Thursday, October 31, 2019

Brain Drain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Brain Drain - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that brain drain is an issue that is of a great concern to the various countries of the world. Brain drain is also referred to as human capital flight, and it depicts the emigration of educated or talented people. This movement of educated or talented people has the capability of destroying or sabotaging the economic system of a state. Â  This is mainly because the country under consideration will lack professionals who are skilled enough to transform their domestic economies. Zweig and Chen argue that this term is on most occasions used to refer to the departure of skilled professionals such as financial experts, doctors, engineers, and scientists. When these people emigrate from the country, the country is vulnerable in two major ways. At first, the country will lose a supply of skilled labor. The second method is that there will be a reduction in spending within an economy. This is because these professionals normally earn a large sum o f money, and they use this money within an economy. This ensures that there is a circulation of money within an economy. When they move outside the country, there will be a limited circulation of money, and this may cause inflation or negative economic growth within a country. The United States is one of the leading countries that normally attract professionals of all calibers. This is because the country has one of the best education systems, and it has a stable economy that would guarantee employment opportunities to these professionals.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Financial Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial Analysis - Research Paper Example On the other hand, the industry average current ratio or liquidity ratio was observed as 1.19% (assuming that the revenues and expenses have increased proportionately maintaining stability in the industry structure) (The Brandow Company, 2010). The company’s current ratio and the industry average current ratio is represented below graphically, With reference to the obtained data, it can be evidently stated that the company possesses competitive strength in terms of leverage. It is worth mentioning that liquidity ratios depict the relationship of the company’s liquid assets or current assets with its current liabilities that in turn confirms the financial balance within the company (Brigham & Houston, 2009). As apparent from the chart represented above, the liquidity ratio or current ratio of Can Go is quite higher than that of the industry average. Thus, it can be stated that Can Go possesses significant competitive advantage in terms of liquidity in the industry. On the similar context, the debt ratio of the company is calculated to be 1% which is below the average industry debt ratio, i.e. 1.58% (The Brandow Company, 2010). It can be represented through chart as following: It can be apparently witnessed that the company possesses noteworthy risk in terms of debt balances. Notably, debt ratio indicates the flexibility of an organization to repay the debts incurred at a specified time period with ease and efficiency (Brigham & Houston, 2009). Therefore, with a lower debt ratio than that of the industry average depicts that the company shall have to face significant challenges when repaying the debts efficiently to its creditors. With an in-depth point of view, the profitability of the firm can also be identified as poor in comparison to the industry average ratios. For instance, the profit margin (0.11%) and return on total assets (0.02%) of Can Go are observed to be

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Stages of Child Development for Home Childcare

Stages of Child Development for Home Childcare Serving as a home- based child care provider is an important job, one that requires hard work, creativity, flexibility, and genuine concern for children and their families. In California, there are several types of home based child care settings, including family, friend, and neighbour care that does not require a license; Family child care homes licensed by the state; and licensed settings that are also accredited by the national association for family child care. Whether you operate a licensed family child care home, care for your grandchildren, or are a provider accredited by a national organization, you have an opportunity to make a positive and lasting impact on the lives of the children and families in your care. As you read guidelines for early learning in child care home settings, you may want to think about why you are a home based child care provider. Perhaps you think the home offers the best setting for working with young children. Maybe you want to use your teaching skills in a setting that allows you to work at home and care for your own children. Or you may want to help a family member or neighbour by caring for their children. Regardless of the reasons you became a home based provider, the guidelines in this book were developed to help improve your service to children and their families and to improve the quality of your work life. The guideline will help Provide learning experiences for preschool children, infants, and toddlers in mixed age group settings that are common in home based care. Promote meaningful with children, develop their vocabularies, and encourage their interest in books and stories. Interest children in daily home activity that involve problem solving, measuring, sorting, classifying, and other skills that serve as building blocks for future learning in math and science. Include children with disabilities and other special needs in your home based setting and get help for those children when needed. Show respect and appreciation for the home languages and cultures of children and their families whose backgrounds differ from yours. One of the strengths of home based child care in that it enhances the opportunity to get to know children in the context of their families. By understanding and respecting the primary role of the family in the lives of young children, and by supporting the family in times of celebration as well as stress, you strengthen a child’s social and emotional development. Explain to families how on a daily basis you promote language development and thinking skills in a natural home setting by talking with children, preparing their meals, and playing with them . Communicate with parents and other family members and learn how to involve them in home based learning and care activities. Working as a home based child care provider is a demanding job. Whether you are a licensed family child care provider or an exempt provider, you may wish you had more interaction with other providers and other adults help with business practices, and additional training or education. www.cde.ca.gov Babies and children not only grow bigger in size but also usually go through what are known as stages of development from birth, how babies look and what they can do change enormously. Growth is about the body growing and getting bigger in size and weight; for example, children grow taller and their feet get bigger. Growth happens naturally if children are healthy and well cared for. Development is about learning new skills, such as children learning to kick a ball or hop on one foot. Children need lots of different activities and the support of adults to develop new skills. Babies from birth to three months. Physical development -sleeps for around 18 hours each day, feeds every two to three hours during the day and will need to be fed less often during the night. Intellectual D -begins to use senses to hear, smell and see what is going on around. Language D at first a baby is only able to cry, but quickly learns to make cooing and gurgling sounds. Emotional D -a baby will cry when in pain, hungry or uncomfortable, such as when they have a wet nappy or feel too hot or cold. Social D -a new baby will try and look at faces, especially when they are being fed, by the age of three months a baby may copy an adults smile. Three to six months Physical D feeds three to five times every day, the baby can control head and arm movements, such as grasping a toy or rolling over on a play mat. Intellectual D -greater development of senses, a baby will turn towards a sound, and learn who different people are by listening to their voice or looking at their face. Language D -a baby at this age will make many different sounds such as babbling and cooing when they are enjoying a bath, or grunting and crying when they are unhappy or tired. Emotional D – enjoys being cuddled and rocked. Social development- knows the difference between family members, usually enjoys contact with family members, such as when feedind and being bathed. Six to 12 months Physical D –eats three meals and two snacks every day, sleeps for around 12 hours every night and may have two naps every day. Begins to control the body and hands by moving objects or pulling things towards them. At around eight months, a baby will begin to sit without support and may start to crawl. Intellectual D enjoys playing moves toys and objects from one place to another so that by the time the bady is 12 months old, they are able to stack one brick onto another. Babies enjoy looking at bright colours. Emotional D – babies may become clingy to family members because they are now more aware of strangers. Social D – gives and takes objects or toys, may wave bye-bye by 12 month babies have learned to look when someone calls their name. and might understand some simple requests. One to two years Physical D – stands without support and begins to walk, can climb up stairs so needs to be watched, by the age of two years a child can run, throw and kick a ball. Intellectual D- begins to make lines on paper with crayons or paints. By the age of two years a child may enjoy building a tower of two bricks and pushing them over. Language D – children begin to repeat a few words and understand some instructions such as coat on come here understands about 50 words at two years of age. Emotional D – a child may be interested in looking at themselves in the mirror such as when clapping or pulling faces. Social D – enjoys simple clapping games such as pat a cake enjoys feeding themselves. Two to three years Physical D – learns to jump off a low step and may ride a tricycle, uses a spoon and fork properly when feeding themselves. May take an interest in using the toilet or potty. Intellectual D – user crayons to draw in circular movements and make simple shapes, children may enjoy dough and messy activities. Language D – a child will put three or four more words together to make sentences for example me do that mummy or little dog barking. Children will learn lots of new words and enjoy looking at picture books and listening to stories. Emotional D – a child may be worried when family members leave them the child may cry when starting nursery or if the parent goes out for the evening leaving the child with a babysitter. Social D – uses I , me , and, you , copies actions such as when singing rhymes at nursery, copies adult, actions by pretending to clean the car or stir food in a pan. Can dislike sharing with others children at this age may enjoy playing next to other children but may not play with them. Three to four years Physical D – stands on one leg jumps up and down, enjoys climbing and cam change direction quickly when running in the play area. may now be able to take responsibility for their own toileting. Intellectual D – draws circles with more control and may add lines for arms and legs or dots for eyes. Can count up to ten and begins to learn the names of colours and shapes. Language D – understands over 1,000 words and makes sentences of four or five words, children now enjoy listening to longer stories and will often choose the same story over and over again. Emotional D – shows a sense of humour may tell jokes and make funny faces or do silly walks. Likes to spend time playing alone but also enjoys playing with other children. May enjoy hugs and cuddles with family and friends. Social D – gives orders enjoys playing with children and will leave the main carer more easily such as when going to nursery. Four to five years Physical D- can open and close fastenings can dress and undress for a PE lesson. Can use scissors to cut out shapes and pictures, skips with a rope, runs quickly and safely around the playground without bumping into other children. Intellectual D- can copy letters and numbers and can write their own name, draws pictures of trees, houses, people and animals. Language D – children at this age know up to 2,000 words and use proper sentences, children often talk clearly and will enjoy telling stories about themselves. Emotional D- enjoys caring for pets, shows concern when a friend is hurt, children will like to make choices for themselves, such as deciding which clothes to wear or what book to look at. Social D – children are more able to do things for themselves such as wiping up spilled juice, they may also like to help other children, such as helping a younger child to complete a jigsaw. www.hoddereducation.co.uk Children are curious and love to investigate. This can lead to all kinds of situations that could result in accidents occurring. As an early years practitioner, you need to have a thorough understanding of child development and children’s capabilities. You need to be able to select equipment, toys and play materials that are suitable for children’s age and stage of development. A wide range of safety equipment and other resources are available to help practitioners to keep children safe indoors, outdoors and on outings away from setting. The choice of safety equipment used will depend on a variety of factors, including the age and stage od development of the children . the type of setting and the nature of the potential risks involved. For example, safety gate, socket covers and fireguards make the home environment safer for toddlers, while playground surfaces, secure fencing and CCTV cameras help to maintain a safer environment for children in group care. All equipment used with babies and children, such as toys and play materials, electrical items and outdoor equipment, needs to meet the relevant health and safety standards. These items should display a product safety logo, such as the CE mark to show that they meet European health and safety standards. Educationscotland.gov.uk Trips and outings should support the development and learning that takes place within the centre. Outings provide important opportunities for learning and are an essential part of a child’s experience. When taking the children out of the centre ground staff must ensure their safety at all the times. It is the head of centres responsibility to give permission for outings to take place, having first checked all arrangements and completed formal risk assessment forms. The day care coordinator can give permission for local outings to take place. practitioner must be sensitive to children’s religious beliefs in selecting places to visit. any volunteers or staff that are not police checked must remain with a permanent member of staff a first aid kit must be taken a mobile phone must be taken and the number left at the centre for ease of contact in an emergency a register must be taken on the trip this must include all emergency contact details and details of any allergies medical conditions and dietary requirements and name and number of child s doctor a level 3 qualified member of staff must always accompany the children on outings extra items that might be needed for outings toilet rolls, tissues, sick bags, refuse sacks, disposable gloves, sun cream and hats, refreshments practitioners must always accompany a child into public toilets all children must have badges attached to them giving the centres name and telephone number. For reasons of safety a child s name must never be displayed on the badge. The head of centre is responsible for knowing the whereabouts of every child and all staff involved in the trip. Clear arrangements must be in place should any child become separated from the group. The practitioner must take responsibility for specific children, preferably for those for whom they are the key worker. Changes to this must be explicitly acknowledged by the staff concerned. The practitioner must refer to the child registration forms to ensure that parents cares have. www.millfields.hackney.sch.uk

