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grantmentis · 27 days

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2024 Ice Hockey Women's World Championship: A Primer

When: April 3rd to April 14th. The schedule here will tell you when games are taking place both in your local time and venue time.

Where is it taking place?: Utica, New York

Where to watch:

For the first time, we will have ALL games broadcasted in USA and Canada. I am not sure how many games are going to be broadcasted outside North America, but we can reasonably assume they will at least carry their home country games

TSN will carry all games in canada

NHL Network and ESPN+ will carry a mix of the games together. See The Ice Garden's Michelle Jay's tweet for the schedule of which games are where.

SVT (Sweden)

Discovery (Finland)

Czech TV (Czechia)

Magenta (Germany)

TBS (Japan)

Swiss TV (Switzerland)

If you are not in any of these countries, or you are but are struggling to find a way to watch, please feel free to DM me and I will do my best to find you something

What is the tournament format?:

There are two divisions, Division A with the five ranked teams going into the tournament and Division B with the next five. Each division plays a round robin style ranking round, and at the conclusion the bottom two teams in Division B will be relegated, while the rest automatically make the quarterfinals. Quarterfinals will go A1-B3, A2-B2, A3-B1, A4-A5. In addition to the finals for gold that will take place, there will be a bronze medal game and a fifth place game for ranking. Standings will use a three point systems.

Who is in each division?:

Division A: USA, Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, Finland

Division B: Sweden, Japan, Germany, China, Denmark

Who are each teams?

Here is where it gets long. Below the cut I will tell you each teams roster, how they did last year, their reasonable goals, notable roster changes, and three players to watch. I will do my best to keep this informative, but brief.

USA

Roster:

(Text version available here)

2023 Result: Won Gold

2024 goals: Win gold again

Notable roster changes: This team continues to go very very young. Abby Roque is the most notable roster omission here. Top defender Lee Stecklein is also not on this roster, due to her taking a break from the National Team. Amanda Kessel was also left off, but she has not been active within the last year as a player, so not entirely surprising.

Three players to watch: Grace Zumwinkle has been one of the stars of the PWHL so far, and is likely to get more responsibility on the national team than ever before, so keep an eye on her and how she may translate her successful season to the tournament. Rory Guilday may only be 21, but she is heading to her third senior world championships, a long time favorite of the team USA coaching staff with her shutdown defensive skills who they'll hope can take another step this tournament with Lee Stecklein absent. Joy Dunne is the youngest player on this roster, just 18 years old coming off a 24-18-42 season in Ohio and a national championship. This will be her first senior level tournament, and I'd expect her to get ample offensive opportunities.

Canada

Roster

(text version available here)

2023 result: Silver

2024 goals: Gold

Notable roster changes: Micah Zandee-Hart is the most surprising one after being on the roster for a few years. Claire Thompson is absent as is Rebecca Johnston, but that is more expected while Thompson is finishing medical school and Johnston has not played in the past calendar year. Cousins Nicole and Julia Gosling join the team after strong rivalry series showings.

Three players to watch: Natalie Spooner is the front runner for PWHL MVP, so everyone will be watching to see if she continues to score at the rate she has been. Expected number one overall pick in the upcoming PWHL draft, Sarah Fillier, will be playing in her last showing before the draft happens as she finished out her college season. Nicole Gosling was the highest scoring defender in the NCAA this year at Clarkson, going 14-25-39 in 40 regular season games, so seeing how she impacts this blue line is a must watch.

Czechia

Roster

(Text version available here)

2023 result: Bronze

2024 goal: upset their opponent in the semifinals and make the finals

Roster changes: The bad news is top defender Dominika Lásková is out with injury. The good news is star goaltender Klára Peslarová is healthy unlike last year, as is blueline mainstay Tereza Radová. Alena Mills retired from the national team. Kristýna Pátková did not make the team this year, in her place comes Boston University commit Anežka Čabelová who had a stellar U18 worlds. Karolína Kosinová did not make the team, in her place is HV71 assistant captain Klara Seroiszková.

Three players to watch: 17 year old Adéla Šapovalivová was the highest scoring u18 player in the SDHL (Sweden's highest level league) this year and one of their top scorers in general going 11-18-29 in 32 regular season games. She was also a key part of the U18 team that upset Canada in the semifinals to advance to Czechia's first ever u18 final. With Mills retired, she will get more minutes at her third (!!!!) senior worlds. Next up is Klára Peslarová, and if you're not familiar with her game, she is straight up a top five goaltender in the world. She just came off a stellar season with Brynäs IF in Sweden where she had a .935 save percentage in 20 games, and has been consistently stellar on the international stage as well like when she had 55 saves against the united states at the olympics. Kateřina Mrázová is a fantastic playmaker has been a bright spot on a Ottawa tam that has struggled to find itself, and is also one of the most veteran members of this squad. If they win, she'll have to lead the way.

Finland

Roster

Text version available here

2023 finish: Fifth Place

2024 goals: Bronze

Roster changes: Two of their key offensive pieces Elisa Holopainen and Michelle Karvinen, are back and healthy this year! Susanna Tapani is also back on this team. Those are three absolute big pieces that completely change this roster for the better. A few depth roster forwards were left off in their place, most notably Kiira Yrjänen. Defense has more shakeups. Sini Karjalainen is a notable omission and long time defender Rosa Lindstedt retired. Eve Savander, Oona Koukkula, and Siiri Yrjölä slot in.

Three players to watch: I've consistently been a very big Elisa Holopainen fan and I think she's one of the best players in the world and not talked about nearly enough. Just as she began to really shine in the international stage, she got hit with injury, but as she's come back with year she dominated Finland's league going 32-25-57 in 19 games. I think I've put her as a player to watch like every year I've done a preview and I'm going to keep going it. Finland has faced a lot of questions about their goaltending following Räty and the team going their separate ways, but right now, it is Sanni Ahola's crease to lose. She was stellar in the three games she started last year for Finland in the world championship and was solid for st cloud state with a .935 save percentage in 17 starts this year. With Lindstedt's retirement, Krista Parkkonen will see more minutes, coming off a breakout sophomore year in a university of vermont program that's developed a decent amount of international blueliners.

Switzerland

Roster

(Text version here)

2023 result; 4th place

2024 goals: bronze

Roster changes: quite a lot of shake up. no Caroline spies as their mainstay backup, Alexandra Lehmann takes her place. No Sarah Forster, who wore an A and led their defense last time around. She only played 7 games in SWHL this year, so likely injury is at play.

Players to watch: it is, of course, the Alina Müller and Lara Stalder show until it isn’t. So, besides them, the players to watch are Andrea Brändli is another “top five goaltender in the world” to know, sporting a .937 in her first year playing in Sweden post a stellar college career. 18 year old Ivana Marie Wey just had a great year playing pro as Stalder’s teammate and will be important for the next Swiss wave. With no Forster, Lara Christen will take on a lot of the top defensive minutes most likely.

Sweden

Roster

(Text version available here)

2023 results: sixth

2024 hopes: return to group A

Roster changes: no Sarah Grahn which isn’t entirely expected but still a big change, in response Ida Boman gets the call. No Fanny Rask or Olivia Carlsson, who retired.

