Evironmental factor paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evironmental factor paper - Essay Example Domestically, Coca-Cola has designed a line of merchandise that features polar bears and many of these items are collectible. In fact, Coca-Cola paraphernalia has been a nostalgic collectible for several years as there are people all over the world hunting down items that are vintage but boast the company’s name and logo. It is all a means of advertisement and promotion but has been popular for several decades. It has become a leader among branding and includes the bottling of more than just Coca-Cola but also soft drinks and Vitaminwaters so to appeal to not only those whom drink soda, but also for those who wish to drink decaffeinated beverages and other non-carbonated drinks. Some of the environmental practices that could greatly impact the Coca-Cola company is that some people simply live in third world countries and may not have access to their products. This company does not necessarily target them as a priority audience but does its best to sponsor worldwide events which gain a lot of global attention such as the Olympic Games in which they have been corporate sponsors of the events on several different occasions. This familiarizes the entire world with the brand. Additionally, as chain restaurants such as McDonald’s has grown and become a global fast food chain, the company serves Coca-Cola beverages in their soda machines. This means that for anyone who orders a fountain drink at any location around the world, McDonald’s is under contract to serve Coca-Cola drinks. If one were to travel abroad, they might be interested to find that the formula of Coca-Cola is different in various different locations. In some parts of the world, the drink is sweeter than it is in other regions while in other areas of the world, the level of carbonation is also different as I have discovered this on my own, having ordered Coca-Cola products in other countries and the tastes are significantly different among a wide spectrum of

Analyze The International Strategy Of Nestle Marketing Essay

Analyze The International Strategy Of Nestle Marketing Essay Introduction This report will analyze the international strategy of Nestlà © and one of its major competitors, Cadbury plc in the United States. Nestlà © is one of the oldest multinational businesses and focus in nutrition, health and wellness. It was founded by Henri Nestlà ©, a pharmacist, who established food for babies who were unable to breastfeed in Switzerland in 1866. The company merged with the Anglo Swiss Condensed Milk in 1905. Nestlà © expand their business through a series of acquisitions after World War II that included Maggi (1947), Cross Blackwell (1960), Findus (1962), Libbys (1970), Stouffers (1973), Carnation (1985), Rowntree (1988) and Perrier (1992), (Nestle Mangement Report, 2008). By the 1990s, Nestlà © had more than 500 factories in 76 countries and sold its products in 193 nations almost every country in the world. Roughly 28.2 percent of its sales were made in Europe, 33.1 percent in the Americas and 17.1 percent in Asia, Oceania and Africa (Nestlà © Management Re port, 2008). Nestlà © USA is a subsidiary of Nestlà © S.A in Vevey, Switzerland. Nestle has been present in the USA over than 110 years and now headquartered in Glendale, California. By the 2000s, Nestlà © become a larger company through several acquisitions that included Ralston Purina (2001), Chef America (2002), Power Bar (2006) and Gerber (2007). Nestlà © major products and services include milk based products, pet care, confectionery, beverages, cooking aids and prepared dishes, ice cream and pharmaceutical products. In US, Nestlà © markets confectionary and sweets products under Wonka, Perugina and After Eight brands. It also makes biscuits, toppings and mints. This consumer goods company practising a widen product marketing and offer many brands and product in most markets. Nestlà © recorded US$10 billion with America is the biggest geographic market, recorded for 30.2 percent of total revenues in 2008 and offer more than 50 brands (Nestlà © Management Report, 2008). Literature Review The issue of global integration with local responsiveness can be analyzed in a two dimensional matrix. Figure 1 provides an example. There are four type of classification of multinational companies, Global combining high integration with low responsiveness, Transnational combining high integration with high responsiveness, Multi-domestic combining low integration and high responsiveness and International combining low integration and low responsiveness. The International companies was not included in Bartletts classification because it is does not fit in this scheme. However, (Sundaram and Black, 1992) equate it with the Transnational company while (Ghoshal and Nohria, 1993; Welge, 1996) place it as a low integration with low responsiveness in the lower left corner. Figure 1: Global integration vs. national responsiveness (Bartlett and Goshal, 1998) The vertical axis in the figure shows the need for global integration and movement up the axis indicates in a large degree of economic integration. Global integration brings economies of scale and capitalizes on lowering unit costs as a company moves into global market for selling its products. The economies of scale are obtained because of the centralization of activities in the value-added chain. They also happen by reaping benefits of higher coordination and control of geographically dispersed activities. The horizontal axis indicates the need for MNCs to respond to differentiation or local responsiveness. This implies that MNCs must consider government regulations, local tastes and preferences. Maximizing