English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 70

English - Essay Example ual living under the rule of Allah should behave, it can most certainly be understood that religion plays extraordinarily powerful role in defining the person I am and how I interact with others within society. Another powerful mechanism through which my own personal culture is defined has to do with the way in which I was raised. My father and my mother have always placed great deal of emphasis upon personal responsibility and the way in which I have made my own choices. Whereas many parents insist upon making each and every choice for their son/daughter, my parents instead focused upon an approach that the decision-making power mainly in my own hands. As a result of this, my own personal culture is one that is defined by a great deal of independence. Instead of looking to others and seeking out the way in which a particular situation can be resolved for a particular question can be answered, my own personal culture is one that places a great deal of trust and expectation in the belief that my instilled the virtues and problem-solving abilities will be able to tackle even the most difficult questions. It should not be understood that personal culture is something that is without change. Instead, there are many aspects of my personal culture that I am currently at work on as a means of improving them. For instance, I have recently become aware of the fact that I tend not to listen to individuals as much as I should. As a result of this inability or lack of concern, many people think that by merely dismiss the information that they might be providing me and choose to promote my own point of view first and foremost. This particular shortcoming is most likely the result of the fact that I grew up in a relatively large family and had to actively compete for attention and understanding with older siblings and/or my parents. However, in recognizing this shortcoming of personal culture, and seeking to address it, I hope to improve upon it in the very near

Studio Art Essay Example for Free

Studio Art Essay Graffiti originated in New York in the late 1970s. It started off with locals writing their names on walls and subway train just for fame. Before and after that though there were other types of graffiti such as political statements. Graffiti these days is mostly tagging which is the act of marking a surface with a quick scrawl, stencils are common in the city and large aerosol pieces are usually found alongside train lines. The main issue dealing with graffiti these days is how to prevent it. At the same time there are parties that argue we need graffiti and it is an important form of art. Most people trying to prevent graffiti are usually only against the art being produced illegally, that is on private property without permission of the owner. The main argument against graffiti is that it is mainly tagging and it has no brains behind it all. None of it has any meaning. It is so called art that is only for the hip-hop community. The tags make everything look disgusting because it is messy and unreadable. It gives the impression that the councils do not care. It costs around $200,000 a year to remove from walls and public transport, this money could be better spent. Graffiti is a crime and attracts more crime and gangs. Owners that have had their property vandilised by graffiti artists would want to move some where else. Graffiti on shop windows is bad business. There have been a range of ideas presented to support graffiti in a good way and prevent it from occurring illegally. Ideas already in practice are ? Designating high tolerance zones in lanes in Melbourne CBD (Central Business District), such as Hosier Lane. The purpose of high tolerance zones is to keep graffiti on the streets and not remove it. Artists will be attracted to use the lane to exhibit their art instead of commercial and public buildings. ?Legal murals have been encouraged by councils. This aims keep people interested in the graffiti style of art but on a legal level. ?Exhibitions are held frequently at places such as Kent Street Cafes Early Space and the Meatmarket that show graffiti related art work and art done by present and former graffiti artist. Artwork on exhibition is hardly ever tagging, but other forms of graffiti such a stencils, stickers, posters and aerosol pieces. This is aiming to move graffiti art from a street level to a professional level that can be used in the art industry. Councils aim to remove fresh graffiti from public transport within 24 hours. This aims to lower vandals moral and send the message that what they do will not stay so there is no point in doing it. Debates on whether or not graffiti is an actual art and what to do to prevent arise in newspapers. In articles such as Graffiti Crimes from The Age (Melbourne) magazine and Graffiti Plan Ridiculous from the MX paper the writers have very aggressive and unfriendly tones. In Graffiti Plan Ridiculous the writer is actually attacking a writer of a previous letter that suggested everyone entering the CBD must show ID and proof of address. The idea goes with out saying that is ridiculous. There was really no need to lunch an attack just for suggesting it. This shows that tempers are wearing thin on the issue and it is creating a lot of hostility. The article A Display Of Culture by Renae Payne shows the contention of graffiti artists that consider the art as an important part of youth and hip-hop culture. All the artists are in favor of getting legal support from councils. PERSONAL OPINION ? James Borg I think that graffiti is an art, always has been and always will be. The same can be argued about Marcel Duchamps Urinal as it is not a traditional form of art and can be seen as an insult. If a urinal or scribble on a wall can be art then any thing can be art. Something becomes art when it is taken out of context. In the case of graffiti, in all its forms, text and images that are made to be contained on paper and private places are put onto public surfaces. Just because I think graffiti is a form of art does not mean it is not ugly. I think some art in galleries can be very ugly, just because I dont like the look of it doesnt mean everyone does not like it. I have very high expectations of graffiti art. The placement of graffiti art is crucial. The high-tolerance zones are a good idea because all the good art is concentrated in one spot, any one can add their own work to it and no one gets in trouble. Legal murals everywhere are the best because the graffiti does not have to be secluded to a small lane and it encourages more legal murals. Legal murals hardly get vandalised. Illegal graffiti in certain areas definitely destroys the area in a lot of ways. If a wall gets crowded with graffiti it will attract more graffiti, some times of much lower quality. Some times better artists will add their work. Either way the public do not want to see it. I can not say I would like or not. If it were just tags I wouldnt, depends on what it looks like. Fences that run parallel with train lines are constantly being graffitied. Artists want their work on these walls because people hundreds of people catch the train everyday and see their work. If these walls were legalised the amount of illegal graffiti would probably be reduced by more than half. There are a lot of already legal walls on the train line and most of the time artists ask the owner if their wall can be painted. This should be encouraged. I like the whole style of the graffiti pieces and the elements used. I am not concerned about trying to get illegal graffiti recognised as a professional art form in the industry. Graffiti was meant to be illegal, thats the whole point of it. Illegal work will never be appreciated totally by critics because there are too many negatives. Art works in galleries that are based on graffiti might look good but technically it is not graffiti. I will support it as long as it stays creative. I have pretty much grown out of liking graffiti anyway because it is all the same really. I realised that it does more harm than good and it has lost its meaning, even though it started off putting a name up for fame. Stencil art is good but a lot of it lacks skill and originality. The only way illegal graffiti artists will get properly recognised is by doing legal work.

Medical Miracles On The Horizon :: essays research papers

Medical Miracles on the Horizon The world and its inhabitants will face a multitude of problems in the 21st Century, including drug addiction, deadly disease, violent crime, warfare and hostility, hunger, and homelessness to name a few. All of these critical issues have been present to some extent in the 20th Century and, left unsolved, will continue to plague society and mankind as we enter the new millennium. As we rapidly approach the next era, new issues of equal or even greater importance for mankind will almost certainly arise. I personally envision health issues, concerns related directly to medicine, as the central, most critical and comprehensive problem facing leaders of the 21st Century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my opinion, physicians and others associated with the medical profession will participate in one of the most vital and urgent roles entering into the new era. This is one of the reasons that I intend to pursue a career in the medical field after I graduate from The University of Tennessee. Of all occupations in the next millennium, medicine will be perhaps the most important and influential in combating the problems of mankind and in solving them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   People in the field of medicine will continue, as they have in this century, to address and participate in almost all concerns. For example, methadone is currently being used as a therapeutic intervention for some drug addictions. In addition, various medications are now being given in the treatment of criminals, like anti-psychotic drugs to curb aggressive or violent behavior in schizophrenics. A new and improved group of antidepressants is also being used to treat and reduce the growing rate of suicide in all ages of our society. Because a very high percentage of homeless people suffer from psychological problems and/or drug addictions, doctors may also eventually play a larger role in prescribing medication for these individuals. Concerning warfare that may be present into the 21st Century, the medical community will be required to detect and treat a variety of injuries and illnesses, just as they have had to decipher and work on patients who fell victim to the Gulf War Syndrome. Any future wars may have even more insidious side-effects due to the use of lethal chemicals. Cures have been found for many illnesses, such as polio, smallpox, and various childhood diseases in the present century, but other health concerns are manifesting rapidly. One of the most important task doctors and research scientists may face is to fight new strains of deadly diseases in the coming years. Outbreaks of eboli and the emergence of diseases that are drug-resistant to antibiotics threaten the survival of mankind.

