Report on Digi Telecom Essay

Recently Digi Telecommunications company is ranked as one of the best Telco companies in Malaysia and this is a report with emphasis on their success strategy derived from a financial analysis of up to date financial highlights of Digi Telecommunications. As it is a firm that is continuing to grow strong financially and a firm listed on the Bursa Stock exchange of Malaysia this report contains a few helpful tips and recommendations for Digi to remain successful and keep improving on its financial management strategies. IntroductionThe purpose of this report is to give an analysis of the financial position of Digi Malaysia company, mainly providing essential highlights for potential investors. In this report the content will consist of results of the calculated accounting ratios relevant to reflect profitability and liquidity, a comparison of financial statements and an analysis of the major trends and changes that occurred during the year 2009 and 2010. Another function of this repor t is to enlighten the reader on the main function of financial management and to define the basic and essential terms used in financial management.Other content of this report are a clear indication of the application of appropriate techniques tan one may use in order to determine whether Digi Malaysia is a healthy company for investment. The conclusion of this report will serve as a guideline for improvement as it will consist of a range of suggestions that are meant to help the company to improve its operations and also boost its financial state and becom more effective and attractive to investors.

Presentation of Self

â€Å"When an individual enters the presence of others, they commonly seek to acquire? information about him or to bring into play information about him already possessed. They? will be interested in his general socio-economic status, his conception of self, his attitude? towards them, his competence, his trustworthiness, etc. Although some of this information is? sought as an end in itself, there are usually quite practical reasons for acquiring it. Information? about the individual helps to define the situation, enabling others to know in advance what he? ill expect of them and what they may expect of him. Informed in these ways, the others will? know how best to act in order to call forth a desired response from him. †-Erving Goffman In â€Å"The Presentation of Self In Everyday Life,† by Erving Goffman he seeks to show the reader how everyone sets out to present themselves to the world around them, always trying to maintain the role they have selected for themselves , since those whom they meet not only try to decide what role it is you are playing, but also whether or not you are competent to play that role.Erving Goffman portrays everyday interactions as strategic encounters in which one is attempting to sell a particular self-image and, accordingly, a particular definition of the situation. I agree with Erving Goffman, in everyday life I believe we all play different roles to different people to portray ourselves in the way we want to be seen. The impression we have on people and society depends on the character and role we play.In my life today I try to please people the best way I can while still making myself happy I can relate to Goffman’s writings because I also believe myself that we are all actors playing a role in society that we choose to play. The ways we portray ourselves to the people around us can differ from friends to parents because we want a sense of acceptance from all. I agree with this very much. Growing up I know that I occasionally would lie to my parents to play the role that they wanted to see. The image my parents may have thought me to be, at times, actually was not me.I wanted to be my parent’s princess and the golden child, so I acted in a way to seek their approval which in some ways was not the â€Å"real† me. These conditions occur because of the existence of self presentational rules according to Goffman. â€Å"When one individual enters the presence of others, he will want to discover the facts of the situation. Were he to possess this information. †Also when meeting an individual we try to get information about them so we can act accordingly to their approval. How we act with one friend may not be the way we act with another.We determine the person’s status and attitude and decide for ourselves if we want to be a part of that. When we gather the information when first meeting someone, it determines the way we think and act towards them. Erving Goffman revolves his view of the human life around the belief that we are all actors who have both a front stage behavior and a back stage behavior. From an early age we have become skilled actors and move in and out of roles with precision such as with our family and friends. We follow the formal societal rules when we are on the front stage reciting a script, playing a role.This would include going to work, presenting ourselves as the person we should uphold to take part in society. On the other side, Goffman says our back stage behavior is informal, as we'd act when we are amongst friends. When I myself am in the public eye instead of in the social scene amongst my friends I find myself acting in a different way to please the group of people I am around. Erving Goffman had a good perception on society and natural human behavior that I myself can relate to and agree with.

Early Brain Development and Learning

It is not commonly known that the brain is 90% developed by age five. Most people believe that at age five children are just starting to learn. In fact, the brain absorbs more from birth to age five rather than from age five on. Parents and family can do many things to aid in the development of a baby’s brain, ultimately assisting in their learning. The sequence and rate at which the brain develops predicts the optimal times for a baby to learn. Sequence and rate is measured by milestones that a baby may reach by a certain age. Experiences are one thing that helps promote brain development. Our five senses give us these experiences. How in the first few years of life do we develop into the complex people we are today? We will look at how nature versus nurture; sensory perception; positive and negative experiences and both our social and physical environment contribute to and develop everything about whom we are as individuals. The brain is influenced in many different ways. The most important factors in brain development start with genetics, nutrition, and responsiveness from parents, daily experiences, and physical interactions. Parents need to know that children are learning and accepting more information that a fully grown adult. Children need positive and sensitive feedback from family. In the past, scientist believed that the human brains development was determined by a biologically determined path (Brotherson, 2005). This means that the brain would develop genetically through family, but leading technology and science proved that the brain is not predetermined genetically by family. The brain matures through the five senses: smell, touch, vision, taste, and hearing. The experiences that the five senses bring are very crucial to help build the connections that guide brain development. The importance of the parents understanding of the first few years of his or her child’s life is extremely important. As Titzer, P. H. D, (2008) uses a computer metaphor to explain brain development he put it this way â€Å"Your baby’s brain could be thought of as a highly responsive, self-programming computer. For the first few years, the hardware is still coming together – a baby is not a finished product, but a growing, developing individual, complete with organic â€Å"circuitry† – the central nervous system† (p. ). The brain will absorb more with more stimulation. At an earlier age stimulation for the brain circuitry is at its best. This will cause the brain circuitry to develop more effectively. The main function of the brain in the first three years of life is to create and support connections between neurons. The con nections are referred to as synapses. Synapses could be envisioned as the limbs on the tree. Imagine a large family tree with its trunk as the original lineage. Then the main branches are the families as they grow and have children. Neurons are like the trunk and the main branches of the tree. The number of neurons a baby is born with remains constant in the first three years of life. Synapses (all those years of lineage on the family tree) are all the little twigs and branches that come off the main trunk. In the first three years of life our brains synapses increase to a number in the hundreds of trillions. However, after age three the number of synapses begins to slow until age 10. During this period there are more synapses created than needed. A person creates more synapses than needed and the â€Å"use it or lose it† theory applies to all the unused synapses. The synapses being used the most, meaning the circuits that transfer information the most become permanent to the brain. The synapses not used are lost in a process called pruning. In fact, the ability to see light is lost if the eyes are not exposed to light within the first three weeks of life, hence â€Å"use it or lose it† theory (Hawley, 2003). This will happen because the synapses that can see light will be lost because they will not have been used. That is why we want to give our children as much experience socially and with learning as possible. With this kind of experience these synapses will become permanent. Brotherson (2005) describes a baby’s brain at this point like a â€Å"†super sponge† absorbing everything given to it (para. 4) The first three years are the most sensitive for learning and development (Gable & Huntington, 2001). The brain takes in these experiences through our five senses. According to Gable & Huntington (2001) â€Å"an infant’s social, emotional, cognitive, physical and language development are stimulated during multisensory experiences† (para. 12) During these first few years of life is most rapid growth period for the brain. At birth the brain is 25% developed, at six months it is 50% developed , at 30 months 75% developed and at age five it is already 90% developed. There have been many optimal opportunities for parents to teach their children many things from birth to this point already. Children at the age of two have been known to read at the reading level of a fifth grader because they were taught at the â€Å"prime time. † Acquiring the knowledge of how a baby’s brain develops and what can be done to influence it in a positive way can make a world of difference for a child. A positive influence during this critical period is very crucial. Let us take a look at nature versus nurture; sensory perception; positive and negative experiences and both our social and physical environment contribute to and develop everything about who we are as individuals. Take the study of nature, for example, our individual innate qualities versus nurture, and our personal experiences. As evidences by the recent Human Genome Project, it is currently believed that there is much more nurture than nature in the result of each of us. With this, how does nurture become nature? Let us look at the example of ‘perfect pitch’ to show the relationship between genetics and environment. This is an example of how† heredity and environment can interact† (Davies, 2001, para. 3). Davies (2003) describes perfect pitch as â€Å"The ability to recognize the absolute pitch of musical tone without any reference note. People with perfect pitch often have relatives with the same gift and research show this is a highly inherited gift, possibly the result of a single gene. However, studies also demonstrate a requirement for early musical training (before age 6) to manifest perfect pitch. Many personality and behavioral traits will not be exclusively the result of nature or nurture, but rather an inextricable combination of both† (para. 5). _ Nature versus nurture and the role that heredity and environment have in human development indicates that with almost all biological and psychological traits genes and environment work together in communication back and forth to create us as individuals . No one questions it; this is the ying and the yang, the Adam and Eve, the Mom and Pop of pop psychology and genealogy. Nature and Nurture is what made us what we are today and will determine what our children will be tomorrow. I have heard the expression that life is all about perception. We all know people who are positive and those who are negative. And each of us has either an optimistic or pessimistic personality. How we perceive the world around us is i nherently a matter of our sensory perception of the world and largely that done in the first several years of life. We have many senses but we most often refer to the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. We are born with the need for a multisensory environment. Research shows that interactions that are associated with many of emotion are more â€Å"readily remembered and recalled†_ __(Gable & Huntington, 2001, para. 17)_. With this, it is proven that with a multisensory environment we develop out temperament and emotions during an early the early stages of life. Developmental milestones are certain things that a child should be able to do by a certain age range. A child’s doctor will use these milestones to assess the development of a child in the area of his/her gross motor, fine motor, language, cognitive, and social skills. Even though each milestone has an age range, each child is different and unique so the age can vary significantly. One child may start to walk as early as seven months old and another child may not begin to walk until 16 months old and both would be considered normal. They both would be within the normal age range. In conclusion, we have looked at how genetics and environment in early brain development occurs as well as the importance of multiple sensory experiences, positive interactions, and social and physical stimulation in early development of a variety of cognitive and behavioral skills. It was briefly discussed that there are many interventions and treatments for improvement in many areas of interrupted brain development due to early childhood trauma, stress, and neglect with appropriate intervention. Many agencies today focus on education for parents and caregivers to ensure a more positive and educational experience for the early brain development. References Brotherson, Gable,S. & Hunting, M. (2001). Nature, Nurture and Early Brain Development. Retrieved from http://extension. missouri. edu/publications/DisplayPub. aspx? P=GH6115 Hawley, T. (2003). Starting Smart. How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development. Titzer, R. Ph. D. (2008). Your Baby Can Read. Carlsbad, Ca

