Introduction To The Perfect Competition

Introduction To The Perfect Competition Microeconomics is about economizing choices among alternatives uses of scarce resources. The choices are made up by the individuals. businesses, and government units. Scarcity can be say as the central of the economic theory. Economic analysis is fundamentally about the maximization of leisure time, wealth, health, happiness, these are all commonly reduced to the concept of utility subjects to constraints. These constraints or scarcity define a trade off. For example, we can have more money by working harder, but less time because there are only so many hours in a day, so time is a scarce. Microeconomics, which deals with individual agents, such as households and business and macroeconomics that is considered the economy as a whole, in which case it considered aggregate supply and demand for money, capital and commodities. In short, microeconomics is to study about the economics behavior of individual consumers, firms, and industries and the distribution of production and income amon g them. It can be considers individuals both as supplier of labour and capital and as the ultimate consumers of the final product. Beside that, it can be use to analysis both firms both as suppliers of products and as consumers of labour and capital. Microeconomics also helps to seek analyze the market or the types of mechanism that establish relative prices among the goods and services or allocates societys resources among their many alternative uses. Microeconomics is a very important knowledge in the study of economic theory, it has both theoretical and practical implications. Microeconomics is a great help that are efficient in managing the limited resources available in the country and it is helpful to understand the work of the free enterprise economy where there is no central control. Microeconomics is the basis of welfare economics, it is used to construct the economic models for the better understanding of the actual economic phenomena. Microeconomics also explains how thro ugh market mechanism goods and services produced in the community are distributed. Microeconomics is utilized to explain the gains from international trade, balance of payments disequilibrium and the determination of foreign exchange rate. 2.0 Introduction to Monopoly Monopoly is the market structure that exist a single seller and a very large amount of buyers and selling products that have no close substitution and also have a very high entry and exit barrier. In our country, the example of monopoly market are the TNB, Indah Water, and Telekom Malaysia (TM Berhad). If people want to subscribe home telephone services they only can go to the Telekom Malaysia ( TM Berhad ), because Telekom Malaysia (TM Berhad ) is a monopoly. The word monopoly is a latin word, where mono means single and poly means sellers. Monopoly have firms that it is the only supplier in the market, and there will be no close substitute towards the output so monopoly have no treat of competition. 2.1 Characteristics of Monopoly There are some characteristics of monopoly market. According to (www.economicsonline.co.uk) monopolies have the ability to maintain a very normal profits in the long run. As with all firms, profits are maximized when Marginal Cost ( MC ) = Marginal Revenue (MR). In overall, the profit level are well depend upon the degree of the competition in the market, which for a pure monopoly is zero. At the profit maximization, MC = MR, and the output is Q and the price is P. Given that the price ( AR ) is above ATC at Q, supernormal profits are possible ( area P,A,B,C ). Super-normal-profits Monopoly exists when there is only one seller of a product. Monopoly is the firm that only exist in the industry selling a product that has no close substitution. Monopoly market is the place where the monopoly firm operates. In short, there is no difference between a firm and an industry in monopoly as there is only have one seller. A monopolist is a price maker, price maker are defined as firm which has the market power to control the prices. Since there is only one seller or producer so they have the power to control the price of their products in the market. Monopoly firm only sell product that has no close substitute, so that consumers or buyers could not find any substitute for the product that they require. For example, electric supply from our country can only found in TNB which has no close substitute for it. In the monopoly market, there is also some strict barriers to the entry of new firm. Barriers to entry are most likely natural or legal restrictions that restrict the e ntry of new firms into the industry because it is very high cost to enter a market that can support only one business example: TNB, Indah Water and Telekom Berhad. So a monopolist faces no competition because of the barriers of entry because other producer cannot compete with them due to they dont have the resource at their disposal. Business in monopoly firm may have the copyright for its own product so it will be illegal for other producer to duplicate its product. In short, barriers to entry are designed to block potential entrants from entering a market profitably because barriers to entry are to protect the monopoly power of existing firms and therefore it maintain the supernormal or abnormal profits in the long run. Advertising in monopoly market are depend on the products that the producer sold because if products are luxury goods such as imported car, then the monopoly needs some advertisement to promote their goods so that the consumers are informed about it. Local public u tilities such as water, electricity and home phone services do not require advertisement because consumers will know where to obtain it because there is only one to get the products. 