Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Stem cell research paper Argumentative Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Stem cell Argumentative - Research Paper Example These stem cells previously were not given enough heed to be researched upon, but recently as the world of medicine has improved research on the stem cells have become an important breakthrough in the world of science (Solo & Pressberg 2007). Stem cells can be of two types which are embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are retrieved from human embryos whereas adult stem cells are retrieved from the organs of adults. Because of the stem cells to proliferate rapidly and form organs it is important for the medical experts to discover the inner functioning of these stem cells. And thus it has become important to retrieve these stem cells from the embryo and adults. The ethical issue arises in the concept of retrieving the stem cells from human embryos. In the process of retrieving the stem cells the scientists have to destroy the human embryo and in this process a death of a human being may be caused as believed by the opponents of stem cell research. However t he proponents believe that the embryo has yet not developed enough to be called a human being and thus a life is not being taken. This essay would further revolve around both these view points and would provide with a definite conclusion as to which view point is more convincing (Newton 2007). According to the scientists stem cell research can be a breakthrough in the medical world to cure many of the diseases which are causing deaths. These stem cells give birth to the organs in the body and it is because of these stem cells that a systemic way of functioning is observed in the human beings. Thus the very reason of the existence of these organs can help to transform many medical researches into success. The exact functioning of these stem cells can help the doctors to replace organs which have become dead or diseased due to any condition in the human being and they can further provide ways to complete healing in a human being. It

Monday, October 28, 2019

History and Memory Essay Example for Free

History and Memory Essay The interrelationship of history and memory show that each is individually limited- memory presents limited perspective while history presents limited account- this conflicting nature ensures that without considering both we have a less reliable history. This concept is portrayed in the prescribed text â€Å"The fiftieth gate† by Mark Baker that involves an individual’s journey into the past to reconstruct his parent’s experiences. Baker’s explores the idea that both history and memory are essential to validate, illuminate and add emotion and colour to the other in order to ultimately form a true representation of history. Through the study of this text one can come to understand that the ultimate role of history is to find self-identity and unlock the barriers of the past. Memory is shaped by and composed of individual emotions and self-reflections; as a result it is influenced by bias and is highly subjective. Therefore memory only provides one bias and subjective perspective of history, making the representation of history to be less reliable and limited. This is portrayed in the line â€Å"It was cold, winter, we had winter boots on, the ones with money sewn inside. He says it was cold. Winter. But it was warm. Autumn†. Here the use of direct speech engages the audience into Yossl’s situation. The audience is then able to realise that the experiences of fear, torment and paranoia that Yossl went through in the holocaust has shaped and influenced his memory. As a result his perspective of history is less reliable and thus highly limited. This is portrayed in the line â€Å"I remember this exactly like yesterday: there was a church with some hills†¦can you see my legs through there? Here through the use of a narrative device, an interview, Baker engages the audience’s attention through the use of first person language and direct speech. This then conveys the idea that memory is limited in representing history because it is influenced by individual experiences that will change their perspective of history. In addition the spontaneous responses add a personal sense to further emphasize the limitation of memory that it can fail at any time. History is shaped by collective memory, providing a common representation of an event, personality or situation. As a result the representation of history is less reliable because it does not account for the views and perspectives of those that are a minority or have been forgotten. Baker uses a wide range of textual features to communicate to the audience how documented evidence paints a picture of the past. The use of archival documents, letters, school reports, council reports and Yiddish and German lullabies engage the reader but also adds a sense of authencity and historical presence. However through Baker’s self-journey in the book, the audience is able to realise that documented evidence cannot account for all stories, this is especially seen with Genia’s story of the holocaust. This is explored in the line â€Å"does history remember more than memory? I only recognise suffering in numbers and lists and not in the laments and pleas of a human being, of a mother, screaming for acknowledgment† The use of a rhetorical question builds suspense as the audience realises that the persona has come to a stage of realisation where Baker has understood that memory is just as important as the documented evidence that validates it. Documented evidence is able to validate as well as illuminate memory, while memory adds self-emotions and reflections to fill the gaps of documented evidence. In collaboration they create a more reliable and truthful history. Baker uses archival documents, school reports, lullabies, council reports and letters to illuminate hidden fragments of his parent’s memory. This is shown in the line â€Å"I thrust his report card under his eyes and command him to read. He obeys, like an intimidated school child†¦He smothers an involuntary laugh, hiding the thoughts that lie behind it. † Baker through the use of a simile compares his father to a child. This conveys the idea that the documented evidence has allowed Yossl to step back into his youth and bring forward the significant memories of his past. In addition the use of emotive and descriptive language through â€Å"Laughing† and â€Å"intimidated† creates a warm and personal atmosphere to emphasises the idea to the audience of how memory can add emotions to documented evidence, and thus together to create a more reliable and truthful history. Together both documented evidence and memory allow for an â€Å"exchange of pasts† to create a more reliable, valid and truthful history. Through this Baker has shown the interplay of history and memory. Baker has shown that the importance of the interplay of history and memory is to create a reliable history allowing one to explore the recreation of the past to make sense of who they are, where they are and the journey they have gone through. In â€Å"The fiftieth gate† the journey into the past of his parents has allowed Baker to undergo a self-journey of learning. At first Baker observed the past of his parents with an historian point of view, seeking documented evidence to validate and make true his parent’s memory. However the experiences with the past of his mother, made Baker realise the importance of memory in the representation of history. This is shown in the juxtaposition of the line â€Å"His was a past written on a page of history shared by other survivors. My mother could not point to anyone with the line What are these papers anyway except echoes of the past, dark shadows without screams, without smells, without fear. The juxtaposition of the lines shows the change in attitude of Baker as he realises the importance of memory in the representation of history. The use of emotive language such as dark shadows† creates a dark atmosphere to emphasise the anger and torment he feels because of his ignorance to listen to his Mother’s story of the holocaust. Baker has used a circular structure to convey the idea that the journey into history and memory is a circular one. This is demonstrated in â€Å"The fiftieth gate† through the repetition of the line â€Å"It always begins in blackness, until the first light illuminates the hidden fragment of memory† at the beginning and end of the book. This conveys the idea that the journey will allow for greater insight and understanding of your past and yourself. This will further inspire a self-journey of change and understanding. This has been shown through the changing attitude of Baker himself in the novel. This is demonstrated through the juxtaposition of the lines â€Å"His was a past written on a page of history shared by other survivors. My mother could not point to anyone with the line What are these papers anyway except echoes of the past, dark shadows without screams, without smells, without fear. This conveys that at first observed the past of his parents with an historian point of view, seeking documented evidence to validate and make true his parent’s memory. However the experiences with the past of his mother, made Baker realise the importance of memory in the representation of history. The use of emotive language such as dark shadows† creates a dark atmosphere to emphasise the anger and torment he feels because of his ignorance to listen to his Mother’s story of the holocaust.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Challenges of a Global Business Essay -- International Business Manage

Conducting global business is extremely complex and difficult. At times both countries involved may not be in agreement, but decide to conduct business anyway. For a company to conduct business in another country there is extensive research, negotiation, and compromise done before it can be finalized. Even though not all standards meet those of the United States, some companies continue to make business abroad. Some companies when investigated and found guilty of unethical behavior, blame their actions on not knowing about it or on the subcontractor or supplier. It is inevitable to avoid ethical issues when conducting global business. This is mainly because of differentiation of foreign laws, regulations, and policies. Among those there are also culture and language barriers that contribute to the origin of ethical dilemmas. More than anything cultures is one of the primary reason for why ethical issues come up amongst all others. Globalization is criticized for its practice of unethical behavior in countries where individual’s freedoms are subjective. Some of many global ethical issues that exist in today’s world include corruptions and money laundering, human rights under totalitarian regimes, workplace conditions, environmental issues, respect for local customs and cultures, and many more (LEVINE). Developing nations are more susceptible to have ethical issues than developed countries. This is mainly due to cultures, customs, norms, and poverty. Corruption and money laundering is being seen on the news across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. San Diego news is constantly reporting how the drug cartels are affecting the business in the city and stating that police are involved as well. The laundry of money has crossed the ... ...nd judged. In conclusion, globalization has changed the way societies work and the way individuals think and interact with one another. Regardless if whether we are or not in agreement with a foreign countries laws and conduct, there is little a foreign person can do. The ideal solution is for U.S. companies to do as much research about foreign countries laws, cultures to avoid being involved in unethical scandals. Works Cited De George, R. T. (2006). Business Ethics (6th ed.). Upper Sadle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. A Pearson Education Company. The LEVIN Institute . (n.d.). Globalization 101. Retrieved from http://www.globalization101.org/issue/english/ Trevino, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2007). Managing Business Ethics. Straight Talk About How To Do It Right. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-Text]. : John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from , website.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Does a light Bulb Obey Ohm’s law? Essay