Three players to know: Ebba Hedqvist is a 17 year old elite center coming off a great performance at worlds and has an eye for playmaking that will be critical for Sweden. Maja Nylén Persson is the #1 defender of team Sweden that has consistently been the top defender by points in the SDHL and won defender of the year in 2022-2023, and she is only 23 years old. Another part of Sweden’s insane center depth is Lina Ljungblom, who will likely play in Montreal next year and had 46 points in 36 regular season games. In the various tournaments/friendlies that Sweden has played leading up to this (ie five nations cup), she has 10 goals in 15 games. These three players are truly some of my favorite in hockey right now

Japan

Roster

(Text version available here)

2023 result: 7th

2024 hopes: return to group A

Roster changes: honestly we mostly running this back. One or two u18 add ins but overall the same as 2023

Players to watch: stop me if you heard this before but Akane Shiga is very good. The PWHL Ottawa player is the only player from Japan to score against the USA, and will continue to be japans biggest threat. Another big player is Haruka Toko, one of the SDHL’s top scorers this year who had established herself as a top talent in the last two years. This year, the 27 year old had 13 goals and 30 assists in 36 games in Sweden this year. She was one of seven players in Japan to play in Sweden this year, a year that saw a new high in Japanese players going overseas to play. That also includes my last player to watch, Yoshino Enomoto, who played in switzerland and still put up around a point per game on a team that struggled (they folded in the offseason then came back and built their roster late and were ultimately relegated, but she was a bright spot in her first season there)

Fun fact: did you know three pairs of sisters play on this team? Akane and Aoi Shiga, Haruka toko and Ayaka Hitosato, and Rio and Riri Noro

Germany

Roster

(text version available here)

2023 Results: Eighth

2024 Goal: Make quarterfinals and avoid relegation

Roster changes: Both goalies behind Abstreiter last year, Chiara Schultes and Johanna May, did not make this roster with Hemmerle and Loist taking their place. The d core remains the same besides Daria Gleissner taking Heidi Strompf's place. National team vet Marie Delarbre is absent with injury, Sonja Weidenfelder did not play hockey this year and her status is uncertain, and Anne Bartsch did not make the roster. In their place we have Emily Nix, Lilli Welcke, and Lucia Schmitz.

Three players to watch: Luisa Welcke was with Germany last year, but has a second season in the NCAA under her belt and a nice depth player performance at Boston University. She will have more chances to show off her offense this tournament than in the NCAA, and I'm excited to see what she can show. Jule Schiefer had a revelation this year in the German league. From last year where she only scored 4 goals in 20 games, this year she scored 22 in 24. Let's see if she can continue this at worlds. Nina Jobst-Smith will play big defensive minutes for Germany after finishing her fourth season at Minnesota Duluth, this time serving as an assistant captain, and was nominated for 2023-24 All-WCHA Third Team. She's a two way defender who will be taking on big responsibility for Germany as she has in the past.

China

Roster

(Text Version available here)

2023 result: Promotion from Division I

2024 goal: Make quarterfinals and avoid relegation

Roster changes: Oh boy. So, like, a lot of people, and here is why: up until this tournament, China allowed dual citizens not born in China to play for them. This includes some players you may know from PWHL/NCAA like Leah Lum, Hannah Miller, Rachel Llanes, and Tia Chan. Going into this tournament, they changed the rules and those players will not be eligible, so it is a significant roster shakeup.

Three player to watch; This team is very young. Yifan Wang is 16 years old, and in her international debut scored 10 goals in 5 games in the WJC-D2A U18. This is obviously a gigantic step up in competition and very hard for a 16 year old to be playing against adults on the highest level stage of women's hockey, so I don't imagine she'll get a TON of ice time, but she is worth looking out for. Xin Fang is the veteran and star of this roster, who had 2 goal and 2 assists in the teams D1A tournament that earned them their promotion. 17 year old Dartmouth commit Grace Zhan is who I expect to be their starting goaltender. Born in Beijing, she spent the past year playing Minnesota High School Hockey and put up top numbers in a league that sees a lot of NCAA recruits.

Denmark

Roster

(Text version here)

2023 Results: Promotion from Division I

2024 hope: Make Quarterfinals and avoid relegation

Roster changes: Long time national team star and centerpiece of the team Josefine Jakobsen will no longer play for Denmark, though she will continue her club career.) Otherwise, despite some depth changes, it is mostly the same lineup.

Three players to watch: Frederikke Foss had a great year at Shattuck St Mary's u19 program and has committed to UMaine, and may be able to spark some offense Denmark will desperately need without Jakobsen. Silke Lave Glud will also be expected to carry the offense after her stellar year in the Tier 2 league in Sweden, and lead the way for younger players as one of the most experienced members of the team. Goaltender Emma-Sofie Nordström's performance at the D1A worlds was a big reason for their promotion, and she is coming off a great sophmore year at st. lawrence university where she had a .931 save percentage in 36 games and 7 shutouts. If Denmark wants to stay in the top division, she will need to steal a game for them.

#RIGHT A THE BUZZER #ill also bboost in the morning #women's hockey #hockey #2024 women's worlds #wwc24

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sepublic · 1 year

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Writers’ Post-Hoot!

As the title suggests, we just had a Post-Hoot with multiple writers from the show! Those present included John Bailey Owen, Cissy Jones (Lilith), Sarah Nicole-Robles (Luz), Rebecca Bozza (ItsRebeccaRose), Mikki Crisostomo, Madeleine Hernandez, Zarch Marcus, Avi Roque (Raine), with Zelda Black as our cameraman! I took notes, including on some cancelled storylines involving characters such as Vee, Odalia, Edric, Eda, and Hooty!

Firstly, Zach Marcus has been writing on the show since the developmental pilot. It was confirmed Barcus was not based on him (unlike Jerbo for JBO), but he did say Barcus was ‘his’ character. I believe it was confirmed that Kikimora’s alias Miki was a reference to writer Mikki Crisostomo, and we also learned that The First Day had to be rewritten within a day! Mikki revealed she got hired for the show because she wrote a violent sample script in which someone had their rib cage kicked out, which convinced Dana she had to be on TOH!

The development pilot is very different from the show according to Zach; It had the classic blood smear moment (in which Luz draws herself and Amity together, gets a paper cut, and uses her blood to simulate a blush as improv), and alas will never be released. JBO also said there are three poems in the show that the fandom hasn’t found yet…?!

Dana was watching and commented a few times, such as when Avi, Cissy, and Sarah were doing the classic “Then why were you so easy to curse?!” line, commenting “Legendary Cissy line”.

In regards to cut Season 3 storylines, Zach mentioned that there are so many versions of Thanks to Them that they went through (Dana gave a comment giving approval for them to speak on concepts). He revealed there was a version where the kids would’ve piloted Abomaton mechs in the desert…?!

(I wonder if this is related to Kikimora, who pilots an Abomaton herself and comes from the desert of Palm Stings. Would Amity have helped in the creation?)

Mikki also revealed Hooty was a Big Bad at one point in the writing process?! He’d have had as many legs as rib bones, poking through, as well as smoke.

Huntlow was acknowledged as a major goal by Mikki and Madeleine (who kept asking why can’t they be happy???), and Zach joked that Huntlow wasn’t canon but c’mon. We can thank Mikki for writing the haircut that Willow gave Hunter!!!

Dana was glad to keep the Star Trek reference, since so many crew members are Trekkies. Emmy also alluded to a ‘bog setting’ where the kids fought ‘bog bodies’… Unfortunately, her internet connection wasn’t so great so she cut out a bit and I couldn’t make out everything. But does this mean Belos would’ve reanimated corpses in the graveyard for the kids to fight?! Or the Grimwalkers?!

JBO liked doing Luz in the human realm, as it was a different vibe than usual; More melancholy but also creepy. He wanted to explore the idea of what if a kid DID go to Narnia, and how that would affect them afterwards, and he’s happy with how it turned out… Same JBO, same.

Emmy revealed there was also going to be a storyline where Vee was uncomfortable with having Hunter in the house!!!

Sarah mentioned a question in the chat about the other coven heads, which could’ve been my question actually… JBO says that there was a lot they wanted to do with them, he really likes Hettie in particular. He considered exploring what Darius did to achieve his Abomination transform, speculating it’d probably take a dark sacrifice to do that. In general they wanted to see the coven heads plot with and try to kill each other; Lots of intercoven drama according to Zach.

Zach also praised those who designed the coven heads; He lamented how designers often visualize concepts submitted by writers as so much cooler than the writers think they can do justice when writing, once they receive them back.

Zach Marcus was described as the pun man of the writers, and when asked about what Darius’ Penstagram, they all agreed upon Goo Daddy. He was torn between Darius being a luddite, or nonstop posting what he eats, with a reflection of him in something. The writers discussed stuff like a Darius skincare routine, and him getting up every morning like a Disney Princess with animals, except they’re Abominations (fanartists were encouraged to depict this).

