Misfit And Arnold Friend Essay - 748 Words

Comparing The Misfit Vs Arnold Friend In the two short stories â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery OConnor and Where are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates, there are many similarities in the characters ‘Misfit’ and Arnold Friend; although they aren’t clear at the beginning they become clearer after analyzing. For instance, they are both charming and know how to talk to their prey and get what they want. We see this in A Good Man is Hard to Find with the Misfit, he stays calm throughout and it almost seems like the grandmother is getting to him, saying things like I know youre a good man. You dont look a bit like you have com- mon blood. I know you must come from nice people! Yes mam, he said, finest people†¦show more content†¦The name Misfit seems appropriate for this character because he doesn’t seem ‘fit’ anywhere. â€Å"My daddy said I was a different breed of dog from my brothers and sisters.† And he talks about all the diffe rent things he has been a part of, suggesting that he kept moving because he never fit in anywhere. Arnold Friend is an ironic name for this character because he isn’t Connie’s friend, she doesn’t even know him. And if you say the name out loud, it sounds like â€Å"are no friend† He proves that he can’t be a friend in the first place, he left his so-called friend in the car and talked to him like he meant nothing to him. An additional similarity is that the two stories both have religious aspects. The Misfit compares himself directly to Jesus, stating he is like Jesus, except Jesus hadn’t committed a crime. To justify the murders, knowing they are wrong, he believes he is doing right because they aren’t for no reason. In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Connie noticed that Arnold seemed to be wearing a wig, makeup and that he was walking strange, probably because he had stuffing in his boots to make himself appear taller, Arnolds shoe was also described as appearing to not even have his foot inside of it. One of his boots was at a strange angle, as if his foot wasnt in it. It pointed to the left, bent at the ankle. This could be understood that Arnolds shoes didnt fit because he had hoovesShow MoreRelated Delivering Moral Messages in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been and A Good Man is Hard to Find1516 Words   |  7 Pagesinnocence that places her right in the path of Arnold Friend. Arnold will confirm this by telling Connie that there is nothing else for â€Å"a pretty girl like you but to be sweet and give in.† In fact, critics generally interpret this story as Connie’s initiation into evil. What’s in a name? If you’re talking about one of Joyce Carol Oates’s characters, a name can say a lot. Arnold Friend’s name can be interpreted as â€Å"aren’t no friend† or â€Å"A. Friend† (Johnson 150). Either way his is a demonic figureRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesSarah Holle Editorial Assistant: Ashlee Bradbury VP Director of Marketing: Patrice Lumumba Jones Senior Marketing Manager: Nikki Ayana Jones Senior Managing Editor: Judy Leale Production Project Manager: Becca Groves Senior Operations Supervisor: Arnold Vila Operations Specialist: Cathleen Petersen Senior Art Director: Janet Slowik Art Director: Kenny Beck Text and Cover Designer: Wanda Espana OB Poll Graphics: Electra Graphics Cover Art: honey comb and a bee working / Shutterstock / LilKar SrRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesClaudia Fernandes Director of Marketing: Patrice Lumumba Jones Marketing Manager: Nikki Ayana Jones Senior Marketing Assistant: Ian Gold Senior Managing Editor: Judy Leale Senior Production Project Manager: Kelly Warsak Senior Operations Supervisor: Arnold Vila Operations Specialist: Ilene Kahn Senior Art Director: Janet Slowik Interior Design: Suzanne Duda and Michael Fruhbeis Permissions Project Manager: Shannon Barbe Manager, Cover Visual Research Permissions: Karen Sanatar Manager Central Design:

Operation fly trap Free Essays

However, all of this wouldn’t be possible without the help she received from the Harry Guggenheim Foundation award. That grant helped her begin her fieldwork in 2005. Her fieldwork was conducted in the Pueblos neighborhood in Los Angles, this is where she got inside information from the gang members themselves. We will write a custom essay sample on Operation fly trap or any similar topic only for you Order Now She also studied from the Los Angles Police Department (LARD), here she befriended a couple of FBI agents that were in charge of Operation Fly Trap. All of this fieldwork paved her way In writing a very objective book. She received individually received both sides of the Issue and wrote this book to give her point of view on the subject. In her Ellwood she would study the effects of the justice department and the consequence it has on the community and family of the criminals involved. The time she spent on the inside, with the people of the gangs and the lives they lead, would lead Phillips to question both the success of this operation and the methods used to conduct it (Phillips 175). Los Angles was struck with dramatic economical times, the economy was unraveling In every way possible. The economy was hurt by the 011 crisis, depreciating international dollar, dwindle of union jobs, bifurcation of the manufacturing sector, ND an unchanging education system (Phillips 7). All of these factors would be reasons of why a good working class citizen would turn to dealing drugs, being a member of a gang, and/or using drugs. Drug money was â€Å"easy money† as one would say. You could make stacks of money fast, with little effort most of the time. The hard part was not getting caught. With the Increase In drug activity happening In Los Angles was the same Increase In prison sentences. It got so bad that Incarceration became Californians number one industry. It would grow to employ the largest umber of people in the state (Phillips). One of the other important factors that have to do with the increase in incarcerations was the fact that the state of California waged a war on drugs. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) went from housing 21 ,539 Inmates In 1978 to 217,444 in 2011, making drug offenders 55% of the BOP population (Phillips 8). Although part of this prison rate Is In fact due to the aggressive policing and harsh sentencing the criminals were given. This made Phillips think and wonder if all of this was part of the solution or Just part of the problem. From her extensive field work she goes on to say that the way the LAP approached the drug problem was in fact producing one of the problems they were trying so hard to prevent. Here she needed to take the next step, on the inside. She began this step by living in the neighborhood of Pueblos, which was run by the African American and Hispanic race. She luckily befriended a local named Ben Kaplan and lived there with his family. From there she was able to get a first hand view point the ever so popular drug environment. She was also able to see different sides of the spectrum like how he environment affec ted the families and communities alike. How the laws and actions of the police affected them as well. There use of surveillance, through wiretaps and confidential informants, having a negative impact on the lives of the community. She figures out how the families are shaped through this involvement in crime. Phillips research in all of this goes to prove how unbiased her book really is, she practiced true reflexivity. All of her facts are hard facts that she went and lived first hand. She witnessed drug deals, witnessed people snorting cocaine, and dinettes the wiretaps that were given to drug dealers. All of this information she writes from is purely unbiased facts, writing from an etc perspective, her way of co- existing with the people, sitting back and observing them, was how she approached her story. Phillips goes on to write about how the incarceration of a family member affects the family as a whole. Unintended consequences include threaten or actual eviction, the involvement of child social services, desalination of families, depression in children, and high mortality rates among already vulnerable people (Phillips 20). Arresting a drug dealer for â€Å"slinging† coke may seem like a win for the police but in all reality it causes a snowball effect on the rest of the family that will have to deal with. Phillips findings go on to say how the police work unintentionally tears apart the family functionalism. The only way to prevent crime is to have a strong united family. Operation Fly Trap was the combined effort of the LAP that removed twenty-eight key members of the local, gang-related drug trade. They did a great Job in reducing drug related crimes, however did very little in the gang related activity. Where the police succeed in incarceration rates, they fail in the goal to build a strong community. Phillips lasting conclusion in this ethnography is that incarceration can lead to increased poverty rates, negative health outcomes, rises in violence, and instability among already vulnerable families. Lastly the importance of manufacturing gangs as iconic, newly federalism villains (Phillips 21). Phillips, Susan A. Operation Fly Trap: L. A. Gangs, Drugs, and the Law. N. P. : n. P. , n. D. Print. â€Å"Susan A. Phillips. † Susan A Phillips. N. P. , n. D. Web. 26 cot. 2013.. How to cite Operation fly trap, Papers