value in such situations requires MNCs appointing strategic responsibilities and key operating rights to national subsidiaries. Each subsidiary has its own autonomous manufacturing facilities and marketing function. The products offered will vary between nations based on the tas tes and preferences of different consumer and competitive strategy. This indicates that in a multi-domestic strategy, a low degree of control is required for the subsidiary company. Organization that engages in multi-domestic strategy will favour low-control entry modes. In Global strategy, the need for awareness of differentiation is low while the need for integration is high. This situation causes to Global strategies based on price competition for perspective of economies of scale. According to Bartlett and Goshal (1989, 1992), the main strategic thrust of Multi-domestic company is to respond to national differences. In Global strategy, competition takes place at a global level while multi-domestic companies are geared towards domestic competition because national product market do not have the same criteria to make competition at a global level. In global companies, direction and pace would be expected to flow mostly from a headquarters to their subsidiaries while Multi-domestic companies would be characterized by a lower overall flow of products, people and information (Perlmutter, 1969). To be locally responsive, local production and local research and development (RD) are not essential for a company with local presence since direction and pace comes from a centre. Global companies are unlikely to locate these parts of the value chain close to the customer, since they will feel less need to access this type of market information. In International and Transnational strategy, it reflects more complex environmental situations. International strategies are characterized by increased international standardization of product and services. It can lead to lower needs for centralized quality control and strategic decision making while eliminating requirements to adapt activities to individual regions. In transnational strategy, there is a higher need for regional differentiation in marketing and a strong requirement in production. Transnational is the most challenging strategy where MNCs seek to operate (Jeannet, 2001). However, the problem for many MNCs is the cultural challenges integrated with localizing a global focus. Business Analysis of Nestlà © Nestlà © is characterized as a multi-domestic company by its pronounced local responsiveness and relatively weak global integration. Including its operating companies, such as Carnation, Rowntree and Buitoni among others, it has traditionally practiced a decentralized approach to management. Local operating managers thought to be much more in tune with local markets are given the freedom to develop marketing strategies that match local needs. Like many other companies pursuing a multi-domestic strategy Nestlà © has begun a move toward a more centralized management structure, which has resulted in a re-organization around major business lines. In order to reap the benefits of global leverage, companies realize that the multi-domestic business model leaves too many initiatives to local levels thus resulting in missed opportunities (Doole, 2004). In terms of entry mode and internalization, Johanson Widersheim-Paul/Vahlne (1975) claim that internationalization is the product of a series of incremental decisions or stages based on different foreign market entry modes. They introduce the Uppsala Internationalization model. In this model the firms engagement in the specific country market develops according to an establishment chain that has four stages. There is no regular export activities are performed in the market, export only takes place via independent representatives, sales subsidiary and manufacturing in the foreign market. The sequence of stages indicates an increasing commitment of resources to the market. In addition, business activities are differed with regard to the market experience gained. Nestlà © use direct exporting for entry mode, which is subsidiary and uses its own organization in the overseas market. Nestlà © focuses on internal growth and try to achieve greater volumes by innovating new products and renovating existing products. This strategy has given Nestlà © the ability to grow many products in the various fields of prepared foods, breakfast cereals, dairy products, baby foods, beverages, ice-cream, bottle water, chocolate confectionary and pet care. In addition, Nestlà © is a low cost operator. This allows them not only to edge ahead with low operating costs but also beat the competitors by producing low cost products. Nestlà © has ability to customize global products based on consumer choices in the local market. This is one of Nestlà ©s key strengths where its subsidiaries develop products that match consumer preference in the local market. Due to the nature of the markets psychological and cultural spread, Nestlà © believes that there are no global consumers in the market. Its ability to customize products to the local markets brings association in the mind of the c ustomer and brand loyalty by using local names. For example, its confectionery range sold in the US is called Rolo but in Russia, it is called Rossyia. In the US, brands like Kit-Kat chocolate and Maggi noodles have been priced at US$0.2 and some other chocolate and candy brand are priced at US$0.05 per unit. These price help Nestlà © reach more customers not only in urban markets but also in rural markets. In the US, Nestlà © has two top products capable of becoming at least regional which are pet food and ice-cream, but both lag well behind the market