Iron Crowned Chapter 9

I propped myself up so that I could look Dorian in the face. Even in dim lighting, I could see he was serious. â€Å"Who, Kiyo?† I asked in astonishment. â€Å"No, the other annoying kitsune in your life.† â€Å"Why would you †¦ why would you suggest something like that?† â€Å"Excellent question,† he murmured. His brow furrowed in thought, then relaxed into resignation. â€Å"Because his human blood would protect him and – my personal opinions of him aside – he is a good asset in a fight. Most importantly, he would have no interest in the crown. Nor would it be of any use to him.† Every one of those things was true. But there was one obvious problem. â€Å"Kiyo wouldn't help me. Not anymore. Jasmine would be more willing – if only for a chance to escape.† The argument that Kiyo and I had had in the mountains was still fresh in my head. This brought a smile to Dorian's lips, and he trailed his fingertips down my arm. â€Å"You doubt your own charms. The kitsune will help you, if you ask him nicely. He's not over you as much as you think. And he too would jump at the chance at some foolhardy way to end this war.† â€Å"Foolhardy †¦ You've gone back and forth on the usefulness of the crown yourself. And now you're willing to – † I almost said â€Å"allow† but recalled my earlier words. Dorian didn't dictate my life. † – accept me going off with my ex-boyfriend?† â€Å"This is an acceptable solution. Still dangerous †¦ but I believe you two could manage it. And I trust you,† Dorian said simply. â€Å"As you trust me.† I stared down into his eyes, dark in the flickering torchlight, though the striking shape of his face and fair skin glowed like a masterpiece in marble. â€Å"I do trust you.† He smiled again. â€Å"Good. We'll make plans in the morning. But for now †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The smile gave way to a yawn. â€Å"I need sleep. This has been a long day.† It was true. He'd been part of an epic battle and then made love – or whatever you wanted to classify that kinky shit as – like a pro. My day had been pretty busy too, to say the least. I put my head down, wrapping back against him, and soon slept in spite of the shocking suggestion he'd just made. When we woke, however, the crown became our immediate breakfast topic. We'd opted for private dining at a small table in the sitting room adjacent to his bedroom. After hearing about my traipsing about in his too-long robe, he'd had my own made for these slumber parties: white velvet with gold embroidery. It was a bit more elaborate than I would have preferred but felt nice against my bare skin. The wounds certainly appreciated loose clothing too. â€Å"Invite him to your castle,† said Dorian. Fully rested, he'd shifted completely into cunning mode, barely touching the elaborate spread of pastries and meats his servants had set before us. â€Å"The gods know he won't come here.† â€Å"Or Tucson,† I suggested after swallowing a gentry version of a cinnamon roll. Maybe I could get Tim the recipe. â€Å"He'd probably come to my house there.† Dorian considered. â€Å"No. Get him to this world, to your domain, so that you can leave as soon as possible. Above all, you must not – under any circumstances – allow him to go back to Maiwenn and consult her on this.† I swallowed another bite and smiled. â€Å"You think she'd be jealous?† â€Å"That's the least of our reasons.† He ticked them off on his fingers. â€Å"Remember – she fears you. Us. She wouldn't see this as an end to the war. She'd see it as you scrambling for power. And, who knows? The kitsune might have no use for the crown himself, but she could coax him into bringing it to her.† â€Å"She's not vying for power, last I knew. Besides – it's winning the crown that's the big deal, right? If it was just given to her, no one would respect her for it. If it can even be given †¦ I thought it returns home when it's away from its victor.† Dorian didn't respond right away. â€Å"True. But then that would still keep the crown from you. And we mustn't forget she might simply talk him out of it because of simple concern for his life.† Dorian's tone implied this was a petty concern. â€Å"No, don't give him a chance to talk to her. Invite him to you and ask – beg, if need be – for his help. Stress whatever urgent reason will work. A need to end the war. Make up some ultimatum from the ghost.† I set the roll down and tapped my water glass absentmindedly. This was all starting to make me feel strange. â€Å"There's a lot of conniving here.† â€Å"There always is in politics. In war. In love, even. But this can help us – more than you can imagine. We must put our faith in the old adage that the ends justify the means.† I sighed. â€Å"Okay, then. I'll do it. When?† â€Å"As soon as possible. Katrice is regrouping. We can take advantage of that.† That smooth, calculating air faded. â€Å"Though I hate to lose you.† â€Å"Hey.† I reached across the table and laid my hand over his. â€Å"Don't think of it as ‘losing' me. It's just like I'm going to Tucson for a few days.† He grimaced. â€Å"Except your petty human job doesn't carry such risks. Fetches aside. I do wish you'd let my healers take care of those wounds before you go.† The stitched-up cut itched, though the rest weren't bothering me. I tested the range of motion on my left arm. It was stiff but moved. â€Å"Let your healers keep working here. Maybe I'll have Shaya fix it up.† She didn't possess the skill of a bona fide healer but could do some quick patches. Dorian didn't like that but let the matter go. We finished breakfast, rehashing what little he knew about the path to the Iron Crown. I shed my robe for my normal clothes, after first having one of his servants clean and re-bandage my back. My mother would be proud, seeing me follow doctor's orders. We didn't know where Kiyo was exactly, here or the human world, but Dorian sent a messenger to Maiwenn's court, inviting him to mine. No one from our lands would be welcomed with open arms in her territory, but she'd allow a messenger through and hopefully let us know if he wasn't currently in the Otherworld. I also sent Volusian to Tim and Lara, warning I'd be gone for a while and to cancel all my appointments. Lara wouldn't like that, but I had a feeling it would be the least of her worries when faced with Volusian for the first time. When the time for me to leave came, Dorian couldn't hide his conflicted feelings. The part of him always striving for advantage and control wanted that crown. The part of him that loved me worried about what I was walking into. â€Å"It'll be okay,† I said, wrapping my arms around him. â€Å"I'm Storm King's daughter, remember? This'll be cake. And hey, if that ghost's lying, I'll be back tonight.† â€Å"I don't know if I'd prefer that or not,† he mused. He rested his hand behind my neck and gave me a long, lingering kiss. â€Å"Be careful, Eugenie. Fight hard, but be careful. And take this.† From a hidden pocket in his cloak, he produced something glittering and handed it to me. I held it up. It was a ring, hanging on a fine chain. Both were made of gold. A diamond flanked by sapphires sat prominently on the ring, which was fashioned to look like a circle of leaves. â€Å"Is this magic?† I asked. He shook his head. â€Å"Just something to remember me by. Just something to think about.† I eyed him carefully. Marriage happened among the gentry, though not as often as among humans. Considering our divorce rate, maybe that was smart. They didn't give engagement rings like humans did, but he'd know my world's custom. This ring suddenly made me uneasy. â€Å"It's a thing of beauty,† he said, seeing my reaction. â€Å"For someone beautiful. I knew you wouldn't wear it on your finger, so keep it on the chain.† I nodded. Sometimes a gift was just a gift – particularly when someone was afraid his beloved might get killed soon. I kissed him again. â€Å"Thank you.† I'd come alone via the human world, so he sent an escort back to the Thorn Land with me. No one except Dorian and Masthera knew what I was going to do, but the group could sense something big was about to go down. Tension crackled around us as we traveled. Like so many, these soldiers considered Dorian and me a powerhouse. They could hardly wait to see what would happen next. Kiyo wasn't waiting for me in the Thorn Land, not that I'd expected results that quickly. No refusal had come from Maiwenn either, which I took as a good sign. â€Å"What are you and my lord planning?