Speech First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Freedom free essay sample

How much do you value your freedom? How would you feel if where ever you go, there are always restrictions being made stopping you from doing or saying whatever you want, even if you had every single right to do so? (Back Ground Info) Claim: As young people our freedom of speech should not be limited because It is a natural right, we must be allowed our individuality, and what we do off campus should be our own personal business. 1) (Topic Sentence): Speech is God’s gift to mankind. Through speech a human being conveys his thoughts, sentiments and feelings to others. Freedom of expression is a natural right, which a human being aquires on birth. It is, therefore, a basic right. The First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution protects freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly and petition. The First Amendment reads as follows: Congress shall make no law  respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or  abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. We will write a custom essay sample on Speech: First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Freedom or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page   (Source A) Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the First Amendment not only applies to the congress and federal government but also to each and every single American citizen, which I believe includes students, in, or out of school campus. 2) Body Paragraph(creativity): The US values creative thinking as critical to a productive economy. Furthermore, freedom of expression is a fundamental right upon which our country is founded. Schools should not stifle creativity or freedom of expression by restricting certain clothes, accessories, and censoring our speech. Most schools often encourage individuality and want students to 3) School is stressful enough for teens when they’re at school, and it is completely unreasonable and out of line to suspend a student when he or she is not on school grounds. After a long day at school, students want to escape all the stress and just get away from anything that has to do with cademics and usually relive their stress by going online or playing video games. I believe that Students should NOT have to worry about any of their teachers creeping up on their PERSONAL blogs and websites. Laura Iacovacci, a 16 year old junior at Paramus High School; she like many students have a Myspace, Twitter, or Facebook etc. and had been posting and making rude comments about one of her classmates. When Laura had returned to school she was suspended for more than three days by her Princ ipal. Laura’s principal argues that â€Å"Unlike a conversation that might take place on an email or on the telephone, these sites are accessible to the public so, yes it can be harmful to students when others are posting things about them that are hurtful. † Although I agree with the principal that posting about someone on their blogs can be very hurtful towards the victim, that doesn’t give any school district the right to basically stalk a students life outside of school for the protection of the other students. There are many other alternatives to solving those problems. The victim can simply block the user, or tell their parents, and their parents will handle it. Schools and teachers act like they have to be a parent to each and every one of their students and protect them, but they must realize that they have their own parents that can handle those types of situations for them, WITHOUT creating a much bigger scene or making the situation bigger than it needs to be. ) Body Paragraph: (agree): However, to a certain extent, I must admit that limitations to freedom of expression should be enrolled to prevent disruption and student chaos. Conclusion: Punishing a student for exercising their rights is complete BULLSHIT! My peers and I have just as much right to the first amendment as anyone, and will always apply to us no matter where we are! In or OUT of school! No school should ever take away what our founding fathers FOUGHT for us to have! the more the authorities try and restrict and limit the rights of any American citizen, the more they will stand up and rebel.

Pincher Martin Essay Example

Pincher Martin Essay Pincher Martin, Goldings most powerful and greatest literary achievement, has certain elements that enable us to discern it as a novel of situation. The competition against the sea by a Naval Officer for survival is the basic tension and conflict before death and endows this relevant situation with some kind of religious sanctity. It is a complex work of art, and it appears to be the most significant expression of Goldings capacity to fuse content and form in the novel. The novel has a very simple story. What we enjoy in the novel is the soul-drama of the protagonist. Martin, the naval officer is thrown into the North Atlantic at the time of attack from a submarine. Once in the vast Ocean, he fights for life and finds a rock in the ocean for help. Having reached it and occupying it, he began finding ways of escape. The novel is filled with Martins thoughts and recollections of the by gone days. This offers a peep-hole to look into the secret in a hopeless situation on the Rock, in North Atlantic Sea. Since the novelist gives importance to the situation, it is no question whether Martin died within the second page of the novel itself or suffered for seven days. The story is about Martin and his struggle and suffering and his death becomes sublime, which is therefore non-specific with regard to time. We will write a custom essay sample on Pincher Martin specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Pincher Martin specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Pincher Martin specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In Pincher Martin the psychology of the protagonist in isolation seems to be related to the basic theme of the novel. The isolation of Martin makes him aggressive, even though he has nobody other than the elemental forces to fight against. As stated earlier the novel presents a competitive situation, the man in competition with the sea. Pincher Martin is in competition with the sea. The competitive spirit is part of the aggressive behavior of human beings. Martin is aggressive against God and the elemental forces. He is very adamant and competitive in spirit and this is a sign of the aggressive drive of human mind. An extended elaboration of the aggressive drive in Martin is necessary to make his position explicit. The situation of man in extremity many drown him in sin. The natural depravity of man is the cause of violence in him. Man may show the spirit of aggression against the force of circumstances. This psychology of the aggression of human mind can be detected in the struggle of Pincher Martin. Even though Martin is ineffectual in the isolated surroundings, his mind is competitive in spirit as he longed to preserve his precious life. Golding himself, a member of the Royal Navy for a time was in command of a ship during the war. Hence a very clear-cut description of the working of the mind of the naval personal id made possible. Goldings experience of the dangers of war and mans lack of reasoning during war time might have inflicted an unrecognizable psychological obsession in his mind. His experience of the war might have shown to him the cause of the aggressive drive of human beings. Th e sailors are proud to be competitive and are eager to take up challengers. Many of them are ever confident like Martin and are competitive in spirit. As in Lord of The Flies, her also the survival-adventure situation is prominent. Martin is in situation, as he is caught between survival and death. It may be noted that Martin is mixing his supposedly real situation on the rock with memories of his past and fears of his future. Here neither survival nor extinction is the problem, but the critical moment in between the two, the tormenting flashbacks of his past life. The whole drama is on the rock, and the suffering which Martin undergoes is the situation in which he is. This may be symbolic of the battle of all men for salvation. Having discussed the theme, the impact of the form and method of the novel may be examined. There is only one character in the novel that deserves a name and the whole story revolves round him. This one and only worthy character is placed in situation. His thoughts are determined by the situation and the character is not allowed to progress in the first four chapters. Martin appears to be a very vigorous spirit, with a challenging mood, ready to face the perilous process of living. Martin is put in a seemingly heroic atmosphere, and he fights heroically about in his passion. But this development into heroic stature is limited and subjected to the demands of the situation. As Golding stresses here on situation his protagonist has become a doomed modern hero, greedy for survival at all costs. From the very first page of the novel onwards, we are allowed to see the picture of Martins self and thereby knowledge is created that Christopher Hardly Martin is not simply a Naval Officer, but more than that, he is Everyman. By placing the hero between the devil and the mid-sea, which is not a totally unexpected situation for the mariner, Golding has been able to suffuse the universal tragic situation into his novel. Even though characterization is not stressed upon, Goldings Martin becomes heroic, since the tragic intensity of the situation increases his importance. So the method of subordinating character to situation in order to achieve depth displays the form as such of the novel of situation. If we are to accept the period of struggle lasting for seven days we can detect each days agony as each stage in his passage to the Otherworld. In the first days struggle, Martin pledges that he will not so willingly let himself die. He thinks high of himself and believes that his self is something very precious to be preserved. So he decides to fight against nature to preserve his life and thinks that upholding it is considered to be proof of life. His thoughts are hard and at the same time unconnected, but they nourish a central idea-his strong determination to live. This is proof of ego, and Golding has expressed his view that Martin is greatly egocentric.

