Thursday, October 31, 2019

Financial Statements Paper Part II Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Statements Part II - Research Paper Example The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement store in terms of sales. In fiscal year 2008 which ended in February 1, 2009 the company generated $71,288 million dollars (Annual Report, 2008). The most important report that is released by public corporations regarding the operating and financial status of the company during a period of time is the annual report. In the annual report the managerial staff of the company provides an overview of the financial condition of a company. This paper analyzes the managerial assessment of the financial condition of the company. In order to determine whether the managers are being truthful about the situation ratio analysis will be used. In the 2008 annual report the managers admit that 2008 was a down year, but they claim that the firm made improvements to its operation and that considering the recession the firm is happy with the results. The managers are telling the truth in regards to the negative effects that a recession has o n the retail industry. In the annual report it claims that the company reduced its revenues by 7.8% and that operating earnings per share was reduced by 22%. The managers are insinuating that the profitability of the company was weak. In accounting there is a principle called the conservatism principle. This principle states that when in doubt; choose the method that will be least likely to overstate assets and income (Weygandt & Kieso & Kimmel, 2002). Three ratios that provide information regarding the profitability of the company are the gross, operating, and net margin. The metric results for Home Depot for these three financial ratios respectively in fiscal year 2008 were 34%, 6%, and 3% respectively. Financial analysis evaluate whether a financial metric is good or not is by comparing it to the industry ratio. The gross margin, operating margin, and net margin industry standards are 26.85%, 5.11%, and 3.18%. The company outperformed the industry in two of the three profitabilit y ratios and in the one that it was below the industry it was only by 0.18%. In the annual report the company claimed that the firm’s generated over $5.5 billion in cash which help the firm reduce its debt obligations. A financial ratio that can help a person determine the validity of the manager’s statement is the current ratio. The current ratio is a financial metric that test the ability of a company to pay off its short term debt (Garrison & Noreen, 2003). The current ratio of Home Depot in fiscal year 2008 was 1.20. A current ratio is normally regarded as good if it is above 1.0. The current ratio of Home Depot at 1.20 is also above the industry norm of 1.15. Another statement the manager claim in the annual report is that the firm had accumulated a very solid $41 billion in assets. Having a lot of assets is good, but it is more important to generate income off those assets. A financial metric that test how efficient a company is at utilizing its assets to generat e income is the return on assets (ROA) metric. The return on assets of the company in 2008 was 5%. The figure is good when you compare to the industry standard of 3.9%, but the firm’s ROA was reduced by 100% in comparison with the previous fiscal year. There were other operational decisions of significance mentioned in the 2008 annual report such as the fact the company closed down 15 stores, it

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Lao Tzu (traditional china) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lao Tzu (traditional china) - Essay Example This is because the latter comprises of numerous Chinese to the extent of referred as China proper. Northern region is a lowland terrain compared to the South, which is high comprising of two key river systems mostly in that area depended for agriculture. It is irrefutable China’s populace for long compared to other people residing in other global states is extremely diverse. This is especially in terms of culture, language and other varied aspects that render unique as well as unified despite significance differences that characterize it. Outstanding aspects that make it diverse embrace religions ranging from Taoism, Buddhism, and Islam to Christianity besides others. In addition, Chinese also reside in diverse significant regions characterized by unique dialects though they comprise one general state having a capacity of approximately 500 Million. Comprising this capacity, there are key minorities that constitutes 6.7% of the entire populace

