Red Badge Of Courage Essays (450 words) - Emotions,

Red Badge Of Courage The Red Badge of Courage begins with the Youth (Henry) preparing to leave to war. He has fabulous ideas concocted in his mind about victory and heroism. The Youth soon finds that victory and heroism are a small part in the splendor of war. The Youth's mind soon becomes burdened with thoughts of death and running away from battle. Sure enough, in the midst of battle, the Youth flees the battlefield. The Youth must learn to deal with the shame he feels on deserting his comrades. When he returns to his camp he lies and says that he was separated during combat and was shot. The Youth is given another chance to fight and prove he is not a coward. As the book progresses, the Youth learns to deal with his shame by feeling honored for being a hero. In the end, the Youth becomes a man. He learns that the most important lessons in life can be seen by opening his eyes. I personally was attracted to the Youth. All his thoughts and wild imagination impressed me. He would describe death as a being that could swallow him whole, and ramble on about wonderful sunsets. The Youth was also a very troubled soul. He worried a lot over things he might do and not the things he would do. For instance, on page 34, he questions others in hope that their answers would comfort him. He feels disassociated from others, "The Youth, considering himself separated from the others..." (p29). Page 35 quotes, "He was a mental outcast." He lacked self confidence and "continually tried to measure himself by his comrades." (p22). Despite his sorrow, the Youth was creative and compared ideas and objects to other ideas and objects. "The battle was like the grinding of an immense and terrible machine." I believe that the Youth brought the book to life through his life. At times I would find myself thinking, "I've thought that too!" For example on page 127, the Youth announces that his life should be lived to his expectations and not everyone else's. I strongly agree with him on that idea. When the Youth was involved in hard situations, I pondered on what I would do and what decisions I would make. To illustrate, on page 80, when the youth ran, I decided I would have stayed and fought for my dignity if nothing else. At the end of the book, Henry learns how important life truly is and why. He learned that war deals with death shame, and sorrow, not just victory and freedom. On page 266, Henry becomes a man. "He had been to touch the great death, and found, after all, it was but the great death." Henry looked death in the eyes and fulfilled his dream of becoming a hero. He had earned the Red Badge of Courage.

Doc Holliday Biography

Doc Holliday Biography Doc Holliday (born John Henry Holliday, August 14, 1851- November 8, 1887) was  an American  gunfighter, gambler, and dentist.  A  friend of fellow gunslinger  and  lawman  Wyatt Earp, Holliday became an iconic  character  of the  American Wild West  through  his role in the  gunfight at the O.K.  Corral.  Despite his reputation for  having gunned down  Ã¢â‚¬Å"dozens† of men, more recent research suggests Holliday killed no more than two men.  Over the years, Holliday’s character and  life have been depicted in many movies and television series. Fast Facts: Doc Holliday Full Name:  John Henry (Doc) Holliday  Known For:  Old West American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist. Friend of Wyatt Earp  Born:  August 14, 1851, in Griffin, GeorgiaDied:  November 8, 1887, in  Glenwood Springs, ColoradoParents:  Henry Holliday and Alice Jane (McKey) HollidayEducation:  Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery, D.D.S. Degree, 1872  Key Accomplishments:  Fought beside Wyatt Earp against the Clanton Gang in the Gunfight at the OK Corral. Accompanied Wyatt Earp on his Vendetta Ride  Spouse:  Big Nose Kate  Horony  (common-law)  Famous Quote:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"All I want of you is ten paces out in the street.† (to gunfighter Johnny Ringo).   Early Life and Education     Doc Holliday was born on August 14, 1851, in Griffin, Georgia, to Henry Holliday and Alice Jane (McKey) Holliday. A veteran of both the  Mexican–American War  and the  Civil War, Henry Holliday taught his son  to shoot.  In 1864, the family moved to Valdosta, Georgia, where Doc attended first through tenth grade at the private Valdosta Institute.  Considered an outstanding student, Holliday excelled at  rhetoric, grammar, mathematics, history,  and Latin.   Doc Holliday. John van Hasselt / Getty Images In 1870, the 19-year-old Holliday moved to Philadelphia,  where he received a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery on March 1, 1872.   Holliday Heads  West   In July 1872,  Holliday joined a  dental practice in Atlanta,  but was soon diagnosed with tuberculosis. Hoping the drier climate would help  his condition, he moved to Dallas, Texas, eventually opening his own dental practice. As his  coughing spells increased and his dental patients abandoned him, Holliday turned to gambling to support himself. After having been arrested twice for illegal gambling  and being acquitted of murder, he left Texas in January 1875. Gambling his  way west through states and cities where betting was treated as a legal profession, Holliday settled  in  Dodge City, Kansas, in the spring of 1878. It was in Dodge City  that Holliday befriended assistant city marshal Wyatt Earp.  Though there were no reports of the incident in the  Dodge City newspapers, Earp credited Holliday for saving his life during a shootout with outlaws at the  Long Branch Saloon.   The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral   In  September  1880, Holliday  rejoined  his friend Wyatt Earp  in the wild and booming silver mining camp town of Tombstone,  Arizona  Territory.  Then a  Wells Fargo  stagecoach  security agent, Wyatt joined  his brothers, Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp, and Morgan  Earp as Tombstone’s â€Å"police force.†Ã‚  In Tombstone’s gambling  and liquor-fueled atmosphere, Holliday soon became involved in the violence that would result in the  Gunfight at  the O.K. Corral.   Opposing the  Earps  for control of Tombstone  was the infamous  Clanton Gang, a  group of  local  cowboys  led by  the notorious cattle rustlers  and murderers  Ike Clanton and Tom  McLaury. On  October 25, 1881,  Ike  Clanton and  Tom  McLaury  came to town for supplies. Over the  course of the  day, they had several  violent  confrontations with the Earp brothers. On the morning of October 26,  Ike’s brother Billy Clanton  and Tom’s brother Frank  McLaury, along with gunfighter Billy Claiborne,  rode to town to provide backup for Ike and Tom. When Frank  McLaury  and Billy  Clanton learned that the  Earps  had  just  pistol-whipped their brothers, they  vowed revenge. At  3 p.m. on October 26, 1881, the  Earps  and  the hastily-deputized  Holliday faced the Clanton-McLaury  gang behind the OK Corral. In the 30-seconds of gunfire that ensued, Billy Clanton and both  McLaury  brothers were killed.  Doc Holliday, and Virgil and Morgan Earp were wounded. While he was present at the gunfight, Ike Clanton was unarmed and fled the scene. Though a territorial court found that the  Earps  and Holliday had  acted within their duties as lawmen at the O.K. Corral, Ike Clanton was not satisfied. In the following  weeks, Morgan Earp was killed and Virgil Earp was permanently maimed by a group of unknown cowboys.  In what has become known as the  Earp Vendetta Ride, Holliday joined Wyatt Earp as part of a federal posse that pursued the suspected outlaws  for over a year, killing four of them.   Later Life  and Death  in  Colorado   Holliday moved to Pueblo, Colorado, in  April 1882.  In May, he was arrested  for the murder of Frank Stilwell, one of the cowboys he had chased down while riding with Wyatt Earp’s federal posse. When Earp learned of the arrest, he arranged  to have the request to extradite Holliday  to Arizona  denied.  Ã‚   In the winter of 1886,  Holliday met his old friend Wyatt Earp for a final time in the lobby of the Windsor Hotel in Denver. Earp’s common-law wife Sadie Marcus later described  Holliday as a constantly-coughing skeleton standing on â€Å"unsteady legs.†Ã‚  Ã‚   Holliday spent the last year of his life in Colorado, dying of tuberculosis in his bed at the Glenwood Springs Hotel on November 8, 1887, at age 36.  He  is  buried in Linwood Cemetery overlooking Glenwood Springs, Colorado.   Legacy   One of the best-recognized characters of the American Old West, Doc Holliday is remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp.  In an 1896 article, Wyatt Earp said  of Holliday:   â€Å"I found him a loyal friend and good company. He was a dentist whom necessity had made a gambler; a gentleman whom disease had made a vagabond; a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit; a long, lean blonde fellow nearly dead with consumption and at the same time the most skillful gambler and nerviest, speediest, deadliest man with a six-gun I ever knew.†Ã‚   Sources and  Further Reference Roberts, Gary L. (2006).  Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend.  John Wiley and Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-26291-9  Doc Holliday- Deadly Doctor of the American West. Legends of America.  Ã‚  OK Corral. History.net  Urban, William L. (2003).  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Tombstone. Wyatt Earp: The Ok Corral and the Law of the American West.† The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-8239-5740-8.