10 Fascinating Animal Facts

10 Fascinating Animal Facts Our world is full of animals that are wondrous and amazing! These fascinating creatures have certain adaptations that may seem strange to us, but are necessary for the animal to survive. These adaptations may be defense mechanisms that help the animal to avoid predators or they may aid the animal in obtaining food for themselves. Below are ten fascinating facts about animals that may surprise you. Fascinating Animal Facts 10. Frogs have ear drums on the outside of their heads. While frogs dont have an external ear as humans do, they have an inner ear, middle ear, and an outer ear drum or tympanum. 9. Sea otters always float on their backs when they eat. These marine mammals dine on animals including mussels, sea urchins, clams, and snails, all while floating on their backs. Their extremely dense fur protects them from the cold waters as they eat. 8. Polar bears look white, but they actually have black skin. Unlike other bears, their fur is transparent and reflects visible light. This allows polar bears, which live in the arctic tundra, to blend in with their snow covered environment. 7. Snakes always keep their eyes open, even when they are asleep. Snakes cant close their eyes because they do not have eyelids. They do have eye scales which cover their eyes and shed when the snake sheds its skin. 6. Crickets have ears on their front legs. Located just below the knees, their ears are among the smallest in the animal kingdom. In addition to crickets, grasshoppers and locusts also have ears on their legs. 5. Aardvarks can hear and smell termites and ants. An aardvark uses its long tongue to reach deep into termite and ant mounds. These animals can eat tens of thousands of insects in a single night. 4. Cobras are able to kill with a bite as soon as they are born. Baby cobra venom is just as potent as an adult cobras venom. Their bite is dangerous because cobras can inject large amounts of venom in a single bite. Cobra venom contains a neurotoxin that affects the central nervous system and can lead to paralysis, respiratory system failure, and death. 3. Flamingos have knees that can bend backward. Well actually, what looks like knees are really its ankles and heels. A flamingos knees are located closer to its body and hidden under its feathers. 2. The pistol shrimp catches its prey by surprising it with a loud banging noise made with its claws. The sound is so loud that it stuns or even kills their prey. The sound made by pistol shrimp claws can be as loud as 210 decibels, which is louder than a gunshot. 1. Some species of Australian Flower Spiders eat their mother when food becomes limited. The mother spider sacrifices herself by encouraging her young babies to attack her, dissolve her insides, and feed on her body. Cannibalism is also seen in other spider species and most often observed in relation to sexual encounters. More Fascinating Animal Facts Common Animal Questions and AnswersWhy do zebras have stripes? Why do some tigers have white coats? Find answers to these and other commonly asked questions about animals. Why Some Animals Play DeadWhen faced with danger, some animals go into a catatonic state. They appear to be dead to the world. Discover why some animals play dead. 10 Amazing Bioluminescent OrganismsSome organisms have the ability to glow. The light emitted is due to a chemical reaction. Discover 10 amazing bioluminescent organisms. 7 Animals That Mimic LeavesSome animals camouflage themselves as leaves to avoid predators or catch prey. The next time you pick up a leaf, make sure it is not a leaf impostor. Amazing Animal SensesDiscover some amazing facts about animal senses.

10 Worst Reasons to Quit Your Job

10 Worst Reasons to Quit Your Job We’ve all been there: so fed up it seems the only option is to quit and start afresh. But situations like that call for very careful consideration. If your reasons for the grand gesture happen to include any of the following, it might be best to reconsider. Here are the 10 worst reasons to quit your job:1. You’re boredYour job involves a lot of repetition. You feel like Sisyphus rolling his boulder up and down his little hill. But any job- no matter how glamorous- involves doing something over and over again until you get better and better at it. Remember every job will involve some level of repetition. Ask yourself whether your work is challenging or ultimately satisfying, rather than whether it’s repetitive.2. You feel under-appreciatedYou know you’re awesome. So why is no one tooting your horn? Where are your accolades? Recognition isn’t something that happens overnight- and it certainly can’t accompany every little good thing that you do. Get over yourself; keep working until you have something really worth celebrating.3. You’re still not rich and famousMost people will never reach that level. It’s not a great reason to quit your job. Perhaps you could do a bit of financial stock-taking and strategizing instead to see how you can maximize your time and talents? But quitting because you’re not raking in the dough? Bad call. You have to work to earn that money, you know.4. You’re dauntedYou can see success. But it’s an uphill slog and about 5  to 10  years in the future. Just thinking about it makes you tired. But remember: if you quit, you’ll be that many years and that much hard work behind plus the time and work it takes to get a new job. Better to put your head down and get started.5. You’re not sure it’s worth itYou’re weighing all the compromises and hard work against the possible eventual reward. That’s actually smart. Just make sure you run this by an objective third party whom you trust enough to tell you the hard truth and help set you (or keep you) on the proper path.6. It’s not about youA little soul searching is in order here. Make sure you’re not quitting for your partner or a parent- or worse, because you want to rebel against someone. Listen to the voice in your head about whether this job is on the right track to who and where you want to be in five years. If it is, stay put and do the work.7. Your inner jerk tells you what to doThat meanie  in your head is whispering to you that it isn’t worth it- that you aren’t good enough. That you might as well not try. Your job sucks and you suck, right? Wrong. Tell that voice to shut up.8. You don’t feel importantThis is like a little kid deciding to run away because he doesn’t think anybody would miss him if he left. It’s emotionally immature and unprofessional. Instead: start distinguishing yourself in such a way that you never feel this kind of self-pity. Make yourself indispensable to your company and your coworkers.9. You covet your neighbor’s careerYou’re not as successful as the billionaires you read about in Forbes. Or your next door neighbor. Or your high school boyfriend. Stop spending so much time comparing yourself to the next guy and do your work instead. You’ll stand a better chance of actually succeeding if you devote yourself to what you’re doing.10. You don’t know enoughMissing a crucial certification or skill that you think your field requires? That’s not a reason to quit! It’s a reason to go out and earn that last scout badge. Go out and finish whatever education you need in your free time- you might even be able to get your company to pay for your training process. If you don’t know something, learn!There are lots of great reasons to quit. But these 10  are actually warning flags that the problem is with you, not wit h your job. Don’t stress. Just get back to work.

