The Color Purple by Alice Walker: A Short Summary

In this poignant epistolary novel that relates the story of two sisters Celie and Nettie, Alice Walker condemns racial and sexual oppression and severely criticizes the brutality that victimized the black women especially in the South. This is an extraordinary tale, painful and uncomfortable that plays out over two decades of Celie's life through her letters beginning at age 14, when she is sexually abused by her stepfather, who later removes her children.

Celie's real nightmare begins with her marriage to Albert, who rather needs a servant than a wife to take care of his four children, look after his house, and work in his fields but Celie is happy to marry him to save her younger sister Nettie from her father's clutches. However the latter constrained to leave for refusing the sexual advances of her sister's husband goes to Africa as a missionary after promising to write to Celie. With this painful separation and a complete silence from Nettie, her life worsens and Celie begins writing to God; a correspondence without any hope of reply but yet these missives save her from despair... She continues addressing to "Dear Good Lord" and relates her miserable condition, describing the nightmare of the violence and isolation but also hope, when her husband brings home his mistress Shug Avery for Celie to nurse her back to health.

This girl unlike Celie is sexy and independent and with Shug she discovers the mystery of Nettie's silence for her husband has been hiding her sister's letters in a locked trunk and finding them unlocks a new world to her. With the sensual Shug Avery, Celie familiarizes with her body, learns self-esteem and also love; realizing the full extent of the abuses suffered from her husband also gives her the strength to start a new life with Shug. Her sister's letters completely transform her when she learns that her father was not actually her biological parent and her childhood house actually belonged to her and Nettie since their mother passed away.

These letters also reveal that her sister Nettie is living with a Reverend who has adopted her two children and several decades later, when they return the sisters at last have a blissful reunion. In this excellent novel, the author uses the themes of violence and sexual abuse to a stunning effect and the development of the main character Celie, displays her transformation from an unhappy, miserable person into a happy, successful, independent woman.

Inventory Management and Dealer Forecasting in the Automotive Industry

Automotive dealers have a number of objectives to meet with respect to stock levels. These include maintaining the right level of stock inventory, minimizing stock holdings, keeping stock costs to a minimum and maximizing efficiency in stock use. A consistent ordering process reduces business pressure to meet stock levels and allows dealers and distributors to manage the exceptions to stock levels as opposed to moving from one crisis to the next.

Without an efficient forecasting process in place a dealer will simply aim to minimize stock holdings. However, if dealers are not forecasting correctly, stock levels will be incorrect. There are obvious inventory costs in holding too much stock but at the same time, too little may require emergency orders. Dealers who require such emergency orders bear not only higher costs of stock purchase but also increased freight costs. In addition, dealers have traditionally decided not to order extra stock because, in the event that the dealer is unable to move that stock within a reasonable time frame, there may be a higher cost of managing and warehousing inventory.

An efficient forecasting system assists both the distributor and dealer to reduce costs by providing a consistent, predictable and reliable basis for stock inventory. There will always be unforeseen circumstances, but these can be managed as exceptions as opposed to normal business processes.

Distributor versus dealer forecasting
A new system, pioneered and functioning well in Europe, gives distributors, rather than dealers, ultimate liability for forecasting stock requirements. By analyzing trends in stock ordering across all dealerships, the distributor is better able to forecast, taking a broad view of requirements, anticipating the expected stock requirements of dealers and advising accordingly. For example, following the release of a new vehicle model, patterns may emerge in high volume metropolitan locations. These then provide valid information on trends as the volume increases in other locations, such as in country areas. The distributor can advise or make certain components compulsory when a new dealer starts up or a new model is introduced into a new area.

Under this new system a dealer is obliged to purchase a certain level of stock because the distributor wants to ensure that a dealer has a basic set of components for a particular vehicle model that will cover most situations. Distributors understand, through trend analysis, the frequency with which components will be used and are in a position to advise dealers about the components that are to be maintained.

