Thursday, August 27, 2020

A Long Way Down By Matthew Simpson Song Analysis

Scratch Hornby is a cutting edge British exemplary writer, having won numerous honors, the greater part of his books have move to the highest point of the successes diagram. The greater part of his books are anecdotal and will in general be expounded on jobless characters or characters who are currently very far down the social stepping stool, out of the blue. His books have done all around ok for three movies to be made out of them. ‘A Long Way Down' is around four characters who need to end it all, yet meet and choose not to, rather picking to help one another. It was extremely fruitful in view of its account and the characters which we like to find out about so as to cause ourselves to feel better. Individuals would likewise get it on account of his past progress. There are numerous explanations behind its prosperity, including the way that it is about self destruction. We are fascinated by this story since it is something we don't generally think about. The topic of social riches is likewise significant in light of the fact that it is something we are engaged with on an everyday premise. Character presentations are significant in light of the fact that it sets the standard for the remainder of the novel and furthermore needs to snare the peruser. ‘Emma' By Jane Austin is a genuine model as it snares us by speaking quickly about social riches, â€Å"with almost no to trouble or vex her†, this interests us since we need to find out about her lavish way of life. As I have recently talked about, Hornby is a smash hit creator who has become a cutting edge great creator. This notoriety more likely than not helped ‘A Long Way Down' to sell well, as it became a blockbuster. Investigation of character presentations Each of the four characters start the story and the assortment in social abundance of the characters adds to intrigue. By having these four negating characters, we are ensured struggle. Jess is a youthful, party-going windbag, however is without numerous companions, â€Å"and not have anyplace to go on New Year's Eve.† We as perusers wonder what her life resembles, yet once we discover that she has a political dad, and an agreeable home, we feel little compassion toward her. Jess likes to contend with and bother different characters, which can energize us, since we like to see characters drop out so as to cause us to feel better about ourselves. Maureen is the other female, who is incredibly contemplative with an impaired child. Her change from this character into an increasingly loose, open and benevolent character subsequent to hitting Jess' ex, gives us that even the most antisocial individuals can change and be upbeat, satisfying us as perusers too. By including an alleged rising American demigod, who has sadly run into some bad luck, we feel sorry that he couldn't accomplish his desire. JJ's steady utilization of swear words livens up the story, â€Å"Oh OK, your band was screwed up†¦the just explanation you were in this fuckin' country†, as we don't consider it to be being bombastic, or something that we can't peruse. The what tops off an already good thing must be the law-breaking youngster molester, â€Å"screwing a fifteen-year-old†, who soared into the open eye for things which he would prefer to have not been' being assaulted by the press with features, for example, â€Å"SLEAZEBAG!† We need to realize how on earth he might live with himself, and maybe comprehend that he's not the dangerous lowlife that we may normally generalization him as. Despite the fact that, without a doubt, we are not intended to like him such much. Having these four diverse self-destructive characters likewise implies tha t we can see that self-destructive individuals aren't really as egotistical as we would might suspect they may be, and that they are simply ordinary individuals like you and me, aside from horribly generalized and with evidently enormous issues. Each character intrigues us in an alternate manner, and clearly one of the books most noteworthy pulls is its cutting edge style, with visit utilization of saying, etc, as I have clarified underneath. In any case, some other intriguing elements are the way that Jess doesn't utilize discourse marks since she clearly doesn't see how to utilize them. By changing the punctuation like this, it makes the sentence structure less normal thus all the more fascinating to peruse, and maybe more of a test to peruse. Another key factor is the way one character thinks about different characters, for instance Martin feels that he is excessively cool to â€Å"hang around† with the other three, when he plainly isn't. This distinction in perspectives towards one another that they don't all essentially think about, has the impact of making the peruser think they have an advantaged see on things thus need to discover how things change. Hornby discharges data gradually so as to include interest. This is obvious in the main section which Maureen â€Å"writes†, where she discusses a â€Å"He† and â€Å"His† without revealing to us what this' identity is. We wonder on the off chance that she is in a useless relationship, until we discover a couple of lines later that it is really her child, later still a debilitated kid, which maybe causes her to appear to be narrow minded when she says, â€Å"but you can see that nothing goes in.† It is limitlessly significant that Hornby utilizes a part account so cap we can see the focal plot told or depicted from a few unique edges, and see what impacts it has on Martin's family or what he has left of it therefore, for instance, â€Å"You realize Martin left us? We didn't leave him?† It likewise gives us, as perusers, assortment so that on the off chance that we get exhausted of one characters method of composing, we are protected in the information that another character will be along in brief that has an alternate point of view toward things, and an alternate style of composing, rousing us to continue perusing. In addition, on the off chance that we had only one account, at that point we wouldn't master anything about self destruction that would offer us a â€Å"well-rounded† input on the off chance that you like, it would likewise get appallingly exhausting except if that character had part characters, for instance. Investigate Hornby's composing style I feel that Hornby's composing style is impressive. The manner in which we get the feeling that he has composed nothing, and that it was crafted by these totally reasonable characters is shocking. As above, he as often as possible uses saying, probably to bring the novel practical and to cause individuals to accept that these could be genuine individuals. He utilizes extremely unobtrusive language methods, for example, sections to make Maureen appear un-sure and Jess' absence of discourse imprints to demonstrate ineptitude. For all intents and purposes the entire book is composed like a discussion and streams like one too. Basically the entire book could be put on a phase without a lot of re-composing, and this, I assume, assists with lifting it out of the weighting of â€Å"a book† where convoluted language and dull passages are utilized into something that you could accept to occur in you road. Investigation of topics and stories We are keen on a gathering of individuals who need to murder themselves since it isn't something we would ordinarily consider doing, nor is it something that we think about. The way that self destruction is so untouchable in present day society makes the story of this book significantly increasingly account, since it is some place where we can discover somewhat more about self destruction, without all the assessments of others and so forth. We are eventually charmed by this. Social riches is critical in the novel, supposing that the characters had been effective individuals with heaps of cash, and loads of companions then we as peruses would not be intrigued. At the point when we get a book, a large portion of us like to disappear to a different universe, and get some answers concerning that world. Besides, we like to like ourselves simultaneously, so the characters must be the direct inverse to the abovementioned with the goal that we can contrast it with our own lives and be cheerful that we are doing genuinely well. Many individuals are fixated on VIP in the present society, so the way this is a key segment for Martin in the novel is a major draw. Big name magazines normally center around connections, and seldom do we consider famous people to be such distinctive issues as Martin. We as perusers need to perceive what this acclaim torn star does with his life and furthermore to watch his ruin. They need to know how somebody with such a trustworthy activity could get into such a terrible state, which is something many individuals like getting some answers concerning. We maybe additionally feel compassion toward him on account of the manner in which he is treated by the media, which draws matches with how genuine big names are dealt with and how we presently consider them an aftereffect of perusing the novel. For those individuals who read ‘A Long Way Down' and are strict, a major piece of the account for them must be Maureen's battle with her religion's position on what she so urgently needs to do and the torment she is languishing. Individuals may think about how on earth a Catholic could conceivable think about probably the greatest sin, as the conspicuous comment is that it's anything but a possibility for her, however she unmistakably thinks it is. Perusers will need to discover, explicitly in nowadays of high strict strain, how and in the event that she figures out how to betray her religion's convictions. Self destruction and strict blame connection firmly with one another here. A few people may contend that the consummation of the novel was a touch of a let-down, on the grounds that they were expecting in any event one of the four to end it all. In any case, I would contend that it wasn't, on the grounds that we never truly pull for any of the characters to slaughter themselves, rather we need to see them settle their issues. The way that we get a closure where they talk about helping another person who is in their circumstance, shows that they have gotten the hang of something and proceeded onward, and this fulfills us. In Martin's last section, he appears to compose somewhat like a wrongdoer doing network administration, as he attempts to restore his â€Å"self-respect.† This gives us that his self-importance from the beginning of the novel had maybe begun to kick the bucket, until we read that he didn't care for the youngster and censured him for not getting his sense of pride back quickl