Wide Sargasso Sea Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wide Sargasso Sea - Research Paper Example Her families, creoles, were in their own race because they could not identify with any of the races in Jamaica that were determined by financial muscles. They are forced to flee their home in Coulibri as a result of the attack by the freed slaves who were avenging on the family, this became apparent because Mr. Mason, stepfather, declined Annette’s pleas to move from that place, she is married to Rochester, an Englishman who had accepted to marry her because of his greedy to get her wealthy, her ordeal with Rochester nearly leads to her being mad and referred to as Marionetta and Bertha by Rochester (Drake 199). Rochester, the man who is married by Antoinette, is unnamed in the book but his identity comes clear when we take into consideration the hero in Jane Eyre (Harris 191). His coming to Jamaica is influenced by Mr. Mason and Antoinette’s half brother and the whole situation led to a hasty marriage between the two. He sees the whole wedding as a trick considering th e way it was hurriedly done and this is cemented by Daniel’s letter to him informing him of the Cosway family background that is tainted with instances of madness. He could not even thing of quitting the marriage union because he really needed Antoinette’s fortune to rescue himself from being ruined and dependency on the brother. The issue of deception leads him to unleashing cruelty on his wife and this contributes to her mental breakdown while in England. Antoinette seems to be happy and fully fulfilled because of the romantic environment created by Rochester who consummates with her simply to satisfy his sexual desire and not as a result of love. The landscape in Granbois where they had gone for their honeymoon is very beautiful and relaxing according to Antoinette. It created a considerable distance from the people who hated her. After a considerable number of days at Granbois, even Rochester begins to appreciate the place and even forgetting her marriage to Antoin ette as a misgiving because the weather was nice and he spent time in the bathing pool (Raiskin 256). Most of the time Antoinette could join him in the pool and they both watch the sun go down from the afternoon till evening. This happiness and enjoyment is brought about by a conducive and humble environment that is welcoming away from the hustle and bustle of life. Rochester notices two different sides of Antoinette that are very distant, and they depend on the time of the day; at night, she could wear a melancholy and somber mood considering how unhappy her past was. She sees Rochester as her own source of happiness away from the doomed past. During the day, she could converse and smile with him openly away from her fateful past. These instances shows that during the day she could view the nice sceneries of Granbois that are complemented by the presence of her husband and she becomes psychologically settled and happy, the opposite is experienced during the night she is forced to c ome into contact with the harsh reality of her dreadful past and this brings her sadness (Stein 130). Rochester’s inability to offer his wife Antoinette security and his general reaction to the nature of Caribbean exposes his feelings for the place which have a long lasting impact on the wife. The beauty and the natural sceneries in the place do not make any impression on him although he acknowledges that the place is really beautiful, he describes it as an untouched, wild, with an alien place that has a disturbing secret loveliness (Stein 131).Rochester does not want to accept the uniqueness in the landscapes of the Caribbean, he opts to despise them instead. He came to hate the rivers, the mountains, and the rain in that place

Litigation, Censures, and Fines Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Litigation, Censures, and Fines - Term Paper Example In recent years auditors are using unqualified comments to warn the companies to take good care of their bookkeeping process but the latter entities are not following the recommendations. The situation got worst with the passage of time and due to this reason public started to challenge the practices of national accounting organizations. Government responded to these challenges by tightening the regulations and ordered the auditors to give qualified objections upon repeated incidents of non-compliance from the companies. Nevertheless the public’s knowledge grew with the help of internet and other modern day technologies that resulted in a significant growth in the number of lawsuits against accounting firms. Recently internet and other technologies compensated for the producer-customer knowledge gap and therefore the organizations cannot fool general public by not following matching principle (Persons, 2011). It is suggested that organizations focus on enhancing their effectiv eness and efficiency. But the major question arises that why do litigations happen against the accounting firms? The answer lies within the inability of accounting companies to uphold the accuracy of the financial statements. They only care about upholding and applying the Accepted Accounting Practices and fail to see their application for the sake of disguising the information. Accounting firms play a significant role in false overvaluation of the stocks and when people purchase the shares those corporate companies do not pay dividends. Thus the abovementioned condition is creating anger and hatred against the accounting companies in the general public. On the other side accounting firms’ credibility suffer significantly in reaction to the stockpiling of lawsuits against them in every nation’s major justice centers. Now this paper turns its focus towards analyzing the basic and fundamental needs for which the art and science of accounting and financial management were conceptualized in the first place. The elementary reason for developing accounting practices was to create and foster confidence and trust in the shareholders but apparently the financial management firms have forgotten the basic lesson and therefore they are working to save the skins of their employers in order to make some extra bucks so that they can fight semi-permanent global recession. In reality nonetheless they are not true to their profession that is causing them to face embarrassment in court of law. A recent case occurred when Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers were sued by Simon Marketing, an offshoot of the Simon Worldwide. The lawsuit stated that the featured financial firms did not record and report the costs of distributing promotional games designed to promote McDonald’s worldwide. Previously, the food chain launched the games named ‘Monopoly’ and ‘Who-Wants-to-Be-a-Millionaire’, for promotional purposes. But the Simon Marketing’s management reacted severely to say the least because firstly Ernst & Young have never worked for them while KPMG stated that they were never informed of games questionable legitimacy and finally PricewaterhouseCoopers affirmed its resignation from the position of chief auditor. Given the aforementioned condition the management is trying to cover up something big because dragging previous auditing partners into a lawsuit is not such a good idea. Yet, it can be presumed that

Water and Air Population Analysis Essay Example for Free

Water and Air Population Analysis Essay Despite the adverse effects associated with pollution of the environment, countries continue to pollute the air and water with chemicals, green gases, oil and other waste from domestic or industrial entities. The problem of pollution is a universal one, although different countries experience it at varying degrees. In my local community, (Kuwait) is an oil rich country, and is a major exporter of crude oil to US and other countries. Most people in Kuwait depend on oil for energy needs. The climatic and geographic conditions tend to be extreme most of the year. Temperatures can sore up to 510 during summer and drop to -20 during winters. The topography in Kuwait is mostly desert, with only one hill that stands at 300 meters tall. Only 9% of land in Kuwait lends to arable farming or forest growth. Given that Kuwait is an oil rich country with numerous oil mine points, its waters are prone to pollution due to the oil spills that occur regularly despite mitigation efforts employed by the country. In addition, oil reserves often catch fires, which emit allot of smoke causing a lot of pollution inn Kuwait. The situation is further compounded by the lack of forests or plants, which purify the air by seeping carbon dioxide from the oil fires. It takes long for the effects of oil smoke to be erased and the environment is often the victim. Beside the oil fires experienced in Kuwait, air pollution also occurs from domestic sector as well as enterprises that depend a lot on oil energy for production. The desert topography in Kuwait offers very little chance of natural cleansing to occur due to the absence of vegetation or rainforests and thus the air pollution directly affects the dessert and water pollution in Kuwait. It is rare to witness rain in Kuwait, but when it rains, the amount is massive. Water in Kuwait is a rare commodity because even the lakes and rainwater have become acidic and contaminated from the frequent oil spills and smoke from oil fires, which is a common problem. Besides, when it rains top soils are heavily eroded rendering water inconsumable. It seems to me that the climatic and topographical factors in Kuwait contribute very little if any, mechanism of reducing air and water pollution. This is because of the lack of fundamental components to reduce these pollutions say vegetation, land cover and so on. The two obvious victims of air and water pollution in Kuwait are the people in Kuwait and the environment. On a macro perspective, the human race is a victim of the pollution in Kuwait as seen in the destruction of the ozone layer and global warming. The economic impact on Kuwait citizens is that food production has become very expensive. Most food is imported from other countries. For the economically burdened, meeting this basic need is an everyday nightmare. Air borne diseases are also common among Kuwait people especially those who reside near oil lakes and wells. The impact of oil fires, particularly the Persian Gulf fire, is still felt in the economic spectrum of Kuwait. Over time, it has been reported that the oil reserves in Kuwait are sinking by the day thereby reducing the countries GDP. The reason behind this is not clear but perhaps pollution has a hand in it. Children, who are the most vulnerable group to air and water pollution in Kuwait, continue to suffer from respiratory disease due to poor quality air. The extreme temperatures experienced in Kuwait have been underpinned to destruction of the ozone layer due to the carbon emission from oils fires in Kuwait. The result has been wilting of crops in the few oases in Kuwait and solidification of lakes in Kuwait. The situation on air and water pollution is terrible in my community (Kuwait) but the government is keen to impose policies that will reduce the extent of air and water References Topography in Kuwait. Available at http://www. arab. net/kuwait/kt_topography. htm accessed on September 18, 2007

Friendship Essay -- Friendship Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A friend is defined as a person whom one knows, likes, and trusts. This type of a relation is friendship. In every society in the world people have and follow this relationship and support it. In some societies this relationship is given more importance than others. In our society friends are given almost the same attention as ones family member. Family is the closest relationship a person has, and if that is disturbed a friend can be very helpful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For me my friends are a part of my family. I trust my true friends as much as I just my closet family member. A true friend would do anything to save your life. I have experienced this fact when I was 13 years old. My family and I were in Bahamas for our summer vacations along with our very old family friends from Canada. This family used to live in Pakistan but later on settled in Canada. Their youngest son Hassan, and I had been together since we both were born. Our family’s had made our relationship so strong that we were more like brothers than friends. I had always trusted him because he was the only one of my age whom I used to associate with quiet often. That particular summer I had met him after two years and we were both extremely excited to see a drastic change in our personalities. Even though our personalities differed from one another we realized that our friend has had no effect. We got along the same way we used to when me were not mature enough. While si...