Ba Finance

By 1985 Arthur had already sold his dairy herd to focus on cereal production when a fortuitous meeting with Lucy Bellingham at a business conference led him to reconsider the future of the family farm. Bellingham is a designer of bespoke fitted kitchens who had a business plan but little capital. The plan was to manufacture top quality fitted kitchen furniture and establish design studios/showrooms in high income areas. Having recently sold his dairy herd, Arthur had enough capital to fund the new business and also a number of large barns and outbuildings suitable for manufacturing the kitchen units subject to refitting and planning consent being obtained. Lucy’s business plan was so convincing that Arthur decided to get out of farming altogether (by leasing his arable land to a local co-operative) and focus on developing the new business. From this small beginning grew the now publicly quoted company of Bellingham plc. Initially, showrooms were established in Beaconsfield and then Kensington. Demand for their kitchens was brisk and â€Å"Bellingham Bespoke Kitchens† expanded rapidly but remained a partnership. The firms clients are mainly celebrities from the entertainment world and the cost of a Bellingham Bespoke Kitchen is now ? 40,000 – ? 150,000 or more. The firm was restructured as a limited company in 1990 and subsequently experienced rapid growth until 1999. In that year the then directors decided that the business had reached the limit of development in it’s present form. Future development required large-scale expansion of production facilities in order to provide the range of materials, furniture, quality and prompt delivery required by their discerning clients. This in turn needed an injection of capital that the directors were unable to generate themselves. The conviction that there was much money to be made from â€Å"quality fitted kitchens† † had been vindicated. They investigated a number of possibilities deciding eventually to expand production facilities by purchasing a modern production unit on an industrial estate in Aylesbury. The expansion was funded by a stock market floatation and raising the necessary capital in the name of Bellingham plc. As the market grew and to keep abreast of new production technology, the directors agreed to reverse the maxim so dear to the heart of the founders, Arthur and Lucy; â€Å"neither a (long-term) borrower nor lender be. † They financed updating of equipment and premises by means of issuing debentures. It is now October 2012 and the present directors of Bellingham plc believe that the long-term success of the company lies in future international diversification and expansion. They consider that the most beneficial action they could take is to investigate the acquisition of a subsidiary in the USA. The newly-appointed finance director, Bill Moneypenny, agrees with this opinion but insists that the company must first appraise its own current position and if necessary, make changes to strengthen its existing financial situation before embarking on new plans. He is particularly concerned that the company should preserve adequate liquidity and finance its assets in a beneficial manner. He is also concerned that too much emphasis has been placed on â€Å"pandering to the whims of the rich and famous† and not enough on running an efficient business operation. Lucy and Arthur still retain 30% of Bellingham’s equity and other long-standing directors own a further 20%; a change of control is unlikely to be welcome. During the last two years, the company has updated it’s design, production and showroom assets and, in what has been a difficult year, has been able to maintain sales and profit growth (see Bellingham’s accounts in appendix 1). There has been a great deal of uncertainty about world economic growth and stock markets have been extremely volatile resulting low returns. However the firm’s ordinary shares have made good progress during the year. Ordinary share dividends have achieved substantial growth over the last two years although this rate of increase is not expected to continue. Ordinary dividends have grown at an average rate of 14% per annum over the past 10 years and this rate is a more realistic growth rate for future dividends. The present market prices for Bellingham’s shares and debentures are: ?1 Ordinary shares? 7. 02 ex div ?0. 50p, 6% Pref shares? . 55 ex div 7% Debentures 2016? 100. 51 ex interest Any new venture would be expected to achieve a return on capital employed in line with that experienced recently by Bellingham plc. The finance director favours a payback period of 5 years. Bellingham would therefore need to agree a realistic acquisition price for such a new venture and its future cash flows in order to determine whether these criteria could be met. Although a number of investment projects are being considered, the main proposal currently being investigated offers an expansion into the US prime-property market which is forecast to grow faster than the UK market. Bellingham’s finance director has already calculated the trends in the financial ratios of American Creations, an unquoted US company, from its unaudited annual accounts (see appendix 2) and has concluded that the proposal is now worthy of further investigation. American Creations is a family-owned venture requiring further capital to repair it’s balance sheet after making losses on a property development in Nevada from which it has now withdrawn. Profits have suffered in the last two years due to write-offs associated with this development. The existing owners feel that the firm’s future lies in establishing wider international links and the retirement of senior family members, leaving the younger members active in the management of the firm. They are therefore considering selling a controlling interest of 60% to a suitable company. The firm has been established for 23 years, and is well respected in business circles. The average age of its fixed tangible assets is 3 years. The directors have indicated that they may accept part payment in Bellingham shares subject to negotiation. The firm’s nominal share capital is $2. m, and the directors have indicated that they value the firm at five times the year 2010 net profit. They consider this to be the firm’s â€Å"normal† level of profit excluding the â€Å"extraordinary† effects of the Nevada development. As the firm is at present family owned and run, there is no available price/earnings ratio. P/E ratios for the only two publicly-owned c ompanies in the same business sector, Harvey Wilkinson Designs plc and Cucci Lifestyle plc, are currently 10 and 8 times respectively although both of these firms, unlike Bellingham, operate internationally. Wilkinson has grown at a similar rate to Bellingham. The dividend yields of these companies have been as follows: WilkinsonCucci Year to 31 December 2011 8. 1% 7. 25% 2010 7. 2% 6. 9% 2009 5. 3% 5. 95% American Creations has its own manufacturing facilities and operates throughout the USA and Caribbean with design offices in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Colorado Springs. Their main business, which is thriving, involves complete home furnishing and interior design for wealthy clients. In addition, the firm has a real estate office in each location and is thus able to offer a complete property service. The value of properties handled by the real estate offices is typically $5m – $20m. Bellingham is interested not only in extending its operations internationally but particularly in the possibility of diversifying into the real estate business. Whilst well aware of the existence of a number of competitors, the directors feel that there is a ready market in the US for their established name in terms of design flair, service and products. After discussions with the directors of American Creations, Bill Moneypenny has produced the following forecast. Under average economic growth conditions, the American Creations operating forecasts (in $*1000) for the next five years are based on the following: Income:from Sales: $7500 in 2013, rising by 12% per annum for the foreseeable future. from real estate sales commissions: $2850 in 2013 increasing by 15% per annum for the foreseeable future. Manufacturing variable costs: Labour: $1250 in 2013, expected to increasing by 8% per annum. Materials: $3800 in 2013, expected to increasing by 5% per annum. Fixed costs excluding depreciation: Manufacturing O/H: $2065 in 2013, increasing by 5% per annum. General O/H: $1850 in 2013, increasing by 2% per annum. Depreciation:Factory, machinery vehicles: $500 per year. Office/Design Studio fixtures: $200 per year. The beta of Bellingham plc is believed to be 1. 65 , the risk-free rate of return is 5. 5% and the return for the last year on the FT All-share index is 2%. UK corporation tax is currently 32% payable 9 months after the end of the accounting year in question (you may assume for the purpose of this case that accounting profit and taxable profit are identical. ) Bellingham’s directors estimate that the after-tax profits of American Creations could be allocated as follows: 70% as retained earnings and 30% as dividends. This has been the pattern under the under the present ownership. There would be no restriction on the transfer of the appropriate share of these dividends to the UK. The US corporation tax rate applicable is 20% payable in the year in which the profit arises. There is no double taxation of profits of US origin in the UK. (For the purpose of this case, ignore the possibility of any withholding taxes and the effects of foreign exchange risk. It is considered possible that, as the US economy develops further, even higher wages than those forecast may be demanded by the workforce. Required: Evaluate the American Creations proposal on behalf of Bellingham plc, supporting your arguments with relevant theory and calculations and indicating any non-financial matters you feel should be taken into consideration. Your report should consider the following areas: 1. An analysis of Bellingham’s current position using relevant financial ratios. You should show the calculation of the ratios and provide interpretation of the results. . Calculation of Bellingham’s cost of capital, using alternative methods and arriving at the most appropriate figure. 3. An investment appraisal of the American Creations proposal assuming the valuation suggested in the case, using a variety of methods and evaluation of the results. 4. A sensitivity analysis of the proposal and interpretation of the results. 5. Calculation and discussion of alternative valuations for acquiring the share in American Creations and how these would impact on the investment appraisal. 6. A discussion of the various available methods of financing the acquisition and consideration of which is the most appropriate. Your calculations and arguments should be supported by relevant theory, with evidence of wide reading around the subject. You should provide a complete bibliography with appropriate referencing in your report. Submission requirements: Your answer should take the form of a written report of approximately 2500 words excluding appendices and the reference list. Deviations from the word count exceeding plus or minus 10% will attract a penalty of 5%. The hand-in deadline for submission is 23. 0 on 25th November 2012. Submissions up to 24 hours late will attract a 10% penalty whilst those beyond 24 hours but less than 1 week late will be capped at 40%. Reports submitted more than one week late will attract a mark of zero. Submit one electronic copy via Studynet. This is an individual assignment and the report submitted should be entirely your own work. Appendix 1:B ellingham plc| | | | | | | Abridged Trading, Profit Loss Account for the year ended 30th June 2012:| All amounts are in thousands of pounds sterling| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2012| | 2011| | 2010| | Sales| 9606| | 7564| | 6100| | Production Cost| 4034| | 3101| | 2240| | Gross Profit| 5572| | 4463| | 3860| | | | | | | | | Selling Expenses| 1467| | 1250| | 1080| | Installation Expenses| 1689| | 1300| | 980| | Administration Expenses| 960| | 630| | 597| | Operating Profit| 1456| | 1283| | 1203| | Debenture Interest| 53| | 53| | 53| | Profit Before Tax| 1403| | 1230| | 1150| | Corporation Tax| 449| | 394| | 368| | Profit After Tax| 954| | 836| | 782| | Dividends| 341| | 280| | 220| | Retained earnings| 613| | 556| | 562| | Balance Sheet at 30th June 2012:| | | | | | | | | | | | | Fixed Assets (net):| | | | | | | Land Buildings| 2300| | 2400| | 2500| | Plant Machinery| 1700| | 1186| | 552| | Fixtures Fittings| 700| | 600| | 402| | Motor Vehicles| 185| | 140| | 105| | Office equiptment| 250| | 185| | 100| | | 5135| | 4511| | 3659| | Current Assets:| | | | | | | Stocks: Raw Materials| 216| | 208| | 182| | Work in Progress| 200| | 205| | 190| | Finished Goods| 150| | 128| | 97| | Debtors| 1775| | 950| | 595| | Bank/Cash| 230| | 136| | 104| | | 2571| | 1627| | 1168| | Current Liabilities:| | | | | | | Trade Creditors| 1190| | 788| | 270| | Corporation Tax| 449| | 394| | 368| | Final Dividend| 171| | 140| | 110| | | 1810| | 1322| | 748| | | | | | | | | Net Current Assets| 761| | 305| | 420| | Net Assets| 5896| | 4816| | 4079| | | | | | | | | Long-term Liabilities:| | | | | | | 9% Debentures 2016| 750| | 750| | 750| | | | | | | | | | 5146| | 4066| | 3329| | | | | | | | | Shares reserves| | | | | | | ?1 ordinary shares| 1000| | 1000| | 1000| | 6% Preference shares of 50p ea,| 500| | 500| | 500| | Retained pr for yr| 613| | 556| | 562| | Profit loss| 3033| | 2010| | 1267| | Shareholders funds| 5146| | 4066| | 3329| | Ba Finance By 1985 Arthur had already sold his dairy herd to focus on cereal production when a fortuitous meeting with Lucy Bellingham at a business conference led him to reconsider the future of the family farm. Bellingham is a designer of bespoke fitted kitchens who had a business plan but little capital. The plan was to manufacture top quality fitted kitchen furniture and establish design studios/showrooms in high income areas. Having recently sold his dairy herd, Arthur had enough capital to fund the new business and also a number of large barns and outbuildings suitable for manufacturing the kitchen units subject to refitting and planning consent being obtained. Lucy’s business plan was so convincing that Arthur decided to get out of farming altogether (by leasing his arable land to a local co-operative) and focus on developing the new business. From this small beginning grew the now publicly quoted company of Bellingham plc. Initially, showrooms were established in Beaconsfield and then Kensington. Demand for their kitchens was brisk and â€Å"Bellingham Bespoke Kitchens† expanded rapidly but remained a partnership. The firms clients are mainly celebrities from the entertainment world and the cost of a Bellingham Bespoke Kitchen is now ? 