2.2 Conclusion for Question 1 In conclusion, we have learned about monopoly is a market structure that is only single seller and a large numbers of buyers and products that have no substitution. And also there is a very strict barrier of entry and exit to the monopoly market. 3.0 Introduction to The perfect competition Perfect competition is a type of market where there are large number of buyers and sellers, the sellers sell identical or homogeneous product. There is also free entry and exists of the firms. Both of the buyers and sellers have perfect knowledge of the market. 3.1 Characteristics of The perfect competition There are some necessary conditions or requirements in order to be in a perfect competition market. Being with the perfect competition market, there is an important feature of perfect competition is the existence of the large number of buyers and sellers. The market is so small compared to the overall industry where a single seller sells in the market. For example, in the poultry industry, there are thousands of duck producers in Malaysia and each firm produces only a small fraction of the total poultry industry. Another conditions for perfect competition market is that the firm must sell homogenous or standardized product because the buyers do not differentiate the products of one seller to another seller. For example, the buyers cant differentiate about the ducks that is selling in the Firm A and Firm B. Hence, the firm cant charge different prices for the same product in the market. Once the buyers notice the difference of the quality, packaging, colour or design of different sell ers, then this market is no more in the state of perfect competition market. Even the products are similar but if there is a difference in terms of the packaging and quality then the product is not a homogenous or standardized product anymore. Under the perfect competition market, there is no restriction on entry of new firms to the industry or exit of the firms from the industry. A firm can enter the perfect competition easily and exit the perfect competition anytime if the firm wants. For example when he/she has the necessary factors of production like land, labour and capital then he/she can operate the business already. If the firm suffers from losses it can leave the industry without any rules and regulations or restrictions. 3.2 Introduction to The monopolistic competition Monopolistic competition is a market structure that have large numbers of small sellers selling differentiated products but these are close substitute products and also have a easy entry into and exit from the market. Compare to perfect competition, monopolistic competition market produce different and sold different but the goods are close substitutes for one another. There are many products in the world represent monopolistic competition such as clothes, shoes, books and other items. 3.3 Characteristics of The monopolistic competition The characteristics of monopolistic competition market are quite similar with the perfect competition. Similar to perfect competition, there are large numbers of sellers and buyers under the monopolistic competition market. There are large number of firms existing in the monopolistic competition market but it is less as compared to the perfect competition market. Since the size of the firms are small, there is no individual firm can influence the market price. But, if each firm in monopolistic competition market produces different or unique products then they will have some control over the prices. Hence, each firm follows an independent price-output policy. For example, in wax industry, the prices of a 100ml wax range among brands such as gasby, mudwax, spiky and other firms as well. Product differentiation means that the product in the firm is selling or producing are not identical. In monopolistic market competition, the firms that producing the goods are different from its compet itor. Each seller will use different methods to differentiate their product from other sellers to attract the buyers and consumers. Product differentiation will gone through the packaging, design, labeling, advertising and brand name. For example, if the firm sold eggs that is in the open shelf, then the eggs will category in perfect competition market. But if the firm packaged their egg in a packaged box and labeled as Best Protein Egg, then this egg is in the monopolistic competition market. In monopolistic competition market, there is no entry and exit barriers in monopolistic competition. However, the