Sunday, October 27, 2019

History Essay about Apartheid

History Essay about Apartheid Following the stretched history of Europes imperialism, the 1948s National Party election ushered in a novel historical dispensation in the South African social, political as well as economic landscapes. The national party intensified and officialised the apparatus of racial segregation under both the British and the Dutch rule. As noted by Ayittey (1996), the coalition which constituted the national party in addition to other consequent South African governments standardized separatist directive which resulted in the effectual categorization of persons according to races. The organization was planned in a way such that the White minority marginalised the black majority to its management in a deceitful system well-known jointly as apartheid. The existence of the dispensation placed the white minority on a favourable platform than their black majority counterparts. The ruling white minority and who were at the top of the hierarchy in the South African society controlled the social-eco nomic affairs as well as the political arena. Ayietty (1996) took note of the fact that the white acquired all the positions that ensured that they sustained and fully enjoyed the proceeds of the countrys industrialization whilst the black majority lurched in scarcity and estrangement in the margins of a racist and devious regime. In addition, Esler (1996) discovered that while the white minority had full access to a high standard of life similar to that of developed countries, the black majority lingered in the sphere of mediocre education, poverty, in addition to pitiable living standards. This situation in all aspects of life led to the prevalence of low life expectancy among the blacks. South Africa had simply turned into a state that was governed by following the propositions of the whites-only referendum. Subsequently, South Africa split up from other former colonies including the Commonwealth group of British colonies. Apartheid was an ostracized political dogma which was out rightly destined in the whole world, Esler (1996) pointed out that apartheid was set up at a time when the human race had already gone through the impact of imperialism and racial discrimination culminating from the devious slavery system in America as well as the scramble for Africa. The instruments of apartheid led to isolation a nd the divestment South Africa from conventional global doings in political social as well as economic realms. The separatist and racist apartheid legislations ensured that the blacks remained at the margins of the major economic activity. On the other hand, the enacted coterie of pass legislations made it hard for the blacks majority to have access to the income generating opportunities as well as well-paid jobs in the white zones. A statement by Jean (1989) reveals that the apartheid regime made it nearly impossible and difficult for the blacks to be involved in any economic activity. For instance, most women who attempted venturing into commercial beer brewing were often raided by the police and labelled as deviants. (Op.cit) indication to the economic control imposed on women by the apartheid system was the actuality that the existence of women in towns was illegal in the authoritarian assertion of pass laws. In addition, Black men were also barred from making a living in the desirable White Zones A considerable percentage of blacks were employed in the farms owned by the whites where earnings were astonishingly low. Entrance to towns where one could have landed on a lucrative job or even better income earning prospects was closely safeguarded by the racially prejudiced regime through the implementation of stringent pass laws. The pass laws were accompanied by an endorsement in and endorsement out clause. The part was set for use by employers who in return use the clause while condemning or recommending pass holders. Subsequently, the stage administering the economic indulgence constrained the blacks to deprived rural areas identified then as Bantustans. Numerous of these reserves were supposed to be in premeditated poverty by way of prohibiting access to private possessions as part of the invasive feint customized to gag the economic opulence of black South Africans. The condition of the pass laws created for the black South Africans was part of a holistic ruse to influence the capitalist method on cheap labour. The establishment and enactment of Pass laws made it possible for the regime to incarcerate most of the black South Africans to stations where human labour was required the most like in the farms. The circumstances came with substantial law pass linked arrests in urban areas where criminals were ferried to white farms to be used as prison labourers. Verwoerd delineated that controls regarding emigration had to be stiffened to avert manpower from departing the white farming areas and instead turn into loafers in the city. (Hayward Jean 1989) One illuminate societal impact of apartheid in South Africa was its considerable effect on women. Women endured the dual brunt of gender segregation as well as racial discrimination. According to Lowis (1996), the oppression of black women was dissimilar from the type of repression directed at men. Women under apartheid had no rights (Lowis, 1996). The researcher underscores that in the profound hand of apartheid women were not allowed to access education, they had neither rights to own property nor any legal rights. Several black women had found their only financial consolation in mean jobs as either domestic workers or in the farms for meagre wages. The majority of the women had to undergo the depressing reality of horrible poverty which increased the death rate of children who heavily suffered from malnutrition. On the public facade, one main feature of the deceitful system of apartheid was the stratification and classification of people as per their respective races. Legislations such as the Population Registration Act of 1950 were enacted to assist in the categorization of all South African citizens with respect to their race. The major Classifications recognized consisted of the Whites, the Black as well as the coloured. From a different front the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act of 1953 was used to create split public facilities for use by both the blacks and the whites. This was the driving force of the apartheid philosophy which supported the racial differences as the source for nationalist economic social, as well as political policies. Sebastian (1992) highlights that the execution of the apartheid system supposed that South Africa was the first state in the world to legalize racism. In addition, Sebastian (1992) alluded to apartheid as a very repressive system that was intended to be a tool for overbearing the economic lives of all the black individuals as well as their respective physical locality. The writer notes anyone found without an approved job would be relocated off the urban or white zones. This resulted in a scenario where blacks working in urban areas lived as annual immigrants. The black were required to subsist in two different worlds where they may possibly just live with their families in remote rural area on one occasion in a long while and then travel into urban areas for over eleven months to fend for their relatives in the city, in the mines or in the mines. On the worldwide collective dais, the organization of apartheid in South Africa led to the seclusion of South Africa in worldwide sport in the mid 1950s. It should be highlighted that apartheid barred multiracial sport which had the implication that South Africa could not take part in international teams as these teams consisted of numerous races. Demands from associations such as the Non-Racial South African Sport Association put pressure on South Africa. The association made efforts and lobbied the International Committee to put weight on the South African government to influence and rectify its racial sports policies and institutions. The xenophobic antics of the apartheid were propagated and local as well as international pressure groups pushed for more efficient seclusion of South Africa. The apartheid ploy comprised of a coterie of incorporated financial and political procedures harmonized by societal strategies modified to incarcerate the black mainstream to environs of the South Africa culture. The pass regulations ended in a methodical demolition of the family component as well as the whole cultural and societal structure of the black preponderance. The popularity of felony in the slums is strongly linked with adverse