Han China vs. Imperial Rome

Han China vs. Imperial Rome After a brief brush of decentralization and the experience of inclusive centralization, China evolved into its most extensive and influential period: Han China. Imperial Rome used the more traditional Republic methods to also grow to be one of the most influential and powerful empires of the classical world. While China differed with Rome on the roots of change and therefore their approach to governing, the want to expand and centralize government could only be achieved through similar paths of trade and domination.Han China chose the middle path between the two diverse methods of government and pursued the policies of administrative centralization and imperial expansion. In contrast, Imperial Rome centralized political and military power which coincided with the preservation of traditional republican offices and form of government. The Han government believed that the network of political alliances in the Zhou Dynasty caused chaos between states, but the tightly woven Qin dynasty diminished the reason for imperial family members the sustain the empire.Han China was preferably divided into administrative districts that were governed by officials. These officials reached the emperor’s expectations, but allowed his authority over them while the bureaucrats implied his policies. Although, original forms of governing were adjusted in both places; the military responded directly to the emperor or ruler to avoid the problems caused by generals commanding personal armies. Imperial Rome progressed, from a previous dictatorship, by fashioning a centralized political government and unifying military power.Imperial Rome, in comparison to Han china, handled governmental functions with more concern. The Roman Emperor accrued copious amounts of power for himself and took complete responsibility during these times. Both Imperial governments expanded their empire while maintaining an imperial government. As well as, incorporated conquered cit izens into their empire’s culture and society; Rome conquered distant lands and integrated them into the Roman Empire, and Han China dominated nearby countries such as Vietnam and Korea and orbited them into the society of the Han.Both imperial governments knew that with the expansion of their empire would come with the benefits of new trade routes. When Roman soldiers charged into less occupied areas, such as Spain, Germany and Britain, they brought with them the ideas of developing local economies and states. A problem occurred with the expansion of the Han Dynasty though, due to high taxes poor harvests and burdens of debt many landowners were forced the sell their land and often enough themselves.As smaller farmers began to fall, large estates grew and social tensions were stressed, creating more problems as well as a higher chance of social immobility in the Han society. Even though Han China was developing expansion and centralization as a new frontier for the Chinese d ynasties, while Rome was just centralizing military and political power based on traditional republican values, both empires had to progress in the same fashion. Once the broad goals have an effective path, the empires can diverge to become unique and more specialized in political power.

First Principles Of Economics Essay

Trade offs are the costs and benefits obtained by taking a particular decision. Trade off analysis provide with the best decision to implement when comparing different activities. Each activity undertaken by an individual has costs and benefits. But the amount of costs and benefits differ and it is the discretion of an individual to determine the best activity to undertake (Krugmanwells, 2008). A trade off involves foregoing one activity which has more costs and pursuing another activity with higher benefits. In real life experience, a manufacturer may decide to install a new machine with higher production efficiency. As such, a cost will be incurred to establish the new system but the benefits of installing new machines supersede the costs. Opportunity costs refer to the forgone opportunity to undertake a particular activity. Since resources are scarce, a person must sacrifice some opportunities so as to pursue other activities (Krugmanwells, 2008). For example, a farmer has many opportunities to grow different crops in his/her farm. However, only one crop can be grown at a particular season. He/she will be forced to grow a particular crop instead of another. Opportunity cost reflects the true value of producing a particular commodity since it represents the lost opportunities. Marginal analysis provides a person with the appropriate decision about how much of a commodity to produce relative to another. Margin is the amount of one commodity that must be sacrificed to produce another (Krugmanwells, 2008). In the example of a farmer, he may decide to grow different crops on a portion of land such that there are different crops in the farm. But the farmer must decide how much to grow of a particular crop variety. This will be determined by the conditions surrounding the farmer. Market equilibrium is a situation where both buyers and sellers have agreed. There is no individual buyer or seller at a better position. Both parties are satisfied by the commodities and prices at the market place. At equilibrium, there are no opportunities that remain for the individuals to make themselves better than others in the market environment. The buyers and sellers are satisfied by the market conditions since buyers feel that the commodities satisfy their needs at particular prices while the sellers feel that the price meets the value of their products. Market equilibrium exists only when there are no government interventions. A free market situation is the most effective system since the forces of supply and demand dictate the prices of commodities as well as determining the quantity demanded and supplied (krugmanwells, 2008). Source: Author From the above diagram, the equilibrium shows intersection between supply and demand. Market equilibrium shows the quantity of a commodity that the sellers are willing to supply at a given price. It also provides information about the quantity of commodities that buyers are willing to buy at a particular price. Government intervenes when market efficiency is not achieved. As the market factors interact, they improve the welfare of the people involved by creating systems which satisfy both sellers and buyers. Market inefficiencies occur when one party benefits more at the expense of the other party. The government intervenes to provide equality and restore market equilibrium. Unintended consequences are the unexpected effects of individual actions in the market. As buyers and sellers interact in the market, they may unintentionally conduct some activities which affect others. An example of unintended consequences is pollution. Reference Krugmanwells (2008). First principles of Economics. worthpublishers

Free Essays on Mass Transit

Since the early 1900’s the master plan of mass transit has been fumbled throughout the greater Los Angeles area. According to Robert P. Sechler, â€Å"People have been talking about and planning rapid transit in the Los Angeles region for more than seventy-five years. In that span of time, twenty or so proposals have been generated†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sechler organized an overview of these twenty proposals into seven, sometimes overlapping "eras," and by focusing attention on the most important plans, it is possible to lead one rather quickly through a meaningful overview of what was, until a short time ago, Los Angeles’s greatest non-success story† (Sechler 1). These seven era’s: Private Capital, Grand Design, Intermodal Sketch Planning, Autopia, Futurism, The Second Coming of Grand Design, and Alternatives Analysis give us a brief history on the infamous demise of the mass transit in the city of angles. In today’s society rail rapid transit is an immense public expense. Prior to this modern expense in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s rapid transit lines were privately financed. â€Å"During this first era, "the era of private capital", Los Angeles itself came tantalizingly close to acquiring rapid transit at no cost to taxpayers† (Sechler 1†). During this time the southern pacific railroad purchased a trolley system called the Los Angeles Pacific Company. The company planned high-speed bypasses through Hollywood to downtown. This project started in 1907 but was short lived. Due to the financial panic of 1907 funds for this project were cut off and construction was shut down forever. â€Å"Thereafter, private financing of rapid transit was more the exception than the rule, although electric railways remained a booming business for many years to come† (Sechler 1). Four years later, â€Å"the great merger† took place bringing about the fusion of several trolley companies. These mergers dawned the birth of the famous â€Å"red... Free Essays on Mass Transit Free Essays on Mass Transit Since the early 1900’s the master plan of mass transit has been fumbled throughout the greater Los Angeles area. According to Robert P. Sechler, â€Å"People have been talking about and planning rapid transit in the Los Angeles region for more than seventy-five years. In that span of time, twenty or so proposals have been generated†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sechler organized an overview of these twenty proposals into seven, sometimes overlapping "eras," and by focusing attention on the most important plans, it is possible to lead one rather quickly through a meaningful overview of what was, until a short time ago, Los Angeles’s greatest non-success story† (Sechler 1). These seven era’s: Private Capital, Grand Design, Intermodal Sketch Planning, Autopia, Futurism, The Second Coming of Grand Design, and Alternatives Analysis give us a brief history on the infamous demise of the mass transit in the city of angles. In today’s society rail rapid transit is an immense public expense. Prior to this modern expense in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s rapid transit lines were privately financed. â€Å"During this first era, "the era of private capital", Los Angeles itself came tantalizingly close to acquiring rapid transit at no cost to taxpayers† (Sechler 1†). During this time the southern pacific railroad purchased a trolley system called the Los Angeles Pacific Company. The company planned high-speed bypasses through Hollywood to downtown. This project started in 1907 but was short lived. Due to the financial panic of 1907 funds for this project were cut off and construction was shut down forever. â€Å"Thereafter, private financing of rapid transit was more the exception than the rule, although electric railways remained a booming business for many years to come† (Sechler 1). Four years later, â€Å"the great merger† took place bringing about the fusion of several trolley companies. These mergers dawned the birth of the famous â€Å"red...

Golda Meir Quotes - Prime Minister of Israel

Golda Meir Quotes - Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir, born in Kiev, Russia, became the fourth prime minister of Israel. Golda Meir and her husband emigrated from the United States to Palestine, as Zionists. When Israel won independence, Golda Meir was the only woman appointed to the first cabinet. Golda Meir had retired from public life when she was called on to lead the Labor Party. Golda Meir became prime minister when the party prevailed, serving from 1969 to 1974. Selected Golda Meir Quotations At work, you think of the children youve left at home. At home, you think of the work youve left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself, your heart is rent.I can honestly say that I was never affected by the question of the success of an undertaking. If I felt it was the right thing to do, I was for it regardless of the possible outcome.We have always said that in our war with the Arabs we had a secret weapon - no alternative. 1969The Egyptians could run to Egypt, the Syrians into Syria. The only place we could run was into the sea, and before we did that we might as well fight. 1969It is true we have won all our wars, but we have paid for them. We dont want victories anymore.It’s no accident many accuse me of conducting public affairs with my heart instead of my head. Well, what if I do? †¦ Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either. ​1973Let me tell you something that we Israelis have ag ainst Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil! 1973 We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you dont be. 1974A leader who doesnt hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.I never did anything alone. Whatever was accomplished in this country was accomplished collectively. 1977Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.Dont be so humble, you arent that great.