Friday, October 25, 2019

Diversity Of Hawthornes Writings In young Goodman Brown, ethan Bra :: Free Essay Writer

Diversity of Hawthorne's Writings in "Young Goodman Brown", "Ethan Brand", and "The Birthmark" . Michael Duncan ENG. 111 T/TH 9:30 am "... it is no delusion. There is an Unpardonable Sin!" , a quote by Ethan Brand that is at the root of many stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthornes gloomy, dark style of writing is an emphasis on his theme of evil at societies heart. Writing about what he knew Hawthorne described the puritan society in different periods of time and defined different characters but all connected through his style. The stories that exemplify the diversity of Hawthornes writing are "Young Goodman Brown" , " Ethan Brand" , and "The Birthmark" . Having read these stories it is possible to become engrossed in the darkness that is portrayed and none is better than "Young Goodman Brown" . Young Goodman Brown, the character, is first introduced to us in the clearing of Salem village and we learn that he has faith in the goodness of the village and Faith for his companion as well. The people that we meet in Salem village in the first few paragraphs are just Goodman and Faith. These two characters are very important to understand for their surface characters or illusional characters. It is soon learned that Goodman Brown is not such a good man and later Faith shows us just as much false character. Goodman and Faith are not the only characters that are not all they seem to be. We come to meet more characters in the short story that are superficial as is the village itself. Goodman Brown leaves the bright, warm, goodness of his village to make a journey in the woods to meet a stranger. A good place to meet a stranger would be these surrounding woods of Salem for it is here that described by Nathaniel Hawthorne that "He had taken a dreary road,darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind." and like the scheming mind of an evil person the dark woods leads one down the wrong pathway. The woods are not an allusion as was the village, the woods are exactly what they seem to be therefore the characters met inside the woods will be as shady as the woods themselves. Leading Goodman Brown to his despair is the first character, the stranger. The stranger is much older than the Goodman but the two converse easily and both understand each other even though they talk around Goodmans evil purpose. It is this easy conversation that Hawthorne

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Jericho

Jericho is a Palestinian city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank. It lies at latitude 31 52 degrees north and longitude 35 39 degrees east and is 250 metres below sea level. Jericho is one of the most ancient human habitations. Bartlett (1982) suggests the most ancient human remains were found in it, some of which go back to 5000 years B. C. Bartlett also believes some settlements date back to 9000 years B. C. The Ancient city was occupied by Jordan from 1948 to 1967 (Bartlett, 1982). Over centuries communities became abandoned and new settlements set up. Hunters were attracted to this location because of the abundant water sources nearby. Aqueducts and other irrigation systems were built early on, making the city an agricultural center. By 8000 BC, about 2,000 people had permanently settled near present-day Jericho (Metzger and Coogan, 1993). Jericho was an important city in the Old Testament. The city was overtaken and devastated several times. However, it was always reoccupied — sometimes quickly and other times very slowly. Herod the Great, Cleopatra, and Augustus are some of the mighty rulers that once took claim of some or all of Jericho. Many Galileans would travel through the Jordan valley and go by Jericho on their route to Jerusalem. By taking this course, they could avoid passing through Samaritan territory (Metzger and Coogan, 1993). Jericho later fell to the Babylonians, but was rebuilt when the Jews were allowed to return from their exile. The city continued to be a resort during the rule of the succeeding empires. For Christians, Jericho took on importance because of its association with John the Baptist, who was said to have been baptised by the banks of the Jordan on the eastern boundary of the city. The Romans destroyed the old city in the first century, but it was rebuilt in its present location by the Byzantines. The city briefly returned to glory when Caliph Hisham Ibn Abd el-Malik built his winter palace in Jericho in 743, but an earthquake destroyed virtually the entire city just four years later. The city later fell to the Crusaders and then was recaptured by Saladin. Jericho was largely ignored and deserted for centuries afterward. The economy of this time was in a transition from one of gathering food, to an economy of producing food. The earliest inhabitants are known as the An -Natifiyyun. These people relied on gathering wild seeds for food. It is unlikely that they planted these seeds, but rather harvested them using tools. These tools included scythes with flint edges and straight bone handles. They used stone mortars with handles to grind the seeds. Some of the An-Natifiyyun lived in nearby caves. Others lived in primitive villages, excelling in architecture. Over the course of time, they learned how to make sun-dried bricks, and began to build more substantial dwellings. These dwellings were round huts, constructed from flat-bottomed bricks, which curved at the higher edge. Canals were dug from ancient Jericho to the nearby Ein Al-Sultan spring. These canals provided ample supplies of water for residential use. As their economy progressed, they used these canals to irrigate their fields. They constructed walls 6. 56 feet (2m) in width to surround and enclose their villages. Within these walls they erected a massive tower, (9m) in diameter, and (10m) in height. Today Jericho is often referred to as the oldest city on earth, with a history of over ten thousand years. This ancient city is located in the region of Canaan at the lower end of the Jordan valley about eight miles north of the Dead Sea. Hunters were attracted to this location because of the abundant water sources nearby. Aqueducts and other irrigation systems were built early on, making the city an agricultural center. By 8000 BC, about 2,000 people had permanently settled near present-day Jericho Jericho was an important city in the Old Testament. The city was overtaken and devastated several times. However, it was always reoccupied — sometimes quickly and other times very slowly. The city of Jericho, now identified with Tel es-Sultan, is thought by some archaeologists to be as much as 11,000 years old, making it one of the oldest sites of human settlement in the world. The earliest evidence of human occupation is a Mesolithic shrine and there is evidence one city build overtop of another for several millennia. The most prominent features of ancient Jericho would have been the large, high walls. It is the oldest walled city in human history and walls remain a significant aspect of archaeological digs. Jericho had stonewalls by 7,000 BCE, even before the invention of pottery. The first walls at Jericho were built during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) period, indicating that violence and conflict were important parts of Jericho's history for a very long time. The first permanent settlement was built near the Ein as-Sultan spring between 10,000 and 9000 BC. As the world warmed, a new culture based on agriculture and sedentary dwelling emerged, which archaeologists called â€Å"Pre-Pottery Neolithic A† which were characterized by small circular dwellings, burials of the dead within the floors of buildings, reliance on hunting wild game, the cultivation of wild or domestic cereals, and no use of pottery. At Jericho, circular dwellings were built of clay and straw bricks left to dry in the sun, which were plastered together with a mud mortar. Each house measured about 5 metres across, and was roofed with mud-smeared brush. Hearths were located within and outside the homes. During the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, settlement-phase the architecture consisted of rectilinear buildings made of mudbricks on stone foundations. The mudbricks were loaf-shaped with deep thumb prints to facilitate bounding. No building has been excavated in its entirety. Normally, several rooms cluster around a central courtyard. There is one big room ( with internal divisions, the rest are small, presumably used for storage. The rooms have red or pinkish terrazzo-floors made of lime. Some impressions of mats made of reeds or rushes have been preserved. The courtyards have clay floors. The dead were buried under the floors or in the rubble fill of abandoned buildings. There are several collective burials. Not all the skeletons are completely articulated, which may point to a time of exposure before burial. A skull cache would contained seven skulls. The jaws were removed and the faces covered with plaster; cowries were used as eyes. As new settlements arose they began to encourage the growth of plants such as barley and lentils and the domestication of pigs, sheep and goats. People no longer looked for their favorite food sources where they occurred naturally. Now they introduced them into other locations. An agricultural revolution had begun. The ability to expand the food supply in one area allowed the development of permanent settlements of greater size and complexity. The people of the Neolithic or New Stone Age (8000-5000 B. C. ) organized fairly large villages. Jericho grew into a fortified town complete with ditches, stone walls, and towers and contained perhaps 2000 residents. Although agriculture resulted in a stable food supply for permanent communities, the revolutionary aspect of this development was that the community could bring what they needed (natural resources plus their tool kit) to make a new site inhabitable. This development made it possible to create larger communities and also helped to spread the practice of agriculture to a wider area. The presence of tools and statues made of stone not available locally indicates that there was also some trading with distant regions. Agricultural society brought changes in the organization of religious practices as well. Sanctuary rooms decorated with frescoes and sculptures of the heads of bulls and bears shows us that structured religious rites were important to the inhabitants of these early communities. At Jericho, human skulls were covered with clay in an attempt to make them look as they had in life suggesting that they practiced a form of ancestor worship. Bonds of kinship that had united hunters and gatherers were being supplemented by religious organization, which helped to regulate the social behavior of the community. Because it is one of the oldest human settlements and perhaps the oldest walled city in history, archaeological excavations at Jericho provide invaluable information about how people lived and died thousands of years ago. Numerous tombs, furniture, pottery, and beads have been discovered. Politically, Palestine was a collection of independent city states at this time, with each city under the control of one King. The presence of massive defense walls suggests that these independent city-state Kings frequently attacked each other. The walls of Jericho from this time attest to that theory. Over the course of a 600 year period, beginning around 2900 B. C. E. , the walls of Jericho were rebuilt sixteen times. Invaders are not the only cause of this, as earthquakes, water in the foundations, and other natural causes played a role in the constant maintenance of the city defense structures. Most people know about Jericho in connection with the biblical stories of how the Hebrews conquered Canaan. Under the leadership of Joshua, they marched around the city seven times and God caused the walls to collapse as stated in the bible. Jericho is a religious city that has withstood the test of invasion, destruction, and time.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Malaysian Economy Essay