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders free essay sample

In the TED introduction â€Å"Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders† moderator Sheryl Sandberg depicts why ladies don't arrive at the top in any calling far and wide. She starts the introduction by conceding that the ladies currently are fortunate on the grounds that they didn't live on the planet our moms and grandmas experienced before. Soon after, Sheryl reports a few numbers and information to portray the issue obviously. For instance, in the U. S. only nine ladies are head of express, another model is that ladies in parliament around the globe establish 13%, and about 16% of ladies are in board situates in the corporate segment. To put it plainly, only 20% of ladies are in the top calling. Additionally, she detailed investigation about wedded ranking directors, which indicated that 66% of wedded men had youngsters, and just a single third of the wedded ladies had kids. In addition, she recounts to the account of when she went to New York to pitch an arrangement and the chief didn't have the foggiest idea where the area of the women’s bathroom was on the grounds that he didn't work with any ladies in his office. We will compose a custom exposition test on Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders or then again any comparative point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page From that point, Sheryl sent three letters for ladies who needed to remain in workforce. The principal message was â€Å"sit at the table†. She imagines that ladies are belittling their own capacities and don't have self-assurance. Sandberg featured that when she was an undergrad, her sibling didn't go to classes and would not like to contemplate. On the opposite side, her flat mate concentrated a great deal and went to every one of her classes, yet when they completed the trial of their group, her sibling said that the test was simple and her flat mate didn't know about what she did. Thus, she says to all ladies â€Å"believe in yourself and haggle for yourself. Own your own success†. The subsequent message was â€Å"make your accomplice a genuine partner†. She believes that in the event that one lady and man work all day and have youngsters, it implies a lady does double the measure of house work than the man does, and the lady completes multiple times the measure of childcare than the man does. In this way, she has a few occupations, and he has one. Sheryl needs ladies and men to do a similar housework and childcare. The third message was â€Å"do not leave before you leave†. She imagines that the ladies are considering having a kid, and from the second she begins contemplating having a kid, she begins pondering creation space for that kid. Hence, she doesn't search for an advancement and doesn't take on the new undertaking. Sheryl needs ladies to not burn through their time on speculation when they will leave. It appears to me from Sandberg’s discourse that ladies are working admirably in all parts of work, however they despite everything don't arrive at the top, or perhaps only not in a lion's share rate. In any case, men by one way or another are not having the decision to contribute completely at workforce or at home. She likewise discussed the difficulties ladies face during their employments. These difficulties are the purpose behind their mentality or others’ reflections on them. I may concur with the point that ladies are thinking little of their capacity. Moreover, the troubles they find in valuing their prosperity are notwithstanding the way that they are the negative animals. In spite of the fact that Sandberg’s discourse may be far reasonable, I can't help contradicting her in certain focuses. Particularly, the three messages that send to ladies. From my perspective, decisions are isolated similarly among people, however the issue is with the characters. Ladies are brought into the world with a more vulnerable mentality contrasted with men, which we can't do anything against it. The Second contradiction is â€Å"making your accomplice a genuine accomplice â€Å" am not absolutely past the thought. In any case, I think plainly the primary occupation for the ladies is dealing with kids and making, which is the best employment on the planet as it’s profited the general public and give it need of laborers. Adjacent to, it’s realized job in increasing the living expectation and improving the personal satisfaction. What employment can be superior to that? . Also, I’m not saying here that ladies should remain at home, however re-requesting their needs throughout everyday life. Man too, should help in bringing up the kids, however it’s not a kind of occupations he can prevail in. The best confirmation to my adage is our dropped networks, clearly women’s having numerous occupations are influencing seriously on the youthful age. Though, we can see the spread of wrongdoings and numerous social orders issue. Anyway, I truly appreciated the discourse and the trustworthiness on it. Sandberg left a major space for us to think and to partake in finding the arrangement, for a difficult that has been made by us.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Planning An Instructional Design Strategy And Associated Resources - 1

Planning An Instructional Design Strategy And Associated Resources - 1 Planning An Instructional Design Strategy And Associated Resources â€" Assignment Example > Table Of contentsThe Introduction 2The Scheming the Process3The design Principles and Process 4The essential Elements of a general Instructional framework 4The instructional design Skills, models and theories 5The theoretical foundation 6The instructional Structure 6The Instructional Model 8The Instructional Approaches 10 The Introduction: The major problem regarding the ISD’s has been the proper implementation of it within organizations. The issue that is being discussed in the following pages Is as follows: What is meant by the concept of IST, this will be talked about, in order to be clear on where the next pages will be heading, the designing of an IST programme, the design principles along with the process, also a number of factors that need to be especially taken care of while structuring an ISD system, the designing skills theories and models, the theoretical foundation of ISD’s. In short the major problem that is being discussed here is how to design an ISD, within an o rganizational framework, keeping in view the various social elements, and theoretical foundations. Also, how, should it be designed, what are the important issues that need to be taken care of while designing and vice versa. Before divulging into the crux of the assignment it would be best to touch bases with the basic definition of instructional design. It is most regularly known by the common man as an ISD or else an instructional systems design. The ISD is an all-inclusive procedure which tends to entail the elements of the desires evaluation of individuals along with its association to the element of strategic planning in addition to the customer relationship management, by means of all the formerly satisfied business procedures. Also the ISD contains the essential assessments of the various methods of deliverance, the expertise, the time taken while being involved within the process, along with the evaluation and appraisal standards. (ISD Definition, ISPI. org) Another very significant element within the process is that of the actual Instruction, which is the most essential element of the instructional design procedure, it is this element that generally tends to relate the individuals with their respective learning tasks. This procedure includes the actual transference of the information from the instructor to the employee or else to the instructing media program. To the employee either to be delivered in the form of a print, on the world wide web, or else within the workplace. The efficiency of the involvement in this specific process along with how it is carried out is what the highly linked with the factual value of knowledge. The Scheming the ProcessWhether it is when the individuals are scheming a straightforward meeting, a discussion, an exhibition, a training assembly otherwise a certain pathway for the purpose of long distance education, or else planning for an expanding atmosphere within, an efficient room space that incorporates all of the d istant persons or else spots that will be caught up while the ongoing instruction designing. for the reason that of the material partition of these elements, the features of the practical experience as well as the several variables that are essential to each gathering, it is significant to: Pay attention to the employees learning requirements, the objectives as well as results, the development of the distinctive features of the various innovative technologies as you plan the sessions. One major element that needs to be made sure of is that as an instructor the most appropriate technology has been selected, along with the fact that they have the sufficient support inside the organization /workplace. Next step is to create a time constraint, then prepare, the strategies that would be required to administer the various variables that are an essential element of every Instructional system design. Create ahead of, throughout, and following cohesive environment as well as environment, b y using a combination of the technologies, which would help to generate an emotion of society. Also plan a framework that would aid in recording the employee reaction along with the evaluation all through the instructional design sessions. ( UWE. com) The Design Principles and Process

Monday, May 25, 2020

The Culture Of American College - 2371 Words

Cultures vary tremendously throughout the world and within many of these cultures are sub-cultures that do not necessarily operate under the same standards for example, the culture of American college students. â€Å"Subcultures, according to Clark and Trow, represent clusters of attitudes, norms, and models of behaviors rather than groups of people† (Warren, 1968). It is hard for someone to not have any ethnocentric bias to a culture they have not yet been part of or witnessed first hand. Transitioning from the subculture I have grown up in my entire life, to the American college culture was a huge change. Before attending college I did not have a strong ethnocentric bias to the college culture because I had already known people who had†¦show more content†¦Prior to attending WSU, I did not give much merit to the information that I received about what college would be like unless I was being told by someone who had reliable first hand experience and especially so if they do or had attended WSU themselves. I would always hear people saying that WSU is a party school, and I think that is due to the fact that WSU has a lower GPA requirements than some schools and people assume it is full of the people who were not accepted into UW. Although that is the case for many students here, I know a great deal of students who attend WSU and were also accepted by UW and other schools as well. The state of Washington has its own subculture of the United States, and within the state of Washington there are many different subcultures, both big and small (Lieske, 1993). Once you go from eastern Washington to western Washington there is a massive change in the subculture of the people. The culture of western Washington is more liberal than in eastern Washington where people on average are more conservative (Lieske, 1993). As well as political views and other factors, there is a huge separation between supporters of UW and WSU. Living on the western side of Washington I did not know that the WSU culture and pride was so strong out here. I had thought that everyone prefers UW because it is considered a better school and located in Seattle, but one I arrived out here I was shocked by the pride that Cougs have. I had no

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Implementation And Integrated Accounting System Ensuring...