Hotel Repositioning

{draw:frame} University of Derby/Buxton Hospitality Management MA Hotel Renovation A Tool For Repositioning In the Hotel Industry Submission Date: 7th May 2009 Business Analysis and Decision Making Student: Nana Yaa Addo Module Leader: Norman Dindsdale Introduction The hospitality industry has grown phenomenally since 2001 and has been driven by both leisure and business demand (kloppers 2005). The needs of the consumer have now become dynamic rather than static. Consumers today have a strong desire for luxury in every sense of the word be it travel, goods or even a night stay in a hotel, thereby creating a competitive environment among business owners and organisations to come up with innovative ways to increase and also retain their business. Altstiel and Grow (2005 p. 28) similarly states that â€Å"people do not buy things but rather a satisfaction of their wants and needs. Therefore the hospitality industry being a service sector is not an exception as the industry must also meet challenges by formulating and implementing strategies that will meet today’s economic conditions and also satisfy customer needs. This report focuses on how hotel renovation can be used as a tool for repositioning in hotel operations. It will explore the theory behind repositioning and test the theory by looking at some case studies within the industry, it will also try to identify its challenges and successes and see how it could be undertaken in the fu ture. Main body The term repositioning has been used side by side with positioning, branding or new product development and has a wide range of definition, as a result it has no exclusive accepted definition. For example, the work of Hassien and Baum (2002p146) give the following definitions of the term which perceives a greater understanding. (Lovelock,1996;Lewis et al;1995) define the term as the changing of the existing position without referring to its implementation (Hart and Stapleton, 1987; Collin, 1989; Jefkins, 1987; Ries and Trout,1986) define it as an advertising trategy by which the company can change the image of its product and the perception of people about it. Booz, Allen and Hamilton (1982) define the term as one of the six categories of new products in terms of their newness to the company and to the marketplace, as being the process of targeting the existing products to new markets or market segment. In addition the business dictionary also defines it as changing a brands status i n comparison to that of the competing brands. Furthermore Hassien and Baum go on to say that â€Å"an in-depth review of its literature identifies that there is a general agreement in most of these definitions, that repositioning involves a change to the image of a product in the market through changing the perception of the customer†(p. 146) and finally define the term as â€Å"the marketing management process of changing, partially or totally, the perception of the public about a firm through any modification or addition to one or more of its controllable variables (eg. Customer, competition, technology, coporate, etc. ) in order to retain, expand or change its target markets†(p. 147) From the above definitions it is obvious that repositioning involves the modification of a product to make it more appealing in order to attract existing customers or new market segments The Concept Of Repositioning. Due to intensifying global competition, a constantly changing environment, current consumer trends and modern technology, repositioning like any other marketing tool adopts a strategy in order to be successful. For instance Macmillan (2000, p45) states that ‘conditions in the global business environment demands that established firms adopt entrepreneurial strategies’. Johnson and Scholes(2002 p10) have defined strategy as â€Å" the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing environment and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. † Bowie and Butler (2004 p. 06) state the following reasons as to why a company may be forced to reposition; Falling sales (often a symptom of customer dissatisfaction) An opportunity to service an emerging market segment The threat of competing for market share. As a result Jobber in the book of Enew and Waite (2007 p. 165), identifies four basic repositioning strategies and they are listed as follows Image repositioning- This means keeping the product and target market the same but changing the image of the product. Product repositioning –This means that the product has been modified to meet more fully the expectations of the target group. Intangible repositioning-An organisation targets a new market segment with existing products but places the emphasis on a different ,less tangible aspect of the product. Tangible repositioning-In some market sectors there is the need to change both product and target market moving upmarket or downmarket through the introduction of a new range of products often demands a comprehensive repositioning strategy. Similarly a study by Kotler et al 1993 cited in Crompton 2000 pp70-72) offers three strategies that can also be used to achieve repositioning and they are as follows; Real repositiong: which means that an agency changes what it does so that desired community priority needs are met through its offerings Competitive repositioning which means altering stakeholders’ beliefs about what an agency’s competitors do. Psychogical repositioning which means altering stakeholders beliefs about what an agency currently does From the above, it can be deduced that; Repositioning is used to alter perceptions of the consumer It is used by organisations to ensure they exceed the expectations of the consumer in order to retain themselves in the business environment It is used to identify growth and opportunities. It must however be noted that whatever strategy that is employed ,must be realistic, achievable, results focused and must also take into account which strategy best fits the needs of the business as well as that of the consumer. However for the purpose of this report the attention is on renovation as a tool for repositioning in the hotel industry in other words the focus is on the use of renovation to develop or improve existing and new product lines. Renovation Definition According to Hassien and Baum (2001p. 148), renovation may be defined as â€Å"the process of retaining or improving the hotel image by modifying the tangible product, due to a variety of reasons, through any changes in the hotel layout (e. g. Property structure-new extension) and/or any additions or replacement of materials and furniture, fixture and equipment†. It may also be defined as â€Å"a facility for which a substantial amount of the equipment, structure or other components is replaced or modified and which may expand capacity and/improve the process of the facility† (CII 2006, P1) From the above it can be noted that renovation as a process involves a lot of activity which can either be upgrading of the design, decor etc of the property layout or the development of an entirely new product. Types of renovation Renovations may be classed as major or minor depending on the amount of work involved in each type. For instance a renovation that involves the renewal or replacement of all equipment, furnishings and finishes in order to improve or change the image of the physical layout of the hotel may be termed as a major renovation, whiles a renovation that involves the upgrading or replacement of soft goods such as carpets, drapes, beddings etc without changing the physical layout of the property. The property must be in a market not sustaining the desired level of operation There must be an alternate market not being served Change in the market they serve Furthermore Hassien and Baum (2002p. 148) cite these reasons; To keep up with the competition To maintain or increase market share by satisfying current or potential customers To improve the operational efficiency of the hotel that will lead to an increase in both productivity and long term savings in operational expenses To maintain corporate image and standards To upgrade the hotel to a higher category (eg. From 4 to 5) To comply with the new trends and technology in the market The process of renovation while its clear a renovation or brand conversion is intended as an improvement on your investment, managing a long list of decisions will make for a shortfall in revenue without the right plan in place†(sansone et al 2009 p. 20). It must be noted that renovation is constantly an ongoing process in hotels and it employs certain decision making factors to ensure its success. These decisions if undermined can cost hoteliers a great deal of money and if taken seriously can reap re wards in other words renovation can either pose a financial challenge if not planned well or reflect profitability if planned well. There is nothing worse than being in a hotel when these processes are on going, the noise, the uncertainty and the feeling that you are experiencing ‘second best’. The following decisions have been identified through research that renovation undergoes the following processes. Planning In the planning process, elements such as team, budget, timing and marketing are taken into consideration. Team: It has been argued that the very first step when the decision on renovation has been taken is the selection of a team usually comprising experts and project managers. Rowe and Megan1995,Hassien and Baum 2002). These people are usually charged with the responsibility of providing expertise in the accomplishment of budgets, contingencies and scheduling from the start till finish of the project and can be a complete waste of time and money if they are not involved in the renovation project(Sansone et al 2009 ). Budget: This usually involves taking into consideration a realistic amou nt of money that is believed to be enough to finance the project. It is also the most important and critical aspect pertaining to the project. It is usually based on criteria such as the time value of money, wealth maximisation and risk accommodation. Timing: Recognising when to undertake a renovation is also very important in the decision making process. This is because hoteliers must carry out such projects when occupancy is low so that renovation can be carried out with less disruptions and minimise risk in terms of safety Bowe and Megan 1995 ) It is also interesting to note that there aside the above decisions taken during the renovation process, key areas of long term decision making is that of investment. The decision to carry out these important changes must, of course, involve a much more complex set of criteria. The key concept of finance being the first that is reviewed and factored in terms of risk. It is assumed that the objective of any financial investment is to maximise economic benefits. Hence â€Å"projects which pass through the preliminary screening phase become candidates for rigorous financial appraisal to ascertain if they would add value to the firm (Dayananda et al 2002 p. 7). Four investment appraisal techniques namely, ARR(average rate of return, Payback, NPV(Net present value)and IRR(Internal rate of return)are usually considered in the decision making process in large companies with Payback and NPV proving to be the most popular(Lamminmaki et al cited in Guilding 2005 p. 205) To touch briefly on the above; ARR- measures the incremental operating income that will be generated per dollar of investment in other words it measures profitability by comparing the required investment to future annual earnings(Oliver& Amacom 1999p. 11, Dayananda et al 2002 p43) Payback-It attempts to forecast how long it will take for the expected net cash inflows to payback the investment outlays (Glautier and Underdown 2001 p. 448) NPV- The excess of the present value (PV) of cash inflows generated by the project over the amount of the initial investment (Shim&Siegel 2007 p. 209) IRR- It represents the true interest rate earned on an investment over the course of its economic life (Colin Drury 2004 p. 501. For the following the NPV and IRR are used as being the most important in the individual case studies. This does not mean the others would not work, simply these were the most appropriate. Informed assumptions are made within the case studies as only outline information was available from the companies Case study 1 January 18-24, 2004 Crown Plaza Owners of the hotel invested 7 million dollars to renovate the crown plaza in Philadelphia to restore the hotels reputation which owners believed have suffered as a place for corporate meetings and stays as well as well as to target the SMERF market(social, military, educational, religious, fraternal bookings). Hotel owners updated rooms ,with a redone lobby, restaurant, common areas and meeting rooms. The hotel is located on city avenue and is a walking distance from the new target store, that brought with it a host of smaller retailers including chipotle grill, sandwich works and California pizza. â€Å"I’m not sure how it affects business, but guests like to walk to a restaurant which is definitely a convenience for guests†. Calculating IRR IRR=A+(Na/Na-Nb)*(B-A) Where A =Lower DF (10%), B = Higher DF (20%), Na=NPV at 10% Nb= NPV at 20%. Therefore; IRR= 10+ (0. 