JBO said he would’ve liked to see more of young Terra, Zach wanted to see more of her and Faust! As a reminder, a previous Post-Hoot had him put forth the idea that they were exes until they messily broke up and Terra tore off Faust’s lips and kicked him out, hence him living at Hexside and being so strict as a means of regaining a sense of control in his life.

Zach also joked about everyone dying in the original Season 3 plans, but they allegedly changed it to a happy ending because the pandemic meant people needed something uplifting! They were barely in the exploration for S3 when they received news of the shortening.

They joked about Barcus episodes, and also made a point about limitations actually being pretty good for writing, as it encourages writers to cut out the fat and leave the most essential bits. They said it was fun seeing Dana write on spite, and she thinks about a lot of the stuff they do for the story as the mastermind.

Zach revealed him and Dana disagree on Mattholomule’s name, with Zach insisting it’s Mattholomule; His only compromise is saying his last name is also Tholomule… So Mattholomule Tholomule canon??? Zach also wanted a character named Corvus.

Eda was a ‘horn dog’ in OG scripts for TOH, breaking hearts and all that. There was an episode with a B-plot in which Eda went on a date with playboy merchant, just so she could get a deal on crow heads, but Disney didn’t want a ‘horny old lady’. Dana commented that it was jut Eda on a date, but Disney was being weird about it.

The writers also mentioned that they considered ‘Mom Tholomule’ and ‘Dad Tholomule’ in what they called the racing episode (I presume Eda’s Requiem’s B-plot), and they planned Steve and Mattholomule being brothers from S1! Zach joked that if the Tholomule parents showed up, they’d have taken attention from everything, with fans losing interest for Lumity, Raeda, and Huntlow in favor of them.

They brought up their weirdest failed episodes, such as a race (which might be what they meant regarding the Tholomule parents) as well as an episode where Eda and Odalia had beef. It’d have been based on the Rats! musical poster –the one that gave Raine stage fright- and would’ve had musical elements, but alas Dana doesn’t like musicals herself due to her own experiences with them (which might be the Doylist source for Raine’s own trauma as well now that I think of it).

Odalia would’ve been one of those obsessive parents, entering an Abomination disguised as a child for the role. Edric would’ve been angry and formed a rivalry with this fake child, wanting to be Momma’s Boy, and it’d end with the fake child getting decapitated and their head sliding off as the big reveal.

When asked about doing ‘Blaine’ (Belos-possessed Raine), Avi explained they didn’t need to watch Rhys to copy Belos’ inflections, having watched the show plenty. They were surprised about the Blaine development when they went in to voice Raine that day and were told about it!

When asked about favorite characters to write, Zach said he loved Eda because he didn’t need to go into anyone’s headspace when writing her, it was basically just him talking. Madeleine brought up how Matthew Rhys would charm the entire zoom call with his recording, and Emmy mentioned how twice she wrote for a bloodcurdling scream only for a VA to give more of an Ahhhhh.

Specifically, Edric would’ve had a more bloodcurdling scream when he broke through his body cast to hug Amity (Zach wrote that, Emmy did the art for it), with everyone agreeing he should be in pain. A ‘piercing scream’ was specified, though Sarah joked about how hard VAs worked, and said a bloodcurdling scream might be done for an Oscar nomination (doing such a scream is taxing due to multiple takes).

Mikki loves writing Lilith, calling her a big dweeb; Madeline loves Hooty the most, as he’s a wild card and she loves writing those. One example she brought up was in Hollow Mind, when Hooty shut down the Owl House. Madeleine loves it when Hooty goes from zero to sixty in either direction, fully insane.

JBO also liked Hooty best, as well as King! They referenced the B-plot from Adventures in the Elements, in which Hooty negotiates a drawn body for himself from King, which Emmy and JBO wrote. The actual sketch used in the episode was straight-up one of their drawings, I didn’t catch whose though. Hooty’s dialogue in Eda’s conversation with him (from Something Ventured, Someone Framed) was also written by JBO, with Emmy drawing the bit where his tongue reaches for a fly!

In regards to writing advice, JBO said to just do stuff, it’s better than nothing; Emmy concurred, it’s still worth it to write it, even if nobody pays you for it. Zach added that for writers, one of their goals is to be more of a tool; Get what they’ve made into the hands of someone who can take it further, it’s collaborative storytelling and writers need to see it from that perspective. Likewise, they mentioned having people read what you’ve written, as they can notice stuff that’s missing that you hadn’t thought of/remembered. Zach hoped for a TOH art book, as he liked a lot of Emmy Cicierga’s visual jokes and hoped people could enjoy them! IIRC Emmy did that one meme of Ariel combining her fish tail with two legs as a solution, so that tracks.

On a final note, there was a HUGE wave of people commenting about Gustholomule throughout the entire stream. It went unacknowledged alas, but the group also mentioned they couldn’t answer spoiler questions so...

#the owl house #post hoot #vee noceda #edric blight #odalia blight #the owl house hooty #zach marcus #mikki crisostomo #emmy cicierga #john bailey owen #madeleine hernandez

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virgosahel · 22 days

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Thank You For Everything, The Owl House (Happy One Year Anniversary Edit)

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Can't believe it's already a year...

I don't think I would be the person I am today if it wasn't for this show.

I'm serious, I understood I was nonbinary thanks to The Owl House. Raine Whispers, and their VA Avi Roque, were the reason I understood who I really was.

This show helped in a moment where I was really touching the bottom, and it helped me push me toward the surface.

So thank you, The Owl House. May us weirdos stay forever together.

P.S.: watch the video, it's a beautiful tribute made by Rebecca Rose!

#toh #the owl house #toh anniversary #rebecca rose #Youtube

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dangermousie · 1 year

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Stuff from 5x1

Give it up for Vicki! Vicki was never a favorite character (I liked her just fine but was never excited by her) but I love how hard-headed and pragmatic she is and how she refuses to be so many things: traitor under insane immense pressure (Roque caved after all but Vicki does not), envious over her richer friends (or a corollary - a noble poor person), or pining/crazy secondary girl. I may have cheered when this is the resolution of her crush on Ivan:

And the thing is - she means it. She was bitchy to Julia on first finding out but it was short-lived and understandable. And then done. She is never going to be as good a friend to Julia as she is to Caro who’s she known for a decade but they get along just fine. And she picks up a boy of her own.

Sniff sniff Nacho. I liked him! Moving on...the small kids continue to crack me up.

And so does Jacinta.

Rebecca!!!! I loved her and her ship with Martin (he’s a single dad with no powers and she’s ass-kicker extraordinaire) and her super agent friendship with Fermin...

What charming childhood background their Latin teacher has...

The first appearance of Nazi-made plague!!!! Yeah, they are experimenting on students...

Not sure I want to know what the definition of happy family is for a man who murdered his wife and non-stop abused his son...

Father of the Year award waits for you!!!!!

#el internado #mousie rewatches el internado #spanish tv

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djmusicbest · 9 months

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Nothing But... Soulful House Essentials, Vol. 15

- Artists: Various Artists DATE CREATED: 2023-08-04 Label: Nothing But Tracklist : 1. David Jansen - We Have No Way(Original Mix) 2. Glass Slipper - Force of Love(Dub) 3. McCuemza Isaacs - I Mean What I Say(Original Mix) 4. Deepconsoul, Dearson - Not On My Watch(A Baantu Remix) 5. Roque, DJ Lite - Stolen Sax(Original Mix) 6. Morris Revy, SoulReDeep, DEL BIANCHI - Freedom(StoneBridge Remix) 7. Pat Bedeau - Synchronicity Da Dubs(Dubstrumental) 8. Tony Fuel, Rebecca de la Torre - Sepia Tones(Radio Edit) 9. Ace Shyllon, Vibrant C - Flowing World(Producer Prime Remix) 10. Soulbridge, Pathy Andréas - Star(Instrumental Mix) 11. Glenn Matt - Time Will Tell(Original Mix) 12. Pete Whiteley - Love Has A Way(Darren Studholme Soul Groove Mix) 13. Paul Deighton, Hannah Huxford - I'm a Freak For Your Love(Instrumental) 14. Next Door But One - Can't Let A Day Go By(Soul Heads Extended Instrumental) 15. Nicola Nisi - Your Song(Original Mix) 16. Read the full article

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muznew · 9 months

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Nothing But... Soulful House Essentials, Vol. 15

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unidentifiedflyingfks · 3 years

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jockcoded · 2 years

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Olympic WoHo Newsletter 2/3

Games are officially happening! If you’re on eastern time, like I am, China took on Czechia last night, at the same time Switzerland played Canada. Japan and Sweden played very early this morning, and after them Finland and USA.