†¢ Implement and integrated accounting system ensuring integrity of the data. Account experts at numerous organizations have a tendency to not give a ton of thought to sharing the information that they re taking a shot at throughout the day. The information that your associates in fund take a shot at is maybe the most basic information to all that really matters of your organization. What numerous people don t understand is that fund information can be massively useful to different individuals from your organization, if partook valuably. Fund experts are in charge of adjusting your books, paying expenses and perceiving income. Their information must be immaculate, there is no other choice. They take in deals arranges that originate from your business group, and see when solicitations get paid and accounts get to be expected. They have the information that figures out if some lead or contact that has experienced your promoting and deals groups is really indeed, a client. As to coordinating Finance frameworks like QuickBooks, Fresh books or Recircle, these frameworks accompany a joining to your bank constructed right in. This coordination is clearly basic to permit clients to oversee bank information (otherwise known as dollar greenbacks). Other money framework coordination use cases incorporate CRM mix and bolster mix, which can be exceptionally useful to numerous colleagues, including these illustrations: 1. Deals Reps: Finance information can tell deals reps whenShow MoreRelatedSystem Integrity and Validation1049 Words   |  5 Pagesin San Diego, California is a specialty food store that is continuing to grow. Due to the company’s growth, it is necessary for Kudler to make a better use of technology for all aspects of the business. 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In reviewing the personal information for a student, data shows a significant portion of students maintain residency in two homes. Maintaining data files for the parent\guardian of 6,000 students has been shown as a challenge in the recent past. Also noted was a problem with sending routine and emergency notifications via the existing notification system currently being used by the organization. An additional challenged, faced by staff within the organizationRead MoreCritical Analysis of SAP Systems Adoption in Business Organizations1458 Words   |  6 Pages INTRODUCTION SAP, an acronym for Systems Applications Products is an audit of a computer system from SAP that is meant to make operations around the business environment easy and to wide depths. The relationship between the business and client environment is recently becoming wider and the incorporation of a single unit of management considered the remedy to congestion and delays (Carmel, E. 1997). Throughout the project, the credibility, efficiency, flexibility and suitabilityRead MoreRiordan Manufacturing Hr System Analysis960 Words   |  4 PagesRIORDAN MANUFACTURING HR SYSTEM ANALYSIS BSA/375 UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX ONLINE INTRODUCTION Originating in 1992 Riordan manufacturing is a worldwide leader in manufactured plastics. Founded by Dr. Riordan, a chemistry teacher, they currently operate out of four facilities: Hangzhou, Pontiac, Albany, and San Jose. They are a fortune 1000 Enterprise whose revenue exceeds 1 Billion dollars. Their major clients include: The Department Of Defense, automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturersRead MoreThe Evaluation of the Accounts Payable Process in Cebu Shared Service Center6372 Words   |  26 PagesProposal Presented to the Faculty of the School of Business and Economics University of San Carlos Cebu City, Philippines ________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements of the Course MAC 601 (Accounting Research) _________________________________________________ By HONEYLET L. QUIMILAT MARY GLEE L. SEGUN Month and Year Completed Chapter I INTRODUCTION Rationale of the Study The current economic crisis highlights the disastrous resultsRead MoreHarley-Davidson, Identifying Ebusiness Risks4627 Words   |  19 PagesChain Management System 2 Internal Controls Which Harley Davidson Can Implement To Mitigate The Risks Identified And How Best Can These Controls Be Audited 5 Business Risks For The Harley Davidson’s Business Partners Due The Company’s E-Business System 6 Likelihood Of Impact Of E-Business On This Years Audit At Harley Davidson: A Memo From The Audit Manager 8 References 14 RISKS INVOLVED FOR HARLEY DAVIDSON SINCE INTEGRATING E-BUSINESS INTO ITS SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM The main risks associatedRead MoreIntegrated Distribuitors Integrated3329 Words   |  14 PagesUnit 1 – Integrated Distributors Incorporated Marcial Norori IS3230 Mr. James Hollis ITT Technological Institute – Miami 5/29/2014 IDI cannot continue operating with a neglected IT infrastructure. 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These examples of applications to include: clinical decision-making, reduction of emergency room congestionRead Mor eKUDLER FINE FOODS3299 Words   |  14 Pagesï » ¿ Kudler Fine Foods Security Report and System Review Kudler Fine Foods Security Report and System Review Introduction Kudler Fine Foods is in the process of developing a customer loyalty program, and a related system to give rewards to their customers. We have been given the task of assisting the development team in creating mechanisms that facilitate information security This paper serves to direct the development team along a pathway of security, with the intent to share information

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The World And The Implications For Inequalities And...

With reference to at least two contrasting examples, critically explore changes associated with the shrinking world and the implications for inequalities and unevenness. Due to globalisation people are more connected around the world than ever before. Global manufactured goods and services that are produced in a certain part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. Also, international travel is more frequent and international communication is commonplace. â€Å"Globalisation is an economic tidal wave that is sweeping over the world.† It can’t be stopped, and as a result there are countries that are winners and losers. Multinational corporations in America have taken full advantage of the shrinking world by setting†¦show more content†¦Many think that due to globalisation these corporations are only going to gain more power and influence. In addition, the unevenness in globalisation can be seen by the Americanisation of many LEDCs, with America introducing products and brands such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Nike. Anti-globalists claim that globalisation is not working for the majority of the world. From 1960-1998 inequality worsened both internationally and within countries. The UN Development Program reports that the richest 20 percent of the world’s population consume 86 percent of the world’s resources, while the poorest 80 percent consume just 14 percent. People are also claiming that globalisation is leading to the incursion of communicable diseases. Deadly diseases like HIV and AIDS are being spread by travellers to the remotest corners of the globe. When the healthcar e to deal with these illnesses is compared between MEDC and LEDC countries it is clear how uneven they are. Many argue that Globalisation has led to the exploitation of labour. Prisoners and child workers are used to work in inhumane conditions. Safety standards are ignored to produce cheap goods. There is also an increase in human trafficking. Nigeria is an example of a country which is rich in natural resources but is still negatively affected by globalisation. It has abundant mineral resources and is abundant in crude oil. The citizens, however, are hungry and poor. The UNDP has