40,000 – ? 150,000 or more. The firm was restructured as a limited company in 1990 and subsequently experienced rapid growth until 1999. In that year the then directors decided that the business had reached the limit of development in it’s present form. Future development required large-scale expansion of production facilities in order to provide the range of materials, furniture, quality and prompt delivery required by their discerning clients. This in turn needed an injection of capital that the directors were unable to generate themselves. The conviction that there was much money to be made from â€Å"quality fitted kitchens† † had been vindicated. They investigated a number of possibilities deciding eventually to expand production facilities by purchasing a modern production unit on an industrial estate in Aylesbury. The expansion was funded by a stock market floatation and raising the necessary capital in the name of Bellingham plc. As the market grew and to keep abreast of new production technology, the directors agreed to reverse the maxim so dear to the heart of the founders, Arthur and Lucy; â€Å"neither a (long-term) borrower nor lender be. † They financed updating of equipment and premises by means of issuing debentures. It is now October 2012 and the present directors of Bellingham plc believe that the long-term success of the company lies in future international diversification and expansion. They consider that the most beneficial action they could take is to investigate the acquisition of a subsidiary in the USA. The newly-appointed finance director, Bill Moneypenny, agrees with this opinion but insists that the company must first appraise its own current position and if necessary, make changes to strengthen its existing financial situation before embarking on new plans. He is particularly concerned that the company should preserve adequate liquidity and finance its assets in a beneficial manner. He is also concerned that too much emphasis has been placed on â€Å"pandering to the whims of the rich and famous† and not enough on running an efficient business operation. Lucy and Arthur still retain 30% of Bellingham’s equity and other long-standing directors own a further 20%; a change of control is unlikely to be welcome. During the last two years, the company has updated it’s design, production and showroom assets and, in what has been a difficult year, has been able to maintain sales and profit growth (see Bellingham’s accounts in appendix 1). There has been a great deal of uncertainty about world economic growth and stock markets have been extremely volatile resulting low returns. However the firm’s ordinary shares have made good progress during the year. Ordinary share dividends have achieved substantial growth over the last two years although this rate of increase is not expected to continue. Ordinary dividends have grown at an average rate of 14% per annum over the past 10 years and this rate is a more realistic growth rate for future dividends. The present market prices for Bellingham’s shares and debentures are: ?1 Ordinary shares? 7. 02 ex div ?0. 50p, 6% Pref shares? . 55 ex div 7% Debentures 2016? 100. 51 ex interest Any new venture would be expected to achieve a return on capital employed in line with that experienced recently by Bellingham plc. The finance director favours a payback period of 5 years. Bellingham would therefore need to agree a realistic acquisition price for such a new venture and its future cash flows in order to determine whether these criteria could be met. Although a number of investment projects are being considered, the main proposal currently being investigated offers an expansion into the US prime-property market which is forecast to grow faster than the UK market. Bellingham’s finance director has already calculated the trends in the financial ratios of American Creations, an unquoted US company, from its unaudited annual accounts (see appendix 2) and has concluded that the proposal is now worthy of further investigation. American Creations is a family-owned venture requiring further capital to repair it’s balance sheet after making losses on a property development in Nevada from which it has now withdrawn. Profits have suffered in the last two years due to write-offs associated with this development. The existing owners feel that the firm’s future lies in establishing wider international links and the retirement of senior family members, leaving the younger members active in the management of the firm. They are therefore considering selling a controlling interest of 60% to a suitable company. The firm has been established for 23 years, and is well respected in business circles. The average age of its fixed tangible assets is 3 years. The directors have indicated that they may accept part payment in Bellingham shares subject to negotiation. The firm’s nominal share capital is $2. m, and the directors have indicated that they value the firm at five times the year 2010 net profit. They consider this to be the firm’s â€Å"normal† level of profit excluding the â€Å"extraordinary† effects of the Nevada development. As the firm is at present family owned and run, there is no available price/earnings ratio. P/E ratios for the only two publicly-owned c ompanies in the same business sector, Harvey Wilkinson Designs plc and Cucci Lifestyle plc, are currently 10 and 8 times respectively although both of these firms, unlike Bellingham, operate internationally. Wilkinson has grown at a similar rate to Bellingham. The dividend yields of these companies have been as follows: WilkinsonCucci Year to 31 December 2011 8. 1% 7. 25% 2010 7. 2% 6. 9% 2009 5. 3% 5. 95% American Creations has its own manufacturing facilities and operates throughout the USA and Caribbean with design offices in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Colorado Springs. Their main business, which is thriving, involves complete home furnishing and interior design for wealthy clients. In addition, the firm has a real estate office in each location and is thus able to offer a complete property service. The value of properties handled by the real estate offices is typically $5m – $20m. Bellingham is interested not only in extending its operations internationally but particularly in the possibility of diversifying into the real estate business. Whilst well aware of the existence of a number of competitors, the directors feel that there is a ready market in the US for their established name in terms of design flair, service and products. After discussions with the directors of American Creations, Bill Moneypenny has produced the following forecast. Under average economic growth conditions, the American Creations operating forecasts (in $*1000) for the next five years are based on the following: Income:from Sales: $7500 in 2013, rising by 12% per annum for the foreseeable future. from real estate sales commissions: $2850 in 2013 increasing by 15% per annum for the foreseeable future. Manufacturing variable costs: Labour: $1250 in 2013, expected to increasing by 8% per annum. Materials: $3800 in 2013, expected to increasing by 5% per annum. Fixed costs excluding depreciation: Manufacturing O/H: $2065 in 2013, increasing by 5% per annum. General O/H: $1850 in 2013, increasing by 2% per annum. Depreciation:Factory, machinery vehicles: $500 per year. Office/Design Studio fixtures: $200 per year. The beta of Bellingham plc is believed to be 1. 65 , the risk-free rate of return is 5. 5% and the return for the last year on the FT All-share index is 2%. UK corporation tax is currently 32% payable 9 months after the end of the accounting year in question (you may assume for the purpose of this case that accounting profit and taxable profit are identical. ) Bellingham’s directors estimate that the after-tax profits of American Creations could be allocated as follows: 70% as retained earnings and 30% as dividends. This has been the pattern under the under the present ownership. There would be no restriction on the transfer of the appropriate share of these dividends to the UK. The US corporation tax rate applicable is 20% payable in the year in which the profit arises. There is no double taxation of profits of US origin in the UK. (For the purpose of this case, ignore the possibility of any withholding taxes and the effects of foreign exchange risk. It is considered possible that, as the US economy develops further, even higher wages than those forecast may be demanded by the workforce. Required: Evaluate the American Creations proposal on behalf of Bellingham plc, supporting your arguments with relevant theory and calculations and indicating any non-financial matters you feel should be taken into consideration. Your report should consider the following areas: 1. An analysis of Bellingham’s current position using relevant financial ratios. You should show the calculation of the ratios and provide interpretation of the results. . Calculation of Bellingham’s cost of capital, using alternative methods and arriving at the most appropriate figure. 3. An investment appraisal of the American Creations proposal assuming the valuation suggested in the case, using a variety of methods and evaluation of the results. 4. A sensitivity analysis of the proposal and interpretation of the results. 5. Calculation and discussion of alternative valuations for acquiring the share in American Creations and how these would impact on the investment appraisal. 6. A discussion of the various available methods of financing the acquisition and consideration of which is the most appropriate. Your calculations and arguments should be supported by relevant theory, with evidence of wide reading around the subject. You should provide a complete bibliography with appropriate referencing in your report. Submission requirements: Your answer should take the form of a written report of approximately 2500 words excluding appendices and the reference list. Deviations from the word count exceeding plus or minus 10% will attract a penalty of 5%. The hand-in deadline for submission is 23. 0 on 25th November 2012. Submissions up to 24 hours late will attract a 10% penalty whilst those beyond 24 hours but less than 1 week late will be capped at 40%. Reports submitted more than one week late will attract a mark of zero. Submit one electronic copy via Studynet. This is an individual assignment and the report submitted should be entirely your own work. Appendix 1:B ellingham plc| | | | | | | Abridged Trading, Profit Loss Account for the year ended 30th June 2012:| All amounts are in thousands of pounds sterling| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2012| | 2011| | 2010| | Sales| 9606| | 7564| | 6100| | Production Cost| 4034| | 3101| | 2240| | Gross Profit| 5572| | 4463| | 3860| | | | | | | | | Selling Expenses| 1467| | 1250| | 1080| | Installation Expenses| 1689| | 1300| | 980| | Administration Expenses| 960| | 630| | 597| | Operating Profit| 1456| | 1283| | 1203| | Debenture Interest| 53| | 53| | 53| | Profit Before Tax| 1403| | 1230| | 1150| | Corporation Tax| 449| | 394| | 368| | Profit After Tax| 954| | 836| | 782| | Dividends| 341| | 280| | 220| | Retained earnings| 613| | 556| | 562| | Balance Sheet at 30th June 2012:| | | | | | | | | | | | | Fixed Assets (net):| | | | | | | Land Buildings| 2300| | 2400| | 2500| | Plant Machinery| 1700| | 1186| | 552| | Fixtures Fittings| 700| | 600| | 402| | Motor Vehicles| 185| | 140| | 105| | Office equiptment| 250| | 185| | 100| | | 5135| | 4511| | 3659| | Current Assets:| | | | | | | Stocks: Raw Materials| 216| | 208| | 182| | Work in Progress| 200| | 205| | 190| | Finished Goods| 150| | 128| | 97| | Debtors| 1775| | 950| | 595| | Bank/Cash| 230| | 136| | 104| | | 2571| | 1627| | 1168| | Current Liabilities:| | | | | | | Trade Creditors| 1190| | 788| | 270| | Corporation Tax| 449| | 394| | 368| | Final Dividend| 171| | 140| | 110| | | 1810| | 1322| | 748| | | | | | | | | Net Current Assets| 761| | 305| | 420| | Net Assets| 5896| | 4816| | 4079| | | | | | | | | Long-term Liabilities:| | | | | | | 9% Debentures 2016| 750| | 750| | 750| | | | | | | | | | 5146| | 4066| | 3329| | | | | | | | | Shares reserves| | | | | | | ?1 ordinary shares| 1000| | 1000| | 1000| | 6% Preference shares of 50p ea,| 500| | 500| | 500| | Retained pr for yr| 613| | 556| | 562| | Profit loss| 3033| | 2010| | 1267| | Shareholders funds| 5146| | 4066| | 3329| |