The Malaysian economy is expected to strengthen further and projected to grow at a faster rate of 4.5% to 5.5% in 2013 supported by improving exports and strong domestic demand. In the Economic Report 2012/2013 released by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) last Friday, it said the assumption was based on the global growth that will pick up especially during the second-half of 2013 (2H13). It said that it was also premised upon the expectation of an improvement in the resolution of a debt crisis in the euro-area and stronger growth in the economies of Malaysia’s major trading partners. The Economic Report 2012/2013 was released in conjunction with the national Budget 2013 that was presented by the prime minister last Friday. It said that given that the domestic economy is expected to strengthen further in 2013; inflation is estimated to increase moderately mitigated by further capacity expansion in the economy. On the supply side, growth in 2013 is expected to be broad-based supported by expansion in all sectors of the economy. Of significance, the external trade-related industries are envisaged to benefit from stronger global growth, particularly during the 2H13. It said that the services and manufacturing sectors are expected to contribute 4.2 percentage points to the gross domestic product growth. MoF said that the prospects in the services sector are expected to remain upbeat in 2013, with the accelerated implementation with major initiatives under the National Key Result Areas and continued investment in the seven services subsectors under the National Key Economic Areas. It said that these initiatives are expected to drive the wholesale and retail trade, finance and insurance, and communication subsectors, which are expected to grow 6.8%, 5.2% and 8.2% (2012 :5.7%; 4.2%; 9.3%) respectively. On the value-added of the manufacturing sector, MoF said that it is expected to grow 4.9%, (2012 :4.2%) with export oriented industries expected to  benefit from the higher growth of global trade, while domestic oriented industries expand in line with better consumer sentiment and business confidence. MoF said that the electrical and electronic (E&E) subsector is expected to grow further, driven by higher demand for electronic equipment and parts as well as semiconductors in line with recovery in advanced economies. On the agricultural sector, MoF said that it is expected to grow 2.4% (2012:0.6%) following the recovery in the output of plantation commodities. MoF said that the production of crude palm oil is envisaged to rebound 2.5% to 18.9 million tonnes (2012: -2.5%; 18.4 million tonnes) on account of expanded matured areas to 4.44 million hectares (2012: 4.38 million hectares). On the mining sector, the report said that it is expected to expand 2.7% (2012: 1.5%) on account of higher production of crude oil and natural gas. â€Å"Production of crude oil is projected to increase 3.6% to 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) (2012: 1.6%; 579,000 bpd) due to higher regional demand,† said MoF. It added that several new oil fields are expected to start production in 2013, contributing to higher production of crude oil. On the construction sector, MoF said that it is envisaged to expand strongly at 11.2% (2012: 15.5%) with all the subsectors registering steady growth. On the domestic demand, MoF said that it is expected to grow at 5.6% (2012: 9.4%) and will remain the main driver of growth in 2013 underpinned by strong private sector expenditure. The report added that private consumption is projected to expand 5.7% (2012: 7%) on account of higher disposable income arising from better employment outlook, firm commodity prices and the wealth effect from the stable performance on the stock market following strong domestic economic activities. On private investment, Malaysia is expected to post a strong growth of 13.3% in 2013 (2012: 11.7%) attributed to the ongoing implementation of the Economic Transformation Programme projects. MoF said that public investment will continue to support growth and is expected to expand 4.2% in 2013 (2012: 15.9%) driven by higher capital outlays by the non-financial public enterprises (NFPE’s) and development expenditure by the federal government. It said that capital of the NFPEs will focus on the upstream oil and gas, transport, communication and utility industries. It added that in line with the expansion in domestic economic activities, national income in current prices is expected to increase 7.8% in 2013. The report also said that gross national savings is expected to expand strongly by 11.1%, with the private sector accounting 72.3% of total savings. On the balance of payments, MoF said that it is projected to remain favourable with current account continuing to record a higher surplus of RM71.9 billion or 7.3% of the gross national income. It said that the surplus in the goods account is projected to expand RM126.5 billion. â€Å"In 2013, exports are estimated to grow 3.9% (2012: 2.4%) supported by higher commodity exports and improving global E&E demand. The MoF said that inline with increased domestic activity as as to meet increased inputs for the manufacturing sector, imports are projected to grow at a faster rate of 5.2% (2012: 6.5%). On the services account, the report said that it is expected to improve with a lower deficit of RM8.2 billion driven by large surplus in the travel account, following expectations higher tourist arrivals. MoF said that other components in the services account are expected to remain a deficit.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Love Canal essays

The Love Canal essays Love Canal was named after its creator William T. Love and its construction began in the 1890s (http://onlineethics.org/environment/lcanal/timeline.html). The project was never finished and an extremely large, seemingly useless hole was left in the ground in the Niagara Falls area. Almost 40 years later, when the area of Niagara Falls began to industrialize, a use for this gaping hole was found. Different businesses and industrial corporations started to manufacture goods and products and with the manufacture of these came the unwanted additive of industrial wastes. During the 1940s these companies looked at the unused canal as an easily accessible place to dump their wastes. During the 1940s and 50s, the Hooker Chemical Company, filled the canal, later named the "Love Canal", with about 21,000 tons of organic solvents, acids, and pesticides as well as their by-products, many of them causing cancer or birth defects (http://onlineethics.org/environment/lcanal/timeline.html). Once the canal was full, Hooker widened the canal in order to accommodate even more waste. It then covered it with clay, which was supposed to keep moisture away from the chemicals and act as a barrier seal. It was The City of Niagara Falls that started the dumping however, when in1920, the canal was sold in a public auction to the municipality for the purpose of using it as a landfill (http://onlineethics.org/environment/lcanal/timeline.html). The Army joined in and dumped chemical warfare material and "parts of the Manhattan Project. Hooker joined in 1942 negotiating with Niagara Falls in an effort to use it as a chemical dump and so the canal became a container of four-hundred plus chemicals, including sewage, "landfill" and nuclear hardware (http://onlineethics.org/environment/lcanal/timeline.html). Dumping occurred in the Northern Section, from 1942 to 1946, then in the Southern Section from 1946 to 1954, with some dumping in the Central Section at th...

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Perversity Of The Congo Essays - Congo Free State, Free Essays

The Perversity Of The Congo Essays - Congo Free State, Free Essays The Perversity Of The Congo In the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad one of the major themes is the perversity of the Congo. What is good and evil in the European world becomes distorted and hazy in the heart of Africa. To the outside world white is good and black is evil; it is as simple as that. This philosophy is embodied in Marlows aunt, who believes that his job is to bring light into the land of darkness and to enlighten the savages. This idea, however, becomes corrupted when white objects symbolize suffering and greed instead of good, and light images hide the presence of darkness. Symbols such as, a white rag, white imperialists and ivory, no longer represent the good will of the imperialists, on the other hand they represent the exploitation and chaos that the Europeans have brought to the Congo. The main character Marlow is faced with this confusion as he voyages through the jungle, and he must reevaluate his former opinions, which no longer hold true. The European philosophy is shown through the conversation that Marlow has with his aunt before commencing his adventure. According to her, his job seems clear: to bring civilization and light to the heart of darkness. Instead of focusing on the horrors of imperialism she is disillusioned to believe that it is all for the better. The Europeans, especially the British have no respect for other cultures or other ways of life, and they truly believe that they are helping the Africans. Not by choice but because of the white mans burden they feel the need to [wean] those ignorant millions from their horrid ways(28). To the outside this seems like an earnest motive; however, once inside Marlow begins to see new forms of corruption. Are the imperialists their to help, or are they there to make money to fulfill their greed? He begins to realize that it is not the black savages who represent evil, but rather the selfish whites. This corruption is further shown through the novel with symbols that reveal that perversity of the jungle. None of Marlows previous beliefs hold true in the Congo and he must reevaluate what is light and what is dark. He is confronted with the distortion of images and confusion at the first station. He sees a group of natives in the shade and immediately compares it to hell. As he states: Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees, leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all the attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair(35). He notices one figure in particular, one with a white rag around his neck. Is it the natives who create this feeling of suffering or is it the whites? These people are in the shade because they have nothing to live for anymore. The imperialists have destroyed their way of life and now they are eagerly awaiting death. The corruption is not in the black boy, rather in the white rag. What it symbolizes is not clear. Marlow asks, Where did he get it? Was it a badge an ornament a charm a propitiatory actIt looked startling round his black neck, this bit of white thread from beyond the seas(35). Marlow does not know why exactly the boy is wearing the rag; however, he does know that the Europeans brought it - along with suffering and corruption. Rather than bringing light to the natives, they have brought nothing but pain and chaos. This confusion in appearances is show again with the alternative motives of the whites. They are not humanitarians helping a civilization out of good will. They are there out of greed and corruption. Without the presence of society, the inner core of humans is revealed and what is white on the outside is sometimes black on the inside. This reversal of appearances is displayed in all the imperialists that Marlow comes across. One is the manager at the first station. He gives the allusion of being a gentleman with his European clothing and manners, yet inside he is filled with crookedness. In order to maintain this image he must train a native to follow his