leaders of Mars in pet food and Unilever in ice-cream. With the exception of a few products such as its famous tomato sauce, eaten everywhere with burgers and hot dogs, Heinz (US) applies effectively a multi-domestic strategy, making a small effort to force a global or even pan-regional strategy. For instance in 2001 it took over Honig (Holland) which makes very local traditional delicacies, such as chocolate sprinkles topping. Nestlà © has strong capabilities in research and development (RD). The group invest more than US$1390 million in RD annually and the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland is its major think-tank. It has more than 100 different professional areas including raw materials, nutritional science, ingredients, the life science and production processes. By doing RD, it allows Nestlà © renovate existing products and innovate new products continuously. It also allows Nestlà © to review its product at regular intervals while generating revenue growth. For instance, Nestlà © possess a product LC1, which is innovated and provides health benefits for the consumers and it was fairly new in the US. The LC1 product, probiotic cultures found that it had an innovation that offers a new avenue of profits for Nestlà © by introducing it into the US market. The LC1 powder was introduced into US market in 2000. This product focuses on customers who are concerned about their eating habits and health and it was made to be mixed into beverages and foods. Unfortunately, the product went largely unnoticed by the US customers and yielded only minimal results although Nestlà © used a smaller campaign targeted at health practitioners, print ads and internet advertising to introduce the product. In terms of confectionery segment, while taste of chocolate differs by country, the process in making products is the same. Nestlà © has a new Worldwide Chocolate Centre of Excellence in Broc, Switzerland and brings more than 130 years of expertise international chocolate making and professionals. Packaging designers who works on RD focus on developing the luxury products and the finest chocolate premiums. Nestlà © achieved overall chocolate growth 7.6 per cent per annum. With sales of CHF9.8 billion they are the fastest growing in number 1 dark chocolate manufacturer. Figure 2 illustrates that confectionery achieve 13.1 percent of sales during FY2008. Figure 2: Product group sales (Nestlà © Management Report, 2008) Nestlà © which was established in the nineteenth century, operates a policy of decentralisation and dispersion of activities. Nestlà ©s corporate management is responsible for giving strategic direction to the organisation. RD is also strongly centralised. Despite this centralized roles, the companys organisational structure and system continue to emphasise the importance of local interpretation and in many matters local managers have considerable discretion (Ellis, 1995). Within this structure personal relationship between the heads of the operating companies and the holding companys executives are central in binding the company together. Nestlà ©s organizational structure strongly fits the companys external context. For most of the companys products the key features of demand have been the diversity of consumer tastes and national regulations. These have been complemented by the absence of sufficient economies of scale to warrant centralised production on a global scale (Tayeb, 2000). Equally, while RD is important constantly to improve and update products, many of Nestlà ©s brands were introduced many years ago. Nescafe although a very different product today, for example was introduced in 1938. With the increasing convergence of tastes and national regulations in at least some areas of the world being standardised, the company recognises the need to co-ordinate some aspects of its operations across different markets. Nestlà © has also taken steps to strengthen its regional management and strategic business units have been created for various product groups with the emphasis on integrating marketing, research and production at the country level for related products (Hill, 2009). Nevertheless, despite these changes the company continues to emphasise the advantage of decentralisation in prompting and maintaining local responsiveness. Competitor Analysis (SWOT Analysis) 4.1 Strengths In the global confectionery sector, Cadbury has 10.5 percent market share (Annual Report, 2008). The worlds biggest confectionery market is in US, and Cadbury has the second largest market share of 34 percent in the gum product category. Cadbury is also a leading player in South America with core strengths in candy and gum with market share of nearly 20 percent (Annual Report, 2008). Strong market position provides the company better bargaining power and economies of scale. Cadbury has diversified its product by offering candy, gums and chocolate while each segment accounts for significant amount of sales. America generates the highest percentage of sales with 30.3 percent of the overall revenues compared to Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Cadbury also has a strong presence in emerging markets. Cadburys emerging markets confectionery grew on average by 12 percent per annum, making it the largest presence in emerging market business among all its peers. The strong presence in the eme rging markets provides result in higher revenue growth and would diversify the companys operation further. 