The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 1 PARTY

I WAS NINETY-NINE POINT NINE PERCENT SURE I WAS dreaming. The reasons I was so certain were that, first, I was standing in a bright shaft of sunlightthe kind of blinding clear sun that never shone on my drizzly new hometown in Forks, Washingtonand second, I was looking at my Grandma Marie. Gran had been dead for six years now, so that was solid evidence toward the dream theory. Gran hadn't changed much; her face looked just the same as I remembered it. The skin was soft and withered, bent into a thousand tiny creases that clung gently to the bone underneath. Like a dried apricot, but with a puff of thick white hair standing out in a cloud around it. Our mouthshers a wizened pickerspread into the same surprised half-smile at just the same time. Apparently, she hadn't been expecting to see me, either. I was about to ask her a question; I had so manyWhat was she doing here in my cream? What had she been up to in the past six years? Was Pop okay, and had they found each other, wherever they werebut she opened her mouth when I did, so I stopped to let her go first. She paused, too, and then we Goth smiled at the little awkwardness. â€Å"Bella!† It wasn't Gran who called my name, and we both turned to see the addition to our small reunion. I didn't have to look to know who it was; this was a voice I would know anywhereknow, and respond to, whether I was awake or asleep or even dead, I'd bet. The voice I'd walk through fire foror, less dramatically, slosh every day through the cold and endless rain for. Edward. Even though I was always thrilled to see himconscious or otherwiseand even though I was almost positive that I was dreaming, I panicked as Edward walked toward us through the glaring sunlight. I panicked because Gran didn't know that I was in love with a vampirenobody knew thatso how was I supposed to explain the fact that the brilliant sunbeams were shattering off his skin into a thousand rainbow shards like he was made of crystal or diamond? Well, Gran, yon might have noticed that my boyfriend glitters. It's just something he does in the sun. Don't worry about it What was he doing? The whole reason he lived in Forks, the rainiest place in the world, was so that he could be outside in the daytime without exposing his family's secret. Yet here he was, strolling gracefully toward mewith the most beautiful smile on his angel's faceas if I were the only one here. In that second, I wished that I was not the one exception to his mysterious talent; I usually felt grateful that I was the only person whose thoughts he couldn't hear just as clearly as if they were spoken aloud. But now I wished he could hear me, too, so that he could hear the warning I was screaming in my head. I shot a panicked glance back at Gran, and saw that it was too late. She was just turning to stare back at me, her eyes as alarmed as mine. Edwardstill smiling so beautifully that my heart felt like it was going to swell up and burst through my chestput his arm around my shoulder and turned to face my grandmother. Gran's expression surprised me. Instead of looking horrified, she was staring at me sheepishly, as if waiting for a scolding. And she was standing in such a strange positionone arm held awkwardly away from her body, stretched out and then curled around the air. Like she had her arm around someone I couldn't see, someone invisible Only then, as I looked at the bigger picture, did I notice the huge gilt frame that enclosed my grandmother's form. Uncomprehending, I raised the hand that wasn't wrapped around Edward's waist and reached out to touch her. She mimicked the movement exactly, mirrored it. But where our fingers should have met, there was nothing but cold glass With a dizzying jolt, my dream abruptly became a nightmare. There was no Gran. That was me. Me in a mirror. Meancient, creased, and withered. Edward stood beside me, casting no reflection, excruciatingly lovely and forever seventeen. He pressed his icy, perfect lips against my wasted cheek. â€Å"Happy birthday,† he whispered. I woke with a startmy eyelids popping open wideand gasped. Dull gray light, the familiar light of an overcast morning, took the place of the blinding sun in my dream. Just a dream, I told myself. It was only a dream. I took a deep breath, and then jumped again when my alarm went off. The little calendar in the corner of the clock's display informed me that today was September thirteenth. Only a dream, but prophetic enough in one way, at least. Today was my birthday. I was officially eighteen years old. I'd been dreading this day for months. All through the perfect summerthe happiest summer I had ever had, the happiest summer anyone anywhere had ever had, and the rainiest summer in the history of the Olympic Peninsulathis bleak date had lurked in ambush, waiting to spring. And now that it had hit, it was even worse than I'd feared it would be. I could feel itI was older. Every day I got older, but this was different, worse, quantifiable. I was eighteen. And Edward never would be. When I went to brush my teeth, I was almost surprised that the face in the mirror hadn't changed. I stared at myself, looking for some sign of impending wrinkles in my ivory skin. The only creases were the ones on my forehead, though, and I knew that if I could manage to relax, they would disappear. I couldn't. My eyebrows stayed lodged in a worried line over my anxious brown eyes. It was just a dream, I reminded myself again. Just a dream but also my worst nightmare. I skipped breakfast, in a hurry to get out of the house as quickly as possible. I wasn't entirely able to avoid my dad, and so I had to spend a few minutes acting cheerful. I honestly tried to be excited about the gifts I'd asked him not to get me, but every time I had to smile, it felt like I might start crying. I struggled to get a grip on myself as I drove to school. The vision of GranI would not think of it as mewas hard to get out of my head. I couldn't feel anything but despair until I pulled into the familiar parking lot behind Forks High School and spotted Edward leaning motionlessly against his polished silver Volvo, like a marble tribute to some forgotten pagan god of beauty. The dream had not done him justice. And he was waiting there for me, just the same as every other day. Despair momentarily vanished; wonder took its place. Even after half a year with him, I still couldn't believe that I deserved this degree of good fortune. His sister Alice was standing by his side, waiting for me, too. Of course Edward and Alice weren't really related (in Forks the story was that all the Cullen siblings were adopted by Dr. Carlisle Culler and his wife, Esme, both plainly too young to have teenage children), but their skin was precisely the same pale shade, their eyes had the same strange golden tint, with the same deep, bruise-like shadows beneath them. Her face, like his, was also startlingly beautiful. To someone in the knowsomeone like methese similarities marked them for what they were. The sight of Alice waiting thereher tawny eyes brilliant with excitement, and a small silver-wrapped square in her handsmade me frown. I'd told Alice I didn't want anything, anything, not gifts or even attention, for my birthday. Obviously, my wishes were being ignored. I slammed the door of my '53 Chevy trucka shower of rust specks fluttered down to the wet blacktopand walked slowly toward where they waited. Alice skipped forward to meet me, her pixie face glowing under her spiky black hair. â€Å"Happy birthday, Bella!