Does a Light Bulb Obey Ohm’s Law? Obtaining Table of Results Voltage 1 Current 1 Voltage 2 Current 2 Average Voltage Average Current Average ResistanceAnalysis After conducting my experiment and analysing my results I have found that a light bulb does not obey ohm’s law, it is a non-ohmic conductor. From the graph obtained from the results it is clearly shown how ohm’s law doesn’t apply to the light bulb. The graph clearly shows that the current is not proportional to the voltage. The graph shows that as the voltage increased the increase in current was reduced. i. e. when the potential difference was 4 volts the current increased by 0. 34 amps, when the potential difference was 8 volts the current increased by 0. 22 amps. The results can be explained using science. Variables The variables in the experiment Independent variable I altered this variable. Voltage Controlled Variables   Length of wire   Cross sectional area of wire Wire Material   Light Bulb Fair Test Controlled Variables For the interest of a fair test and accurate results, these controlled variable will be maintained and kept constant for each voltage, as they can affect the rate of reaction   Length of wire. The longer the wire, the further the electrons have to travel, so the more the resistance. The shorter the wire the less the electrons have to travel so the less the resistance   Cross sectional area of wire. The larger the cross section of a wire, the less struggle for electrons to go past, the lower the resistance. The smaller the cross section of a wire, the more struggle for electrons to go past, the greater the resistance Wire Material. Different materials conduct electricity in different ways, the better the conductor, the less the resistance. The worse the conductor, the more resistance.   The same light bulb, which had the same tungsten filament. Ohm’s law does not apply to circuits where there are temperature changes. The variable, temperature, meant that ohm’s law could not be applied to the light bulb. It is the light bulb itself that emits the heat. It’s source is the tungsten filament, as when electrons try to pass through the tungsten filament they collide with the tungsten atoms which induce heat and increase the atoms’ vibration, which leads to further collisions and leads to more light heat and of course resistance. The result supports my Hypothesis. Evaluation I believe the investigation was successful as the results produced agree with scientific knowledge. In the Ohm’s Law coursework I investigated whether or not a light bulb obeyed ohm’s law. In the experiment we progressively increased the potential difference to see how it affected the current flowing through a light bulb. The experiment was carried out accurately in many ways. All variables, other that voltage, the independent variable and temperature, were kept at a constant. The results were handled with accuracy. The results were plotted on a graph. A line of best fit was put on each result which meant the results are very accurate, rather than being rounded. The method in which the Ohm’s Law investigation was carried out is sufficient enough to support a firm conclusion, this is because: All variable, which effect resistance, were controlled and maintained. With the exception of, voltage, the independent variable and temperature, all were kept constant. For the interest of a fair test and accurate results, these controlled variable will be maintained and kept constant for each voltage, as they can affect the rate of reaction   Length of wire. The longer the wire, the further the electrons have to travel, so the more the resistance. The shorter the wire the less the electrons have to travel so the less the resistance Cross sectional area of wire. The larger the cross section of a wire, the less struggle for electrons to go past, the lower the resistance. The smaller the cross section of a wire, the more struggle for electrons to go past, the greater the resistance   Wire Material. Different materials conduct electricity in different ways, the better the conductor, the less the resistance. The worse the conductor, the more resistance.   The same light bulb, which had the same tungsten filament. Voltage was supplied with an accurate variable d. c. supply. Current was measured using an accurate ammeter and voltage was measured with an accurate voltmeter. For further accuracy I conducted the experiment twice so I could work out the average. Both times the results were expected and were very similar. Therefore I believe that this investigation has sufficient evidence to support a conclusion that a bulb does not obey ohms law. A bulb is a non ohmic conductor. If I were to repeat the investigation I would improve it by   Using other conductors like lasers. Made the length of the wire into a an independent variable   Made the cross section area of the wire into an independent variable Made the material of the wire into an independent variable. Made the type of bulb into an independent variable Although I believe my investigation to be a success I believe if I were to make the improvements I said, I would have reliable results with an even stronger conclusion as a wider range of information would have been taken into account Ohm’s Law 1 Stepney Green School 10548 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section. Download this essay Print Save Not the one?

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

James Cameron’s Science Fiction film “Terminator II” Essay

James Cameron’s Science Fiction film â€Å"Terminator II† uses various conventions of Sci-Fi to not only engage viewers, but entertainment them. Science fiction uses various futuristic elements to convey powerful comments about society. This is most effectively done through his powerful and relatable social comments. His central social comments force audiences to question their own world and like all Sci-Fi texts explore how possible this actually is. The dominant social comment explored by James Cameron is that Technology will be our downfall. Other social comments that are also relevant are that humans have an intrinsic need to adhere towards morals and ethics that can’t be taught and that it is in the human race’s nature to destroy themselves. James Cameron clearly explains the social comments through various film techniques. Similarly, Henry Slesar’s short story ‘Examination Day’ relies heavily on its powerful social comment to effe ctively engage readers. While both texts make significant social comments, various other sci-fi conventions are also used to keep responders entertained. The dominant social comment that entertains the audience in an effective way explored by James Cameron is that technology will ironically be our demise. Cameron cleverly juxtaposes the opening scene of the hustle and bustle of lively Los Angeles to the close up traffic in 2029. However, in this shot the cars are destroyed and an empty playground further indicates the dystopian world of our society. The diegetic laughter of the girl on the swing and the non-diegetic music in the background creates suspense. The extreme white fade out to a dramatic close up of the empty swing swinging back and forth which then brings us to the close up camera shot of a human skull being crushed by the terminator clearly reveals that technology will lead to our demise. With the war of the robots being shown in the opening scene, audiences can immediately conclude that the genre of thriller is brought to the film as suspense is immediately introduced in the opening scene. This war indicates from the outset that technology will be our demise. While the irony of machines destroying humanity is immediately established as a significant social comment in this sci-fi text, Cameron begins to explore the characteristics of humanity in his second social comment. Throughout the film, Cameron relies on the humorous juxtaposition between the T100 and John Connor to highlight the emotional and idiocentric characteristic that are inherently human. It is through this and several other film techniques that Cameron’s second social comment is explored; that being human, is not something that can be taught. The moral and ethical justifications that are intrinsic to being human is clearly explored in the scene where John attempts to explain why, â€Å"You can’t just go around killing people†. John’s dialogue is contrasted with the T100’s question; â€Å"why not?† close up camera shots of their contrasting facial expressions highl ights this significant idea, that despite our natural inclination â€Å"destroy ourselves†, reason and morality is only inherent to us Johns invalid explanation, â€Å"because you just can’t †¦ this stuff is important†, highlights the barrier between machine and human. Through this social comment audiences can easily link the text to the science fictional genre. This barrier is further explored when John humorously attempts to ‘humanise’ the Terminator. Through various satirical scenes Cameron reveals humanity’s saving grace is intact their emotions which are ironically aligned to weakness. When the T100 asks, â€Å"why do you cry?† The T100’s crying motif mixed with several film techniques symbolises the disparity between machines and humanity. In an age where technology is seen to advance the human mind, the T100’s inability to understand why people cry highlights the superiority of humans, â€Å"we just cry.† Again further explaining the social comment we can still relate the film to the sci-fi genre. The third idea explored by Cameron is the ironic self- destructive behaviour of humanity. Using real life examples Cameron attempts to create a logical link between the creation of the destructive, ab ominable Terminators and the weapons that are already leading us into destruction â€Å"it is in your nature to destroy yourselves†. While the terminator metaphorically highlights the paradox of our constant creation of destruction, it is the female protagonist Sarah Connor, who provides a fresh face and new insight into sci-fi revealing the contrast between the destructive creation of men and the beautiful, creation that only women are privileged to endure, â€Å"Fucking men like you built the hydrogen bomb. Men like you thought it up†¦ You don’t know what it’s like to†¦ create a life†¦ All you know how to create is death†¦ † . Her use of repetition and expletives highlights Cameron’s feministic approach to this social comment, symbolising men’s obsession with creating destruction. This not only makes this sci-fi film unique and original in its exploration of this common theme, it also allows audiences to question why humans are so obsessed with playing â€Å"God†. Similarly to ‘Terminator II’ the short story ‘Examination Day’ also explores Sci-fi convections in similar ways. Like ‘Terminator II’, ‘Examination Day’ is driven by its powerful and dramatic social comment. While subtly revealed to be set in the future, unlike ‘Terminator II’ this is not the dominant focus in the text. While the commentary is different to that of ‘Terminator II’, both texts entertain audiences primarily by focusing them to question their own lives like all sci-fi text, thus posing the ‘what if’ question. The short story ‘Examination Day’ hyperbolically explores a world where governments obtain ultimate control. This is brought to the readers in the opening paragraphs when Dickies parents are discussing a â€Å"Government intelligence test they give children at the age of twelve†. It is â€Å"the moisture in his mother’s eyes† when readers are aware that the story they have been told has contrasted what really is happening. Even though the links to sci-fi aren’t as clear as the ones in ‘Terminator II’ we still see the connection through the thriller genre. As both Mr and Mrs Jordan try to avoid the conversation about the test suspense begins to develop as we understand that the test will possibly resemble a big part in the Jordan family’s life. As Mr Jordan explains the details of the test further we learn that the government will provide Dickie with truth serum. In this event readers are immediately informed that the government play a big role in everything which is making civilization less utopian and more dystopian. Is through little key things during the story we can see a resemblance to a futuristic world such as ‘Terminator II’, â€Å"Your classification number is 600-115†. Unlike ‘Terminator II’ this short story utilises various literary techniques to explore this powerful social comment, relying on descriptive language and body gestures to capture the mystery and anxiety relating to this exam. Furthermore the repetitive image of the â€Å"moistness of his mother’s eyes† heightens suspense, hinting towards the significance of this â€Å"Government intelligence test†. Like ‘Terminator II’ this text uses various sci-fi conventions such as the embedded t hriller genre to effectively engaging audiences, keeping them entertained. As the denouement reveals the unpredictable twist, â€Å"we regret to inform you†¦ his intelligence quotient is above government regulation†, the disturbing social comment become clearer â€Å"†¦whether you wish his body interred by the government, or would you prefer a private burial place?† Slesar’s clever use of inversion as Dickie fails the intelligence test because he is too smart, seems to be warning readers about the dangers of power and control, and the need for people to be more engaged and aware of governments and other organisations that may abuse their power. Like most sci-fi texts, ‘Examination Day’ challenges our own world, and contemplates what may happen if we do not take more responsibility and interest in the powerful bodies that govern the people. Again, it is this dramatic yet relatable social comment that most effectively engages readers by shocking them much like ‘Terminator II’. While ‘Terminator II’ looks at humanity’s ironic destructive nature and dangerous over reliance on technology, ‘Examination Day’ focuses on humanity’s often gullible and negligent over reliance on powerful forces such as the government. While both texts are strongly driven by the relevant and powerful social comments, both texts follow the conventions of sci-fi through their mutual futuristic settings, advanced technology as well as the utilisation of other genres within; specifically the thriller genre. Along with powerful film and literary techniques, both texts entertain audiences.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Interactive Documentary Wasteland