4.2 Weaknesses Cadbury has presented a weak liquidity position in the previous year. The company current assets stood at US$2,635 million as compared to the current liabilities of US$3,388 million in FY2008. It describes the company has severe liquidity problems which could give negative impact on the companys operational efficiency and its growth initiatives. The companys employee efficiency is also low in Cadbury. It was measured by total revenues per employee. The revenue per employee stood at US$214,724 with 46,517 employees and total revenues of US$9,988.3 million in 2008. This figure is low compared to its other competitor like Hershey that has revenue per employee at US$410,000 in 2008. Opportunities The chocolate sales proved the most profitable for the US confectionery market, providing 50.6% of the markets overall value in 2008. It shows that Cadbury has a strong presence in the US confectionery market and it is well positioned to cope the confectionery demand in the region. Premium chocolate is growing fast in many parts of the world. The awareness for dark chocolate among consumers is increasing because of the benefits of dark chocolate to health. The dark chocolate industry grew 18% over the last year. It would favourably impact the sales if there is increasing customer preference for premium products. Threats The raw materials include cocoa products for instance cocoa butter, cocoa liquor and cocoa powder processed from cocoa beans. Cadbury purchases its cocoa products from third party suppliers in West African, Far Eastern and South American equatorial regions. The increasing raw material prices could give significant impact on companys profitability and cost structure. The tight labour market influenced the government to level up the minimum wage in the US. In 2008 the federal minimum wage rate remained at US$6.55 per hour and reached to US$7.25 per hour in 2009. Majority of Cadburys employee in US, so increased labour cost could give impact on overall cost and result in a decrease in its profitability. 5.0 Conclusion Globalization is changing the world economy. It is a challenge, nations need to accept the threats and opportunities, if not they could be left behind as a people or nation. Nestlà © pursuing a multi-domestic strategy when there is a high pressure for local responsiveness and low pressures for cost reductions. Changing offerings on a localized level increases a companys overall cost structure but increases the likelihood that its products and services will be responsive to local needs and therefore be successful. Nestlà © can strengthen its position as a well-being and nutrition company as consumers are becoming more health conscious. Nestlà © would be able to capitalize on health conscious trends by increasing focus on nutrition. In terms of confectionery segment, Nestlà © are able to leverage centralized research and strategies and apply them through renovation and innovation while respecting habit and local tastes. A global strategy is a low-cost strategy. Organization that experience high cost pressures should use a global strategy in an attempt to benefit from scale economies in production, distribution and marketing. By offering a standardized product worldwide, firms can leverage their experience and use aggressive pricing schemes (Hodgetts, 2006). This strategy makes most sense where there are high cost pressures and low demand for localized product offerings. A global company is able to achieve global-scale efficiencies through product standardisation. 6.0 Recommendations Economy situation in Western are actually facing decrease in output and growth, thus influencing the consumption of customers, especially in the retail business. Consumers are becoming more price sensitive and tend to spend less while demanding at the same time for customisation, product specialization and differentiation. Another trend is the shift from branded food and beverages towards cheap non-branded foods and beverage. Despite increasing non-brand cheap products offered by rivals, Nestlà © finds itself in an even more embattled market and needs to develop a new strategy either away from branding or higher level of international market penetration. Since Nestlà © stands for high quality and has distinctive competencies in producing higher quality food, it would not make sense to change the strategic group, because it would most likely get stuck in the middle. The right strategy is to expand into new markets such as Asia, Eastern Europe and South America. In these markets the consumer behaviour, macroeconomic environment and habits are different compared to western economies. Most of these markets are yet in a growth cycle and this clearly generates an opportunity because they are within emerging markets. Nestlà © should see to incorporate LC1, the yogurts product name into one strong performing product in each one of its Strategic Business Unit (SBU). Nestlà © should provide one product in each of these SBUs to introduce to the market. There is a huge line of products with in different areas of food and beverage industry which the LC1 product can bring a profit. So if the LC1 does well in certain areas of the industry but not others, Nestlà © can shifts its focus from the weak product to the strong product. Introducing it to many different products in many different areas of the food and beverage industry giving LC1 a better opportunity of achieving success. Nestlà © which already has a diversified food and beverage company has the benefit being able to explore an option such as this. In designing a strategy that would effectively place Nestle at the head of the probiotic industry in North America market would require several key components. North American consumers also need to be educated as the benefits that the probiotics LC1 brings. A strong marketing and advertising campaign would accompany this. They should be to quick to conduct all moves and enter into each market as quickly as possible to gain maximum market share.