Make the Most of Your Tactile Learning Style

Make the Most of Your Tactile Learning Style According to some educational theorists, there are as many as nine different types of intelligence and multiple styles of learning. Tactile or kinesthetic learners are those who learn through experiencing and doing things. How Tactile Learners Learn Tactile learners like to experience the world and act out events. To remember a phone number, tactile learners may remember the pattern of their fingers as they  press the numbers on a phone or keypad. Tactile learners can remember complicated directions once theyve acted them out. Look over these traits to see if they sound familiar to you. You may be a tactile learner if you are someone who: Is good at sportsCan’t sit still for longIs not great at spellingDoes not have great handwritingLikes science labStudies with loud music onLikes adventure books, moviesLikes role-playingTakes breaks when studyingBuilds modelsIs involved in martial arts or danceIs fidgety during lectures Challenges for Tactile Learners Because tactile learners learn best through movement, they may become bored more quickly than other students while listening to a class lecture. They may also find it difficult to focus on long lectures, write extended essays, or read for extended periods of time. Study Tips for Tactile Learners An active study is good for every student. But it is especially important for the tactile learner to use active study strategies when preparing for a school exam. Tactile learners need to be actively involved as they receive and process new information. Kinesthetic learners can benefit from: Studying in short blocks of timeRole-playingTaking lab classesTaking field trips or visiting museumsStudying with othersUsing memory gamesUsing flashcards to memorizeUsing a smart pen for taking notes. A smartpen records audio content that takes place while the student is taking notes. That means that students can go back to review class notes and listen to any lecture that took place as the student recorded notes.Acting out the topics, stories, and subjects they study. For example, activities like reacting to the past enable students to immerse themselves in the topics and experience subjects they study.   Tactile learners may choose to use the Journey Method for memorizing new information (mentally placing concepts in a location). Learning games and group activities are good tactics for the tactile learner. The more active this student can be during study time, the more information that study is likely to retain. When preparing for an exam of any type, the tactile learner should practice writing a test essay (make up your own essay questions). Write the first essay using the textbook as a guide, then practice the essay several times in preparation for test day. Opportunities for Tactile Learners Certain types of classes are likely to appeal to tactile learners. For example, tactile learners will thrive in the sciences that include a lab experience. They are also likely to do well in classes that combine hands-on and conceptual learning such as: Culinary artsHome economicsEarly childhood developmentTheater or other performing artsVisual arts (sculpture, for example)Engineering If you are a tactile learner in a high school or college setting, consider choosing electives or a major that makes the most of your strengths.

Group project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Group project - Essay Example However, Google was able to perform a higher business transformation than Yahoo in the last decade. Transformation is about developing strategies, which are designed to create a â€Å"forward thinking† business that keeps in touch with emerging technologies, consumer needs, and creates goals for the future. Such a process involves devising specific company’s staff, programs and policies which aid in the achievement of those goals. Google is considered a transformed e-business. Yahoo provides the same products and resources. However, it is not considered a transformed e-business mainly because it has not achieved an understanding of consumer trends and has not been able to incorporate consumer trends into their goals and strategies (Mills, 2007). The process of transformation that Google has orchestrated for its company is explained in this study. Google grew steadily since its inception in 1998 and made many improvements to its search engine, such as the Google Directory, Search through Wireless Devices, several language versions for those users who preferred to search in their own language, and Google Toolbar. These enhancements propelled Google to become the most popular search engine. At the same time, Google increased its revenue stream through a carefully devised â€Å"Keyword Targeted Advertising program,† and partnership deals with the world’s largest portals, like China’s NetEase and Japan’s BIGLOBE. Another device to attract small businesses was the AdWords program (â€Å"Google Corporate History,† 2007). At the end of 2000, Google was attracting more than 100 million search queries every day. Google continued with its partnerships and innovation to widen its user base. By the end of 2001, and Google had become a profitable company. Google’s search capacity has been evolving every year and it now includes the File Type search, Google Image Search, and Google Catalog Search. It also provides a Google Search

Australian contract law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Australian contract law - Research Paper Example Subsequently however, Big Oil Ltd transferred its ownership to an associated company, Best Oil Ltd, in which it has 40% interest and the Portland Council reacted by withdrawing the 50% concession earlier agreed. The issue here is whether or not the Council of Portland is bound by the agreement between Big Oil Ltd and the Victorian Government with respect to the prerogative of Big Oil Ltd to transfer its ownership to another company in which it has at least 40% interest. Under the law, only the parties to a contract have the right to enforce its terms and be conferred a right or be obligated under it.1 This is referred to as the principle of the privity of contracts, which was first established in Australia in the case of Tweedle v Atkinson.2 A strict application of this doctrine in the herein case would mean that Best Oil Ltd cannot enforce the 50% rating concession as against the Council considering that it was not a party to the contract between Big Oil Ltd and the Council of Portland. It is with respect to that contract only a third party. Nonetheless, the doctrine of privity is not a cut-and-dried rule the way recent cases have allowed exceptions to it. In Trident General Insurance Co Ltd v McNiece Bros Pty Ltd, 3 for example, the High Court allowed a third party in an insurance contract to claim against the insurer, but this is because a corresponding provision in the insurance law specifically grants this right.45 However, the privity doctrine is still enforced in the Australian legal jurisdiction and it is not clear under what particular exception Best Oil Co can invoke it. Best Oil’s argument is that it has a right to the 50% rating concession by reason of an implied term because of the stipulation under the contract with the Victorian Government allowing it to transfer its interest to a company in which it has at least 40% interest in. On the other hand, the Portland Council also invoked implied term in terminating

Leadership and Change (Love) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership and Change (Love) - Essay Example Kotter (1996) proposes eight steps of management, which can be significantly essential in managing change. As Kotter demonstrates, the first step entails creating urgency. In this step, leaders develop urgency on why the organization needs change. Managers should identify probable threats and predict what might happen in the future. Therefore, this step focuses on identifying opportunities that can be exploited. Kotter argues that more than 75% of the organization’s management should buy into the new proposed change. Dubrin (2008) notes that the second step involve forming a powerful coalition; leaders should convince employees the necessity for change. Therefore, a team or a coalition of influential people should be brought together to succeed in leading change. The third step comprises of creating a vision for change; a clear vision helps members of the organization understand why they should embrace change. Thus, developing values centered to change and strategy for achievi ng the vision is particularly crucial in this step. The fourth to effective change management involves communicating the vision (Kotter, 1996). The vision should be communicated strongly and frequently. Based on this, the vision should be applied to all aspects of organizational operations from reviews on training to performance. The fifth step entails removing obstacles to achieve the proposed change. Thus, leaders should overcome people and structures, which resist change (Beerel, 2009). According to Kotter (1996 p 104), the sixth step involves creating short term wins; success motivates people. When the change process starts, leaders should give the company an experience of victory. Leaders should not choose early targets that may be expensive. Targets have to justify the investments in all the projects undertaken. Therefore, it would be crucial to analyze the pros and cons of the targets. Building on the change is the seventh step; leaders should analyze what succeeded and what needs to be changed. Additionally, they should set goals and targets to attain in the future. Ideas should be kept fresh by involving new leaders and change agents for the coalition. In this step, managers recognize the successes and failures, which they have made. This helps them make the necessary improvements in the organization. The eighth step entails anchoring the changes in corporate culture. Change has to become part of the organization’s core; it should be incorporated in all aspects. To Kotter, leaders should address progress and experiences of success. Thus, Leaders should place emphasis on change values and ideals in hiring and training staff. All members of the organization should take part so that no one feels left out in the change process. Kotter notes that a people driven and people oriented approach can be good while implementing change. Careful planning and building proper foundation also improves the chances of success in management (Nanus, 1998). The Kilp atrick Model Kilpatrick has proposed five key principles of effective change management. First, the change program should gain support from key decision makers within the organization. Secondly, planning should be conducted before implementing the projects (Kilpatrick, 1998). The third principle entails measurement; leaders state the objectives of the

Research methods psychology Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research methods psychology - Lab Report Example Although exercises promise vast number of health benefits, addiction may disturb the natural flow of life and create health problems. Scientists suggest chemical compounds such as endogenous opioids and catecholamines produced during strenuous exercise are responsible for auto addiction (Adams & Kirkby, 2002). Some researchers believe exercise addiction is a result of psychological condition related with body image and composition. Anorectic or bulimic individual may develop exercise addiction to reduce their body weight instead of vomiting. People in special professions such as long distance athletes, models, dancers etc., in which the thinness is much appreciated, are more vulnerable for exercise addiction (Cumella, 2005). Since exercises are highly encouraged for healthy living and commonly accepted by the society addiction cannot be identified easily (Cox & Orford, 2004) In our society males and females have opposite views on their body image. Thinness is preferred by most of the females while masculinity is preferred by most of males. Therefore both genders engage in exercises to obtain their desired body image in addition to health benefits. Like some other psychological conditions addiction to exercise may have a gender specific tendency. However research evidence are lacking in this area. Therefore it is important to identify any gender difference in exercise addiction. Apparently healthy 100 males and 100 females who are regular members of a gym and between 20 to 30 years of age are selected randomly from the membership registry. Members who are athletes and who have medical conditions (heart disease, pregnancy, hypertension etc.) which limit the exercises and who are known to have any psychological disorders are excluded. Questionnaire: consisted of personal details such as age, occupation etc. and several psychological questions to identify exercise addiction. These questions have a marking scale and according to the final score and the

Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Marketing - Assignment Example Most of the products fail because of unattractive features, exceptional high price, wrong segmentation, positioning, targeting, inappropriate promotional strategies, lack of top management support, lack of relevance in the market etc. Whereas main reasons behind the success of a product include excellent product features, value for money, proper marketing strategies, full support from top management etc. There are number of stages involved in the development of a new product. These are idea generation, idea Screening, concept development and testing, marketing strategy and financial analysis, product development, test marketing, commercialization. Each of these stages is discussed below. The entire process of new product development starts from idea generation stage. New ideas might be generated from companys internal employees, customers, suppliers, distributors and even from competitors. In this stage concept of the chosen idea is developed and it is tested in the sample customers. Any further modification in the product features are done on the basis of the responses from these customers. Marketing strategies would include strategies on 4 Ps (product, price, place and promotion), segmentation, targeting, positioning and sales. Financial analysis would involve analysis of total cost of production, sales, and distribution. Financial analysis would also involve the analysis of required profit margin based on which the price will be

Long-run Determinants of Exchange Rates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Long-run Determinants of Exchange Rates - Essay Example There are several factors that are responsible in determining exchange rate in any country. Exchange rates show the value of a country's currency through which it can buy other country's currencies. Every country needs stable foreign exchange rate to trade freely. Exchange rate may get affected through various things. There are two regimes with respect to exchange rate which can either be fixed or flexible. In fixed exchange rate regimes, the currency rates do not move freely. However, in flexible exchange rate system, the currency rates are affected by a number of variables prevailing in an economy. The macroeconomic factors that affect exchange rates are variable by nature and thus play a great role in determining exchange rates. Governments and Central Banks especially utilize these macroeconomic factors to maintain a desired level of exchange rate in the economy. These macroeconomic factors may lead to great fluctuations in exchange rates both in short and long run. The factors t hat determine exchange rate in the long run include imports/exports, monetary shocks, inflation, demand/supply pressures, foreign reserves, economic productivity and government spending etc. The study of factors determining exchange rate in the long run is important so as to understand the reasons for which the currency rates appreciate or depreciate. This paper shed light on the factors determining exchange rates in the long run and evaluates these exchange rate determinants. It elaborates and gives comprehensive understanding of factors that can cause the value of a currency to fluctuate. DETERMINANTS OF EXCHANGE RATE IN LONG RUN Exchange rates greatly signify a country's overall economic position and trading prospects. These rates depict a country's position in terms of its currency's price with respect to that of the other. These are mainly the rates at which currencies could be bought and sold. Exchanges rates have a great impact on other economic variables of a country such as money supply, trade growth, imports, exports and interest rates etc. In the same vein, there are several factors that cause fluctuations in a currency's exchange rates. These determinants of foreign exchange rates may be external or internal and tend to play a great role in causing changes to currency rates. Some of these factors either take place in the short run while several cause exchange rate fluctuations in the long run. The rest of the paper elaborates and evaluates the various determinants of currency exchange rate in the long run. Exports and Imports Countries having fewer imports and more exports usually have high exchange rates. In the same fashion, countries having a lower tendency to export and have imports tend to have trade deficits. Current account surplus and deficit play a significant role in determining exchange rate of a particular country. The elements form crucial elements of a country's GDP. Balance of payment in the receipt side shows the trade surplus and thus puts the positive impacts on exchange rate while the balance of payment in the payment side reflects the trade deficit or loss which puts the negative impact on exchange

Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Marketing - Assignment Example Most of the products fail because of unattractive features, exceptional high price, wrong segmentation, positioning, targeting, inappropriate promotional strategies, lack of top management support, lack of relevance in the market etc. Whereas main reasons behind the success of a product include excellent product features, value for money, proper marketing strategies, full support from top management etc. There are number of stages involved in the development of a new product. These are idea generation, idea Screening, concept development and testing, marketing strategy and financial analysis, product development, test marketing, commercialization. Each of these stages is discussed below. The entire process of new product development starts from idea generation stage. New ideas might be generated from companys internal employees, customers, suppliers, distributors and even from competitors. In this stage concept of the chosen idea is developed and it is tested in the sample customers. Any further modification in the product features are done on the basis of the responses from these customers. Marketing strategies would include strategies on 4 Ps (product, price, place and promotion), segmentation, targeting, positioning and sales. Financial analysis would involve analysis of total cost of production, sales, and distribution. Financial analysis would also involve the analysis of required profit margin based on which the price will be

Business Analysis of Energy Drink Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Analysis of Energy Drink - Essay Example As for the customers who will purchase this product, they would include the teenagers who are the residents of metropolitan areas. These would comprise of the SEC A and B classes who would have parental incomes above US$5,000 on an annual scale. The company believes in delivering state of the art energy drinks to its customers which essentially suggest the goodwill that the energy drink company has believed in ever since its inception. The leadership style at the company has focused on satisfying the market and the consumers and delivering quality rather than just mere words. Quality is backed up with quantity by making sure that the product is available at all the retail outlets. The leadership style is thus surely one which will help develop and sustain the business for a long period of time. It will help build solid rapport with the partners and channel members at the different levels, which include the distributors, wholesalers, retailers and so on and so forth. The market right now is quite attractive for the energy drink market and I believe it is the right time to hit the market with our product as it offers a different taste and aroma surrounding it. Market is on the rise and I am sure with the passage of a little time, my brand would also hit the retail outlets just like all the other popular brands have already done. The survey that we did before launching the energy drink consisted of both the primary research data as well as the secondary one. Primary data included the matter related with asking questions from the people in a random order. The sample consisted of around 250 men and women combined. The secondary data was collected from A C Nielsen, the marketing research concern. The questions that were asked included the following: 1. Do you drink energy drinks' 2. What is one thing that you like about energy drinks' 3. Would you go for an expensive energy drink or one that costs less and gives more in terms of benefits like rich taste, aroma and a sense of attachment with it' 4. Would you go for Aloha Energy Drink if we give it to you for X dollars' Product The product itself is the Aloha Energy Drink which is available within the market at a reasonable rate. It is one of the most sought after energy drinks that will be there in the market and offers a niche segment of its own. Its competitors will understand that Aloha Energy Drink is a name to reckon with, in the relevant market domains and thus Aloha would come out as a winner at the end of the day. Place There are a few managers at the retail and sales level who are concerned with delivering the product to the stores and outlets. We have the sales manager as well as the advertising manager. Then we have the marketing manager who is above both of them and takes care of all the marketing related things for the brand. The total employees are close to a thousand

The Masque of the Red Death Essay Example for Free

The Masque of the Red Death Essay Examine the ways in which Poe creates a successful allegory in The Masque of The Red Death. The short story, The Masque of The Red Death is written by an American called Edgar Allan Poe. He was a gothic writer1850s. This particular story is about Prince Prospero, a prince of a devastated country. Almost everyone there is dying from a disease known as the Red death so he tries to hide from it in his castle thinking he is safe. He uses effective symbolism creating a successful allegory in his short story. The main character in The Masque of The Red Death is a Prince called Prospero. Prince Prospero is shown like a selfish person as he was happy and dauntless while the Red Death has devastated his country. However, it does make him seem powerful and well protected as he, has managed to escape from the Red Death, for the moment. He seems to be a very wealthy prince as his castle consists of seven imperial suites and long and straight rooms. Deeper into the story, he seems slightly more humane but still heartless as he invites only a select group to stay in his castle with him. The heartless thing about that is he only invited a few people and it was for his entertainment, not for their own safety. He leaves everyone else to die, hopelessly. Eventually the Red Death does get to him and I think that the author did this to pass on a message to us. I think that Poes message is that, no matter how rich you are or how bold you are, you cant escape death, just like Prospero. He might also be against poverty and wants equality and wants the gap between the poor and rich to close in. In his days, the Victorian times, the gap between the rich and poor was very wide. The name Prospero sounds similar to the word Prosperous, which is what he is. The rooms show Prince Prosperos wealth, as he has sevenimperial suites. However they are not ordinary suites, his suits, unlike anywhere else, form a long and straight vista which shows uniqueness in his palace. Just owning a castle shows great wealth and to be able to serve one hundred people, like Prospero shows great wealth. There are seven consecutive suites, so if you want to go to the seventh suite, you need to go through all of the ones in front and there is only one door leading from the each suite to the next. After each suite, there is a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards. They seem mysterious and also secretive as you cant fully see into the next room. The fact that you can anything you want there would seem appalling to Victorians. They all followed strict rules and manners. The rooms range in colour from blue to Black. Each room has a different colour scheme but the colours get darker as guests go through. The main thing the rooms symbolise is the journey of life with death, the black room at the end. Another piece of evidence, apart from the colours of the room, is that the rooms go from East to West. This is the journey of the sun. without the sun, there is no life, therefore the black room represents death. The black room is ghastly..and extreme with its blood-tinted panes which makes it seem as there has been death there many times before. In this chamber only the colors in the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. It seems as if he is purposely trying to distinguish this room from the others. The black room is so dark and deep in that there were few people even bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all There is a gigantic clock of ebony which everyone is terrified off. The ebony clock is situated against the western wall of the black room. Towards the end of the story, we find that the last room which is the black room, is directly linked to death as, one by one, everyone dies within it. The clock and flames held in tripods also seems to be linked to death as they all stopped after the death of the last person. The guests and Prince Prospero couldnt see death coming until the last minute, the same way they couldnt see couldnt see all the rooms from the first room. Death came suddenly and unexpectedly which shows that when it comes to death, everyone is equally vulnerable and defenceless. The Masqued Ball is another way Poe Creates an allegory. The wearing of the masks symbolises them hiding from the Red Death disease. As everyone is masqued and dressed up, this would create an unsocial and almost a wild image for the Victorians. Victorians believed in strict rules and people from different backgrounds were hugely stereotyped. If the people are hidden, then they can get away by acting however they want to and do whatever they want. Just this thought would shock them. The guests seemed to be very much enjoy the freedom at the ball and not being themselves as the occasion is described as a magnificent revel. The entire evening, the Red Death seems forgotten and the guests are being really entertained. The only time they do pause their party is when the black ebony clock chimes. This clearly shows their fear towards it. The chime of the clock is said to echo through all the rooms which shows their emptiness which could mean that even the prince himself doesnt go in there because he too is frightened of the last few suites. The mystery guest scares everyone and is described as he looks like he is actually suffering from the disease when his face is said to look like scarlet horror and he is dabbled with blood. Everyone was scared to question the mystery guest, including Prospero as he shuddered and hoarsely ordered to seize him. The mystery guest enters at midnight which is associated with violence and death but it also symbolises the finish of a day and the start of a new day and new life. The mystery character in the ball is revealed to be the Red Death. It moves with a slow and solemn movement which isnt surprising because the Red Death will kill everyone anyway so it doesnt need to rush. Diseases like the Red were around in the Victorian times so the number of deaths from the disease wouldnt surprise them. Tuberculosis was around then and it infected over 75% of the US population which is enormous amount of people. The ending clearly showed that no matter how powerful you are, like Prospero, you are weak when you face death as Prospero died. Therefore Poes message could be that everyone should have equal rights and wealth. It also showed that death is something that comes but you cannot fight it or stop it. Just like the black room you cannot see it coming. The guests tried catching the Red Death but the Red Death wasnt tangible so they simply couldnt touch it. The power of death is shown in the last paragraph at the end. At the end of the story, we are told that death comes like a thief in the night, and even those who seek peace and safetyshall not escape.