The Interactive Documentary Wasteland Introduction Wasteland is an interactive documentary that tries to explain the transformational role of art in our society. In this case, it explains the importance of nature in changing people’s lives. The movie takes us to the world’s largest dumb site that is located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. While there, Muniz photographs a lot of catadores who end up as important characters in the movie (Muniz 6).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Interactive Documentary Wasteland specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Most of these catadores are people who have dedicated their lives to picking recyclable materials from the dumpsite. These people are able to reinvent themselves as inspiring characters from the way they recreate photographic images. This means that they are able to recreate their images from garbage which helps us to understand their despair mostly as they try to reinvent their lives. It shoul d be known that the most renowned alchemy of human beings is well explained by this documentary. Thesis Vik Muniz is very insightful from the way he interacts with different trash pickers. This is based on the fact that the movie has been able to combine visual beauty with social awareness which is something that many people have ignored as time goes by. This is a very good documentary where Muniz is able to collaborate with different trash pickers for a transformative cause and initiative (Muniz 4). As far as the thesis review is concerned, the documentary has been able to achieve a good fusion from the unexpectedly huge landfill. There has been an argument that the documentary is just an excuse for people to investigate the lives and activities of people who are involved in the collection of trash from different dumpsites. The society can not imagine that trash pickers are amazing people yet this is a fact. Notably, trash pickers live on the fringes of a highly polarized society w hich should be evaluated for long term sustainability (Muniz 14). Documentarians have been able to capture the true picture of different men and women from the dumpsite through interviews. In this case, the documentary is trying to show that these people are striving to make a living from very deplorable and unimaginable circumstances. Main Points The main point from this movie is the fact that people are striving to maintain hope and personal dignity from unimaginable places in our society. This means that the vigor with which they have approached life can make an individual live his or her life fully (Muniz 9). In this case, it is based on their vibrancy and vitality that is very insightful and inspiring. There are tricky and ethical issues in the documentary that revolve around balancing the lives of trash pickers because there is room for capsizing and exploitation. The collective effort of trash pickers is seen from the way they are able to form a political association that wil l be able to fight for their wellbeing. The documentary can make an individual examine his life which inspires people to live better.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion This is a very insightful documentary because it shows us that people who are in difficult circumstances can still be able to accomplish great and unimaginable things. In this case, it is quite obvious that if certain people are given a chance, they can excel and be successful. It should be known that this wonderful documentary is able to find beauty in unexpected places. We should care deeply about each other to make the world a better place because there is power in collectiveness. The transformative nature of art has been well explored. In fact, this is something that can be seen around us from different dimensions and perspectives (Muniz 17). The whole process is very amazing and inspiring wh ich helps us to understand people’s creativity. Muniz, Vik. Wasteland. 2010. Web. wastelandmovie.com/

Monday, October 21, 2019

Racial Targeting essays

Racial Targeting essays The practice of targeting individuals for police investigation based on their race alone in the last few years has been an increasingly prominent issue in American society. Numerous magazines, newspapers, and journals have explored the issue of race-motivated police actions. Recently, the ABA Journal did a study of New Jersey and Pennsylvania traffic stops from 1998 to 2001, concluding that black drivers were more likely to be pulled over and arrested than whites. The study also delves into the legal ramifications of the 1996 United States Supreme Court ruling in the Whren v. United States case, which held that police officers subjective motivation for stopping a motorist on the highway was irrelevant as long as a probable cause was present - such as a traffic violation existed for making the stop. The Whren court decision validated the pretext stop, which occurs when police officers ostensibly stop motorists for traffic violations but are in fact motivated by the desire to obt ain evidence of other crimes. Police officers, however, argue that racial profiling is common sense and is sensible, statistically based tool that enables them to focus their energies efficiently for providing protection against crime to law a-biding citizen. In Taylor and Whitney, a study investigating the existence of an empirical basis for racial profiling and crime, they concluded that society must acknowledge the statistics behind crime rates in order to understand the concept of racial profiling; such information is available in annual crime reports. Statistics are facts and numbers which cannot be disputed and provide the experiential basis for racial profiling. The FBI Bulletin also addressed the necessity to consider statistics in addressing the issue of racial profiling. However, unlike Taylor and Whitney who argue for the use of statistics to support racial profiling, the FBI Bulletin promotes the usage of statistics in order to red...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