Case study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Case study - Research Paper Example The attending physician decided to put her to sleep by administering sedative. Not wanting to give sedative for fears of developing addiction, the doctor advised Angel’s parents to consult a psychologist. During the talk with the psychologist, the couple narrated that their daughter only manifested this reaction once, a day after they came back from the hospital because Angel was confined when she sprained her left ankle due to a biking accident. The couple also reported that their daughter had previous episodes of being tachypnic upon the sight of injection and fainting shortly afterwards, even after the administration of shot. The couple thought these were because of Angel’s diabetes, and did not pay any attention to them. Because of Angel’s young age, the pain might be the major contributing and the primary factor for her trypanophobia (Deacon and Abramowitz, 2006). However, the fear of fainting might have exacerbated the condition, and may have made the fear of needles more life-threatening (Du et al., 2008). Because of this, it is the fear of pain that should be important to be addressed first. Angel might have been classically conditioned of experiencing pain with her every injection. The classical conditioning theory suggests that the fear of needles is actually a protective response against pain. In this scenario, the elicited response is fear. The unconditioned stimulus causing fear is when Angel feels pain, and the conditioned stimulus is the sight of syringes. Thus, after classical conditioning, Angel already associates pain with the syringes, and thus fears seeing syringes already (Scott, 2009). To reverse the fear brought about by classical conditioning, a classical extinction should be performed. In this method, the unconditioned stimulus, which is pain, should be unlinked to the sight of the syringes. This can be performed by vicarious learning approach, in which Angel will learn not to fear the syringe by looking at

A Final Recruitment Plan Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Final Recruitment Plan - Coursework Example Companies either have their own human resource management department to handle the recruitment process or outsource recruitment agencies for conducting the recruitment activity on behalf of the company. It is a very important function for any organization, so the management has to always make sure that they recruit the best candidate for the vacant position. It is very important to select the right person for the job because the human resource is the most important resource for the company. This is why recruitment and selection process is complicated in nature and requires skillful planning (Clarke, 1996, p. 1-2). Recruitment is the process in which the potential talents are located and approached by the organization. The function of this process is to develop a pool of qualified and experience individual so that the section and decision-making strategies can be effectively implemented. It is the tool for placing the right person in the right place at the right time at a right price. Recruitment in organizations are no more organized or conducted in the traditional manner. It is delivered through a scientific approach, where the exercise is an opportunity to analyze the job and update the job description along with the specification of the individual. Recruitment Plan The perspective from which employment was viewed earlier has changed. It is no longer a life-long agreement between the employer and his employees. The employer cannot bind his / her employees. So it is very important to present a fresh view of the company and its policies in the recruitment advertisement, for attracting talented and qualified candidates. This is also known as marketing the job or floating the job in the market. In this study the job vacancy is for the position of the Accountant Technician in the department of Patient Accounting. It is very important to develop a recruitment plan before starting the process of recruitment. The plan would include: The objective for the recruitment The strategies of the company for recruitment to achieve the goal: The strategies of the companies differ The steps to be taken, the responsible person and the due date for the task. Documentation that would be needed during the various stages of the recruitment process. It is important for the human resource team to set goals before recruitment. In the Patient Accounting department the goal was to appoint a person for handling the accounting and administration functions. He/ she would answer to the mails, receive the phone calls and communicate with the clients along with entering the data and maintaining the financial records. This was the purpose behind creating a position in this department to hire a person. The success rate of the recruitment would be depending upon the effectiveness of the advertisement. So the language and the tone of the advertisement should be carefully developed and revised. The subject matter of the advertisement should be crisp and precise so that it inc ludes the main motive of advertisement that is very brief introduction of the company and what it deals with, the job profile vacant and its description, the contact details of the responsible person and the company and also the dates, time and venue details if the company is organizing a walk-in interview. The advertisement would also include the salary range for the available position, and other allowances if any. In the study the job vacancy is for an Accounting Technician and hence the job description would include the activities that an accounting technician would have to perform