† â€Å"Shh!† I hissed, glancing around the lot to make sure no one had heard her. The last thing I wanted was some kind of celebration of the black event. She ignored me. â€Å"Do you want to open your present now or later?† she asked eagerly as we made our way to where Edward still waited. â€Å"No presents,† I protested in a mumble. She finally seemed to process my mood. â€Å"Okay later, then. Did you like the scrapbook your mom sent you? And the camera from Charlie?† I sighed. Of course she would know what my birthday presents were. Edward wasn't the only member of his family with unusual skills. Alice would have â€Å"seen† what my parents were planning as soon as they'd decided that themselves. â€Å"Yeah. They're great.† â€Å"I think it's a nice idea. You're only a senior once. Might as well document the experience.† â€Å"How many times have you been a senior?† â€Å"That's different.† We reached Edward then, and he held out his hand for mine. I took it eagerly, forgetting, for a moment, my glum mood. His skin was, as always, smooth, hard, and very cold. He gave my fingers a gentle squeeze. I looked into his liquid topa2 eyes, and my heart gave a not-quite-so-gentle squeeze of its own. Hearing the stutter in my heartbeats, he smiled again. He lifted his free hand and traced one cool fingertip around the outside of my lips as he spoke. â€Å"So, as discussed, I am not allowed to wish you a happy birthday, is that correct?† â€Å"Yes. That is correct.† I could never quite mimic the flow of his perfect, formal articulation. It was something that could only be picked up in an earlier century. â€Å"Just checking.† He ran his hand through his tousled bronze hair. â€Å"You might have changed your mind. Most people seem to enjoy things like birthdays and gifts.† Alice laughed, and the sound was all silver, a wind chime. â€Å"Of course you'll enjoy it. Everyone is supposed to be nice to you today and give you your way, Bella. What's the worst that could happen?† She meant it as a rhetorical question. â€Å"Getting older,† I answered anyway, and my voice was not as steady as I wanted it to be. Beside me, Edward's smile tightened into a hard line. â€Å"Eighteen isn't very old,† Alice said. â€Å"Don't women usually wait till they're twenty-nine to get upset over birthdays?† â€Å"It's older than Edward,† I mumbled. He sighed. â€Å"Technically,† she said, keeping her tone light. â€Å"Just by one little year, though.† And I supposed if I could be sure of the future I wanted, sure that I would get to spend forever with Edward, and Alice and the rest of the Cullens (preferably not as a wrinkled little old lady) then a year or two one direction or the other wouldn't matter to me so much. But Edward was dead set against any future that changed me. Any future that made me like himthat made me immortal, too. An impasse, he called it. I couldn't really see Edward's point, to be honest. What was so great about mortality? Being a vampire didn't look like such a terrible thingnot the way the Cullens did it, anyway. â€Å"What time will you be at the house?† Alice continued, changing the subject. From her expression, she was up to exactly the kind of thing I'd been hoping to avoid. â€Å"I didn't know I had plans to be there.† â€Å"Oh, be fair, Bella!† she complained. â€Å"You aren't going to ruin all our fun like that, are you?† â€Å"I thought my birthday was about what I want.† â€Å"I'll get her from Charlie's right after school,† Edward told her, ignoring me altogether. â€Å"I have to work,† I protested. â€Å"You don't, actually,† Alice told me smugly. â€Å"I already spoke to Mrs. Newton about it. She's trading your shifts. She said to tell you ‘Happy Birthday.'† â€Å"II still can't come over,† I stammered, scrambling for an excuse. â€Å"I, well, I haven't watched Romeo and Juliet yet for English.† Alice snorted. â€Å"You have Romeo and Juliet memorized.† â€Å"But Mr. Berty said we needed to see it performed to fully appreciate itthat's how Shakespeare intended it to be presented.† Edward rolled his eyes. â€Å"You've already seen the movie,† Alice accused. â€Å"But not the nineteen-sixties version. Mr. Berty said it was the best.† Finally, Alice lost the smug smile and glared at me. â€Å"This can be easy, or this can be hard, Bella, but one way or the other† Edward interrupted her threat. â€Å"Relax, Alice. If Bella wants to watch a movie, then she can. It's her birthday.† â€Å"So there,† I added. â€Å"I'll bring her over around seven,† he continued. â€Å"That will give you more time to set up.† Alice's laughter chimed again. â€Å"Sounds good. See you tonight, Bella! It'll be fun, you'll see.† She grinnedthe wide smile exposed all her perfect, glistening teeththen pecked me on the cheek and danced off toward her first class before I could respond. â€Å"Edward, please† I started to beg, but he pressed one cool finger to my lips. â€Å"Let's discuss it later. We're going to be late for class.† No one bothered to stare at us as we took our usual seats in the back of the classroom (we had almost every class together nowit was amazing the favors Edward could get the female administrators to do for him). Edward and I had been together too long now to be an object of gossip anymore. Even Mike Newton didn't bother to give me the glum stare that used to make me feel a little guilty. He smiled now instead, and I was glad he seemed to have accepted that we could only be friends. Mike had changed over the summerhis face had lost some of the roundness, making his cheekbones more prominent, and he was wearing his pale blond hair a new way; instead of bristly, it was longer and gelled into a carefully casual disarray. It was easy to see where his inspiration came frombut Edward's look wasn't something that could be achieved through imitation. As the day progressed, I considered ways to get out of whatever was going down at the Cullen house tonight. It would be bad enough to have to celebrate when I was in the mood to mourn. But, worse than that, this was sure to involve attention and gifts. Attention is never a good thing, as any other accident-prone klutz would agree. No one wants a spotlight when they're likely to fall on their face. And I'd very pointedly askedwell, ordered reallythat no one give me any presents this year. It looked like Charlie and Renee weren't the only ones who had decided to overlook that. I'd never had much money, and that had never bothered me. Renee had raised me on a kindergarten teacher's salary. Charlie wasn't getting rich at his job, eitherhe was the police chief here in the tiny town of Forks. My only personal income came from the three days a week I worked at the local sporting goods store. In a town this small, I was lucky to have a job. Every penny I made went into my microscopic college fund. (College was Plan B. I was still hoping for Plan A, but Edward was just so stubborn about leaving me human) Edward had a lot of moneyI didn't even want to think about how much. Money meant next to nothing to Edward or the rest of the Cullens. It was just something that accumulated when you had unlimited time on your hands and a sister who had an uncanny ability to predict trends in the stock market. Edward didn't seem to understand why I objected to him spending money on mewhy it made me uncomfortable if he took me to an expensive restaurant in Seattle, why he wasn't allowed to buy me a car that could reach speeds over fifty-five miles an hour, or why I wouldn't let him pay my college tuition (he was