A Review of Reading Eggspress

A Review of Reading Eggspress Reading Eggspress is an interactive online program intended for students in grades second through sixth and designed to build reading and comprehension skills. Reading Eggspress is a direct extension of the Reading Eggs program. Both programs are sold as a single unit. This means that if you purchase the program for Reading Eggs, you also have access to Reading Eggspress and vice versa. The two programs are uniquely different, but intertwined at their core. Whereas Reading Eggs is a learning to read program, Reading Eggspress is a reading to learn program. The program was originally developed in Australia by Blake Publishing, but brought to schools in the United States by the same company that developed Study Island, Archipelago Learning. Reading Eggspress was designed to actively engage students in fun, interactive activities that build their vocabulary knowledge, comprehension skills, and overall reading level. The components found in Reading Eggspress include a wide range of lessons, learning resources, games designed to motivate, and e-books. This program is not intended to replace traditional classroom instruction, but instead as a supplemental program that can aid in comprehension skill building. There are 240 interactive comprehension lessons in 24 levels of Reading Eggspress. Each level contains ten books that students can choose from. There are five   non-fiction and  fiction books to choose for every level. Each unique lesson includes five pre-reading activities that build and teach comprehension strategies. At the end of each lesson is a passage from a story. Students are required to read the passage and answer a set of sixteen comprehension questions to assess a student’s understanding of that passage. Students must score a 75% or better on the quiz to move on to the next level. Reading Eggspress is Teacher/Parent Friendly Reading Eggspress is easy to add a single student or a whole class.Reading Eggspress has terrific reporting that makes it easy to monitor individual student or whole class progress.Reading Eggspress provides teachers with a downloadable letter to send home to parents. The letter explains what Reading Eggspress is and provides login information for students to work on the program at home at no additional cost. It also provides parents with the opportunity to have an account to track their student’s progress at no additional cost.Reading Eggspress provides teachers with a comprehensive user guide as well as toolkit loaded with books, lesson plans, resources, and activities. The teacher toolkit has over 500 library book titles with worksheets and activities that they can use in conjunction with their Smart Board to interactively teach lessons to the whole class. Reading Eggspress is Instructional with Diagnostic Components Reading Eggspress provides teachers and parents with the opportunity to assign specific levels to students and differentiate instruction. For example if a third grade teacher has two students who are advanced they can automatically place them in a higher grade level.Reading Eggspress also provides teachers and parents with the option of giving each student a diagnostic placement test. This test consists of twenty questions. When the student misses three questions, then the program assigns them to the appropriate lesson that corresponds to how they did on the placement test. This allows students to skip past levels which they have already mastered and places them at the level in the program where they should be.Reading Eggspress allows teachers and parents to reset a student’s progress at any time in the program. Reading Eggspress is Fun Interactive Reading Eggspress has age appropriate themes and animations.Reading Eggspress allows users to create and personalize their own unique avatar.Reading Eggspress provides users with incentives and rewards. Each time they complete an activity, they are rewarded with golden eggs. Their egg count is kept in the top right corner of the screen. They can the eggs to buy pets, clothes for their avatar, or accessories for their house.Reading Eggspress allows users who complete a lesson to earn a collectible trading card. The user gets to select which category they want the card to be associated with including Fantastica, Beastie, Animalia, Astrotek, Starstruck, and Worldspan. Cards are then placed in the user’s apartment. Users can also purchase cards at the mall with their earned eggs.Reading Eggspress allows users to earn medals. For every thousand eggs earned in a week, a student earns a bronze medal. A silver medal is earned for five thousand eggs. A gold medal is earned for fifteen thousand eggs. Reading Eggspress allows users to keep track of targets (goals). There is a target with an arrow in the center in the top right corner of the interface. Users who click this will see targets (goals) that they have met in the program as well as targets (goals) that they have not met. Reading Eggspress is Comprehensive Reading Eggspress has several other learning activities and games aside from those in the standard 240 comprehension lessons.The Gym is where you will find all the comprehension lessons and activities. There is also a daily game located in the gym. This game changes each day and focuses on a variety of reading skills. Students can compete against other users across the nation for the daily high score.The Library consists of over 600 e-books in both fiction and non-fiction. The library is easily searchable by title or topic. Students who found a particular passage in the comprehension gym to be interesting can go to the library to read the entire book. Students can click on a single book in the library to find out information including the author, number of pages, how many eggs they can earn from reading it, and how many other users have read it. At the end of the book students will be given a comprehension quiz and they will also be able to rate the book. They can also save books tha t they especially enjoy on their favorite’s shelf. The Stadium allows you to competitively build individual skills in the areas of spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. There are four games that you can choose to challenge the computer or play head to head with another user is logged into the program at the same time. The games include spelling sprint, grammar skating, vocabulary pursuit, and freestyle usage. There are five difficulty levels for the user to choose from for each game.The Mall is the place where students can use their eggs to purchase a variety of different things. Stores in the mall include Passion for Fashion, Dressed to Thrill, Collector’s Corner, Apartment Living, and Perfect Pets.The Apartment is the place where students can change their avatar, view their trading cards, see their trophies, or decorate their apartment. The apartment also contains access to a game called Quote Quest where students use clues to search through tunnels to find quotes from different books. Students can earn eggs by finding the quotes and choosing the correct book. Cost Parents can purchase a one year subscription to Reading Eggspress for $75.00 and a 6 month subscription for $49.95. They also have the option to purchase a monthly subscription at $9.95 per month. Schools can purchase annual classroom subscriptions for 1-35 students for $269, 36-70 students for $509, 71-105 students for $749, 106-140 students for $979, 141-175 students for $1,199, 176-245 students for $1,659, 246-355 students for $1,979, 356-500 students for $2,139, 501-750 students for $3000, and 750 students will cost $4 per student. Overall Reading Eggspress is a terrific program to build a student’s reading comprehension skills. I have used this program with students and they absolutely love to use it. In fact, they will try to negotiate to stay on the program longer. As a teacher, I especially like how each lesson builds skills essential to comprehension before students are required to read and take a quiz. Reading comprehension is so much more than just passing a quiz and this program does it the right way and presents it to students through a method that is engaging, fun, and interactive. Overall, I give this program a five out five stars, because I believe it does what it is intended to do and effectively keeps the users attention at the same time.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Killer Angles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Killer Angles - Essay Example She was from the South, with family roots going back to Thomas Jefferson and "Light-Horse Harry" Lee. The diversity in his parents brought him in touch with both worlds, North and South, a factor that probably allowed him to understand both sides in the Civil War. Shaara did extremely well in school, winning more awards in high school than any other student in the history of the school. He received letters for basketball and track and excelled as a baseball pitcher. His father also taught him to box, something that remained a passion in his life and figured in his writing. Important books written by Michael Sharaa include; the killer Angels ,For Love of The Game, The Herald, The Broken place, Soldier Boy, The Noah conspiracy, ,Gods and Generals, Conquest Over Time and THE Book (Biblio.com) The killer angel is a famous book by Michael Shaara. It is a historical novel written in 1974, which won famous prize for fiction in 1975. Novel is about four days of the battle of Gettysburg in th e American civil war. Book starts from 29 June 1863 to 3 July. During this time, Union and Confederacy troops moved and fought in the battlefield. The novel is character driven where many of them talk and openly give their viewpoint. A film basing on novel was also released in 1993, named as Gettysburg. Tone of novel is sad covering era of 19th century. Mainly main gender is covered in the character of infantry soldier with white race. A significant amount of violence has been used. Main characters and adversaries are sensitive to others feelings. Sense of humor is displayed but gently. Setting used is USA with area of northeast- mid Atlantic states with small town. Michael Sharaa writes in preface ( Michael Sharaa) â€Å"This is the story of the Battle of Gettysburg, told from the viewpoints of Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet and some of the other men who fought there. Stephen Crane once said that he wrote The Red Badge of Courage because reading the cold history was not enough ; he wanted to know what it was like to be there, what the weather was like, what men's faces looked like. In order to live it he had to write it. This book was written for much the same reason. You may find it a different story from the one you learned in school. There have been many versions of that battle and that war. I have therefore avoided historical opinions and gone back primarily to the words of the men themselves, their letters and other documents. I have not consciously changed any fact. I have condensed some of the action, for the sake of clarity, and eliminated some minor characters, for brevity; but though I have often had to choose between conflicting viewpoints, I have not knowingly violated the action. I have changed some of the language. It was a naive and sentimental time, and men spoke in windy phrases. I thought it necessary to update some of the words so that the religiosity and naivetZ of the time, which were genuine, would not seem too quaint to the modern e ar. I hope I will be forgiven that. The interpretation of character is my own†. There are following characters appearing through out the book South Robert Edward Lee (Commanding general, Army of Northern Virginia) James Longstreet (Lieutenant General) George Pickett (Major General) Lewis Addison Armistead (Brigadier General) John Bell Hood (Major General) Isaac

Friday, October 18, 2019

Impact of climate change in Arctic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Impact of climate change in Arctic - Essay Example The rapid diminishing of sea ice in prolonged summertime is also expected to open up the Arctic for ships and other sea vessels. It is against this backdrop that this paper analyzes how these prospects will impact on the geopolitics of territorial claim that may emanate from these discoveries. According to the National Research Council, climate change poses profound impacts on natural and human systems on the globe. Impacts of climate change are creating concerns for multilateral and bilateral relations, as well as, human, national and international security (56). Changes in sea level, temperature, precipitation patterns and in other elements of the ecosystem adds additional stress to food security, energy, water and other natural resources that support livelihoods (7). In terms of security, climate change poses direct impacts on military operations and regional strategic priorities (8). Therefore, climate change potentially disrupts international relations by posing negative impacts on specific resources and assets (9). The implications of climate change on international relations have begun manifesting in the Arctic region. Based on projections from the National Research Council, warming in the Arctic region has accelerated in intensity than in any other region on the planet (8). In the same vein, Lemke and Jacobi have projected that warming in the Arctic is double the global average since 1980 (7). Regions in the Arctic are already experiencing the effects of this intensified warming. For instance, warming has disrupted the livelihoods of many communities residing in the Arctic, with entire villages at verge of relocation (National Research Council 10). The freezing and subsequent thawing of ice in the Arctic is disrupting infrastructural developments and transportation systems in the region. Additionally, evidence has shown that freezing and thawing of ice has changed the range, diversity and distribution of vegetation and animal species (Turner and Marshal 8). What is worrying many scientists at the moment is the fact that warming and climate change-related impacts in the Arctic are occurring more profoundly and rapidly than had been predicted. For instance, sea ice in the Arctic Ocean and in connecting seas has diminished by more than 30% since 1979 (Turner and Marshal 9). Previous study models had indicated that the summer of 2100 will render the Arctic ice-free. However, recent models have predicted that this will happen as early as 2035 (National research Council 12). The rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic has amplified human activities within the region. Furthermore, this loss has generated a lot of interest in and unease about the future of this region. Mounting interest in the Arctic region has been influenced by the perceived benefits that will follow the diminishment of sea ice (Takana 99). Implications of Climate Change in the Arctic Warming, melting, thawing and subsequent diminishment of sea ice in the Arctic has enhance d human accessibility to the region (Kraska 45). For instance, this diminishment could see an increase in commercial ships navigating the two trans-Arctic seaways; the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route (Zellen 5). Accordingly, states have begun updating international guidelines that currently govern ships and other sea vessels navigating the Arctic waters (Kraska 46). Increases have

Class work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Class work - Assignment Example Waterfall used stages. With waterfall once the stage is over there is no going back except if a process change is followed that can take longer. In the case of Agile, where requirements are in need to change, then they are handled better with the process. Waterfall roles generally differ from those of agile. Agile does have the role known as scrum master that is a type of project manager as well as release manager and may fail to be IT specialist. Water fall does have a traditional manager of the project who happens to be an IT person always in the sense of tradition. What is needed ideally is a model that combines both the predictability as well as the accountability of waterfall approach with the agility as well as the adaptability of agile approach. An effective balance in between the both ideas could come up with a much more efficient model for software development. Mcrosoft. (2013). Microsoft Solutions Framework application development project plan. Retrieved may 20, 2014, from office.microsoft.com:

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Greeces Economic Crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Greeces Economic Crisis - Research Paper Example 2-3). In a research paper of Cardiff Business School the researcher has concluded that the macroeconomic fundamentals like the inflation, the exchange rate arise for Greece which is more than the European average (Arghyrou and Tsoukalas, 2010, p.5). In a research paper of Capitalvia the researcher has opined that the economic situation of Greece and U.S.A. is similar as both of them are depending on the foreign investors for funding of the budget deficit. For the crisis the value of Euro would come down and the fact is that United States’ trade with EU is the highest. As a result the investor would lose confidence on U.S. economy and U.S. economy also would come down. According to this research though the U.S. investors’ investment is low in Greek bonds, if Greece would default the investors would lose money and U.S. economy gets hampered (Capitalvia, 2010, p.11-12). According to a research paper published by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung for improving the economy of Greece the euro countries are providing bridge loan and the tight austerity program introduced in Greece. As the countries are providing loan in a lower rate it is also necessary for them to tight the monetary policy in their countries. As a result the growth would be slow in those countries. As the Euro slow down, as an effect the dollar would go down. Then U.S. also has to tighten its monetary policy and as a result the economy would get hampered (Wagner and Machnowski, 2010, p.2). In a research paper of CEPS the researchers have compared the economic crisis of Argentina in 2001 and the crisis of Greece in 2011. Argentina has defaulted as there was lack of support from the outside of the country. Argentina has tried... The paper tells that the economy of the European Union is facing problem due to this crisis. As the investor is losing their confidence in Euro, the value of the currency is going down. As a remedial measure the governments of the European countries are providing bridge loan and as a result the countries have to tighten the monetary policies. The governments are providing monetary package to the banks which are in problem due to the crisis of Greece. In turn the bank interests come down and the world economy is facing certain problem. As the trade of U.S. is mainly with the European Union countries so the economic crisis of Greece would surely affect U.S. As the European countries are going to tighten their monetary policy for the economic crisis so certainly they would decrease their import and the main trading partner of Euro zone is U.S. The export would get hampered and the economic growth would not be much. As a result U.S. has to tighten its monetary policy and the overall econ omy of U.S. gets hampered. For the short term remedial measures the European Union countries have to provide loan in low cost to Greece and for long term remedial measures the European zone can take some policies like introducing common Euro bonds. The share of the capital would be as per the share of the countries and the interest rate would be provided by the countries would be like they are providing the interest rate they are providing in the domestic market. For the short term measures Greece should restructure its debt using some process like debt swap.