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Budget Analysis for Nature and Scope- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theBudget Analysis for Nature and Scope. Answer: The nature and scope of investments related to Mark and Paul can be assessed but before that the term investment should be understood properly. The word investment as per the accounting terms refers to purchasing of a financial product or investing the resources in a financial product with the expectation of returns in the future in the form of profit. In simpler terms investment is used as a tool for making more money. In order to improve the skills of mangers in relation to decision making the management of investment with the help of newest theories on portfolio management and capital market functioning is done (Marglin, 2014). Mark and Paul have a wide scope of investment. The objective of analyzing the nature and scope of investment refers to understanding of the rules and regulations related to the different investment decisions and also identifying the domain in which the investment falls. In the case of Mark and Paul they can opt for an investment decision only after critically assessing the situation starting from the collection of initial funds till the expected returns from the venture. The various rules of investment decision making will help Mark and Paul to standardize the entire setting up process of the restaurant. The primary point that should be kept in mind is that the returns from the restaurant business should be predicted according to the present conditions and this should be ensured at any cost. Mark and Paul, being the investors must keep a vigilant eye for factors like the performance of the collection in comparison to the benchmark set. The various components that should be kept in mi nd in determining the health of the different investments are expense ratio, style, sector weighting and various other factors. The goal of the investment should always be given priority including the returns from that particular investment (Melo, Graham and Brage-Ardao 2013). Sales Budget: Particulars June July August September TOTAL Sales Volume of Meal (in units) 18000 22000 40000 Average Sale Price per meal $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 Revenue from Meal Sales $0 $0 $810,000 $990,000 $1,800,000 Sales Volume of Drinks (in units) 0 0 54000 66000 120000 Average Sale Price per drinks $6 $6 $6 $6 $6 Revenue from Drinks Sales $0 $0 $324,000 $396,000 720000 Projected Sales Revenue $0 $0 $1,134,000 $1,386,000 $2,520,000 Cash Budget: Particulars June July August September TOTAL Cash flow from Operating Activities: Receipt from Sales Revenue $0 $0 $1,134,000 $1,386,000 $2,520,000 Payment to Supplier ($2,000) ($51,000) ($60,000) ($113,000) Staff Wages Paid $0 $0 ($9,936) ($9,936) ($19,872) Monthly Overhead Costs ($5,000) ($5,000) ($5,000) ($5,000) ($20,000) Net Cash Flow from Operating Activities ($5,000) ($7,000) $1,068,064 $1,311,064 $2,367,128 Cash flow from Investing Activities: Purchase of Machinery ($110,000) ($110,000) Purchase of Furniture ($30,000) ($30,000) Purchase of Vehicle ($43,000) ($43,000) Purchase of Utensils ($18,000) ($18,000) Net Cash Flow from Investing Activities ($201,000) $0 $0 $0 ($201,000) Cash flow from Financing Activities: Investment by owners $281,000 $281,000 Owner's Drawings ($10,000) ($10,000) ($10,000) ($10,000) ($40,000) Net Cash Flow from Financing Activities $271,000 ($10,000) ($10,000) ($10,000) $241,000 Net Increase/(Decrease) in cash balance $65,000 ($17,000) $1,058,064 $1,301,064 $2,407,128 Add: Opening Cash Balance $0 $65,000 $48,000 $1,106,064 $0 Closing Cash Balance $65,000 $48,000 $1,106,064 $2,407,128 $2,407,128 Labour Budget: Particulars June July August September TOTAL Nos. of Casual Staff 3 3 3 Nos. of Hours in a day 6 6 12 Nos. of Days in a Week 6 6 6 Weekly Labour Hours 108 108 216 Weeks per month 4 4 4 Total Labour Hours per month 432 432 864 Labour Rate per hour $23 $23 $23 Staff Wages Paid per month $0 $0 $9,936 $9,936 $19,872 Sales budget is a major part of or chunk of the master budget and it displays the assumed or real number of units of sales and the price per unit fixed. Sales budget can also influence the remaining components of the master budget, indirectly or directly. The total amount of sales estimated with the help of a sales budget is used as a base figure in other component budgets (Johnston and Marshall 2016). Labour budget can be used to provide the total direct labour cost and the total count of labour hours that is required for production. It forms great help to the management for planning the labour force requirements (DRURY 2013). The Labour budget is generally prepared after the creation of production budget because the production budget is essential for supplying the required data for the preparation of the Labour budget. The Labour budget is made with the primary purpose to facilitate programs of transfer and training of the personnel department and also to find out the sources of labour needed so that no issue arises due to non-availability of suitable labour personnel (Hofstede, 2012). The cash budget provides a measure of the assumed receipts and assumed payments of cash during the stipulated period of the budge. In simpler terms, each and every factor that results in a change in the payments and receipts of cash is considered while the cash budget is prepared (Carraher and Van Auken, 2013). The cash budget prepares a provision for a minimum amount of cash balance for all times. Generally while preparing a cash budget the balance most probably will be equal to the operating expenses for a month added with certain other provisions. The chief accountant generally prepares this budget so that the management of the organization gets proper information and takes proper decisions (Michalski, 2013). In case of Mark and Paul, it can be observed in the sales budget that the total revenue from meal sales is $1800000 and the revenue from drinks sales is $720000. The revenue earned is pretty high and this will help Mark and Paul to plan further investments that may result in more profit in turn. The sales budget also helps in revealing the seasonal fluctuations in the trend of sales. Here in this sales budget though, the figures seem fine and there is no major concern about the business until now. The labour budget prepared presents the information that the staff wages paid per month is $19872 in total. As there is no mention of overtime in the question so no insight can be provided regarding this. Overall, the staff wages paid per month seems legitimate and fair. The cash budget prepared in case of Mark and Paul shows the closing cash balance of the months of June, July, August and September the respective amounts of $65000, $48000, $1106064 and $2407128. It is very clear from the amounts that the cash balance once dipped in the month of July but then it regained its increasing trend and the cash balance for the month of September as recorded is highest. Excluding the month of July which suffered a loss the business of Mark and Paul, as can be observed is prospering normally. The issues that Mark and Paul should consider while making their decision to invest in the restaurant is that the collection of enough funds in the form of the establishment cost, the identification of the project and its evaluation so as to ensure the viability of the project and its prospectus. Other practical issues that might be faced by Mark and Paul are regarding the location of the restaurant. The location of the restaurant should be such that it can be accessible by the people staying in the main part of the city as well as outskirts of the city. The food sold in the restaurant is also an important issue that needs to be given due importance. The food should be in accordance to the tastes and preferences of the local community and also the quality of the food should be at par with the set standards. Last but not the least the terms and condition of partnership shared between Mark and Paul should be clear and concise and agreed upon by both the partners. Investment Two Period Particulars 0 1 2 3 4 Initial Investment ($390,000) Net Cash Inflow $100,000 $230,000 $190,000 $140,000 Net Annual Cash Flows ($390,000) $100,000 $230,000 $190,000 $140,000 Cumulative Cash Flow ($390,000) ($290,000) ($60,000) $130,000 $270,000 Payback Period 3.32 Discount Rate 12% 12% 12% 12% 12% Discounted Cash Flow -$390,000 $89,286 $183,355 $135,238 $88,973 Net Present Value $106,851 Average Annual Cash Inflow $165,000 Accounting Rate of Return 42.31% As it can be observed in the above table the payback period refers to the number of years within which the original cost of investment can be recovered while the net cash flow is zero (Bierman and Smidt, 2012). The payback period here is 3.32 years which is not too long and further indicates that the business has a bright future (Larson and Gray 2013). The net present value is $106851. A net present value that is positive, that is, a positive amount indicates that the net income induced by a project is more than the anticipated costs. In general, an investment with a positive Net Present Value will most probably be a profitable venture and the investment project with a negative Net Present Value will imply a net loss (Schutt et al., 2012). The accounting rate of return as calculated is 42.31%. This indicates that the returns from the capital investment, made by Mark and Paul are both profitable and positive (Magni and Peasnell 2012). Though the accounting rate of return does not consider the time value of money, the venture will accrue enough revenue as the rate is quite high (Li 2015). No, the two investments cannot be compared because in case of investment one the cash, sales and labour budget has been discussed and in case of investment two the accounting rate of return, the payback period and the net present value has been discussed. Thus discussion of the totally different aspect of both the investments, make them incomparable in nature. References Bierman Jr, H. and Smidt, S., 2012. The capital budgeting decision: economic analysis of investment projects. Routledge. Carraher, S. and Van Auken, H., 2013. The use of financial statements for decision making by small firms. Journal of Small Business Entrepreneurship, 26(3), pp.323-336. DRURY, C.M., 2013. Management and cost accounting. Springer. Hofstede, G.H. ed., 2012. The game of budget control. Routledge. Johnston, M.W. and Marshall, G.W., 2016. Sales force management: Leadership, innovation, technology. Routledge. Larson, E.W. and Gray, C., 2013. Project Management: The Managerial Process with MS Project. McGraw-Hill. Li, X., 2015. Accounting conservatism and the cost of capital: An international analysis. Journal of Business Finance Accounting, 42(5-6), pp.555-582. Magni, C.A. and Peasnell, K.V., 2012. Economic profitability and the accounting rate of return. Marglin, S.A., 2014. Public Investment Criteria (Routledge Revivals): Benefit-Cost Analysis for Planned Economic Growth. Routledge. Melo, P.C., Graham, D.J. and Brage-Ardao, R., 2013. The productivity of transport infrastructure investment: A meta-analysis of empirical evidence. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 43(5), pp.695-706. Michalski, G., 2013. Planning optimal from the firm value creation perspective levels of operating cash investments. arXiv preprint arXiv:1301.3824. Schutt, A., Chu, G., Stuckey, P.J. and Wallace, M.G., 2012, May. Maximising the Net Present Value for Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling. In CPAIOR (pp. 362-378).

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Bharti Enterprises free essay sample

Ensuring that the look and feel of the store is as per guidelines/standards Ensuring/ reporting Inventory and Stock availability as per the norms to prevent stock-outs Provide suggestions /feedback to improve store productivity People Development / Team Management: Acting as a mentor and trainer for store staff To ensure daily roistering briefing to inbound outbound store staff Customer Experience: Manage staff allocation based on demand at point in time Personally step in to handle demanding customers Provide suggestions for improvements in CE 4. A. On Diversity and Cultural spread in Africa, As Africa consists of 53 countries, to operate successfully it is important to understand the dynamics of each country, including differences in culture, language and especially regulations. Bharti would do well to put in place as few expatriates as possible and have most of its top management from Africa. b. On Infrastructure sharing and cost / capital issues, The biggest driver of network sharing will be the shift in approach of the biggest operators, who had been unwilling to share network to sustain competitive advantage. We will write a custom essay sample on Bharti Enterprises or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There is visible network sharing in the markets of Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa, and that this is likely to pick up in other markets. c. On Bharti Airtel’s Minute Factor Model, Network sharing and IT outsourcing would help operators bring down costs. While costs could trend down, however they will be higher than in India because of some of the structural costs caused by power shortage and poor infrastructure. 5. Bharti Airtel has a history of making first moves and emerging as the winner just because of that. This is what built the company’s success in India, where it remains the top MNO and second-largest fixed-line operator. In fact, thanks to the massive market it serves at home, at the time it acquired the Zain portfolio in March 2010 Airtel was reckoned to be the fifth largest mobile operator in the world on a proportional subscriber basis, putting it behind the likes of China Mobile, Vodafone Group, American Movil and Telefonica, but ahead of China Unicom. As has been widely covered for over a year now, Airtel has been looking at Africa as a new growth market. While it has a deal with Vodafone for the Channel Islands, Africa is the only other territory outside the Indian subcontinent (including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) that the company has entered. The commonalities are compelling: similar markets, needs and infrastructure. The realities on the ground are somewhat more challenging: logistics, legislative compliance and serious local competition being foremost. The logistics of infrastructure in Africa are an equal challenge for all MNOs. That is a given. Where Airtel might have been overly optimistic is in hoping its Africa model would run similarly to its success in India, based on a first-to-market approach and having some leverage to overcome legislative obstacles. Unfortunately, while Airtel has a 30-year history of being first in India (with pushbutton phones, cordless phones and then mobile), they were not first in Africa. There were major EU, Middle East and South African players there ahead of them. In fact, Airtel’s African expansion is largely thanks to its takeover of Kuwait’s Zain mobile operations in 15 countries. This was a beachhead, not a conquest. Zain only held dominant market share in a few countries. Going up against market leaders such as MTN of South Africa, Airtel applied a strategy of extensive cost cutting. This followed on what it achieved in India, cutting a deal with Ericsson for per-minute fees (rather than upfront payment) that enabled very low-cost call rates from the outset. Airtel has an all-Africa, five-year deal in place with Ericsson for network management that offers similar advantages. Elsewhere, Airtel is engaged with Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei, not keeping all its eggs in one basket, of course. As a Plan B, possibly following on the indecisive outcome of Airtel’s low-cost invasion, the company has previously been negotiating a takeover of or (maybe) a joint venture with MTN itself. How this putative deal is described depends on which company is talking. This has been going on for some four years without a definitive ending. Even if it never happens, it is a signpost of just what Airtel would consider to get its Africa operations truly established.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Investigation into Doctors Paid to Review SSD Applications