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Baroque Era

In all respects, baroque music is like the anger of teenagers. Well, even in such a way that you do not pay for the way we expect from modern teenagers, they may not be criticized as all they might be surprised. But what do you do, what is a teenager? Briefly, teenagers are no longer children, not adults. When all the rules are broken, there seems to be nothing that matches it, and when the mood fluctuates dramatically, this is the middle stage of embarrassment. This is Baroque music. To better understand this, remember that the Renaissance is the reproduction of art and music, and the classical era is its birth. The Baroque era is thought to be the beginning of expansion of Western European civilization. The word baroque comes from Portuguese and represents irregular shaped pearls. It is translated from Italian into strange and strange things. The Baroque era refused to regard it as ignorance and wild nature. During this period, women should be unnaturally pale and their bodies shou ld have mysterious hair, but men should not have whiskers or wigs on their heads. He should be full of strength and aroma. (Bukofzer, 24 years old) The era of Baroque art was classified as many as the early Baroque era, the high Baroque era, and the late Baroque era. The era of Rococo art is often regarded as part of the late Baroque era. Over the years, the time frame of the Rococo era and whether it is the same as the Baroque era. The era of Baroque art and Rococo art may be classified in the same era, but in fact it is very unique and unique. The era of baroque art from the 1600s to the mid 1700s began during the Catholic reform in Rome in Italy and spread rapidly to most parts of Europe. In the late 1500s Protestant reform began to attack doctrine like the Catholic church. In response to these attacks, the Catholic Pope began a campaign in the church to rebuild and disseminate Catholic faith. In the meantime most people are unable to read and write, so the church has to design a way to disseminate the message of the gospel so that everyone can understand it. The most important elements of the Baroque period were religious reform and anti-reform, and the development of the Baroque style was thought to be closely related to the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church encouraged the popularity of the Baroque style, the Catholic Church decided at the Trent Committee that art should convey religious themes and guide emotional participation in response to Protestant reforms. The most important elements of the Baroque period were religious reform and anti-reform, and the development of the Baroque style was thought to be closely related to the Catholic Church. In fact, the popularity of this style is encouraged by the Catholic Church. And it has decided that in the Trent Council art should convey religious themes and lead emotional participation in response to Protestant reform.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Consultant report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Consultant report - Assignment Example ive management of time, all necessary activities are most likely to finally come to a halt and thus, result in increasing work stress (Hosseini, Nourbakhsh & Sepasi, 2013). Specifically, in cases of present world business scenarios, time is given a premium priority. In this context, the ‘Pareto Principle’ comes into the picture. This principle was mainly implemented with the intention of improvising the studies related to management principles and techniques (Backhaus, 1980). Multiple managers of big business organizations find this principle very effective in terms of problem identification and controlling the functional factors, which directly or indirectly contribute towards the effective utilization of resources. As per this particular principle, effective allocation of input resources significantly helps in bringing about improvements in the quality of output (Huffstutter & Smith, 1989). There are various other models and theories that have been developed gradually and even chronically in pursuit to manage time more efficiently and minimize the level of stress amid the workforce to the desirable extent (Bickford, 2005). Few of the most prominent theories and models will be assessed in the discussion henceforth, providing effective consulting to the organization involved in offering financial services and functionalities in to a substantial volume of customers. As the organization has been witnessing rising demand from its customers’ end, greater work pressure is burdened over the employees, which in turn increases their stress making it more challenging for them to manage their time efficiently. Hence, this consultation paper will aim at assisting the organization with certain remedial strategies to manage the stress level amid the existing workforce. Time management can be described as a process of effectively managing and scheduling time for successful completion of projects or activities. Depending on the functional complexity of this financial

Resume For A Job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Resume For A Job - Essay Example My success earned me inclusion on the team attending IAAPA to give input based on this market research to the team responsible for negotiating and closing the purchases of hundreds of gaming machines. With this experience, I gained the know-how for creating an effective marketing strategy and also managed to find out what the next big arcade game was. During summer 2012 I obtained an AA degree in Business and CIS in addition to the Magna Cum Laude honor and Phi Theta Kappa Recognition. I continued my education for a Bachelors degree of Science in Business at John Hopkins University. Throughout my studies, I devoted my time to studying American politics, business, and culture. I took the time to broaden my marketing knowledge, learn about information technology in business, improved my communication abilities and learned how to relate electronic tools to business. I can use these skills to assist me in my next position. In the summer of 2011, I volunteered at Silicon Valley Home Owner to assist the impoverished in applying to own a house. I also interviewed many people and gave out food stamps where the situation required it. I had to talk with close to 50 people each day. Because of the constant work, I had to manage my time so that I could help out each person who needed it. During high school, I was the president of the student body government. One of my duties was to preside over the weekly meeting. I also managed yearly events such as competitions to do with sports, education, and environmental concerns. Furthermore, I was the President of UNICEF at De Anza College. I held charity competitions for basketball and soccer in and around the Bay area. I managed to raise $5,000 and then I donated it to UNICEF. I believe that these experiences, as the president of a big organization, extended my abilities. I was able to overcome the expectations that were placed on me by creating a conducive environment where it was easy to achieve goals.

Operation management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 4

Operation management - Assignment Example Moreover, operation management enhances the quality of services and hence develops the acceptance of the organisation among the consumers. Furthermore, operation management helps in monitoring the services and develop the same to enhance the standard leading to consumer satisfaction (Kleindorfer & et. al., 2005). With this regard, the paper elaborates on the operation management prevalent in the Intercontinental Hotel Groups. Operation management is observed to be crucial for the group as it helps in enhancing the level of services and consumer satisfaction at a global domain. The hotel group started operating in the year 1946 and has been successfully developing its global consumer base across culture. Moreover, with the elite class services and luxurious offerings the hotel has been successfully developing its image among the consumers, planning for luxurious destinations. With its elegance and distinctive styles that is distinguishable from the other hotels makes it ultimate travel destinations for tourists. However, the hotel needs to monitor their present situations to develop their quality in order to enhance their consumer base. This would help in developing the different approaches of the hotel services to meet with the elated needs of the consumers. The paper would also focus on dev eloping the different environmental changes that has been initiating the organisation to manage such changes and increase their consumer services with the help of operation management (1IHG, 2013). The performance objectives support enhancement of different approaches of an organisation by providing guidelines that would help in developing the services. This aspect would enhance the organisational ability to meet with the elated needs of the consumers. It provides with the development of different approaches and helps in assessing the same to enhance the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Answer exam questionA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answer exam questionA - Essay Example This notion postulates that the nuances of HRM and the applicability of its associated theories vary drastically on a cultural basis (Brewster et al. 2011: p2). Therefore, the pivotal significance of cultural observations in international management practices not only extends to the appreciation of national culture and its impact on business operations but also to the aspect of managerial behaviour (Crawley et al. 2013: p76). In assessing the impact of an understanding of culture and cultural difference on the behaviour of a western manager assuming an executive position at a non-western organization several factors must be examined. The commencement of managerial roles in an unfamiliar national culture is welcomed by cultural shock which may result in a failure to meet objectives and goals that accompany the position (Crawley et al. 2013: p77). However, a thorough comprehension of culture implies that a manager’s attitude towards colleagues would be marked by respect, sensiti vity, consideration and an understanding of critical aspects such as religion, ethnicity and race when managing a diverse workforce (Crawley et al. 2013: p77). More importantly in the context of the example under discussion, the assignment of a western manager within a non-western organisation presents the challenges of unique role demands posed by cultural factors. In this scenario, an effective understanding of role demands assists both managerial behaviour and performance (Dowling 2008: p193) given the existence of role clarity in defining what is expected of the individual within the organization (Dowling 2008: p194). While, it is important for a western manager to recognize the significance of specific characteristics related to cultural differences when performing his duties at a non-western organization, it is the successful application of relevant leadership theories that lies at the core of effective HRM. The contemporary leadership theories that have been applied by resear chers on assessments of culture and cross-cultural examinations are that of transformational leadership and charismatic leadership. An investigation into the Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE) proposed that the relationship between manager behaviour and cultural implications in Indian organizations was such that workers favoured charisma and action orientation in an ideal leader (Robbins 2001: p389). This observation implies that a western manager having extensive information about culture and cultural differences would adopt the characteristics of a charismatic leader, as research shows that charismatic leaders can be made (Robbins 2001: p374). Additionally, formulating a vision, a clear long-term strategy and achievable yet inspiring goals are constituents of successful charismatic leadership. Furthermore, it is understood that characteristics of Indian culture include collectivism and the adoption of a humane approach. Therefore, the managerial b ehaviour of a western executive must integrate the attributes of transformational leadership by inspiring workers through communication of goals and the provision of personal attention, coaching and advise (Robbins 2001: p377. The latter is an indication of respect, understanding, sensitivity and consideration which is much valued in non-western nations such as India. In conclusion, an extensive comprehension of culture is a factor that is highly favourable for a manager who is