Business memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business memo - Essay Example This makes it possible for people to understand what kind of information they are likely to find under each sector. The website also contains a list these sectors at the top of the website. This is another strategy that makes access of information faster by eliminating any information that may be irrelevant to the reader. Although Magna Carta’s website may appear perfect to most people, it is possible to make certain adjustments to improve its reader-centered communication. For instance, the college can highlight more of the things that are likely to persuade the readers. For example, being an academic institution, most of the visitors to this website would be looking for courses that they can pursue. It would therefore be good to list some of these courses for visitors to see them even before searching the programmes sector. Showing pictures of some of the college’s buildings may also be persuasive to any interested

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Greeces Economic Crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Greeces Economic Crisis - Research Paper Example 2-3). In a research paper of Cardiff Business School the researcher has concluded that the macroeconomic fundamentals like the inflation, the exchange rate arise for Greece which is more than the European average (Arghyrou and Tsoukalas, 2010, p.5). In a research paper of Capitalvia the researcher has opined that the economic situation of Greece and U.S.A. is similar as both of them are depending on the foreign investors for funding of the budget deficit. For the crisis the value of Euro would come down and the fact is that United States’ trade with EU is the highest. As a result the investor would lose confidence on U.S. economy and U.S. economy also would come down. According to this research though the U.S. investors’ investment is low in Greek bonds, if Greece would default the investors would lose money and U.S. economy gets hampered (Capitalvia, 2010, p.11-12). According to a research paper published by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung for improving the economy of Greece the euro countries are providing bridge loan and the tight austerity program introduced in Greece. As the countries are providing loan in a lower rate it is also necessary for them to tight the monetary policy in their countries. As a result the growth would be slow in those countries. As the Euro slow down, as an effect the dollar would go down. Then U.S. also has to tighten its monetary policy and as a result the economy would get hampered (Wagner and Machnowski, 2010, p.2). In a research paper of CEPS the researchers have compared the economic crisis of Argentina in 2001 and the crisis of Greece in 2011. Argentina has defaulted as there was lack of support from the outside of the country. Argentina has tried... The paper tells that the economy of the European Union is facing problem due to this crisis. As the investor is losing their confidence in Euro, the value of the currency is going down. As a remedial measure the governments of the European countries are providing bridge loan and as a result the countries have to tighten the monetary policies. The governments are providing monetary package to the banks which are in problem due to the crisis of Greece. In turn the bank interests come down and the world economy is facing certain problem. As the trade of U.S. is mainly with the European Union countries so the economic crisis of Greece would surely affect U.S. As the European countries are going to tighten their monetary policy for the economic crisis so certainly they would decrease their import and the main trading partner of Euro zone is U.S. The export would get hampered and the economic growth would not be much. As a result U.S. has to tighten its monetary policy and the overall econ omy of U.S. gets hampered. For the short term remedial measures the European Union countries have to provide loan in low cost to Greece and for long term remedial measures the European zone can take some policies like introducing common Euro bonds. The share of the capital would be as per the share of the countries and the interest rate would be provided by the countries would be like they are providing the interest rate they are providing in the domestic market. For the short term measures Greece should restructure its debt using some process like debt swap.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Management accounting - Essay Example The decisions also help in reducing cost that a company incurs in day to day activities. The second one is by assisting the management in controlling and directing the operations of the company. A company that has well organised activities achieves efficient use of resources, (Chandler, 1977). The third one is that the information motivates employees and managers to achieve the targets set. The targets are set in a participatory manner and, therefore, every worker has their views taken into consideration. The fourth one is by measuring the performance of every aspect in the business, for example, employees, managers and departments. The last one is that the competitive position of the company is gauged. This ensures measures can be taken to increase the company’s long-run competitiveness over others in that particular industry. The business thus controls a large portion of the customer share which ensures high profits. Management via accounting is so crucial today because mana gerial accountants are important members of any management team. Managerial accountants play an important role of providing strategic decisions as well as day to day decisions. The decision making process is complex and requires specialists from management accounting as well as other financial disciplines. The day to day operations would be very expensive and tiring if management accountants do not plan them in advance. This is what makes management via accounting very important in modern business enterprise. These enterprises use the accounting and statistical information to ensure the smooth running of business activities. Business activities that are well managed lower the internal cost of running a business. It also ensures intensive use of resources in the business thus avoiding wastage. The business is also sure that customers pay for their goods and services in time and that suppliers deliver stock and are paid when due, (Capa Centre For Aviation, 2013). Management by using a ccounting is a field concerned with the efficient use of data from accounts. The managers of a company or business organisations use this information to help them make decisions that assist them to better manage and control resources, with the end goal of increasing the profitability of a company, (Kieso, 2005). The use of accounting data to manage a business is often confused to be financial accounting. This is not true because of several aspects that are related to management accounting information. The first aspect is that management accounting information is forward looking. This means that managers use data to plan for the future and determine how they can control situations that seem will be bad for the company. Managers can also use this data to improve situations that appear will be favourable to the company. For example, if managers predict a certain good sales will increase by 50%, they can employ more sales staff to increase the sales to 60%. This is an example how manage ment via accounting can serve as a good tool to increase the profitability of a company and ensure that it becomes a multi-national business. Other managers use historic information to make decisions that will affect the company. This approach might be accurate but not as effective as that from management via accounting, (Dameri, 2013). The second aspect that mangers use from management accounting is the assurance with which a plan made using management accoun

Monday, October 14, 2019

Philip Pirrip Essay Example for Free

Philip Pirrip Essay The initial information that we derive from the opening paragraph is that, Philip Pirrip is known as Pip. Both of Pips parents have died, his tombstone, which informs us that his father has died and the inscription on this Also Georgina Wife of the Above. We immediately feel sympathy for Pip as he says I never saw my father or my mother, not even in a photograph. He does have a very vivid imagination however and from the tombstone the shape of the letters on my fathers gave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair. This shows, from the slightest thing Pips imagination runs riot. Our hearts extend even more to the grief stricken Pip when we discover his five brothers are also dead, Sacred to the memory of five little brothers of mine, we perceive him to be a helpless young boy. We soon discover that he lives with his sister, and her husband, who is a blacksmith, as he replies when asked Who dye live with, My sister, sir Mrs Joe Gargery wife of Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, sir. The question is asked by a fearful man Pip encounters in the graveyard whilst visiting the graves of his deceased family. Dickens presents this man in a very explicit manner, this is to contrast the two characters. A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin. Pip pleads in terror pray, he is scared for his own safety, willingly he replies to any questions the man, a convict, poses to him. Dickens explicitly expresses Pips worry I was frightened again. We realise Pips sister is twenty years older and once more we feel for Pip, she had bought me up by hand. Pip finds homage from his terrible start in life and his meeting with the convict in Joe Gargery, his sisters husband, who Pip says was a fair man, he was a mild, good natured, sweet tempered, easy going dear fellow. In saying this he indicates to us his fondness of him. Dickens conveys the idea of his rough mistreatment by his sister, he reiterates the harshness of her care for Pip, by throwing me, and shes been on the rampage. Although Pip is young, he still has underminding values and thoughts, the guilty knowledge that I was going to rob Mrs Joe. He is always asking questions showing he is inquisitive. We also find out he is to be apprenticed to Joe showing his future appears mapped out and following a set route.  The character of Pip before his visit to Miss Havisham is one of admiration and security. Joe perceives Pip to be wonderful, what a scholar you are! He shows admiration for Pip, he is proud of his achievements, I should like to be. Pip in turn admires Joe. When I m pren gtd 2 u Jo wot larx. Showing hes looking forward to working with Joe. Joe and Pip are friends, Pip realises the goodness of Joe, Young as I was, I believe that I dated a new admiration of Joe from that night. We were equals, as we had been before I had a new sensation of feeling conscious that I was looking up to Joe in my heart, this shows Pips growing maturity, he sees and appreciates his relationship with Joe. Dickens portrays Joe as a loving, caring minder for Pip, and bring the poor little child. God bless the poor little child, and by saying that theres room for him at the forge Joe shows he has Pips best interests at heart. The crucial turning point and change in Pips character occurs during chapter 8 when Pip visits Miss Havishams. His initial reaction to Satis House, Miss Havishams residence, is one of apprehension, he doesnt think it looks friendly, old brick, and dismal, and had a great many iron bars to it. After his view of the house his outlook of the forthcoming acquaintance with Miss Havisham looks bleak. Pip is very shy when he meets Estella, he sees her as above him as his use of the term conductress shows. The meeting with Miss Havisham devastates the young happy Pip.  Pip is told what to do by Miss Havisham let me see you play cards, to which Estella replies why, he is a common labouring boy which hurts Pip, he feels upset at the scornful remark. Miss Havisham herself is cruel, she appears to enjoy making fun of Pip, she asks him what he thinks of Estella which causes Pip great discomfort, I dont like to say. Estella is constantly tormenting Pip, the turning point is when she exclaims he calls the knaves, Jacks, this boy! Adding and what coarse hands he has! And what thick boots! Pip feels ashamed, he reflects immediately on Estellas hurtful remarks I had never thought of being ashamed of my hands before; but I began to consider them a very indifferent pair. He relays his true emotions I was so humiliated, hurt, spurned, offended, angry, sorry, tears started to my eyes which shows he has clearly been affected by these remarks. Pips immediate angry reaction is to blame Joe for his upbringing, he determined to ask Joe why he had ever taught me to call those picture cards, Jacks. He wishes Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should have been so too. This shows he wishes he could have an education. Pip sums up his meeting with Miss Havesham, I had seen, and deeply revolving that I was a common labouring boy; that my hands were coarse; that my boots were thick; that I had fallen into a despicable habit of calling Knaves, Jacks; that I was much more ignorant than I had considered myself last night, and generally that I was in a low-lived bad way. The quote shows Pips new outlook towards himself, and his new considered view of his image. Dickens uses the word despicable, this represents how Pip feels about himself at the present moment in time. After the visit to Miss Haveshams, Pip returns back home, the visit has greatly affected his self-esteem, bringing the character of Pip forward in a new light. Pip lies to his sister and Mr Pumblechook, about the dealings of his visit, I felt convinced that if I describes Miss Havesham as my eyes had seen it, I should not be understood. Showing Pip finds it easier to lie, than to face the truth about Estella and Miss Havesham. He doesnt want his sister not Mr Pumblechook, to find out the truth, I said as little as I could. Showing he has no intention of revealing anything about his encounter.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Importance Of Profit And Loss Account Accounting Essay