† asked Rurik when he saw me. â€Å"You've got that look.† â€Å"What look is that?† I asked curiously. He reminded me of Tim. â€Å"The look that says you're planning something.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Eloquent as ever, Rurik.† â€Å"Should I assemble fighters?† he asked, shrugging off my comment. Shaya joined us then, scrolls in her arms. â€Å"No. I do this alone. Well, not exactly. Kiyo's coming with me. I hope. He should be showing up here today.† I spoke more confidently than I felt. Despite Dorian's certainties, I still wasn't sure whether Kiyo would help or not. Rurik and Shaya exchanged glances. â€Å"Stop that,† I told them. â€Å"It's perfectly platonic. Dorian suggested it.† Rurik looked like he still had a few things to say about it, but Shaya interrupted. â€Å"The Linden King wrote back. He won't join with us – but he also won't fight against us.† â€Å"Not the best news, not the worst. We'll see if he comes crawling when his power's in dispute.† The words came out with more venom than I expected. Rurik seemed to approve. Shaya leafed through more papers. â€Å"Caria, the Laurel Queen, would like to meet with you and discuss the war, however.† I knew nothing about that land. â€Å"Have we even contacted her?† â€Å"No,† said Shaya, giving me a meaningful look. â€Å"But her kingdom borders the Linden Land.† â€Å"Ah.† I smiled. My comment to Ranelle that others would be eyeing her king's land as his power faded was true. In refusing my offer to defend against that, they'd allowed someone else to solicit me for the other side of that future dispute. â€Å"He'll regret his neutrality later. See if Caria'll meet with Dorian while I'm gone.† Dorian would understand the situation perfectly. I figured this was it and started to leave. â€Å"There's one more thing,† added Shaya, twisting a black braid in that nervous habit of hers. â€Å"Girard would like to see you.† Her unease had made me think something bad was coming, but Girard was one of the few people who rarely delivered bad news. If anything, he usually delivered gifts, always coming up with some marvelous new piece of craftsmanship. Some pieces – like Dorian's sword and Jasmine's chains – I'd commissioned specifically. Sometimes, however, inspiration struck the artist, and he'd present some intricately worked necklace or diadem that I felt certain was beyond human skill. He could even touch iron in very small amounts. â€Å"I'm sure he's made something great, but I'm not in the mood today,† I told her. â€Å"I want to see Jasmine.† â€Å"He's not here to display work. He wants to introduce you to his sister.† She looked at me expectantly and seemed surprised by my lack of reaction. â€Å"You've never heard of her? Imanuelle de la Colline?† I shook my head. â€Å"Should I have?† Shaya shrugged. â€Å"Maybe not. But I think you'll find her †¦ interesting. It'll only take a minute.† It was true I was in a hurry, but Shaya's attitude intrigued me. We went to Girard's workshop, rooms I'd given to him on the castle's outer edge in case his work ever set something on fire. He was bent over a table, fingers magically working a bundle of metal and jewels. â€Å"Another crown?† I asked with amusement. They seemed to be his favorite thing to make. Girard looked up, startled, and bowed. â€Å"No, Your Majesty. It's something Lord Rurik has requested. If you'd like another crown – â€Å" I waved him silent. â€Å"No, no. God knows I have plenty. Hardly seems like Rurik's style, though.† Girard didn't comment. Client confidentiality, I supposed. Turning, he pointed off toward the side of his workshop, and I gaped. A woman stood there, and somehow I hadn't noticed her upon entering – which seemed impossible. She and her brother shared the same dark skin and black hair, as well as a taste for bright clothing. The dress she wore was a stunning teal silk, cut shorter than most gentry dresses. Something about it gave me the impression she wore it for utility, not sexiness. â€Å"Your Majesty,† she said, sweeping me a curtsey. Also like Girard, a faintly French-sounding accent laced her words. â€Å"This is my sister, Imanuelle,† he said. Like Shaya, he seemed to expect me to know who his sister was. â€Å"It's nice to meet you,† I told her. When no one said anything, I shifted restlessly, impatient to go. Seeing this, Imanuelle strode forward, her steps graceful and liquid. â€Å"Your Majesty,† she said. â€Å"I've come to offer my services to you, should you like to hire me.† I glanced at the other faces, seeking more information, but received none. â€Å"What do you do?† I asked. â€Å"Do you work metal like Girard?† A mischievous smile crossed Imanuelle's face. She had caught on that I really didn't know who she was and appeared to enjoy that. â€Å"No. My talents are of †¦ a different nature.† I saw a slight gesture of her hand, and then suddenly, the teal silk dress turned yellow. A moment later, it changed form altogether, turning into a flowing velvet gown. Then, she wasn't Imanuelle at all. A clone of Shaya stood before me. After letting that sink in, Imanuelle returned to her original form. She bowed, as though having just performed a stage show. â€Å"I'm an illusionist,† she said. â€Å"I can make people see things that aren't there. Most importantly, I can make myself look like anything I choose.† It was one of the cooler gentry powers, but I didn't entirely see how it'd be useful for me. â€Å"So I can finally be in two places at once?† I joked. That brought another smile. â€Å"I suppose †¦ but I've honed other skills to accompany these. Ones many monarchs find useful. I †¦ get rid of problems.† Apparently guessing my confusion, Shaya sighed and dropped her usual formality. â€Å"You're better off not dancing around the subject. My queen prefers directness.† She turned to me. â€Å"Imanuelle is an assassin, Your Majesty.† Imanuelle's smile tightened a little. I think she preferred her more flowery description. â€Å"That's an ugly word for a formidable skill set.† It took me a moment to catch on. â€Å"So, you're here to – Wait. You think I'm going to hire you to, what, assassinate Katrice?† Imanuelle shrugged eloquently, and her brother spoke up for her. â€Å"Some might see that as a quick way to end the war, if I may be so bold.† Girard had picked up that I didn't like this idea at all and was understandably nervous. He valued his position with me. â€Å"It's a dirty, sneaky way to end a war!† I exclaimed. â€Å"It'd make me no better than Katrice and her bastard son.† â€Å"It would eliminate Katrice directly,† said Imanuelle. â€Å"Since she is the source of your problems. I could disguise myself as someone in her castle. Quick, easy. No other innocents need be hurt.† For a heartbeat, her words almost made sense. Then I shook my head emphatically. â€Å"No. I'm not going to stoop to that level.† Some of Imanuelle's pleasant demeanor faded. â€Å"There are monarchs who would give half their kingdoms for my services! I'm very selective. I'm doing you a great honor.† I narrowed my eyes. â€Å"You're doing me an honor?† She hesitated, realizing she was addressing one of the most formidable queens in the Otherworld. Again, Girard jumped in to save her. â€Å"Forgive our presumption, Your Majesty. We only wanted to offer it as an option.† â€Å"It's been offered,† I said bluntly. â€Å"And refused. Thank you for the ‘honor.' You're welcome to visit your brother, of course, but I'd prefer that you stay here no longer than absolutely necessary.† I turned dramatically away from them, just catching the outrage on Imanuelle's face, and strode out. Shaya hurried by my side. â€Å"Spoken like a queen,† she said. â€Å"Do I need to worry about that woman killing me now?† I asked. â€Å"Is she going to change into you and pull a knife on me?† â€Å"I'm sure you'd respond as efficiently as you do to the other attacks on you,† said Shaya dryly. â€Å"Her illusions aren't foolproof to everyone. I'm guessing Volusian could see through them if he were around. But, honestly †¦ although her pride has been hurt – she does have quite the reputation – I suspect she'll simply stalk off and leave you be, if only for her brother's sake.