Bad Lending Leading to the East Asian Crisis In 1990s Essay

Bad Lending Leading to the East Asian Crisis In 1990s - Essay Example Bad Lending Leading to the East Asian Crisis In 1990s The East Asian economic crisis was later analysed as caused by several external and internal stimuli such as improper maintenance of financial market activities, inadequate foreign borrowing and absence of inducements towards risk management among others (Dullum & Kulkarni, 2005). Considering this aspects, this essay will describe how different activities resulted in high lending activities in East Asian economies causing a crisis situation. The objective of the essay is to analyse and describe the main economic problem that triggered the economic crisis in East Asian nations. Hence, the rationale for choosing this topic is to understand various facets which can lead to bad economic crisis with the aim to gain knowledge regarding measures which can be implemented to avoid such circumstances. Major Features of Asian Economic Crisis In the year 1997, when the financial crisis was identified, International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that the situation was fundamentally caused due to t he inefficiency of East Asian financial markets to manage its foreign debt as well as lending policies. As soon as this crisis hit, IMF assigned that it was the responsibility of East Asian capitalism. This occurrence was further observed to have created a significant impact upon the Asian financial markets including Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines. In these nations, bank lending dues on private organisations had increased remarkably before and during the crisis situation. For instance, in Philippines, credit to private organisations surpassed 40% growth from 1993 to 1996. The amount of liabilities also ascended from 8.8% of GDP in 1995 to 21% of GDP in 1997 in Philippines. In Korea, the amount of foreign liabilities of banks had been observed to gain growth in almost two-folds, i.e. from 4.5% of GDP in 1993 to 9.5% of GDP in 1997. Only in Indonesia, even though the credit growth was recorded at a modest level within the national financial structure, the private organisations were engaged in borrowing openly from foreign sources. The most risky circumstance was observed in Thailand where the aggregate amount of foreign liabilities of banks had increased rapidly to almost 28% of GDP in 1995 (Radelet & et. al., 1998). This huge amount of liabilities can further be observed as the result of weak regulatory measures taken by governments and poor financial structure of different East Asian nations. This huge amount of liabilities imposed a degree of negative impact on the economic performances of these East Asian nations, as most of the foreign creditors began extracting their capital from these countries as well as the other nations in the East Asian region. Due to deep capital outflow, the currency exchange rates came under strong burden. It can be observed that in 1997, the currency exchange rates of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand had reduced by more than 20%. The collapse of economic conditions in these nations triggered the feeling among investors that other nations in the East Asian region will soon fall under economic crisis. The major rating organisations slowly demoted the nations in East Asian region, causing more capital extraction by the creditors. Furthermore, as exchange rate depreciated,

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Operation management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 4

Operation management - Assignment Example Moreover, operation management enhances the quality of services and hence develops the acceptance of the organisation among the consumers. Furthermore, operation management helps in monitoring the services and develop the same to enhance the standard leading to consumer satisfaction (Kleindorfer & et. al., 2005). With this regard, the paper elaborates on the operation management prevalent in the Intercontinental Hotel Groups. Operation management is observed to be crucial for the group as it helps in enhancing the level of services and consumer satisfaction at a global domain. The hotel group started operating in the year 1946 and has been successfully developing its global consumer base across culture. Moreover, with the elite class services and luxurious offerings the hotel has been successfully developing its image among the consumers, planning for luxurious destinations. With its elegance and distinctive styles that is distinguishable from the other hotels makes it ultimate travel destinations for tourists. However, the hotel needs to monitor their present situations to develop their quality in order to enhance their consumer base. This would help in developing the different approaches of the hotel services to meet with the elated needs of the consumers. The paper would also focus on dev eloping the different environmental changes that has been initiating the organisation to manage such changes and increase their consumer services with the help of operation management (1IHG, 2013). The performance objectives support enhancement of different approaches of an organisation by providing guidelines that would help in developing the services. This aspect would enhance the organisational ability to meet with the elated needs of the consumers. It provides with the development of different approaches and helps in assessing the same to enhance the

Bad Lending Leading to the East Asian Crisis In 1990s Essay

Bad Lending Leading to the East Asian Crisis In 1990s - Essay Example Bad Lending Leading to the East Asian Crisis In 1990s The East Asian economic crisis was later analysed as caused by several external and internal stimuli such as improper maintenance of financial market activities, inadequate foreign borrowing and absence of inducements towards risk management among others (Dullum & Kulkarni, 2005). Considering this aspects, this essay will describe how different activities resulted in high lending activities in East Asian economies causing a crisis situation. The objective of the essay is to analyse and describe the main economic problem that triggered the economic crisis in East Asian nations. Hence, the rationale for choosing this topic is to understand various facets which can lead to bad economic crisis with the aim to gain knowledge regarding measures which can be implemented to avoid such circumstances. Major Features of Asian Economic Crisis In the year 1997, when the financial crisis was identified, International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that the situation was fundamentally caused due to t he inefficiency of East Asian financial markets to manage its foreign debt as well as lending policies. As soon as this crisis hit, IMF assigned that it was the responsibility of East Asian capitalism. This occurrence was further observed to have created a significant impact upon the Asian financial markets including Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines. In these nations, bank lending dues on private organisations had increased remarkably before and during the crisis situation. For instance, in Philippines, credit to private organisations surpassed 40% growth from 1993 to 1996. The amount of liabilities also ascended from 8.8% of GDP in 1995 to 21% of GDP in 1997 in Philippines. In Korea, the amount of foreign liabilities of banks had been observed to gain growth in almost two-folds, i.e. from 4.5% of GDP in 1993 to 9.5% of GDP in 1997. Only in Indonesia, even though the credit growth was recorded at a modest level within the national financial structure, the private organisations were engaged in borrowing openly from foreign sources. The most risky circumstance was observed in Thailand where the aggregate amount of foreign liabilities of banks had increased rapidly to almost 28% of GDP in 1995 (Radelet & et. al., 1998). This huge amount of liabilities can further be observed as the result of weak regulatory measures taken by governments and poor financial structure of different East Asian nations. This huge amount of liabilities imposed a degree of negative impact on the economic performances of these East Asian nations, as most of the foreign creditors began extracting their capital from these countries as well as the other nations in the East Asian region. Due to deep capital outflow, the currency exchange rates came under strong burden. It can be observed that in 1997, the currency exchange rates of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand had reduced by more than 20%. The collapse of economic conditions in these nations triggered the feeling among investors that other nations in the East Asian region will soon fall under economic crisis. The major rating organisations slowly demoted the nations in East Asian region, causing more capital extraction by the creditors. Furthermore, as exchange rate depreciated,

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Establishment Notions of Englishness Essay Example for Free