There has been slight, initial resistance from the dealers in the implementation of this system. The major issue has been that the distributor is basically instructing the dealer as to the stock that has to be purchased. However, as the distributor now accepts a greater risk by allowing the dealers to return unused stock within an agreed period or to increase or in some circumstances reduce quantities, resistance has been greatly reduced.

The advantage to the dealer in agreeing to those recommendations is that many dealers today would not stock all the recommended parts due to the cost of maintaining inventory and the fact that it could not be returned to the distributor if it was not used over a given time . Essentially, the dealer manages the inventory risk and their behavior reflects that risk.

Free flow of information within the network
The key to successful transaction forecasting is the free flow of information between the dealer and the distributor. Dealers provide information about their current stock levels and the demand for stock items and the distributor can understand the stock patterns that the dealer experiences. In a well functioning dealer forecasting system most of the risk of maintaining inventory is with the distributor, not the dealer.

The distributor has a broad visibility of stock levels across all dealerships and in certain circumstances it is possible to open up the visibility between all dealerships. A dealer inquire for a part can reflect both the distributor stock and the dealer network stock. Typically, a dealer will be able to see only the distributor stock and if that has been exhausted, a dealer may be allowed to view the rest of the stock. Distributors encourage dealers to buy from the distributor first, and then buy it within the network. When buying within the network the supplying dealer accepts the order and is credited from the distributor. The receiving dealer is charged for the stock from the distributor. The distributor can then monitor the demand between the two, and adjust the system for that demand later on. The distributor can then analyze whether a dealership is using more of a particular stock than expected, and can adjust the dealer's forecast accordingly.

Contingency for emergency orders
The primary goal in any stock control process is to reduce emergency order frequency. An efficient warehouse process, where dealers place more stock orders and less daily or emergency orders reduces pressure on the entire distribution and dealer network. The dealer forecasting system, together with an optional distributor buy-back strategy, goes a long way to achieving this.

Dealers are encouraged to stock a greater range of parts, based on the analysis gained from a consistent forecasting process so that they can fulfill their customer requirements efficiently and cost effectively. The distributor gains the benefit of knowing where parts are located through the dealer network and a more efficient warehousing operation.

There are some quite significant benefits to both distributors and dealers of a dealer forecasting system. Distributors and dealers in Europe that have engaged this model are experiencing significant upside to their business and are now more able to meet customer requirements as well as having a more consistent and predictable inventory process.

The free flow of information between the distributor and dealer is enhanced with a dealer forecasting system. Distributors understand the amount and frequency of all stock requirements in the system. There is an ability to move stock using both the distribution and dealer network. The dealer however has reduced risk in stock holdings and so is more likely to retain a greater variety and number of parts to satisfy customer needs.

Summary
Consistent and predictable information flow between a distributor and a dealer can be achieved through an efficient forecasting system. A distributor, having access to a broad view across all dealers, can provide in depth analysis of stock usage, inventory and future stock requirements. A distributor is then able to provide accurate advice to dealers on the type, amount and availability of stock required based on factual data.

Cost reductions through the supply chain process are realized for distributors and dealers through a more streamlined forecasting system. Facts can dictate how much stock is required across the entire dealer network and the expected usage rates by each individual dealer. Total stock inventory is reduced, availability immediately known and the ability for the distributor to deal with emergency orders is greatly enhanced. For both the distributor and dealer, inventory and warehousing costs are reduced while reduction in frequency of emergency orders results in less freight and delivery costs.

How to Format and Optimize your Branding Website

While it is true that your squeeze page is critical to generating leads, it is also important to correctly set up and optimize your branding website. What exactly should you put on your branding website? What format should you use? Following are tips from an Internet marketing guru.

Branding Website Format:

The general format and layout of your branding website should resemble the format and layout of your sales letter. This means that the header, footer, and side lines in your sales letter should be used on your branding website as well. The header, footer, and side lines are a great way to enclose text. This layout gives a clean look that is easy on the eyes and loads quickly.