King Lear :: essays research papers

King Lear: topic #2, revision. Matt Diggs III "Lear: Be your tears wet? Yes faith, I pray weep not. If you have poison for me, I will drink it. I know you do not love me; for your sisters Have (as I do remember) done me wrong. You have some cause, they have not. Cordelia: No cause, no cause." In Shakespeare's King Lear the character Cordelia is disowned and denied dowry because she is unable to bring herself to flatter her father. This honesty is taken as insult by Lear in the opening act of the play, and he renounces the princess in a fit of rage. Yet when his other, more "glib and oily (I.i. 224)" daughters have ruined him, it is faithful Cordelia who comforts him. While she has the greatest reason to act against Lear, she claims she has "No cause,(IV,iv,74)" to do so. What is it within Cordelia's soul that manifests good in the face of evil? What qualities make her the play's most virtuous character? Because she is not actually present during the majority of the play, it is difficult to obtain an accurate psychological picture of Cordelia. BUT HER WORDS AND ACTIONS, HOWEVER SPARSE, DEFINE CORDELIA AS HONEST, SELFLESS AND COURAGEOUS. It is these qualities that display Cordelia's clear comprehension of the duties implicit in the father-daughter a nd king-subject bond. Part of Cordelia's moral integrity lies in her bluntness, and while Lear's daughter does seem tactless in her first appearance, saying, "Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty According to my bond, no more nor less, (I.i.91-93)" it is this honesty that contrast her to her sisters. In Lear, the long diatribes of compliment often belong to the most vile of characters, but not so with Cordelia. Her love is boundless, but not expressible through flattery. Though she makes little effort to elucidate her simple words, her bond is substantial, having been "Begot, bred and loved,(I,i,96)" by her father. Cordelia speaks in her explanation of performing her duties as she sees "right fit.(I,i,97)" Acting with such perfect purpose defines the princess as possibly the only absolutely righteous character in the play. But apart from merely confronting the possibility of losing her fortunes, she accepts her king's decision with silence. She knows the consequences of her actions, yet does not stray from her ethical duties. Cordelia's reverence for Lear does not blur her comprehension of his folly. King Lear :: essays research papers King Lear: topic #2, revision. Matt Diggs III "Lear: Be your tears wet? Yes faith, I pray weep not. If you have poison for me, I will drink it. I know you do not love me; for your sisters Have (as I do remember) done me wrong. You have some cause, they have not. Cordelia: No cause, no cause." In Shakespeare's King Lear the character Cordelia is disowned and denied dowry because she is unable to bring herself to flatter her father. This honesty is taken as insult by Lear in the opening act of the play, and he renounces the princess in a fit of rage. Yet when his other, more "glib and oily (I.i. 224)" daughters have ruined him, it is faithful Cordelia who comforts him. While she has the greatest reason to act against Lear, she claims she has "No cause,(IV,iv,74)" to do so. What is it within Cordelia's soul that manifests good in the face of evil? What qualities make her the play's most virtuous character? Because she is not actually present during the majority of the play, it is difficult to obtain an accurate psychological picture of Cordelia. BUT HER WORDS AND ACTIONS, HOWEVER SPARSE, DEFINE CORDELIA AS HONEST, SELFLESS AND COURAGEOUS. It is these qualities that display Cordelia's clear comprehension of the duties implicit in the father-daughter a nd king-subject bond. Part of Cordelia's moral integrity lies in her bluntness, and while Lear's daughter does seem tactless in her first appearance, saying, "Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty According to my bond, no more nor less, (I.i.91-93)" it is this honesty that contrast her to her sisters. In Lear, the long diatribes of compliment often belong to the most vile of characters, but not so with Cordelia. Her love is boundless, but not expressible through flattery. Though she makes little effort to elucidate her simple words, her bond is substantial, having been "Begot, bred and loved,(I,i,96)" by her father. Cordelia speaks in her explanation of performing her duties as she sees "right fit.(I,i,97)" Acting with such perfect purpose defines the princess as possibly the only absolutely righteous character in the play. But apart from merely confronting the possibility of losing her fortunes, she accepts her king's decision with silence. She knows the consequences of her actions, yet does not stray from her ethical duties. Cordelia's reverence for Lear does not blur her comprehension of his folly.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 20