ridiculously enthusiastic about Plan B). Edward thought I was being unnecessarily difficult. But how could I let him give me things when I had nothing to reciprocate with? He, for some unfathomable reason, wanted to be with me. Anything he gave me on top of that just threw us more out of balance. As the day went on, neither Edward nor Alice brought my birthday up again, and I began to relax a little. We sat at our usual table for lunch. A strange kind of truce existed at that table. The three of usEdward, Alice, and Isat on the extreme southern end of the table. Now that the â€Å"older† and somewhat scarier (in Emmett's case, certainly) Cullen siblings had graduated, Alice and Edward did not seem quite so intimidating, and we did not sit here alone. My other friends, Mike and Jessica (who were in the awkward post-breakup friendship phase), Angela and Ben (whose relationship had survived the summer), Eric, Conner, Tyler, and Lauren (though that last one didn't really count in the friend category) all sat at the same table, on the other side of an invisible line. That line dissolved on sunny days when Edward and Alice always skipped school, and then the conversation would swell out effortlessly to include me. Edward and Alice didn't find this minor ostracism odd or hurtful the way I would have. They barely noticed it. People always felt strangely ill at ease with the Cullens, almost afraid for some reason they couldn't explain to themselves. I was a rare exception to that rule. Sometimes it bothered Edward how very comfortable I was with being close to him. He thought he was hazardous to my healthan opinion I rejected vehemently whenever he voiced it. The afternoon passed quickly. School ended, and Edward walked me to my truck as he usually did. But this time, he held the passenger door open for me. Alice must have been taking his car home so that he could keep me from making a run for it. I folded my arms and made no move to get out of the rain. â€Å"It's my birthday, don't I get to drive?† â€Å"I'm pretending it's not your birthday, just as you wished.† â€Å"If it's not my birthday, then I don't have to go to your house tonight† â€Å"All right.† He shut the passenger door and walked past me to open the driver's side. â€Å"Happy birthday.† â€Å"Shh,† I shushed him halfheartedly. I climbed in the opened door, wishing he'd taken the other offer. Edward played with the radio while I drove, shaking his head in disapproval. â€Å"Your radio has horrible reception.† I frowned. I didn't like it when he picked on my truck. The truck was greatit had personality. â€Å"You want a nice stereo? Drive your own car.† I was so nervous about Alice's plans, on top of my already gloomy mood, that the words came out sharper than I'd meant them. I was hardly ever bad-tempered with Edward, and my tone made him press his lips together to keep from smiling. When I parked in front of Charlie's house, he reached over to take my face in his hands. He handled me very carefully, pressing just the tips of his fingers softly against my temples, my cheekbones, my jawline. Like I was especially breakable. Which was exactly the casecompared with him, at least. â€Å"You should be in a good mood, today of all days,† he whispered. His sweet breath fanned across my face. â€Å"And if I don't want to be in a good mood?† I asked, my breathing uneven. His golden eyes smoldered. â€Å"Too bad.† My head was already spinning by the time he leaned closer and pressed his icy lips against mine. As he intended, no doubt, I forgot all about my worries, and concentrated on remembering how to inhale and exhale. His mouth lingered on mine, cold and smooth and gentle, until I wrapped my arms around his neck and threw myself into the kiss with a little too much enthusiasm. I could feel his lips curve upward as he let go of my face and reached back to unlock my grip on him. Edward had drawn many careful lines for our physical relationship, with the intent being to keep me alive. Though I respected the need for maintaining a safe distance between my skin and his razor-sharp, venom-coated teeth, I tended to forget about trivial things like that when he was kissing me. â€Å"Be good, please,† he breathed against my cheek. He pressed his lips gently to mine one more time and then pulled away, folding my arms across my stomach. My pulse was thudding in my ears. I put one hand over my heart. It drummed hyperactively under my palm. â€Å"Do you think I'll ever get better at this?† I wondered, mostly to myself. â€Å"That my heart might someday stop trying to jump out of my chest whenever you touch me?† â€Å"I really hope not,† he said, a bit smug. I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Let's go watch the Capulets and Montagues hack each other up, all right?† â€Å"Your wish, my command.† Edward sprawled across the couch while I started the movie, fast-forwarding through the opening credits. When I perched on the edge of the sofa in front of him, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. It wasn't exactly as comfortable as a sofa cushion would be, what with his chest being hard and coldand perfectas an ice sculpture, but it was definitely preferable. He pulled the old afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over me so I wouldn't freeze beside his body. â€Å"You know, I've never had much patience with Romeo,† he commented as the movie started. â€Å"What's wrong with Romeo?† I asked, a little offended. Romeo was one of my favorite fictional characters. Until I'd met Edward, I'd sort of had a thing for him. â€Å"Well, first of all, he's in love with this Rosalinedon't you think it makes him seem a little fickle? And then, a few minutes after their wedding, he kills Juliet's cousin. That's not very brilliant. Mistake after mistake. Could he have destroyed his own happiness any more thoroughly?† I sighed. â€Å"Do you want me to watch this alone?† â€Å"No, I'll mostly be watching you, anyway.† His fingers traced patterns across the skin of my arm, raising goose bumps. â€Å"Will you cry?† â€Å"Probably,† I admitted, â€Å"if I'm paying attention.† â€Å"I won't distract you then.† But I felt his lips on my hair, and it was very distracting. The movie eventually captured my interest, thanks in large part to Edward whispering Romeo's lines in my earhis irresistible, velvet voice made the actor's voice sound weak and coarse by comparison. And I did cry, to his amusement, when Juliet woke and found her new husband dead. â€Å"I'll admit, I do sort of envy him here,† Edward said, drying the tears with a lock of my hair. â€Å"She's very pretty.† He made a disgusted sound. â€Å"I don't envy him the girljust the ease of the suicide,† he clarified in a teasing tone. â€Å"You humans have it so easy! All you have to do is throw down one tiny vial of plant extracts† â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"It's something I had to think about once, and I knew from Carlisle's experience that it wouldn't be simple. I'm not even sure how many ways Carlisle tried to kill himself in the beginning after he realized what he'd become† His voice, which had grown serious, turned light again. â€Å"And he's clearly still in excellent health.† I twisted around so that I could read his face. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I demanded. â€Å"What do you mean, this something you had to think about once?† â€Å"Last spring, when you were nearly killed† He paused to take a deep breath, snuggling to return to his teasing tone. â€Å"Of course I was trying to focus on finding you alive, but part of my mind was making contingency plans. Like I said, it's not as easy for me as it is for a human.