Importance Of Profit And Loss Account Accounting Essay The Profit and Loss Account is a Financial Statement which summarizes a companys revenue and expenditure for a specific period of time, usually prepared annually or quarterly. These statements provide information that shows the ability of a company to generate profits by increasing its revenues and reducing costs. The Profit and Loss Account is also known as a Statement of Profit and Loss, an Income Statement or an Income and Expense Statement. IMPORTANCE OF PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT : Profit and Loss Account represents a companys ability to generate income through their business operations. Many times businesses will need financing to help create the facilities for their operations. Smaller companies usually obtain bank loans that are based on the amount of income a company has earned from past operations. Solid Profit and Loss history is essential for getting the best loan terms. Profit and loss statements are important also because many companies are required by law or association membership to complete them. Apart from this, a profit and loss statement will help the company to understand their net income, which may be helpful in decision-making processes. That is, it gives one the information needed to grow or expand his business. KEY ITEMS OF THE PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT : Income from Sales Cost Of Goods Sold Gross Profit Operating Expenses Net Profit from Operations Other Income Other Expenses Net Profit STANDARD STRUCTURE OF A CORPORATE PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT: Profit and Loss Account for the year endedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Particulars Rs. Particulars Rs. To Gross Loss à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. By Gross Profit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Salaries à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. By Interest Received à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Rent à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. By Commission Received à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Rent and Rates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. By Other Receipts à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Discount Allowed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. By Etc., Etc. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Commission Allowed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. By Net Loss (Transferred to Capital Account of the Trader) xxxx To Insurance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Bank Charges à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Legal Charges à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Repairs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Advertising à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Trade Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Office Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Bad Debts à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Travelling Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Etc., Etc. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To Net Profit (Transferred to Capital Account of the Trader) xxxx Profit and Loss Account for the year endedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(Statement Form) Particulars Rs. Rs. Rs. Income From Sales: Sales à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Less: Sales Returns à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Sales Discount à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Net Sales à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Cost Of Goods Sold: Stock as on 1stJanuary à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Purchases à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Less: Purchase Returns à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Net Purchase à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Cost Of Goods available for sale à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Less: Stock as on 31stDecember à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. COGS (Cost Of Goods Sold) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Gross Profit xxxxxx Operating Expenses: Selling Expenses:- Sales Salary à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Advertising Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Insurance Expenses selling à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Store Supplies Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Sundry Selling Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Total Selling Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. General Expenses: Office Salaries à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Taxes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Insurance Expenses general à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Office Supplies Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Sundry General Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Total General Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Total Operating Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Net Profit from Operations xxxxxx Other Income: Rent Income à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Other Expenses: Interest Expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. NET PROFIT xxxxxx GIVEN BELOW IS THE PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT OF TATA STEEL LIMITED :- (This will help us understand the purpose of a Profit and Loss Account and also enable us to understand how a Profit and Loss statement is made.) Profit Loss Tata Steel Ltd Mar12 Mar11 Mar10 Mar09 12 Months 12 Months 12 Months 12 Months INCOME: Sales Turnover 37,005.71 31,901.94 26,757.60 26,843.53 Excise Duty 3,167.20 2,594.59 1,816.95 2,495.21 NET SALES 33,838.51 29,307.35 24,940.65 24,348.32 Other Income 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 TOTAL INCOME 34,389.27 29,635.26 25,272.24 24,653.68 EXPENDITURE: Manufacturing Expenses 5,608.38 4,463.65 3,803.33 3,349.96 Material Consumed 9,696.65 9,222.27 8,491.42 8,279.44 Personal Expenses 3,047.26 2,618.27 2,361.48 2,305.81 Selling Expenses 1,832.40 109.36 82.17 61.49 Administrative Expenses 2,119.56 1,922.33 1,622.77 1,518.83 Expenses Capitalised -478.23 -198.78 -326.11 -343.65 Provisions Made 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 21,826.02 18,137.10 16,035.06 15,171.88 Operating Profit 12,012.49 11,170.25 8,905.59 9,176.44 EBITDA 12,563.25 11,498.16 9,237.18 9,481.80 Depreciation 1,151.44 1,146.19 1,083.18 973.40 Other Write-offs 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 EBIT 11,411.81 10,351.97 8,154.00 8,508.40 Interest 1,925.42 1,686.27 1,848.19 1,489.50 EBT 9,486.39 8,665.70 6,305.81 7,018.90 Taxes 3,162.63 2,912.44 2,168.50 2,114.87 Profit and Loss for the Year 6,323.76 5,753.26 4,137.31 4,904.03 Non Recurring Items 372.66 1,107.89 909.49 297.71 Other Non Cash Adjustments 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Other Adjustments 0.00 4.54 0.00 0.00 REPORTED PAT 6,696.42 6,865.69 5,046.80 5,201.74 KEY ITEMS Preference Dividend 0.00 0.00 45.88 109.45 Equity Dividend 1,165.46 1,151.06 709.77 1,168.95 Equity Dividend (%) 119.97 119.97 79.98 159.95 Shares in Issue (Lakhs) 9,712.14 9,592.14 8,872.14 7,305.92 EPS Annualised (Rs) 68.95 71.58 56.88 71.20 [The portion highlighted by a black box shows the Profit earned by Tata Steel Limited from 2008 -2012] HOW THE PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT HELPS THE CORPORATE DECISION MAKERS TO SHAPE THEIR DECISIONS? A Profit and Loss account provides a collection of operating data that can be used by corporate decision makers to improve corporate operations. Regular review of this statement can help the entrepreneur to adjust the strategic paths of the company based on the prevailing economic conditions. A Profit and Loss statement also helps outside investors to measure a firms economic viability in the long run. Also; Analyzing a statement of profit and loss gives corporate leaders the tools necessary to measure competitors progress in the market, hence improve their market share. The Profit and Loss account gives a clear view of all the expenses and incomes of the firm, hence a regular analysis of these statements help firms cut down their expenses. Creating a forum through which business unit leaders discuss and help top leaders set performing segments apart from activities that generate less than mediocre revenue. By reviewing the firms revenues and expenses, management can decide which segment to sell. A profit-and-loss report indicates to the rest of the world the corporate segments that are thriving, emphasizing products that positively affect the corporate bottom line.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Free Trade Agreement and Its Affect on Canadian Business Essay

Free Trade Agreement and Its Affect on Canadian Business With the coming of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) there have been very serious implications for Canadian business and for that matter, Canada as a whole. Many aspects of the previous economic climate have changed such as the reduction or eliminatation of tariffs and the restrictions on subsidies to name only a few. There has been much heated debate on the pros and cons of this deal: whether Canada will prosper or become the 51st. American state. This paper will not take this approach to the issue of whether or not it is a wise agreement, but will look at what business can do to better itself with the existing FTA. If Canadian business is to survive and prosper in this radically changed North American and Global atmosphere of easier trading, then it must adapt. Some of the main areas that will have to be addressed is the need for more productive and efficient operations, a new focus by business on the new trading reality, and a change in policies by Government to enable Canada to function better with the FTA. The FTA stands to alter Canadian business which has grown rather relaxed and inefficient behind walls of tarrifs. While these may have initially spurred industry, they have after time encouraged complacency. With these rapidly disappearing walls, business will have to become "lean and mean" in order to compete in a very competitive global market. Looking at the present state of affairs our status in research and development (R&D), labour costs and expansion, there is much that must be done. Compared to the other industrialized western nations we lag far behind in nearly all areas. Take for example R&D. In 1990 Canada spe... ... Cameron, Duncan. The Free Trade Papers. James Lorimor & Company, Publishers, Toronto, 1986 The Canada and US FTA (Complete Doccument), External affairs Canada, Ottawa Laxer, James. Leap of Faith: Free Rade and the Future of Canada. Hurtig Publishers, Edmonton, 1986 The Case Against the Critics of Free Trade. John Miora. Finanical Post, Feb. 8, 1986 Brave New World. Marc Tait. Maclean's, Jan. 9, 1989 Firms going continental. Jennifer Sachsa. Globe and Mail, June 12, 1990 Roundtable: The Canada-US FTA. Fred Swift. Globe and Mail. August 12, 1988 End Notes 1 Firms going continental. Jennifer Sachsa. Globe and Mail, June 12, 1990 2 Brave New World. Marc Tait. Maclean's, Jan. 9, 1989 3 Firms going continental. Jenniger Sachsa. Globe and Mail, June 12, 1990 4 Roundtable: The Canada-US FTA. Fred Swift. Globe and Mail. August 12, 1988