The New York Halls of Justice and House of Detention was a slablike stone structure that rose heavily from the street like an old tombstone. The interior was a portrait in gray, with grim-faced policemen and haggard criminals. And us. Vampires caught in a human system for a bloody crime we didn't commit. The twistedness of it all was remarkable, but it did nothing to alleviate our current situation. With our hands tied behind our backs, a young policeman marched Damon and me up several flights of worn wooden stairs and into the chief's office. He commanded a small square of the larger floor. Sketches of wanted men lined his walls, one man's eye struck through with a large nail. The chief himself was a grizzled veteran with a full black beard, except for where a smooth, diagonal scar cut through his skin. He looked at our rap sheet and let out a low whistle. â€Å"The whole Sutherland family? That'll be in the papers tonight.† I flinched at hearing such insensitivity coming from the lips of a normal human. What sort of monsters did he deal with that the death of an entire family was no more than a news item? â€Å"We didn't do it,† I said. â€Å"No, of course you didn't,† the chief said gruffly, running a finger along his scar. â€Å"No one who ends up here has ever done it. But the courts will get it sorted out, and everyone will get what they deserve.† We were unceremoniously dumped into a holding cell that was larger than the entire one-person jail back home, where Jeremiah Black spent many a night sleeping off his drunken stupor. I never expected to see the inside of a cell myself. â€Å"We didn't do it,† Damon whined, imitating me and shaking his head, as soon as the guard left. â€Å"Could you make us sound any more ridiculous?† â€Å"What, are you afraid of us coming off as sissies?† I asked. â€Å"Would you rather I just bared my fangs at him?† A rasping chuckle came from the corner of the cell, where another prisoner sat slumped against the wall. His hair receded from his forehead in a deep V and he had the arms of a dockworker. â€Å"Nice clothes,† he said with malicious growl, eyeing our formal suits and clean-shaven cheeks. â€Å"What are you in for, rich boys?† â€Å"Killing a family,† Damon answered without pause. â€Å"You?† â€Å"Beatin' in the heads of the likes of you,† he answered back just as quickly, cracking his knuckles. He took a swing at Damon, but my brother reached up and, with hands faster than the human eye, deflected the blow, and pushed the man against the wall with a loud crack. The giant didn't so much topple as just crumple straight down, falling into an unconscious puddle around his own feet. None of the officers came running, and I wondered if fighting in the cells was an ordinary occurrence. Damon sighed as he stepped around the man. He sat down on the floor in a moment of exhaustion that was almost human, almost like the old brother I used to know. â€Å"Why is it we always end up locked behind bars with each other?† â€Å"Well, at least this time you're not being starved,† I answered drily. â€Å"Nope. No chance in that,† Damon said. His eyes surveyed the police standing on the other side of our bars, taking in each person. Then he leaned his head up against the wall and gave the peeling paint a grudging sniff. â€Å"And I think there's more than a chance that there are a couple of rats in here for you, too.† I sighed, sliding down the wall and sitting next to him. I did not understand this new Damon. His shifts in mood were frightening. One moment he was the soulless vampire who killed without remorse, the next he was someone who seemed like my old childhood companion again. â€Å"What's the plan?† I asked. â€Å"You're looking at it,† he said, getting up and indicating the dead man at our feet. â€Å"Guard! Man down in here.† When the guard approached and saw the body on the ground he seemed annoyed, but not surprised. The guard didn't lean too close – he had survived long enough to know not to. But it was close enough. Damon flared his eyes. â€Å"Forget we were ever here. Forget what we look like. Forget who brought us in, our names, and everything about us.† â€Å"Who's us?† the guard asked, hypnotized but slow on the uptake. â€Å"The man I came in with,† Damon snapped, pointing at me. The guard nodded faintly. â€Å"Forget everything about us. And then – send over the other guard, all right?† The guard wandered back to his post, somewhat dizzily at first, then cocked his head as if he had just remembered something. He went to one of the guards on patrol and pointed at the jail cell. Not at Damon, through Damon. It was like Damon didn't exist anymore in his reality. â€Å"One down,† Damon muttered. He looked tense. Again I wondered how many people he really could control at once. The second guard approached. He had a scar across his face that twisted one eye shut, and he smacked his billy club as he walked. But before Damon could compel him, he said the absolute last thing we expected. â€Å"Your lawyer is here.† I looked at my brother. He looked back at me in equal surprise. He raised an eyebrow as if to say: Did you arrange this somehow? I very slightly shook my head. Damon straightened his shoulders as a clang sounded and the door to the stockade opened. The smell of rotten eggs and death filled the room as another man walked in – the lawyer. He was huge. Larger than the prisoner Damon had knocked out, with long arms and a huge chest. His hands were monstrous, with stubby fingers that gripped a leather portfolio. He came into the room slowly, with the careful tread of someone or something too large and dangerous for its surroundings, like the pace of a panther around its tiny circus cage. His clothing was of a foreign cut, comfortable, rich linen and silk that allowed his massive body to move easily beneath its folds. And his eyes†¦ They were small and blue, but not the clear blue of my brother's. They were mottled, milky almost, and too ancient for the rest of his body, moving quickly but incorrectly, like a bird's or a lizard's gaze, but with a powerful intelligence behind it. This man was not human. He didn't feel like a vampire, not exactly. But there was something just below his surface waiting for a chance to explode. The Power radiating from him was greater than anything I had experienced. And my instincts told me that even though he had come under the auspices of being our lawyer, this man was not here to help us. He surveyed us in the jail cell and smiled slightly. â€Å"You may go,† he said to the guard behind him. His voice didn't even rise, but quietly reverberated in a way that carried to the far end of the empty holding cells. And yet they went. Quickly, and with something like relief on their faces. We were left alone with this beast. â€Å"Good evening, gentlemen,† he said, smiling in a way that made me sick. â€Å"Who are you?