Animals and the Myriad Ways They Can Kill or Heal Us Essay - 1

Animals and the Myriad Ways They Can Kill or Heal Us - Essay Example With treatments of this manner, it is fascinating therefore to learn how medical scientists have managed to turn the deadly poisonous venoms to medicine for treating various ailments in human beings. What then is poison or venom? Though used interchangeable, warns Dr. Vernon (2012, 1, paragraph 2) the two are different in meaning and are distinguished from one another in the method of delivery. Poison, he writes, is absorbed, ingested or inhaled while venom is injected. This resonates with Gibbons et al. (1990, 273) argument who define venom as a toxin produced in certain glands of one animal and mechanically transmitted by biting or stinging. This provides the hypothesis that all venoms are poisonous, but a poison is not necessarily venom. The King cobra is an example of a venomous snake and provides a perfect specimen for this study. Allow me to introduce to you the deadliest snake in the world; The King Cobra, also known as ophiophagus hannah or the snake eater. Named so because o f its dietary habit of preying on its ‘kin’s’ (feeds on fellow snakes). ... It has a broad and flattened head with the neck having a narrow hood which can be extended when threatened (WildScreen, 2013, 1, paragraph 2) .A single bite of this snake can easily kill a human. Worse still, a full- grown Asian elephant can die within a time limit of 3 hours if bitten on the trunk by this dangerous snake. In addition to the above features, most snakes normally produce a hissing sound in response to threat; however, this cannot be said of the King Cobra which makes a distinctive growl emanating from the throat and deepens as it grows. Dangerous as it is, this snake species is harvested for its meat, skin and bile which are used in traditional medicine (WildScreen, 2013, 1, paragraph 12). What type of Venom does the King cobra posses and how does it work? There are three different types of venoms namely; Hemotoxic, (attacks the cardiovascular system), Cytotoxic (targets specific muscle groups) and Neurotoxic (attacks the brain and the nervous system) venoms. Some snak es combine the venom types while others carry specific form of venom (WiseGeek, 2013, 1, paragraph 2). Ophiophagous hannah is one such which exhibits a combination of the three, but is predominantly Neurotoxic venom (Dr.venom, 2010, 1, paragraph 2). In the same line of reasoning, Corporation (2004, 273, paragraph 2) provides corroborating information which marries with that of WiseGreek. He posits that neurotoxins attack the nervous system, preventing the impulses from controlling the muscles thus paralyzing the victim. He adds that snake venoms are formed from enzymes, which are protein in nature. More so, different snake species have different cocktail of venoms which either work individually or in groups to achieve the desired end; neurotoxins, myotoxins and hemotoxins. Most

Market Analysis of the Natural Gas industry in Mexico Case Study

Market Analysis of the Natural Gas industry in Mexico - Case Study Example research is to provide a brief overview of the current stage of the natural gas industry in Mexico and to analyze the potential effects of the recent economic reforms for the private industry. According to the EIA estimates, Mexico is one of the four leaders in shale gas reserves. By 2013 Mexico’s natural gas reserves have reached 488bn cubic metres (Mexico Oil & Gas Report, 2014). Even though the natural gas production in Mexico has grown almost by 50% since 2000, demand for this natural resource also has grown significantly (by 80% since 2000) (Seelke et al., 2014). Natural gas in Mexico is mainly consumed for the national electricity generation and for oil operations support. The figure 1 visually illustrates that the increase of production scales still fail to satisfy current demand for natural gas. According to the Congressional Research Service, Mexico’s gas reserves are on the decline and fail to satisfy local demand because of underinvestment in exploration of the natural gas resources. Due to continuously rising demand of natural gas, Mexico relies heavily on the import of natural gas from the US. Thus, for example, in 2000, Mexico imported about 100% of its natural gas imports. However, by 2006, the country has diversified the range of countries-importers of the natural gas, and began to import liquefied natural gas from Peru, Qatar, and Nigeria (Seelke et al., 2014, 2014). There are three liquefied natural gas import terminals in Mexico: one on the Atlantic side and two terminals on the Pacific side (Seelke et al., 2014, 2014). The experts believe that the natural gas reserves have potential for growth and forecast that it will reach 500 bn cubic metres by 2018 and 505 bn cubic metres by 2023 (Mexico Oil & Gas Report, 2014). Partially this positive forecasts are referred to the Pemex’s activities in relation to deepwater natural gas exploration, and, partially, as a result of expected increase of private sector participation in result of new

Code of Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Code of Ethics - Essay Example Another ethical consideration involves the right to respect the patient’s wishes in relation their medical condition. This gives them the exclusive rights to make the decision that they want (Potter, 2005). In this situation, there are very many chances that are represented that would greatly hamper the process of arriving at the right decision. It is very difficult for a doctor to make a decision that would harm a patient’s life. This is because the sole duty of the care givers is to ensure that they do all that they can to rectify any situation that would harm the patient. The dilemma comes in when the practises that would increase the patient’s chances of survival are those that the patient is against. It will be very difficult to arrive at the right conclusion. Will it be right to treat Mr. E using all the channels that he did not consent to? It is also very difficult to watch his heath deteriorate. This creates a situation where private patient information i s given to people without the consent of the patient (Ribbens, 2005). It would be unethical for the doctor to put the patient on the ventilator. This is because this is a decision that lies solely with another party. It would be ethical for the brother to make the decision for the patient in respect to the ventilator. ... At the point of his decision making, he is considered as the voice of reason. He is also seen as the bridge between the doctor, their observations and what he has observed as the best possible choice for the patient. Autonomy in nursing is a very essential component. This is because it paves way and room for the nurse to employ all aspects of their acquired knowledge in their profession. The professional practise creates a situation where there should be room for the nurse to critically analyse a situation (Kockrow, 2003). Once they have done so, they are at liberty to make a decision which positively affects the patient. There are instances in the profession where the nurse does not require the ultimate permission to carry out certain practises. In many instances, the autonomy of practise is greatly hampered. This is especially so when issues of ethics are concerned. This practise is also greatly affected by the patient’s ultimate right to make a choice. As described above, a utonomy allows the nurse to make decisions on behalf of the patient. In such cases, the practise is without discretion to the patient or members of his or her family (Ribbens, 2005). Autonomy is greatly affected because it creates room for the nurse not to exercise their right. This is because the patient has his or her rights to stipulate what they want. This is in regard to treatment and other medical procedures. This limits the nurse or practitioner from what they what to do for the patient. In many instances, this is always the right thing (Kockrow, 2003). It is my obligation as the head nurse to report the provision of patient’s information to external sources. This is especially to someone who does not have exclusive rights to access the information or make any

Sexually Objectifying Music Videos and Lyric Increase Sexual Violence Research Paper

Sexually Objectifying Music Videos and Lyric Increase Sexual Violence - Research Paper Example pared to male characters since music videos portray women as sex objects because they use revealing or provocative clothes which display excessive skin exposure. Recent analysis of rap and hip hop music videos documents the presence of misogyny, which is defined as a sexualizing women and the dominance of men over women. The theme is visible in when numerous and highly sexualized women dance provocatively while wearing revealing clothes and being submissive to male artists other characters who are male in the music video. The result suggests that even though male characters are associated with various themes, female characters are mostly associated with position of objectification. Another recent content analysis study examined various sexual objectifications in other video music genres that include country and hip hop. The study showed that most of the sample video of female artists contained sexual objectification indicators like close-up shots of private body parts, touching of pe rsonal sexual body parts, sexualized dancing or ample skin exposure. Therefore, sexual objectification is not exclusively done to female characters by their male counterparts; but rather most female artists engage in acts of sexual objectification of their bodies. In accordance with objectification theory, sexual objectification is conceptually defined as a considering an individual as a body only valued by its use by others. Thus, basing on the definition, sexual objectification operationalized both in visual representation of female artists’ bodies and their behavior. Sexual objectification is common in media culture; however, music videos offer the potent example of it (Aubrey, Megan and Wanjiru 365). To understand how exposure to sexually objectifying music videos link to constructs... This "Sexually Objectifying Music Videos and Lyric Increase Sexual Violence" outlines how such types of video affect level of sexual violence. Research show that music video often differs in the way they portray men and women; generally showing men in more positive light compared to females. Specifically women are depicted in positions of submission compared to men; besides, men are likely to perpetuate violence and women are portrayed as victims. Music videos often show women dressed in provoking clothing specifically in sexually objectified music videos, the variation in the depictions of both men and women signifies the significance of considering gender differences in music video (Conrad, Travis, and Yuanyuan 137-138). Significant increase in sexualized videos results in idealized body perfection in young children, which is difficult to attain even for models that perpetuate the industry practice. Objectified music videos lead people to believe in reality that never exists which is detrimental especially to adolescents. Repeated exposure to sexually objectified music results in gender-stereotyped ideas and images that contribute to sexist attitudes and beliefs like sexual harassment and etc. Though, sexual objectification is one type of gender harassment, it takes into consideration other hosts of oppressions that women face ranging from employment discernment, trivialization and sexual violence. Consumption of sexually objectified music allows women to accept the tendency of viewing women as objects.

