"Maybe we should talk later.† I glanced back. Trey was walking toward us. Another problem to deal with. â€Å"Probably a good idea,† I said. Jill's heartache and publicity would have to go on the back burner. She left as Trey came to stand beside me. â€Å"Melbourne,† he said, attempting one of his old smiles. It faltered a little. â€Å"I didn't know you were still around,† I said. â€Å"I thought you'd left with the others.† The Warriors had scattered to the wind. Trey had said before that they traveled for their â€Å"hunts,† and Master Angeletti had also mentioned gathering from various places of the country. Presumably, they had all returned to where they'd come from. I'd thought Trey would simply disappear as well. â€Å"Nope,† he said. â€Å"This is where I go to school, where my dad wants me to stay. Besides, the other Warriors never had a permanent base here in Palm Springs. They'll move on to wherever†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He couldn't finish, so I did. â€Å"Wherever you get a tip-off about monsters you can brutally execute?† â€Å"It wasn't like that,† he said. â€Å"We thought she was one of the Strigoi. We still do.† I scrutinized his face, this guy I'd thought was my friend. I was pretty sure he still was. â€Å"Not you. That's why you threw the fight.† â€Å"I didn't,† he protested. â€Å"You did. I saw you hesitate when you could have taken out Chris. You didn't want to win. You didn't want to kill Sonya because you weren't sure she really was Strigoi.† He didn't deny it. â€Å"I still think they should all be destroyed.† â€Å"So do I.† I reconsidered. â€Å"Well, unless there's a way to save them all, but that's unclear.† Despite how much I'd said while advocating for Sonya, I wasn't quite comfortable letting him on the secrets and experiments. â€Å"If the Warriors travel around, what'll happen the next time they're in this area? Or even ll.A.? Will you join them again? Will you travel to the next hunt?† â€Å"No.† The answer was hard. Blunt, even. Hope surged in me. â€Å"You've decided to split off from them?† The emotions on Trey's face were hard to read, but they didn't look like happy ones. â€Å"No. They decided to cut us off – me and my dad. We've been outcast.† I stared for a few moments, at a loss for words. I didn't like the Warriors or Trey's involvement, but this wasn't quite what I'd been trying to achieve. â€Å"Because of me?† â€Å"No. Yes. I don't know.† He shrugged. â€Å"Indirectly, I guess. They don't blame you personally or even the Alchemists. Hell, they still want to team up with the Alchemists. They figure you just behaved in your typically misguided way. But me? I'm the one who pushed to let you in, who swore everything would be fine. So, they blame me for the lapse of judgment and fallout that came from it. Others are taking the blame too – the council for agreeing, security for not stopping the raid – but that doesn't make me feel better. Dad and I were the only ones exiled.† â€Å"I†¦ I'm sorry. I never thought anything like that would happen.† â€Å"Wasn't your place to,† he said pragmatically, though his tone was still miserable. â€Å"To a certain extent, they're right. I was the one that got you in. It is my fault, and they're punishing my dad for what I did. That's the worst part of all.† Trey was trying to play it cool, but I could see the truth. He'd worked so hard to impress his father and ended up causing the ultimate humiliation. Trey's next words confirmed as much. â€Å"The Warriors have been my dad's whole life. To be kicked out like that†¦ well, he's taking it pretty badly. I have to find a way to get back in – for him. I don't suppose you know where any easy-to-kill Strigoi are, do you?† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"Especially since none of them are easy kills.† I hesitated, unsure how to proceed. â€Å"Trey, what's this mean for us? I understand if we can't be friends anymore†¦ seeing as how I, uh, ruined your life's work.† A hint of his old smile returned. â€Å"Nothing's ruined for good. I told you, I'll get back in. And if it's not by killing Strigoi, who knows? Maybe if I learn more about you guys, I can bridge the gap between our groups and get us to all work together. That would score me some points.† â€Å"You're welcome to try,† I said diplomatically. I really didn't think that would happen, and he could tell. â€Å"Well, I'll figure something out then, some big move to get the Warriors' attention and get my dad and me back in with them. I have to.