Analyzing Sacrifices Within Literature

Analyzing Sacrifices Within Literature One can survive everything nowadays, except death, and live down anything, except a good reputation. Oscar Wilde said, during the time of great Plague where many people are dying instantly and he intended that now a days people die but the people will never forget what it is to be living with the infection. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, death of the characters is also similar to a plague that spreads all across and eventually they pass away. Many human beings lose their lives each day as a result of their own self-centered wrong doing; there are others whose deaths are an end result of manipulation from the royalty. The authentic tragedy of Hamlet is not that of Hamlet or his own family but of Polonius family deaths because they sacrificed their lives and were the innocent who were involved in order to make justice for king Hamlet. Sacrifice might end suffering but, causes more pain to the others who cared and loved you. Once a child dies he/she might forget they existed in this world but, the parents of the children will be devastated by the pain that caused them for the rest of their lives and will remember them forever. Gandhis death was one of the heartbreaking histories in mankind. His work has been never forgotten, people still remember the pain he suffered to achieve the goal that he aimed for. Hamlets death not only caused the pain to his best friend but also changed the Fortinbras point of view on the war. He realized that not only there are soldiers in war but, also they are in everyday life and that they try anything and everything to help others or to succeed in their own goal. In hamlet the character Ophelia, she kills herself by drowning underwater. Ophelilas suicide devastated her brothers heart filled with so much sorrow and anger. Her death not only influenced his brother but also Hamlets mothe r Gertude because she wanted Ophelia to be her daughter in law as Gertrude says I hopd thou shouldst have been my Hamlets wife (5.1.233). Malcom X use to say Just because the heartbeat stop that doesnt mean that all memories and feelings for the dead would go away. Gandhis significance on sacrifice is The sacrifice which causes sorrow to the doer of the sacrifice is no sacrifice. Real sacrifice lightens the mind of the doer and gives him a sense of peace and joy. The Buddha gave up the pleasures of life because they had become painful to him. He said a sacrifice cannot be ended in sadness but it can be changed if the person receives peace from it. Innocent people died in Hamlet to give peace to King Hamlets ghost and to hamlet, so that he can make peace with his revenge. At the end of the play Hamlet knew he is going to die, this is obvious on several occasions where Hamlet illustrates to others that he just wanted to end his life of the treacheries. Sure, Hamlets actions throughout the play make him seem mad, but in reality, this madness was just a tactic of his in his plan to get revenge for his fathers wrongful death and justice. Contrary to accepted belief, the tragedy connected with Hamlet is not just about Hamlet or his own family. It is, however, about the sacrifices that the Polonius family has gave, whose deaths are not the result of any sins they omit but by their mortal manipulated by Hamlet and Claudius for explanations they are unaware of. Although the death of Polonius family stands out as being for the most part tragic, many other characters in the play are killed as well. In fact, the death of a character in Hamlet almost becomes commonplace near the end of the play. Perhaps Hamlet had never been taught killing out of anger was wrong, maybe he thought it was the punishment his Uncle deserved. Maybe the most important thing though is to be at peace with yourself, be happy with yourself, and with your actions. This above all: to thine own self be true (1.3.84), that is all that you can hope for from Hamlet; that he was above all else, true to himself.

Symbolic Analysis of Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay -- Alice Walker

Symbolic Analysis of Alice Walker's Everyday Use Alice Walker?s ?Everyday Uses (For Your Grandmother)? is a story about a woman?s struggle with the past and her inability and unwillingness to accept the future. The three main characters in the story are Dee, her younger sister Maggie, and their mother. The story is narrated by the mother in an almost reminiscent manner, and it is on her that the focus of the story centers. Her eldest daughter, Dee, is the first in her family to embrace modernization and to attempt to improve her way of life. Dee?s view of the world and her feelings about developing her own sovereign identity are foreign to Maggie and her mother. The mother has lived her whole life in a manner that Dee simply does not wish to live hers. The mother shows some recognition of this as the story opens and she describes her own life and childhood and compares those of her two girls. The daughters, then, represent to their mother opposing forces in regards to socioeconomic and educational standards of living. Through out her recollection of the story, the girls? mother learns to accept and even appreciate the fact that she and Maggie are resigned to living the only way they have ever known, while Dee has chosen to abandon that legacy and sees it only as a way of life to be honored, not lived. The author?s decision to narrate the story from a first-person point of view allows the reader to gain insight into the mother?s struggle that wouldn?t have been available otherwise. Throughout the beginning of the story, the mother describes both her views of herself and of her daughters. She sees Dee as being superior to both she and Maggie. Dee always gets what she wants, whether it be through her family... ...ally important in life. Dee will always want more. She will never experience the pure joy that Maggie and her mother now share in the knowledge that they may not be the richest or the brightest or the best looking folks, but they are satisfied with what they have. Before she leaves, Dee makes and assertion that is at least partly accurate. She tells Maggie that ?it?s really a new day for us?. She is correct. It is indeed a new day, but not for Dee and Maggie. They have already gone their separate ways. Instead, it is a new day for Maggie and her mother. They now share a love and understanding that they had not known prior to these events. They?ve found an everyday use for their grandmother by forming a bond of love that will hold their family and their heritage together for another generation, not unlike their grandmother was able to do with the pieces of a quilt.