Modern Art Essay Example for Free

Modern Art Essay Abstract Expressionism was an American post-war 2 art movement that developed mainly in New York. The most renowned artists were located in New York and though the movement was broad and the many works of art very different, certain characteristics are observable in the development of the movement. These similarities lie in the artists’ ideas and concerns that were generally related to the human psyche and the troubling current events that shaped it. The timing of the movement is hence very significant because both the World War and the Great Depression were events that shaped the perspective of the New York abstract artists of that time. The movement managed to transform New York City into the center of the western art world; an honor that was before bestowed on the French capital. Abstract expressionism is therefore a significantly important art movement that helped shape and direct western civilization into a different course of thought and perspective. Despite the generality and diversity that characterized it certain ideas and sources influenced its structure and development and impacted the artists that are now linked with it. The term Abstract Expressionism was first used by Alfred Barr in the United States to refer to the works of Wassily Kandinsky. Alfred Barr is now known to be the founding director of the Museum of Contemporary Art and he drafted a chart about the movement of abstract expressionism that very well illustrates its development, key figures and main ideas. It is therefore referred to by some critics as a scientific diagram. Abstract Expressionism has thus its roots in the 1930s. The main events of that time were the end of the world war and the Great Depression. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was also very dominant as a theme in the art works that were thus inspired by the turbulent and problematic political and social events of that time. The images of the Holocaust became also apparent within the emerging modern art works. These artists were, despite the many different styles that they adopted, were all interested in the state of the human psyche. They were generally concerned with the rationality and vulnerability of the human being and it is for this reason that they sought to focus on big themes as the ones that have been mentioned so far. Many of these artists had escaped World War 2 and their experience with the event first hand inspired them to seek understanding the deeper level of the human psyche which is exactly why they were so interested in the unconscious side of the human perspective. This includes things that people are not aware of, dreams and oppressed desires. These were, among others, the main ideas that continued to inspire the emerging modern artists. Morally heavy themes and tragically grand ideas were therefore significantly present as themes within abstract expressionism. The artists were also concerned with other ideas and theories. William DeKooning for instance managed to present the theme of the woman in a very interesting and thought-provocative manner. He is one of the strongest voices of abstract expressionism and deserves special notice in this discussion of the art movement that he helped develop with his works and ideas. He came to New York to escape the war and soon evolved to become one of the most influential abstract artists of that time and his name is still associated with great art works. His works were very cubic and this is mainly illustrated through the usage of the concept of the collage. DeKooning presented the subject of the female in a very interesting and unusual manner. It was innovative and new and broke away from the established art conventions that were previously adhered to by other artists. This is also an aspect of abstract expressionism. It seeks to break away from the familiar and the formal to the unknown and the challenging. The two paintings entitled Woman, 1 and Woman and Bicycle illustrate this further. Woman, 1 was made in 1950-1952 while Woman and Bicycle was finished in the period of 1952-1953. Both works present the woman in an unfavorable way that depicts her fierceness, mystery as well as her ambiguity. DeKooning was indeed very concerned with the subject of feminism and its power as the two paintings demonstrate. His questions regarding the female power and the themes of attraction and revulsion between the sexes are quite clearly noticeable in the two images. His style is especially interesting to focus on because it was a very gestural and bold style that sums up one of the approaches to abstract expressionism. The gestural approach is the first approach to abstract expressionism. The DeKooning painting entitled Asheville from 1948 is the best example to give to illustrate this approach further. The themes of immediacy and spontaneity through the colors are very visible to the eye of the viewer which is an important aspect of the approach. There is also ambiguity because the figures and colors blend in a manner that makes it hard to establish whether or not they are representational of anything. The gestural approach was also very interested in the human psyche and showed strong influence by the surrealist movement. Improvisation and a focus on inner source development are also one of the main features that distinguish it from the second approach to abstract expressionism which is the color field. Mark Rothko is one of the main figures of the color field approach. Though the artists within this field have different styles of representation they all share certain characteristics. They are also like those from the gestural approach, interested in the human psyche and influenced by surrealism. But while the gestural artists like DeKooning put an emphasis on the dynamic and energetic gesture hose from the color field are more reflective. These artists were interested in primitive myths and primitive cultures and the psychological ideas of Carl Jung heavily influenced their artistic representation of the human soul and human psyche. Jung emphasized the exploration of the world of dreams and myths and these are recurrent themes in the color field approach within abstract expressionism. William Baziotes also used objects to tap into the unconscious and explore the realm of dreams. This metaphysical searching for how the world functions and this attempt by the abstract artists to understand the functioning of the human mind and make sense of the physical reality is another idea that constantly occurs in the various art works. Abstract expressionism can thus be summed up as a school of art that emerged in New York in the post World War 2 era especially and is characterized by the view that art is nonrepresentational and mainly improvisational. This is very obvious in the painting of Asheville that has already been referred to before. The movement is sometimes simply referred to as the New York School or Action Painting and was first associated with the works Kandinsky. To sum up, the ideas that mainly influenced the artists of this movement is resistance of formality and established art conventions both in relevance to style as well as subject and content. This resistance of the cohesive style is especially significant in DeKoonings violent and un-representational depiction of the figure or object. The level of abstraction also differs from artist to another. The more abstract the more the artist tied to convey his emotional perspective. This was their way o expressing their thoughts to the events and social concerns dominant at that time. The differences between the artistic works are, as has been noted, various. What they all seem to share however is a common moral awareness and alienation from the current society they lived in: the United States. Despite this fact abstract expressionism is referred to as an American style because it grew in the U. S and became the first art movement that brought attention to the American visual art. Sources Used: Lecture Abstract Expressionism Chapter 17 Lecture Abstract Expressionism Chapter 17 Part 1 2. What is the relationship between Conceptual Art and Minimalism? Conceptual art is a form of art that focuses more on the idea than on the aesthetic aspect of art. One of the major figures of the movement, Sol LeWitt, described it in the following words: In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art This means that any person can construct the works of art that the conceptual artists made if he just follows the basic instructions and methodology used by the artist himself. Nothing illustrates this more than a look at the works of Joseph Kosuth especially his works entitled Art as Idea as Idea. He simply took pictures of pages from the dictionary and presented them as artistic works which they will be understood as such if the whole concept behind this movement is better understood. Conceptual art has also close ties with the minimalist movement. LeWitts quotation is used in this discussion to highlight the key differences between traditional art and conceptual art. The latter is more idea- based with a complete defiance to the aesthetic laws. It asserts complete neglection of this aspect and this is without doubt its main characteristic. A conceptual artist focuses more on the intellectual side of the work than on the presentation of it. The roots of this movement are to be found in Dada and the idea behind this movement is certainly provocative. It however left a significant influence on the development of other artistic movements like performance and digital art. To sum up, conceptual art is more concerned with the idea behind the work than the product or shape it takes which is probably why not many people will appreciate it. It takes at the least a certain acquaintance with the movement to grasp the works and therefore appreciate them more. The minimalists also asserted the aspect of concept over form in their works. This was done through the use of certain techniques that took the attention away from the object presentation to the message behind the object formation. The minimalists however differed from the conceptualists because they did not carry this complete defiance of presentation that far. Conceptualists were aware of this and made certain to completely avoid incorporating any personal attachment to the subject within their works. The emphasis was on the subject and not on their opinion of it. This is why aesthetics were avoided. They simply distracted the viewer from the message behind the work of art. Minimal art emerged in the 1950s and continued throughout the sixties and seventies. Minimal art is the same as conceptual art in that it is also very simple and removes signs of personal expression. Its presentation of the content and form is basic and as has been said can be done by any other person if the instructions of composition are available. This might make conceptual and minimalist art look uncomplicated and unsophisticated but it should be kept into consideration that the subject and concept of the work is of primary importance. The artist achieved artistic recognition not through the complexity of the work he presented but through the idea he managed to attract attention to in the most simple and basic manner possible. Conceptual work typically includes photographs, image text or just text. Whatever is portrayed is presented in the least aesthetically attractive manner possible to not distract the attention away from the main concept. This is very obvious in the work of Kosuth especially in his well known example called One and Three Chairs (1965) which combines a real chair, a photograph of a chair and a dictionary of chair. The movements focus on ideas influenced many artists and writers but was at the core influenced by overseas literature, especially writings from prominent French intellectuals like Foucault or Jacques Derrida. Minimal art like conceptual art managed to leave an immense impact and influenced many writers and artists. Both movements are also similar in how they both put emphasis on the impersonal and lack of personal expression. Minimal art is a very successful art movement and used certain ideas to enhance its main characteristics. The idea of the serial or multiplicity of objects that is observable in both Sol LeWitts works as a conceptualist as well as in the minimalist works of Eva Hasse. The notion of the serial connotes lack of uniqueness which is thus observable in all the conceptualist and minimalist works. This complete rejection of individuality and personal incorporation of sentiment or any kind of attachment within these movements are what make it appear to some people as cold and detached whereas it is very much concerned with the issues and subjects that shape the daily life of the average human being. Multiplicity and repetition is a key element in conceptualism and minimalism. The work of Sol LeWitt especially his project No. 1 from 1966 is based on putting several objects that look alike together. This connotes the idea that it could have been done by anyone since t is simply a combination of similar looking simple objects. The conceptual detachment from aesthetics is further carried away by some artists. Lawrence Weiner for instance took a picture of a floor sprayed and called it Two Minutes of Spray Paint directly upon the Floor. This is amusing in a way but on the other hand quite creative and is used as an example in this discussion to further illustrate the concept of neglection of aesthetics. Eva Hasse is a minimalist artist who was