entry and exit into the monopolistic competition market is not as easy as the perfect competition market because of the products differentiation. If any new firms that enter the industry, they have to find some differentiation with the existing brands. For example, if Chicken A1 wants to enter the soup industry, then the firm must find some difference in term of quality, taste, lab eling, and packaging in order to be in the monopolistic competition market. In the monopolistic competition market, there will be stiff competition with other firms for their products and not for the price of the product. Monopolistic competitive firms do not compete using the prices because of the products in the market are having a lot of substitutes. So, the producers or sellers uses various methods to attract the customers to buy their products. Types of non-price competition practices in monopolistic competition market are advertisements, promotion, discounts, free gifts, after-sales service and others. 3.4 Introduction to The oligopoly Oligopoly is the market structure that there are only a few enough firms selling either standardized or differentiated products and it is very restricted to enter the entry and exit from the market. Under the market structure, some or all the firms in the industry can earn abnormal profits in the long run. This is because of the entry of new firms is difficult or impossible. The oligopolistic firms can impose barriers to the entry in terms of patents or access to a certain technology in the market. The purpose of it is to control excess the production of output, which is unprofitable for the oligopolistic firms. The example of the oligopoly markets are cigarettes, automobiles, electrical equipment and cement. 3.5 Characteristics of The oligopoly The characteristics of oligopoly market are having few numbers of firms. Under oligopoly, the number of firms is small but the size of the firms is large. The market share of each firm that is large enough to dominate the whole market. Few firms control the overall industry under oligopoly. But there is also no specific numbers to control the market before becoming oligopolistic. The main important criterion to become oligopolistic is to have mutual interdependence between these firms. Under the situation like this, firms will considered the reactions of its rivals in decision making to create strategic interdependence. There will be strong interdependence among all the firms in the oligopolistic market as the number of the firms will become smaller. But if the number of the firms become larger, then the interdependence between these firms will diminish. In oligopoly market, a product that is sold under oligopoly can be either a homogeneous or a differentiated product. Example, cemen t or electrical appliances produced by one firm are identical to another firm. Firms that is in oligopolistic market always consider the reaction of other firm rivals when both are choosing price, sales target, advertising budgets and other business policies. This is the important characteristic of an oligopoly firm that differs from other market structures. Because of the number of firms is small, changes in price or output by one firm can have direct effect on another firm. Under the situation of oligopolistic market, there are plenty barriers to entry that is similar to monopoly. The oligopoly firms have restricted new entrants into the markets. The barriers are to control the certain resources, ownership of patent and copyright, exclusive financial requirements and other legal barriers. In short, large firms may take drastic actions in order to prevent the entry of new firms by flooding the market. These large firms will produce the output at excess production capacity, which wo uld drive the price down. That means new firms that is newly set up will not survive because sometimes the price are set by these large firms is below the cost price. Once the new firms are out of the market, the large firms will reduce the production capacity and increase the product price. 3.6 Introduction to The monopoly Monopoly is a market structure where there is only one firm in the industry and there is no substitution to it. Monopoly have a very high entry and exit barrier because it is very high cost to enter a market that can support only one business. Monopoly is also a price maker, which has the market power to control the price. 3.7 Characteristics of The monopoly Monopoly is just the only seller of the product. The monopoly firm will be the only firm industry that is selling product that has no close substitution at all. Which means consumers can only find the only firm that is selling the only product, consumers could not find any substitute for the product. Besides that, monopoly market have a very strict barriers to the entry of the new firm. Advertising in monopoly market is actually depend on the product it sold. Normally public utilities such as water, electricity and home phone services do not need advertisement because people will know where to go for the product unless it is luxury goods like imported car then it will be needed advertisement to let consumers know about it.