state of affairs in which children are brought by principally struggling single parents, especially mothers, dwelling in the slums where the regulative father facet is constantly absent. Mermelstein David (1987) points out that a major aspect that served as a profound blow to the black community was the element of education. The blacks were supplied with a doctored Bantu learning syllabus which simply equipped the black to minister to the consumerist desires of their white masters. The definite form of education prospectus crafted in forged means to maintain blacks at the overhaul of their white masters meant that learning was not compulsory and as essential as was the case for white children. The issue policies in significant subjects for instance science, math and languages made the blacks linger in restricted profession prospects with inability to contend with their white counterparts. The education catastrophe was exasperated by University isolation which was executed in 1959 to capitulate devastating results for the blacks. Mermelstein David (1987) commented that the effects of schooling strategies are far severe than the situation tinted by South Africas school turnout and literacy facts. The researcher declares that the majority of the South Africans supposedly learned are in actuality functionally ignorant from a developed functionality perception whereas scores of those scheduled as attending school create negligible advancementÂÂ  over the years due to stumpy turnout and pass statistics. The doctored apartheid informative strategy not only dented the black societal framework but also damaged the apartheid financial system and fashioned restraining vicinities which were not in cycle with formation of a pulsating autonomous financial system. Mermelstein David (1987) explains that Apartheid teaching guidelines resulted in locating back human resource formation past a distinct generation which consequently fashioned the most essential of all financial limitations on the outlook and prediction of the advancement and growth of the state financial system and independentÂÂ  society in general. Albert Luthuli was the initial leader of black emancipation faction the African National Congress from the year 1925 to 1960. The black association idol was awarded a Nobel Peace reward for the responsibility that he cooperated in combating ethnic brutality in the 1960s. The resistance was fought from assorted angles attributing diverse conquerors at diverse intonations of the fig ht back which terminated in the voting of the ANC into authority in 1994 at the time Nelson Mandela turned out to be the earliest black president of South Africa. The Apartheid system restricted blacks in the echelon of tyranny by endorsing regulations to prohibit the dispute of blacks against the ills of the status quo. The nationwide labour decree for example was propagated to limit blacks and the citizens of colour from objecting the performance of the indigenous labour Act of 1953. In the principle of the Act Suckling, John et al (1988) remarks that the regimes administrators were given the authority to proclaim states of emergency and augment the forms of punishment that the administration were to impose. One such extraordinary state of emergency transpired at Sharpeville where almost 69 blacks died in a brutal spar amid the state military and the black protestors. The apartheid government had numerous grasps on the societal lives of the blacks. Suckling John et al (1988) comments that the rules which explicitly dealt with individual privileges necessitated that couples get country consent prior to living jointly. State establishments would either award or deny the rights of the black couples for feeble explanations frequently found on what the country usually deemed to be surplus blacks. Under the individual decrees families considered as excess were thrown out of the Bantustans and damned to live in places remote from the secured white regions. The societal lives of South Africans were as well exposed to the ruthless Immorality Act of 1950 which believed marriage involving diverse races as unlawful. Moreover, the modification of the Immorality Act in 1957 solicited that even the illustration of plans to create a relationship with somebody of an ethnicity different from yours was prohibited. Under apartheid decree blacks were suppressed from all political doings. The blacks independent rights were seized from them alongside all their civil rights which were forfeited under numerous regulations passed by the state administration. Any political configurations particularly those fashioned with the objective of communicating resistance politics was forbidden through the ratification and execution of the Suppression of Communism Act of 1950. This act offered the basis for onslaught on any sort of political movement despite of whether it was socialist or not. The detached Representation of Voters Act seized the suffrage from the control of the blacks and banned them from partaking in general voting. Sunter Clem (1987) comments that the decrees approved to control political doings were authoritative to a degree that any black who wanted to defy them risked custody demise. Sunter Clem (1987) declares that by 1963 the defence police force had exterminated more than 100 blacks in political altercations. Dozens of thousands were confined to prison many without any trial nor legal representation (Op.cit) The author also remarks that due to the tyrannical and impulsive political indulgence countless blacks died in political remonstrations and conflicts as police force and the armed forces gunned down black campaigners. By expansion The South African Statute Laws gave assertion to the South African argument to imprison any citizen to remote sections or states. The imprisonment sentence involved issues like blacks were forbidden by the country to travel, inscribe, or converse in public. Even more appalling for the blacks those confined had no supremacy to petition against the imposed endorsements. The United Nations classify South Africa as a middle revenue country with a redoubtable contribution of wealth. United Nations furthermore identify SA as a state with well industrialized economic, lawful, communication and transportation segments amid other props of one of Africas financial and political powerhouses. The South African stock trade, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is categorized along with the pinnacle twenty in the globe. Ayittey George (2006) clarifies that the generally glowing financial infrastructure from the apartheid government of the post-apartheid black government is innate. The author comments that the financial system leverages a great deal on contemporary infrastructure which chains a proficient allocation of commodities to main hubs right through the Southern African expanse. In 2007, South Africa was categorized as 25th globally in the assessment of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of that year. South Africa is racially varied as apparent through the language strategy which holds 11 official languages. The varied music, dance as well as food from a superfluity of cultures has led to South Africa being one if the major tourist destinations. Society is nevertheless determined by the depressing crime levels which stay on as an evocative indentation to the Southern African powerhouse laden with abundant potentials. Despite having gone through apartheid, South Africa has remained to be an economic thrust in the region and in the whole continent. The present international economic predicament however pressurizes to halt the development that the country has realized in the precedent years. From Dodsons point of view, South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people. This thought of equal opportunity as well as fairness was the underpinning in South Africa. Regrettably, with the arrival of the Dutch, South Africa turned into a system known as apartheid. Apartheid was a structure that ensured racial isolation, in addition to providing the whites with the power to rule above all the other races. Despite the fact that the blacks had made trials to stop the whites from gaining power. There came the effects that enclosed every facet of their life together with work, education and property. Despite all the protesting by the blacks, their attempted way out did not reasonably work. Ultimately apartheid ended in the spring of 1994. Apartheid is truly a social injustice since it brought suffering to non-white people as well as depriving them of their God given rights and privileges.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essay --