Green Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Green Accounting - Essay Example It is based on the existing financial accounting standards. In United Kingdom it is a combination of a company law and company accounting standards framed by the regulatory bodies which is utilised by the accounting professionals of UK (Sigma Projects, 2003). Different countries follow different kinds of GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) accounting principles based on their regulatory and legal frameworks. Sustainability and sustainable accounting have different meanings and applications. The concept was first coined by Brundtland Commission and published in the report Our Common Future in the year 1987 (Christofi and Sisaye, 2006). It involves the effective and optimum utilisation of resources and reducing carbon emissions, wastage, environmental impacts. Sustainability accounting on the other hand helps in the financial reporting and communication about the sustainability initiatives and actions to the shareholder’s and stakeholders of the company. ... The global climate change has been the result of the industrialisation process that has caused carbon emissions, global warming and weather extremities such as drought and floods (Khan, 2011). It has helped companies to identify their past and potential future environmental impacts and benefits in addition to the historical and financial outcomes from their business activities. It also provides forward-looking information to help the companies implement and formulate strategic solutions to strengthen the business performance and to respond to the sustainability challenges that the environment faces. Sustainability accounting also helps in the risk management through identification and analysis of sustainability related risks and opportunities. Interdisciplinary relationships between ASD practices and organisational success The main purpose of sustainability accounting reporting is measuring, disclosing and being accountable to the stakeholders of the company to evaluate the organisat ional performance. Sustainability accounting is a broad term used for describing financial reporting on the environmental, economic, social impacts (World Commission on Environment and Development, 2006). A sustainability accounting report should be able to provide a relevant and balanced representation of the sustainability performance of the company (World Commission on Environment and Development, 2006). The various purposes of sustainability report are as follows 1) Demonstrating how the organisation is influenced and influences by expectations about the sustainable development. 2) Benchmarking and analyzing the sustainability performance of the company with respect to the norms and regulations of the regulatory

Corporate strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate strategy - Assignment Example The constant need to venture into new markets and the pressure to judiciously utilize resources drives businesses to shape their corporate strategies and business objectives accordingly. The marketplace drives corporate decision making with regard to mergers, acquisitions, spinoffs, reorganizations and closures. There could be a number of different factors that prompt businesses to enter into new markets and locations, expand operations and enter into new business relationships. These factors include fast paced changes in tools and technologies, shift in consumer behavior or encountering uncontrollable factors, such as natural calamities and wars. In this era of globalization, mergers and acquisitions is one of the widely used modes of business growth and expansion for several companies. A significant reason for this is that the similarity in competencies among companies competing in the same marketplace promotes the betterment of financial performance, enhance competitive advantage, take advantage of innovative business opportunities and make an entry into newer markets and locations. However, mergers and acquisitions do not assure the organization of growth, development and success. The fact remains that a merger or acquisition can yield positive results for the acquiring company only if it is able to successfully manage the acquired business and transform it to ensure that it is line with the long-term organizational objectives (Haspeslagh and Jemison, 1991). A key element in the merger/acquisition process is the selection of the correct business that will be acquired. This process of selection is critical to the success of the acquisition, and requires deliberation, discussion and effective decision making. The main reason why organizations enter into new partnerships is to take maximum advantage of opportunities, such as entry into new markets and geographical locations, better access to cutting

Can the U.S. Government Still Be Regarded as a Federal System of Essay

Can the U.S. Government Still Be Regarded as a Federal System of Government - Essay Example Across America’s history, federalism has been defined in different ways. Cooperative federalism implies that the two forms of government are to work in collaboration with one another. Dual federalism supposes that the two forms of government are working separate from one another. Creative federalism relates to a combined planning and decision making system amongst the two. Horizontal federalism relates to the interaction and shared programs amongst them while vertical federalism means the conventional systems of federal governance whereby the actions of the central government are considered to be supreme as interpreted by the constitution. Every state in the US is characterized with its own positions relative to legal authority and political importance. Although states are not considered sovereign entities they can assume power and take actions relative to the functions of other governmental set ups (McKAY, 2001). The US Constitution had established division of authority among st the state and federal governments that had initially put restraints on the federal government in areas of foreign policy, defense and the controls over currency and commerce amongst states. Over time, this bifurcation of authority has been diluted and currently the federal government enjoys extended authority relative to almost aspects impacting US citizens. However, despite such increase in federal authority, states in the US continue being very significant centers of governmental functioning. Over the years, there have been different policies enacted by different Presidents in regard to reducing the federal government’s powers and vice versa.... This essya stresses that federalism is understood as a governance system whereby the constitution partitions power amongst the state and central governments and both governments take direct actions relative to the people they rule, in terms of the prevailing laws. It is understood that both entities are supreme in the context of their respective spheres of authority. The central and state governments are required to give their consent in the event of proposals being made for changing the constitution. Very rarely does federalism appear in discussions and debates pertaining to modern public policies. A good feature of federalism is that it retains power, traditions and local dignity while permitting the central government to deal with common issues. This paper makes a conclusion that the founders of the Constitution displayed a great deal of loyalty towards their respective states and were not inclined to provide unlimited powers to the central government. While framing the Constitution, the founders created a document that greatly succeeded in bifurcating powers while creating a balance in favor of the nation as a whole. However, it is widely perceived that over the decades the US has diverted from what was intended by the founders of the Constitution because the original intent was not to provide the federal government with extensive authority over issues relative to law enforcement, housing and education

Capital structure analysis Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Capital structure analysis - Math Problem Example Since the managers are not sure of the accurate share price IST, the company would face a lemons problem if it would wish to raise the amount of capital required through issuing equity. A lemons problem takes place when both the buyers as well as the sellers have asymmetric information about the worth of the product in order to take an informed choice, and it is not possible to get hold of the correct information. For example, if in the market, the buyer cannot determine the value or worth of the product precisely, then he might be willing to pay only an average price for it, which is near about the mean value of the bid price and the offer price. But, this skews the balance towards the lemon seller (whose products are not of high quality), because receiving an average price for his low quality product is good enough for him; as the average price would definitely be higher than the price the product would command if the buyer knew in advance about the quality of the product. This occ urrence also places the seller of a good quality product in a disadvantageous position, since the best value such a seller can anticipate to get for his product is an average price, which is actually lower than the value the product should command (Tel Aviv University, n.d.). Prob. a) In the case of IST, since the managers of IST are not sure about the accurate price of these shares and feel that it is either $12.5 or $14.5, so as the investors have chosen an average price and hence the shares of IST are presently trading at $ 13.50. i) At present, if the company issues equity to raise the required capital, the share price will remain $13.5. The managers of IST would always want to maximize the long-term share price of the company. If the managers know that the accurate value of the share is $12.5; because the shares would be priced at $13.5 which is higher than the actual correct price, the company will have to issue comparatively lesser number to shares as compared to the situatio n if the shares were priced at $12.5. If the share price was $12.5, IST would have to issue 40 million shares to raise $500 million and now that the share is trading at $13.5, it will have to issue 37.037 million shares. Thus, since in this case IST has to issue 2.96 million less shares, it gains around $40 million (2.96 million times 13.5) and hence the managers would definitely choose to issue equity to raise $500 million ii) But, if the managers know that the accurate value of the shares is $14.5, issuing equity would mean that the share price would remain at $13.5 though its actual value is more. This would go against their policy to maximize the long-term share price of the company and would also imply that the company would have to issue 2.55 million more shares than it would have at share price of $14.5. This would lead to a loss of $34.42 million (2.55 million times 13.5). If the company borrows the required amount, it has a threat of potential financial distress and the pre sent value of the financial distress cost would be more than any tax benefit, by at least $20 million. The potential loss by issuing debt is much less than the loss by issuing equity, hence in this case the mangers would choose to borrow $500 million instead of issuing equity. Prob. b) If the management of IST issues equity, then the investors should conclude that the