Investigation into Doctors Paid to Review SSD Applications Investigation Requested into Doctors Paid to Review SSD Applications The chairman of a Congressional Ways and Means Subcommittee has requested a federal investigation into the process under which states hire doctors to review applications for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits.U.S. Representative John Larson of Connecticut has formally requested the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal governments fiscal watchdog, investigate how doctors review applications for disability benefits. His action follows a recent report which raises concerns that many qualified applicants may be unfairly denied in a rush to process applications quickly to be compensated for more money.What the Proposed Investigation Would Examine The producers of the report sought information from the Social Security Administration (SSA) on the performance of doctors who review disability cases. The SSA estimated such a report would cost $2.3 million. This led Larson to ask the GAO for its own examination on a state-by-state basis.Larson wants the GAO t o examine paying doctors on contract- and the compensation doctors receive for each case. He also wants to know what qualifications these physicians hold, including any performance measures to which they are held. The ultimate goal is an analysis of the quality of their decisions. The GAO reserves the right to accept or decline such requests for an audit.How Applications Are Reviewed The SSA oversees the SSD program on a federal level. The agency, however, delegates the review of individual applications to the states. It is up to the states to determine who qualifies.The states hire doctors to review applications and make recommendations on eligibility, often paying a flat fee per case. In some instances, physicians appear to speed through as many as five applications per hour.Experts worry this is not enough time to review detailed medical records and issue an accurate determination regarding an applicants approval or denial of benefits. They also feel long wait times place undue h ardship on those who have been wrongfully denied benefits.  In 2017, more than 9,570 SSD applicants died while waiting for an appeals decision.We Can HelpIf you are disabled and unable to work, call Disability Attorneys of Michigan for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the Social Security Disability Benefits they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental, or cognitive impairment, call Disability Attorneys of Michigan now for a free consultation at 800-949- 2900.Let Michigan’s experienced Social Security Disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Compassionate Excellence. detroit disability lawyer., Michigan disability lawyer, Social Security Disa bility

Friday, February 21, 2020

The nature of leadership Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The nature of leadership - Dissertation Example The optimism character and the confidence help to attain goals for the leader and develop the skills and expertise in his behaviour. The leader need to understand the attribution of the followers and motivate them and allocate resources to accomplish a goal by designing formal structures and systems. Mutual involvement and with trust and co-operation with the members are an essential element the leader should take care of to support the values of the fellow members. Without followers there are no leaders. What is known about followers? The followers are the makers of the leader. Leaders influence a group but it’s the followers who help to reach the goal through their skills and efforts. The training and development attribute along with the vision of the leader clubbed with the followers’ skills completes the causal chain of effect. Figure 1: Causal Chain of effects from two types of leaders’ behaviour (Source: Yukl, 2007, p. 27) The leaders enhance the skills and confidence of the people and attract them to follow in his own ideologies. The followers are needed to be trustworthy towards the leader and should be committed towards the work assigned to them. The people working under should be satisfied with their job and with the leader for an efficient implication of the assigned task in accordance with environment and external dependencies. Reference Yukl, G.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

The case for contamination by Anthony Appiah Essay

The case for contamination by Anthony Appiah - Essay Example In such a society, it becomes difficult to control the trending social values that people share in such platforms. Appiah thus retains a passive viewpoint as he strives to maintain objectivity in the article. He discusses the importance of religion in the changing society as the discussion below portrays. Just as the title of the article depicts, Anthony Appiah discusses the â€Å"contamination† of the world. In his context, contamination of the world refers to the slow but sure infiltration of foreign cultures as people continually integrate on a global platform. The advancement of the society coupled with the development of new technologies have created a global village, such is a society in which people trade cultural values easily. According to Appiah, the seclusion of the traditional society sought to preserve the cultures and values of the societies that could not readily interact with others (Flood 21). With the intensified interactions in the contemporary society, it becomes difficult to monitor the actions of people as most societies continue to adopt the independent structures thus borrowing global cultural trends. As such, cultures continue to infiltrate the society; Appiah observes that such changes are contaminations of the inherent cultural values. While religion is a fundamental aspect of a society and a cultural feature, the changes in the current structures of societies continue to apportion a reserved function for religions. Unlike in some of the traditional societies in which the Church for example was an important organ of governance, contemporary societies have secular governments. This exhibits the inherent change in the structures of the societies and the cultural values of the people in contemporary societies. The modern structure of societies position religion as important in setting values and influencing the behavior of people in the

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Security Within International Relations