Over the past decade it has been recorded that the elephant population has dropped by 62%. In 1977, 1.3 million elephants roamed the great plains of Africa. By 1997, only 60 thousand remained and by 2006, there were only 10 thousand wild elephants left in Africa. Unfortunately, these numbers are not getting any better. Today elephant poaching is illegal, but that is not stopping it from happening. Both African and Asian elephants are still being killed for their valuable tusks. The tusks of elephants are created of ivory. This has been an extremely valuable substance for years and killing elephants is one of the few ways people can obtain it. Money drives our world and our economy, so people will do a lot in order to get the money they want. That’s not the only cause of this epidemic, though. Not only do poachers want the elephant’s large tusks, but some hunters also consider elephants as a trophy animal. This means that people are killing elephants so they can bring t hem home and put their heads on display. It’s a way to gloat and illustrate their hunting skills. This pursuit of ivory and trophies by hunters is further damaging our ecosystem as well as the mental and emotional stability of elephants around the world. Research has now been able to help prove that elephants do not only suffer Physical damage from poaching, but they are also suffering from mental and emotional damage. After years of studying these enormous beauties, scientists have discovered that elephants are capable of complex thought and deep feeling of emotions, emotions being plural. Research has proven that elephants’ have a variety of emotions that they express during different times and situations in the wild. They react to events in a way that is so cl... ...a huge accomplishment to take down one of the biggest animals in the world. It illustrates the hunter’s strength, patience, and talent. Most trophy hunters would love to have an elephant to show. Hunts are usually supervised by a game warden. A technician also accompanies the hunters in order to make legal trophies, usually from the tusks and the feet. The meat of the elephants is disrupted among local people in the area. This helps decrease waste from the elephant and helps use more than just the ivory. In some regions of Africa, large game hunts may help to also generate more income to average and below average villages than conventional agriculture. This is usually due to the challenging environment for successful crop growth. Drought has recently been a growing cause of these poor conditions. It is affecting the people, and the animals in this habitat greatly.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Edgware in London to City Road Essay