† â€Å"Well, that's nice. One less person trying to kill me.† I raked my hand through my hair. â€Å"Anything else I need to deal with?† That was a loaded question, of course. Shaya had a few more business matters for me to look over before I could finally see Jasmine. I hadn't talked to her after the dinner at Dorian's and felt she'd be a good distraction as I waited to see if Kiyo would come. I found her outside in one of the gardens, sitting in the shade of a mesquite tree as the sun grew higher and the heat increased. Her guards stood stoically nearby, and her fine chains glittered in the light. At my approach, she glanced up from a book. Petulant, power-hungry teen that she might be, she was also an avid reader, using fantasy to escape her mundane existence when she'd still lived among humans. This book was one I'd brought her recently, the first in a trendy series. â€Å"Is it good?† I asked, sitting down opposite her. â€Å"Not bad,† she said, playing cool. A moment later, she gave herself away. â€Å"Are there more out in the series?† â€Å"Three more, I think.† She said nothing but smiled as she set the book beside her. â€Å"Did you have fun at Dorian's?† I asked. â€Å"Yeah. It was nice to be out.† Her eyes gazed off, not really focusing on anything. â€Å"I think the best part was watching Shaya scare off all the guys hitting on me.† She turned back to me. â€Å"Is that what it's like for you all the time?† â€Å"Not since I got together with Dorian. They've slacked off – and Shaya doesn't scare them away. She abandons me.† Jasmine smiled again. â€Å"Dorian's crazy about you. Obsessed.† â€Å"That's kind of an extreme observation.† â€Å"It's true.† She brushed hair out of her eyes. The sunlight was turning it to gold, making me a little envious; I'd gotten true red from our father, rather than strawberry blond. She could wear pink. â€Å"It's good,† she continued. â€Å"His obsession. That bitch Ysabel wants him, you know. And she hates you. So does her mom.† â€Å"Yeah, I kind of figured that out.† She shrugged. â€Å"Well, then, keep Dorian close.† â€Å"I'm not worried.† â€Å"Ysabel's got kids, and you won't give him any.† I was so sick of hearing about me and procreation. â€Å"Lots of gentry women have kids. Are you saying I should worry about all of them, Little Miss Love Guru?† â€Å"Not all of them look like you. I mean, not exactly like you †¦ but I think Dorian gets off on redheads. Maybe he figures he'll have red-haired kids that way. I don't know. But, whatever. I'm just saying she's waiting there for you to slip up with Dorian. And he's already gone for her before. She's got a bigger chest than you, too.† â€Å"Hey,† I said indignantly. â€Å"That's irrelevant. Besides, he went for her – and she annoyed him. And I'm not going to ‘slip up.' He's not going anywhere.† I frowned, surprised by my next words, that I'd actually say them to her. â€Å"It's Kiyo I've got to pull in.† Jasmine's gray eyes widened in shock. â€Å"Him? He's no use to you †¦ unless, oh Jesus. You guys aren't planning some three-way, are you? I mean, I know you and Dorian get into some – â€Å" â€Å"No!† I exclaimed. â€Å"It's nothing like that. I need a favor from Kiyo, that's all. A big one. A dangerous one. I'm not sure what'll convince him.† I smiled weakly, remembering Dorian's expression when I'd showed up in the tight gentry dress. â€Å"I'd know what to do if it was Dorian.† Jasmine scoffed and gave me a scathing look. â€Å"How stupid are you? Even I know what to do if you want to suck in Kiyo. Look human.† â€Å"I am human. Who's stupid now?† Good grief. We'd advanced to snippy quarrelling. We were becoming real sisters more and more each day. â€Å"You're half human. Dorian likes that because he thinks he can knock you up †¦ but the rest? He wants you to be a queen. One of the shining ones. Kiyo doesn't. He hates all of that. He doesn't want you anywhere near it. You hooked up before you were into all the Otherworld stuff. Be like that.† I stared at her, startled because she had an excellent point. â€Å"Do I look human now?† Jasmine studied me critically. I had jeans and a T-shirt on, my hair pulled sloppily into a ponytail. My boots were sturdy, made for hiking. Plain. â€Å"Yeah,† she said, sounding surprised. â€Å"Scruffy and human. He'll be into that. Except for the ring. It's from Dorian, right? Put it under your shirt.† I touched the ring hanging on my chest, having forgotten about it. â€Å"How'd you know it was from him?† â€Å"Because you wouldn't get it for yourself, and no one else would either. It's also got oak leaves.† I peered down at it. Sure enough. I hadn't identified the leaves earlier. I followed her advice, concealing it under the shirt. She watched with approval, then seemed to really notice my shirt. â€Å"Who's Mà ¶tley Cre?† I was saved from lecturing her on classic rock when a servant scurried up to us, telling me Kiyo was here. The ease I'd felt with Jasmine vanished. I stood up, forcing calm, half-wondering if I should take her after all. No. Kiyo was the right choice. â€Å"Good luck,† Jasmine said, picking up her book. â€Å"And remember: be human.† I followed the servant away, embarrassed that I was taking advice from an insane fifteen-year-old. Except †¦ I knew she was right. I made sure my gait was casual, nothing regal. Then, I sent the servant away, deciding it'd be best to come to Kiyo on my own, rather than approaching with an escort, no matter how insignificant. He was waiting inside a parlor, pacing restlessly. I knew how uneasy I made him, and this invitation had no doubt put him on guard. I watched him unnoticed for a moment, admiring that muscled body while knowing it was wrong to do so. Sneaking up on him was impossible, though. He could smell me. My sweat and skin alone would have given me away, let alone the vanilla sunscreen and violet perfume I also wore. â€Å"Eugenie,† he said, turning around. â€Å"Nice to see you.† He seemed impassive, but his eyes made me think he really did like seeing me – physically at least. â€Å"Sorry for the abrupt request,† I said. â€Å"You were probably visiting Luisa, huh?† The mention of his daughter softened his expression a tiny, tiny bit. â€Å"Yeah, she's †¦ she grows every day. It's amazing.† He flipped back to alert mode. â€Å"But that's not why you asked me here.† â€Å"No.† I settled into one of the chairs, crossing my legs and hoping I looked casual and unassuming. â€Å"I need your help.† He continued standing. â€Å"That's unexpected.† â€Å"Well, I got an unexpected offer. Do you still want me to get out of this war?† â€Å"Of course.† He made a face. â€Å"Oh, Eug. Please tell me you don't want me to negotiate or something.† I smiled, both at the suggestion and his use of the nickname. â€Å"No, I need you for something that's more your specialty. I don't suppose you've ever heard of the Iron Crown?† Kiyo hadn't. I provided a brief rundown, explaining how the person who fought through and won it could allegedly inspire fear and awe. â€Å"And that's enough to make Katrice back off?† he asked skeptically. â€Å"So they say.† I shrugged. â€Å"It's weird to me too, but everyone I've talked to claims it'll intimidate Katrice and her armies.† Best not to mention that â€Å"everyone† was Dorian, a ghost, and a crazy seeress. â€Å"It'll prove what a badass I am. And if that forces her into peace talks †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I let him draw his own conclusions. â€Å"It's a gamble,† Kiyo said. He still sounded doubtful, but there was a crack there. He wanted the war over. He wanted me out of it. â€Å"But why ask me? Why not Dorian?† â€Å"Because he couldn't survive the quest. The way's lined with iron. It would take an insanely strong gentry – or people with human blood, like you and me. Plus, I trust you.† I didn't know if the human solidarity had gotten me anywhere, but he was definitely considering this more and more. I also wondered if admitting trust in him did anything. Part of what had driven us apart was my accusation that he didn't care enough about me to punish Leith. â€Å"I'd like to help you,† Kiyo said finally. â€Å"It's crazy – but no crazier than half the stuff around here. I should talk to Maiwenn first, though.† You must not – under any circumstances – allow him to go back to Maiwenn and consult her on this. â€Å"There's no time,† I said, hastily running through Dorian's laundry list of excuses. â€Å"We have to go now. The ghost who's going to help me threatened to back out if I didn't act soon. And we're currently on hold with Katrice. If I could return with the crown before the next battle, it would be †¦ well, it'd be amazing. No more bloodshed.† I could see him wavering, but he wasn't quite convinced. Really, I didn't blame him. If I had an ally who could advise me on some bizarre quest, I'd want to talk to her too before jumping in. â€Å"You can talk to her if you want,† I said. â€Å"But I've got to leave now. I can't stand waiting. I'll just go by myself.† That drove the dagger in. No matter how sketchy the logic, no matter how smart it would be to get Maiwenn's advice †¦ the fear of my running off into unknown dangers was too great. He stared at me for several heavy moments, his expression unreadable. Finally, he sighed. â€Å"Right now?† he asked. â€Å"Right now,† I said. â€Å"Then let's go.†