Security Within International Relations Within the international system there is a disagreement on whether security should focus on the individual, national or international basis. In this essay the concept of security from some of the different perspectives within International Relations will be discussed. The hegemonic theory of International Relations is realism, it is also central in the debate about security. Throughout the Cold War the concept of security was dominated by national security, and mainly concerned with military capabilities. Since the end of the cold war the notion of security has begun to change, with many other security issues coming to the for front such as human security which encourages policy makers to think about international security as more than the military defence of a states interests and territory.(Paris 2001) The idea of human security is to shift the central argument to the debate on security away from states and to focus on threats to humans within the states. Outlined will be some of the threats facing human security but also the debates that surround its concept, and whether it should be a part of the International Relations discipline. Also within this essay environmental change as a security issue will be discussed. There is mounting evidence tha t suggests that we are in danger of undermining all of our own individual security and also on the larger scale that of national security, and international or global security Security is a relative freedom from war, coupled with a relative high expectation that defeat will not be a consequence of any war that should occur.(Bellany 1981) This traditionally defines a realist perspective on what security is. Realism has its foundations in philosophies of Thucydides and Machiavelli the strong do as they will, the weak accept as they must. Realist theory is based on the state of anarchy within the international system. States are independent units in a power struggle against other states. With no overriding authority the state is the main actor in the international realm, therefore states have to gain power. For most realists power is the defining feature.(Collins 2007) Power is gained by building up the military and securing your land and the threat of from other states. States are rational actors also and will only make decisions on the basis of their own capabilities of achieving the best outcome for the state. Realists assess other states power relative to the statement of their military capabilities. Realists want to keep a status quo and a balance of power, during the Cold War the nuclear weapons face off between t he USA and USSR was realism working in the system. Although there was proxy wars in Asia during this time it was relatively stable otherwise on the international scale because of the balance of power being exercised. Security has been seen as a priority obligation to the state governments.(Baylis Smith Owen, 2011) The introduction of neo/structural realism and that of Kenneth Waltzs Theory of International Politics (1979) sees a real shift in the realist theory. Waltz argues that states have two options of acquiring power and defending itself from attack, one is to balance the state with others and forming alliances with states also so they have more resources to draw on, this is known as external balancing. Two is that of internal balancing of the states economic capabilities and formation of bigger military forces. (Waltz 1979)This competition between states, which is a source of a lot of conflict, is known as the security dilemma (Baylis, Smith and Owen2011). The fact that some states may cheat limits cooperation because realist believe that states are fearful that others wont engage honestly and that cheating is always a possibility. States are only concerned with relative gains rather than absolute. Relative gains are gains that are higher than that of the state you are cooperating with. With absolute gains there are only the benefits of cooperation and mutuality between states. Realism does not see this so much as an advantage, as mentioned before the chance of other states cheating to maximise their own gains is high this can lead to a mistrust between states . States are sovereign political units and are not prepared to engage in long term accommodation or co-operation.(TTSRL,2007) Realism as explained is state centric, and believes in the idea of self help in the struggle for power and survival in the international system. This is a narrow concept of security as most security issues happen within state instead of between states; realism does not take responsibility of securing the people within the state. This opens up the realm of human security. The objective of human security is to safe guard the vital core of all human lives in ways that enhance human freedoms and human fulfilment .(UN Commission on Human security 2003) Human security is a concept that emerged in the early 1990s with the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin wall a new era for international relations had begun. Human security wanted to engage and broaden the security agenda. After the cold war the emphasis on human rights and humanitarian intervention was seen because of the spread of democratisation. (Baylis, Smith and Owen 2011) This meant that if a state was violating human rights the international community could intervene. This was a huge step that allowed to the idea of human security to really unravel, it showed that threats could come in a variety of ways and we needed new ways to combat them. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reveals that there are four features to human security. One is that it is a universal concern, that it affects everybody, two the components of the concept are interdependent, three human security can be ensured through early prevention and four as already mentioned the referent ob ject has changed from states to people/individuals.(UNDP 1994) The types of threats that human security engages are quite broad from the physical safety of an individual to their psychological well-being.(Paris,2001) Freedom from want or freedom from fear, this has been part of the debate surrounding the concept human security. Freedom from want is refers to a non-military threat more to the point of poverty, environmental degradation and disease. Freedom of fear refers to the more traditional types of insecurity like that of armed conflicts. Within these conflicts the insecurity of child soldiers, landmines, or any other violence against the individual. What is its primary focus? According to the Human Security Report 2005 it is both, they overlap. The report recognises development as a necessary condition for human security and that security is a condition for human development. (Human security report, 2005:155) The direct consequence of armed conflict is that of death and injury. The cost of life associated with the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo let it be direct or indirect surpasses the casualties sustained by Britain in the first and second world wars combined.(UNDP 2005:A12) The outrage at this is that the victims of these recent wars are mostly civilians and many of these victims are women ,children, elderly and the sick.(gendering human secuity2001:18) Child soldiers are still a major issue in armed conflicts today. In one study 75% of armed conflicts involve child soldiers (human security report, 2005:35). This is quite alarming and is against the human rights of the child. Also the fear of landmines a cause of great insecurity, there are 80 million that still have not been detected and that someone steps on a landmine every 28 seconds, and 80% of those injured or killed are civilians (Keohler.S 2007). These are very serious threats against humans and leaves populations living in fear of conflicts that can have devastating results. Wars affect women in a different way. Women become the victims of rape torture and sexual slavery. Recent conflicts use rape and torture as an instrument of war to measure fear and control. During the 1994 genocide in Rwan da estimates of 250,000 and 500.000 women were raped, nowadays this crime is recognised as one against humanity. (Rhen.E Sirleaf.E.J 2002:9) Women also get caught up in human trafficking, or forced to work in the sex trade and this can result in women being degraded and exploited during times of conflict. Armed conflict may be the cause of horrific acts of violence on individuals but it can also create bigger problems in non-violent threat to human security. Poverty, hunger and outbreaks of disease in recent times have become the bigger part of the problem and are much harder to combat. These indirect consequences of conflict can undermine nutrition and public health and also has huge implications on the livelihoods, education and the prospects of economic growth (UDNP 2005:12). Diseases that include AIDS/HIV, avian flu, malaria, and tuberculosis have enormous effect human security. AIDS is the leading cause of death in Africa and forth worldwide, this daunting detail signifies the need to incorporate pandemics into our thinking of freedom against want. The displacement of people during conflict may also give rise to such pandemics. The security issue then becomes borderless and can result in more conflict and more loss of life. War also can cause detrimental effects on the environment causing large scale pollution of the land or air. The consequence of this can link disease and malnutrition straight to armed conflict, the UNDP declare that most of the 3.9 million people who have died in the Democratic republic of Congo is due to disease, spread by the desecration of the environment during the conflict (UNDP, 2005:45). This effect can be felt in areas for years after a conflict (e.g. The use of Agent Orange by the USA during the Vietnam war). Environmental degradation can also lead to a scarce amount of resources such as food or water consequently resulting in some sort of conflict. Human security as discussed is an array of concepts under the one heading, its hard to pinpoint yet when you are in the face of it the security issue is unmistakable. To try and secure everybody is ridiculous but the need to understand where the most vulnerable people are and try to help and secure them in the international realm is most important. We need to revamp our entire concept of national security and economic growth if we are to solve the problems of environmental decay. Falk 1971:185 Environmental security is one that over shadows all issues of security from national security to that of individual security. Climate change, the roots of it in human activities, is a fundamental challenge to all and the proportions of the security threat are essentially affecting everyone and everything. Climate change may lead to the aggravation of state conflicts due to the lack of non- renewable resources such as oil and gas. The affect that environmental change has on weather is another faction to be taken into consideration it can affect crop growth whether through drought or extensive rainfall. This can lead to food shortages and has become a global issue for leaders worldwide. There is no part of international relations the environmental problems do not potentially affect and has become a subject of high politics and has been discussed at G8 summits and meetings of political leaders (Baylis, Smith and Owen,2011) . Globalisation has been associated with the important issue of environmental security and how the international system will contend to deal with it has brought the approach of cooperation between governments back to the attention of international politics. Globalisation has also been to blame due to the strain on earths capacity to sustain the consumption levels, rising greenhouse gases and resource depletion. This global environment predicament posed to international theory will create a different view of international cooperation and another concept of security. The conclusion reiterates security is a contested concept and that a new wave of interpreting it is here. Security in the international realm is something of a challenge and really depends on what perspective you relate it to. For realism its all about national security of the state, power, self help and survival in the international system. Whereas for human security and environmental security the concept can be quite intertwined with conflict causing danger to human security and in turn affecting the environment which becomes cyclical and returns to affect individuals again. The same can be said for climate change as it is predominately us who are to blame and it is us who will have to deal with the consequences. In short we have to try and secure this planet for future generations otherwise all our other security issues are a farce in the face of what could escalate to a mammoth security problem.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Same Sex Marriage Essay -- Ethical Issues, Lesbian or Gay Parents

Same sex marriage is already taboo, but same sex couples raising children is mostly not considered acceptable by the public because of the misconception that they are not qualified to bring up children in accordance with proper social values. The public is not certain if children will receive proper education about society and behavior to fit in as responsible members. However, several recent movements, such as Feminism and Post-modernism, argue about equal rights for everybody. Feminism is mainly concerned about the equality of men and women in society while Post-modernism is mainly concerned with ending all forms of discrimination in society. Feminism is actually a subdivision of Post-modernism because Post-modernism is against all discriminations while Feminism specializes in pointing out women's rights in the society and the equal status of women and men. Among other things, both ideologies re-evaluate the meaning of love and marriage in modern society. Besides the social movemen ts, several scientific research was made regarding children who grow up in same sex marriages. Children raised in a same sex marriage share the same core values with the society, maybe even higher because they never learned about sexual discrimination in their home, and the only reason why they are restrained is because of the public opinion on these situations. In accordance with scientific research, the American Psychological Association (APA) claims that there are should be no concerns with same sex marriages. It is not just a violation of privacy and an act of discrimination against other people, but there are also no scientific basis which prove that it contributes to an improper development of children. Fears about children of lesbian or gay p... ...ation because same sex marriage is something people are used to and they will retain their opinion that it is the only way to provide a person with a normal childhood, even though this marriage might not be happy or might not last. On the other hand, a child will feel better growing up with a same sex couple instead of growing up alone. The main things Post-modernism and Feminism are re-questioning in the modern society, love and marriage, are the most important things a child can look up to when growing up. If there is no love in a regular marriage, this marriage cannot provide a decent environment for a child's upbringing. However, if a same sex marriage provides a loving environment for the child, it should not be discriminated against, but rather encouraged to contribute to the harmonious development of a child without sexual or any other forms of prejudice.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Hans Zimmer Essay