Accounts: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and Assets Essay

Executive summary This report has been made to evaluate the financial performance of the Mountainarious sporting company for the owner to connect a meeting with the bank for future sanctioning loan. This report offers an assessment and investigation of the present and future profitability’ liquidity and financial stability of ltd. Procedures of study comprise trend of vertical and horizontal analysis as well as ratios such as debt, current and quick ratios. Remaining calculations includes rates of return on shareholders’ equity, total assets and earnings per share to name a few .All calculations have been shown in the appendices. Results of data analysed explains that the ratios are below industry averages .In particular, comparative performance is poor in the areas of profit margins, liquidity credit control and inventory management. This report finds the prospects of the company in its current position are not positive .The major areas of weakness require further investigation and chan ges by the management. See more: Experiment on polytropic process Essay INTRODUCTION Mountanarious Sporting Co. a well-reputed store owned by a sole-owner Steve Donne that has been a high-end specialty seller of branded, exclusive sporting goods and merchandise for the past 11 years. Steven Donnie had always been a fanatic in the field of sports. Donnie as an owner is well-versed in customer-service and product knowledge, expertise in setting his store according to the latest needs and had a great personality. The MSC has always been a popular store at Barron, Ontario and also with the local  sports community and organizations, local gyms coaches and running clubs by promoting the merchandise available in the store by Donnie. With the emergence of new stores like big-box retailers, specialty/boutique and online services the competition increased and hence soft goods were introduced to maintain profitability in the business. Customers frequented the store therefore, Donnie is keen for an expansion of the existing store which will be an exclusive merchandising for both sporting equipment and soft goods. Donnie wants to terminate the leased portion of the store to create a new store with a separate staff, headed by Donnie’s wife Allison who previously worked as part-time at his store and also possess some retail experience in hardware and flower shop. Body of Report â€Å" Financial Statement Analysis is an information processing system designed to provide data for decision making models, such as the portfolio selection model, bank lending decision models, and corporate financial management models.† (Dr. Jawaharlal,2009,p.536) Financial statement analysis or information are not used in a vacuum; there are the part of vast array of information available to investors , creditors, managers and others to assess the past performance, current position, growth prospects and also used by financial institutions or banks to make a sound loan or credit decision.( Trotman & Gibbins,2005) Here we are making a business report which evaluates the performance of Mountainarious Sporting Co. to take loan from Canadian Commercial Bank. With the given basic financial reports by the company we have used few methods of analysis which includes horizontal, vertical and trend analysis as well as ratios such as Debt, Current, Acid Test and Asset Turnover ratios. We also used other ratios such as Return of Total Assets, Return on Equity , net profit margin and so forth. Horizontal and vertical analysis The Financial Statement analyses how sales are increasing and whether the sales are reasonable for the company. The company’s sales and gross profit positively grew from the year 2003 to 2007 with a slight decrease of 15.6% in sales in the year 2005. The gross profit continuously increased with the introduction of soft goods in the store although the merchandise found in the store next door affected his sales considerably. Company’s gross profit was 28.73% of net-sales in 2003 and it increased by 3.12% of net sales in 2007 which is a sign of good financial health and company is able to pay its operating and other expenses and build for future. Operating expenses The company’s total operating expenses continuously raised at a slow rate from 2004-2007 except in 2005 which express company is not maintaining its expenses properly and its vertical analysis also shows operation expenses were highest that were 29.68 %of the total sales in 2006 comparatively other 3 years. Net income The company faced net loss instead of income in the year 2003 and 2004 due to the fire accident and the re-establishment of his store in the new location. Net Income hiked in 2005 and 2006 as Donnie introduced soft goods and promoted them with the local gyms and running clubs. There was a loss again in 2007 Net Income as the company required a new strategy to develop the sales of soft goods as there were strong competitors. The company faced Net Loss of 4.92% of the total sales in 2004 but it gained net income of 2.60% of the total assets in 2007. Here, the overall situation is that company is not so much profitable over the years. Retained earnings  company’s beginning retained earnings records fluctuations in all years,  after added net income and subtracted net loss it shows increasing trend from 2004 to 2007 which seems company reinvest its retained earning where it can creates growth opportunities.that is a positive sign for companies good financial health. Balance sheet Total current assets continuously move upward from 2005 to 2007. it was lowest in 2005 as there was superior competition in the market with the emergence of Big-Box Retailers, Speciality Stores and Online Sales and company needed more assets to fund day to day operations. After 2005 there is a slight increase in the TCA and a sharp increase visible in 2007 by 38%. In 2004 the TCA were 49.09% of the total assets and dropped to 47.50% of the total assets in 2007. The Net Fixed Assets reflects similarities in all the years whereas Total assets were raised from 2005 to 2007 which indicates the positive value of firm’s operations. The Net Fixed Assets were 43.12% of total assets in 2004 and 44.50% of total assets in 2007. The Total Current Liabilities increased in all the years and in 2005 there is a noticeable drop of 101.13% as the online sales increased. The introduction of the soft goods decreased the expenses as the company availed a good deal with better purchasing discounts and longer terms of payments in 2005. The TCL were 56.92% in 2004 and 36.45% in 2007 of the Total Liabilities and Equity of the company. The total long-term liabilities of the company increased due to the fire accident and the re-establishment of the new store in 2003. In 2005 the TLT Liabilities increased due to the shareholder’s loan. In 2007 the TLT Liabilities increased as the owner had taken loan from some family members which was unsecured loan. The TLT Liabilities were 30.50% in 2004 and 31.23% in 2007 of the Total Liabilities and Equity. The Total Liabilities and Equity increased in 2004, decreased in 2005 and gradually increased thereafter. Profitability Gross Profit Margin – The gross profit margin of the company witnesses a significant increment from 2004 to 2006. Predominantly, the Company’s Gross profit produced 26% in 2004 to 32.6% and 36.9% in 2005 and 2006 of net sales growth respectively. On the other hand this ratio experiences a visible fall in 2007 with 31.9%. Hence the situation of the company indicates a rise in cost of goods as there is unplanned purchase management. Net Profit Margin – The Net Profit Margin experiences a drastic fall in 2003 and 2004 i.e. -0.8% and -4.9% respectively and there was increment in the next two years 3.8% to 6.1%. This increasing ratio shows company has better control over its costs. However, in 2007 it again loosed its net profit due to the higher cost of goods sold which create negative image of company. As the Gross Profit Margin dropped so as the Net Profit Margin witnessed a fall. Return on Equity- Mountainarious Sporting Co.’s return on equity was increased in 2005 to 2006 by 34.2% and 40.7% respectively that is the indicator of how much profit company generates with the money shareholders invested. But in 2007 company generated only 15% on the shareholders’ investment which was 25.7% less than the previous year. Return on Average Assets- The return on assets was -8.11% in 2004 then it climbed continuously next two years from 5.7% in 2005 to 10.7% in 2006 which demonstrates that assets had made more benefits and company utilized its assets more effectively. Nonetheless, the company encountered a fall in 2007 to 4.7%. It seems company is not able to handle its assets in a planned manner. Liquidity Liquidity is a measure of the firm’s cash position and it keeps a company in business in the short run. Acid test/ quick ratio- This ratio indicates whether current liabilities could be paid without having to sell inventory. Generally acid test ratio of 1:1 is considered satisfactory as a firm can easily meet all current claims. But in Mountainarious Sporting Co’s case quick ratio from 2003 to 2007 is less than the standard ratio. It seems company would find it difficult to pay its current liabilities. Current ratio- the current ratio which measures the company’s ability to pay current liabilities from its current assets. Current ratio is greater than 1 ( current assets exceeds current liabilities) in all years from 2003 to 2007 but less than industry ratio that is 1.9 . In particularly, company’s current ratio is acceptable when it is more then industry ratio. Therefore, its working capital and financial position is not strong to lower the risk for creditors and owner Solvency Debt ratio- â€Å"The debt ratio tells the proportion of a business assets that it has financed with debt.† (Horngren, Charles T.,7th ed.) Mountainarious sporting co’s highest debt ratio was recorded 87.42% in 2004 which indicates in 2004 company faced more financial risks. Then it started to decline from 2005 to 2007 by 78.53% to 67.69%. It seems now company’s leverage goes downward and financial risk is also decline. Cash Debt Coverage Ratio – cash debt coverage ratio was -11.41% in 2003 while it increased to 26.35% in 2005 which reveals company’s better ability to carry total debts. Nonetheless it dropped to .035% till 2007 which means now company’s ability is not sound to cover total debts with its yearly cash flow from operations. Recommendations The following recommendations have been made in order to the performance of the Mountainarious sporting Co. Profitability: Mountainarious sporting Co. should review their pricing strategy and effectiveness of any advertising campaigns, including scaling back the level of advertising in the short run to minimise costs and improve profit margins. Stricter employment policies can also improve productivity and reduce employee absenteeism without any increase in costs. Efficiency: If labour productivity does not lead to the operation of idle assets, it would be wise for Mountainarious to sell all idle assets to free up cash whilst and from not sacrificing profits. Along with selling its idle assets, Mountainarious have to buy back excess shares from inventors. It should be noted that this decision would likely turn current investors away and encourage them to sell leading to as much larger than intended fall in equity. This could pose financing future investments. Liquidity: Adopting a ‘just in time’ approach for stocking shelves to reduce inventory costs and the risk of attaining unusable stock. A short term solution to free up cash flow would be to sell idle assets as discussed earlier, however  with less assets, revenue and profits are limited. Alternatively Mountainarious can choose to no longer offer store credit, however it must be noted that this conservative approach may limit sales and net profits. Tighten customer credit policies such that the maximum receivable settlement period is at least the duration of the shortest payable settlement period agreed to with suppliers. Solvency: Review product marketing strategy and pricing in order to achieve price premiums and boost sales and profits, reducing their reliance on debt for finance. Sell idle assets to free up cash flow and pay off a portion of current liabilities to improve attractiveness and solvency to a potential lender. Conclusion: From the above analysis horizontal and vertical, we can conclude that the companies performance as compare to the industries average is below par and the current ratio, quick ratio shows that the current assets are not managed properly which further deepen the problem of repayment of the liabilities, secondly there is no cash in flow from the financing activities as shown in cash flow analysis and more over the assets were increasing in 2007 but they were not utilized in the manner so as to maximize the profits. The sales over the five fiscal years were showing the increasing trends still the profits were not as it is expected reason being the cost of good sold is too high and the inventory level is also high of the company, thus to conclude as the company do not have the repayment potential as evident from the above ratios, hence it won’t be a wise decision to grant loan in the present scenario. References Dr. Jawahar Lal, P2009, Accounting Theory and Practice,Himalaya Publishing House PVT.LTD., Mumbai, India. Horngren, Charles T.,7th edition,Financial accounting, Pearson, Australia Ken Trotman & Michael Gibbins,3rd edition, Thomson, Australia.