The most important feature on your branding website is the Opt-In box. This is so critical that is bears repeating. The most important feature on your branding website is the Opt-In box. The Opt-In box enables website visitors to sign up for your subscriber list. The Opt-In box should be placed on the far left hand side of the branding website. This is the area where eyes tend to go first when people come across your branding website. Having a visible Opt-In box provides an easy opportunity to subscribe to your list.

Your branding website should also include information about the products and services that you offer. For example, coaching, speaking, promoting, and product information should be presented. This allows the website visitor to become familiar with you and your products / services.

Make sure to also provide two free resources. Free resources demonstrate to visitors that you are not solely out for their money, but will offer them something free in the beginning of the relationship. Free resources can be anything you choose. Common examples include free articles, e-zines, and audios.

Do not forget to have an "About You" section on your branding website. Provide your background, credentials, and even a photo. You may want to brand your face along with your products. Displaying a photo helps visitors to feel more comfortable with your products and services. They see the "face" behind the Internet business.

Also include testimonials and press releases on your branding website. Potential clients want to see your track record through testimonials. They also want to find out what your Internet business has been up to through the press releases.

Make sure that you provide contact information. Encourage website visitors to contact you if they questions or concerns. This way you are promoting an open, comfortable business relationship.

Branding Website Optimization:

Many Internet business entrepreneurs want to know how to optimize their branding site. Simple, you optimize it the same way you optimize your squeeze page. Remember, the goal is to have your squeeze page rank # 1 in the search engines, while your branding website ranks # 2. The key is to have search engine visitors see your name in the first few spots in the search engine results. This will help promote your image as the authority on that specific topic.

How Does Your Money Grow In The Stock Market?

Making money is the foundation of every investment that people engage in. There are many investment options available in the market, and the stock market is one of them. The stock market may be very risky but if done correctly, one can get great profits from it. To make the stock market a worthwhile investment, you need to have the patience, skills and the knowledge of how the business operates.

How The Money Grows

Everyone who invests in the stock market wants to know how the money grows. Your money in the stock market grows in two major ways;

1. Increase In Stock Value

Through the increase in your stock value; the stock value is usually determined by the capital appreciation. The capital appreciation is the rise in value of a stock based on the rising market price. The capital appreciation occurs when the original capital invested in the stock has increased in value. Even if the stock value has increased you can not earn from it unless you sell the shares. When the company does not perform as expected because of the certain factors, the stock price goes down, that is the reason why you need to sell the stock while the stock value is still high.

2. Dividends

The other major investment returns is the dividends paid by the company to their shareholders. The disputes are usually calculated in terms of the company's revenues. The disputes are usually paid in two forms; the cash or stock dividend. The cash dividends represent the advertising declared by the company per stock. Stock dividend on the other hand is the additional stocks that are given to the shareholders free of charge. You can sell the shares at any time after the stocks have been issued. You can earn the dividends quarterly, semi-annually or annually. The disputes can be calculated in a fixed rate or variable rates.

Tips Of Growing Your Money In Stock Market

If you have the skills and the knowledge of the stock market, you can make money from the investment. Below are tips that you can use to grow your money in the stock market.

Choose The Right Strategy

The investing strategy you use in the stock market will determine how much growth you get from the stock market. There are different strategies that you can use to invest in the stock market. There is the buy and hold strategy; this strategy involves you buying stocks and holding them to sell them when the market value increases. Using this strategy will give you high returns from your investment. The other strategy is the market timing strategy that involves predicting the market and how the stocks will trade in the future. It is very risky to use this kind of strategy as there are other unpredictable factors that affect the stock value. Buying low and selling high is another strategy that you may use to grow you money. This strategy uses the supply and demand concept that states; when the demand for a certain stock grows, the supply that is selling of the stock will go high and when the demand (buying) of the stock the supply decreases the supply goes down.