Dead and Breakfast Essay

The person who killed dusty could have been anyone of these people, they all had motive but only one of them was desperate enough to kill one of his closest friends. (7:20)The murderer must have been wearing gloves when he set the table again because he left traces of sodium, carbon, iron, and gold. When the Murderer saw his chance, he took it. 7:25)Right when the table had been set and no one was around he slipped the Potassium cyanide into Dustys cup. Now potassium cyanide is a hard thing to come by and only someone who had worked with it for many years would have known the right amount to give to Dusty to make him drop dead. (7:35) Dusty returns down stairs to finish his breakfast. (7:40) Dusty takes one drink then five minutes later he drops dead. Now let me fill you in on how all this evidence plays into this. Mr. Horace Throat had been experiencing some money problems with the mob and really need this auction to go well. Horace was counting on Dusty to help him out but when he let him down, he snapped. Horace had been working in metal finishing for many years and he used the same gloves as he did to work as he did to place the cyanide in the drink, which is how the traces of gold ended up on the table. Second Dusty was the only one of that group of people who had already had potassium cyanide on him because he was already doing work for Dusty. Horace Throat killed one of his closest friends and best buyers of many years just for money to pay off the mob.

Interview with a Business Owner

Short Paper: Interview with a Business Owner (Week 5) Interview an entrepreneur who owns and operates a business to conduct a critical analysis of the company. You are responsible for developing questions that will garner the responses necessary to address the key elements of the assignment. Required Elements of the Interview: Critically assess the current status of the business, based on concepts presented in our course. he type and nature of the business (products/services offered) and the scope of the business (whether it is local in nature, national, or international in scope) why the person decided to go into business, and how he or she proceeded the business's form (is the business operated as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation (even an individual can form a corporation), a franchise, etc.? ) and the particular advantages and disadvantages of that form from the owner's perspective when compared with other forms he or she might have chosen the challenges and rew ards of business ownership he business owner's position on ethical behavior and responsibility the impact of each business environment (economic, competitive, technological, legal, and global) on the company and the owner's response the owner's strategy for gaining and maintaining new business opportunities keys to success, from the owner's perspective what the person would do differently if he or she had to do it all over again  · What would you say is the future of this business?  · Would you invest in this business? Why or why not? Required Formatting of Paper: This report should be double spaced, 12-point font, and three to five pages in length excluding the title page and reference page  · Title page  · Use APA formatting for in-text citations and reference page. You are expected to paraphrase and not use quotes. Deductions will be taken when quotes are used and found to be unnecessary.  · Interview questions must be included as an addendum to the assignment; however, these should not be counted toward the length requirement for the paper.  · Submit paper in the Assignment Folder.This paper is due at the end of week 5. Grading Rubric: Short Paper: Objectives Outstanding Superior Good Substandard Failure A (90-100) B (80 – 89) C (70-79) D (60-69) F (0-59) Demonstrates critical thinking /problem solving/creative thought/self assessment – 30-27 points 26-24 points 23-21 points 20-18 points Fewer than 18 points Clearly focused analysis demonstrating a high degree of originality, insight, and/or critical thinking/problem solving skills. Focused analysis showing some originality, insight, and/or critical thinking/problem solving skills.Somewhat focused analysis showing minimal originality, insight, and/or critical thinking/problem solving skills. Analysis not focused and very little creative thought or insight, critical thinking/problem solving skills demonstrated. Analysis not focused; little to no creative thought or insight; and/or critical thinking/problem solving skills is demonstrated. Develops and support ideas – 20-18 points 17-16 points 15-14 points 13-12 points Fewer than 12 points Thorough and insightful exploration, explanations that support each idea. Developed and supported key points.Inconsistency in developing and supporting ideas. Explanations and support of ideas is inadequate or ineffective. Meaningful attempt to explain or support ideas does not exist. Application of concepts learned in class to assignment 20-18 points 17-16 points 15-14 points 13-12 points Fewer than 12 points Draws direct correlation between concepts learned in class to assignment. Correlation between concepts discussed in class and assignment are generally drawn. One or two places could be expanded to show relevance to core concepts. Draws some correlation between concepts and assignment but three r four places could be expanded to show relevance to core concepts. Fails to demonstrate understanding of correlation bet ween concepts learned in class and assignment. Fails to demonstrate understanding of correlation between assignment and relevance to concepts. Responds to each aspect of the assignment 15-13. 5 points 13. 49-12 points 11. 9-10. 5 points 10. 49-9 points Fewer than 9 points Demonstrates full understanding of requirements. Responds to each aspect of assignment. Demonstrates understanding of requirements, but missed a key element.Demonstrates some understanding of the requirements but missing a few key elements. Gestures toward instructions but demonstrates little comprehension or competency. Disregards instructions. Adherence to APA Style (APA 6th ed) 5-4. 5 points 4. 4-4 points 3. 9-3. 5 points 3. 4-3 points Fewer than 3 points No APA style errors. No more than three APA style errors. More than four or five APA style errors. More than six APA style errors. No attempt at APA style. Paper is well organized with smooth transitions, and is free of distracting errors in grammar, punctuatio n, etc. 10-9 points 8. 9-8 points 7. 9-7 points 6. 0-6 points Fewer than 6 points Writing is clear and easy to follow. Grammar and spelling are all correct. Formatting gives a professional look and adds to readability. Writing is sometimes difficult to follow. Grammar & spelling is mostly correct. Formatting is good. Writing and presentation is not clearly organized. Formatting is lacking. Poorly written in terms of mechanics and structure. Largely incomprehensible writing and presentation. Poorly written in terms of mechanics and structure.