† For one second, the memory of my last trip to Phoenix washed through my head and made me feel dizzy. I could see it all so clearlythe blinding sun, the heat waves coming off the concrete as I ran with desperate haste to find the sadistic vampire who wanted to torture me to death. James, waiting in the mirrored room with my mother as his hostageor so I'd thought. I hadn't known it was all a ruse. Just as James hadn't known that Edward was racing to save me; Edward made it in time, but it had been a close one. Unthinkingly, my fingers traced the crescent-shaped scar on my hand that was always just a few degrees cooler than the rest of my skin. I shook my headas if I could shake away the bad memoriesand tried to grasp what Edward meant. My stomach plunged uncomfortably. â€Å"Contingency plans?† I repeated. â€Å"Well, I wasn't going to live without you.† He rolled his eyes as if that fact were childishly obvious. â€Å"But I wasn't sure how to do itI knew Emmett and Jasper would never help so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi.† I didn't want to believe he was serious, but his golden eyes were brooding, focused on something far away in the distance as he contemplated ways to end his own life. Abruptly, I was furious. â€Å"What is a Volturi?† I demanded. â€Å"The Volturi are a family,† he explained, his eyes still remote. â€Å"A very old, very powerful family of our kind. They are the closest thing our world has to a royal family, I suppose. Carlisle lived with them briefly in his early years, in Italy, before he settled in Americado you remember the story?† â€Å"Of course I remember.† I would never forget the first time I'd gone to his home, the huge white mansion buried deep in the forest beside the river, or the room where CarlisleEdward's father in so many real wayskept a wall of paintings that illustrated his personal history. The most vivid, most wildly colorful canvas there, the largest, was from Carlisle's time in Italy. Of course I remembered the calm quartet of men, each with the exquisite face of a seraph, painted into the highest balcony overlooking the swirling mayhem of color. Though the painting was centuries old, Carlislethe blond angelremained unchanged. And I remembered the three others, Carlisle's early acquaintances. Edward had never used the name Volturi for the beautiful trio, two black-haired, one snow white. He'd called them Aro, Caius, and Marcus, nighttime patrons of the arts â€Å"Anyway, you don't irritate the Volturi,† Edward went on, interrupting ray reverie. â€Å"Not unless you want to dieor whatever it is we do.† His voice was so calm, it made him sound almost bored by the prospect. My anger turned to horror. I took his marble face between my hands and held it very tightly. â€Å"You must never, never, never think of anything like that again!† I said. â€Å"No matter what might ever happen to me, you are not allowed to hurt yourself!† â€Å"I'll never put you in danger again, so it's a moot point.† â€Å"Put me in danger! I thought we'd established that all the bad luck is my fault?† I was getting angrier. â€Å"How dare you even think like that?† The idea of Edward ceasing to exist, even if I were dead, was impossiblypainful. â€Å"What would you do, if the situation were reversed?† he asked. â€Å"That's not the same thing.† He didn't seem to understand the difference. He chuckled. â€Å"What if something did happen to you?† I blanched at the thought. â€Å"Would you want me to go off myself?† A trace of pain touched his perfect features. â€Å"I guess I see your point a little,† he admitted. â€Å"But what would I do without you?† â€Å"Whatever you were doing before I came along and complicated your existence.† He sighed. â€Å"You make that sound so easy.† â€Å"It should be. I'm not really that interesting.† He was about to argue, but then he let it go. â€Å"Moot point,† he reminded me. Abruptly, he pulled himself up into a more formal posture, shifting me to the side so that we were no longer touching. â€Å"Charlie?† I guessed. Edward smiled. After a moment, I heard the sound of the police cruiser pulling into the driveway. I reached out and took his hand firmly. My dad could deal with that much. Charlie came in with a pizza box in his hands. â€Å"Hey, kids.† He grinned at me. â€Å"I thought you'd like a break from cooking and washing dishes for your birthday. Hungry?† â€Å"Sure. Thanks, Dad.† Charlie didn't comment on Edward's apparent lack of appetite. He was used to Edward passing on dinner. â€Å"Do you mind if I borrow Bella for the evening?† Edward asked when Charlie and I were done. I looked at Charlie hopefully. Maybe he had some concept of birthdays as stay-at-home, family affairsthis was my first birthday with him, the first birthday since my mom, Renee, had remarried and gone to live in Florida, so I didn't know what he would expect. â€Å"That's finethe Mariners are playing the Sox tonight,† Charlie explained, and my hope disappeared. â€Å"So I won't be any kind of company Here.† He scooped up the camera he'd gotten me on Renee's suggestion (because I would need pictures to fill up my scrap-book), and threw it to me. He ought to know better than thatI'd always been coordinationally challenged. The camera glanced off the tip of my finger, and tumbled toward the floor. Edward snagged it before it could crash onto the linoleum. â€Å"Nice save,† Charlie noted. â€Å"If they're doing something fun at the Cullens' tonight, Bella, you should take some pictures. You know how your mother getsshe'll be wanting to see the pictures faster than you can take them.† â€Å"Good idea, Charlie,† Edward said, handing me the camera. I turned the camera on Edward, and snapped the first picture. â€Å"It works.† â€Å"That's good. Hey, say hi to Alice for me. She hasn't been over in a while.† Charlie's mouth pulled down at one corner. â€Å"It's been three days, Dad,† I reminded him. Charlie was crazy about Alice. He'd become attached last spring when she'd helped me through my awkward convalescence; Charlie would be fore'ter grateful to her for saving him from the horror of an almost-adult daughter who needed help showering. â€Å"I'll tell her.† â€Å"Okay. You kids have fun tonight.† It was clearly a dismissal. Charlie was already edging toward the living room and the TV. Edward smiled, triumphant, and took my hand to pull me from the kitchen. When we got to the truck, he opened the passenger door for me again, and this time I didn't argue. I still had a hard time finding the obscure turnoff to his house in the dark. Edward drove north through Forks, visibly chafing at the speed limit enforced by my prehistoric Chevy. The engine groaned even louder than usual as he pushed it over fifty. â€Å"Take it easy,† I warned him. â€Å"You know what you would love? A nice little Audi coupe. Very quiet, lots of power† â€Å"There's nothing wrong with my truck. And speaking of expensive nonessentials, if you know what's good for you, you didn't spend any money on birthday presents.† â€Å"Not a dime,† he said virtuously. â€Å"Good.† â€Å"Can you do me a favor?† â€Å"That depends on what it is.† He sighed, his lovely face serious. â€Å"Bella, the last real birthday any of us had was Emmett in 1935. Cut us a little slack, and don't be too difficult tonight. They're all very excited.† It always startled me a little when he brought up things like that. â€Å"Fine, I'll behave.† â€Å"I probably should warn you† â€Å"Please do.