Using what I have learned from my study materials, I will compare Station Road, Edgware in London to City Road, Cardiff for either their similarities or differences relating to inequalities. Both roads are over 200 years old and have similar layouts. Station Road is located in a neighbourhood and is very similar to City Road as it is extremely busy with high volumes of traffic and also pedestrians shopping and commuting. Along this road there are a few takeaways, cafes, restaurants, newsagents and estate agents, pharmacy, banks, charity shops and also Edgware Underground station. On the one side of the streets is a big shopping centre with more shops inside and well known supermarkets Sainsburyà ¢s and Marks & Spencer. There are similarities on mentioned streets such as road signs, bollards and of course shops and people which make the street what it is. City Road has a large Ethnic minority, on Station road only a small minority are white British, the rest are Asians and East Europ eans. There are also differences between the streets and this essay will use the differences to show how this can create inequalities. Differences are not just there or given, they are made by people in relation to others and by people in relation to material things and their environment. One of the visible inequalities on Station Road is the traffic infrastructure. The numerous controlled crossings help pedestrians access their destinations, but in turn it has an adverse effect for motorists and increases social disorder between motorists and pedestrians as they fight for space among the road. City Road was said to have been a country lane 200 years ago, but by the 1960à ¢s was taken over by car showrooms. Most of them have been replaced by cafes, takeaways and restaurants designed for large numbers of ethnic minority and student population (The Street 2009, scene 1). There are inequalities between local shops and big supermarkets on both streets. On the street I know there are three powerful stores, Sainsburyà ¢s, Marks & Spencer and Lidl. They have large ranges of products, the competitive prices, car parking spaces, they sell more goods for the convenience of people.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Internal Control for Outflows: Cash Disbursements and Investments Essay