Chapter 17 Cat, Rat, and Dog

Harry's mind had gone blank with shock. The three of them stood transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak. The very last rays of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling. â€Å"Hagrid,† Harry muttered. Without thinking about what he was doing, he made to turn back, but both Ron and Hermione seized his arms. â€Å"We can't,† said Ron, who was paper-white. â€Å"He'll be in worse trouble if they know we've been to see him†¦.† Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven. â€Å"How — could — they?† she choked. â€Å"How could they?† â€Å"Come on,† said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering. They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the cloak. The light was fading fast now. By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them. â€Å"Scabbers, keep still,† Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. â€Å"What's the matter with you, You stupid rat? Stay still — OUCH! He bit me!† â€Å"Ron, be quiet!† Hermione whispered urgently. â€Å"Fudge'll be out here in a minute –â€Å" â€Å"He won't — stay — put –â€Å" Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip. â€Å"What's the matter with him?† But Harry had just seen — stinking toward them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness — Crookshanks. Whether he could see them or was following the sound of Scabbers's squeaks, Harry couldn't tell. â€Å"Crookshanks!† Hermione moaned. â€Å"No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!† But the cat was getting nearer — â€Å"Scabbers — NO!† Too late — the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Harry or Hermione could stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness. â€Å"Ron!† Hermione moaned. She and Harry looked at each other, then followed at a sprint; it was impossible to run full out under the cloak; they pulled it off and it streamed behind them like a banner as they hurtled after Ron; they could hear his feet thundering along ahead and his shouts at Crookshanks. â€Å"Get away from him — get away — Scabbers, come here –â€Å" There was a loud thud. â€Å"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat –â€Å" Harry and Hermione almost fell over Ron; they skidded to a stop right in front of him. He was sprawled on the ground, but Scabbers was back in his pocket; he had both hands held tight over the quivering lump. â€Å"Ron — come on back under the cloak –† Hermione panted. â€Å"Dumbledore — the Minister — they'll be coming back out in a minute –â€Å" But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws†¦. Something was bounding toward them, quiet as a shadow — an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog. Harry reached for his wand, but too late — the dog had made an enormous leap and the front paws hit him on the chest; he keeled over backward in a whirl of hair; he felt its hot breath, saw inch-long teeth – But the force of its leap had carried it too far; it rolled off him. Dazed, feeling as though his ribs were broken, Harry tried to stand up; he could hear it growling as it skidded around for a new attack. Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Harry aside; the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm. Harry lunged forward, he seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll — Then, out of nowhere, something hit Harry so hard across the face he was knocked off his feet again. He heard Hermione shriek with pain and fall too. Harry groped for his wand, blinking blood out of his eyes â€Å"Lumos!† he whispered. The wandlight showed him the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backward and forward to stop them going nearer. And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backward into a large gap in the roots — Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight — â€Å"Ron!† Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backward again. All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground — but a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight. â€Å"Harry — we've got to go for help –† Hermione gasped; she was bleeding too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder. â€Å"No! That thing's big enough to eat him; we haven't got time –â€Å" â€Å"Harry — we're never going to get through without help –â€Å" Another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched like knuckles. â€Å"If that dog can get in, we can,† Harry panted, darting here and there, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn't get an inch nearer to the tree roots without being in range of the tree's blows. â€Å"Oh, help, help,† Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, â€Å"Please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Crookshanks darted forward. He slithered between the battering branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on the trunk. Abruptly, as though the tree had been turned to marble, it stopped moving. Not a leaf twitched or shook. â€Å"Crookshanks!† Hermione whispered uncertainly. She now grasped Harry's arm painfully hard. â€Å"How did he know –?† â€Å"He's friends with that dog,† said Harry grimly. â€Å"I've seen them together. Come on — and keep your wand out –â€Å" They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but before they had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his bottlebrush tail. Harry went next; he crawled forward, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel. Crookshanks was a little way along, his eyes flashing in the light from Harry's wand. Seconds later, Hermione slithered down beside him. â€Å"Where's Ron?† she whispered in a terrified voice. â€Å"This way,† said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks. â€Å"Where does this tunnel come out?