† â€Å"When I say they're all excited I do mean all of them.† â€Å"Everyone?† I choked. â€Å"I thought Emmett and Rosalie were in Africa.† The rest of Forks was under the impression that the older Cullens had gone off to college this year, to Dartmouth, but I knew better. â€Å"Emmett wanted to be here.† â€Å"But Rosalie?† â€Å"I know, Bella. Don't worry, she'll be on her best behavior.† I didn't answer. Like I could just not worry, that easy. Unlike Alice, Edward's other â€Å"adopted† sister, the golden blond and exquisite Rosalie, didn't like me much. Actually, the feeling was a little bit stronger than just dislike. As far as Rosalie was concerned, I was an unwelcome intruder into her family's secret life. I felt horribly guilty about the present situation, guessing that Rosalie and Emmett's prolonged absence was my fault, even as I furtively enjoyed not having to see her Emmett, Edward's playful bear of a brother, I did miss. He was in many ways just like the big brother I'd always wanted only much, much more terrifying. Edward decided to change the subject. â€Å"So, if you won't let me get you the Audi, isn't there anything that you'd like for your birthday?† The words came out in a whisper. â€Å"You know what I want.† A deep frown carved creases into his marble forehead. He obviously wished he'd stuck to the subject of Rosalie. It felt like we'd had this argument a lot today. â€Å"Not tonight, Bella. Please.† â€Å"Well, maybe Alice will give me what I want.† Edward growleda deep, menacing sound. â€Å"This isn't going to be your last birthday, Bella,† he vowed. â€Å"That's not fair!† I thought I heard his teeth clench together. We were pulling up to the house now. Bright light shined from every window on the first two floors. A long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that surrounded the house. Big bowls of flowerspink roseslined the wide stairs up to the front doors. I moaned. Edward took a few deep breaths to calm himself. â€Å"This is a party,† he reminded me. â€Å"Try to be a good sport.† â€Å"Sure,† I muttered. He came around to get my door, and offered me his hand. â€Å"I have a question.† He waited warily. â€Å"If I develop this film,† I said, toying with the camera in my hands, â€Å"will you show up in the picture?† Edward started laughing. He helped me out of the car, pulled me up the stairs, and was still laughing as he opened the door for me. They were all waiting in the huge white living room; when I walked through the door, they greeted me with a loud chorus of â€Å"Happy birthday, Bella!† while I blushed and looked down. Alice, I assumed, had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward's grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents. It was a hundred times worse than I'd imagined. Edward, sensing my distress, wrapped an encouraging arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head. Edward's parents, Carlisle and Esmeimpossibly youthful and lovely as everwere the closest to the door. Esme hugged me carefully, her soft, caramel-colored hair brushing against my cheek as she kissed my forehead, and then Carlisle put his arm around my shoulders. â€Å"Sorry about this, Bella,† he stage-whispered. â€Å"We couldn't rein Alice in.† Rosalie and Emmett stood behind them. Rosalie didn't smile, but at least she didn't glare. Emmett's face was stretched into a huge grin. It had been months since I'd seen them; I'd forgotten how gloriously beautiful Rosalie wasit almost hurt to look at her. And had Emmett always been so big? â€Å"You haven't changed at all,† Emmett said with mock disappointment. â€Å"I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always.† â€Å"Thanks a lot, Emmett,† I said, blushing deeper. He laughed, â€Å"I have to step out for a second†he paused to wink conspicuously at Alice†Don't do anything funny while I'm gone.† â€Å"I'lltry.† Alice let go of Jasper's hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light. Jasper smiled, too, but kept his distance. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the foot of the stairs. During the days we'd had to spend cooped up together in Phoenix, I'd thought he'd gotten over his aversion to me. But he'd gone back to exactly how he'd acted beforeavoiding me as much as possiblethe moment he was free from that temporary obligation to protect me. I knew it wasn't personal, just a precaution, and I tried not to be overly sensitive about it. Jasper had more trouble sticking to the Cullens' diet than the rest of them; the scent of human blood was much harder for him to resist than the othershe hadn't been trying as long. â€Å"Time to open presents,† Alice declared. She put her cool hand under my elbow and towed me to the table with the cake and the shiny packages. I put on my best martyr face. â€Å"Alice, I know I told you I didn't want anything† â€Å"But I didn't listen,† she interrupted, smug. â€Å"Open it.† She took the camera from my hands and replaced it with a big, square silver box. The box was so light that it felt empty. The tag on top said that it was from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. Selfconsciously, I tore the paper off and then stared at the box it concealed. It was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name. I opened the box, hoping for further illumination. But the box was empty. â€Å"Um thanks.† Rosalie actually cracked a smile. Jasper laughed. â€Å"It's a stereo for your truck,† he explained. â€Å"Emmett's installing it right now so that you can't return it.† Alice was always one step ahead of me. â€Å"Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie,† I told them, grinning as I remembered Edward's complaints about my radio this afternoonall a setup, apparently. â€Å"Thanks, Emmett!† I called more loudly. I heard his booming laugh from my truck, and I couldn't help laughing, too. â€Å"Open mine and Edward's next,† Alice said, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She held a small, flat square in her hand. I turned to give Edward a basilisk glare. â€Å"You promised.† Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. â€Å"Just in time!† he crowed. He pushed in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look. â€Å"I didn't spend a dime,† Edward assured me. He brushed a strand of hair from my face, leaving my skin tingling from his touch. I inhaled deeply and turned to Alice. â€Å"Give it to me,† I sighed. Emmett chuckled with delight. I took the little package, rolling my eyes at Edward while I stuck my finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape. â€Å"Shoot,† I muttered when the paper sliced my finger; I pulled it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut. It all happened very quickly then. â€Å"No!† Edward roared. He threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table. It fell, as I did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers and the plates. I landed in the mess of shattered crystal. Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide. There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's face. Emmett grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggled on, his wild, empty eyes focused only on me. Beyond the shock, there was also pain. I'd tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with my arms thrown out instinctively to catch my fall, into the jagged shards of glass. Only now did I feel the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my elbow. Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arminto the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.