NEWS

Brianna Decker out for the tournament after an injury against Finland, leaving Team USA without their top center. Team USA did not bring any taxi squad players, traveling only with their 23 person roster.

Melodie Daoust was also injured during Canada’s game against Switzerland. Team Canada has not yet provided an update on her status.

ROC and Denmark will make their tournament debuts tonight.

Today’s newsletter will be recapping the last 4 games and previewing the schedule for the following day, with previews from @sonnymilano. You can check out all that below the cut!

GAME RECAPS

SUI [1], CAN [12]: Sarah Fillier opened the scoring for the tournament with her 1st Olympic goal, followed by her 2nd (after a 5+ min goal review). Canada’s depth was on full display with 12 different players recording points, with their third line of Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, and Rebecca Johnston especially dominant, combining for 14 pts. Captain Lara Stalder scored Switzerland’s only goal 5-on-3, taking advantage of one of the 7 penalties Canada took. Despite the score, Swiss goaltender Andrea Brandli impressed, with 58 saves on 70 shots. Full game details via the IIHF here.

CHN [1], CZE [3]: in their first Olympic games, Czechia beat team China in their first games in 12 years in an exciting, hard-fought 3-1 win. While Czechia led 36-14 in shots, 19 year old goaltender Chen Tiya (Tia Chan) of team China held them to just 3 goals. Tereza Radova (Gӧteburg HC) scored the first goal in Czech women’s Olympic history, assisted by Tereza Vanisova and Aneta Tejralova. Mi Le (Hannah Miller), one of Team China’s import players, scored the lone goal for China, with assists from Lin Qiqi (Leah Lum) and Wang Yuting. Full game details via the IIHF here.

SWE [1], JPN [3]: Japan’s women’s team has been building their reputation for a bit now, and they certainly lived up to it with their 3-1 win over Sweden. Both goaltenders stood out, with Sweden’s Emma Soderberg only letting in 2 against Japan’s relentless forecheck, and Nana Fujimoto saving 26 of 27 shots for Japan. Shiori Koike scored for Japan in the 1st, with Maja Nylen-Persson tying it in the 2nd for Sweden. Still tied after two, Rui Ukita scored the game winner on a breakaway with assists from both Shiga sisters. Haruna Yoneyama called it a morning, scoring on an empty net to finalize things at 3-1. Full game details via the IIHF here.

FIN [2], USA [5]: in a game many anticipated to be much closer, team USA looked like the defending gold medalists they are. Captain Kendall Coyne-Schofield led the way with 2 goals, and Alex Carpenter added another 2. Finnish goaltender Anni Kiesala was solid, with 47 saves on 52 shots, despite earlier controversy. Both goals for Finland came from Susanna Tapani. The biggest story, undoubtedly, is USA losing Brianna Decker to a knee injury. While newcomer Abby Roque was excellent filling in on the 3rd line, recording an assist in the 3rd, losing Decker is a huge blow. Full game details via the IIHF here.

UPCOMING GAMES

DEN vs CHN: coming into their first Olympics, team Denmark is another young team, with Josefine Jakobsen the only player over 30. Cassandra Repstock-Romme, coming off a terrific qualifiers, is expected to start in net. Team China will be looking to bounce back from their 3-1 loss to Czechia, and will likely go with Zhou Jiaying (Kimberly Newell) in net. Kang Mulan (Kassy Betinol) is a player to watch for China.

ROC vs SUI: after a memorable quarterfinal game that saw Switzerland come back from being down 2-0, this is a rematch to watch. Russia’s goaltending choice is still unknown, with all 3 netminders either newcomers or returning after some time. Anna Shokhina is coming back after missing the last worlds, currently 18-34-52 in 22 games with the Russian league this season. Switzerland’s player to watch is Noemi Ryhner, having 2 of 15 shots during Switzerland’s blowout loss to Canada and only being on the ice for one goal against.

SCHEDULE: PRELIMINARY ROUND

2/3 11:10 P.M. Denmark vs China (Group B)

2/3 11:10 P.M. Russia vs Switzerland (Group A)

2/4 11:10 P.M. Canada vs Finland (Group A)

2/5 3:40 A.M. Czechia vs Sweden (Group B)

2/5 3:40 A.M. Denmark vs Japan (Group B)

2/5 8:10 A.M. USA vs Russia (Group A)

2/6 3:40 A.M. China vs Japan (Group B)

2/6 8:10 A.M. Switzerland vs USA (Group A)

2/6 11:10 P.M. Canada vs Russia (Group A)

2/7 3:40 A.M. Czechia vs Denmark (Group B)

2/7 8:10 A.M. Finland vs Switzerland (Group A)

2/7 8:10 A.M. Sweden vs China (Group B)

2/8 12:15 A.M. USA vs Canada (Group A)

2/8 3:40 A.M. Japan vs Czechia (Group B)

2/8 8:10 A.M. Russia vs Finland (Group A)

2/8 8:10 A.M. Sweden vs Denmark (Group B)

#olympics #women's hockey #beijing 2022 #woho #wohonews22

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novelist-becca · 2 years

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Sarah Nicole Robles is going live with Avi Roque and Rebecca Rose tonight:

It's at 11pm in EST and I'm asleep at that hour:

#i can't stay up that long it's a school night

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denisejane9500 · 3 years

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Regal Pest Control Co. - Strategic Management Paper (part 1)

Far Eastern University

Nicanor Reyes St, Sampaloc, Manila,

1008 Metro Manila

Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management

A Strategic Management Case Study Plan for

BME1102-SEC 2 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Professor: Mr. Sofronio “Toti” Dulay

Abaya, Shiela Mae

Abella, Denise Jane

Amis, Rina Kyla

An, Janine Carla

Barrueso, April Joy

Bautista, Samantha Mica

Bueta, Nykole Mar Angela

Bulanadi, Edmond Ross

May 2021

TABLE OF CONTENT

I. Executive Summary 3-4

II. Internal Assessment

a. Corporate Profile 4-7

b. Company Vision and Mission7

c. Corporate Officers 7-9

d. Product Line 9-16

e. Internal Factor Evaluation 16-18

III. External Assessment

a. Porter’s Model Analysis19-21

b. External Factor Evaluation Matrix 21-23

c. Competitive Profile Matrix 23-25

d. Key External Factor 25-28

IV. Strategy Formulation

a. Boston Consulting Group Matrix 28-31

b. Strategic Position and Action Evaluation Matrix 31-34

c. Grand Strategy Matrix 34-35

d. Internal – External Matrix 36-37

e. Strength – Weaknesses – Opportunities – Threats Analysis 37-48

f. Quantitative Strategies Planning Matrix 48-51

V. Strategy Recommendation 52-53

VI. Action Plan 53-57

VII. Conclusion 58-60

VIII. Financial Projection 60-62

IX. References 62-67

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Regal Pest Control Co. is a family-owned and regulated company that has been in the pest management market since 1988. It is a Filipino business duly established as a partnership and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, operating under and subject to the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. Regal Pest Control with over thirty (30) years of experience in the pest control business assure all consumers and future consumers their well-developed strategy to achieve the best pest control service. The Regal Pest Control team has earned not only experience but also the reputation of providing customers with the most comprehensive range of services and products.