† Hermione asked breathlessly from behind him. â€Å"I don't know†¦It's marked on the Marauder's Map but Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it†¦It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it was heading for Hogsmeade†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them, Crookshanks's tail bobbed in and out of view. On and on went the passage; it felt at least as long as the one to Honeydukes†¦ All Harry could think of was Ron and what the enormous dog might be doing to him†¦He was drawing breath in sharp, painful gasps, running at a crouch†¦. And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone. Ahead Harry could see a patch of dim light through a small opening. He and Hermione paused, gasping for breath, edging forward. Both raised their wands to see what lay beyond. It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up. Harry glanced at Hermione, who looked very frightened but nodded. Harry pulled himself out of the hole, staring around. The room was deserted, but a door to their right stood open, leading to a shadowy hallway. Hermione suddenly grabbed Harry's arm again. Her wide eyes were traveling around the boarded windows. â€Å"Harry,† she whispered, â€Å"I think we're in the Shrieking Shack.† Harry looked around. His eyes fell on a wooden chair near them. Large chunks had been torn out of it; one of the legs had been ripped off entirely. â€Å"Ghosts didn't do that,† he said slowly. At that moment, there was a creak overhead. Something had moved upstairs. Both of them looked up at the ceiling. Hermione's grip on Harry's arm was so tight he was losing feeling in his fingers. He raised his eyebrows at her; she nodded again and let go. Quietly as they could, they crept out into the hall and up the crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs. They reached the dark landing. â€Å"Nox,† they whispered together, and the lights at the end of their wands went out. Only one door was open. As they crept toward it, they heard movement from behind it; a low moan, and then a deep, loud purring. They exchanged a last look, a last nod. Wand held tightly before him, Harry kicked the door wide open. On a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings lay Crookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of them. On the floor beside him, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle, was Ron. Harry and Hermione dashed across to him. â€Å"Ron — are you okay?† â€Å"Where's the dog?† â€Å"Not a dog,† Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. â€Å"Harry, it's a trap –â€Å" â€Å"What –â€Å" â€Å"He's the dog†¦he's an Animagus.† Ron was staring over Harry's shoulder. Harry wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them. A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black. â€Å"Expelliarmus!† he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them. Harry's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry. â€Å"I thought you'd come and help your friend,† he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. â€Å"Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful†¦it will make everything much easier†¦.† The taunt about his father rang in Harry's ears as though Black had bellowed it. A boiling hate erupted in Harry's chest, leaving no place for fear. For the first time in his life, he wanted his wand back in his hand, not to defend himself, but to attack†¦to kill. Without knowing what he was doing, he started forward, but there was a sudden movement on either side of him and two pairs of hands grabbed him and held him back†¦ â€Å"No, Harry!† Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke to Black. â€Å"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!† he said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke. Something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes. â€Å"Lie down,† he said quietly to Ron. â€Å"You will damage that leg even more.† â€Å"Did you hear me?† Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. â€Å"You'll have to kill all three of us!† â€Å"There'll be only one murder here tonight,† said Black, and his grin widened. â€Å"Why's that?† Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron, and Hermione. â€Å"Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew†¦What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?† â€Å"Harry!† Hermione whimpered. â€Å"Be quiet!† â€Å"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!† Harry roared, and with a huge effort he broke free of Hermione's and Ron's restraint and lunged forward — He had forgotten about magic — he had forgotten that he was short and skinny and thirteen, whereas Black was a tall, full-grown man — all Harry knew was that he wanted to hurt Black as badly as he could and that he didn't care how much he got hurt in return — Perhaps it was the shock of Harry doing something so stupid, but Black didn't raise the wands in time — one of Harry's hands fastened over his wasted wrist, forcing the wand tips away; the knuckles of Harry's other hand collided with the side of Black's head and they fell, backward, into the wall — Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling; there was a blinding flash as the wands in Black's hand sent a jet of sparks into the air that missed Harry's face by inches; Harry felt the shrunken arm under his fingers twisting madly, but he clung on, his other hand punching every part of Black it could find. But Black's free hand had found Harry's throat â€Å"No,† he hissed, â€Å"I've waited too long –â€Å" The fingers tightened, Harry choked, his glasses askew. Then he saw Hermione's foot swing out of nowhere. Black let go of Harry with a grunt of pain; Ron had thrown himself on Black's wand hand and Harry heard a faint clatter — He fought free of the tangle of bodies and saw his own wand rolling across the floor; he threw himself toward it but â€Å"Argh!† Crookshanks had joined the fray; both sets of front claws had sunk themselves deep into Harry's arm; Harry threw him off, but Crookshanks now darted toward Harry's wand — â€Å"NO YOU DON'T!