Mercury Footwear Questions Essay

1. Is Mercury an appropriate target for AGI? Why or why not? Yes, we do think so. In the case, we could find some characteristics of footwear industry: (1) It is a mature, highly competitive industry marked by low growth, but stable profit margin. (2) Performance of individual firms could be quite volatile for they need to anticipate and exploit fashion trend. (3) Except some global footwear brands, athletic and casual shoes market is still fragmented, which means each company could has its own market because of its characteristic. (4) In this market, it is important for the brand image, specialized engineering for performance and price. (5) Life cycle is short. (6) Inventory management and production lead times are critical for the success. (7) Main sale channels are department stores, independent specialty retailers, sporting goods stores, boutiques and wholesalers. (8) Most of the firms outsource the manufactures in China. Below are some characteristics for Mercury and AGI we need to focus on during the analysis: AGI Mercury Target Customer Target customers are urban and suburban family members aged 25 to 45. Youth market, mainly 15 to 25. History Among the first companies to offer fashionable walking, hiking and boating footwear. Its mother company decided to extend the brand by creating complementary line of apparel. Because of the poor performance, it was decided to sold. Style Logo is marked with prosperous, active and fashion-conscious lifestyle. Its main customers are not interest in its apparel. Financial performance Among the most profitable firms. Had poor performance after acquisition by WCF. Revenue contribution 42% of revenue from athletic shoes and balance from casual footwear. Revenue and operating income were 470.3 million and 60.4 million in 2006. Revenue and EBITDA were 431.1 million and 51.8 million.. Products Athletic shoes developed from high-performance footwear to athletic fashion wear. Four main segments: men’s and women’s athletic and casual footwear. Casual shoes focus on mainstream market. In order to emphasizing individual products, it began to monitor styles and images from global culture Focus on smaller portfolio of classic products with longer lifecycles and could maintain simple production and supply chains. Sales channels Mainly sold in department stores, specialty retailers, wholesalers and independent distributors. Small percentage is sold through website. Department stores, specialty stores, catalogs, discount retailers and internet. Inventory management Good at inventory management in the industry. Inventory management performance is worse than the average level. Outsource Outsource manufacture in China. Outsource main materials in foreign suppliers. Advantages &Disadvantages It takes small size as its competitive disadvantages. And it faced with some problems in the consolidation of manufacturers. Price cuts and promotion in apparel line hurts operating margins but helped to the growth in sales. Sales growth is lower than the average because of there is little discount in  price. We could learn that managers of AGI want to enlarge the scale of its company and gain larger market share because of the stable profit margin. And since the revenue is almost the same, it is a good choice to merge with Mercury, which means that revenue would be doubled after acquisition. And these two companies have some similar factors, such as : (1) They could use the same sale channels after acquisition, and internet channel could be enlarged. (2) They could combine manufacturers to get a powerful bargain in suppliers. (3) The product segments are almost the same, which means that there should be little work to do after acquisition in product adjustment. (4) Thanks to the profitable ability of AGI, it is much easier to make a better financial performance of Mercury. (5) It is good for them to increase the performance of inventory management if they merge together. (6) Although their target customers are different, especially in ages, which means that style and brand are different in the very beginning, this factor could turn into an advantage for the new company could have a fully segment of customers with a wider age ranges. Therefore, take into above factors into account; we think that Mercury should be an appropriate target for AGI. 2. Review the projections formulated by Liedtke. Are they appropriate? How would you recommend modifying them? In the case, we could find that Liedtke used historical averages to assume the overhead-to-revenue ratio. However, historical data is usually useless for future. Some studies found there is little evidence that firms grew fast continued to grow fast in the next period. And sometimes there are even negative correlations between growth rates in the two periods. Besides, smaller firms tend to be more volatile than others, which we could find the same characteristics in these two firms we are talking about. And just as we mentioned in the question 1, revenue may be doubled after  acquisition, it just fits the theory that it is difficult to maintain historical growth rates as firms double or triple in size. Therefore, based on the above analysis, we think that it is not reasonable to use historical data for future projections. And sometimes, analyst should be better than the historical growth. Considering that there are five main channels for analyst forecasts: firm-specific information, macroeconomic information, information revealed by competitors on future prospects, private information about the firm and public information other than earnings, we think Liedtke could find more information from above channles to get more accurate assumption. And since performance of Mercury is poorer than the average of the industry, it is better to use industry average level for the benchmarking of Mercury when predicting, instead of a discount rate of AGI for example. And from the comparison of 2007 to 2006, we can find Liedtke’s forecast need great input from AGI to support the development of Mercury, whether he has taken this into consideration? And he estimate debt/equity ratio remains the same as AGI, that is also unreasonable, for it is not possible to change that in short period. 3. Estimate the value of Mercury using a discounted cash flow approach and Liedtke’s base case projections. ï ¼Ë†1ï ¼â€°first of all, to calculate the cash flows from 2007 to 2011, Net Income – (Capital Expenditures – Depreciation) – Changes in non-cash Working Capital = Free Cash flow to Firm We can get the result. Free Cash flow -17,192 26,867 21,740 25,158 29,319 (2) then we need to calculate the terminal value. a. Cost of Capital For cost of capital, we know the debt ratio is 20%, and cost of debt is 6%, we need to find the cost of equity. We assume the cost of equity equal return on equity, we can calculate the historical return on equity from 2007- 2011 is as below, Return on equity 12.8% 14.1% 14.5% 14.8% 14.9% We take 14% as reference. Based on the formula: Cost of Capital =debt ratio *cost of debt +equity ratio * cost of equity, We can get the cost of Capital in 2012, 12.7% b. growth rate in future We can find during the period from 2007- 2011, the growth rate of net income is not stable, so we assume from 2012, Mercury enter into stable and slow development stage. And it is necessary to calculate the cash flow in 2012. From 2007- 2011, the growth rate ranged from 4.74%- 16.3%, we assume the growth in future will be not that high. We can find during the period from 2008- 2011, the reinvestment rate 15.57%- 37.1%, we just take a middle one 24.37%, by multi reinvestment rate and cost of capital (assume cost of capital =return on capital), to reach growth rate afterwards= 3.09%. c. based on the growth rate is 3.09%, we can get EBIT in 2012 is 39,930.. We have assumed ROC=WACC Terminal Value=EBIT n+1*(1-t)/cost of Capital, we can get Terminal Value in 2011 is 315,237. (3)Present value of cash flows: We have get the cash flows of 2007-2011 and terminal value in 2011, and the cost of capital is 12.7%, we can get the respective present value of them and reach the total present value 226,514, which is the estimate Firm value of Mercury. (4) Alternative method to calculate cost of capital, then value of Mercury: a. beta We have learnt from Exhibit 3 of peer companies information in this business, we can calculate cost of capital in alternative ways. Unlevered beta for business= Beta comparable firms/[1+(1-t)(D/E ratio comparable firms)] From information provided in Exhibit, we can get average Beta and D/E ratio, is 1.56, 24.9% respectively. Therefore Unlevered beta for business= 1.35 We know the D/E ratio and tax rate of Mercury, then get levered beta for Mercury =1.52 b. risk free rate and risk premium we assume risk free rate is 5%, and risk premium as the historically one 4.3%. The cost of equity will be 11.5%. Then the cost of capital will be 10.6%. c. expect g and terminal value in 2011 expect g and terminal value in 2011 will be 2.6% and 374,576 respectively. d. total present value of Mercury Total value of Mercury will be 247,479, which is the estimate Firm value of Mercury under the alternative method. In my opinion, the value calculated via alternative method will be more reliable. 