Income Inequality

Currently there are many problems and flaws with the way the Canadian government’s policies deal with healthcare, income inequality and poverty. Time to time changes in policies have been made, perhaps to improve these issues, however, the gap between rich and poor keeps increasing and there is very little improvement in healthcare and the economy. In fact, healthcare keeps on becoming costly. Major issues like income inequality and poverty are not being taken care of by the government. According to Dr. Raphael (2002) poverty is caused by several reasons such as inequality in people’s income, weak social services and lack of other social supports (p. VI). He states, â€Å"Poverty directly harms the health of those with low incomes while income inequality affects the health of all Canadians through the weakening of social infrastructure and the destruction of social cohesion. †(Raphael, 2002, p. VI) Income inequality and poverty are interrelated with the way government structures policy decisions in its social and economic sphere (Raphael, 2002, p. VI). Dr. Raphael (2002) also claims that the health effects of poverty is strongly related to income inequality and poverty because societies that has high levels of poverty is bound to be economically unequal (p. 4). Canada’s government policies are inefficient in preventing income inequality and poverty. We do not get to see the whole picture as to how the Canadian government ignores and/or fails to provide services in all parts of Canada who requires improvement of healthcare, prevent income inequality and poverty. People who are living in urban areas are extensively lacking access to healthcare. The population in rural areas of Canada are lower than the population in urban areas. As a result, the government provides less healthcare in rural, northern and remote areas (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. III). I believe government is able to do this because people in cities knows less and/or cares less about people living in rural and remote areas. And perhaps government purposely ignores these people in rural areas. For decades aboriginal people living in these areas has been deprived of their rights whether it was healthcare, social assistance, jobs and access to daily needs and services. These aboriginal people often face issues such as poverty and occupational hazards (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. III). The reason these problems occur is because government policies are not implemented properly in these areas and the health care professionals in these areas are also not trained properly and there are less staff members workings at these rural areas (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. V). There are shortages of doctors and nurses. There is less community health services in these areas. Also these areas are purposely given less funding by government and private organizations (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. V). The reports are not being prepared accurately for these areas and government does not make enough efforts to evaluate these reports properly (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. V). Some of the major healthcare services are lacking, such as major trauma, mental health services, palliative care, aged care, dental health services and children with special needs. I n most areas these services are not offered and sometimes culturally and linguistically they are not available (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. V). This means that in many cases a patient has to travel a great distance in order to get these services and this means spending a great deal of money from their own pocket and if they do not have it, they have no choice but to receive no services or care (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. 25). Also women's healthcare is a significant issue in rural areas. They have difficulties with giving births as there are not enough medically trained doctors for deliveries in rural areas (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. 25). They often rely on family physicians and physicians trained in anaesthesiology to have deliveries done. Also there has been many closers of hospitals in these rural areas. As a result, now women too have to travel a great distance to have their deliveries done by a professional. Some women have to reach cities 1 month prior to their delivery and pay all their own expenses (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. 25) Because of all these hospital closures and reduced services now there are problems with surgical procedures and pharmacists. Most of the doctors and pharmacists does not stay long in these areas. They leave the community and return to cities (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. 26) Also these rural areas do not receive much care for alcohol problems and HIV/AIDS. These services are poorly served. Aboriginals are also not given proper education in how to prevent these diseases (Hay, Varga-Toth, Hines, 2006, p. 26). These are some major issues that government fails to address or as it seems they choose purposely to ignore because these issues has been going on for decades. The government should be a bit responsible with making better policies and taking expert advices constantly to improve the policies. That is why we pay high taxes and high price for goods and services, so that the government should be always on their toe and working hard to make sure we get better and efficient policies. Policies that would help reduce inequalities and poverty in Canada. There are problems in cities too regarding healthcare access. Access such as emergency services, diagnostic equipment and medical specialist are problematic (Soroka, 2007, p. 15). Wait times get longer and longer each year (Soroka, 2007, p. 5). For example, a 50 year old women would have to wait 6 months for her biopsy, a 65 year old man who needs hip replacement has to wait 6-12 months for the surgery (Soroka, 2007, p. 15). There are also delays and lack of service for home care for senior citizens and elderly mentally challenged people. According to author Soroka (2007) 87 percent Canadians claim t hat there is a great amount of lacking in the number of doctors and nurses (p. 16). This happens because government is failing to provide more money to hire more doctors and nurses (Soroka, 2007, p. 16). Yet, the government brings in many immigrant doctors and nurses based on their education who still can not find a job in Canada. So it seems that even when there is qualified doctors and nurses available, they government is failing or not investing enough amount of money to hire them. According to Green and Milligan (2007) the gap between Canada’s rich and poor has increased significantly from year 1980 to 2000 (p. 3). The study shows that rich and poor are heading in different directions at an extreme level where the top 1% earners and CEOs only getting richer while middle and the poor only gets poorer (Green & Milligan, 2007, P. ). As an example Green and Milligan (2007) shows that during 1980 to 2000 top 5% Canadian earners earned about $121,260 disposable income where as the bottom 5% families had only $3,104 as disposable income (p. 3). This means that the top earners had 39 times higher income bottom 5% earners (Green & Milligan, 2007, p. 3). The study suggests that the Canadian government’s used income tax policies in order to widen this gap of inequality between rich and poor (Green & Milligan, 2007, p. 4). Green and Milligan (2007) states, â€Å"In 2000, the top 10% of income earners had a disposable income of approximately $97,000. That’s 16 times more than the average of $5,900 earned by the bottom 10% of income earners. †(P. 7) While top earners income rose, the bottom earners income remained the same (Green & Milligan, 2007, p. 7). Also in a Globe & Mail newspaper article author Tavia Grant (2008) points out that an average earner in the year 2005 earned about $41,401 which is almost the same as an average earner 1980 who earned $41,348 (p. 2). Therefore, it is evident that the poor and less advantaged are being kept at the same level of income and resources, while expenses and prices of goods and services has always gone up. As a result, it is the middle and the poor class who suffers by paying the price unfairly, because their income never increase and also their income stayed at the same level for 20 years. According to Grant (2008) 11. 4 percent lives below low income which is considered a poverty line (p. 3). Also immigrants in Canada earn way less then a Canadian born worker. Statistics show that immigrant men earned 63 cents for each dollar a Canadian-born worker earns (Grant, 2008, p. 3). In general, women earn about 85 cents for every dollar men earn (Grant, 2008, p. 3). Lower income deprives basic needs of human life, it leads to depression and it also leads to poverty sometimes. According to Mikkonen & Raphael (2010) Canada’s richest neighbourhood’s residents on average, live four years more than the poorest neighbourhood (p. 12). Their study finds that the most deprived Canadians had 28% higher death rates than the least deprived Canadians. Also health issues are a major concern because the poor has far more health issues like heart attacks and diabetes (Mikkonen & Raphael, 2010, p. 12). They lack resource and information. The poorest neighbourhoods also have a much higher suicide rate (Mikkonen & Raphael, 2010, p. 12). Therefore, in Canada it is evident that income inequality is not being addressed by government policies, it is depriving and affecting the poor and the immigrants, and it is also making them vulnerable where it becomes really difficult to climb out of their situation. Sweden’s government has a different policy for income inequality and poverty. As author Palme (2006) indicates that Sweden’s government is doing well in promoting reduction in poverty and inequality (P. 16). Swedish government has a universal model of social protection. This social protection plan reaches out to venerable people in both rural and urban areas. This plan protects women’s labour force, aging population, all kinds of workers and salary based employees (Palme, 2006, p. 16). The plan also combines both public and private sector where improvement is necessary. There are three basic parts o this program. First, family support and old-age pension program which comes under citizenship benefits. Secondly, for different sectors of society there is a universal scheme which is the social earning insurance. Finally, there is housing benefits and social assistance in which income is verified and tested for families with elders and children (Palme, 2006, p. 16). By using these tactics the Swedish government has been successful in reducing overall inequalities to some extent (Palme, 2006, p. 16). Our government has somewhat similar policies for social services and assistance. However, Sweden pushes the boundaries in making the policies better and providing better services to its citizen. Perhaps Canadian government should also look to other countries and/or advices, it does not have to be Sweden, but they should at least try and find different policies that works better for Canadians. One of the major crisis that the Canadian middle and the working class is facing today is coming out of the 2008 world wide recession. Minimum wage is still very low compared to the rising prices of goods and expenses. During the recession people lost jobs, hours were cut and a lot of people were laid off. In order to survive and pay their bills, a lot of low income Canadians had no choice but to borrow and acquire huge amounts of debts. However, most of the top earners and CEOs kept the same paycheques that they were earning before the recession, while the working class took and are still taking most of the financial blow (CBC News, 2011). This makes their lives even more difficult. Therefore, much of countries capital money is circulating at the top, the vast middle and working class does not have the purchasing power to keep the economy flowing. For a short term goal I would like to propose ‘tax reforms’. Tax reforms that is going to reduce taxes for middle and the working class. Also provide a wage support. Increase marginal income tax on the top earners and limit their earnings. There are a lot of elites and CEOs in Canada who are fortunate and skilled enough to earn a very high income. For example, if someone is earning $500, 000 or $5 million a year then they should pay much higher income tax than what they are paying now. Their tax money should be used not only to evenly distribute, but they should be used to better health services, education, social services and transportation. This way it will not only circulate the money back to middle and working class but it will also help families and individual advance in their life. This helps society as a whole. There are several reasons why government should accept my policy rather than accepting others policies. It is common sense that first and the most important basic need for human is being stable mentally and physically. To maintain this stability you need food, shelter, health, clothing and most importantly education. When people are deprived of these basic needs because of poverty or less income, then the outcome might only be negative consequences and there also might be a social crisis. A society cannot function and/or improve without meeting these basic needs. A society also cannot improve without better education, better healthcare and better social assistances. Therefore, government of Canada should look to invest in poor and hard working people with low income, by providing their basic needs and by educating them in different areas of the policies we have and how to get help from different social assistance programs. Perhaps the government should also take public opinions, discussions and ideas into consideration while making major decisions and policies because it’s the people’s problems that they need to address and the only way to address them is to find out first hand what the real problems are, and what are the best means by which the government can provide efficient and helpful service to the public. The government should also improve income distribution and tax policies. I believe there is no better investment than investing in every person in society and government should focus on improving human capital. In the long run, investing in improvement of human capital improves society and mankind as a whole.