† roared Harry, and he aimed a kick at Crookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting; Harry snatched up his wand and turned — â€Å"Get out of the way!† he shouted at Ron and Hermione. They didn't need telling twice. Hermione, gasping for breath, her lip bleeding, scrambled aside, snatching up her and Ron's wands. Ron crawled to the four-poster and collapsed onto it, panting, his white face now tinged with green, both hands clutching his broken leg. Black was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched Harry walking slowly nearer, his wand pointing straight at Black's heart. â€Å"Going to kill me, Harry?† he whispered. Harry stopped right above him, his wand still pointing at Black's chest, looking down at him. A livid bruise was rising around Black's left eye and his nose was bleeding. â€Å"You killed my parents,† said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady. Black stared up at him out of those sunken eyes. â€Å"I don't deny it,† he said very quietly. â€Å"But if you knew the whole story.† â€Å"The whole story?† Harry repeated, a furious pounding in his ears. â€Å"You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know.† â€Å"You've got to listen to me,† Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. â€Å"You'll regret it if you don't†¦You don't understand†¦.† â€Å"I understand a lot better than you think,† said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. â€Å"You never heard her, did you? My mum†¦trying to stop Voldemort killing me†¦and you did that†¦you did it†¦.† Before either of them could say another word, something ginger streaked past Harry; Crookshanks leapt onto Black's chest and settled himself there, right over Black's heart. Black blinked and looked down at the cat. â€Å"Get off,† he murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him. But Crookshanks sank his claws into Black's robes and wouldn't shift. He turned his ugly, squashed face to Harry and looked up at him with those great yellow eyes. To his right, Hermione gave a dry sob. Harry stared down at Black and Crookshanks, his grip tightening on the wand. So what if he had to kill the cat too? It was in league with Black†¦If it was prepared to die, trying to protect Black, that wasn't Harry's business†¦ If Black wanted to save it, that only proved he cared more for Crookshanks than for Harry's parents†¦. Harry raised the wand. Now was the moment to do it. Now was the moment to avenge his mother and father. He was going to kill Black. He had to kill Black. This was his chance†¦. The seconds lengthened. And still Harry stood frozen there, wand poised, Black staring up at him, Crookshanks on his chest. Ron's ragged breathing came from near the bed; Hermione was quite silent. And then came a new sound — Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor — someone was moving downstairs. â€Å"WE'RE UP HERE!† Hermione screamed suddenly. â€Å"WE'RE UP HERE — SIRIUS BLACK — QUICK!† Black made a startled movement that almost dislodged Crookshanks; Harry gripped his wand convulsively — Do it now! said a voice in his head — but the footsteps were thundering up the stairs and Harry still hadn't done it. The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Professor Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Black, and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at Harry's feet. â€Å"Expelliarmus!† Lupin shouted. Harry's wand flew once more out of his hand; so did the two Hermione was holding. Lupin caught them all deftly, then moved into the room, staring at Black, who still had Crookshanks lying protectively across his chest. Harry stood there, feeling suddenly empty. He hadn't done it. His nerve had failed him. Black was going to be handed back to the Dementors. Then Lupin spoke, in a very tense voice. â€Å"Where is he, Sirius?† Harry looked quickly at Lupin. He didn't understand what Lupin meant. Who was Lupin talking about? He turned to look at Black again. Black's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Mystified, Harry glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered. â€Å"But then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, â€Å"†¦why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless† — Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, â€Å"– unless he was the one†¦unless you switched†¦ without telling me?† Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded. â€Å"Professor,† Harry interrupted loudly, â€Å"what's going on –?† But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand, gazing fixed at Black. The Professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. â€Å"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!† Hermione screamed. Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. â€Å"You — you –â€Å" â€Å"Hermione –â€Å" â€Å"?C you and him!† â€Å"Hermione, calm down –â€Å" â€Å"I didn't tell anyone!† Hermione shrieked. â€Å"I've been covering up for you –â€Å" â€Å"Hermione, listen to me, please† Lupin shouted. â€Å"I can explain –â€Å" Harry could feel himself shaking, not with fear, but with a fresh wave of fury. â€Å"I trusted you,† he shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering, out of control, â€Å"and all the time you've been his friend!† â€Å"You're wrong,† said Lupin. â€Å"I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now — Let me explain†¦.† â€Å"NO!† Hermione screamed. â€Å"Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too — he's a werewolf!† There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were now on Lupin, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale. â€Å"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione,† he said. â€Å"Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead. An odd shiver passed over his face. â€Å"But I won't deny that I am a werewolf.† Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Lupin made toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, â€Å"Get away from me, werewolf!