National Food Marketing Report Essay Example for Free

National Food Marketing Report Essay Pakistan is known for spice in the world, as it has brought several sub continental taste from India after independence. National Foods is the leading sub continental recipe masala company of Pakistan with distinct market share as compare to the competitors. National Foods began its journey in 1970 as a Spice company, with a revolutionary product that popularized the concept of having clean, healthy food. National foods’ initiatives were, to make food that is hygienic, reduce time spent in the kitchen by women, foster health and contribute towards personal attractiveness, so that people who use our products would be able to experience a more rewarding life-style. This was long before the phrase ‘Corporate Mission’ had even been invented. However, founder’s philosophy remains unchanged over time. Even if their language – and the notion of only women doing the housework – have become outdated, in this age of rapidly changing lifestyles, fuelled by the rampant development of technology; consumers are compelled to alter their eating habits. National Foods responds to this challenge of developing innovative food products based on convenience and quick preparation in line with modern lifestyles and yet retains traditional values through its diverse collection of food products. In a history that now crosses three decades, National Foods’ success has been influenced by the major events of the day – economic boom, depression, wars, changing consumer lifestyles and technological advancements. Even after three decades the company’s focal point still remains on customer’s needs through product development in line with the changing market trends. COMPANY PHILOSOPHY National Foods must focus on customer’s needs and serve them with quality products at affordable prices at their doorsteps. Our products must be pure and conform to international standards. Our research must continuously produce new adventurous products scientifically tested, hygienically produced in safe and attractive packaging. We must create environment in our offices and factories where talents are groomed and have opportunity to advance in their careers. We must prove to be recognized as good corporate citizens, support good causes-charity and bear fair share of taxes. Reserves must be built, new factories created, sound profits made and fair dividend paid to our stock holders through building a reliable brand. National Foods Ltd. must get itself recognized as leader in Pakistan and abroad. With the help of almighty God, the company can achieve its targets in years to come. VISION STATEMENT The vision of National Foods Ltd. is â€Å"To be a Rs. 50 billion food company by the year 2020 in the convenience food segment by launching products and services in the domestic and international markets that enhance lifestyle and create value for our customers through management excellence at all levels. † BUSINESS PRACTICES NFL believes in conducting its operations with strong ethical and moral standards. NFLs statement of code of conduct business practices aims to provide guidance on carrying out its business related decisions and activities. We wish to achieve excellence in all spheres of our operations for which code of conduct form the basis. Any party entering any form of contract with NFL is bound to comply with the given guidelines. NFLs statement of code of conduct business practices has the following seven guidelines: 1. Unfair Means: Any use of bribery, kickbacks or any form of payment in cash/kind to obtain business related or otherwise gainful benefit for the company is strictly prohibited. Excessive business gifts and entertainment also hold the same meaning and NFL does not approve of such payments. 2. Respect and Integrity: NFL believes in giving respect to individuals. We aim to operate in a manner that discourages discrimination, harassment and/or influence. Discrimination refers to favoritism based on a particular aspect of an individual personality. 3. Conflict of Interest: NFL prohibits actions that are in conflict with the company business interests. This may include but is not limited to providing assistance to the competition or holding ownership interests in a customer, supplier, distributor or competitor and making personal gains at company expense. 4. Confidentiality: NFL believes in confidentiality of information related to company business activities. The company expects employees not to disclose or divulge by any means the confidential and commercially sensitive information except to the authoritative personnel requiring it. 5. Statutory Compliance: NFL believes in providing total support and cooperation to all the governmental and regulatory bodies irrespective of the extent of prevalent enforcement. 6. Financial Integrity: NFL believes in complete compliance with the accepted accounting rules and procedures. This includes but is not limited to Transparency: NFL discourages any illegal activity for the purpose of any benefit to the company or others. All information supplied to the stake holders and/or auditors must be authentic transparent and Disclosure: All transactions must be fully disclosed and must be for the purpose stated for. 7. Health, Safety and Community Responsibility: NFL is fully committed to safety, health and responsibility towards environment and community. All activities of NFL must portray responsibility towards the community and nation as a whole. NFL seeks to employ procedures that are safe, healthy and environment friendly. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS This year brought a series of challenges and transformation for the Sales Team. As the magnitude of the socio-political upheavals increased in the country, the Sales Team was not only determined to face all the adversities, in the face of the law and order situation, but also introduce valuable changes which would be favorable for the overall growth and development of the company. In spite of the prevailing conditions of strikes, shutter downs and political turmoil, the Sales Team delivered its targets. In certain key categories like recipe and salt, we even over delivered. These categories have a significant impact in volume growth and bottom line as well. The Channel Specific approach implemented is beginning to yield results, where the Sales Team capitalized on the market sales potential in areas of Public Account, Local Modern Trade, International Modern Trade, Food Service Division, Special Category and General Trade. Sales growth in Public Accounts (USC-CSD) has more than doubled this year. In Special Category Management (SCM), sales of salt was at an all time high. The 2013 environment was once again challenging on account of deteriorating law and order situation, high inflation, counterfeits and energy shortages. However, in the wake of such challenges, we delivered 20% sales growth (Volume 15%) with an improvement in trading operating margin and EPS growth thereby demonstrating the value of strong alignment of our people behind our strategic priority to become Rs. 50bn business by 2020. Strong presence in international markets is at the core of our vision statement and in line with our aspiration we established a subsidiary in Dubai NFL DMCC to strengthen our export operations and plan to set up more subsidiaries in Europe and North America soon. The sustained business growth that we have evidenced in National Foods as well as strategic alignment provides framework for accelerated innovation, increased engagement with consumers and enhanced operational and financial capabilities. This will enable us to remain fit to win in more intense environment in future. Pakistan is the part of sub-continent, which is known for the high spicy foods and National Foods is the leading recipe masala of the country. But National Foods faced tough competition from the founder of the recipe masalas in the country that is Shan Foods’ Recipe Masalas. National Foods has different food categories and in each category they faced different competitors. National Foods started their operations with Jam, Jelly, Marmalades and Pickles and became a major competitor to Michelle’s and Ahmed Foods. National Foods are perceived as Pioneer in Ketchups and Sauces by competing with Shezan and now Shangrilla too. Following is the SWOT Analysis and Matrix as per National Food’s Strategy Formulation: Strengths: Cultural Image Developer Largest Food Exporter High Advertising Budget International Recognition. Weakness: High Pricing Strategy Limited Products Conventional Packing Stuck with Tradition Opportunities: High Food Entertainment Fond to International Tastes Multi-Cultural Lifestyle Technological Communication SO Strategy National Foods should introduced International Recipes WO Strategy Associate National Food’s Brands with Interactive Social Media Threats: Increasing Dine-in Hangout Low Priced Masala Brands Ready-to-Eat Food Availability Chef’s TV Demonstrations ST Strategy Sponsored the Cookery Shows on Leading Food TV Channels in Pakistan WT Strategy. Cobranding the National Foods with Leading Fast Food Chains for building association Proposed and Designed by Afnan Khan OLD VERSUS NEW BRAND LOGO OLD LOGO For over 40 years, we’ve been known as the one brand women all over Pakistan count on, but just like people grow and change, we’re growing too. And now it’s time for a change. Every year we’re growing bigger, brighter, more global, and our NFL spirit of adventure – which has been the energy behind every new and innovative product – is now the encouragement behind our new logo. The new Pakistani homemaker is feisty and vibrant and our new image is helping her feel just as we have generations of food lovers feel – completely at home. NEW LOGO At NFL, freshness is what keeps us going. We keep life updated with new recipes, new products, and now we’ve got ourselves a Transformed logo. As with everything we do, we took a careful look at what we had, kept the best of the past, and introduced elements that were exciting, appealing, and yet always true to our soul. We’re still caring, optimistic, and reliable and now we’re livelier than ever before! MARKETING MIX Product Categories National Foods Limited has Fourteen Product Categories: 1. Chinese 2. Desserts 3. Health foods 4. Jams 5. Ketchups 6. Pickles 7. Raj masala National Food’s Recipe Masalas are the high revenue generated product, competing with Shan Foods shoulder by shoulder. National Foods launched Rivaaj Pastes in last decade and received acclaimed response from the market by having a competitive advantage in product line. National Foods’ Chinese Recipes are pressured by the Knorr’s Chinese Recipes and failed to receive estimated targets. National Foods’ Ketchups are the followers in the market despite of being founder in the ketchup industry because of Shangrilla’s Chinese flavored ketchups. National Foods’ another product category of Pickles are the second most sales generated product and successfully beating the competing brands of Ahmed Foods and Shangrilla. National Foods launched Fruitily instant drinks around four years back but failed to receive the customer’s response because of mismanaged distribution and high advertising of competing brand of Tang Fruit Juices. Product Growth as per National Foods Annual Report 2013: Recipe Mix: National Recipes sales grew by 25. 2% further establishing its market leadership. Gross margin improved, thereby further strengthening the financial health of this important category. The National Recipe Princess contest was conducted in fifty colleges across six cities in Pakistan targeting college going female students. The Karachi Special launch was a laser focused activity to cater to Karachi by launching the recipe mixes keeping in mind the Karachi taste palette. Ketchup: The Sauces Category recorded star performance of 39. 6% growth underpinned by highly successful consumer offering of Ketchup and Chat Masala Combo Pack during peak seasonal period of Ramazan. Gross margin also improved significantly in this category. In addition to well-planned and tightly orchestrated advertising and promotional campaign, penetration, availability and visibility provided the brand fuel for growth to register impressive growth. Fruitily: Despite strong competitive environment in this category, Fruitily recorded 5. 6% growth, gained market share with noticeable improvement in Gross margin. As this is new addition to National Foods portfolio, we will continue to invest in this category to accelerate growth for the future. Salt: Sales grew by 26. 5% with Gross margin improving significantly thereby delivering healthy bottom line. This category has significant potential on health platform as it serves the human body’s requirement for Iodine. Pickles: The category grew by 18%, despite stiff competition. However, Gross margin was diluted on account of higher material cost as we did not pass on inflationary pressure to consumers. The manufacturing process has been redesigned to fully exploit the potential of automation and further upgrade the safety standards. Pricing Strategy National Foods launched their brands with penetrating marketing strategies especially for Masala Recipes, Pickles, Jams but found to be involved in skimming strategy for their brand Rivaaj. National Foods’ Masala Recipes are following the same pricing of Shan Recipes Masalas, but after the recent launching of Mehran Recipe Masalas and Nice Recipe Masalas at high priced strategy, National Foods are counted as on the skimming pricing. As National Foods are following the international quality standards with high marketing budgeting, they compel to be on their well settled prices instead of getting down, but to tackle the competition raised by Mehran Recipe Masalas and Nice Recipe Masalas, National Foods introduced Sachet at half price. Distributional Sales Force The National Foods sales team has also made a significant development toward rural penetration and coverage through a dedicated Rural Development Force (RDF). RDF has extended its operations up to 370 uncovered rural settlements and expanded its distribution to more than 4,000 outlets. To improve our distribution operations in Balochistan, they have appointed Muller and Phipps (MP), which is expected to enhance our sales performance in this geography. They have also taken initiatives to deploy IT solutions to maximize the benefit of information management in sales. A new software was implemented across Pakistan with key distributors to capture information on real time basis that will assist NFL to take quick action, provide analysis and assist in decision making. Promotional Activities National Foods is pioneer in developing state of the art promotional ideas in the food industry of Pakistan. Due to extra ordinary creative marketing and advertising campaigns, National Foods is perceived on the priority level as compare to their direct competitor i. e. Shan Foods in recipe masalas. Following are the leading marketing and advertising campaign: Rang Bharti Jao National Recipes celebrated its vivid persona with a two minute TVC, bursting with colors, emotions and sensorial shots of rich home-cooked food. In the background, the majestic voice of Tina Sani singing â€Å"Rang Bharti Jao† added to the surreal delicacy of the video. The â€Å"Rang Bharti Jao† campaign was a great success, as it won over the hearts of consumers due to its emotional appeal, and impressed the jury at the PAS awards. The amazing response led to National Recipe acquiring the Best Campaign Award in the Culinary Category. Karachi Special Launch After National Recipe’s great success, the Marketing Team was set out to cater to Karachi by launching recipe mixes especially made keeping in mind Karachi taste palettes. These recipe mixes have five different variants that are fierier and more flavourful to accommodate and satisfy the bold taste buds of Karachiites. Campaigning for these special recipe mixes was also in full throttle; with a TVC, hoardings and a massive BTL campaign, where the NFL float would go to different apartments and cook for the people there (trial activity). Moreover, Chef Saadat in support of National Foods would go to the float and cook for consumers all across Karachi. All this information was shared on our Facebook page for added hype. The Karachi Special Launch was a great stepping-stone for the brand’s aspirations of having long-term National Recipe loyalists in Karachi. National Ketchup Campaign National Ketchup experienced a huge boost in sales due to creative campaigns that coined the product as 100% tomatoes, making it synonymous with â€Å"real tomatoes†. Consumers highly appreciated the pre-emptive organic link to freshness and made the campaign, which ran on ATL and POS, very effective. The campaign also supported Ramadan season, which provided added exposure. National Recipe Princess Hundreds of college students were given a chance once again by National Foods to showcase their culinary skills. The National Recipe Princess contest was conducted in fifty colleges across six cities in Pakistan, with the aim of searching talented young girls who have a flair for cooking to compete for the title of Recipe Princess. This activation was highly successful as electronic media and digital media (Facebook page) gave it a huge boost. College students could keep track of the competition through photos, maps of the contest route, and group discussions and comments, resulting in colossal exposure of over a million views of the competition nationwide. Celebrity guest judges were also invited to the competitions for added hype and brand publicity creating the ideal recipe for success! National Pickles Campaign The attempt to reinvent the brand image of National Pickles proved to be a great success. The aim was to reposition it as a happening brand with an added zing, along with highlighting the pure, delicious and rich ingredients that make National Pickles the best. From the hummable tune to mouth-watering food shots and sensational ingredient shots, the campaign spoke to audiences of all ages, and increased the number of National Pickles fans in no time. National Ka Pakistan Pakistan’s culinary diversity and vivid culture are its joy and pride. National Foods sent out television’s renowned Chef Saadat on an exciting journey to discover the culinary gems hidden in the country’s nooks and crannies. Being the first ever attempt by a food company to create exciting episodic content that reflects the rich fusion of tradition and taste, this series was an attempt to showcase a safer and softer image of Pakistan along with highlighting Pakistan’s unparalleled love for food. The episodes were aired on 9 channels and were heavily supported by digital media as well. The show attained top ten ratings on news and entertainment channels, making it incredibly popular. National Ka Pakistan also bagged the prestigious Passion for Pakistan Award in the PAS awards 2012, triggering overwhelming success. Taste Of Pakistan National launched ‘Taste of Pakistan’, a unique cookbook that captured Chef Saadat’s journey from ‘National ka Pakistan’, and also celebrated Pakistan’s wonderful cuisine with 50 mouth-watering recipes from all across Pakistan. The response to this book was extremely positive because of the fact that the informative cookbook was not only a source for scrumptious recipes, but also a travel log, which helped consumers discover different regions of Pakistan and their delectable cuisines. Facebook Page Support By creating a presence on Facebook through the brand page, National Foods was able to interact with consumers on a much more consumer-friendly forum. It encouraged engagement as National Foods fans could now be updated about all the latest launches, BTL, contests, recipes, amongst other activities. Likes skyrocketed from a mere 15,000 to 60,000 within only eight months which resulted in an increase in the National Foods fan following, while setting sails to rising success for the brand. One-Minute Recipes In the fast-paced world of today’s times, people are always looking for quick solutions to everything. Taking the growing digital users as a base, National Foods launched the first ever one-minute video recipe cards in Pakistan. These one-minute videos were the quickest way to view a recipe with ease, and therefore, they gained a great deal of popularity, especially among the younger audience. The videos are now available on Google Play for Android cell-phone users too. To date, these videos have been viewed more than 55,000 times and the application software has been downloaded more than 6,000 times, thereby demonstrating its success. NATIONAL FOODS AS LEADING EXPORTER BThe wide range of National Foods products enjoys unparalleled acclaim across the world as we believe in providing nothing but the best. National Foods products are famous globally for their freshness, taste, hygiene and value for money. Providing you the exotic taste of Pakistan, National Foods products are distributed in over 35 countries in 5 continents, through our strategic partners. And with our continuous success, we are rapidly making inroads into new markets worldwide. NATIONAL FOODS IN COMMUNITY Commitment to CSR has been a part of the NFL strategy since its inception. Different initiatives reflecting our values are undertaken to give back to the society that has supported our business throughout the years. At NFL, we believe that CSR starts with providing the highest quality of products and services at the least cost and with the least environmental impact. From this foundation, our CSR aspirations continue to grow, incorporating processes and activities that aim to strengthen society and ensure sustainable social delivery. Sustainability underlines the foundation for NFL’s business endeavors, where we especially engage in strategic social investments, working to empower and uplift communities. The CSR Mission of National Foods is â€Å"Our CSR commitments must reflect all facets of our corporate personality – NFL as a manufacturer, an employer, a consumer in itself and as an industry leader. We uphold these commitments through our values, policies and our practices. †