4. Do you regard the value you obtained as conservative or aggressive? Why? I think my valuation is conservative, the reason is as follows: (1) Under the  basic method, the expected g is much lower than the average g from 2007-2011, even lower the lowest one within this period and the reinvested rate is lower than the average one from 2007-2011 and also not a high one in general business, and we can also found the EBIT Margin is lower than the average one in that business. (2) (3) Under alternative method, the expected g is much lower as 2.6%, the risk free rate is also a medium one, and the risk premium is a historical one, which is much higher than recent risk premium in USA. 5. How would you analyze possible synergies or other sources of value not reflected in Liedtke’s base case assumptions? We have conduct some simulation in the spreadsheet, we can find the present value of Mercury is very sensitive to cost of capital, under basic model if the cost of capital reduce to 10%, the value will rise up to 304,882. As for debt ratio and expect g, it is not so sensitive, but has some influence. To my surprise, the reinvestment rate is not sensitive to the outcome, I have not figure out the reason. Under the alternative model, beta, risk free rate and risk premium are all sensitive to the outcome, but not significant as capital in basic model. As for synergy, the management of inventory has not shown great synergic effect to the outcome, for from 2007 to 2011, inventory level has not reduced. I think if AGI can reduce the cost of capital, which will show the great synergic effect to the acquisition.

Biological Perspective Essay

One client I worked with had very low levels of assertiveness and because of this was often treated very badly by friends, family and work colleagues. This led to her becoming really rather depressed, which meant that she tended to avoid interactions with other people whenever possible, lowering further still her confidence and her ability to deal with social situations. She was becoming increasingly withdrawn. Whilst the counselling helped her to understand how she was contributing towards her own distress by having so low an opinion of herself, the antidepressants helped her to feel well enough to start to re-engage with people and to put into practice some of the ideas and life skills she was learning in therapy. By the time the medication was slowly stopped after her depression had lifted, she had firmly established new patterns of behaviour and relationships. She was easily able to continue this new and more useful way of being, therefore removing the need for further medication . Back to Top The Disadvantages of Antidepressants Many people I know would say that when you are profoundly depressed, there are no disadvantages to taking something that makes you feel better. Certainly I know many clients whose lives have been transformed by taking the right antidepressant, prescribed by their doctor or psychiatrist. Having said that, no medication is without its problems. With antidepressants, the main problems are firstly, finding the right antidepressant and secondly, side-effects. Antidepressants seem to help about half of the people who take them and different antidepressants work better with some people than others. The process of matching the right medication to the person is far from a precise science and one psychiatrist I know will admit that it often comes down to luck and guesswork. Having said that, the choice of antidepressant is usually informed by the exact nature of the symptoms experienced.

Media Convergence Worksheet Essay

Questions Answers What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? Media convergence means to bring together old world media coverage with new age technology media coverage. It means someone who does not watch a particular show can still learn a lot about the show via certain websites, such as YouTube. It means people can use their smart phones to access the Internet and gain information on that show they did not watch and still be up to date on what is going on. By using the same smart phone, a person could cast votes for a show he never even watched because of the websites he could visit and gain information from. Also, a person could make video and post it to YouTube, it could be seen by a lot of people, drawing major attention to it. Because of all the attention, the news channels may pick up on that and do a broadcast on it. This could cause even more hits to that video. This is how information is shared most of the times, by mixing old media means and new world technology. Media convergence has affected everyday life in that you do not need to be home when a show is on in order to be up to date on it. You could be on a train and still see the show if you have a phone, laptop, or tablet and Internet access. Media convergence gives a person the ability to stay connected to all things media with the use of the Internet. You no longer have to be home to gain that access. What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to business, and how has it affected everyday life? Media convergence with regard to business means the merging of computing and information technology companies, telecommunications networks, and content providers from the publishing worlds of newspapers, magazines, music, radio, television, films, and entertainment software. This means that one company controls several products or services within the same industry. This could be like a company that owns a newspaper, has its hand in book publishing, broadcast television, and film, etc . Media convergence in a business’ everyday life means that they have the ability to do more  than just one company with only one fire burning. If a company only prints book, then they can only do that. But if there is a mother company that prints books and newspapers, they have just upped the amount of money they can make. The same can be said if the company has the ability to print books, newspapers, and magazines, as well as broadcast television and create films. They can make that much more money at once by owning all those different media outlets for people to enjoy. Outside of the money aspect, if a company can have their hand in that many media outlets, they are that much more of a recognized business. The more exposure a company can get the more successful it will likely be, and be able to stay in business for a longer period of time. What are some of the issues that result from dependency on modern media? Describe at least three issues. One of the issues that results from dependency on modern media is that children between the ages of 8 and 18 spend more than 7 hours with electronic devices each day, in which they c an view about 11 hours of media content in that time. Yes, the children are getting more done in less time, but is it really quality â€Å"work† they are getting done? Or are they performing what is another issue that results from dependency on modern media? With modern media, a person has the ability to multi task. He could be on Facebook, tweeting on Twitter, texting a friend and uploading a YouTube video all at the same time. The problem with multitasking is a person is not giving 100 percent of himself to one thing, instead only a portion of his attention is focused on each task. The result is multitasking allows more things to be done at once, but done poorly. Another issue that results from dependency on modern media is the potential for the Internet to erode attention spans, making minds distracted and less capable of deep, thoughtful engagement with complex ideas and arguments. The thought here is that before modern media you read all of the words to understand what was said, whether it was a book, newspaper, or magazine. With modern media a person can skim through the reading and find only the simple little parts they are seeking. For example, when on the Internet you do not need to read for understanding a full article, you only need to skim to gain a slight understanding of what is said. How does media literacy help with responsible media consumption? Media consumption is more responsible due to media literacy because the information is easier to access and has more outlets for easier access,  thanks to the Internet.