† His face started to fall again, but then there was a brief return of the phantom smile – though it was tinged with sadness. â€Å"You know what else sucks? Now I can't ask Angeline out. Hanging out with you is one thing, but even if I'm an outcast, I can't risk being friendly with Moroi or dhampirs. I especially can't date one. I mean, I'd figured she was one a while ago, but I could have played dumb. That attack in the arena kind of killed any chance of that. The Warriors really don't like them either, you know. Dhampirs or Moroi. They'd love to see them brought down too – they just think it's too hard and less of a priority right now.† Something about those words made me shiver, particularly since I recalled the offhand Warrior comment about eventually taking out Moroi. The Alchemists certainly had no love for dhampirs and Moroi, but that was a far cry from wanting to bring them down. â€Å"I gotta get going.† Trey reached into his pocket and handed over something that I was grateful to see. My phone. â€Å"Figured you were missing this.† â€Å"Yes!† I took it eagerly and turned it on. I hadn't known if I'd get it back and had been on the verge of buying a new one. This one was three months old and practically out-of-date anyway. â€Å"Thanks for saving it. Oh. Wow.† I read the display. â€Å"There are like a million messages from Brayden.† We hadn't spoken since the night of Sonya's disappearance. The mischievous look I liked so well on Trey returned. â€Å"Better get on that then. True love waits for no one.† â€Å"True love, huh?† I shook my head in exasperation. â€Å"So nice to have you back.† That earned me an outright grin. â€Å"See you around.† As soon as I was alone, I texted Brayden: Sorry for the radio silence. Lost my phone for three days. His response was almost immediate: I'm at work, due for a break soon. Come by? I thought about it. Seeing as I had no life-saving tasks right now, this was as good a time as any. I texted back that I'd leave Amberwood right away. Brayden had my favorite latte ready for me when I got to Spencer's. â€Å"Based on when you were leaving, I calculated when I would need to make it in order for it to be hot when you arrived.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said, taking it. I felt a little guilt that I had a greater emotional reaction to seeing the coffee than him. He told the other barista he was going on break and then led me over to a remote table. â€Å"This won't take long,† Brayden said. â€Å"I know you probably have a lot of things to do this weekend.† â€Å"Things are actually starting to lighten up,† I said. He took a deep breath, showing that same resolve and anxiety he'd had when asking me for future dates. â€Å"Sydney,† he said, voice formal, â€Å"I don't think we should see each other anymore.† I stopped mid-sip. â€Å"Wait†¦ what?† â€Å"I know how devastating this probably is for you,† he added. â€Å"And I admit, it's hard for me too. But in light of recent events, it's become clear you just aren't ready for a relationship yet.† â€Å"Recent events?† He nodded solemnly. â€Å"Your family. You've broken off a number of our social engagements to be with them. While that kind of familial devotion is admirable, I just can't be in that kind of volatile relationship.† â€Å"Volatile?† I just kept repeating his key words and finally forced myself to get a grip. â€Å"So†¦ let me get this straight. You're breaking up with me.† He thought about it. â€Å"Yes. Yes, I am.† I waited for some internal reaction. An outpouring of grief. The sense of my heart breaking. Any emotion, really. But mostly, all I felt was kind of a puzzled surprise. â€Å"Huh,† I said. That was apparently enough of a distraught reaction for Brayden. â€Å"Please don't make this harder than it is. I admire you a lot. You're absolutely the smartest girl I've ever met. But I just can't be involved with someone as irresponsible as you.† I stared. â€Å"Irresponsible.† Brayden nodded again. â€Å"Yes.† I'm not sure where it started, somewhere in my stomach or chest, maybe. But all of a sudden, I was consumed by uncontrollable laughter. I couldn't stop. I had to set down my coffee, lest I spill it. Even then, I had to bury my face in my hands to wipe away tears. â€Å"Sydney?† asked Brayden cautiously. â€Å"Is this some kind of hysterical-grief reaction?† It took me almost another minute to calm myself enough to answer him. â€Å"Oh, Brayden. You've made my day. You've given me something I never thought I'd get. Thank you.† I reached for the coffee and stood up. He looked completely lost. â€Å"Um, you're welcome?† I left the coffee shop, still laughing like a fool. For the last month or so, everyone in my life had gone on and on about how responsible I was, how diligent, how exemplary. I'd been called a lot of things. But never, ever, had I been called irresponsible. And I kind of liked it.

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