True Nature And Personality Of The Creature Frankenstein English Literature Essay

True Nature And Personality Of The Creature Frankenstein English Literature Essay The creature experiences many rejections from society, the first time he was rejected was by his own creator himself, he was then rejected a second time in the forest where he meets a peasant or when he enter the villagers and the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted or when he tries to save a girl from drowning the villages throw rocks at him(I had saved a human being from destruction, and, as recompense, I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound, which shattered the flesh and bone. . It seems that the creature destiny is to be lonely and guilty due to his appearance and to the death he has caused. The creature prefers to stay away from people because everyone he met either attacked him or fled away. The monster discovers throw his reflection that is was ugly and understands the reaction of the human. Quote. The monster admires the De lacey family, as he does not have one. It feels the need to have a family, he sees how the Felix fiancà © got accepted in the fami ly and how Felix taught her to read .Furthermore the creature is impressed of the familys benevolent act for saving Safies father from prison from a death sentence. The creature in his turn feels that he can do the same, that why he voluntarily helps the family. At the beginning the creature had had a good heart and was prepared to help human beings. The creature anonymously help the family as this makes him feel good. The monster learnt reading and music through the De Lacy family; he noticed that it made the family more happy and cheerful. Music and reading also stimulates the creatures emotional reaction to happiness. The creature attempts to communicate with Mr. de lacy; the blind man. The creature after so many rejections still accepts to help human being-the source of his unhappiness. After saving the girl from drowning, her father attacks the creature thinking that he was harming his daughter. The creature caused fright to a few of the villagers and they threw some sort of missiles. The creature wants Frankenstein to create a female for him as it does not want to live his life alone. The creature swears to hide in the Amazon forest away from society with his mate. He also promises not to harm anyone else. You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede. Later on Frankenstein decides to tear apart the female monster as a result of guilt. he believes that by creating a female creature, he would be procreating a new species if the two mated together, Frankenstein also is not so sure how the female would react as just like the original monster she would be independent. Frankenstein decides to destroys the creatures last hopes of having a companion and not be in a painful solitude. You have destroyed the work which you beganà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I have endured incalculable fatigue, and cold, and hunger; do you dare destroy my hopes? The creature vows to take revenge on Frankenstein for destroying his last hopes. The creature decides to kill the loved ones of his creator so that in the end Frankenstein becomes as miserable as the creature. Frankenstein feels responsible and guilty for the death of his beloved ones, as he is the one whogave birth to that creature. Behind that horrible figure of the monster is an innocent childs mind. When the creature was born, it was innocent and harmless. Regardless to his rejection by Frankenstein, he still seeks companionship with humans. At first his only aim was to be accepted by society but it turned out to be a total failure. Firstly the creature was only seeking companionship from the human, but everyone (except Mr. de lacey) he approached fled away from him. The monsters second desire was to have a female mate from Frankenstein, but this desire could also not be fulfilled as Frankenstein destroyed it .He was rejected by most of the people he met, the creature sought a mate from Frankenstein but at the end it was destroyed. Still I desired love and fellowship At the end the monster was still lonely and isolated as he was at the beginning. We learn that his final desire was to have an anonymous death; leaving no traces of his existence. He realizes and understands that he cannot form part of the human society because of his hideousness even thought he is at time gentle and caring. The innocent creature turned into this cruel monster because humans were very prejudice. Prejudice comes about not because of the fear of the unknown, but rather of a misperception of how the unknown will affect an individual or society.