Establishment Notions of Englishness Essay In what ways did the iconography, the music, the lyrics and the performances and behaviour of punk rock acts present a challenge to ‘establishment notions of Englishness’ in 1976-77? The early roots of Punk rock were appearing in the form of The Velvet Underground in 1965, closely followed by The Stooges and MC5 in 1969, but it wasn’t until the early 1970s that punk began to globalise, hitting Australia in 1972 with The Saints. Within a year, legendary Punk club CBGB’s opened it’s doors for the first time, becoming a constant dwelling for the up and coming acts of the 70’s, and more importantly, providing a regular crowd of punk kids to listen to them. Britain in the early 70s, according to Spicer, was filled with ‘political frustration, surging unemployment and a gag-reflex to the patriotic froth generated by in celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee, giving punk’s raw noise a particular spice and vigour. The UK had either been in decline, recession, stagflation or worse since the end of the swinging sixties.’ (Spicer, 2006: 3). ‘Eight years later when the idealism of the 60s had well and truly faded, the strategies and rhetoric of street protest were still going strong. So when mainstream politics wouldn’t even listen to what was driving the kids insane, the Sex Pistols’ cry of â€Å"Anarchy in the UK† seemed like a viable alternative.’ (Spicer, 2006: 5) ‘Punk came with a philosophy that was influenced by the anti-establishment turmoil reverberating from the 60’s.’ (Spicer, 2006, Page 4), so in a time when the youths of Britain were so ignored and undervalued as a part of society, it seemed like a natural outlet to make the government and the authorities stand up and take notice of what they were saying. Renowned Manchester based punk journalist and singer John Robb stated that ‘Punk Terrified the establishment’ (Robb, 2006: 3), suggesting this outcry for non-conformism was having an impact and the message of challenging the government was being heard. Despite this, however, critics are still divided about whether the punk phenomenon was in fact a significant cultural shift. ‘Was it just another youth craze (with a hairstyle calculated to drive the parents crazy), or did it offer a real challenge to the  complacency of the times? A Challenge that was more than just musical and sartorial, but p olitical as well?’ (Spicer, 2006: 2). Hebdige stated that ‘the punks were not only directly responding to increasing joblessness, changing moral standards, the rediscovery of poverty, the Depression, etc., they were dramatizing what had come to be called â€Å"Britain’s decline† by constructing a language which was, in contrast to the prevailing rhetoric of the Rock Establishment, unmistakeably relevant and down to earth (hence the swearing, the references to â€Å"fat hippies‟, the rags, the lumpen poses). The punks appropriated the rhetoric of crisis which had filled the airwaves and the editorials throughout the period and translated it into tangible (and visible) terms’ (1991: 87). A significant part of the construction of the punk rock movement in the British media was the fashion of the stars, which was later emulated by the fans, with the iconic style quickly becoming a obligatory staple of â€Å"being punk†. According to Paul Gorman, speaking in Punk: The Whole Story, ‘Almost every element of punk’s style, attitude, politics, musical tastes and even personnel emanated from two tiny clothes shops on Chelsea’s King’s Road 30 years ago.’ (2006: 84) These two shops were Acme Attractions and SEX, both in London. Don Letts, ex-employee of Acme, and later member of Big Audio Dynamite said in Punk: The Whole Story, ‘Acme was more than a shop. It was a club, a lifestyle, a forum for talent. It reflected the way London was going – it was about multi-culturism’ (2006: 84). I think this really exemplifies the importance of the fashion and self-representation of the punk movement, even at the beginning. Robb recalls, ‘I saw photos of punk rockers in the papers, and I knew instantly what they sounded like. Never had a music and its threads been so closely associated’ (2006: 2). Hebdige also observed, ‘The various stylistic ensembles adopted by the punks were undoubtedly expressive of genuine aggression, frustration and anxiety. But these statements, no matter how strangely constructed, were cast in a language which was generally available – a language which was current’ (1991: 87). I feel this rings true in a big way, especially when you contrast another artist of ’74 with the way, for example, the Sex Pistols presented themselves. In image one, we see the Sex Pistols wearing typical punk style  clothing, however, in image 2, The Who, another British band making music in 1974, are seen to be sporting a much more reserved fashion, that could be classed as smart/casual, due to the tailored trousers, tucked in shirts and sports jackets, and even be called patriotic, with the presence of a union flag jacket. In contrast, while the Sex Pistols are also wearing union flag attire, however, it seems to be done so in a satirical, ironic way. The flag is cut into and is covered in holes, which could suggest the way that the punk youth saw the state of the government, or at least what they thought of it. Similarly, there is also a sports jacket being worn, however, it is teamed with a punk print T-shirt, which could easily be seen as a rebellion against the notion of looking presentable and dressing in your Sunday best. Ruth Adams discusses Hebdige’s notion of punk fashion being a bricolage, and states ‘Bits and pieces of both officially sanctioned and popular English culture, of politics and history were brought together in a chaotic, uneasy admixture to form a new culture’ (2008). I feel this accurately describes the way punk took what it wanted from English culture and used it as a way to challenge the established notions of â€Å"Englishness†. Icons such as swastikas were often wore as a fashion statement , however, ‘for punks like Siouxsie and Sid Vicious it became just one more ingredient in the imagery of offence – not devoid of meaning, but mainly a way of getting up the noses of the straight and the narrow’ (Spicer, 2006: 4). You can imagine that this explicit and in your face approach to fashion and iconography would starkly contrast with the dreary fashion of the 70’s. Spicer states that ‘as the decade that saw beige, brown, orange and gold recommended as a desirable colour scheme for the home, the 70’s had little going for it stylistically either’ (2006: 3). I feel that this contrast in style would have made punks even harder to ignore, insuring that someone was always looking at them and listening to what they had to say. ‘Punk rock lyrics are typically frank and confrontational; compared to the lyrics of other popular music genres, they frequently comment on social and political issues’ (Laing, 1985: 27). An obvious example of this would be â€Å"God Save The Queen† by the Sex Pistols (1977, Sex Pistols). At the time of  release, the song was highly controversial, mainly for the fact it was explicitly ‘anti-monarchy’, implying that the Queen was a part of a fascist regime, as shown by the lyrics ‘God save the queen, the fascist regime’, and also for quite blatantly writing England off as being bleak and without any hope, shown in the lyrics ‘There is no hope in England’s dreaming’ and ‘There’s no future, no future, no future for you’. This contrasted significantly with the jingoistic ideals that were being put forward in the wake of the Queen’s silver jubilee. Savage stated, ‘â€Å"God Save the Queen† was the only serious anti-Jubilee protest, the only rallying call for those who didn’t agree with the Jubilee because [†¦] they resented being steamrollered by such sickening hype, by a view of England which had not the remotest bearing on their everyday experience’ (2001: 352-353). Laing speculated that ‘Punk was a total cultural revolt. It was a hardcore confrontation with the black side of history and culture, right-wing imagery, sexual taboos, a delving into it that had never been done before by any generation in such a thorough way’ (1985: 27). I feel this really sums up the ideology at play with ‘God Save The Queen’, as it was a total revolt of the dominant ideology at the time it was released. Punk rock is not known for its musical ingenuity, its creativity, or even its skill. John Robb described punks as ‘The DIY brigade fumbling with musical instruments, trying to make sense of the world with three chords learned last week on second hand guitars’ (2006, Page 3). I feel this expresses the rebelling of the establishment in a way that goes above lyrics or fashion. Here we can see that punk was not about pleasing people or making everyone happy, it was about doing what you wanted because you could, and not caring if people liked it or not. This directly challenged the English ideology of the 1970s, which was predominantly all about keeping a stiff upper lip, being polite, and being, for lack of a better word, nice. Rock journalist Caroline Coon wrote about the Sex Pistols live performances, stating that ‘participation is the operative word. The audience revels in the idea that any one of them could get up on stage and do just as well, if not better than the bands already up there’ (1982: 98). This again draws on the angry, challenging, do-it-yourself attitude attached to the punk genre. Machin describes the discourse of the melody of â€Å"God Save The Queen† by the Sex Pistols in a way that epitomises the ideology of the genre. ‘Here [image 3] we can see that much of the melody remains on the first note. There is therefore very little outward giving of emotion or positive energy. This means that there is something very contained about the way it is sung. In fact, the vocalist sings the song generally at a high pitch which conveys emotional intensity. Yet in this intensity there is no emotional outpouring or pleasure. There are only short sharp occasional outbursts on the 4th note. This is fitting of the punk discourse of nihilism and cynicism.’ (Machin, 2010: 105) Philip Auslander proclaimed that ‘we may not usually think of musical performance, apart from opera and musical theatre, as entailing characterisation in the conventional dramatic sense. Nevertheless, we must be suspicious of any supposition that musicians are simply ‘being themselves’ on stage’ (2004: 6). Auslander goes on to quote Frith, who states that musicians are ‘involved in a process of double enactment: they enact both a star personality (their image) and a song personality, the role that each lyric requires, and the pop star’s art is to keep both acts in play at once’(2004: 6). I feel that this observation directly applies to the punk rock era, as it exemplifies the explicit and hyperbolic style of the genre. This can be exemplified by Sex Pistols front man, John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten). In the public eye he is an anarchist punk rebel who is not scared to speak his mind and does not care who he offends, however in real life he is a man who was bullied as a boy for having an English accent while at his grandparents’ home in Cork, Ireland. This performance persona is a prime example of the way that punk challenged the notion of Englishness, as everything about â€Å"Johnny Rotten† was anti-establishment. This is typified with the quote from Rotten himself, stating Id listen to rock n roll, but I had no respect for it. It was redundant and had nothing to do with anything relevant†. Here, he is dismissing everything that already exists in England as not being relevant or influencing him in any way, suggesting that he was the change that England needed. Auslander later goes on to discuss that ‘both the line between real person  and performance persona and the line between persona and character may be blurry and indistinct, especially in the case of pop music performers whose work is heavily autobiographical’ (2004: 7). Again, I think this is extremely relevant to the analysis of the performance of John Lydon as Johnny Rotten, as punks felt this allegiance with him through his work as he was them while he was on stage. He was also a working class, angry young person with no money who resented the royal family and the government. Al Spicer asked the question, ‘was it just another youth craze (with a hairstyle calculated to drive the parents crazy), or did it offer real challenge to the complacency of the times?’ (2006: 2) and I think the answer to this would have to be that they really did challenge the system, in every possible way. Punk as a movement intended to shock and defy the norm of 1970s England, to rebel against the complacent and austere ideals of the time and radically confront the patriotic notions of Englishness put forward by the royal Jubilee, and I think that they succeeded. Instead of merely writing protest songs, punk bands were a protest. Every fibre of their existence protested, whether it was scandalous lyrics, deplorable fashion choices or unrestrained, extroverted stage personas who would say what they thought, and never care about the repercussions. Punk was one vast protest across England and the notion of English ideals. Bibliography Machin, David. (2010) Analysing Popular Music: Image, Sound, Text, London: Sage. Spicer, Al. (2006) A Rough Guide To Punk, London: Rough Guides. Blake, Mark (Editor) (2006) Punk; The Whole Story, London: Dorling Kindersley. Sabin, Roger (Editor) (1999) Punk Rock, So What?, London: Routledge. Robb, John (2006) Punk Rock; An Oral History, London: Elbury Press. Adams, Ruth (2008) â€Å"The Englishness of English Punk: Sex Pistols, Subcultures and Nostalgia.†Popular Music and Society, 31.4, P. 469–488. Hebdige, Dick (1991) Subculture: The Meaning of Style. London: Routledge. Savage, Jon (2001) England’s Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock, London: Faber Faber. Laing, Dave (1985) One chord wonders: power and meaning in punk rock, Milton Keynes: Open University. Auslander, Philip (2004) Contemporary Theatre Review, Vol. 14, London: Routledge. Boyd, Brian (2010), The Making of a Rotten Public Image, The Irish Times: 08 Aug 2010 Issue. Coon, Caroline (1982) The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion, London: Omnibus Press. IMAGE 1: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/12/30/1230675664257/Sex-Pistols-in-1978-001.jpg IMAGE 2: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GGKJf0MAI7k/UGBnnd-F1pI/AAAAAAAAAL4/YcGOn0sIe8E/s1600/The+Who.jpg IMAGE 3: Machin, David. (2010) Analysing Popular Music: Image, Sound, Text, London: Sage. Page 104.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Literary Analysis of Romeo and Juliet