good friends with LeWitt. She also focused on repeated forms and multiplicity but in contrast to the other minimalists used material as plastic that made her work change over time. Whether conceptual or minimal both movements share thus certain characteristics that bring them close. The only difference is that conceptualists took it further by completely neglecting the form and focusing fully on the message and concept of the work which made their work appear trivial at times as the example of Lawrence Weiners spray picture and Kosuths Idea as Idea as Idea illustrate. Kosuth and others like him were thus interested in how meaning was generated and this is why he wanted to question the whole idea of art and criticize its foundation. He and Weiner and Hasse and LeWitt attempted to deconstruct the generally accepted approach towards art and focus rather on the message and concept. This deconstruction of view is part of a larger structure of which language is a major component. This is where minimalism and conceptualism derived their main ideas from. They were simply inspired by the literary writings of French intellectuals like Foucault and Derrida. Derrida especially helped shape the course of both movements with his deconstruction idea that inspired people to apply to other domains like painting and photography. In the post-modernist discourse this simply means that the deconstruction concept is interpreted as the lack of presence of any narration or judgmental voice, not just in literature but in all the domains of art. The artists who were influenced by deconstruction soon claimed that art was not to be judged according to one standard which put them thus in opposition to Plats attempts to define art as either good or bad. Deconstructionists defied this notion by saying that there is no single interpretation of art which means that the whole idea o art is questionable. This is thus what inspired conceptualists and minimalists towards the lack of incorporation of aesthetic representation within their works. To sum up, Derridas idea played a major importance in the discourse of modern art especially in the minimalist and conceptualist movements. The fact that both came to the conclusion that there is no single interpretation of art made them decide that there is no standard according to which to define art as either good or bad. The fluidity of meaning and lack of absolute opinion makes interpretation a very liberated process and hence allows for the development of the question that is centered around finding out what art exactly constitutes. This is why the artists adopted conceptualism and minimalism. They were simply trying to come up with many meanings regarding the interpretation of objects and that could only be achieved if the process f interpreting it was a liberated one not based on any generally recognized fact or established convention. The individual is the only decider in the process and the ambiguity that surrounds everything requires therefore the complete focus on the message rather than the development of distractive elements as form or aesthetics. From the Lecture: Chapter 22 The Post Minimal Post Modern 70’s, Part 1 3. Choose five important sculptors post WWII to present and write an essay that looks at one piece by each of them. The development of art after World war two went through fast stages of evolvement that therefore distinguish it from eras as the Renaissance which took about two hundred years. With post-modernism changes happened fast and this is partially the result of the many diverse approaches adopted thanks to the broadness of interpretation that has characterized modern art since its rise. It is also the result of the many voices that sprang up and soon became leading figures in the development of post-modernism art with their different and innovative perspectives. Post-modernism is therefore characterized by growth both in the number of artists as well as in the concepts and ideas that it encompassed. This is not just limited to painting but includes also sculptors as will be demonstrated through the various artists and their works. John Ahearne is a sculptor who developed a consistent style throughout his career. This is illustrated in his paintings Jay with Bike in 1985 and The Twins in 2004. Both show a similar style focused on depicting the African-American part of society which was a controversial element of his works regarding the fact that he is Caucasian. His works are very detailed and attempt to illustrate the elements that make up his Bronx neighborhood. This idea is an example of innovation in post-modernism. Jeff Koons is another prominent sculptor who resorted to figurative expression. This was inspired by the impacts media had on the society of that time. Media was very ironic and overwhelmingly popular oriented and Jeff Koons is known to take the elements of popular culture and presents them in a cynical and comical manner which has made some people react negatively o his works. He has been accused of lack of taste and his work entitled Michael Jackson and Bubbles might explain this more. It is a ceramic work from 1988 that depicts the artist with a monkey in a manner that makes him look like the animal especially since their clothing is similar. Despite the subjects he picked Jeff considered himself an artist who created very ordinary work. Whatever his classification it remains undeniable that he managed to address ideas and concepts of concern among the masses and despite the lack of appreciation of his style he still managed to appeal to the publics main popular features. Katharina Fritsch is a German sculptor known for sculptures that present familiar objects with a manner of unfamiliar sensibility . Fritsch is still alive which makes her very contemporary. She began to show her work in the 1980s. She is also known for liking to experiment with the notion of perception which is thus why she likes to transform familiar objects into less familiar but still recognizable forms. For instance, the PUDEL (1995) shows a poodle that is black. Fritsch is thus concerned with the presentation of art in an unfamiliar manner because of her interest in the notion of reality. This shows a certain influence of Derridas deconstruction theory. The notion of perception is just individual based and not universal and this is exactly the reason behind her exploration with reality representation and perception. Louise Bourgeois is another post-modernist sculptor. She is known for a fascination with ambiguity and this is illustrated through her use of different materials. She is also very surrealist despite her contemporary status. Her work Untitled, 1989, pink marble is an example of this. Her work can be associated with surrealism and feminism and she is known for being mainly influenced with these movements. Martin Puryear is an American sculptor who incorporates his fascination with natural forms with his highly intellectual background to present art that is hard to pin down as a presentation of one movement or one ideology. He is a very well known artist who has received recognition for his work among critics and modern art lovers. Lever#1 1988-89. Red Cedar shows his great interest in natural forms. This is because he opted for the use of wood and natural elements. The work also demonstrates his fascination with furniture. He went for instance all the way to Scandinavia to learn more about furniture and incorporate the international ideas and different cultural elements in his work. From the Lecture: Chapter 23, A New Century, Part 2 4. Discuss site specific art. Site specific art is art that is created for a certain place. The artist is during the creation of his artwork concerned with the location. Ann Hamilton is a good example to give in the context of site specific work an installation. In her artwork Tropos made in 1993-1994 Hamilton altered a whole factory floor of 5000 square feet with horse hair. The hair was of different colors and created this image of an altered reality because of the change o the site of the artwork. This is the main element of the movement. The specific focus on location above all is thus very important to bring the artwork to the attention. Ann Hamilton utilizes the site by focusing on light and sound to create an installation effect where site is an essential aspect of the finished artwork. She often used other elements like historical or literary allusions which added certain sophistication to her work. She is a main figure of the site specific art movement. Site specific art is thus created to exist in a certain place. The works of Hamilton give us an insight into the choreography and final presentation of the whole artwork. The artwork cannot be started before the whole elements regarding the site are well studied. In Hamiltons Tropos the lightning and sound elements are well coordinated to bring the different shades of the hair out. This could not have been achieved without the meticulous study of the sites characteristics and topographies whether architectural or environmental. From the Lecture: New Century Chapter 24 Part 1 A 5. Discuss identity issues in art c. 1980 to present. Art is a platform for the discussion of many themes and issues. Art is basically a representation of the human thought and especially the human thought process of the artist in charge of the artwork presented. This is very simple to understand. The artist like the writer is at the core concerned with expressing his views and experiences through the mode of art he considers most suitable whether that is abstract art or minimalism. There are for instance many artists within the field of post-modern art that are concerned with the themes of identity and seek to convey their thoughts through their work. This can be traced to the influence of today’s global and problematic events that have influenced the political and national geographical map around the world and raised therefore many questions regarding the issue of identity. Ana Mendieta is modernist Cuban-American artist who is very well known for her earth-body sculptural and photographic works that dealt with the themes of her identity. Her personal background influenced the themes of her art works. She was born in Cuba but was moved to the United States at a very young age and developed a strong interest in her culture. Her traumatic experience as a child in the orphanage she grew up after the political exile of her family from Cuba made her just more aware of her background which is strongly reflected in her work. Mona Hatoum is another contemporary Palestinian artist living in London. She was born in Beirut and the themes of identity are significantly present in her art regarding the experience she lived as a person born in a foreign country and grown up in another. She and Mendieta have this historical background in common. Other characteristics common between them is the presence of the body in their artworks. Hatoums Entrails Carpet from 1995 illustrates the themes of conflict in perception of identity. The artists herself mentioned that the idea originates from a notion of not belonging. Though she lived in Beirut and after that in London she did not feel as if she was in a place she belonged to. Her life like the carpet might seem elegant and peaceful at first glance but just like the rug turns out to be little pieces of entrails, parts of the human body, put together. From the Lecture: New Century Chapter 24 Part 1 A 6. Discuss painting post 2000. Contemporary paintings are very diverse in themes and forms regarding the wide subjects that have been introduced by the post-modernist artists. Ben Whitehouse is one of the artists from the contemporary post 2000 period and his painting entitled Revolution: North Bar Lake, 2006 presents his fascination with landscape and the environment. He has more paintings with the same title because the method of making these landscape paintings is largely similar. His representation of the land is through very meticulous oil paintings that all have a very calm effect on the viewer. The artworks are so landscape focused that it is easy to lose yourself into it. This is because of the complete focus on the landscape and the lack of incorporation of any civilization elements. Another artist concerned with the issues of environment and farming is Alexis Rockman. Whitehouse and Rockman therefore reflect the contemporary concern with the effects of pollution and global warming and subsequent environmental degradation. Her artwork The Farm (2000) illustrates how culture approaches the idea of farming and natural protection of the sources needed for human sustainment. The way the human interacts with plants and animals and the way culture influences the process is also a significant theme illustrated through the various elements of nature and the many animals within the painting. Whitehouse and Rockman are despite their different styles similar in their concern with contemporary events. Whitehouses previously discussed painting is so obviously landscape focused that it throws he viewer back into a historical time devoid of the industrial pollution that characterizes current human life. Rockmans painting provides historical and current insight into the advances within the bio-tech industry and in genetic engineering in relation with the history of agriculture which therefore makes both Whitehouse and Rockman similar in their strong interest with the effects of technological and industrial human life on the surrounding nature. From the Lecture: New Century Chapter 24 Part 1 A