Cash Disbursements  · Budgeting and Supervision The first step towards any business activity is planning and budgeting. The expenditure that is likely to be incurred for each activity or each department must be estimated and included in a budget for that activity/department. Not only the amount but also the type of expenditure that is applicable to the activity ought to be defined. Once the budget has been formulated and approved by the Board, it must be ensured that the disbursements are used only for those purposes that are defined in the budget. Any expenses outside the budget must require special approval.  · Proper Authorization The person or persons that are entitled to make authorizations for cash disbursements must be determined beforehand, clearly and unambiguously. It will be wise if one individual from the organization, generally the executive director, or the head of each department possesses this right. Other than these people, no other person should be allowed to sanction cash disbursements.  · Segregation of Duties Different persons must be responsible for different duties related to cash disbursements. For instance, there should be a different person authorizing the payments, another one signing the check and another person making the entry in the books of accounts. This will reduce chances of fraud.  · Two Signatories for Larger Checks If the check is for an amount larger than a stipulated one, it should require the signature of two persons, who operate at a higher level in the organization.  · Documentation and Accounting Bills or receipts supporting each cash disbursement must be present. The cash disbursement must be properly entered in the books of accounts by the book keeper or cash manager.  · Periodical Internal Audit An internal audit must be conducted periodically to ensure that all accounts relating to cash are accurate, in compliance with the policies and there are no other discrepancies. Investments  · Investment Policy The organization should have a proper investment policy containing details of the type and quantum of investments it would like to make during a specified period of time, generally a year. Further the policy should also provide particulars as to the financial instruments/products and financial institutions approved for investment purposes.  · Transfer of Money The money involved in the sale and/or purchase of investments must be monitored. Wire transfers should be regulated with an appropriate set of regulations and security measures. Banks should be make aware of these regulations and should be required to provide written notifications of wire transfers as well as other investment transactions.  · Segregation of Duties The persons responsible for approving investments, signing the checks, signing the receipts, supervising the process of investment and documenting the investment must all be different.  · Recording and Documentation The sanction provided, the process followed and other information in relation to the purchase and/or sale of investments should be accurately recorded and documented by the investment manager.  · Periodical Statements Reports and statements must be compiled from time to time, preferably annually containing details about the total investments of the organization, the various forms of investments, their market value, interest rates, maturity dates and other important particulars, if any.  · Periodical Internal Audit An internal audit must be conducted periodically to ensure that all accounts relating to investments are accurate, in compliance with the investment policy and there are no other discrepancies.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on How To Find A Good Job

How to find a good Job. Finding a good job is not always easy. Sometimes you just don’t know where to begin your search. First you want to figure out what types of jobs interest you? Then figure out your availability. What days of the week? Fulltime or part-time? Days or afternoons? You want to know and understand your qualifications. The Internet has many places where you can search for local job listings. There are lots of websites that you can find great jobs such as Hotjob.com or Career builder.com. They also give you the option to send your resume right through the email, which is very convenient. Or you could even get addresses, phone numbers, or fax number. Also if you pick up your cities daily newspaper you can find many job listings in your area. They can provide you with the same information names and numbers. Finding a job this way is a little quicker than the Internet but its just not as advanced as online. While out getting a newspaper usually by them you can find the employment guide, this guide shows you local listings that are hiring immediately. Sometimes there is a magazine called career search, which it shows local jobs to. You can also call a phone number in the magazine, which will give you the option of immediate interviews. There are other options such as going to employment offices. You can call and set up an appointment, or just walk in and set one. When you go to your appointment they will have you came in and answer a few questions about what you are looking for and what they think is good for you. When you come in you may do some basic test, depending on the job you want. This is so you and the employers know what you are capable of doing for that company. Any skills and experience will come in handy now. Even if you don’t have much experience they can find you an entry-level job. After they get everything they need from you they contact employers or ... Free Essays on How To Find A Good Job Free Essays on How To Find A Good Job How to find a good Job. Finding a good job is not always easy. Sometimes you just don’t know where to begin your search. First you want to figure out what types of jobs interest you? Then figure out your availability. What days of the week? Fulltime or part-time? Days or afternoons? You want to know and understand your qualifications. The Internet has many places where you can search for local job listings. There are lots of websites that you can find great jobs such as Hotjob.com or Career builder.com. They also give you the option to send your resume right through the email, which is very convenient. Or you could even get addresses, phone numbers, or fax number. Also if you pick up your cities daily newspaper you can find many job listings in your area. They can provide you with the same information names and numbers. Finding a job this way is a little quicker than the Internet but its just not as advanced as online. While out getting a newspaper usually by them you can find the employment guide, this guide shows you local listings that are hiring immediately. Sometimes there is a magazine called career search, which it shows local jobs to. You can also call a phone number in the magazine, which will give you the option of immediate interviews. There are other options such as going to employment offices. You can call and set up an appointment, or just walk in and set one. When you go to your appointment they will have you came in and answer a few questions about what you are looking for and what they think is good for you. When you come in you may do some basic test, depending on the job you want. This is so you and the employers know what you are capable of doing for that company. Any skills and experience will come in handy now. Even if you don’t have much experience they can find you an entry-level job. After they get everything they need from you they contact employers or ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Cleave, Cleaver, and Clove