662/0. 662-1. 02) * (20-10) IRR= 10+ (-O. 2) *(10) IRR=9. 98 Case study 2 The Grand Hyatt (New York) July 15, 2004 To reaffirm the brand as a leader in the multi purpose hotels, the Grand Hyatt under took a 55million dollar renovation project. The project touched every area of the hotel with more emphasis on guest room and meeting spaces. The guest rooms were designed to give them a more international look with desig n elements including a colour palette of golds and taupe with blue accents. Roman shades dug in into the window wells to replace traditional draperies, an all new cabling and wired smoke detection and emergency communication system. Work and play amenities include a 27- inch flat screen T. V, a standard workstation with ergonomic chair, CD- clock radio. Bathrooms were upgraded with porcelain tiles, black granite pedestal sinks, stone flooring and curved shower rods. An entire floor was upgraded into a high tech conference centre targeting financial companies that needed the latest technology as well as privacy to do their business. Therefore calculating the NPV for case study 1 is illustrated below In evaluating both studies it is obvious that the main reasons for undertaking these renovation projects was to: Compete against other hotels Satisfy their customers Increase profitability by attracting customers. The basic rule underlying NPV is that if the present value of the returns exceed the present value of costs then the project should go ahead since it will increase profits. (Atkinson and Miller p. 315). In other words the project should be carried out if the NPV is positive. In case study 1 an initial investment of 7million dollars in year 0 is assumed to give rise to inflows of 2million dollars for each of years 1 to 5 So in this case an NPV of 0. 662 and 1. 02 respectively are both positive figures and hence the project will be profitable. However this same projects could be risky because of it’s IRR. For instance Finnerty(2005 p. 157) is of the view that ifthe IRR exceeds the project’s cost of capital then the projects should be undertaken but in this case an IRR of 9. 98 is less than both the lower and higher discount factors of 10% and 20% respectively and therefore will be in the interest of decision makers to forgo the project. In case study 2 an initial investment of 55million dollars in year 0 is assumed to give rise to inflows of 12million dollars for each of years 1 to 5. In this case an NPV of 9. 52 also indicates a positive figure hence a profitable project. This suggest that higher is better for both NPV and IRR in other words investments with higher rates of return are more profitable than investments with lower rates of return but it can be argued that â€Å"since the economic environment is dynamic the cost of capital can be influenced by such changes,(Watson &Head 2007) rather it will be better if business owners sought to maximise shareholders wealth through considering their investment value in monetary terms rather than focusing so much on it’s immediate return. Moreover both the NPV and IRR have its merits as well as its demerits. Atkinson and Miller(1998 p. 18)give the following merits for the NPV; Gives a clear quantitative result Emphasises the time value of money and makes it superior to methods which do not involve discounting. Involves maximisation of present values of future cash flows thereby maximising shareholder wealth. Despite its merits ,Siddiqui (2005 p. 325,Rashid, Raj & Walters 2008p. 194) of the view tha t ; It is not helpful in comparing two projects with different cash flows It may be misleading in comparing projects of unequal lives It is complicated to estimate the values of cash inflows and outflows over the life of a project. Alternatively, (Capon& Disbury 2004 p. 224) state that the IRR has the following merits; It results in a clear percentage return required on investment since emphasis is placed on liquidity in calculation. It’s the measure of the intensity of capital use and also gives a return for risks Takes into consideration the time value of money and deals with discount cash flows. Several authors strongly oppose and cite reasons as to why the IRR may not be the best financial appraisal. For example ( Dyson 2004, Mclaney& Atrill 2007) give the following reasons It does not maximise shareholders’ wealth There is difficulty in handling projects with unconventional cash flows It gives only an approximate rate of return It can be misleading especially where there are negative net cash flows in subsequent years and when one project has to be opted for in favour of another i. e. mutually exclusive project. Conclusion Hotel renovation is an inevitable process especially if hoteliers wish to secure their positions in the marketplace and also keep up with the constantly changing needs of the consumer. The two investment appraisal methods i. e the NPV and IRR usually used by decision makers Moreover the customer be it a business traveller or holiday maker is the most important element to the hospitality industry, to such a customer, the most important criteria are an appealing image, safety and security, standard of service and most of all value for money. Leaders in the industry must in no uncertain terms ensure that they meet expectations. So regardless of the financial appraisal techniques considered in the decision making process, hotel renovations are a must unless hoteliers are looking to reposition further down the market for instance choosing to go two star(2) or three(3) then they could be justified if they chose not to renovate otherwise they should be aware that they stand the chance of loosing market share if they do not renovate when required. Reccommendations Although investment decisions are carried out in the hope of generating future returns, the most important question hoteliers should be concerned with is whether they will be in business if they compromised their standards and quality of service by not repositioning as a result of lack of funds. The following suggestions have been given to serve as a guide to hoteliers wishing to renovate in the near future. Due to the costly nature of renovation, hoteliers could consider alternative sources of capital such as loans that offer low interest rates and low down payments that are unlikely to change during the period of the loan. Also hoteliers must endeavour to give priority to areas that need immediate attention, they can achieve this by segmenting the market in order to identify the needs of the market that way they are able to know what to accomplish in the shortest possible time without breaking the bank. Again in the present downturn, hoteliers must find ways to cut down on renovation expenses. For example if there is a choice of choosing between minor renovations such as the changing of bedding, drapes, curtains etc to major renovations that deal with heavy equipments, hoteliers will be better off going for minor renovations. Moreover they could also seek advice (in terms of selecting contractors and experts that are willing to offer reasonable rates) from hoteliers that may have undertaken a similar project. In addition, Harris & Joanne (2003) advice that the best time to undertaken renovations should be less busy periods. Executive Summary The concept of repositioning was looked at in terms of two hotels. It looked at the repositioning and renovation concept. It was realised that the main reasons for carrying out these renovations was to satisfy the customer in order to ensure repeat business, differentiate form other competitors to maintain a leading position, open new markets, and also increase profitability. In order to achieve this certain decisions had to be carried out, emphasis was placed on two investment appraisal methods i. e the NPV (Net present value) and IRR (Internal rate of return) since hotel renovation involved a great deal of budgeting. It was realised that regardless of the investment appraisal methods, hotel renovations was inevitable. The conclusion was hoteliers had to renovate if they wanted secure the business in the constantly changing environment and also if they wanted to meet the changing needs of the consumer. It may be that they repositioned by default? Journals Ahmed Hassien, Tom Baum(2002) Hotel repositioning through property renovation. Tourism and hospitality research Vol. 4 p. 144 Beirne, Mike(2004) Crown plaza’s bed time story Brand week Vol. 45 ,pp. 12-12 Brennan, Kate(2001) Lodging hospitality Vol. 57, p. 36 Construction industry institute(2006), ‘definition for renovation’. Available from: http://www. Construction institute . org/ script content/cfm. Assessed [April 1 2009] Crompton, John L. (2009) Strategies for implementing repositioning of leisure services Vol. 14, pp. 87-111 Foong, Keat(2009) Multi- housing news Vol. 44 pp. 14-15 Harris ,Joanne (2003) Motel management Vol. 218 p. 36 Hermann, Daniel (2008) Repositioning for the future. Long term living for the continuing care. Vol 57 p. 3 John W. O’Neill, Anna S. Mattila (2006) Strategic hotel development and positioning: The effects of revenue drivers on profitability. Cornell hotel and restaurant administration quarterly pp. 7; 146 Jonathan C. Nehmer, Donald A. Noveau(2005) Renovate or Reposition know the difference. Us international journal pp1-3 Patel, Ashwen ‘Ash’(2008)Credit crunch may disrupt renovation plans. Hotel and motel management, Vol. 223 p10-10 Rowe, Megan. (1995)Renovation has it’s risk. Lodging hospitality. Vol 51 p. 40 Watkins, Ed(2004) New York dresses up. Lodging hospitality Vol. 60 p. 36 Books Bowie D. & Butler F. (2004) Hospitality marketing. Butterworth-Heinemann Capon C. & Disbury A. (2004) Understanding organisational context. 2 nd edition. Pearson education. p. 224 Enew C. Waite N. (2007) Financial services marketing: an international guide to principles and practice. Butterworth-Heinemann Drury C. (Management cost accounting). 6 th edition. Engage learning Glautier M. W. E & Underdown B. (2001) Accounting theory and practice. 7 th edition. Pearson education. Gruen R. & Howarth A. (2005) Financial management in health services. Mcgraw- Hill international Guilding C. (2002) Financial management for hospitality. Butterworth-Heinemann Jain P. K. &Khan M. Y. (2005) Basic financial management. 2 nd edition. Tata Mcgraw pp. 61-63 Mclaney E. J. & Atrill P. 2007) Accounting: An introduction. 4 th edition. Pearson education. Schim J. & Siegel J. G. (2007) Schaum’s outline of financial management. 3 rd edition. Mcgraw-Hill Stevens R. E et al Marketing opp ortunity analysis. Harworth press p. 105 Watson D. & Head A. (2007) Corporate finance: Principles and practice. {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change}