Love And Shakespeare Essay -- essays research papers

Love and Shakespeare The love theme in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is confusing but at the same time entertaining. The love triangle involving Viola, disguised as Cesario, is in love with Orsino. Orsino is in love with Olivia. Olivia, however, loves Cesario. Orsino tries to woo Olivia with the language of love; however, his many attempts fail because the heart cannot be controlled. Orsino, a man in love with love itself, is on a mission to win the heart of his current object of affection, the Lady Olivia. She, however, has somewhat different plans as she envisions herself married to the lovely Cesario. Shakespeare's beautiful sonnets 18 and 73 describe the changes in season and the passages of time that correlate with the play's main theme and mood. In both sonnets and in the Twelfth Night introduce the issue of the effect of the weather. In Twelfth Night, a stormy sea has shipwrecked a vessel leaving the passengers scattered at sea. Viola, a Sea Captain, and some sailors believe that they are the only survivors of the wreck. The Captain believes that their being saved was only as fate would have it. Viola struggles with what to do with herself in a foreign country with no male companions. She, with the Captain's help, disguises herself as a boy so that she can protect her identity, support herself, and not be taken advantage of. The Captain agrees with her plan and convinces Duke Orsino that Viola, disguised as Cesario, is one of his noblest men. When the play ends, Viola i...

Forensic Science Essay

Review Questions 1.​  What are the four types of evidence in a criminal investigation? The four types of evidence is physical evidence, documentary evidence, demonstrative evidence and testimony. 2.​  What are individual characteristics? Give an example of an individual characteristic? Individual characteristics are properties associated with a common source to a high degree of certainty. An example of individual characteristics that forensic scientists may look for are the ridge characteristics of two fingerprint samples. 3.​  What is the difference between individual characteristics and class characteristics? Class characteristics are those that can only be associated with groups not just a single source 4.​  What are physical and chemical properties? Give an example of each. Physical properties are those that describe a substance or object without referring to any other substance. For example the physical properties of glass might be its weight, size, color, and volume. The physical properties are those that an object or trace evidence has with just its physical existence, without altering it in any way with chemicals.Chemical properties are those that describe what happens when a substance reacts with another substance. For example, when the drug heroin comes into contact with the Marquis reagent chemical it turns purple. This behavior describes the chemical property of heroin and helps forensic scientists identify its presence. 5.​  What do forensic scientists do to collect and preserve soil samples? Soil samples are typically collected from the crime scene within a 100-yard radius at various spots. Forensic scientists take great care in collecting and preserving soil samples, if soil is found on the bottom of a shoe for example the soil is left on the shoe and the entire shoe is taken to the crime lab. The  object must also be stored in such a way that any pieces of dirt that may fall off the object are retained. Critical Thinking Questions 1.​  Why do you think forensic scientists are so careful that the tests they do are sensitive, reproducible, and specific? What might happen if they were less careful about this?  If the actions are not taken correctly then if you might mess up or accidental loose some evidence you have some more, they label to help with the specifics. If they are less careful about this then it might not be any use to them and just be a waste of their time. 2.​Which type of evidence do you think is most useful in an investigation? Why? I believe that the most useful evidence is physical evidence because it helps give more detail than any other type of evidence. 3.​  Why do you think that forensic scientists continue to look for class characteristics given their limitations? Forensic scientist might continue to look for class characteristics because they would like more evidence to convict or help with other law binding reasons. 4.​What do you think would be some of the challenges in collecting and preserving impressions? Why? I believe that some challenges might be having to be very gentle and cautious about what you do and how you treat the evidence. 5.​If you were on a jury, do you think you would expect individual characteristics in the evidence? Why or why not? What effects might it have if individuals expect to have individuals characteristics presented? I  believe I would expect individual characteristics because that would help me make some serious and maybe even final decisions.

Expected U.S. GDP growth rate going forward Essay

This paper examines the expected growth of the United State’s GDP.   It looks at how the economy is performing, especially after the recent credit crunch that had effects on the whole world’s economy. The paper looks at GDP growth rates expected at different rates for specific periods of time.   According to the World Bank, the economy of the United States of America is the largest amongst the world’s economies. Expected U.S. GDP growth rate going forward Economic growth is a situation in which the value of goods and services produced by a given economy. It is measured in terms of GDP where it is taken as the percentage rate of rise in real GDP.   Growth is an economic parameter that is presented in real terms; this means that it varies according to adjustments in inflation-terms so that the effects of inflation on product prices can be netted out (Lipsey, et al, 2007).   The average living standards of citizens of a nation are measured using real GDP per capita calculated as the total GDP divided by the total population in an economy. Considering the recent economic activities, the economy was on a go slow during the second quarter due to the fact that consumer spending was adversely affected by job scarcity. This condition left the recovery to almost solely dependent on the flow in commercial investments. According to updates of July 28, 2010 by Economic Outlook Index, it predicted that the economy will experience growth in real Gross Domestic Product at an annualized growth rate based on six month period. However, after the end of stimulus initiatives, it is expected to slow to about 2.5% by the end of December 2010. This situation will be greatly influenced by the seemingly perpetual high unemployment, the feeble housing market, high debt and rigid credit. The GDP of U.S., and of course other economies, can be determined either by finding total demand in the economy, total production or total spending. Using total spending, it is projected that during 2010 the total spending will be $6413 billion. This represents about $378 billion or 6.26% increase based on the previous projections of 2009. This is also expected to continue rising in the subsequent years. For instance, the total spending is expected to hit $6713 billion and $6832 billion in 2011 and 2012 respectively (U.S.A. Government spending, 2010). The implication of this is that the U.S. GDP can be expected to grow at the rate 6.26% in 2010, 4.68% in 2011; this represents a drop from the preceding period and in 2012 it is expected to grow at the rate of 1.77% (U.S.A. Government spending, 2010). This means that even though the real GDP is expected to grow between 2010 and 2010, it will happen at a reducing rate. Even, So, some of drivers of the projected growth include the expected increase in employment for the period running from 2008 to 2018 in which   unemployment is to reduce by 10.1% and increased government expenditures amongst other significant economic factors. It is therefore important to note that there is no cause for alarm amongst the business community and the investors. Conclusion The recent credit crunch which started in 2007 affected the U.S.A economy alongside other major world economies hence sending ripple effects to the developing economies (International Monetary Fund, 2008). More jobs were lost during the period, the prices in the real estate market experienced high inflations and generally the cost of basic consumer products went up. However, through stimulus strategy and other economic interventions has seen the U.S GDP growth start increasing. This is due to projected growth in total expenditures and commercial activities within the U.S. economy. It is also expected that unemployment rate will go down and hence have a positive effects on total expenditures.