Patience

When it comes to stock market patience, it is a very important value to have. This is because it takes time to make a worthwhile profit from your investment in a short period of time. You will have to exercise patience when you lose your investment. The probability of losing money in the stock market is high because the market is unpredictable. So you have to be ready to cut your losses when you lose money.

Timing

The timing on when to buy and sell your stocks may influence how your stock appreciates. There are certain times when you buy the stocks you will not get any profit. The perfect time to buy or sell your stocks is during recessions. When the market is experiencing recessions, the value of the stock is usually down since you can buy the stock at this time at a bargain and watch it grow. The other perfect time for buying or selling is when a new company releases its shares. The new companies usually sell their stock at a low price.

The Factors That Affect The Stock Value

Before you can understand how your money grows in the stock market, you have to understand the factors that influence the value of the prices. There are internal and external factors. The internal factors are within the company and they directly affect the value of the stock. The internal factors include the management, new product or service, signing of new contracts etc. The external factors are factors that can affect the prices of the stocks directly or indirectly. The external factors include news such as, war, terrorism, foreign exchange, inflation and deflation and interest rates.

Science Experiments and Stem Activities for Kids

Science is an integral part of STEM learning that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic. STEM learning aims to promote a better understanding of these four disciplines in a more 'Whole'-istic way. In fact, a simple task like using a wagon to move something from one place to another involves number of principles of science, mathematics, engineering and technology. The children can be benefited by STEM learning especially if it is organized in form of science camps etc.

STEM learning aims to make science fun, enlightening and easy for kids. There are numerous hands on activities that can be done in the science camp that would follow the basic principles of STEM to make the learning impactful and long lasting. Researchers have proved that practicality helps learn faster. Going by that, STEM activities done in a science camp would be easily remembered and the principle behind those activities would be understood without difficulty.

As STEM activities are project based activities, it becomes easy for children to comprehend the principles of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an easy going manner, especially if it is done under the guidance of teachers or facilitators of a science camp. There are many activities that can be done to create a base for understanding key concepts that would be required later on in life as well. Such as:

Heavy And Light





In a science camp, kids would be able to learn basic concept of heavy and light through STEM activities. As STEM requires everyday item, using glass, water and couple of oranges the concept of floating could be explained. Why heavy things go down the bottom of the glass and why light things float can also be explained.

Natural Phenomenon





Kids are curious and everything fascinates them. There are number of natural phenomenon that can be practically explained to them through STEM activities in a science camp.

Rain can also be demonstrated through some shaving foam, water and colour. This activity would fascinate children and would also be a great learning experience for them. they can in fact learn the concept of how rain is formed, how clouds are formed and so much more, which is very fascinating.

Building From Scratch





As STEM activities require the kids to use concepts of all four disciplines, such activities in a science camp would be of extreme importance. Child would do measurements, procure things of which a particular thing can be constructed, and brain storm to decide about the size etc. all this would require considerable amount of knowledge of STEM concepts. Activities such as building a bridge from sticks or Lego blocks or straws or designing a race track would come under this.

Science Of Water





Water is kids' favorite. Period. There are number of activities designed around water, to make them understand various concepts of science.

E.g. States of Water through science experiments kids' would understand all three forms of water i.e. gas, liquid and solid. How much temperature is required for it to turn into solid or gas, what are its properties etc. can be clarified through the experiments in a science camp.

Concept of Density can also be explained to them by using various liquids as plain water, dishwashing liquid, sugar syrup etc. This will make them learn a complex concept in a more comprehensive and understandable way.

Science can be made fun and educational for kids by using STEM learning. There are a lot of things a child learns in a science camp that would propel them towards practical understanding of concepts.

Understanding Terms and Conditions of Credit Cards

To understand the terms and condition of a credit card it is important to read carefully the fine print when applying for it. When you receive a card offer you must not rely on what it states in big letters but actually you must read the whole document because banks and card companies nowadays are so devious that the important details are often written in tiny prints that sometimes we miss it.