Literary Analysis of Romeo and Juliet Passage one is the prologue to Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. The prologue to Romeo and Juliet is a significant piece of text in the play as both its form and content introduces and gives a rather detailed insight to the viewer about events that are to follow in the play and essentially prepares and establishes the viewer/audience for the two hours traffic on our stage which is and gives meaning to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The entire prologue is spoken by the Chorus to the intended audience and eludes the viewer to the problems that arise throughout the play, as well as acknowledges existing problems prior to the ones that will eventuate. The location of the scene is established through the phrase in fair Verona where we lay our scene, as well as indicates central themes to Romeo and Juliet by mentioning themes of anger and revenge through the ongoing feuds of the two households, both alike in dignity and the central theme of love and tragedy, through the mentioned fatal loins of these two foes and star-crossed lovers being Romeo and Juliet. The passage may also be seen as significant as it depicts what is going to happen on the stage, creating a somewhat cathartic sense, as pity becomes greater if the viewer knows of the tragic events that will eventually occur in the play. The last lines of the prologue repeat the message that the lovers will die, and through this the feud is annulled. Unlike most traditional prologues, the one initiating Romeo and Juliet is in the form of a sonnet. It consists of 14 lines-following a crucial aspect of this structure, ABAB rhyming pattern within the initial 3 quatrains and a CC couplet at the end allowing it to be in iambic pentameter. Unique in form, poetic techniques are used cleverly as the sonnet breaks usual conventions of a love poem. Perhaps because the play is centred on love, Shakespeare wrote the prologue in this form in order to emphasise this concept within the play as well as the intimate relationship between Romeo and Juliet. In this sonnet, the 14 lines are divided up into 3 sections of 4 lines and the last section is made up of 2 lines. The sonnet uses 3 different ways to divide the sections from one another: punctuation, change of topic and the use of rhyming couplets. The first three sections begin and end as sentences lines 1-3 use commas then to close the section there is a full stop indicating the next. Once there is a full stop, the new sentence begins a new topic essentially guiding the audience through the plot in order to avoid confusion of the storyline. The ending pattern of the prologue, however, is different in comparison to other lines within the passage which in some regards reflects how the storyline of the play is structured. The two rhyming lines at the end of the prologue are typical of a traditional sonnet and are effective examples of combining form and content together in a simple enough form for the audience to understand and get meaning from the prologue and indeed the rest of th e play. When observing the prologue, it is evident where Shakespeare intended to put emphasis through the stressing of certain syllables such as fair, and star-crossed- these two particularly as they are crucial to the central themes associated with the concept of love and marriage. The crossd in star-crossd refers to the fact that their love suppressed, frustrated and eventually defeated. Such will be the love of Romeo and Juliet, because of the stars- implying that destiny causes the misadventured piteous overthrows within the play. It can also be noted that violent words are not stressed throughout the duration of the prologue. Aggressive words such as mutiny, blood and rage are unstressed in the sonnet possibly may because even though it is a story surrounding issues of conflict, it is love and Romeo and Juliet who are the central meaning behind the play. Within lines seven and eight Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents strife informs the audience that it required a tragedy to stop the families from feuding and to make them realise what they had been doing. In line 8 of the prologue, there is noticeable use of alliteration with the d and th sounds, which are repeated to make the line appear more noticeable and also contains its own rhyming section using doth with their death, using the th sound to make it rhyme. Metaphors such as the word bury, represents reconciliation between the Montagues and Capulets and that the burial of their past grudges has only come about due to the burial of their children. Meaning is created through these techniques as it poses the question to the audience of whether or not their ancient grudges and feuding are worth what will inevitably become the death of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare also uses other literary devices within the prologue to draw the viewer/audien ces attention within this sonnet. In line 4, it is important to note the repetition of the word civil and its implications throughout the storyline. Civil blood can be seen as a paradox as the Montagues and Capulets engage constantly in civil wars which shed civil blood, which in turn would not really occur if they were civil in the first place. As the two sides share the grudge, they also share the guilt, both sides mutiny against the peace of the town, making their civil hands unclean. Repetition of words throughout the prologue such as civil, introduces alliteration to the text. Shakespeare decides to use the repetition of a particular sound in the next line, creating alliteration. Alliteration in line 5 has not only the repetition of f sounds but of bold words for example from forth the fatal loins of these two foes which contains words that begin with f as well as forth that tends to be used as a word of initiative in which Shakespeare could be playing upon the idea as mentioned previously that possibly, the storyline is already set and must go forth as it is destined to happen. A line full of harsh sounding fs and words of antagonism are pushed up against line 6 and seem to be more woeful than harsh which tells the viewer/audience of the predictable death of the lovers who were initially supposed to be enemies. Finally, enjambment in the prologue embraces the nature of the play being conflict and violence paralleling with love and inevitable tragedy. Form and content are significant aspects within any text as the combination of both inevitably produce the final meaning of the text. Meaning cannot be derived if there is no content in which to base a story on and a series of literary techniques such as those present in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet, place an emphasis on this particular content in order to convey the underlying message that Shakespeare is presenting to the audience. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, it is evident that Shakespeare intended the play to be a tragedy based on love, and the prologue spoken by the chorus depicts this clearly. The strong use of literary techniques engages the audience allowing them to become part of and understand the meaning of the storyline and allow empathy for what is happening on stage.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Government: Less is More Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Government: Less is More      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Land of liberty, land of freedom, a land by, for, and of the people. Have you honestly ever affected one word the government has spoken? Do you do anything in daily life without the subtle involvement of Uncle Sam? Everything you see and use is government approved, or else it is illegal to use it.    There are many groups adamantly protesting, or rather complaining, about the amount of control the government has. I am not of the belief that the government is out to get us and we should buy as many weapons as possible to fight them off. I also don't believe we should not obey laws because we are not happy with them. I do feel, however, we need to become aware of the problems we face because of this excessive control. Let's look at some of these problems.    First of all, our government knows more about us than we know about ourselves. They have access to virtually any information they could ever want. There is no apparent harm in this, but why is it necessary? And if it is, maybe we should change our programs so it's not. There is a potential, a highly unlikely one I will admit, for our government to take advantage of that information to our detriment. Why take the chance?    Most of the areas our government has too much control over involve money. For example, the welfare system in our "free enterprise" society is simply the government taking our money, whether we want to give it or not, not to mention how much of it they want, and distributing it as they feel best. I can understand the need for welfare during the depression. It was a plan of action for a time of crisis, and it worked. We have been out of that crisis for seventy years. I think it's time to change. Our curr... ...y, yes. Respectfully, of course. Nonviolently, absolutely. But when told how to think or how to behave we don't. We disobey social protocol that stifles and stigmatizes personal freedom. I learned the awesome power of disobedience from...every great man who led those with right against those with might." (Heston) Works Cited    Belz, Joel. "Wrong Without a Remedy." World. Nov. 20-27, 1999 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "Major Provisions of the Welfare to Work Legislation." CBPP Web Page. Cbpp.org/609wtw.htm, URL#325298, 6-9-98. De La Rocha, Zach. "Snack Charmer." Evil Empire. Sony Entertainment 1996. Heston, Charlton. "Winning the Cultural War." Speech given to Harvard Law School Foru. Feb, 16, 1999 Orwell, George. 1984. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983 Thomas, Cal. "Outlaws and Their Guns." World. Nov. 20-27, 1999.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Power of Prayer Essay examples -- Religon Praying Essays

The Power of Prayer Introduction There is a great deal of anecdotal evidence about the efficacy of prayer in healing. As mentioned at the beginning of chapter eight in our text, many people have friends or relatives who recovered from illnesses when someone was praying for them, or who can attest to the power of prayer in other affairs. This makes scientists wonder. Can prayer help heal the sick? Do meditations for the recovery of an ill person, based either on religious faith or on belief in psychokinesis, have any real effect on health? Can science test the power of prayer? Though it requires putting aside the Bible’s warning not to test God, several scientists have designed experiments to try to determine if prayer has an effect on patients with serious long-term diseases. Using many of the statistical tools we learned about in our biostatistics course, scientists have designed experiments to compare the health records of patients who receive standard medical care to those who receive prayer as wel l as standard care. In our presentation, we looked at two studies of this sort. These studies wanted to test the power of prayer as such, and not the psychological effect of a patient feeling that his loved ones are concerned or believing that God will heal him. Accordingly, these experiments were designed using remote intercessory prayer, where the patients were prayed for at a distance by people they did not know. Both tests randomly sorted patients into control and experimental groups – though in one case, the computer matched patients into pairs with similar medical conditions, then randomly assigned the members of each pair. Both tests were designed to be fully blinded, so that the patients did not know i... ...bborn. Many of Leibovici’s proponents have made tried to explain the effects of retroactive intercessory prayer by asserting the non-linear nature of time, which most scientists find ludicrous. The criticisms of these studies make clear that correlation does not imply causation and that scientists will be skeptical of data until reasonable explanations are proposed. Until we can find how prayer works, its â€Å"effects† cannot be strongly linked to it, and until we have more data supporting the effects of prayer that has been properly collected and analyzed, the scientific community will not give much consideration to the claims of a few enthusiasts. In thinking about the goals, methods, and problems of these studies, we wonder if a â€Å"perfect† study could be devised, and if such a study returned significant results, what it would â€Å"prove† about the power of prayer.