Green Grass, Running Water Essay

The novel Green Grass, Running Water is a multifaceted work of art in the literal sense. The plot circles around an Indian tribe i.e. the Blackfoots, while interweaving myths and the stereotypical attitude towards Native Americans into the macro picture. It takes an extremely sensitive topic and makes sense of it through a comical way. Through the book King raises a voice against the treatment of the Native culture and way of life at the hands of the ‘white,’ through humorous and witty settings, plots and dialogues. One can easily spot the shots that have taken against the government that went onto cheat the Natives in the name of friendship, the idea of religion, the social stigma that plagues the Natives and a whole lot more. The discord created by Coyote is a very integral part of the novel. In the story Coyote is the Trickster, and along with him the four Indians namely Lone Ranger, Ishmael, Robin son Crusoe, and Hawkeye set their course towards the Blackfoot reservation so they can find things to ‘fix’ (133). When they come onto the reservation everything goes topsy-turvy. Through the re-telling of old Native American legends King puts things into a different perspective for the reader. On top of the Native legends one will be amused by the many references to biblical stories as well. When it comes to the role of Coyote we know that he is one force that is present long before the world really exists. In the start where there was nothing but â€Å"just the water† even then the trickster was present, â€Å"but Coyote was asleep†. This in itself can be taken as a testimonial for Coyote’s strength and importance. Whenever Coyote enters the plot he manages to wreak havoc by influencing the events and people around him. He does this on more than one occasion by simply making a joke or performing a ritual. It is important to note though that Coyote never indulges in direct violence, his idea of wreaking havoc comes from a very passive stance so to speak. His actions are based on what the others say and how he can manipulate their words.   In the length of the novel Coyote assists in ‘fixing the world’ through interconnecting European tales with Native ones. He distorts the stories that were brought in by the early settlers by adding the Native flavor to them, thereby coming up with completely new stories altogether. One instance where Coyote and the four Indians try to ‘fix’ the world is the dam. The thing to note here is that the damn is not going to bring any good to the Natives. The government has ignored many things, such as the fault lines, while making the damn. In effect it would bring great problems to the people living around the area if it were to break. Coyote possesses mystical powers and can manipulate the environment around him. In one of the scenes from the book Ishmael and Robinson Crusoe ask him whether he has been dancing or singing to which he replies â€Å"Just a little† (341) on both counts. At that point a great earthquake hits the land and causes the stress fractures under the dam to open up. Now, the dam in essence was bad, but once it had been built it would have been worse for it to just fall apart. At one glance one might thing that Coyotes doing was negative rather than positive. However, with the supernatural demolition of the dam, the flood that follows symbolically washes away pieces of the colonial heritage. The Natives are then able to defy the government and reclaim their land. Even Eli, who ended up dying in the process, is a symbol of strength for the remaining people. His cabin stands are an icon for the rest, a piece of their heritage which one of their own died protecting. Even though Coyote caused death, he still managed to give people something to hold onto, something to huddle them closer to their own Native values. Another example of Coyote’s well meaning intentions’ going wrong is the John Wayne movie, where he manages to twist and turn the story through the use of linguistic violence and ends up completely distorting it. This is good because he inculcates the Native culture and values into the story which is important for the main characters on the Blackfoot reserve. The well known story ‘The Mysterious Warrior’ is toyed with. In an attempt to change the world, they end up changing the classic too. In the new version the Indians are not the ones who die terrible deaths but John Wayne and Richard Widmar instead. The Natives that had been hunted by the cavalry suddenly begin to fight back and massacred their assailants. The Natives on the reserve need this kind of reinforcement because they are losing their own values and their heritage and not because they want to, but because they cant find the will to really fight for it. Eli is the only one who really pushes for anything, while the rest themselves have managed to infuse ‘white’ culture into every part of their lives. An example of this is Latisha who is only using her heritage and that too by inventing things that never existed in the Native culture to begin with i.e. selling dog meat burgers (which are really hamburgers) to tourists claiming it to be a Native tradition, when it wasn’t. Coyote at times hinders the path of the other four Indians as well. In a way he is the embodiment of the struggle of the Natives against the ‘whites’. His actions may at times seem completely negative, but one must remember that Coyote has been around for a while. And in the end his actions only end up benefiting the Natives of the reserves. Throughout the novel it would seem as though Coyote has induced certain events almost by mistake or through carelessness but once it has run its course it only ends up helping the Blackfoots. In a way it can be said that Coyote has wisdom beyond what most can understand which is why it is possible that he just might know how things will turn out at the culmination. Coyote tends to intertwine the old ways with the new norms. He uses many biblical references (albeit distorting them completely) and the legends of the old age and present them in a very contemporary way.   His distortion of the white tales helps by cleansing the invasive stereotypes and stigma that surround the Indians of today. In one instance a dam builder says to Eli â€Å"Besides, you guys aren’t real Indians anyway. I mean, you drive cars, watch television, go to hockey games. Look at you. You are a university professor† (King 119). This shows the ignorance and misconceptions about the Natives. The general public is completely oblivious of these people, their lives and how they exist. Coyote in his own crazy way tries to do away with this kind of mentality. Thus, Coyote manages to pull the Natives together. The culture and heritage that has been eluding them and at times confusing them is brought back by him. His actions may at times seem overly negative but in the long run they always prove to be good for the people on the reserve. This is why in totality one can only say that the Tricksters actions are positive and not negative. Work Cited Green Grass, Running Water: Thomas King (1993)

Video analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Video analysis - Essay Example The speaker has a very interesting way of introducing her speech. She begins by providing a real statistics of the world’s population that live in the cities. This serves to draw the attention of the audience as many people are not aware of such statistics. She delivers key facts that serves to prepare the audience on the topic as well as making them aware that she is well versed with the topic she is about to speak on. Most of the global challenges that are facing the world such as global warming, gas emissions, excessive energy use, and poverty among others occurs in the cities and are thus city problems. Therefore the city dwellers are responsible for the changes needed to improve on such poor conditions. Three approaches that can be used to address such problems include engagement, inclusiveness and the ability to live happy and fulfilling lives. Engagement relates to participation in activities such as voting that has witnessed a downward trend in the major cities of the world. Inclusiveness is based on the level of inequality that exists within the cities. The ability to live happy lives has been compromised in the cities by the manner of habitation in the cities. People have become less interactive and not concerned about one another leading to lack of joy and happiness. Steps towards building cities that care about its inhabitants include active participation revolution and collective decis ion-making process on matters such as utilization of resources. Citizens need to come up with their own structures of participation without waiting upon the government to act. Individual initiatives can help transform lives of many people living within the cities of the world provided that we are willing to act. She has employed problem-solution pattern of organization in her speech. This approach is very effective in that it seek to persuade the audience which

In what ways did the zeitgeist of cold war america actually influence Essay

In what ways did the zeitgeist of cold war america actually influence the work of the Abstract Expressionist Painters - Essay Example Abstract Expressionism was inspired by the surrealists of Europe who adopted automatism in art, especially in painting. This advanced form of art painting was based on the instinct that art products are irrational and unpremeditated accidents that took a refined form in America during the Cold War. Abstract Expressionist Painters like Jackson Pollock separated themselves from contemporary paintings and invoked a reason to draw unrecognizable images that depicted a particular state of mind. Thus the art forms took shape from the chance and impulse of the person (creator) and created value for itself. This subconscious method of drawing was epitomized by Jackson Pollock by abandoning normal equipments for painting (Strickland, C. & Boswell, J. 1992 p.158). Jackson Pollock was of the view that Abstract Expressionism made energy visible through mural sized paintings that reflected the painter’s psychic state when the painting was created. Therefore new techniques were used to meet new demands by not using contemporary materials like paint brushes, easel, artistic method of pouring or the use of palette and believed in spreading paint on raw canvas or on the floor (Strickland, C. & Boswell, J. 1992 p.159). According to Jackson Pollock Abstract Expressionism paintings are done after a period of meditation and preparation. The painting is started soon after the thought by walking around the canvas and sometimes on the canvas and by dancing on them. The creation of art also included pouring of paint directly from cans or by dropping it on the canvas. The articles used to paint a picture sometimes included cigarette butts, keys, caps and combs that added to the private and dense character of the picture. Pollock’s strong personality, method of painting and innovative techniques is clearly evident in the film Namuth (portraiture of Jackson Pollock’s paintings) (Doss, E p.340). The paintings of Pollock