The major competitors of Regal Pest Control are Entech Philippines and TermaxPro Pest Control Services. Entech Philippines is a total care system business offering clients realistic and long-term solutions for achieving and maintaining safe, sanitary, and balanced conditions of their houses and buildings. TermaxPro has prioritized being a customer-friendly company that offers secure and consistent care. The business exists to provide support to meet the stringent requirements of new commercial companies and homeowners. Regal Pest Control can maintain and improve its market growth in the pest control industry by enhancing the current strategies and creating new strategies to boost the overall performance of the company.

All the different matrices such as IFE, Porter’s Model, EFE, BCG SPACE, GSM, IE, SWOT and QSPM were used, and these matrices showed how Regal Pest Control operates and stayed afloat in the pest control industry and indicated their strong internal position and their strength to achieve all the demands of their target market. But it also showed the things that needed to improve in the company and how it affects the company's competitive position in the market. The recommended strategies that were evident on the matrices for Regal Pest Control are Market Penetration, Market Development, and Product Development. Under these strategies are the action plan needed to improve Regal Pest Control. In the Market Penetration, the action plans needed are Creating an official website, Hire influencers or celebrities, Partnerships with local TV Networks, and Loyalty Card Reward System. Under the Market Development Strategies; New store branches outside Metro Manila and Online reservations and delivery of products. Lastly, the strategies needed under Product Development are Hiring pest control professionals, Investing in new technology, Feedback System, and Partnership with International chemical suppliers.

In using these strategies, Regal Pest Control will strengthen its strengths, take advantage of the opportunities, improve its weaknesses, and avoid future threats that may negatively impact the company. This will be a way for Regal Pest Control to establish its identity and make a solid competitive position in the pest control industry.

II. INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

a. COMPANY PROFILE

ADDRESS

50 San Roque Street Barangka Ilaya, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

PHONE NUMBER

63 (2) 534-6350

BRANCHES:

18 Mintcor Townhouse, West Service Road, South Super Hi-way, Cupang, Muntinlupa

50 San Roque Street, Barangka Ilaya, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Regal Pest Control Co. is a family-owned and operated business that has been in the industry since 1988. The company was established and managed by the former President of Pest Exterminators Association of the Philippines (PEAP) from 1995-1996, Atty. Silverio R. Garing on April 4, 1988, with a total number of 22 employees. Since then, the company was categorized as a Certified Pesticide Applicator/Exterminator. It is a Filipino company, adequately incorporated as a partnership and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, existing under and under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. With over thirty (30) years of experience in the pest control industry, Regal Pest Control is a company that guarantees all the customers their well-developed strategies in ensuring that the customers will receive the best pest control experience.

Over the years, the company developed pest control services that will help eradicate wide-range pest issues in our homes and our office. It is not surprising that our homes are often infected by pests, especially that we are living in a tropical rainforest country. According to Vail et al. (2020), lighting, warm air, rain, and food all attract pests. They seek refuge and safety in dim cavities in floors or enclosed spaces. Many different insects are considered pests in our household, but the most common is called “bugs.” Some of these pests, such as termites, necessitate the use of specialized equipment and expertise to add vast quantities of insecticides to any possible entry points into our household or building.

Regal Pest Control, with the help of its partners like multinational firm’s suppliers and distributors of environment-friendly chemicals for Pest and Termite Control Services, the company developed new technology such as Baiting systems, Fogging Method, Misting Method, Rat Disposal Service, Garden Pest Control, Rat Abatement Maintenance Programme and General Pest Abatement Maintenance Programme for Non-Structural Pest. For Structural Pest, Regal Pest Control provides Termite Proofing Works, Soil Poisoning, Cement Drilling Method, Wood Drenching, Termite Mound Demolition, and Termite Abatement Maintenance Programme, etc. The Regal Pest Control team has gained not only experience but also the prestige of supplying consumers with the widest variety of facilities and products.

OBJECTIVES

According to Michigan Government (n.d.), objectives are specific, time-bound, measurable acts that contribute to the achievement of a company. A company has an advantage if they have their objective clear and precise. This will ensure a clear path towards their success. Setting objectives makes it easy to evaluate a company's results. If objectives are reached, it may be stated that the company did its strategies effectively.

Regal Pest Control's objective is to establish a company that would provide work ethics characterized by honesty, sincerity, and dedication to duty. The company aims to provide a reliable and trustworthy service to the client.

Short-Term Objectives

- To hire capable employees that are willing to learn and grow in the company

- To acquire prominent clients to expand business

- Develop new techniques to enhance service and production

Long-Term Objectives

- Purchase new machineries to increase production

- To expand to other parts of the Philippines by creating more store branches

- Investing in the employees to lessen employee turnovers

b. COMPANY VISION AND MISSION

VISION

To achieve the highest level of Customer Service towards the full satisfaction of our clients and to create a working environment that will promote productivity among themselves.

MISSION

A company that will provide at all times to the General Clientele with reliable, honest, professional and quality service.

c. CORPORATE OFFICERS

GENERAL MANAGER

Silverio R. Garing

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER

Rebecca G. Garing

TREASURER

Vistoria Garing

BOOK KEEPER

Jackelyn Serrano

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Ronaldo Fontanilla

Froilan Cravalho

SECRETARY

Lyra Luz Garing

SERVICE FOREMAN

Edwin Bulanadi

BRANCH MANAGER/ATTENDANT

Frederick Garing

MAIN BRANCH

Address: 50 San Roque Street, Barangka Ilaya, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines

EXTERNAL BRANCH

Address: 18 Mintcor Townhouse, West Service Road, South Super Hi-way, Cupang, Muntinlupa

d. PRODUCT LINE AND SERVICES

Pests navigate their way into our households regardless of how meticulous we are about our household chores. Some of these pests cause severe damage to foods, clothes, rugs, and wooden furniture, while others transmit diseases. According to Cranshaw (2011), arthropods that inadvertently invade buildings are among the most common residential/structural pest scenarios, referred to as "nuisance invaders." Pests, such as cockroaches, flies, rats, and other insects, can be a real danger in our homes and company. Pest management in the home is essential all year. Any insect infestations, such as termites, will almost often necessitate the assistance of a reputable pest control operator (Hantsbarger, 1981). That is the reason why hiring a pest control operator is the easiest way to eradicate and minimize the negative effect of these pests. Below you can see the different products and services that Regal Pest Control treatment company provides.

PRODUCTS

Pest and Termite Control Chemicals and Equipment

Probuild

A termiticide is a synthetic version of a flower’s pyrethrum, which exterminates every species of subterranean and dry wood termites through contact and stomach action to restrain them from returning to structures.

Hometrek

A termiticide protects against subterranean termites by forming a liquid barrier that remains in the soil for at least five years.

Optigard Ant Gel

A non-repellent termiticide used for controlling subterranean termites is applied before and after the construction of structures.

Maxxthor Termiticide

It prevents and controls subterranean termite infestations in and around structures. It forms a barrier that will prevent the termites from entering the structure.

Termitrol

It aims to address the root cause of the problem; thus, its target is to eliminate the termite colony. Termitrol is a special kind of termiticide that is non-repellent and has a delayed mode of lethal action which means when termites have contact with the poison, they will not immediately die. Consequently, it enables the poison to be passed on to other termites resulting in the extermination of the whole colony.

Devron

A termiticide injected into the soil creates a constant chemical barrier that blocks termites’ entry points in the structure and terminates termites.

Stedfast

A termiticide that contains alpha-cypermethrin is environment friendly. It is a long-lasting termite control solution that deals with termite infestations and protects structures from future or potential infestations.

Solignum

It is a wood preservative that serves as a safeguard against termites like wood borers and fungi.

Cislin EC

A spray that treats wood surfaces and flushes pests’ residuals.

Resigen

It is a space spray for pests such as mosquitoes, flies, and cockroaches. The solution can be diluted with diesel or kerosine if it will be used outdoors. If it is for indoor treatment, it should be diluted with water.