Marketing Objectives Essay

1. Explain why it is important for a business to have clear marketing objectives? It is important that a business has clear marketing objectives because it gives them a target to work towards. In 2010 Asda set its objective to overtake Tesco as Britain’s largest retailer of non-food items. It is important that its clear because objectives should be made using the acronym SMART goals, the objective set by Asda fits in with this really well apart from it does not state a time period. 2. What do businesses mean by the term ‘ vision’? A vision is a company’s projection of what they want to achieve in the future. It should be ambitious, relevant , easy to communicate and capable of motivating staff or maybe even inspire them. 3. Why is it Important that marketing objectives should be rooted in through market research? 4. state the four main types of marketing objectives? * Increasing product differentiation * Growth * Continuity * Innovation b. decide which one is most likely to be important for * Coca-Cola – continuity * Yorkie bar – growth/ continuity * Dyson appliances- innovation 5. why might a firm seek to increase the product differentiation of one of its brands? A firm may want to increase its product differentiation because when your make your product different from the competitors it allows you to increase your profit margins per sale because. This is because customers see your product in a different light due to the usp you have marketing strategies. 6. What problems might a firm face if it focuses solely upon short term objectives? 7. Is it essential that marketing objectives should be written down in detail? It is not completely essential to write down your marketing objectives however writing them down allows you to work with people from outside the business. These are people like potential investors , by writing down your objectives they can see how successful you currently are and If your meeting the objective they can also make their own opinions on weather or not they think you will be successful in the future there for deciding weather or not they will invest in your business. 8. What is meant by internal constraints ? Internal constraints are factors that may occur that restrict the chances of the objectives seceding, internal constraints are theses that happen within a firm. These are things such as finance, personnel constraints and market standings. 9. outline two external constraints that might affect car sales over the coming months? The economy because we currently are sitting in a recession therefore people are not as willing to spend money on luxury products such as a new car. One other point is competition, the car market it a extremely competitive Market with some very well established brands, such as Honda , Landover and Nissan the list is endless.A Car business sales may be effected because their sales that they may have had has gone to the other car sales company’s in the market. 10. Identify and explain two problems a firm might face face if it makes marketing decisions without using a decision framework such as the marketing model?