Find a multinational trading or manufacturing organisation of your Research Paper

Find a multinational trading or manufacturing organisation of your choice. Describe and evaluate the changing business environme - Research Paper Example Also explored in this paper is the impact of change on the organizational structure and general performance of the company. Performance was assessed through a comparative analysis of the company’s strengths and that of the competitors. Financial reports were also used to establish the trends of performance as they relate to the various changes undertaken by the company. Introduction PepsiCo Inc., remains one of the leading food and beverage companies both in the United States and in different parts of the world. Over the years, the company has undergone structural and managerial changes aimed towards enhancing its market profile and general performance. Longitudinal inquiries into the company’s potential show that the company has continued to post impressive financial results as a result of strategic changes in its internal systems and supply chain (Bachmeier 141). PepsiCo’s expansion into Asia, Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world demonstrates a determin ed agenda of breaking into new market segments beyond its original geographical niche. The same determination manifests itself through the mergers, acquisitions, and purchases that the company has undertaken in the course of its operation. ... A diversified range of products remains one of the strongest selling points by which PepsiCo manages to maintain an impressive lead on the global market. It might be argued that some of the changes that relate to the company’s change of profile are necessarily linked to market forces, which tend to favor multinationals and bid corporations. On this note, it remains evident that the changes in the processes and structures of the company had some significant impacts in terms of growth and profitability. Sustained competition with other food and beverage companies on the market has occasioned a shift in production methods with the aim of retaining its hold on the market share. The reliance on both carbonated and un-carbonated drinks has allowed the company to attend to the diverse tastes of the market, which also translates into increased revenue flow. One of the competitive advantages that PepsiCo enjoys over its main rival is the diverse product range. Essentially, the performa nce of PepsiCo could be assessed from the perspective of the various factors that attend to the dynamics of global competition. Consistently, PepsiCo has engaged in strategic corporate social responsibility programs that are aimed at promoting healthy nutrition in the wider society. This strategy weighs into public concerns of proper nutrition in the wake of diet-related lifestyle diseases. The Business Environment PepsiCo operates in a highly competitive business environment particularly because it relates to the health and nutrition of populations. The food and beverage business environment attracts new players every year due to the high returns on capital for the successful ventures. The competitive nature of the environment

Through representation of poverty in particular ways, NGOs have been Essay

Through representation of poverty in particular ways, NGOs have been more a part of the problem than a part of the solution. Discuss with relevant examples - Essay Example In the media, image representation not only via virtual means but also with the aid of TV ad artists has selectively utilized those disturbing pieces meant to compel uninformed potential donors part with own money (Coulter, 1989). These depictions fail entirely in relaying the exact situation in the developing states whereby through the media end up blindfolding donors in yielding to support their â€Å"humanitarian† antics. Therefore, this study seeks to relay information on how NGOs despite somehow helping grossly have ended up being problem in their destined respective regions. The formation of many NGOs mainly happens with a certain perspective in mind most of which aim at ending poverty in world at large rather than concentrating in a particular region in the world. While their initial intentions are noble, they end up creating a greater problem in the efforts to curb poverty than helping. This is mainly because they do not clearly elucidate goals of their campaign thus they end up not achieving what they had initially intended (Harrison, 2010). Like in the case of the coalition consisting of various NGOs forming a campaign dubbed â€Å"Making Poverty History† (MPH) in 2003, their focus was on the G8 summit which was to happen in 2005. Their original purpose was to end poverty globally rather than concentrating on a particular segment especially Africa which already had been a matter of discussion for several years (Harrison, 2010, p. 393). The minimal use of images in illustrating poverty conditions diminished their efforts since there was no cle ar representation of what the true condition of poverty was. Their resolution not to specifically use Africa in their main agenda to end poverty blurred the significance of imagery representation. Therefore, instead of them otherwise choosing an image representation elsewhere they

Hasbro Inc. Marketing Plan for new Service Research Proposal

Hasbro Inc. Marketing Plan for new Service - Research Proposal Example In order for the services to be rolled out successfully, it is imperative that a market research be conducted to establish the marketing plan of the services. Hasbro relies on the 7 Ps of marketing to reduce the customer gap and increase customer satisfaction. In this paper, the main competitors, current and future, the marketing mix plan, the customer expectations and explicit recommendations are prominent. Hasbro is one of the largest toy and games manufacturers in the world. Over the past three decades the toy and games industry has experienced increased competition which has necessitated the industry players to diversify their products in order to survive the cut-throat competition and stay relevant (Betz, 2014). Hasbro has been on the forefront in diversification, both vertical and horizontal. Rapid diversification has enabled Hasbro to shrug off competition from other toy manufacturers and increase its market share in the US market. Currently, it is the second largest toy manufacturer in the US after Mattel in terms of revenues and number of employees (Naylor, 2014). Hasbro has, for instance, produced many internationally recognized brands such as G. I. Joe, the Transformers and many Marvel toys. It is also renowned for its board games like Monopoly and Scrabble and a host of video games too. Of late, Hasbro has been producing films, adding it to its ever widening portfolio. The f ilms are both live action and animated. In line with the diversification policies, Hasbro has decided to include service provision in its portfolio. The services will involve setting up game rental kiosks for rental services and party planning services. This paper investigates then proposes a viable marketing plan for the new services the enterprise plans to introduce. The paper conducts a SWOT analysis of the company, compares it against its present and future competitors, explores the service programs to be rolled out and, lastly, explicates the