† Lupin stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, â€Å"How long have you known?† â€Å"Ages,† Hermione whispered. â€Å"Since I did Professor Snape's essay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He'll be delighted,† said Lupin coolly. â€Å"He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant†¦ Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?† â€Å"Both,† Hermione said quietly. Lupin forced a laugh. â€Å"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione.† â€Å"I'm not,† Hermione whispered. â€Å"If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!† â€Å"But they already know,† said Lupin. â€Å"At least, the staff do.† â€Å"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf,† Ron gasped. â€Å"Is he mad?† â€Å"Some of the staff thought so,† said Lupin. â€Å"He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy –â€Å" â€Å"AND HE WAS WRONG!† Harry yelled. â€Å"YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!† He was pointing at Black, who suddenly crossed to the four-poster bed and sank onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. Crookshanks leapt up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring. Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg. â€Å"I have not been helping Sirius,† said Lupin. â€Å"If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look –â€Å" He separated Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's wands and threw each back to its owner; Harry caught his, stunned. â€Å"There,† said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt â€Å"You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?† Harry didn't know what to think. Was it a trick? â€Å"If you haven't been helping him,† he said, with a furious glance at Black, â€Å"how did you know he was here?† â€Å"The map,† said Lupin. â€Å"The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it –â€Å" â€Å"You know how to work it?† Harry said suspiciously. â€Å"Of course I know how to work it,† said Lupin, waving his hand impatiently. â€Å"I helped write it. I'm Moony — that was my friends' nickname for me at school.† â€Å"You wrote –?† â€Å"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron, and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?† He had started to pace up and down, looking at them. Little patches of dust rose at his feet. â€Å"You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry–â€Å" â€Å"How d'you know about the cloak?† â€Å"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Lupin, waving an impatient hand again. â€Å"The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else.† â€Å"What?† said Harry. â€Å"No, we weren't!† I couldn't believe my eyes,' said Lupin, still pacing, and ignoring Harry's interruption. â€Å"I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?† â€Å"No one was with us!† said Harry. â€Å"And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled Sirius Black†¦I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow –â€Å" â€Å"One of us!† Ron said angrily. â€Å"No, Ron,† said Lupin. â€Å"Two of you.† He had stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron. â€Å"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?† he said evenly. â€Å"What?† said Ron. â€Å"What's Scabbers got to do with it?† â€Å"Everything,† said Lupin. â€Å"Could I see him, please?† Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Scabbers emerged, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him escaping. Crookshanks stood up on Black's leg and made a soft hissing noise. Lupin moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at Scabbers. â€Å"What?† Ron said again, holding Scabbers close to him, looking scared. â€Å"What's my rat got to do with anything?† â€Å"That's not a rat,† croaked Sirius Black suddenly. â€Å"What d'you mean — of course he's a rat –â€Å" â€Å"No, he's not,† said Lupin quietly. â€Å"He's a wizard.† â€Å"An Animagus,† said Black, â€Å"by the name of Peter Pettigrew.†

My Skills and Talents Essay

Listening to advice from others will play an important part as it helps to get an outside point of view. It could save me from making decisions which may not be in the best interest of my business, as well as allowing me to use the advice I have been given to improve on any problems I may have or ways to bring more customers. If I were to stick to my own ideas all the time then and follow them through I could end up with a big loss if something goes wrong. Being persuasive is important in a business as it would allow me to convince people so buy/sell certain things. I may feel I am paying too much for my stock in that case I can try and convince my supplier to give me a better deal possibly allowing me to buy more. Being persuasive my also help if there is any completion and I can try and find out what their business plan is and then find a way to attract more customers then them. One way to go about this is to be friendly and to just really try and get the information you are looking for or convince people to give me what I am looking for. I need to be pretty ill before I take time off. No This can be positive or negative, if I am not feeling very well I can not work as hard as I normally would or I could cause further problems for my self if the illness does not go away. On the other hand taking time off work every time I feel a bit sick will end up causing a larger work load for my return and a loss of sales for that day. I must make sure to only take time off work when it is 100% necessary so as to avoid increasing my work load for the day in which I return back to work. I will be looking at all of my skills and talents which I could use to affect my business. This will allow me to see the problems and advantages each of them will cause to my future business, after this I will then look at situations in which they can be used to aid me with my business and for solutions for the problems that they may cause. This skill can aid me with