This case study will explore the life and works of one of the most prominent and inventive film and music composers of modern times, Hans Zimmer. His extraordinary ability to span an extensively wide range of genres and formats with extreme competence is extremely influential and inspiring. Zimmer is a pioneer in his field, with his use of both electronic and orchestral elements within film scores. Zimmers success in creating the scores for some of the most celebrated films, and his ability to encapsulate in the music the overriding themes, and personalities of the characters in modern day cinema is what makes him so special. I have chosen to write on this subject as it is completely relevant to my interest in the field. This case study includes a discussion of the early life of Hans Zimmer, his entrance into the world of Hollywood composition, his influences and growth as a composer and leads to a more in-depth discussion of the work on his most current films, as well as a brief look at the studio and equipment he uses. Born in Frankfurt, Germany on September 12th 1957 Hans Florian Zimmer is acknowledged as one of the most pioneering, innovative, successful, influential and sought after composers in Hollywood today (IMDB, no date). His interest in music began at a very early age and he began playing the piano at the age of three, although he had little or no formal music education or training throughout his early life (Gillespie, 2001). Despite his lack of training, Zimmer knew he wanted to be a composer by the age of six and this coincided with an important event in the young Zimmer’s life; the death of his father. He is quoted as saying in an interview with CNN Worldbeat; â€Å"My dad died when I was six, that’s when I decided I was going to become really serious about music, because it was my refuge† (CNN Worldbeat cited by IMDB, no date). During his early teens his family moved all over Europe before settling in London when Zimmer was 14 years old. Throughout his childhood his passion for music meant he neglected his schoolwork and as a result was expelled from several different schools (Shelton, no date). After finally finishing school he began his professional music career by composing advertising jingles for Air Edel associates and playing in rock bands (Ankeny, no date). It was during this period that Zimmer found success as a member of The Buggles, an English new wave synthpop group, and had a hit single with ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’. It is said that this worldwide hit helped ‘usher in a new era of global entertainment as the first music video to be shown on MTV’ (IMDB, no date). His talent on the keyboard and synthesisers would continue to be significant throughout his career although this is perhaps the first event that might have suggested at the huge amount of success and appreciation he would go on to enjoy as a composer. Zimmer is known to have favoured the Moog synthesiser when performing and creating music for these groups, a preference that has endured the span of his career. It was also during this period that we see Zimmer first combining the use of computers with live music on stage with other successful groups (Shelton, no date). This combination has been a constant throughout Zimmer’s professional career and his talent in merging the two elements is part of what has earned him the success and appreciation he currently enjoys. The diversity of his talent is also seen in his ability to span genres such as new wave UK punk, as well as Spanish pop music. However, Zimmer would not remain a part of the pop scene for long. He felt inhibited by having to write in just one style of music and felt his creativity was restrained. It was at this time that he first went to work with Stanley Myers who began to teach him about scoring films (Shelton, no date). This partnership would prove to be a collaboration of great orchestral elements combined with the most up to date electronic instrumentation available (Abodos, no date). Zimmers technological fascination in these early years has proved influential in his later and most successful works. Perhaps it is this preoccupation with technology that has kept him at the forefront of composition. It could also be said that the use of both technological and traditional orchestral elements has ensured his popularity with all generations of audiences. It was with Myers that Zimmer co-founded the London based Lillie Yard recording studio (Wikipedia, no date). A demonstration of the combining of the elements mentioned above is showcased in their early works, an example of which is seen in the film ‘Moonlighting’ (1982). The fusion of moody undertones performed with synthesisers and clean orchestral pianos combine to create a dark, unnerving, suspenseful atmosphere in keeping with the films subject and the emotions portrayed by the characters. His talent for creating music spanning the genres of different films is also seen in this early collaboration with Myers. Further examples of this are his compositions for films such as ‘Success is the Best Revenge’ (1984) which is a drama and the films ‘Insignificance’ (1985) and the acclaimed ‘My Beautiful Launderette’ (1985) which have comedic elements and demand that a completely different atmosphere is created. For example, ‘My Beautiful Launderette’ features a much more upbeat electronic production with less orchestral elements as the subject matter of the film requires. From 1982 – 1987 Zimmer worked collaboratively on productions. It was not until the film ‘Terminal Exposure’ (1987) that Zimmer would produce his first solo-score (Wikipedia, no date), based heavily on electronic production encapsulating the 80’s pop culture era. His next collaboration with David Byrne and Ryuichi Sakamoto would lead to his first taste of Academy Award success – winning the Oscar for Best Original Score with the picture ‘The Last Emperor’ (1987). The theme tune of which combines influences from both traditional Western and Eastern cultures, again allowing him to experience new found inspiration for his future creations. At this time he also created one of his most durable works for the UK television game show ‘Going for Gold’, about which he was quoted in an interview with the BBC as saying ‘[it] was a lot of fun. It’s the sort of stuff you do when you don’t have a career yet’ (BBC, 2008). This demonstrated his levelheadedness despite his new found success. This is also another example of how Zimmer was able to span the genres of music composition whilst enjoying his work, which arguably has been crucial to his success. The next film score composed by Zimmer was the small budget movie ‘A World Apart’ (1988) about apartheid South Africa (Shelton, no date). This was his first excursion into composition for a movie set in Africa, perhaps leading to his continuing interest in this area (seen in his work on the later films ‘The Power of One’ (1992) and ‘The Lion King’ (1994)). The soundtrack to ‘A World Apart’ featured traditional African instruments such as African drums and shakers giving the soundtrack an authentic feel. At the same time, these are combined with powerful synthetic strings which strike emotion and also bring in a Western element, which mirrors the films subject. 4 – Word Count: 3459 Student no. 15735 The success of this soundtrack led to Zimmer’s involvement in the critically acclaimed film ‘The Rain Man’ (1988) after the Hollywood director Barry Levinson’s wife introduced him to Zimmer’s work (Wikipedia, no date). Zimmer would follow an individual process when composing; â€Å"It was a road movie, and road movies usually have jangly guitars or a bunch of strings. I kept thinking don’t be bigger than the characters. Try to keep it contained. The Raymond character doesn’t actually know where he is. He might as well be on Mars. So, why don’t we just invent our own world music, for a world that doesn’t really exist? † (Zimmer cited by Young, 2008). This allowed for the score to contain escapist, other-worldly elements reflecting the character played by Dustin Hoffman. The Rain Man’ (1988) was Zimmer’s first venture into Hollywood. The soundtrack was created by the use of a lot of digital synthesis from the Fairlight CMI which was able to do sampling as well as additive synthesis where Zimmer was able to draw his own wave forms. In 1989 the score was nominated for an Academy Award and won Best Picture (Shelton, no date). His success would only contin ue. He was approached by the director of ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ (1989) the score of which consisted mainly of synthesisers and samplers. The Roland MKS-20 synthesiser was used for piano sounds about which Zimmer jokingly quoted â€Å"It didn’t sound anything like a piano, but it behaved like a piano† (Zimmer cited by Wherry, 2002) showing the unpredictable nature of digital synthesis. Within the same month as ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ Zimmer also created the score for the film ‘Black Rain’ (1989). In involving himself with both these films which were of entirely different genres he felt that Hollywood would not be able to typecast him (Young, 2008). This is further evidence of Hans Zimmer’s drive to think outside of the box, never wanting to be constrained or restricted to create just one type of music. His broad horizons were demonstrated further in 1992 with the film ‘The Power of One’ where Zimmer expressed his thirst for gaining authentic samples and knowledge of different musical cultures by travelling to Africa and sampling indigenous choirs and traditional drums. He gained a police-record whilst in the country for his work on the film for being labelled as subversive (Wikipedia, no date). It was ‘Power of One’ that led to his first expedition into the world of animation with the 1994 film ‘The Lion King’ which followed the African theme. Zimmer originally created 48 different theme tunes for ‘The Lion King’ (1994) before he was happy with the outcome (Hans-Zimmer. com, no date, a), displaying his meticulous nature. It can be said that this contributed to the film’s success and it went on to win an Oscar for Best Original Score and Golden Globe awards (Ankeny, no date). The African drum and choir samples used in ‘Circle of Life’ (the theme tune for the film) convey authenticity, whilst the use of a Western vocalist meant that a Western audience could still identify with the track. This maintained its resonance with the films main demographic, and the score was later adapted into a Broadway musical. After years of orchestral development Zimmer went back to his roots of synthesis with the Grammy Award winning film ‘Crimson Tide’ in 1995. However, his success post-Lion King meant that the celebrity lifestyle was in danger of catching up with him and his first attempts at the composition for ‘Crimson Tide’ were described by its directors as ‘crap’ and ‘rubbish’ and Zimmer is quoted as saying that â€Å"reality came back really fast for him† (Zimmer cited by Young, 2008). In the following years Zimmer went on to work on the scores for many more successful films. It was in the 2000’s, however, with the postmodern preoccupation with film that he became involved with even higher budgeted Hollywood Blockbusters. The following discussions of his works will describe 5 – Word Count: 3459 Student no. 15735 in depth how Zimmer’s creative processes lead to an extremely effective way of making sound for movies. The first of these discussions will focus on the film ‘Gladiator’ (2000). It is important to note Zimmer’s preoccupation with imagery and how the sound will translate on screen. It can be said that rather than dictate with music, Zimmer will take elements from the scenes, the characters and aesthetics of the film to set up the tone. An example of this is seen in what is arguably the most iconic scene of the movie, set in a wheat field, which is extremely poetic. Zimmer argues that the music gives the artistic license to be so poetic (hans-zimmer. com, no date, a). He talks about the collaboration with the artist Lisa Gerrard on this scene, and describes this relationship as a meeting of minds, finding her to be a ‘true’ artist. This collaboration is clearly effective in evoking emotion as the guttural vocals by Gerrard coincide beautifully with the imagery. Whilst watching the movie, it is found that the same piece of theme music is used in different places and in scenes that are worlds apart in terms of emotion. Zimmer’s ability to create polarity with one piece of music clearly displays his strategic ability to place the music effectively. For example, one piece of music is used in a scene where two people kiss as well as just before a battle scene. In the former, the effect is one of tenderness and romance, whilst in the latter tension and violence is alluded to. A further example of this is how the use of music conveys the humble theme of the movie (the personal life of the character) while at the same time can be turned into thousands of different emotions. (hanszimmer. com, no date, a) Additionally, the tone of the music clearly changes as the film moves around geographically in order to represent the location. For example, the battle scene set in Germania consists of sustained, powerful strings and other skewed instruments which create a frantic and tense scene as well as authentically representing the location. Furthermore, for the scenes set in Morocco the sound is generally more tribal, dirty and gritty giving the sound in the movie a bigger range and representing the change in locations effectively (hans-zimmer. com, no date, a). The composition throughout the entire movie is mainly orchestral and this has the effect of transporting the viewer to the appropriate period of time in history that the film represents. All of this amalgamates to an all-round epic and large scale experience which is at the heart of the Gladiator’s subject matter. Another interesting aspect of Hans Zimmer’s work is to see how he portrayed one of the most iconic villains in modern day films in the Batman movie ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008). From the outset it seems that rather than create a happy, indulgent score, Zimmer wanted to create something hateful and provocative, something that the viewer could invest in. The Joker is the focal point of the film and represents a change from its predecessor, ‘Batman Begins’ (2005). In order to convey the significance of the character the sound that accompanies him on screen displays the anarchy, mayhem and insanity inherent to the Joker’s eccentric personality. youtube. com, no date). In an interview on the making of the film, Zimmer describes his attempts at depicting the tone of the character through the use of razor blades on barbed wire and incessant tapping on tables and floors, but he eventually came to the extremely successful technique of playing two notes on a cello at the same time, which juxtapose beautifully. This gives the effect of a taught string that gets tighter and tighter but never breaks, paralleling the Jokers spiralling descent into madness. Also, the note of the cello slowly but consistently rises in order to draw the viewer in as the character also does on screen. This extraordinary quiet, high-pitched sound which creates rising tension appears to have a 6 – Word Count: 3459 Student no. 15735 slightly anxious and uneasy quality which syncs perfectly with the character and the viewer’s perception of him. To accompany the sound of the cello, and add to the ever-growing tension two heavily distorted guitars, almost unrecognisable as the original instrument, are played with pieces of metal, with the result of creating a completely anarchistic atmosphere. These effects are heavily processed with the use of distortion to create a more surreal experience, detached from reality. These techniques fuse together to form a rich and complex tapestry of emotion, the audial and the visual aspects are combined in a way that portrays harmony as well as contrast. (youtube. com, no date). The final movie that will be discussed in depth is ‘Inception’ (2010). In the New York Times Zimmer describes his own understanding of the films subject as being about time and its slowing down, and speeding up. The Edith Piaf track ‘Je ne regrette rien’ is used as part of the film to signify a kick to another reality. However, Zimmer has taken its use to a deeper level â€Å"all the music in the score is subdivisions and multiplications of the Edith Piaf track† (Zimmer cited by Itzkoff, 2010) representing his perception of the film as being based around time and its manipulation. In the same way Zimmer manipulates the Piaf track by using a single beat and slowing it down dramatically in order to create the trademark foghorn sound that the movie is well known for (Itzkoff, 2010). The momentum of the film is defined by the structure of the score that accompanies it. The intensity of the film gradually snowballs, becoming more and more surreal and penetrating. At the same time the music increases in intensity and level of depth as the film explores the different levels of the human mind. In an interview with Hans Zimmer (hans-zimmer. com, no date) he describes making electronic sounds from scratch on the custom moog rack in his studio, as well as using software synths such as U-he Zebra. In order to create the sounds he wanted he would play the synthetic sounds to his bespoke orchestra which consists of; six bass trombones, six tenor trombones, four tubas and six French horns in order for them to imitate the sounds. Combinations of the two create a euphoric and emotive atmosphere where deep and unsettling synthetic and orchestral sounds accompany and synchronise with a powerful and grand visual experience. Whilst Zimmer has admitted ‘The Dark Knight’ was heavy in its use of electronic sounds in ‘Inception’ this is pushed even further. In order to gain a further insight into what Hans Zimmer is influenced by, it is important to consider the setting in which he creates his momentous scores. His home studio in Santa Monica, USA is extremely gothic in its decor and can be perceived as having an overwhelmingly dark and eerie vibe – somewhat consistent with a large amount of his compositions. This can be seen in the pictures below. (Pictures sourced from www. stuckincustoms. com) In picture one, we see that muted decadence is incorporated with the feeling of comfort. It is hard to imagine that influence would not be drawn from these surroundings. – Word Count: 3459 Student no. 15735 The second picture, displays the core of the hardware at Zimmers disposal. Whilst it is hard to make out the various components, some are identifiable; his Quested monitors (5. 1 surround sound set up), his Doepfer LMK4+ midi-keyboard, and two analogue synthesisers which are mounted on the back wall – one of which is a custom Moog rack (as mentioned above) and a custom Roland rack, as well as two custom HP touch sensitive LCD screen monitors connected to his DAW (Steinberg Cubase as his main sequencer and Pro Tools for his final mix) (hans-zimmer. om, no date, b). The picture on the right shows a large amount of Pro Tools systems and a patch bay as well as various other hardware devices. He also has a custom built Bosendorfer grand piano. It is also worth mentioning the software used by Zimmer which as well as the DAW’s described above include various VST’s such as; Omnisphere, U-he Zebra, Atmosphere and thousands and thousands of sample banks. (hanszimmer. com, no date, b) Hans Zimmer enjoys an astonishing career with some incredible a ccomplishments, despite the fact that he has had no formal training. His passion is maintained and can be seen in both the way he talks about the composition process as well as the finished product that is heard on screen. Perhaps, it can be said that in his work he is still battling his inner turmoil at the death of his father as a young boy; â€Å"[composing] was my way of calming the demons in me or at the same time sometimes letting them roar, letting them rip, letting the monster out and seeing that it wasn’t so scary being able to look it in the eye. † (CNN Worldbeat cited by IMDB, no date). It is argued here that in his work Zimmer forces his audience to confront the demons on screen whilst creating an opportunity for escapism which is what cinema represents. His productions are both seamless and effortless whilst at the same remaining extraordinarily powerful and commanding. As a relatively young composer and with some of the biggest and long-awaited Hollywood blockbusters ever to be produced in the pipeline, such as the sequel to ‘The Dark Knight’; ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, his success can only intensify with time.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Walter Mitty vs. the Necklace - 2159 Words