Chinese Emperors - Shang Dynasty

Chinese Emperors - Shang Dynasty The Shang Dynasty is the first Chinese imperial dynasty for which we have actual documentary evidence. Since the Shang is so very ancient, the sources are unclear. We dont even know for sure when the Shang Dynasty began its rule over the Yellow River Valley of China.  Some historians believe that it was around the year 1700 BCE, while others place it later, c. 1558 BCE. In any case, the Shang Dynasty succeeded the Xia Dynasty, which was a legendary ruling family from approximately 2070 BCE to about 1600 BCE. We have no surviving written records for the Xia, although they probably did have a writing system. Archaeological evidence from the Erlitou sites does give support to the idea that a complex culture had already arisen in northern China at this time. Fortunately for us, the Shang have left some slightly clearer records than their Xia predecessors did. The traditional sources for the Shang era include the Bamboo Annals and the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. These records were written much, much later than the Shang period, however; Sima Qian wasnt even born until around 145 to 135 BCE.  As a result, modern historians were quite skeptical even about the existence of the Shang Dynasty until archaeology miraculously provided some proof. In the early 20th century, archaeologists found an early form of Chinese writing that was inscribed (or in rare cases painted) onto turtle shells or large, flat animal bones like the shoulder blades of oxen. These bones were then put into a fire, and the cracks that developed from the heat would help a magical diviner to predict the future or tell their customer whether their prayers would be answered.   Called oracle bones, these magical divination tools provided us proof that the Shang Dynasty really did exist.  Some of the seekers who asked questions of the gods via the oracle bones were the emperors themselves or officials from the court  so we even got confirmation of some of their names, along with rough dates when they were active. In many cases, the evidence from the Shang Dynasty oracle bones matched quite closely with the recorded tradition about that time from the Bamboo Annals and the Records of the Grand Historian. Still, it should not surprise anyone that there are still gaps and discrepancies in the imperial list below.  After all, the Shang Dynasty ruled China a very, very long time ago. China’s Shang Dynasty Cheng Tang, 1675 to 1646 BCEWai Bing, 1646 to 1644 BCEZhong Ren, 1644 to 1640 BCETai Jia, 1535 to 1523 BCEWo Ding, 1523 to 1504 BCETai Geng, 1504 to 1479 BCEXiao Jia, 1479 to 1462 BCEYong Ji, 1462 to 1450 BCETai Wu, 1450 to 1375 BCEZhong Ding, 1375 to 1364 BCEWai Ren, 1364 to 1349 BCEHe Dan Jia, 1349 to 1340 BCEZu Yi, 1340 to 1321 BCEZu Xin, 1321 to 1305 BCEWo Jia, 1305 to 1280 BCEZu Ding, 1368 to 1336 BCENan Geng, 1336 to 1307 BCEYang Jia, 1307 to 1290 BCEPan Geng, 1290 to 1262 BCEXiao Xin, 1262 to 1259 BCEXiao Yi, 1259 to 1250 BCEWu Ding, 1250 to 1192 BCEZu Geng, 1192 to 1165 BCEZu Jia, 1165 to 1138 BCELin Xin, 1138 to 1134 BCEKang Ding, dates of reign unclearWu Yi, 1147 to 1112 BCEWen Ding, 1112 to 1102 BCEDi Yi, 1101 to 1076 BCEDi Xin, 1075 to 1046 BCE

Biography of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeares Wife

Biography of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's Wife William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous writer of all time, but his private life and marriage to Anne Hathaway isnt necessarily well known to the public. Gain more insight into the circumstances that shaped the bards life and possibly his writing  with this biography of Hathaway. Birth and Early Life Hathaway was born circa  1555. She grew up in  a farmhouse in  Shottery, a small village on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England.  Her  cottage  remains on the site and has since become a major tourist attraction. Little is known about Hathaway. Her name crops up a few times in historical records, but historians don’t have any real sense of what type of woman she was. Shotgun Marriage Anne Hathaway married William Shakespeare in November 1582. She was 26, and he was 18. The couple lived in  Stratford-upon-Avon,  which is roughly 100 miles northwest of London. It appears the two had a shotgun wedding. Evidently, they  conceived a child out of wedlock and a wedding was arranged despite the fact that marriages were not traditionally performed at that time of year. The couple would go on to have a total of  three children (two daughters, one son). Special permission had to be asked from the Church, and friends and family had to financially guarantee the wedding and sign a surety for  £40- a huge sum in those days. Some historians believe that the marriage was an unhappy one and the couple was forced together by the pregnancy. Although there is no evidence to support this, some historians go as far as to suggest that Shakespeare  left for London to escape the day-to-day pressures of his unhappy marriage. This is, of course, wild speculation. Did Shakespeare  Run Away to London? We know that William Shakespeare lived and worked in London for most of his adult life. This has led to speculation about the state of his  marriage to Hathaway. Broadly, there are two camps of thought: The Failed Marriage: Some speculate that a difficult marriage in Stratford-upon-Avon compelled the young William to seek his fortune away from home. London would have been many days ride  and was perhaps welcome escape for William who was trapped by a shotgun wedding and children. Indeed, there is evidence (although scant) that William was unfaithful while in London, and would compete with his business partner for the attention of London’s women.The Loving Marriage: If the above is true, it does not explain why William kept such close ties with the town. It seems he regularly returned to share his new-found wealth with Anne and his children. Land investments in the Stratford-upon-Avon area also prove that he planned to retire to the town once his working life in London finished. Children Six months after the marriage, their first daughter Susanna was born. Twins, Hamnet and Judith soon followed in 1585. Hamnet died at age 11, and  four years later Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, a play that may have been inspired by the grief of losing his son.   Death Anne Hathaway outlived her husband. She died Aug. 6,  1623. She is buried next to Shakespeare’s grave inside Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. Like her husband, she has an inscription upon her tomb, some of which is written in Latin: Here lyeth the body of Anne  wife of William Shakespeare who departed this life the 6th day of August 1623 being of the age of 67 years. Breasts, O mother, milk and life thou didst give. Woe is me- for how great a boon shall I give stones? How much rather would I pray that the good angel should move the stone so that, like Christs body, thine image might come forth! But my prayers are unavailing. Come quickly, Christ, that my mother, though shut within this tomb may rise again and reach the stars.

Ethical Decision Making Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Decision Making Process - Essay Example On one hand, she could choose to pay the customs agent $500 and have the customs process expedited faster. Secondly, Jane could choose to be honest and politely request for her case to be handled on first. The third option would involve being fair to everyone and standing in the queue to wait for her turn. A careful evaluation of each option gives a clear picture of the consequences. In the first option, if Jane chooses to pay the customs agent, she would be committing an irregularity in light of the organizational rules and policies. Such a decision would raise economic, legal and ethical issues that may malign the name of the employer. From an economic standpoint, Jane would be able to earn $1 million to the firm and individual bonuses. Legally, corruption is illegal and punishable under the law and such an action would be illegal. The ethical issues related to corruption are unacceptable. The decision would be immoral. If Jane chooses to be honest and politely request for her case to be handled first, there are no legal issues. Kindly asking people to allow her move faster in the line makes no harm. From an ethical perspective, kindness and honesty are virtues commonly associated with good behavior. The second choice is ethical acceptable. If her request is accepted, the economic benefits described in the first choice will be realized. Thirdly, if Jane chooses to stand in the queue and wait for her turn, the economic benefits described for the first and second options would be lost. The employer would lose $1 million and Jane would not qualify for the bonus payments. The third option has no legal issues and is ethically sound. The action creates no harm to others and is consistent with company policy of ‘being fair to others’. The best alternative would be for Jane to politely and kindly request for her case to be handled first. The ethical intensity of the action prescribed for Jane takes into consideration factors such as the magnitude of