Conclusion and managerial implications Essay

A streak is a short period of good or bad luck. A team is said to have a winning streak when it wins many games consecutively, and to have a loosing streak when it looses many matches in a row. It is quite easy to say that a team has good players, and therefore has a high chance of winning. Upon closer consideration, though, it may become apparent that the skill and style of play of the teams playing against them has an important part to play, and so are other factors like coaching and the spirit in the players. In this work, we have considered some variables that appear likely to influence the team’s chance of winning. Specifically, we chose opponent 3-points per game, team 3-points per game, team free throws per game, team turnovers per game, opponent turnovers per game, team rebounds per game and opponent rebounds per game as key determining variables in determining the winning chance of a basketball team. We had to deal with the occurrence unusually large or small values in the data, since they affect the final outcome. Therefore we formed a multiple regression model for prediction, and modified it until we came up with a model with six variables. Our model can be trusted to predict the chance of a team winning by up to 80%, and the percentage win can be predicted with an error margin 0. 1479 percentage points about 95% of the time. Our model showed us that the more turnovers a team has and the more rebounds from an opponent, the less the chance of winning. However, the more 3-point shots, free throws and rebounds made, and the more turnovers an opponent makes, the greater a team’s chance of winning. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive summary 2 Objective of the study 4 Data description 5 Technical report 6 – 12 Conclusion and managerial implications 14 Appendices Appendix I: Descriptive statistics for the variables 15 Appendix II: Box plots for the variables 16 Appendix III: Scatter plots, winning chance vs. each variable 17 Appendix IV: Multiple regression details for 8-variable model 20 Appendix V: Residual plots for the 8 variables 21 Appendix VI: Best subsets regression details 23 Appendix VII: Regression details for 5-variable model 24. Appendix VIII: Residual Plots for 5 variables 26 Appendix IX: Regression excluding residual outliers for 5-variable model 28 Appendix X: Regression for 6-variable model 29 Appendix XI: Residual plots for 6-variable model 30 Appendix XII: (a) The final regression model 32 Appendix XII: (b) Residual plots for the final regression model 33 4 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objective of his study is to create a regression model for predicting the percentage wining of a basketball team among many basketball teams in a particular basketball season. Regression analysis is a method that aids us in predicting the outcome of a variable, given the values of one or more other (independent) variables. The model thus obtained is examined to ascertain the reliability of its prediction. In our analysis, therefore, we are out to examine a multiple regression model that we shall build, and improve on it until we find the best model for the job. We are motivated by the fact that fans of teams every now and then go into arguments (and even betting) about what chance there is for a particular team to win. Winning a game, we believe, is not entirely a chance occurrence. We therefore want to investigate what factors can be expected to determine the winning chance of a team. We do not expect to get a magical model, but that we will have to modify our model until its predictive ability has been greatly improved. The importance of this work lies in the fact that, without accurate knowledge of the most influential factors affecting a phenomenon, one may end up spending a lot of resources (time, energy and money) on a factor that might not be so important, at the expense of the really important factors. This results in a lot of input with no corresponding output, thereby leading to frustration. This can be especially true in sports and related activities. This work is our little contribution to more efficient planning and sport outing for a basketball team. 5 DATA DESCRIPTION The data that we have used is taken from †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ It presents the statistics for sixty-eight (68) teams in a sporting season. Therefore we shall not be going into issues of time series or other techniques that come into play when dealing with data that has been collected over an extended period. The data presents a list of 68 basketball teams. Each team has played a number of games in a particular basketball sporting season. The spreadsheet contains a lot of information on these 68 teams, such as their winning percentage and vital statistics of the games played in this particular season. In this work, we are going to designate a dependent variable (Y) and seven independent variables (X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7). The variables are defined as follows: Y = Winning Percentage X1 = Opponent’s 3-point per game X2 = Team’s 3-point per game X3 = Team’s free throws pr game X4 = Team’s turnover per game X5 = Opponent’s turnover per game X6 = Team’s rebound per game X7 = Opponent’s rebound per game With the above variables, we shall formulate a regression model for the winning percentage of a team in this data. 6 TECHNICAL REPORT 6. 1 Preliminaries Our first task, having obtained the data, is to examine the descriptive statistics for each of our independent variables. The Minitab result is presented in Appendix I. The data appears to be normally distributed, since the mean and median are close. To further verify this, we will look at the box plots for each of the variables. The box plots reveal that the data is normally distributed, except for â€Å"turnover per game† and â€Å"opponent turnover per game† with one outlier each, and â€Å"home rebound per game† with three outliers. The Box plots are presented in Appendix II. To further understand our data, we still look at the scatter plots of each variable against the winning percentage. This will show us the extent to which each of then influence the winning percentage. Although this is not the final regression model, it presents us with marginal regression relationships between each variable and the winning percentage. The details of the results are presented in Appendix III. The marginal regressions reveal that some of the variables are more influential to the winning percentage than others, but we note that this is not the final regression model yet. On close examination, we observe that Opponent’s 3-point per game accounts for very little of the chances of winning a game, and in fact is negatively correlated with percentage wins of a team. A similar case arises concerning Team’s turnover per game, only that the relationship is even weaker here. The same goes for Team’s rebound per game. The rest exhibit a positive correlation. The strongest correlation observable from the scatter plots is that of Team’s free throws per game, and the weakest positive correlation is that of Opponent’s turnover per game. 6. 