Butch and femme roles of lesbians

Butch and femme roles of lesbians Butch and femme roles were extremely important to the community in the forties and fifties; it was the butch role that was the most visible, and therefore the most likely to cause public scorn (Weissman and Fernie). The two sources, The Reproduction of Butch Femme Roles by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Forbidden Love by Aerlyn Weisman and Lynne Fernie focus particularly on the function of the butch role among working class lesbians in Buffalo. These sources draw on articles, oral histories and interviews of lesbians from the early twentieth century. Both the resources state that, although gender-appropriate styles and behaviors were rigidly enforced in order to maintain a clear distinction between the sexes, butch womens choice to not only reject traditional femininity but to also actively adopt masculinity was perceived as a threat to the very order of society and a prelude to social chaos. Despite the fear, and likelihood of harassment by police and other strai ght men, the courage of butches to claim their identities in many ways prepared the way for later generations of lesbians to break free from the narrow conventions of socially constructed womanhood and claim access to a kind of power traditionally held only by men (Weisman and Fernie). As a result, male representations of lesbian sexuality have had the most influence in shaping attitudes towards butch and femme identities throughout the twentieth century. Such representations have almost always assumed the lesbian role -playing is an imitation of heterosexuality. The main theory underlying the feminist disregard of role playing is that roles depend on sexual difference, which is naturally hierarchical, polarizing, and oppressive. Sexual difference is the grounds on which heterosexual roles are built, and thus contains within it an inherently unequal distribution of power. In the relationship of a butch and femme, since the identities of both are built on popular cultural stereotypes of male and female behavior, they tend to reinforce the inequality in power inherent in this dichotomy. In addition, in most cases one of the partners is active, strong, dominant, and initiating whereas the other partner is passive, weak, submissive, and enduring. The partner who is dominant in this equation mimics the role of a male in a heterosexual relationship, whereas the passive, weak and submissive characteristics belong to that of the female. Thus, because the butch- femme roles have the potential for being just as sexist as heterosexual roles, they imita te the latter, especially when talking about power relations between two partners. (Weisman and Fernie) According to Judith Roofs article, The Match in the Crocus: Representations of Lesbian Sexuality, the representations of lesbian sexuality in the dominant discourse often evoke the phallus by calling attention to its absence or substitution in sexual relations between women, so that it appears and seems necessary, at least symbolically, because of the inconceivability of sexuality without a phallus present. Therefore, lesbians are often depicted as having appropriated the penis, masquerading as though they really had it, and thereby assuming male privilege and acting upon it. This evokes the stereotypical image of the lesbians by phallocentric discourse and is seemingly embraced by the lesbian community in the form of butch roles. What Roofs analysis makes possible is an understanding of the ways in which the dominant ideology has a vested interest in making the butch femme role playing appear to be a mere replica of heterosexuality, as a way of calming male anxiety over the threat of female appropriation of male dominance. Thus, because the absence of the phallus requires them to achieve the balance through role playing, they merely are merely imitating the heterosexual norms. Butch femme roles were particularly prominent in the working-class lesbian bar culture of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, where butch-femme relationships were the norm, while butch-butch and femme-femme were taboo (Kennedy and Davis 244/81). Most of the lesbian community existed primarily in bars, since these were the only places where people could gather publicly, break the isolation of lesbian life, and develop both friendships and lover relationships (Kennedy and Davis 243/80). Just as in straight bars, picking up another type in lesbian bars was often the reason for attending the party. Although there are a few exceptions (like Nairobi in Forbidden Love who sent a rose to her desired person), the butch was typically the one who made the first move towards the femme who just sat and looked pretty. This idea of the male butch having to make the first move, replicates the role of a heterosexual male who usually is the one to make the first move at a club. The objective of a butch was to satisfy and keep his femme safe (Weisman and Fernie). This reiterates the notion of one of the partners being in control, strong, and dominant, whereas the other is weak, and needs the help of a man to keep her safe (Weisman and Fernie). This goes hand in hand with the notion of the society that perceives women to be inferior to men because they need a man to look after them. It was always the butch who put up with the discrimination, and bashing to keep their woman safe. Further, the butch is never attracted to another like herself. Rather, she is always attracted to a more feminine type of person (Kennedy and Davis 251/84). This can be paralleled to the idea that heterosexual males are not supposed to be attracted to the same type of person, but of the opposite sex. Therefore, though they are trying to show a discourse to heterosexual relationships, the fact that society is predominantly heterosexual subjected them to the widely known heterosexual st ructure. The role playing in the bedroom does not strictly and always follow pleasure being received only by one partner. Just like the sex life of heterosexual couples butch and femme complement each other in an erotic system in which the butch was expected to be both the giver and the doer (Kennedy and Davis 244/81), however not always. In simpler terms, as shown in Forbidden Love it was always the butch on top, and the femme on the bottom. Though this earned them a destruction of taboo around the sexuality of lesbians, it can be taken further by the notion that in the sex life of heterosexual couples, the female is the one on the bottom, and the male is the one who is taking charge, and dominant, and therefore on top. In contrast to a butch, a stone butch is a woman who is strongly masculine in character and dress, tops her partners sexually (and sometimes emotionally), and who does not wish to be touched genitally. Not all stone butches identify in female terms; some are known to identify with male pronouns, while many stone butches do not even identify themselves with lesbian or within the lesbian community. A common partner for a stone butch is a stone femme; a femme who bottoms sexually or who wishes not to touch the genitals of her stone butch partner. Moreover, the characteristics of stone butches can be found in many men, who wish to pleasure, but do not expect anything in return; that is to be total givers. These men get their zing from pleasuring their woman, identical to the role of a stone butch. (Weisman and Fernie) By wearing the attire of a man, the butches earn privileges that a heterosexual man would have. The femme, or the woman, who wears feminine clothes, does not have the same privileges of that of the males. Wearing manly clothes gives a lot more mobility and freedom to the butches, which parallels the liberation that heterosexual males get and their females do not. Moreover, the only way for women to achieve independence in work and travel and to escape passivity was to pass as men (Kennedy and Davis 245/81). Wearing manly clothes therefore also permitted these men to earn higher salaries and get better jobs (Weissman and Fernie); similar to how getting a job was known to be a mans responsibility in the heterosexual structure. Though there have been ongoing debates on the roles of butch and femmes, there is no doubt that their role playing imitates the functions which are evident in a heterosexual constitution. There are many reasons that have compelled these lesbians into taking up these heterosexual identities; one being the identification and visibility of the role of females in a society dominated by heterosexual notions of relationships, and another being that taking up the male characteristics, was the only way to let the society view their homosexual relationships as somewhat heterosexual. Thus, butches and femmes took on the notion of the heterosexuals by imitating their masculine style of clothing, sex habits, stratified positions and social behaviours.

Domestic Violence: Most Underreported Crime In America :: Violence Against Women Essays

Found at the scene of the crime two dead bodies stabbed brutally, and left to die at their house. This was the story that shocked the country in 1991. This was the start of the O.J. Simpson domestic abuse case. Unfortunately events like this happen many times over everyday in many setting all over the United states; however the victims of the other cases don't get nearly as much publicity. Some facts about domestic abuse: An average of nine out of 10 women have to be turned away from shelters on. The reason so few cases get assigned initially is the police usually don't have enough officers to meet the demand At the Portland Women's Crisis Line, where calls have doubled since the killings of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman, they welcome the increased attention. From July 19,through March 31, 1993 a total of 3,665 domestic violence cases were reviewed in Portland Oregon. Of those, only 281 cases resulted in some action taken against the accused abuser. Some of this is because there is not enough police, but it is mostly because the abused person is scared. For the last six months of 1993 and the first three months of 1994 Portland averaged about 1,000 calls each month or 12,000 calls a year. In January 1992, 30 criminal domestic violence complaints were issued. For January 1994, the number was more than 100. Nationally, estimates range from 2 to 4 million women assaults each year. Some studies show that 20 to 30 percent of all women who seek help at hospital emergency rooms are there because of domestic violence. Kyra Woods never made it to the emergency room. Whoever killed her saw to that. She suffered 13 stab wounds to the back five of them so violent the knife came out the other side of her body. Wood's mother, Mable, and two aunts wept quietly in a back row of the courtroom as the prosecution argued against bail for Woods' former boyfriend Jackson. Rod Underhill, the prosecutor, painted a picture of domestic violence. He told of a dramatic moment after the killing, when Woods' 4-year-old son, holding a teddy bear, re- enacted the attack. "He put his hands around the neck of the bear and shook it," Underhill said. "He began to pound it with a closed fist and slug it." Mable Woods said that her daughter never told her much about any abuse. Neighbors, however, told police of hearing the couple fight violently. According to police reports, one neighbor said, "They fought so hard the pictures on the wall shook back and forth.