Friday, October 11, 2019

Sunset Boulevard

Yes, Norma Is That Crazy Sunset Boulevard constantly and persistently advances the theme that Hollywood creates movie stars that become engrossed with their own fame and then abandons them, leaving behind only their outlandish and outdated fantasies. The case of Norma Desmond is no different. Her out-of-touch relationship with reality is given form through her desire to make her â€Å"greatest picture yet. † The segment of Sunset Boulevard that will be analyzed in this essay is significant because, through the use and interplay of cinematography, editing, elements of Mise-en-Scene, and the dialogue, Norma’s delusions are highlighted and magnified.The first few moments of part one of the segment use specific elements of Mise-en-Scene and the dialogue to begin the reinforcement of Norma’s delusions. As her lavish and fanciful car pulls up to the studio door, Norma asks Joe if he would like to accompany her into the studio to meet with Cecil B. DeMille, but Joe refu ses. Joe is dressed fairly normally whereas Norma is wearing a fancy coat and hat to match her equally fancy car. This use of the costumes and makeup suggest that Norma is somehow out of place or out of time because her clothes do not match the occasion.When Joe declines to join Norma in the studio, he explicitly states, â€Å"It’s your script, it’s your show. † This part of the dialogue seems to suggest a separation between Norma and Joe. Norma is excited to meet with DeMille and discuss her movie whereas Joe is content to wait outside with Max and the car – Norma is alone. The next few moments of part one also contain some key lines of dialogue that seem to emphasize the anachronism of Norma Desmond and her fantasies. As she is hugged and greeted by DeMille, she recalls the last time the two had been together.She describes the time as â€Å"very gay,† suggesting that it is a very happy memory. She also remembers waving to DeMille and dancing on a table. It would seem that Norma still associates her relationship with DeMille, and consequently her career as a movie star, with fantastic memories of the past. DeMille mentions that many other people were dancing on tables as well, since Charles Lindbergh had just landed in Paris. This seems to suggest that Norma’s experience (and consequently, her past) is not s special and unique as she would like to believe, but Norma seems ignorant to this subtle suggestion because she is still engrossed by that memory. In the next section of part one, the dialogue between and the behavior of Norma and DeMille heightens the disparity of understanding between the two Hollywood greats. Norma behaves like classic Norma – pretentious with an inflated sense of self-importance. DeMille seems to be walking a line between careful respect and impatience.When Norma asks if he has read her script, DeMille waits for her to break eye contact before looking down and admitting in a rather exas perated and annoyed tone, â€Å"Yes, I did. † DeMille’s facial expression as he says this is key to understanding the distance between him and Norma. He is somewhere between anger, impatience, and confusion, whereas Norma is looking off-screen, seeming quite pleased with herself. DeMille leaves Norma in his director’s chair as he tells one of his assistants to get him on the phone with Gordon Cole, whose calls lead to Norma’s arrival at the studio.The difference between DeMille’s and Norma’s facial expressions and tone reinforce the idea that Norma is living in a fantasy and is separated from reality. The next section of part one uses costumes, lighting, and specific shot angles to reinforce Norma’s delusions about her current importance. A high angle shot of Norma in DeMille’s director’s chair is combined with the use of a spotlight to further Norma’s fantasies about her current importance. When the lighting man puts the spotlight on Norma and exclaims that it’s Norma Desmond for everyone in the studio to hear, the people in the studio surround Norma.Most are dressed for the picture that is being made by DeMille, but there are also a few policemen and normal people as well. The crowd around Norma that is showering her with affection is almost entirely comprised of people in strange clothes. This would seem to suggest that Norma’s sense of self-importance isn’t based in reality. Rather, it is a product of the fantasy world she lives in. In the final moments of part one, non-diegetic music is combined with the dialogue to show that Norma has no idea why she was being called by Gordon Cole.While DeMille is on the telephone with Cole, non-diegetic music is used to heighten the tension and suggest that a revelation is about to be made about the true purpose of the calls to Norma. When Gordon reveals that he was only interested in renting Norma’s luxurious car for a pi cture that is being made, a sudden burst of non-diegetic music is inserted. This music accentuates the difference between Norma Desmond’s reality and actual reality. DeMille pops the fantasy bubble Norma is in by breaking up the crowd of her fans around her and getting the spotlight taken off her.Norma’s fantasy is contrasted with DeMille’s reality when he tries to explain the mix up. She begins weeping out of gratitude for her fans whereas DeMille is trying to let her down as easily as possible. He highlights how detached Norma is when he says that pictures have changed quite a bit since she had been a star. The first half of part two uses cinematography to contrast the Norma’s past and the present. As Max tells Joe about Norma’s old dressing rooms, the camera remains on the car. Joe doesn’t look up at the offices. He doesn’t even seem all that interested in Max’s story.Only when Joe notices Betty does the shot cut away from t he car. Max is still talking but Joe is much more interested in Betty. This use of shot control seems to suggest that Norma and Max’s past is irrelevant to Joe – all he cares about is Betty. The second half of part two uses dialogue to reveal to Max the true nature of the Paramount visit, which shows just how deluded Norma is. Two studio workers walk up to the car as Max is waiting for Joe and Norma to return and ask if they can take a look at the â€Å"funny old car Gordon Cole was talking about. † Max defensively asks what is so funny about the car.He cannot seem to notice how very out-of-place and out-of-time the car is, just as Norma is. The first section of part three uses lighting to contrast with part one. In part one, the inside of the studio is very dark, whereas part three is lighted very well. Betty’s office is well-lit through the open windows and doors, which seems to suggest an air of new life and positivity. DeMille’s studio is quite dark while Norma is present. This contrast seems to highlight the difference between reality and fantasy. Joe and Betty are living in reality – their lives are healthy and growing towards the future, hereas Norma is still living in her past fantasy. Throughout part three, the cinematography and editing, the choice between reality with Betty and fantasy with Norma for Joe is highlighted. Whenever there is a significant portion of Betty’s window visible in the shot, Norma’s car is also visible through the window. As Betty and Joe discuss how to fix up Betty’s script, we can still see the studio workers walking around the car, examining it. Part three also makes significant use of diegetic sound and dialogue to contrast fantasy with reality.As Betty asks Joe to meet with her to work on the script, a car horn begins to honk, calling Joe back to Norma’s fantasy world. Joe takes heed and tries to wrap up the meeting with Betty as soon as possible. Betty , however, is quite insistent and pesters Joe to meet with her. The longer she keeps Joe waiting, the longer and louder the car horn honking becomes. This seems to suggest that Norma’s fantasy world is calling Joe back, keeping him from fully engaging with the present reality. Part four mostly uses non-diegetic sound and music to finish the contrast between reality and Norma’s fantasy.After Max explains to Joe the true reason for the Paramount calls, the camera immediately cuts to Norma and DeMille exiting the studio through the same door they entered earlier in the segment. As Norma insists she isn’t worried about anything and DeMille tries to ship her off without indicating his knowledge of the situation, dark and mysterious music plays. Everyone knows except Norma – not that she cares. Norma is stuck in her fantasy world, convinced that it will become reality. She never picks up on the subtle clues that DeMille gives throughout their interaction that h e has no intention of making a movie with her again.Sunset Boulevard’s theme that Hollywood creates movie stars that become engrossed with their own fame and then abandons them, leaving behind only their outlandish and outdated fantasies, is excellently exemplified through Norma Desmond. Her out-of-touch relationship with reality is given form through her desire to make her â€Å"greatest picture yet. † This segment of Sunset Boulevard is significant because, through the use and interplay of cinematography, editing, elements of Mise-en-Scene, and the dialogue, Norma’s delusions are highlighted and magnified.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Linear Technology Essay