Solfac

It contains Cyfluthrin which is ideal for treating cockroach, housefly, and mosquito infestation. It can also prevent Malaria.

Crackdown Residual Insecticide AU

It is a general insecticide to control various insects like carpet beetle, silverfish, flea, flies, bird mites, and cockroaches.

Veneers

It is a stone veneer insect repellent. Stone Veneers are very durable. Therefore, they can prevent the entrance of pests into a structure.

Outlook

It is an herbicide that protects crops such as cornfields, cotton, garlic, dry beans, and many more.

Optigard Termite Liquid

It is a bait that attracts ants, and when ingested and shared by ants to the colony, it will lead to complete control.

Solfac WP

It is used as an indoor residual spray for the control of mosquitoes which prevents dengue, malaria, and other diseases carried by mosquitoes.

Novim

It is an insecticide that targets the nervous system of pests. Insects’ exposure to Novim will cause hyper excitation and tremors in their nerves which leads to paralysis and death.

Pervade

It is an insecticide that is lethal to pests. When exposed to this insecticide, pests will experience hyper excitation and tremors in their nerves which leads to convulsions, paralysis, and death.

Deluge

It is one of the most common insecticides that is very effective in controlling household pests such as cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, ants, etc.

Pesguard

A spray that has the ability to control both flying and crawling pests such as bed bugs, cockroaches, houseflies, mosquitoes, and beetles.

Responsar

It contains beta Cyfluthrin which is able to control insect pests such as houseflies, cockroaches, and mosquitoes.

Vakem

It is a fumigant that is effective in controlling household, public health, and stored product insects such as aphids, caterpillars, thrips, and flies.

Dichlorvos

It is an insecticide that is used to eliminate household and agricultural pests.

Vapona

An insecticide for cattle and livestock premises as it is able to control parasites such as mosquitoes, horse flies, face flies, stable flies, and houseflies.

Racumin Paste

It is a rodenticide that is effective in controlling rodents or rats and mice.

Storm

It is a rodenticide that is very effective in controlling rodents as it is able to kill or eliminate rats.

Icon

It is an environment friendly and non-carcinogenic insecticide that is highly effective in controlling cockroaches, flies, and mosquitoes.

Bosny Rat Glue

It is an adhesive trap to catch rats when they wander across its surface.

· Klerat Wax Block

It is a single feed bait for rodents that is easy to use.

SERVICES

NON-STRUCTURAL ACCOUNT

· General Pest Abatement Maintenance Program (GPAMP)

Designed for the control of cockroaches, mosquitoes, bugs, flies, and other flying and crawling insects that transmit more than 35 communicable diseases to man. The treatment is done by spraying, misting, or brushing.

· Rat Abatement Maintenance Program (RAMP)

Usually placed the rat bait in strategic areas that are safe to humans and where rats normally roam around.

· Fogging Method (FM)

Using a fine pesticide spray (aerosol) which is directed by a blower.

· Misting Method (MM)

Allowing the pesticides to stay suspended in air to kill all flying insects. It will be conducted for external areas including drainages and canal.

· Garden Pest Control (GPC)

Remove mealybugs from plants with strong sprays of water or swabbing with alcohol-dipped cotton swabs.

· Rat Disposal Service (RDS)

Remove dead rats by placing animals in tightly sealed containers for proper disposal and by the use of traps or poisons.

STRUCTURAL ACCOUNT

TERMITE PROOFING WORKS (Under Construction Project)

a) Phase I - Soil Poisoning

By applying 4 liters of the strong chemical called Termiticide solution per square meter of slab foundation. Spraying must be prepared when the foundation bed has remained completed and ready for pouring of concrete.

b) Phase II - Treatment of the building skeletal Framework

It is stated to control pests in or near a structure. Its favorable conditions will make the build-up of pest populations less heavy and leaves a perfectly cleaned skeleton in a small pile.

c) Phase III - Final Treatment

It is important to not clean immediately, Pest control treatments are usually personalized based on your requests. So, you will be told when you can clean again and if there are any areas you should not rinse. Do not do a deep cleaning for at least a week.

TERMITE CONTROL SERVICES

· Soil Poisoning (SP)

Involves treating the soil around your house with a termite insecticide, such as imidacloprid. Woods can also be treated directly if termites are inside. Termite baits are strategically placed around your yard to lure termites in.

· Cement Drilling Method (CDM)

Drilling concrete slabs and injecting chemicals is one of the ways to protect a property from termites. Holes are often drilled around a perimeter to ensure a complete chemical barrier.

· Wood Drenching (WD)

Chemical treatment of the fill material prior to pouring a concrete slab protects wood in the building from termite attack.

· Termite Mound Demolition (TMD)

Search for these termite mounds, destroy them and thoroughly treat the surrounding. This is done by trenching, spraying or injection methods.

· Borer (Bukbok) Abatement Maintenance Program (BAMP)

Proper waste disposal process and sanitation to reduce infestation and use of the correct treatment, chemicals to get rid of wood borers for individual circumstances.

· EXTERRA Termite Interception and Baiting System

Some bait stations are installed below ground out in the yard, while others are placed within the structure in the vicinity of active termite mud tubes.

e. INTERNAL FACTOR EVALUATION MATRIX

According to David and David (2017), this strategy-formulation method outlines and analyses the key strengths and weaknesses in a company's functional areas and provides a foundation for defining and assessing relationships between those areas. The table below shows the strengths and weaknesses of the company Regal Pest Control and how it affects the company's internal structure.

Legend

Rating:

4 - Major Strength 3 - Minor Strength 2 - Minor Weakness 1 - Major Weakness

Internal Factor Evaluation Analysis

In relation to the purpose of the IFE Matrix, the table shows that Regal Pest Control has the two most essential factors in line with their business: Contract completion on time and Financial Stability. It only shows that the Regal Pest Control has an excellent internal structure. On the other hand, the company is also experiencing some weaknesses like lack of company website and lack of modern advertisement mode. It is essential to update and have enough information on their website to allow their customers to know what they can offer and what is new about their services. If this is not handled well, this may be a problem for the company because they may be out of date and will not keep pace with their competitors.

Overall, the Regal Pest Control receives a score of 2.68. Based on IFE Matrix, Regal Pest Control weighted above average, meaning the company has a good standing and a solid internal position. Nevertheless, this also shows that there is still much room for improvement to enhance and fully operate without shortcomings.

III. EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT

Market Position

Since Regal Pest Control is a company that is still finding its way to the competitive market of the pest control business, the basis for the market position that will be used is according to the estimated net income of Regal Pest Control and its competitors.

Company Net Income

Regal Pest Control ₱ 400,168

ENTECH Philippines ₱ 680,560

TermaxPro Pest Control Services ₱ 756,845

Competitors:

ENTECH Philippines

ENTECH Philippines is a Total Care System provider that provides clients with practical and long-term strategies to achieve and preserve clean, sanitary, and healthy environments. Integrated Pest Management (General Pest Management, Termite Management, Other Pests), Professional Cleaning (Disinfecting, Deep Cleaning, Furniture Cleaning), and Environmental Solutions are among the high-quality facilities (Entech Philippines, 2021).

TermaxPro Pest Control Services

TermaxPro Pest Control Services has focused on being a customer-friendly business that provides safe and dependable care. The company is there to provide service and satisfy the strict demands of new commercial enterprises and homeowners. Many of their pest controllers have received extensive training through certified PEAP (Pest Exterminators Association of the Philippines) workshops (TermaxPro Pest Control, 2021).

a. PORTER’S MODEL

According to Bruijil (2018), Porter's Model is built on the principle that a corporate approach can counter opportunities and threats in the organization's external environment. A strategic approach should be based on a thorough understanding of market structures and how they adjust. It is a method for analysing the level of competition in a market and developing competitive strategies.

Porter’s Framework Analysis

Regal Pest Control is already thirty (30) years in service and continues to maintain the pest-free status to where they provide their service and is now competing with ENTECH Philippines and TermaxPro Pest Control Services, which has only a few years in service, but a lot of people knows their company name and patronizing their service.