Relationship Between Strings and Spacetime Geometry :: essays research papers

If string theory is a theory of gravity, then how does it compare with Einstein's theory of gravity? What is the relationship between strings and spacetime geometry? Strings and gravitons The simplest case to imagine is a single string traveling in a flat spacetime in d dimensions, meaning that it is traveling across space while time is ticking, so to speak. A string is a one-dimensional object, meaning that if you want to travel along a string, you can only go forwards or backwards in the direction of the string, there is no sideways or up and down on a string. The string can move sideways or up and down in spacetime, though, and as the string moves around in spacetime, it sweeps out a surface in spacetime called the string worldsheet, a two-dimensional surface with one dimension of space and one dimension of time. The string worldsheet is the key to all the physics of the string. A string oscillates as it travels through the d-dimensional spacetime. Those oscillations can be viewed from the two-dimensional string worldsheet point of view as oscillations in a two-dimensional quantum gravity theory. In order to make those quantized oscillations consistent with quantum mechanics and special relativity, the number of spacetime dimensions has to be restricted to 26 in the case of a theory with only forces (bosons), and 10 dimensions if there are both forces and matter (bosons and fermions) in the particle spectrum of the theory. So where does gravity come in? If the string traveling through spacetime is a closed string, then the spectrum of oscillations includes a particle with 2 units of spin and zero mass, with the right type of interactions to be the graviton, the particle that is the carrier of the gravitational force. Where there are gravitons, then there must be gravity. Where is the gravity in string theory? Strings and spacetime geometry The classical theory of spacetime geometry that we call gravity consists of the Einstein equation, which relates the curvature of spacetime to the distribution of matter and energy in spacetime. But how do the Einstein equations come out of string theory? If a closed string is traveling in a curved spacetime, then the coordinates of the string in spacetime feel this curvature as the string propagates. Relationship Between Strings and Spacetime Geometry :: essays research papers If string theory is a theory of gravity, then how does it compare with Einstein's theory of gravity? What is the relationship between strings and spacetime geometry? Strings and gravitons The simplest case to imagine is a single string traveling in a flat spacetime in d dimensions, meaning that it is traveling across space while time is ticking, so to speak. A string is a one-dimensional object, meaning that if you want to travel along a string, you can only go forwards or backwards in the direction of the string, there is no sideways or up and down on a string. The string can move sideways or up and down in spacetime, though, and as the string moves around in spacetime, it sweeps out a surface in spacetime called the string worldsheet, a two-dimensional surface with one dimension of space and one dimension of time. The string worldsheet is the key to all the physics of the string. A string oscillates as it travels through the d-dimensional spacetime. Those oscillations can be viewed from the two-dimensional string worldsheet point of view as oscillations in a two-dimensional quantum gravity theory. In order to make those quantized oscillations consistent with quantum mechanics and special relativity, the number of spacetime dimensions has to be restricted to 26 in the case of a theory with only forces (bosons), and 10 dimensions if there are both forces and matter (bosons and fermions) in the particle spectrum of the theory. So where does gravity come in? If the string traveling through spacetime is a closed string, then the spectrum of oscillations includes a particle with 2 units of spin and zero mass, with the right type of interactions to be the graviton, the particle that is the carrier of the gravitational force. Where there are gravitons, then there must be gravity. Where is the gravity in string theory? Strings and spacetime geometry The classical theory of spacetime geometry that we call gravity consists of the Einstein equation, which relates the curvature of spacetime to the distribution of matter and energy in spacetime. But how do the Einstein equations come out of string theory? If a closed string is traveling in a curved spacetime, then the coordinates of the string in spacetime feel this curvature as the string propagates.

Essay --

From the late 1800s and early 1900s immigrants saw the United States as a golden opportunity for success. Between 1880 and 1930, over 27 million new immigrants arrived, mainly from Italy, Germany, Eastern Europe, Russia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, and Sweden. This period in American history caused great change in culture of the neighborhoods and cities humanitarian movements that helped assimilation, laws surrounding immigration, and educational reform. Many factors in other country’s pushed immigrants to the new world. In Italy, many southern farmers had been struggling at the mercy of wealthy land owners and had to face declining health conditions. In Ireland, a great potato famine left the country in utter despair. Jewish immigrants, particularly from Russia, fled to avoid religious persecution. Everyone had their reasons for coming, whether it be expectations of economic success or for freedom, and the American Dream. However, most immigrants were not greeted with success and fortune as they expected upon entering the United States. In reality, many economic, social, and political conditions caused early American immigrants to endure great struggle in order to shape what became a thriving country. The new immigrants arrived imagining the United States as a land of freedom, where people worshiped as they pleased, enjoyed economic opportunity, and had been emancipated from the oppressive social hierarchies of their homelands. However, these new immigrants had no intention to permanently stay in the United States. Most expected to hit gold and promptly return to their homelands. Upon arrival, immigrants began to pile into cities which quickly became overpopulated. Lack of appropriate housing and generally having little money m... ...ng of the 20th century forever changed America. Many of these immigrants came to the country expecting to find the streets paved with gold, and opportunity knocking at their door. However, an evolving system of labor greeted these immigrants, and they were often forced to adjust to unfavorable working conditions and wide spread discrimination. Laws put into legislation further restricted the lives of these people making it even more difficult to assimilate to the American way of life. These hard working men and women truly exemplify the spirit of excellence and effort for without them, we would not be where we are today. Their contributions to society were numerous, and the effects of that era revolutionized the urban landscape of the United States. Immigrants are truly an example of what hard work and determination can achieve when a group of people stick together.