1. Describe Linear Technologies payout policy. Linear Technology announced its first dividend on October 13, 1992 in order to portray Linear Technology as a less risky firm than other technology companies that did not pay dividends and to gain access to new investors interested in earning income in addition to investing in growth. Linear Technology initially planned to begin with a relatively low dividend of $0.05 per share which amounted to a 15% earnings payout ratio – mindful of the fact that investors abhorred firms that reduced or stopped their dividend payment schedule. Beginning more conservatively than their original estimates, Linear Technology began with a $0.00625 dividend per share. Linear Technology has steadily increased it’s dividend per share increasing the payout approximately every four quarters by $0.00125. This pattern was maintained from Q2 1993 to Q3 2000. Beginning in Q4 2000, Linear Technology began increasing its dividend per share by a new pattern of $0.01 increases per four quarters. The current dividend per share is $0.05 during Q3 2003. Its current dividend yield of 1% is relatively higher than the average dividend yield rate for Information Technology firms in the S&P 500, around 0.3%. 2. What are Linear’s financing needs? Should Linear return cash to tis shareholders? What are the tax consequences of keeping cash inside the firm? Linear Technology’s financing needs are to optimize its cash flow, investments, and cash balances in order to maximize its shareholder values. Linear’s cash balance in March 2003 stood at around $1.5 billion, which was being conservatively invested in short-term debt securities. The cash flow from these investments, the interest income, was around $52 million. Due to the tax cuts implemented by the Bush administration, the tax rate on dividends and capital gains were greatly reduced. The dividend tax rate dropped from an approximate 38% and the capital gains tax dropped from an approximate 20%. More important that the magnitude of the tax cuts, however, is that the capital gains tax was equalized with the dividends tax. When the dividends tax is higher than the capital gains tax, the optimal dividend  policy is to pay no dividends. In this situation, the firm will use share repurchases instead in order to take advantage of tax savings. Before the tax cuts, the firm has less incentive to raise funds for dividend payouts due to the higher tax rate on dividends and the negative effect on shareholders. However, with the equalized tax rate of 15%, the firm is no longer discouraged from raising dividends. 3. IF Linear were to pay out its entire cash balance as a special dividend, what would be the effect on value? On the share price? On earnings? On earnings per share? What if Linear repurchased shares instead? Assume a 3% rate of interest. 4. Why do firms pay dividends? Why has the rate of dividend initiations changed over time? Firms pay dividends for several reasons despite the MM proposition that characterizes dividend policy as irrelevant. One main reason for dividend policy is based on the manager’s belief that investors prefer stable dividends with sustained growth. This kind of dividend signals to the investor the firm has reached a steady state growth i.e. a mature market position. A company usually only begins to consider releasing dividends once it has established regular and predictable operations cash flows. However, dividends can also act as a negative signal telling investors that the firm’s growth rate is slowing. Increasing the dividend can, on one hand, signal the manager’s perspective for future growth and optimism over future cash flows; on the other hand, increasing the dividend can also signal a lack of investment opportunities. The use of dividend payouts has steadily decreased over the last 30 years. This trend is in part related to the changes in dividend tax rate , however, I believe the majority of this trend or trends can be attributed to changes in investor preferences. The dividend payout decision is ultimately chosen by a manager, whose main objective is to satisfy shareholder preferences.

Employment Law Essay

The main issue under consideration in this case is whether a claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) can be subjected to compulsory arbitration pursuant to an arbitration agreement in a securities registration application. Gilmer contends that it is not. Among the arguments raised by Gilmer are: a) the compulsory arbitration of claims under the ADEA pursuant to arbitration agreement is inconsistent with the purpose of the Federal Arbitration Agreement; b) the compulsory arbitration of claims will undermine the role of the EEOC in enforcing the ADEA; c) compulsory arbitration will deprive the claimant of the judicial forum provided for by the ADEA; d) compulsory arbitration should not be countenanced because of the inherent inequality in the bargaining power between the employers and the employees. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit holding that an ADEA claim may be subjected to compulsory arbitration. The Supreme Court ruled that it does not see any inconsistency between the purpose of FAA and the enforcement of agreements to arbitrate under age discrimination claims. The Sherman Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, RICO, and the Securities Act of 1933 all are designed to advance important public policies but claims under these statutes may still be subjected to compulsory arbitration. Also, it is incorrect to argue that compulsory arbitration will undermine the role of EEOC in enforcing the ADEA because a claimant subject to arbitration agreement is still free to file a charge with the EEOC. Further, compulsory arbitration agreements will not deprive the claimants of their right to seek judicial recourse under ADEA rather it even broadens the right of the claimants as they now have the right to select the forum for resolving their disputes whether judicial or otherwise. Mere inequality in the bargaining power between the employer and the employee is not sufficient to hold that arbitration agreements should not be enforceable as it is precisely the purpose of FAA to place arbitration agreements in the same footing as other contracts. In effect, the Gilmer case required claimants who are under compulsory arbitration agreements to comply with the said agreements before they seek judicial recourse even if it involves a claim under the ADEA. In the dissenting opinion of Justice Stevens, he argued that arbitration clauses contained in employment agreements are specifically exempt from coverage of the FAA thus respondent corporation cannot compel petitioner to submit his claims arising under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) to compulsory arbitration. One of the arguments raised is that the requirement of compulsory arbitration between the petitioner and the respondent is not embodied in the contract of employment. In fact it was admitted by both parties that there was no contract of employment between them. Instead, the Compulsory Arbitration clause was embodied only in Gilmer’s application for registration before the NYSE. Moreover even if there was a contract of employment, the FAA should be not held to apply to employment-related disputes between employees and employers. It would be contrary to the spirit of the FAA to allow the same people who have practiced discrimination against an employee to bargain with them for the purpose of settling their disputes. I agree with the majority opinion. In the first place, the injured party in discrimination suits is the employee. As the injured party, they have the freedom to seek judicial recourse for the purpose of obtaining relief for the damage done to them. However, they also have the freedom to opt for other alternatives. In an effort to settle their dispute with their employers, they may choose to enter into arbitration. Indeed, it would be more in keeping with the laissez faire doctrine to allow both the employers and the employees to settle their dispute among themselves.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Accounting, write a memo about Sony company Essay

Accounting, write a memo about Sony company - Essay Example Interesting content from proxy statement: â€Å"In a case where the outside director is reelected as an outside director of the corporation and reassumes his/her office as an outside director of the corporation, this agreement should continue to be effective after reelection and re-assumption without any action or formality.† This implies that in reelection of outside directors no formality is followed but the contract with the corporation is automatically renewed. In such instances the directorship is suppose to be formally executed like other directors by the use of the signature and company stamp but here it is no done. Positive Aspect: The annual report is viable and reasonable in that they require further tests to be conducted. While the primary objective of the report was to look at the effectiveness of the project in ensuring costs saving and operational efficiency, the project also looked at other information in a cursory manner as well (Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Federal Purchases, 2004). The report also suggests that independent study must be conducted to ensure that the prices of items being offered via the simplified acquisition procedures are at least at par with their market equivalents. Concerning Aspect: The first and the most concerning issue is that of carrying cost. The organization may carry excessive amounts, however the organization will have to bear excessive carrying costs to ensure that the products are kept in usable conditions and that they are not damaged due to prolonged periods of storage. These costs are not insignificant and in case of sensitive equipment, the equipment maintenance costs are a major portion of the organization is operating overheads. Overall: the annual report and proxy statement enables one to understand and the strategy of the company. It also enables one to comprehend the strategic direction as it

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Import and Export Markets in the United Kingdom Essay

Import and Export Markets in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The UK exports most of its goods to Brazil, India, Russia, and China while most of the imports come from china. The use of higher technology manufactured goods has caused a dramatic increase in both exports and imports. However, the recent financial crisis experienced around the world has led to a decline in imports and exports (Reuvid and Sherlock, 2011). In 2009, UK imports and exports totaled to $1,256 billion, which was equivalent to 4.3 of the world trade. The financial crisis has caused a rise in exchange rates of sterling pound, which has caused an 8.6% decrease in exports and 9.1% decrease in imports (Great Britain, 2009). Over the past ten years, the UK has been a net oil exporter, but production has been decreasing consistently over the past years. The oil industry has recorded an average decrease of 5.3% per year in exports. This has converted the UK from an oil export to an oil import land. Oil production in the region is less than demand, which calls for supplements thro ugh increased imports. Imports of other energy sources such as coal, electricity, and gas have increased over the past five years. In 2010, the importation of liquefied natural gas increased to account for 35% of total gas imports, while gas exports have decreased slightly over the same period. Gas has also been increasingly used for electricity supply with the amount required increasing by 47% (Great Britain, 2010). Changes in the financial sector affect business sentiments and investment decisions, which are linked to global trade. Data service exports at the start of 2007 were about 30 billion pounds while imports were about 33 billion pounds. Mid 2008 recorded the peak imports and exports at 40 billion and 34 billion pounds respectively. The rate of imports and exports of data services decreased consistently since 2008 reaching a low of 32 billion in imports and 29 billion in exports in mid 2009. However, an increase was recorded towards the end of 2010 with imports and exports reaching 41 and 35 billion respectively. The deep drop can be attributed to financial crisis experienced during this period. The dramatic drop experienced in 2009 can be attributed to the collapse of Lehman Brothers Company. Global insurance company AIG received below average ratings and mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley was nationalized. These changes caused the drop experienced in 2009. The UK has recorded an increase in intermediate goods trade, with a 40% increase in 2008 for non-fuel products. Production processes are divided between different countries, which have increased the flow of unfinished goods into and out of the UK. Most manufacturing countries have production firms in countries with low labor costs. Products manufactured in these countries are imported as finished or semi-finished goods. The sterling pound experienced strong depreciation between 2007 and 2008. Reports by the Bank of England (2010) suggest that goods and services exports responded differently to the weakening of sterling. Export of goods has been supported by the weakening because export performance is influenced by price. The service industry reported a decrease in exports due to a reduction in global demand. The fall of financial companies reduced the rate of financial service exports, which caused the reduced export services. According to the World Bank (BCC, 2011), trade in professional and technical services has been more resilient than trade in goods during the financial crisis. Most