† Damon asked, clearly trying to sound bored. But I could hear the fear in his voice. â€Å"Who am I?† the man repeated in a heavy accent. â€Å"Does it help to know the name of the one who will kill you? It didn't seem any comfort to your wives.† The words fell like stones to the floor, heavy and final. The man casually put a giant hand up to rest on a bar. â€Å"You killed the Sutherlands,† I whispered. â€Å"Yes.† He smiled and pursed his lips. â€Å"It was fun.† â€Å"You tore them apart like paper dolls,† I said, even though I knew he could tear me apart, too, could scatter my limbs like the petals that had lined my wedding altar. â€Å"You†¦ broke them.† â€Å"Young vampire, you must know the hunger of the beast,† he said with a smile that wasn't at all amused. â€Å"There are other hungers, for other things, that once awoken cannot rest until they are satisfied.† The whites of the man's eyes glowed red, and there was a hush in the air, like great Power was being summoned. I could practically smell the fear coiling off Damon in large strips. But I began to grow angry. Rage boiled in my stomach and shot out through my body. This man had butchered an innocent family and enjoyed it. This was what my new life as a vampire meant – layers and layers of evil, and even more horror and destruction, just when I felt I had reached the very bottom. â€Å"Why?† I demanded, coming forward as far as the bars would let me. â€Å"What did they ever do to you?† â€Å"Why?† the beast asked. He leaned forward, mocking my bravado. As he neared, mere centimeters from my face, a sickening stench of old blood and decay swept over me. It was like a thousand years of death and dismemberment followed him around, a trophy from each corpse he was responsible for. â€Å"Recompense.† He said each syllable carefully. â€Å"Recompense?† I echoed. He bared his teeth. â€Å"Yes, recompense. For taking Katherine. And destroying any chance to break the curse.† Katherine? What did she have to do with all of this, with this abomination in front of us? With the Sutherlands? And what curse? I looked over at Damon. She had always shared more details of her life, of being a vampire, with him. But my brother was wide-eyed and gaping like a fish, even more stunned by hearing her name than I was. I thought about the blissful, ignorant weeks I spent as her slave and lover, never imagining that she would lead me straight into hell. The man backed up a few steps, including Damon in his foul stare. â€Å"Yes, you understand now,† he said, nodding. But we didn't. â€Å"I – † Damon began to speak. â€Å"SILENCE!† the man roared. Suddenly he was pressed up against the bars, a blackened fingernail inches from Damon's throat. â€Å"Do you dare deny it?† With a chilling deliberateness, he pushed an iron bar aside like it was a curtain. The metal screamed in agony. In a flash of darkness he had stepped through, and wrapped a giant hand around each of our throats. â€Å"You took Katherine. I take your new life from you. An eye for an eye, as you people are fond of saying. Right?† â€Å"I†¦ don't know what you're talking about,† I said, choking. The monster threw back his head and laughed. â€Å"Of course you don't.† He snapped his head back, suddenly fixing me with his eyes and a sneer on his lips. He didn't believe me. â€Å"Katherine never mentioned Klaus?† Even after her death, Katherine continued to haunt us. I looked over at Damon. There was a pained, heartbroken look on his face. It was gone in an instant, but for that one moment I thought I saw through to my old brother. He was shocked by the fact that Katherine, the love of his life, had been involved with a creature as heartless as the one that stood before us. I felt for him. Unbidden, half a dozen images of Katherine came to my mind. Her amber eyes that commanded attention. Her long black hair hanging in waves around her neck, as if she had just done something that might have disheveled it. Her tiny waist and mischievous smile. She had been irresistible. And Damon and I weren't the only ones to have felt her pull. The man tightened his grip on my throat, and I could hear the groaning of vertebrae. In a moment we would be on the floor, our necks snapped as easily as that of the prisoner Damon had killed. Then suddenly I was free. Damon fell to the ground beside me, also released from the stony grip that held him. From outside the cell, the monster smiled viciously. â€Å"I will see you two later,† he promised. And then, almost as an afterthought, he used a delicate finger to push the jail bars back into place. â€Å"And remember, I am always watching.†

Nuclear and Coal Power: Which is Better