Understanding Cash Flow Management

Understanding Cash Flow Management Free Online Research Papers A business cash flow can be compared to the engine in ones car or the heart in a human body. No car will run without an engine, and the heart needs to keep pumping in order for a human to survive. Cash flow is the heart or engine of a business and the goal behind cash flow management is to determine the cash needed for day-to-day business without losing investment options by having two much cash. There are many cash management techniques to use in a business, and some vary with the products and services sold, and how the business is run. Productive cash flow management will allow a business owner to free up cash in order to make short or long term investments. However, some short-term financing is a way for a business to get immediate funds. The focus of this paper will be toward the small business owner, and it will look at both topics. This paper will show the comparison and contrasting op various techniques of cash management with one another. It will also review the various short-term offers available, and why some are better. Cash Management Techniques The struggle to maintain adequate levels of cash into a small business is a common problem. By projecting the inflow and outflow of your businesses cash, you can determine the amount of cash that will be available during a designated period. Various ways to do this is through a cash flow projection, shortening collection cycles, offer credit, monitor inventory, electronic funds transfer (EFT) transfers/automated clearing houses (ACH), and E-Commerce. Preparing a cash flow projection is a useful tool in helping the financial manager to plan ahead in the coming months and years. If first starting out, projections should be done on a Source: The cash flow cycle from Foundations of Financial Mangement. (Block Hirt, 2005) month-to-month basis, then yearly. This will provide historical data in order to take those values and determine the possible cash level. To do a cash flow projection, think of it as a personal checkbook is there enough money there to pay the bills or look at the bigger picture as shown in Controlling inventory to sales so current assets do not go up and down helps eliminates having to discount items or pay for storage. An example used by Block and Hirt (2005) was McGraw-Hill and textbooks. Too many or too little textbooks produced would mean loss of sales or excess inventory that could not be sold until the following school year. Businesses should buy inventory at the best price and that can be sold within a short time, and special orders need deposits. Service businesses do not have to worry about inventory, but like most firms, they look for vendors that will offer stretch payments. Vendors that allow firms to pay within 30 to 60 day give those businesses more readily available cash. On the other hand, a business wants to expedite their customers payments and can do so by offering incentives like discounts on the entire bill or pushing up the payment cycle and include stiff late fees. (AllBusiness, 2007). EFT is probably the most efficient and cost savings tool a firm can use. Not only will it encompass all the above actions discussed, but it can be used for direct deposit of paychecks, and allow the firm to make their payments to creditors at the last minute. It costs only nine-cents compared to issue an EFT/ACH payments compared to an 86-cent paper check. (U.S. Treasury, 2007). Reasonably priced alternatives to EFT are Regional Collection Centers or a lock box system that can cash checks quicker. However, the time period is usually 24 hours and there is an additional cost to the firm. (2007). The world-wide web makes E-Commerce a must for business. Purchases and payments can be made 24/7. A wider range of customers can be served, and investments by a company can be made though transactions. Since the United States money is an accepted currency world-wide, EFT makes investing overseas and borrowing from foreign banks easier. Short-Term Financing Businesses seeking loans want the lowest interest rate possible. Since the U.S. dollar is the worlds international currency, many firms look for Eurodollar loans that offer the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). The LIBOR rate is lower than the prime interest rate, making these loans more favorable. This problem is most of these loans are given to larger worldwide companies like McDonalds, which has numerous loans in euro-based currencies (2005). Smaller firms seek loans from commercial banks that run from six months to a year, or a self-liquidating loan. The problem with the latter is the sale of current assets provides the cash to pay for the loan, and if the assets are not sold, a business can be bankrupt immediately. There are compensating loans that are good for small or large business. This type of loan allows a bank to supply credit to a business, but funds have to be immediately available to cover 20% of the loan fee and 10% of future commitments (Lowe, 2006). In a trade credit, a company receives goods immediately, but does not have to pay until 30 or 60 days. Depending on the loan and vendor, a discount may be offered if it is paid with a specific time. An example would be using a credit card from Lowes to purchase a new kitchen. Lowes will finish the work but will not get paid for the work until later. Trade credits are also used as a signaling effect on the performance of both the seller and buyer. Companies with poor track records will have difficulty in getting longer credit days, so many opt not to see trade credit. Commercial paper is an unsecured promissory note, money market or certificate of deposit issued by large banks and corporations. The short-term investment is usually for a minimum of $25,000 and to purchase inventory or to manage working capital (Wikipedia , 2007), which is why businesses selling products use this type of financing. Generally regarded as a safe investment, Block and Hirt (2005) noted bankruptcies of United Airlines, Kmart, Enron and WorldCom in 2001-2002 have caused some lenders to become. One of the most common used short-term financing is the bank overdraft. IA bank issues the overdrafts with the right to call them in at short notice, although most have a certain period attached to them. This type of financing should not be used to purchase machinery or equipment since the bank can call in the loan at short notice. Bank drafts are good to use for companies with season fluctuations in trade, like nurseries which have down times during the various seasons. Conclusion Each business has to know how to manage its money and what finances are available if needed. If a firms cash inflows and outflows are mismanaged, it may face a liquidity crunch, which in turn means the business needs to borrow funding. If this happens, a business may take a loan or line of credit at a higher rate. If cash management techniques are planned ahead by a business, it can prevent this from happening. Cash flow management can also help a company to begin to show a profit and successfully stay in business. Referemces AllBusiness. (2007). Cash Flow Management Tools. Retrieved February 1, 2007, from www.allbusiness.com Block, Stanley B. and Hirt, Geoffrey A. (2005). Current Asset Management. (University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved January 28, 2007, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MBA/503 Introduction to Finance and Accounting. Block, Stanley B. and Hirt, Geoffrey A. (2005). Sources of Short-Term Financing. (University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved January 28, 2007, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MBA/503 Introduction to Finance and Accounting. Block, Stanley B. and Hirt, Geoffrey A. (2005). Working Capital and the Financing Decision. (University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved January 28, 2007, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MBA/503 Introduction to Finance and Accounting. Lowe, Kevin. (2006). Managing Your Cash Flow and Tools to Use.. Retrieved January 31, 2007, from entrepreneur.com United States Treasury. (2007). Electronic Funds Transfer. Retrieved Febuary 2, 2007, from fms.teas.gov Wikipedia. (2007). Commercial Paper. Retrieved January 30, 2007, from wikipedia.com. 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Discuss the various theories that might help explain a person's Essay

Discuss the various theories that might help explain a person's attraction to and an involvement in the subcultures of outlaw motorcycle gangs - Essay Example Further, resistance to the social hierarchy motivated most of these people to participate to the motorcycle gang. This theory holds that these motorcycle clubs offers a platform for a person with high propensity for criminal activity to unite to form a group in order to run businesses of different levels of sophistication. A person can also be attracted to these groups because of social isolation (Hayes, 2011). Social isolation makes a person pay more attention to the underworld. Motorcycle subculture groups incorporate their lives in ways that makes a person to exercise spontaneous and planned criminal activities. In addition, a person can be attracted to outlaw motorcycle gangs because they perceive a different sense of belonging within these gangs. This might be something they have been lacking in their entire life; therefore, they decide to get involved with these gangs in order to fulfill that desire or need. The other theory is the queer ladder of mobility, which asserts that a person attracted to the outlaw motorcycle gangs with the aim to create wealth and gain

The causes of the Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The causes of the Civil War - Essay Example Today the American Civil War represents one of the most important conflicts in the history of the United States. While the war itself only lasted from 1861-1865, the effects have been felt significantly throughout the United States since. In addition to enacting significant death tolls on both the Northern and Southern participants, the political ramifications of the conflict were truly revolutionary as they resulted in the emancipation of slaves throughout the country. While ostensibly the Civil War was a direct result of then President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, declaring the abolishment of slavery, upon further inspection it’s clear there are a number of complex causes behind the war. This essay considers the various causes to the Civil War in an attempt to gain a broader understanding of their political implications. Perhaps the primary catalyst behind the Civil War was the economic differences between the Northern and Southern states. While indust rialization had enacted factory production and similar means of economic subsistence in the Northern states, the Southern states had evolved along a different path. Within the Southern regions, where the climate encouraged more agricultural means of production, the economy had become almost entirely reliant on cotton production. Within this spectrum of existence, cheap labor was essential to ensure the economy functioned, so slavery became a key part of Southern existence. In addition to embracing slavery, the Northern modes of city-life encouraged greater means of interaction between the social classes. As a result, it’s argued that Northern regions evolved more progressive views on the social hierarchy, while the Southern regions remained in an antiquated order (Chambers 1999). This would led to conflicting perspectives that would eventually mount, greatly contributing to the opposing regions engaging in warfare. Another pivotal aspect that contributed to the start of the C ivil War was general disagreements on political policy between the Northern and Southern regions. In these regards, one of the primary disagreements was between the belief the Southern belief that states should be primarily responsible for determining legal policy, versus the Northern view that the Federal government should be the primary decision maker in these matters. One of the primary arguments was advanced by politician John C Calhoun and referred to as nullification. This would give states the power to nullify laws that were passed by the Federal Government. As it became clear that such a measure would not be allowed, the Southern states moved toward seceding from the Union (Jones 1999). Ultimately, this would be a primary influence in bringing the Southern states to war. Another primary political issue was the moral disagreement between individuals that supported slavery and those that were vehemently opposed to it. As slavery had become a long-entrenched aspect of the Ameri can economic landscape, even as growing concern over its immoral aspects mounted it became increasingly difficult to break the nation from these past practices. With the Louisiana Purchase, the United States gained a large portion of land in the Western United States. The Federal Government deemed that new states admitted to the Union through this land would be free from slavery, placing increased pressure on the Southern states that embraced slavery to move toward abolishment. In addition to these aspects, tension began to emerge between the Southern and Northern states regarding slave laws. With laws such as the Compromise of 1850, Federal officials in southern and northern regions were forced to arrest fugitive slaves, or else themselves be arrested or fined (Gienapp 2001). Laws such as this caused tension with Northern individuals that believed these laws violated general human rights. In addition, there existed a growing abolitionist movement of political revolutionaries that s ought to end slavery through protesting and sometimes violent means. These