Otheloo

Race in Othello Race is one of the most prominent themes in William Shakespearean Othello. The titular character is a black man in a predominantly white society and one of the first black heroes of English literature. At the time the play was written, black people were treated poorly by white people and were referred to as â€Å"moors† as they were considered to be barbaric and brutal Just like the area of the moors in northern England. The main character is one of few exceptions to this as he is a high ranking officer in the Venetian army.However, this does not prevent indirect discrimination Enid his back. The theme of race and racism is displayed using annalistic imagery, allusions to the occult and straight out racist language. It is not only black people discriminated against in the play, women and even different Italian nationalities are discriminated against. At the time of the play this would have been acceptable but in today's society this mind-set is not politically correct. Othello is the plays primary protagonist. However, because he is black he is the subject of a lot of the characters ridicule.At the beginning of the play, Abrogation is angered that his aught, Desman, is about to marry Othello. Interracial marriage would have been frowned upon at the time. Abrogation describes this as â€Å"too true an evil† expressing his anger at it. However the thing that sets Othello apart from the other Moors is his military background. He serves in the Venetian army which makes him superior to other people of his race. His military service leads people to see him as as opposed to other moors. Despite this, he is not spared from the discrimination of other characters.Ago frequently refers to him as â€Å"black Othello†. This singles him out from the others. At that time black would have also been associated with sin and evil, another reason why the moors were looked down upon by others. This imagery of the occult is linked into the contex t of the play. Abrogation makes references to Othello being involved with black magic many times. He believes that because of his exotic origins, Othello has links to Satan and the dark arts and that he used this magic to win over his daughter. â€Å"Against all rules of nature and must be driven to find out practices of cunning hell. Abrogation does not like the idea f having mixed-race grandchildren and uses many absurd excuses as to why his daughter fell for Othello. At the time, races such as black people and Jews were accused of working with the devil using black magic. In reality these were Just stories fabricated from rumor and legend to spread fear into people. Othello is even compared to the devil himself numerous times. At one point, Ago says that Desman will soon grow tired of being married to a moor. He says â€Å"Her eye must be fed and what delight shall she have to look on the devil? † He is comparing Othello o the devil himself.He later goes on to say â€Å" have you not hurt your head? † This may initially seem like an innocent comment but he is actually suggesting that Othello has horns beginning to grow from his forehead. As the play progresses, Othello becomes more paranoid and has evil tendencies. The metaphorical horns growing represent his growing internal evil and the stereotype of moors being evil monsters. Othello himself fears that he will succumb to this evil and says â€Å"a horned man's a monster and a beast. † By the end of the play, Othello has almost become the stereotypical or feared by white people.A violent murderer blinded by vengeance and insanity. This demonic imagery can be closely linked to the beastly imagery in the play. Another racial stereotype towards moors was their supposed annalistic tendencies. They were thought to be a beastly race and along with the previous satanic imagery, there is a lot of beastly imagery as well. Early in the play, Ago says to Abrogation that â€Å"an old black ram i s tipping your white ewe. † He uses the word â€Å"black† to put emphasis Othello race and provoke Abrogation by telling him that that he andDesman are making â€Å"the beast with two backs. † Ago knows that a black man having sex with his daughter will enrage him so he chooses his words carefully to full fill his motives. Later on Ago describes Othello transition into the stereotypical annalistic moor. He says that â€Å"he foams at the mouth and by and by breaks out to savage madness. † This is almost like a savage animal that foams at the mouth and snarls which represents what Othello has become. Towards the end of the play, Othello beats his chest in a similar fashion to a gorilla.This is a prime example of his ruinations from a noble general to the fear that had been pumped into the white population at the time. He is now the physical manifestation of what people think of his kind and is reinforcing the racial stereotype of moors. As you can see, blac k people were perceived as barbaric monsters that practiced black magic at the time the play was written. Although initially he was nothing like this, Othello slowly becomes this image of the typical moor. Racism towards black people is evidently the predominant example of race in the play. However, it is not the only example.Venetians regarded themselves very highly at the time of the play so practically any sort of ‘outsider' was discriminated against. Michael Cassia is a Florentine and at the time, people from Florence were regarded as academics and scholars. This gives Cassia a reputation as such. Ago says that Cassia â€Å"never set a squadron in the field† which makes him out to be meek. He also says that Cassia displays â€Å"mere prattle without practice† meaning that he is all talk without actually acting on his words. The typical stereotype for Florentine at the time was that they were not made for fighting UT for being scholars.However, later in the pl ay Cassia goes on to disprove this stereotype when he gets in a drunken brawl. This display of violence is a contradiction of the Florentine stereotype and makes people see Cassia in a different light for the rest of the play. Women are also frequently discriminated against in the play. There are three female characters in the play and at the end of it all of them have been referred to as a â€Å"where† at least once throughout its course. At the time of the play women were expected to obey and serve their husbands and treat them tit the utmost respect regardless of how they were treated.Emilie and Desman are both beaten by their respective husbands at least once and Bianca is mocked frequently by Cassia. He calls her a â€Å"poor caitiff' and even a â€Å"monkey'. She appears to love him yet he only uses her for his sexual desires. He brags to Ago about how â€Å"she falls thus about (Caddis) neck† and they both laugh at her. Emilie is aware of how women are mistrea ted and is a feminist of sorts amongst the more submissive female characters. She says â€Å"(men) are all but stomachs and we all but food to eat us angrily and when they are full they belch us. This shows she is aware of how men used women at that time and how she opposed it. In reality, the women have the ability to bring the men to their knees. Othello spiral into insanity at the thought of Adhesion's infidelity is a prime example of this. Although they are mistreated and seen as mere objects by most men they have the potential to manipulate men to cater to their every need. Race is evidently an important theme in Othello. At the time, people tended to be slightly narrow-minded or prejudice towards people whom hey perceived as different.Different races or genders are heavily discriminated against by other races or genders using crude metaphors and absurd stereotypes. However, the play seems to contradict these stereotypes. The black character was initially more civil and moral than the others and the women indirectly bring down many of the male characters. It shows how looks can be deceiving and how stereotypes and race can affect our Judgment of people. Even in today's society this can be seen. Othello is a prime example of how Judging people by their race can be wrong. Otheloo Race in Othello Race is one of the most prominent themes in William Shakespearean Othello. The titular character is a black man in a predominantly white society and one of the first black heroes of English literature. At the time the play was written, black people were treated poorly by white people and were referred to as â€Å"moors† as they were considered to be barbaric and brutal Just like the area of the moors in northern England. The main character is one of few exceptions to this as he is a high ranking officer in the Venetian army.However, this does not prevent indirect discrimination Enid his back. The theme of race and racism is displayed using annalistic imagery, allusions to the occult and straight out racist language. It is not only black people discriminated against in the play, women and even different Italian nationalities are discriminated against. At the time of the play this would have been acceptable but in today's society this mind-set is not politically correct. Othello is the plays primary protagonist. However, because he is black he is the subject of a lot of the characters ridicule.At the beginning of the play, Abrogation is angered that his aught, Desman, is about to marry Othello. Interracial marriage would have been frowned upon at the time. Abrogation describes this as â€Å"too true an evil† expressing his anger at it. However the thing that sets Othello apart from the other Moors is his military background. He serves in the Venetian army which makes him superior to other people of his race. His military service leads people to see him as as opposed to other moors. Despite this, he is not spared from the discrimination of other characters.Ago frequently refers to him as â€Å"black Othello†. This singles him out from the others. At that time black would have also been associated with sin and evil, another reason why the moors were looked down upon by others. This imagery of the occult is linked into the contex t of the play. Abrogation makes references to Othello being involved with black magic many times. He believes that because of his exotic origins, Othello has links to Satan and the dark arts and that he used this magic to win over his daughter. â€Å"Against all rules of nature and must be driven to find out practices of cunning hell. Abrogation does not like the idea f having mixed-race grandchildren and uses many absurd excuses as to why his daughter fell for Othello. At the time, races such as black people and Jews were accused of working with the devil using black magic. In reality these were Just stories fabricated from rumor and legend to spread fear into people. Othello is even compared to the devil himself numerous times. At one point, Ago says that Desman will soon grow tired of being married to a moor. He says â€Å"Her eye must be fed and what delight shall she have to look on the devil? † He is comparing Othello o the devil himself.He later goes on to say â€Å" have you not hurt your head? † This may initially seem like an innocent comment but he is actually suggesting that Othello has horns beginning to grow from his forehead. As the play progresses, Othello becomes more paranoid and has evil tendencies. The metaphorical horns growing represent his growing internal evil and the stereotype of moors being evil monsters. Othello himself fears that he will succumb to this evil and says â€Å"a horned man's a monster and a beast. † By the end of the play, Othello has almost become the stereotypical or feared by white people.A violent murderer blinded by vengeance and insanity. This demonic imagery can be closely linked to the beastly imagery in the play. Another racial stereotype towards moors was their supposed annalistic tendencies. They were thought to be a beastly race and along with the previous satanic imagery, there is a lot of beastly imagery as well. Early in the play, Ago says to Abrogation that â€Å"an old black ram i s tipping your white ewe. † He uses the word â€Å"black† to put emphasis Othello race and provoke Abrogation by telling him that that he andDesman are making â€Å"the beast with two backs. † Ago knows that a black man having sex with his daughter will enrage him so he chooses his words carefully to full fill his motives. Later on Ago describes Othello transition into the stereotypical annalistic moor. He says that â€Å"he foams at the mouth and by and by breaks out to savage madness. † This is almost like a savage animal that foams at the mouth and snarls which represents what Othello has become. Towards the end of the play, Othello beats his chest in a similar fashion to a gorilla.This is a prime example of his ruinations from a noble general to the fear that had been pumped into the white population at the time. He is now the physical manifestation of what people think of his kind and is reinforcing the racial stereotype of moors. As you can see, blac k people were perceived as barbaric monsters that practiced black magic at the time the play was written. Although initially he was nothing like this, Othello slowly becomes this image of the typical moor. Racism towards black people is evidently the predominant example of race in the play. However, it is not the only example.Venetians regarded themselves very highly at the time of the play so practically any sort of ‘outsider' was discriminated against. Michael Cassia is a Florentine and at the time, people from Florence were regarded as academics and scholars. This gives Cassia a reputation as such. Ago says that Cassia â€Å"never set a squadron in the field† which makes him out to be meek. He also says that Cassia displays â€Å"mere prattle without practice† meaning that he is all talk without actually acting on his words. The typical stereotype for Florentine at the time was that they were not made for fighting UT for being scholars.However, later in the pl ay Cassia goes on to disprove this stereotype when he gets in a drunken brawl. This display of violence is a contradiction of the Florentine stereotype and makes people see Cassia in a different light for the rest of the play. Women are also frequently discriminated against in the play. There are three female characters in the play and at the end of it all of them have been referred to as a â€Å"where† at least once throughout its course. At the time of the play women were expected to obey and serve their husbands and treat them tit the utmost respect regardless of how they were treated.Emilie and Desman are both beaten by their respective husbands at least once and Bianca is mocked frequently by Cassia. He calls her a â€Å"poor caitiff' and even a â€Å"monkey'. She appears to love him yet he only uses her for his sexual desires. He brags to Ago about how â€Å"she falls thus about (Caddis) neck† and they both laugh at her. Emilie is aware of how women are mistrea ted and is a feminist of sorts amongst the more submissive female characters. She says â€Å"(men) are all but stomachs and we all but food to eat us angrily and when they are full they belch us. This shows she is aware of how men used women at that time and how she opposed it. In reality, the women have the ability to bring the men to their knees. Othello spiral into insanity at the thought of Adhesion's infidelity is a prime example of this. Although they are mistreated and seen as mere objects by most men they have the potential to manipulate men to cater to their every need. Race is evidently an important theme in Othello. At the time, people tended to be slightly narrow-minded or prejudice towards people whom hey perceived as different.Different races or genders are heavily discriminated against by other races or genders using crude metaphors and absurd stereotypes. However, the play seems to contradict these stereotypes. The black character was initially more civil and moral than the others and the women indirectly bring down many of the male characters. It shows how looks can be deceiving and how stereotypes and race can affect our Judgment of people. Even in today's society this can be seen. Othello is a prime example of how Judging people by their race can be wrong.