Today we are living in a world that is becoming increasingly more environmentally conscious, yet consuming more energy than ever. Having such high-energy demands creates many environmental issues, such as pollution, land exploitation, and the consumption of finite resources. In order to begin a true conservationalist society, solutions must be found that satisfy our growing energy needs, and reduce our impact on the environment. Right now we have many sources of energy, of which nuclear and coal are the predominant energy sources of today. Since these are the major energy sources a logical step in the solution process is discovering the pros and cons of each source. Coal energy is very inexpensive and easy to recover, and accounts for approximately 40% of electric energy produced worldwide, down from 74% in 1937. In order to derive energy coal must first be mined, then transported to another location where the coal will be burned, which results in the release of toxic pollutants into the atmosphere. Coal energy is a significant contributor to both global warming and acid rain because of its high carbon and sulfur content. There also exist the harmful effects of both mining for the coal and of transporting the bulky product. There are several ways to mine for coal, the most significant of which are strip mining, and underground mining. Strip mining, as the name implies, requires massive amounts of soil be removed in order to expose the coal. Such actions leave enormous scars on the earth and require years for reclamation to occur. The eyesores created by mining underground are not as large however, the perils of underground mining have claimed hundreds if not thousands of miners lives in both accidents and diseases brought on by the extreme exposure to coal products. Then comes the extremely expensive task of transporting the coal from the mining sites to locations all around the world. Because of the bulky nature of coal, it requires a massive transportation system, which itself uses other fuels further contributing to the pollution problem. There seems to be little hope of decreasing the size of this operation, since it is entirely dependant upon the physical characteristics of the coal itself. Nuclear energy is the most concentrated source of energy currently available for use. The fuel to drive nuclear energy is also inexpensive, and nuclear energy creates the most compact waste of all the different types of energy. The major steps in the nuclear fuel cycle are as follows: 1. Mining of the ore; the danger of radiation exposures was long ignored however, the advancement of our knowledge of radioactivity has greatly reduced the risks involved with the mining process. 2.Milling; waste accounts for 99% of the resulting in great accumulations of mine tailings that have to be stored somewhere, the removal and storage of tailings still presents a problem. 5.Fuel Fabrication; once converted and enriched, the fuel is formed into ceramic balls and placed inside a tube, thus becoming a fuel rod. 6.Fuel Reprocessing; After the fuel rod is used up, it is placed underwater and stored for up to a year, after which the rod is disassembled and some of the leftover materials are reused in the enrichment phase. 7.Waste Management; Radioactive waste can have half-lives of tens of thousands of years, long-term solutions are needed. As of today waste in a concentrated liquid form is put in temporary depositories, with the hope of someday solidifying the waste so it can be stored for the long-term. From these steps, one can see the basic processes required for nuclear energy to occur. The extreme amounts of tailings present a huge hurdle to overcome, researchers are currently searching for new methods to obtain the ore, which are both less wasteful and cost efficient. However, one large benefit of nuclear energy is the ease of recycling many of the nuclear core wastes. There are no greenhouse or acid rain effects caused by the use of nuclear energy and the process itself has been thoroughly developed and understood by scientists. As with coal nuclear energy also has its drawbacks. First, nuclear plants are very expensive and require large amounts of capital before building can take place. Secondly, although the waste is very compact, the waste is also highly hazardous to the environment. And lastly there is the issue of nuclear meltdown, which is detrimental to life and the environment. This last issue of meltdown or other possible cases of public exposure is the single largest factor limiting further implementation of nuclear power around the world. People assume that nuclear energy is extremely unstable, when it is actually extremely stable. Coal power is much more hazardous than nuclear power, but people seem to be unwilling to accept nuclear energy and continue to use less safe coal energy. The transportation of nuclear energy is extremely safe. â€Å"No activity in the history of technology has as good a safety record and is accomplished with as little risk as the transportation of nuclear material.† Knowing such a fact as this might begin to persuade those who doubt the safety of nuclear energy, and possibly embrace this technology. With this brief look into the environmental crisis that human†s high energy needs have created, it is important for us to find a suitable solution that appeases our energy needs without destroying the environment any more. It is necessary to gauge the benefits against the risks of all of our energy sources, and determine which ones best suit our needs and the needs of the planet. We can no longer be an uneducated public, for the power governing which sources of energy are used ultimately lie in the hands of the public. Fear of what we do not understand is not the way to decide, people need to take the initiative to discover for themselves what is best for them, and more importantly what is best for the environment.