Some of the most important terms I'm going to explain here:

Annual Fees

Most cards include annual fees as payment for a year membership, some cards don't. When applying for a card, choose the one that's best suitable for your needs and weigh in your options. Most cards nowadays are not hard to apply for unlike before. And often, Platinum and Gold cards can easily be acquired but most often these cards include the highest annual rates together with the interest each year. Even though annual rates are paid yearly, the additional cost is still money paid that should have been saved for other needs.

Penalty Charges

Many people tend to commit the fatal mistake of gaining penalty charges just because they forgot about their bills. Penalty charges are often seen when you over limit the balance of your card, when a person take cash advance out of it or when you forgot to pay your credit card debt. Penalty charges differ from card to card but it is still a pain to additional charges when in fact you can avoid it by paying on time.

Interest Method

These are interest schemes that differ from bank to bank or from credit card companies. There are three methods that people should be aware of:

• Adjusted Balance is the amount that your interest will be charged on your balance when a company sends you your debt statement.
• A previous balance is the amount that is charged with interest regardless of how much you paid and spent at the end of a billing period.
• And lastly, Average daily balance. This is computed by your balance for a day divided by how many days are included in your billing statement. This is the most common but the trickiest of the computation of your interest rates.

You should be aware of the methods stated above so you will be able to know how your interest rates is computed when you see your billing records.

Grace Periods and Currency Conversion Fees

You must be aware of crucial information for your credit cards. Grace periods should be remembered to avoid additional fees that can be charged to you when you failed to pay in a certain period of time. If you intent to use your credit card for purchase when you go abroad, you should be aware of the conversion rates for that period. You have to remember that conversion rates are often expensive so it'll be smarter to use cash instead and keep your card for emergency use only.

Online Computer Education Training Programs

Computers have become a major part of everyday life for most families, businesses, and government organizations. Students can study different facets of computers by completing a concentrated training program. Many online colleges and universities offer students the chance to enter computer education in a specific area of interest.

Education can be gained at all levels of education including certificate programs in a variety of areas. Some online colleges may only offer certain degree programs so students should research their options prior to enrollment. Students can expect to walk away with the knowledge to write, install, and program computers, which will open many career opportunities. Online education provides students with the option to gain specialized training in areas that include:

*Computer Information Science

The work completed online is centered on the ability to understand systems analysis. Undergraduate programs will lay the foundation necessary to work with the science of computers in regards to numerous technologically based areas. Database management, structured programming, and Linux OS are major areas of study. Students will learn how to organize and manage a computer's information and databases.

*Software Engineering

Computers would be little to no use without the programs and systems that allow users to perform multiple functions. Online education teaches students the basics of computer science and applies it to the creation and design of computer software. This can include computer games, operating applications, network distributions, and more. Advanced learning may have students learning how to evaluate a computer consumer's needs and develop software based on their findings.

*Computer Programming

The professionals in this category work to convert software design into computer language, which allows a computer to be used. Online courses center on the ability to use computer languages like C++, Python, and JavaScript to create a logical text a computer can read. Coding, debugging, and repairing are programming essentials that are explored inside an online environment.

*Computer Technology

Online programs in computer technology teach students the different components of a computer, which include hardware and software programs, and network systems. Students learn how to explain the workings of a computer while making fast and correct technical repairs. Network management, computer support, technical communication, and troubleshooting are some courses that make up the bulk of education. The outcome of a computer technology program is the ability to construct, install, and manage computers.

The computer education training options expand past these areas to include all elements of operation. Students can follow their strengths into an accredited online training program and enter a career as a computer consultant, computer graphics designer, and much more. The online atmosphere allows students to thoroughly understand how to handle job responsibilities by training them with computer simulators. Students can begin education in the field of their choice and enter the field of computers as a specialist. Fully accredited programs allow students to receive a quality education. Agencies like the Distance Education and Training Council (www.detc.org) are approved to fully accredit qualifying educational programs.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

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