my business as you learn to get along with others and how to work as a team, as playing doubles requires very good communication in this particular sport. This can aid me in my business as I know how to work with others and communicate with them, it will allow me to hopefully get alone with my employees and communicate with them, it also allows for a company team for example which would help build a bond between me and my employees. On the other side it could have negative affects on me and my business because I may spend too much time focused on playing or arrange to go play a game when I should be concentrating on work that I have to do, as a result it may lead to work being done late or not up to a certain standard. It may also cause me to be tired when going into work if I went to play a game late in the night so during that day I won’t be as focused as normal and it will cause my work to suffer. To avoid these problems I should always make sure that my work is done before I decide to make time recreational activates and to make sure I get to sleep at a certain time everyday so as to avoid being tired during work. Good knowledge of Microsoft Office programs. This an important skill as it is needed to run a business, knowing how to use programs such and word, excel, PowerPoint are needed to make presentations send letters and crate accounts. I can also teach my employees how to use these programs so I can delegate work onto them if I feel I have too much work to do. The negative side to this is that if I teach another of my employees these skills and them leave them with work that needs to be done they may run into difficulties thus resulting in work not being done properly or being done late, it also takes a lot of time to teach someone full use of these programs time of which I may not have enough of. To make sure I do not come across these problems I should make sure I only give my employees work which I know they can get done in time and properly, and I should also make sure I have time to teach them how to do new things with these programs as sometimes it may just be faster if I just do it myself and delegate something know they can do upon them as this will give them a sense of responsibility and possibly motivate them to learn other skills on their own. I like to keep up to date with new technology. This is an advantage as knowing the new technology out there is important for the business to survive, as most of them time it allows the business to achieve greater economies of scale and become more efficient. They also may be able to carry out certain tasks which in turn will allow me to save money by replacing employees whose jobs these new machines take over. The down side there is the risk of these now technologies do not work out as expected or there are problems with them which cannot be solved easily thus resulting in a large loss for my business. To make sure these problems occur I can look into new machinery to make sure no problems can occur that could lead to problems for me and my business. I enjoy talking and meeting with new people. These very important as I will have to handle customers, it will also help me communicating with my employees old and new as this is needed to get work done and can help with getting new idea for my business which could allow me to improve. The downside is some people may find I come across to strong and this may push them away or not want to speak at all. To avoid this I must make sure that I know when someone is willing to be willing to speak and when they rather be left to themselves and not be bothered by others.

World War I And The United States - 1038 Words

Nestled in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University is a small, wealthy and prestigious school. During this time, the early 1910s, World War I is starting and the United States does not want to get involved unless necessary. Air superiority has not become a major military factor. That is until a group of young prominent men known as the â€Å"Millionaires Unit† at Yale start a flying club due to their interest in aviation and patriotism to the United States. As Germany attempted to cause a Mexican revolution across the border, a group of 12 men thought they should learn how to fly and enter the war—If and when the U.S ever got involved. The original 12 were star-studded athletes at the Yale University who were involved in all aspects on†¦show more content†¦were anxious to help out in a way they can. World War I was the first major war fought between several different countries. Unlike other wars this was a war between major populous countries fighting against o ther countries. The war brought new tactics and weaponry that were never seen before such as trench warfare, the use of airplanes and machine guns used in battle. Being that this was the first international conflict there was a sense of national eagerness and preparedness, which was felt on Yale s campus. In fact, Yale s President Haley stated, â€Å" One is to be too much prepared for war; the other is to be too little prepared. I believe we are in the latter boat.† ( Chapter 3) Some students went on and left school as soon as the war broke out and went to fight on a side such as Trubee Davison. The U.S created volunteer training camps in many states, and some students even started a military force on campus. After these summer training camps, the men who participated were itching to get involved overseas and fight. Flying in war was something done by aristocratic families. The boys of Yale came from many prominent families. It was a privilege in the 19th century to go to co llege, unlike now where anyone can enroll. These men wanted to pave their own paths and make their own names for themselves. Flying in the war gave them this opportunity. Aviation was the last unexplored frontier that would make American a world super power. The earth had been