The business Regal Pest Control is bound to have the threat of new entrants, which are the Dexterminator Pest Control Services, Mapecon, and Pest-Ex Pest Control Services Metro Manila that would challenge their business. Since technology has been changing from time to time, there is a need to scale up within the company to keep abreast with the time, and it is not hard for other companies to come up with the same line of business.

The one who supplies the pest control companies or services is the chemical distributors in the Philippines, which provides chemicals to each pest control company to be used for cleaning and washing out the pests that dwell in areas and facilities.

The substitute products for Regal Pest Control or any pest control services that use chemicals as an active ingredient to kill pests are agricultural netting and cultural control, which is risk-free and has no adverse consequences.

The target market of Regal Pest Control is the sub-urban and urban people in which maintaining clean and safe facilities and areas are their priority, especially that there are a lot of buildings, offices, and restaurants present in the area.

b. EXTERNAL FACTOR EVALUATION MATRIX

An External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix enables strategists to compile and analyse financial, societal, cultural, demographic, environmental, political, governmental, legal, and competitive details that will help the company know if their strategies successfully capitalize on emerging opportunities while minimizing the possible negative impacts of external threats (David & David, 2017).

Legend

Rating:

4 - Major Strength 3 - Minor Strength 2 - Minor Weakness 1 - Major Weakness

External Factor Evaluation Analysis

In accordance with the purpose of the EFE, Regal Pest Control showed the opportunities and threats present in the company. Based on the table above, Regal Pest Control earned a cumulative weighted score of 2.65 on the EFE Matrix. The EFE Matrix is focused on an overview of the general climate and these external conditions that impact the sector to determine new opportunities and threats for Regal Pest Control. According to the weighted ratings, the company's response has a significant impact on its existing opportunities and threats in the pest control sector.

There is a series of opportunities like increased demand for Pest Control Services, new agreements that will deal them better pricing of services, and decreased taxes in the external factor matrix. In the threats section, we will see the new competitors who would either be in the same line of business, predicted natural disasters that may lessen the demand for their services, and new laws in this ever-changing time that will require them to have a change in framework.

c. COMPETITIVE PROFILE MATRIX

According to Bhattacharjee and Dey (2015), the Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) is an analytical method that offers competitive edge information focused on key performance factors and acts as the foundation for an organization's strategy. It also enables the firm's owners to compare their firm to main competitors by using crucial performance factors.

Legend

Rating:

4 - Major Strength 3 - Minor Strength 2 - Minor Weakness 1 - Major Weakness

Competitive Profile Matrix Analysis

In relation to the primary purpose of CPM, which is to know the company's competitive advantage, Regal Pest Control compared to the two (2) present competitors where you can see and evaluate from the table above. Regal Pest Control received a weighted score of 2.96 based on the CPM matrix, while Entech Philippines received a weighted score of 3.67 and TermaxPro Pest Control Services received a weighted score of 3.69. About the fact that TermaxPro Pest Control Services has the highest weighted average, some of its variables have varying ratings and weights.

To keep up in the future, Regal Pest Control should improve their competitive edge and make additional changes for variables that have poor ratings, allocating additional advertisements and investments, especially in advertising, reliable work, and customer loyalty.

d. KEY EXTERNAL FACTOR

Key External Factors

Political

Political factor is the extent wherein the government can intervene or influence the economy, thereby influencing the industry. This is evident during the global pandemic where they had the call which businesses would be open or not. There will be scenarios where the pest industry will be affected, especially with the rules and regulations imposed by the current and future administration. There will be possible problems in the political arrangements in place to deal with growing tensions throughout the transition of power in a post-election period, resulting in an election-related violence that may affect the industry (Alihodžić & Burcher, 2013).

Economic

This is how economic conditions may affect the supply and demand of the industry, therefore, affecting the company. These may also depend on the services which are deemed necessary nowadays. In line with the economy, the activities that are performed are somehow the ones that are in demand. Now that we are in the middle of the pandemic, the economy of the Philippines is deteriorating. In fact, in 2020, the Philippines experienced its highest unemployment and the most significant drop in GDP in history (Lim, 2020). All of the businesses, including the pest industry, were severely affected because of the economic drop in the Philippines. This shows how the economy can affect the business, especially if the world is dealing with a pandemic.

Social

With the social factor, this is how the customer expectations and desires are reflected in changes in the socio-cultural business environment. According to Masovic (2018), culture and society are not actively involved in business activities; they do play an important role in influencing how well the company is handled, on which products are manufactured, and how and by what methods these will be marketed to the development of administrative and organizational practices. A company examines the socio-economic context of a given industry's market in order to fully understand how the consumer needs and wants are formed and what drives them to the store to make a purchase. This just shows how society has a significant impact on the company's products, especially that Regal Pest is a company that produces products. Adults often purchase the pest control industry's products, the reason why Regal Pest Control should examine and come up with strategies that could reach all ages, not just adults.

Technological

Technology has the potential to carry out the company's advantages and opportunities. It strengthened the market and industry by developing new products and services, establishing new markets, and increasing company efficiency. Most businesses or companies have a working technology to reach out to the consumers, deliver goods, and provide high-quality services. Consumers can shop for goods and services without leaving their homes. It is much easier to provide online reservations for pest industry products and services with the aid of technology, particularly now that we are in the midst of a pandemic.

Environmental

Environmental aspects are elements of an organization's activities, products, or services that can interact with the environment (Ganguly, n.d). Environmental factors include climate change, availability of non-renewable goods, and eco-friendliness of the products that affect the company's operations or customer demand. It may also affect the consumers' health. For the Regal Pest Control, these may include the chemicals used to perform the job and affect the said company. Many chemical products are hazardous for the company and consumers. There should be strategies to minimize the effects and broaden the options to provide more environmentally-friendly products.

Legal

It comes with the requirements needed in a particular territory or laws to perform the business and may differ from one territory to another, which needs to be considered when businesses are opened. The pandemic has indeed compelled nations all over the world to impose unparalleled lockdowns, forcing companies to close for long periods and imposing restrictions in our daily lives to mitigate and possibly minimize the effect of the pandemic in the Philippines. This is the best example of how legal actions affect the business because everyone is required to follow government restrictions, especially if it is connected to the business.

IV. STRATEGY FORMULATION

a. BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP MATRIX

The BCG Matrix is designed by Bruce D. Henderson of the Boston Consulting Group, a private management consulting firm specializing in strategic planning (Boston Consulting Group, n.d). This matrix serves as an aid for companies or organizations in analysing their business units or product lines which are also called divisions. The BCG Matrix graphically presents the differences among the product lines in terms of their relative market share position and industry growth rate, consequently allowing the organizations to manage their business portfolios in order to formulate suitable strategies for each division (David & David, 2017).

The relative market share is on the graph's x-axis, and the industry growth rate is on the y-axis of the graph. The matrix consists of four quadrants: The Question Marks or Quadrant I, Stars or Quadrant II, Cash Cows or Quadrant III, and Dogs or Quadrant IV. The units situated on the Question Marks Quadrant have a low relative market share, but they compete in a high-growth industry. The units on the Stars Quadrant have a high relative market share and a high industry growth rate which means they represent the companies' best opportunities for growth and profitability. The divisions on the Cash Cows Quadrant have a high relative market share but compete in a low growth industry. Lastly, the divisions on the Dogs Quadrants are weak because they have low relative market share and compete in a slow or no market growth industry (David & David, 2017).

The Regal Pest Control Company divisions are listed in the table above and their revenues and profits. The first division is the Termite Control Services; the second division is the Pest and Termite Control Chemicals and Equipment; the third is the Non-Structural Account and the Structural Account. In the External Assessment, the market position and the net income of Regal Pest Control and its competitors were recorded. With that data, the relative market share was calculated by dividing the profit percentage by the competitor with the highest market share. According to Grand View Research, the industry growth of Pest Control Services is approximately 5%, while the industry growth of Pest Control Products is approximately 4%.