Cleave, Cleaver, and Clove Cleave, Cleaver, and Clove Cleave, Cleaver, and Clove By Maeve Maddox Sophia Bailey asks about the word cleave: Can you please explain cleave. On one hand it means to separate (cleaver butcher) and on the other it means to cling to (cleave to bosom). Huh? Old English had two verbs that have come to be spelled the same way in modern English: clifian: to adhere, to stick cleofan: to split, to separate Note: In these OE words, the letter f stands for the v sound. From clifian we get the cleave that means adhere or stick (in the glutinous sense). Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, King James version) She cleaved to him, and he could feel his blood changing like quicksilver (D.H. Lawrence, Women in Love (1920) Already married to a man who had ended up in prison, she cleaved to the outlaw†¦ (blog about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, with a 1995-2005 copyright notice.) †¦she cleaved to her Baptist views until her death. (a book review dated 1999) From cleofan we get the cleave that means cut in two. Order a side of beefthat’s half a cow, roughly 300 poundsand get it cut and cleaved any way you like. (ad for a meat company) A gyrocopter pilot drove towards a hunt supporter who was trying to stop him from taking off, cleaving his head from top to bottom, ..(grim story in the Telegraph, 19 October 2010) Cleofian was a strong verb in OE so we also have the past form clove: [they] conducted him into a vast room, clove a passage for him through the assembled nobility of England, [The knight] cut through all his head armour and his skin and his flesh and clove him in twain. he clove the rock, and the waters gushed out. .. the king seized hold of a huge sledge-hammer, and swinging it round his head, struck it with such force upon the anvil that he clove the massive block of iron in twain†¦, From cleofian we also get the words cleft, cloven and cleavage. Cleft can be used as a noun, as in a cleft in the rock, or as a an adjective meaning split or bifurcated. A cleft palate is a malformation involving a split or gap in the palate. The expression, to find oneself in a cleft stick, means to be in a dilemma, to be unable to go forward or return to ones initial position. The hoof of a pig or a goat can be described either as a cleft hoof or a cloven hoof. The latter has diabolical connotations because the Devil is often depicted in art as having the feet of a goat. The word cleavage is much used by geologists, biologists, and writers of celebrity gossip. cleavage: The action of cleaving or splitting crystals and certain rocks along their lines of natural fissure; the state of being so cleft. cleavage: Cell-division, segmentation. cleavage: The cleft between a womans breasts as revealed by a low-cut dà ©colletage. (colloquial) A cleaver, of course, is a butchers cutting tool. It can be of any shape, but the shape most often associated with it is that of a small hatchet. The noun clove, meaning the pointy bit that breaks off a bulb of garlic, is related to OE cleofian, to split. The noun clove meaning the spice comes from a word meaning nail, Anglo-French clowes, French clou, Latin clavus. Cloves are the dried flowerbuds of an evergreen tree. They resemble nails. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply with20 Words Meaning "Being or Existing in the Past"Comma After Introductory Phrases