2 6. 4. 1 7 Regression analysis is a very useful analysis tool. Moreover, with the aid of modern computers, data analysis is even easier (and sometimes fun) to carry out. The final model we have been able to come up with will help in predicting the winning chance of a basketball team. We would like to state here that our model does not have magical powers of prediction. The predictive accuracy of the model has been stated in the body of this work, and shows us that it does not incorporate EVERY variable that affects the winning chance of a team. It is common knowledge that factors like the co-operation between team management and players, relationship among players, the individual skills of the players and the support of a team’s fans play a very important role in a team’s ability to win a game, and so do many other factors. Yet these factors cannot be quantitatively described so as to be included in the model. Nevertheless, we believe that the variables we have analyzed have very important roles to play, and therefore should not be ignored. We therefore recommend, based on our findings, that a team should strategize its game so as to minimize their turnovers, since from our model they have the strongest negative effect on their winning chance. Similarly, the opponent’s rebound will do damage. On the other hand, a basketball team should, as much as possible, maximize their 3-point shots, free throws, rebounds and the opponent’s turnovers, since according to our model, these have a positive influence on their winning chance. Finally to the sports fan, you can know what to expect from a team if you can observe the above-mentioned variables. So, instead of raising your heart rate in blind anticipation, you can assess for yourself the chance that your favorite team will not let you down. In the meantime, we wish you the best of luck! 8 APPENDIXES 8. 1 APPENDIX I: Descriptive Statistics for the variables 1. Descriptive Statistics Variable N N* Mean SE Mean StDev Variance Minimum Winning percentage 68 0 0. 5946 0. 0197 0. 1625 0. 0264 0. 2333 Opp 3-point per game 68 0 6. 318 0. 107 0. 880 0. 774 3. 788 3-point per game 68 0 6. 478 0. 161 1. 326 1. 757 3. 645 Free throws per game 68 0 14. 203 0. 280 2. 307 5. 323 8. 536 Turn-over, pg 68 0 14. 086 0. 164 1. 355 1. 835 10. 974 Opponent Turn-over,pg 68 0 14. 755 0. 192 1. 583 2. 506 11. 438 Home rebound per game 68 0 35. 380 0. 389 3. 209 10. 297 27. 323 Oppnt rebound per game 68 0 33. 841 0. 258 2. 128 4. 528 28. 970 Variable Q1 Median Q3 Maximum Range IQR Winning percentage 0. 4707 0. 5938 0. 7403 0. 9487 0. 7154 0. 2696 Opp 3-point per game 5. 688 6. 323 6. 956 8. 138 4. 350 1. 268 3-point per game 5. 782 6. 433 7. 413 9. 471 5. 825 1. 631 Free throws per game 12. 619 14. 322 15. 883 19. 568 11. 032 3. 264 Turn-over, pg 13. 116 14. 000 14. 875 17. 656 6. 682 1. 759 Opponent Turn-over,pg 13. 574 14. 769 15. 514 18. 406 6. 969 1. 939 Home rebound per game 33. 304 35. 383 37. 063 45. 548 18. 226 3. 758 Oppnt rebound per game 32. 611 33. 754 35. 047 39. 938 10. 968 2. 436 2. Descriptive Statistics: Winning percentage Variable N N* Mean SE Mean StDev Minimum Q1 Median Winning percentage 68 0 0. 5946 0. 0197 0. 1625 0. 2333 0. 4707 0. 5938 Variable Q3 Maximum IQR Variance Range Winning percentage 0. 7403 0. 9487 0. 2696 0. 026 o. 7154 8. 2 APPENDIX II: Box Plots for the variables 8. 3 APPENDIX III: Scatter Plots (With Corresponding Regression Equations) Regression Analysis: Winning percentage versus Opp 3-point per game The regression equation is Winning percentage = 0. 729 – 0. 0212 Opp 3-point per game S = 0. 162686 R-Sq = 1. 3% R-Sq(adj) = 0. 0% Regression Analysis: Winning percentage versus 3-point per game The regression equation is Winning percentage = 0. 397 + 0. 0304 3-point per game S = 0. 158646 R-Sq = 6. 2% R-Sq(adj) = 4. 7% Regression Analysis: Winning percentage versus Free throws per game The regression equation is Winning percentage = 0. 058 + 0. 0378 Free throws per game S = 0. 138185 R-Sq = 28. 8% R-Sq(adj) = 27. 7% Regression Analysis: Winning percentage versus Turn-over, pg The regression equation is Winning percentage = 1. 14 – 0. 0387 Turn-over, pg S = 0. 155019 R-Sq = 10. 4% R-Sq(adj) = 9. 0% Regression Analysis: Winning percentage versus Opponent Turn-over,pg The regression equation is Winning percentage = 0. 293 + 0. 0204 Opponent Turn-over,pg S = 0. 160503 R-Sq = 4. 0% R-Sq(adj) = 2. 5% Regression Analysis: Winning percentage versus Home rebound per game The regression equation is Winning percentage = – 0. 243 + 0. 0237 Home rebound per game S = 0. 144773 R-Sq = 21. 9% R-Sq(adj) = 20. 7% Regression Analysis: Winning percentage versus Oppnt rebound per game The regression equation is Winning percentage = 1. 44 – 0. 0249 Oppnt rebound per game S = 0. 154803 R-Sq = 10. 7% R-Sq(adj) = 9. 3% 8. 4 APPENDIX IV: Multiple Regression Details Regression Analysis: Winning perc versus 3-point per , Free throws , †¦ The regression equation is Winning percentage = 0. 633 + 0. 0224 3-point per game + 0. 0176 Free throws per game – 0. 0622 Turn-over, pg + 0. 0414 Opponent Turn-over,pg + 0. 0267 Home rebound per game – 0. 0296 Oppnt rebound per game – 0. 0172 Opp 3-point per game Predictor Coef SE Coef T P Constant 0. 6327 0. 2123 2. 98 0. 004 3-point per game 0. 022369 0. 007221 3. 10 0. 003 Free throws per game 0. 017604 0. 005720 3. 08 0. 003 Turn-over, pg -0. 062214 0. 007380 -8. 43 0. 000 Opponent Turn-over,pg 0. 041398 0. 006398 6. 47 0. 000 Home rebound per game 0. 026699 0. 004175 6. 39 0. 000 Oppnt rebound per game -0. 029645 0. 004594 -6. 45 0. 000 Opp 3-point per game -0. 01724 0. 01130 -1. 53 0. 132 S = 0. 0747588 R-Sq = 81. 1% R-Sq(adj) = 78. 8% Analysis of Variance Source DF SS MS F P Regression 7 1. 43486 0. 20498 36. 68 0. 000 Residual Error 60 0. 33533 0. 00559 Total 67 1. 77019 Source DF Seq SS 3-point per game 1 0. 10906 Free throws per game 1 0. 53614 Turn-over, pg 1 0. 24618 Opponent Turn-over,pg 1 0. 13117 Home rebound per game 1 0. 13403 Oppnt rebound per game 1 0. 26527 Opp 3-point per game 1 0. 01302 Unusual Observations 3-point Winning Obs per game percentage Fit SE Fit Residual St Resid 2 4. 59 0. 79412 0. 63575 0. 02114 0. 15837 2. 21R 27 6. 60 0. 76667 0. 60456 0. 01272 0. 16211 2. 20R 30 6. 21 0. 50000 0. 65441 0. 01571 -0. 15441 -2. 11R 45 4. 75 0. 25000 0. 39253 0. 02404 -0. 14253 -2. 01R R denotes an observation with a large standardized residual. 8. 5 APPENDIX V: Residuals plots for the 8 variables 8. 6 APPENDIX VI: Best Subsets Regression Best Subsets Regression: Winning perc versus Opp 3-point , 3-point per , †¦ Response is Winning percentage O O H p O F p o p p r p m n p e o e t e n 3 3 e r r – – t n e e p p h t b b o o r T o o i i o u T u u n n w r u n n t t s n r d d – n p p p o – p p e e e v o e e r r r e v r r r e g g g , r g g a a a , a a Mallows m m m p p m m. Vars R-Sq R-Sq(adj) Cp S e e e g g e e 1 28. 8 27. 7 161. 5 0. 13818 X 1 21. 9 20. 7 183. 5 0. 14477 X 2 46. 9 45. 3 106. 1 0. 12021 X X 2 41. 2 39. 4 124. 4 0. 12658 X X 3 55. 2 53. 1 81. 7 0. 11126 X X X 3 54. 9 52. 8 82. 9 0. 