An Escape 2 Gender roles and marriages can play an important role in literature. It can be one of the most influential ways that gender roles are constructed. Works of literature construct images of boys and girls and men and women. These works usually depict the girls and women doing housework, playing with dolls, and cooking. The men are usually depicted as sports players and lovers, providers, and figures that are overall stronger than woman. Guy de Maupassant’s, â€Å"The Necklace† and James Thurber’s, â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† are two works of literature that focus on the themes gender roles and marriage, with some similarities, but with even more differences. In â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,† Thurber shows a†¦show more content†¦Both of the main characters are indulging in escapism. Escapism is described as â€Å"The tendency to escape from daily reality or routine by indulging in daydreaming, fantasy, or entertainment† in The American Heritage Medical Dictionary (2007). Walter dreams big to escape his ordinary life and Mithilde dreams big of escaping from her normal life. In both of these short stories, the point of view is told from third person. The narrator is telling the story. However, there is a difference between the two stories and their point of views. In â€Å"The Necklace,† the point of view is told in third person omniscient. The narrator can disclose how Mathilde is feeling, and also how others in the story may be feeling. Even though, Thurber told his story from third person too, he told the story from third person limited omniscient. The point of view of the story indirectly puts us in the mindset of Walter Mitty. We learn things from Walter’s point of view, even though he is not the narrator. As a result of this, we feel that much closer to Walter. We learn more An Escape 6 about him, how he feels and thinks because the story is told from his point of view. We are not told how others within the story feel, making this limited omniscient. The genres of these two are completely opposite. In the story, â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,† the genre would be a comedic adventure. The daydreams alone take the story from boring to overly exaggeratedShow MoreRelatedMaupassant and Thurbers Use of Irony and Conflict to Explore and View Marital Relationships1575 Words   |  7 Pagesand view marital relationships. â€Å"Guy de Maupassant’s, â€Å"The Necklace†, is about a young couple who discovers the upper society appears to sparkles like a real diamond necklace, but in reality it is not always true. A decision that seems to protect their integrity turns out to tarnish it – like a fake necklace. However, through ironic insights we witness drama, character revelations and experience surprise† (Clugston, 2010) .The Necklace is told from a 3rd person point of view with limited omniscienceRead MoreShort Story Theme Of Eve In Darkness1344 Words   |  6 Pagesaware of her sinfulness until she was told what sin was and had really thought about it (Lass 23). Once she finally understood the meaning of sin, all her sorry that she had felt from the word sin went away (Lass 23-24). Short Story Title: The Necklace Short Story Theme: Greed will get you nowhere. The theme of this short story is that greed will get you nowhere. This theme was revealed by the author through the characterization in the story. The main character, Madame Loisel, showed many qualities