Friday, October 11, 2019

ALPES case anlysis Essay

CONTENT Part One 1. Key Issue Charles Rivers Laboratories (CRL) is evaluating a joint venture proposal that a Mexican company creates a state-of-the-art specific pathogen-free (SPF) egg for the vaccine. If the proposal is approved, CRL is going to invest 2 million dollars to the Mexican company. However, CRL must consider the potential risks of cooperation. Part Two 2.Internal Analysis: VRINE ANALYSIS 2.1VALUE Charles River Laboratories has a large variety of customers more than 15 countries, which means CRL is already capable to expand overseas market. The demand of SPF eggs is very high due to making flu vaccine. More than 100 million SPF eggs were consumed for influenza vaccines each year. The demand even exceeds its supply between 5 to 10 percent worldwide. Accordingly, the operation margin will be improved around 20 percent and revenue will be doubled in four years. Therefore, joint venture is valuable. 2.2RARITY The rarity of normal eggs switching to SPF eggs is relatively high. First, Charles River Laboratories is still using standard eggs to produce influenza vaccines. Many franchisees haven’t totally changed to cultivate SPF eggs. They still use old chicken farm, This goes to show that the traditional eggs haven’t been replaced and new eggs are rare. Second, most companies don’t intend to take an adventure to try new products due to political instability and corruption. However, SPAFAS took long time to do sufficient research on APLES. It means the rarity exists because not many companies decide take advantage of new eggs. 2.3Inimitable & Non-Substitutability The degree of inimitable and Non-Substitutability is medium. Even though not many companies start to produce vaccine by SPF eggs, there are still some like APLES working on it. Therefore, technology might be imitated by several companies to some extent. As far as APLES, it is the only company producing SPF eggs in Mexico. The popularity and loyal customers are strong so substitutes are hard to enter. However, other companies can still use the current standard eggs to make vaccine instead of higher price SPF eggs. 2.4Exploitability The degree of joint venture exploitability is high. According to high demand and double revenue prediction in the case, cooperation of CRL and ALPES could increase production of SPF eggs and highly benefit from sales to both of them. 3.External Analysis: PESTEL ANALYSISA The most highly used method when conduct the external analysis of a company is PESTEL Analysis, which includes political, economic, sociocultural, technological, environmental and legal aspects. 3.1Political Analysis Politically, in 1994, The North American free trade agreement came into effect, which allowed the free trade between USA, Canada, and Mexico. This political alliance benefited the economic development. The flow of capital, goods and services became more smooth and swift among these three countries. Due to the concerns from strong competition some business quit. Whereas, increased demand of vaccine production from U.S. and Canada led to the increased supply in Mexico. 3.2Economic Analysis Economically, as the case implied, demand for specific pathogen-free (SPF) eggs had exceeded available supply by five to ten percent across the globe. Furthermore, after the M&A, SPAFAS more than doubled its annual revenues while improving its operating margin to nearly 20%. To support the growth, CRL continuously invested capital in expanding domestic SPF egg production capacity. Alpes is the sole supplier in Mexico, which makes it more instrumentally beneficial from the production. Yet, problems such as endemic corruption, economic instability and unstable currency hinder the development of business in Mexico. 3.3Socialcultural Analysis Social and culturally, without being vaccinated against Salmonella and Campylobacter, poultry are easily got contaminated which excreted severe human health risk to people who were fed with these. Frankly, the recognition from the public of importance of vaccination would benefit the business like CRL and ALPES in the long run. Additionally, the bond the friendly relationship between the two family-style director boards has been combined successfully. 3.4Technical Analysis Technologically, having been founded in 1947, CRL was the global market leader in the commercial production and supply of laboratory animal models for use in discovery and research and the development and testing of new pharmaceuticals. CRL has taken the leadership position in SPF eggs production after the acquisition of SPAFAS. Additionally, Alpes was the only franchisee in Mexico. Given that production capacity is less than needed and highly sanitary standards are expected to be met, challenge still exist. 3.5Environment Analysis Environmentally, the old informal â€Å"handshake agreement† can be still influential when joint venture is functioned. And then, the market needs more production which means demand is more than current storage supply. The business opportunity is huge ever. Board directors are divided into two piles, one is supportive of the proposal and another is more objective to this business move. The freezing situation stands between Alpes and CRL: Alpes is in urgent need of capital investment, while CRL claims the acquisition. 3.6Legal Analysis Legally, Asian and European vaccine regulations are getting more and more strict and high-quality standard and tend to be more preferable to the vaccine industry. It is quite a challenging move prior to export products to theses countries. 4.Porter’s 5 Forces – Industry Analysis: 4.1Rivalry While Alpes supply eggs to the tow biggest buyers in the industry, there are  just two providers of the SPE eggs beside them. Furthermore, IDISA has a chance to make capital and compete in different area in the industry due to the 4 different companies that make profit in different research areas. As a result rivalry degree is comparatively (low). 4.2 Threat of Substitutes ALPES has the largest market comparing by other competitors in the same field. Actually, mice are the only threat they use, but this threat is has not too much influence and not strongly effective. Also, because of the expensive if this area buyers try to find another options. So, substitutes within the industry are (low). 4.3 Threat of New Entrants The threat of substitutes degree is from (medium to low) because of the difficulty of success they face due to the specialized in pharmaceuticals. But expertise in this area can find some of the facilities in less expensive areas easily. Furthermore, it is hard to the new entrant getting into industry because that needs a very high level requirement. SPF has a small market share in pharmaceutical and the lack of facilities prevent agriculture company supporting. ALPES has large market share because it is a provider to the two largest producer of vaccine. 4.4 Bargaining Power of Buyers: Power of buyers is low. Supplier of eggs has option to increase the prices due to the highly demands one of this demand is the tow biggest companies ALPES made further research into SPF eggs, which is between 5 and 10 percent. And this increasing in prices justified that the revenue in the first four years was almost doubled. 4.5 Bargaining Power of Suppliers There is little agriculture company that provides SPE eggs by facilities with high prices that’s why the power of suppliers is (high). Moreover, its hard to make high quality of good under the industries regulation and it is highly cost and expensive. Part Three 5.FINANCIAL ANALYSIS Ratio Analysis Indicators Year1 Debt-to-Equity 0.128 Current Ratio 8.903 Quick Ratio 7.901 From the table above, we can see that the Debt-to-equity ratio is very low. It shows that ALPES has a potential to use more debt to earn revenue. However, the current ratio and Quick ratio are quite high. A current ratio that higher than 1 means the company is able to pay off its obligations, as this ratio is 8.903, we are sure ALPES is in a very good condition. Much similar to Current ratio, if a Quick ratio is higher than 1, then the company is able to meet their short-term liabilities. As this ratio is 7.901, we can say ALPES has no doubt to meet its obligations. Forecast after joint venture Indicators Year1 Year2 Year3 Year4 Year5 Profit Margin 2.757% 15.802% 19.005% 21.110% 22.752% Gross Margin 18.867% 27.401% 29.270% 30.520% 31.489% Operating Margin 2.899% 15.914% 19.104% 21.200% 22.836% We can see from the chart above that, after joint venture, all of the profit margin, gross margin and operating margin will have an increase trend between year1 and year 5.The net profit margin indicates how much out of each dollar of sales a company actually earns. In year 5, the company will keep $0.23 in earnings for every dollar of sales. The gross margin represents the proportion of each dollar of revenue that the company retains as gross profit. In year 5 the gross margin will be 31.49%, therefore the company may retain $0.32 from each dollar of revenue generated to pay off liabilities. Operating margin gives us a view of how much a company’s operation can make on each dollar of sales. The company’s margin is increasing so it is earning more per dollar of sales. In year 5 the operating margin is 22.84%, this means that the company’s operation makes $0.23 for every dollar of sales. 6.Decision Criteria Decision making by CRL whether invest up to $2 million in ALPES to built a joint venture in Mexican has to consider tow criteria: expected profit and facing risk. 7.Alternatives 7.1Alternative 1 The joint venture with ALPES is a good option for Charles River Laboratories. CRL invest up to $2 million to APLPES joint venture to create a state-of-the-art specific pathogen-free (SPF) egg farm in Mexican. Mexico’s  trade policy implements the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) so it is open and welcome to foreign investment. Pros: Joint venture can overcome entry barriers in a foreign market Save transaction costs Provide new expertise and share resources, including specialized staff and technology Risks sharing with a venture partner Cons: Invest $2 million is not a small name. Investment itself is a kind of risk. It takes time to build partnership with foreign business. ALPES is a small family company. The different between U.S. and Mexico in culture and management style is a problem. Mexico currency is unstable and Mexico is an uncertain market. 7.2Alternative2 The following chart is the pros and cons of alterative two which is reject the proposal and no joint venture. As for this alternative, the pros can be illustrated in 3 aspects: CRL does have to invest extra 2 million capital into this project and avoid the loss and risk this performance may bring about. Cons can be elaborate in 3 aspects as well: if CRL declines to invest this joint venture, meaning giving up this opportunity and even worse leaves it to rivals and in a long run, maybe will jeopardize the benefit of the organization as a whole. Pros Cons No invest risk Discard opportunity to develop Spare 2 million capital Create a chance for competitors Avoid loss Less benefit for CRL in long run 8.Recommendations Growth about 12% and 15% annually and entire business by 20% is the strategic objective of Charles River Laboratories. Joint Venture can increase the sale, which helps CRL get this goal. Join a new market is a risk, but after  visit members of Romero family. It can be seen that this family has knowledge, government influence, and trust. ALPES believes that this corporation should be successes. Invest in Mexico presents opportunities as well as challenges. But Mexico’s trade barriers have reduced by the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The business environment should be friendly. 9.Implementation Firstly, visit Mexico to get more information about ALPES and Romeros’ family. Both the CEO and the board of directors believe that this project could be trusted and this joint venture would serve profit. Secondly, this joint venture company is 50%-50% equity share. The profits also go halves SPAFAS would invest $2 million cash and ALPES would contribute their knowledge-existing SPF and commercial egg assets to the joint venture company. Thirdly, the direction of the investment: $1.5 million should be used to increase the SPF egg production capacity of the joint venture. $250,000 would be used to establish a pre-incubation facility; the left $250,000 would be used for ALPES to do some activity to build good social image and complete the services. 10.Contingency Plan Charles River Laboratories (CRL) has to prepare a contingency plan for the certain events may interrupt normal business operations. CRL has to build a team to follow up operation of this joint venture to make sure the profit from $2 million investment.