11172 X X X 4 73. 8 72. 2 24. 9 0. 085772 X X X X 4 65. 1 62. 9 52. 4 0. 098958 X X X X 5 77. 7 75. 9 14. 6 0. 079790 X X X X X 5 76. 8 74. 9 17. 6 0. 081431 X X X X X. 6 80. 3 78. 4 8. 3 0. 075569 X X X X X X 6 78. 1 75. 9 15. 5 0. 079781 X X X X X X 7 81. 1 78. 8 8. 0 0. 074759 X X X X X X X 8. 7 APPENDIX VII: Regression Analysis with Five Variables Regression Analysis The regression equation is Winning percentage = 0. 528 + 0. 0250 3-point per game – 0. 0631 Turn-over, pg + 0. 0471 Opponent Turn-over,pg + 0. 0349 Home rebound per game – 0. 0336 Oppnt rebound per game Predictor Coef SE Coef T P Constant 0. 5280 0. 2213 2. 39 0. 020 3-point per game 0.025031 0. 007617 3. 29 0. 002. Turn-over, pg -0. 063103 0. 007859 -8. 03 0. 000 Opponent Turn-over,pg 0. 047061 0. 006531 7. 21 0. 000 Home rebound per game 0. 034908 0. 003176 10. 99 0. 000 Oppnt rebound per game -0. 033572 0. 004713 -7. 12 0. 000 S = 0. 0797903 R-Sq = 77. 7% R-Sq(adj) = 75. 9% Analysis of Variance Source DF SS MS F P Regression 5 1. 37547 0. 27509 43. 21 0. 000 Residual Error 62 0. 39472 0. 00637 Total 67 1. 77019 Source DF Seq SS 3-point per game 1 0. 10906. Turn-over, pg 1 0. 13137 Opponent Turn-over,pg 1 0. 15696 Home rebound per game 1 0. 65508 Oppnt rebound per game 1 0. 32300 Unusual Observations 3-point Winning Obs per game percentage Fit SE Fit Residual St Resid 8 4. 13 0. 83333 0. 66281 0. 02375 0. 17053 2. 24R 13 6. 79 0. 55172 0. 72095 0. 02073 -0. 16923 -2. 20R 27 6. 60 0. 76667 0. 60253 0. 01331 0. 16414 2. 09R 30 6. 21 0. 50000 0. 66321 0. 01474 -0. 16321 -2. 08R 45 4. 75 0. 25000 0. 41575 0. 02187 -0. 16575 -2. 16R. R denotes an observation with a large standardized residual. APPENDIX VII (Continued): Descriptive Statistics for five Variables Descriptive Statistics Variable N N* Mean SE Mean StDev Variance Minimum Winning percentage 68 0 0. 5946 0. 0197 0. 1625 0. 0264 0. 2333 3-point per game 68 0 6. 478 0. 161 1. 326 1. 757 3. 645 Turn-over, pg 68 0 14. 086 0. 164 1. 355 1. 835 10. 974 Opponent Turn-over,pg 68 0 14. 755 0. 192 1. 583 2. 506 11. 438 Home rebound per game 68 0 35. 380 0. 389 3. 209 10. 297 27. 323 Oppnt rebound per game 68 0 33. 841 0. 258 2. 128 4. 528 28. 970 Variable Q1 Median Q3 Maximum Range IQR Winning percentage 0. 4707 0. 5938 0. 7403 0. 9487 0. 7154 0. 2696 3-point per game 5. 782 6. 433 7. 413 9. 471 5. 825 1. 631 Turn-over, pg 13. 116 14. 000 14. 875 17. 656 6. 682 1. 759 Opponent Turn-over,pg 13. 574 14. 769 15. 514 18. 406 6. 969 1. 939 Home rebound per game 33. 304 35. 383 37. 063 45. 548 18. 226 3. 758 Oppnt rebound per game 32. 611 33. 754 35. 047 39.938 10. 968 2. 436 8. 8. APPENDIX VIII: Residual Plots for 5 variables 8. 9 APPENDIX IX: Regression Excluding Residual Outliers Regression Analysis: The regression equation is Winning percentage = 0. 487 + 0. 0184 Free throws per game + 0. 0240 Opponent Turn-over,pg + 0. 0188 Home rebound per game – 0. 0303 Oppnt rebound per game – 0. 0243 Opp 3-point per game Predictor Coef SE Coef T P Constant 0. 4873 0. 2956 1. 65 0. 105 Free throws per game 0. 018444 0. 009412 1. 96 0. 055 Opponent Turn-over,pg 0. 024021 0. 009784 2. 46 0. 017 Home rebound per game 0. 018835 0. 006555 2. 87 0. 006 Oppnt rebound per game -0. 030258 0. 007625 -3. 97 0. 000 Opp 3-point per game -0. 02428 0. 02129 -1. 14 0. 259 S = 0. 118905 R-Sq = 49. 8% R-Sq(adj) = 45. 7% Analysis of Variance Source DF SS MS F P Regression 5 0. 84309 0. 16862 11. 93 0. 000 Residual Error 60 0. 84831 0. 01414 Total 65 1. 69140 Source DF Seq SS Free throws per game 1 0. 47458 Opponent Turn-over,pg 1 0. 03295 Home rebound per game 1 0. 04175 Oppnt rebound per game 1 0. 27543 Opp 3-point per game 1 0. 01839 Unusual Observations Free throws Winning Obs per game percentage Fit SE Fit Residual St Resid 12 12. 2 0. 3333 0. 5854 0. 0270 -0. 2521 -2. 18R 34 12. 2 0. 9487 0. 6218 0. 0297 0. 3269 2. 84R 42 14. 5 0. 2333 0. 5227 0. 0400 -0. 2893 -2. 58R 43 12. 5 0. 2500 0. 4925 0. 0367 -0. 2425 -2. 14R R denotes an observation with a large standardized residual. 8. 10 APPENDIX X: Regression with 6 Variables Regression Analysis: Winning perc versus 3-point per , Free throws , †¦ The regression equation is Winning percentage = 0. 565 + 0. 0239 3-point per game + 0. 0163 Free throws per game – 0. 0630 Turn-over, pg + 0. 0436 Opponent Turn-over,pg + 0. 0265 Home rebound per game – 0. 0310 Oppnt rebound per game Predictor Coef SE Coef T P Constant 0. 5654 0. 2100 2. 69 0. 009 3-point per game 0. 023949 0. 007224 3. 32 0. 002 Free throws per game 0. 016290 0. 005717 2. 85 0. 006 Turn-over, pg -0. 062984 0. 007443 -8. 46 0. 000 Opponent Turn-over,pg 0. 043571 0. 006305 6. 91 0. 000 Home rebound per game 0. 026482 0. 004218 6. 28 0. 000 Oppnt rebound per game -0. 031028 0. 004552 -6. 82 0. 000 S = 0. 0755690 R-Sq = 80. 3% R-Sq(adj) = 78. 4% Analysis of Variance Source DF SS MS F P Regression 6 1. 42184 0. 23697 41. 50 0. 000 Residual Error 61 0. 34835 0. 00571 Total 67 1. 77019 Source DF Seq SS 3-point per game 1 0. 10906 Free throws per game 1 0. 53614 Turn-over, pg 1 0. 24618 Opponent Turn-over,pg 1 0. 13117 Home rebound per game 1 0. 13403. Oppnt rebound per game 1 0. 26527 Unusual Observations 3-point Winning Obs per game percentage Fit SE Fit Residual St Resid 27 6. 60 0. 76667 0. 60084 0. 01262 0. 16582 2. 23R 44 6. 03 0. 23333 0. 38536 0. 02559 -0. 15202 -2. 14R 45 4. 75 0. 25000 0. 41158 0. 02076 -0. 16158 -2. 22R R denotes an observation with a large standardized residual. 8. 11 APPENDIX XI: Residual Plots for the 6-variable Model 8. 12 APPENDIX XII (a): The Final Regression Model. Regression Analysis: Winning perc versus 3-point per , Free throws , †¦ The regression equation is Winning percentage = 0. 604 + 0. 0226 3-point per game + 0. 0167 Free throws per game – 0. 0660 Turn-over, pg + 0. 0420 Opponent Turn-over,pg + 0. 0256 Home rebound per game – 0. 0292 Oppnt rebound per game Predictor Coef SE Coef T P Constant 0. 6038 0. 2065 2. 92 0. 005 3-point per game 0. 022564 0. 007108 3. 17 0. 002 Free throws per game 0. 016706 0. 005600 2. 98 0. 004 Turn-over, pg -0. 066016 0. 007456 -8. 85 0. 000 Opponent Turn-over,pg 0. 041969 0. 006229 6. 74 0. 000 Home rebound per game 0. 025649 0. 004152 6. 18 0. 000 Oppnt rebound per game -0. 029173 0. 004561 -6. 40 0. 000 S = 0. 0739739 R-Sq = 80. 8% R-Sq(adj) = 78. 8% Analysis of Variance Source DF SS MS F P Regression 6 1. 37853 0. 22976 41. 99 0. 000 Residual Error 60 0. 32833 0. 00547 Total 66 1. 70686 Source DF Seq SS 3-point per game 1 0. 10202 Free throws per game 1 0. 50620 Turn-over, pg 1 0. 30758 Opponent Turn-over,pg 1 0. 11512 Home rebound per game 1 0. 12372. Oppnt rebound per game 1 0. 22390 Unusual Observations 3-point Winning Obs per game percentage Fit SE Fit Residual St Resid 26 6. 60 0. 76667 0. 60237 0. 01238 0. 16429 2. 25R 29 6. 21 0. 50000 0. 64694 0. 01477 -0. 14694 -2. 03R 43 6. 03 0. 23333 0. 38546 0. 02505 -0. 15213 -2. 19R 44 4. 75 0. 25000 0. 41580 0. 02045 -0. 16580 -2. 33R R denotes an observation with a large standardized residual. APPENDIX XII (b): Residual Plots for the final regression model. APPENDIXXII (b): Continued REFERENCES Please state the source of data here.