The figure below is the BCG Matrix of Regal Pest Control Company:

Boston Consulting Group Matrix Analysis

Based on the figure above, Division 1 or the Termite Control Services are situated in the stars quadrant because it has the coordinates of (0.85,5). This means that the company may adopt strategies such as forward, backward, or horizontal integration, market penetration, market development, and product development. Next, the second division is the Pest Control Products; though the industry growth rate is not as high as the industry growth rate of pest control services, it is still located at the stars quadrant with division 1. The same set of strategies can be adopted for this division. There are no divisions on the dog's quadrant, which is suitable for the company. Lastly, divisions 3 and 4 or the non-structural account and structural account are both on the question marks quadrant because they have the same relative market share and industry growth rate. Strategies for the divisions in this quadrant would be market penetration, market development, product development, or divestiture.

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theyearoftheking · 4 years

Text

Book 3: The Shining

“This inhuman place makes human monsters...”

Here’s a confession: much like Jack Torrance, I find something romantic about the idea of spending the winter shut in at an old hotel up in the snowy mountains. I think about how much more reading and writing I’d get done without an internet connection keeping me tethered to my phone. Creativity would be at an all-time high: I could easily crank out a novel over the course of a few months! I’d even try my hand at snowshoeing, something I’ve been threatening to do for years (weak ankles, yo). I’d cook all our meals from scratch using the huge industrial kitchen. My family would have so much bonding time... what a gift!

But then I remember the great polar vortex of 2019, and how my daughter and I were trapped inside the house for almost a week straight while temperatures were a balmy -50 degrees. And I remember how badly I wanted sushi, or a trip to Starbucks, or adult conversation of any kind, really. The romanticism of a snowed-in weekend faded reaaaaal fast. I guess I’m not cut out to spend an entire winter in an abandoned hotel. Much less a haunted one.

This was at least my third reading of The Shining, and this might be a controversial statement; but I believe it’s King’s most culturally referenced work. Few of his popular texts (with the exception of It) are as popular as The Shining. My husband’s uncle refers to the time he spends in his cabin up north every winter as, “The Shining time.” A friend of mine insists on putting her daughters in matching dresses and every time I see them, I think, “Damn. That’s some Shining twins shit right there.” Writers note: I know... the twins are specific to The Shining movie and not the book. But as much as King wants to hate on Kubrick’s vision, the two are entangled. More on that later. How many people take a pilgrimage to the Stanley Hotel every year just to see Room 237 (if you’re a movie fan), or room 217 (if you’re a book fan)? And who hasn’t made movies like this of their daughter and best friend in matching dresses?

Oh, just me?

Ok.

The plot of the novel is simple: Jack Torrance is a recovering alcoholic who recently lost his position teaching at a prep school because of a black-out rage incident with a student. A friend on the board of the prep school hooks him up with a cushy job as a groundskeeper at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado.

The book version of Jack Torrance is complex. He’s an alcoholic who does bad things when he drinks (breaking his kid’s arm, maybe, possibly hitting a kid on a bike during a drunken joyride); but he wants to be better. Like most alcoholics (and children of alcoholics), he has whitewashed memories that are a little darker when you look at them in the hangover light of day. For example, he has fun memories of his dad putting an old beehive in his room when he was a kid. Real memory: his dad was drunk and started a beehive on fire in front of him when he was a kid. Alcohol faded memory: his dad was super fun, and a great role-model for what husbands and fathers should be like. Reality: he was a horribly violent alcoholic who beat his wife with a cane. The novel is a slow decent into Jack’s madness, and his eventually turning into his father... just crazier.

Jack’s wife Wendy is skeptical of a lot of things, including Jack’s sobriety, whether or not it’s still a good idea to be married to him, and whether or not they should spend the winter at the Overlook. Spoiler: it’s a bad idea, girl. Stay home and send your husband up to the haunted hotel. He’s got a decent life insurance policy, you and little Danny will be fine.

Oh, Danny Torrance... Danny has a bit of “the shine”: also known as clairvoyance. He can pick up on Wendy’s moods, he can find things hidden in the house, he can straight up read your mind, and he has an imaginary friend, Tony, who shows him all kinds of alarming things.

Like... roque mallets hitting hotel walls???

But despite these hesitations, the Torrance family loads up their VW Beetle and heads up to the Overlook. As they’re settling in, Danny meets Dick Hallorann; who also has a bit of “the shine”. He tells Danny if shit goes sideways, call for him as loud as he can. And he tells him to stay far away from room 217. Bad juju and all.

At first, things seem great up at the ‘ole Overlook. Lots of fresh air, lots of family time, and Jack is getting plenty of writing done. But the darkness starts creeping in. The topiary animals start moving around. Jack starts spending more time in the basement of the hotel, looking through old pictures and ledgers. And Danny wanders inside room 217, where he’s strangled by a naked bathtub ghost. This puts Danny into a catatonic state, and Wendy is convinced they need to get the hell out of there. The hotel is whispering dark things into Jack’s ear, and he becomes convinced Wendy and Danny are plotting against him, and he needs to protect the hotel. So, he breaks the CB radio, and dismantles their snowmobile: their only form of transportation away from the Overlook.

Cool.

Cool, cool, cool.

Danny senses Jack is on the brink of madness and yells for Dick to come save them. Jack attends a cocktail party with some deviant ghosts who over-serve him, Dick struggles to get to the hotel, Wendy barricades her and Danny inside their hotel room to keep them away from Jack and his roque mallet, and Jack ends up getting a few good cracks in with his mallet, before eventually falling into Danny’s mind trap, and blowing up the Overlook, while Dick, Wendy, and Danny drive away.

Happy, happy!

Throughout the book, King makes creepy references to Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Mask of the Red Death”. He uses the expression, “unmask!” about a hundred times. It sent a shiver down my spine every damn time. Poe is still the OG of scary shit. You know he’s scary when the current reigning King (ha! no pun intended) of horror still references him.

King must have really been going through a Shirley Jackson phase, because he drops another The Haunting of Hill House reference. But most important of all, there is a Wisconsin reference as well.

“Some undergraduate poet who was now selling washers in Wausau...”

Makes me wonder if King has ever been to Wausau. Because washers are not a main industry there. But whatevs. I’m living for these references.

There’s a 2001 revised introduction to the novel where King speaks to the creative tensions between him and Stanley Kubrick: “My single conversation with the late Stanley Kubrick, about six months before he commenced filming his version of The Shining, suggested that it was this quality about the story that appealed to him: What exactly, is impelling Jack Torrance toward murder in the winter-isolated rooms and hallways of the Overlook Hotel? Is it undead people, or undead memories? Mr. Kubrick and I came to different conclusions (I always thought there were malevolent ghosts in the Overlook, driving Jack to the precipice), but perhaps those different conclusions are, in fact, the same...”

Yeah. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the movie. Everyone knows King hates Kubrick’s version of the movie, blah-blah-blah. But like it or not, the two are forever entangled. I couldn’t read this book without picturing Jack Nicholson’s crazy eyes, or Scatman Crothers earnest conversations with Danny. And the cinematography... the initial scenes of the little car driving up the mountain roads to sudden doom... or the low slung cameras following Danny on his bike around the hallways of the Overlook... so well done.

I’m not a Kubrick fan. I know... fight me... you date a college stoner who convinces you there’s genius in Barry Lyndon and makes you watch it 15 times... THERE’S NO GENIUS! That movie is just boring as hell. But I do appreciate what he did for the Shining; just as much as I enjoyed re-reading the book on a cold week in January.

In summation:

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 5

Dark Tower References: 2

Book Grade: A-

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books:

The Shining

‘Salem’s Lot

Carrie

Next up is Night Shift. I’m notoriously not a fan of short stories, I love digging into a long, detailed novel instead. And while I’ve read some of King’s more recent collections of short stories, I’m curious to see what his first collection is like.

Until next time- long days and pleasant nights, readers!

Rebecca

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