Child Physical Performance The Concept of Motor Development Essay

Child Physical Performance The Concept of Motor Development - Essay Example Whatever the case, it is apparent that some specific motor habits and activities are expected of children between a certain age group, that is surely linked with their expected neuromotor development. Expected Activities: the age group under consideration for studying the link between neuromotor development and movement mechanics in humans has been from children of ages 5 to 12. The basic neurological functions have by now developed enough in children between these age limits to enable them to perform certain activities that are universal in this context and form the basis of the study of movement science. Any abnormalities can then be examined easily as we already have the established and the expected activity range for these children. The method of data collection may differ among the scientists, but it is unanimously agreed that there are a total of eleven basic activities that should be performed by children of this age group. These activities are known as fundamental motor skills (NSW 1997), and they form the basis of all the other and more advanced activities that an individual performs later in his life (NSW 1997). Six of these activities would be discussed in this paper. The first among those activities is running. Through studies it has been established that among both boys and girls, this skill is expected to be mastered by the age of 10, however, if any child has not learned to perform it properly till the age of 6, it is unlikely that he or she would learn to do so ever in the future (NSW 1997). Running is one of the most common fundamental skills performed by children in this age group. The skill of kicking has shown to increase and improve drastically with age, from the limit of 5 to the limit of 12, with much more boys performing the skill than girls, and the general trend of increased proportions in the learning of this skill, too, had a steeper gradient among boys than among girls (NSW 1997). This trend in itself reflects upon the differences in the physical activities expected of boys from girls based clearly upon the differences between their physical make up and neuro-muscular development. Behavioral traits and differences might come into play here, too. The skill of the catch is expected almost at an equal level and statistical proportions from both the boys and the girls in the towards the lower limit of the age group under study, however, with the advancement of age towards the upper limit, there is a marked increase in the number of boys who can perform it as compared to the number of girls who can perform it at the same age limit, and even the ratio of increasing skill acquisition of the catch among the boys with age is much higher than

Construction website evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Construction website evaluation - Essay Example Generally speaking, each construction company has its own motto, perspective, work ethic and attitude on how and what to build. These can vary greatly, but their goal is always the same- to gain more clients, construct more buildings and become successful and acknowledges in the construction business. Once the idea or notion of what to build is created, the customer contacts his or her construction company of choice. They meet and discuss the task at hand, and if they agree on things- a contract is signed to start the construction project. The signing of the contract can be arduous and take a long time since many details have to be agreed upon, such as the cost of the project, exactly how it will be carried out, the estimated duration of constructing and many other details. But if both sides manage to reach an understanding and the company can supply what the customer is interested in, the project is launched. Once the contract is signed, the construction company begins its preparations for the project, and this involves staff members and workers of different areas and fields. One or more architects will be involved, as will construction workers, accountants, lawyers if necessary and many others. The company may have to use sub-contract companies in order to complete the project within the monetary and time frames. This means that another contract will have to be signed between the major construction company that originally took on the construction project and other smaller companies or workers that dont belong to the major company who will be contracted to work on the project. This of course depends on the scope of the project. Finally, when everything is arranged, the implementation stage begins. The materials for the construction project are brought to the location of the intended building (sometimes via other moving companies or industries) and the builders can start constructing the building under the guide of construction manager and the architect or

Discuss an Opera of Mozart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Discuss an Opera of Mozart - Essay Example In the coda, he ends it abruptly and immediately goes into the first act. Mozart wrote for all audiences at different levels. The multiple levels are in his music, his storyline and his use of different themes. The overture shows us that Mozart conformed to form but didn't conform to style. The purpose of this paper will be to show how he used the roles of the three women to show that he didn't conform to musical style and social standards. In the beginning of the first act, Don Oliviera sees Don Giovanni leaving Donna Anna's quarters. They are singing an aria in duet. It soon becomes a trio as she is saying how Don Giovanni has scorned her. When he argues with her father, they sing a duet in a passionate tenor voice before the father dies. In order to have full understanding of the women's roles, it is necessary to understand the social context of women in the 18 century. In Kristi Brown's Mozart's Women, she compared Donna Anna to a misfortunate Spanish maiden. It was very common f or composers to take the style of where they were living at the time; and write in that genre of music. Donna Anna was a daughter who was to be married. The role was sung by a soprano. Her voice showed her grief finding herself in mourning due to the death of her father. When Don Giovanni left, we hear the first recitavo with the harpsichord. (voices singing to each other as they talk) This is from the Baroque Era. The stone statue invited for dinner in the last scene was part of folk mythology of Don Juan (Donington 446). To return to Mozart's Woman, Brown never once considered the social context whereas Mozart was writing an Italian opera only using the setting and subject matter of "Don Juan" with the 18th century interpretation. It is the purpose of this paper to show how Mozart communicated his values and judgments. For some, it still remained an opera buffa which was the style of the period (Grout 517). It was a light hearted opera which made the audience laugh and also sell t ickets. Mozart used his music and symbolism on stage to go beyond the opera buffa. Don Giovanni, a opera in two acts, was composed by Mozart and first performed in Prague in 1787. (Mendelsohn 55) As a common style of writing, Mozart could only use the opera buffa to show how women were treated in the 18th century. Though Mozart considered Don Giovanni as an opera buffa at the time, his librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte called an opera giocosco. (Fischer, 167) The Opera was placed in Seville in the 18th century (Mendelsohn 55) Mozart's Don Giovanni was controversial. At the time, the theme was thought to be too serious to be considered a "funny" opera". People usually did not die nor were audiences frightened by stoned statues. Mozart used his three women characters in order to mix the reality of their existence with the storytelling of Don Juan. Don Giovanni was killed. The father became the stone statue. The women became the protagonists. Gounoud wrote in the 19th century that Don Giovan ni was an "apogee of the lyrical drama, a wondrous example of truth, beauty of form, appropriateness of characterization, deep insight into the drama, purity of style, †¦.charm and tenderness in the love passages, and power in pathos." (Krehbiel 69) Don Giovanni "can be viewed as an archetype of every man or woman's alter ego, a man who faces that eternal conflict of the tension, desire and craving for love, and the struggle between emotion and reason, the spirit and the