Sunday, October 20, 2019

A Good Man Is Hard To Find 2

A Good Man Is Hard To Find 2 Essay A Good Man is Hard to Find; In the short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find;, the main character is the grandmother. Flannery OConnor, the author, lets the reader find out who the grandmother is by her conversations and reactions to the other characters in the story. The grandmother is the most important character in the story because she has a main role in the stories principal action. This little old lady is the protagonist in this piece. We learn more about her from her direct conversation with the son, Bailey, her grandchildren, June Star and John Wesley, and the Misfit killer. Through these conversations, we know that she is a lady raised from a traditional background. In the story, her attitude changes more than once to accommodate the surroundings that she is in. With the data provided, we can tell that the grandmother goes from not wanting to go to Florida, to anxious to go, and in the end, I felt as if she went off the deep end. All of the sudden, the only thing she really concentrates on is Jesus and her not being killed. The action in the entire story surrounds and normally begins with something the grandmother has said or done. At the very beginning of the story, she starts off by stating that she does not want to go to Florida. She would rather go to east Tennessee and tried anything she could to change Baileys mind (Page 426). Later in the story, as they began the trip to Florida, the grandmother talked the entire time. She would tell stories of her youth to the grandchildren and lecture them about being more respectful to their native state, and to their parents. Although the grandmother is the protagonist, it is her fault that the trip ended in the devastating way that it did. She, unknowingly, led her entire family to their fate. She is even more responsible for the deaths because of what she brought on the trip with her. If there had been no cat, there would have not been an accident. If the accident would not have happened, the family had an extremely good chance to survive their vacation. There are many things that happen in the story that gives more information about the grandmother. The reader can tell that the woman is paranoid by her conversations at the start of this story. She reads about the Misfit killer and assumes it would be dangerous to travel to Florida with a man like that on the loose. She is also a lonely person because she sneaks her cat, Pitty Sing, along for the ride. The author states that the woman did not want to leave the cat because it would miss her too much or would rub against a burner and asphyxiate itself (Page 427). I believe that the cat was the only thing that showed her love and attention. Her only son, had a family of his own, her grandchildren were older now, and she felt like she was not important to them anymore, and the childrens mother was involved with the baby. By bringing the cat, she felt like she would not be lonely. The reader can also tell that the woman is extremely prejudice. She refers to the black child as a cute little pickaninny; and a nigger. You can also tell a lot about the old woman by what she is wearing. In the car, she wears white gloves, a sailor hat, and a navy blue dress. She states that the prominent clothes are worn so that if anything happens, the people that find her body will know that she was a lady (Page 427). I think she wore this outfit so that she could think she was something she was not. It is clearly seen that in her youth, she lived in prosperity. She had everything from youthfulness to money and to love. One of the most important scenes in the story .

Friday, October 18, 2019

Two Novel Loci for Genetic Resistance in Malaria Essay

Two Novel Loci for Genetic Resistance in Malaria - Essay Example Severe forms of malaria are caused by P. falciparum, a prevalent parasite in Sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria has been mentioned in literature as a potent form of natural selection among human populations (Kwiatkowski, 2005). This has been evident in malaria prone regions where, for instance, sickle cell variants in human populations have been shown to be refractive against malaria infection. Other genes which are known to confer genetic resistance against malaria include Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) deficiency and ?-thalassemias variants. In Africa and Asia, genetic resistance against most prevalent malaria form, severe falciparum malaria is conferred by variants of hemoglobin and G6PDH deficiency. The structure adopted by the sickle cell variant of hemoglobin may not offer optimum environment for the malaria parasites to flourish as compared to the normal hemoglobin. Genetic Resistance in Malaria Genes involved in malaria resistance include the sickle cell genes for hemoglo bin where the heterozygote form confers malarial resistance (Kwiatkowski, 2005). In addition, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) deficient individuals are also refractory to malaria infections. This confirms that malaria resistance among humans has a genetic element which according to Hedrick (2011) is evolutionarily significant. It is important to note that these malaria resistance genes such as the ABO, HLA and G6PDH are highly variant. Human host response to malarial parasite is different especially for P. falciparum. Some individuals may succumb to infection whereas others may survive. This varied refractoriness may be attributed to genetic factors which account for around 25% of the risk of severe malaria (Mackinnon et al., 2005). Thus, among the population where malaria cases are prevalent, malaria has exerted significant pressure on the human genome to select mutations that are known to confer genetic resistance (Tishkoff and Williams, 2002). Besides sickle cell and Gl ucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) deficiency, other mutations such as Duffy mutations and ?- thalassemias also confer genetic resistance to malaria. In endemic areas especially Sub-Saharan Africa, malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum has imposed strong selective pressure amongst the population (Snow et al., 2005). Factors mentioned in literature linked to this susceptibility environmental, host genetics and parasite virulence (Mackinnon et al., 2005). These factors may interplay to determine the course of the disease. The advent of the completed human genome has heralded a new dawn in the understanding of major diseases and the potential susceptibility to these diseases as a result of one’s genetic make-up. Apart from the known genetic resistance variants known to protect against malaria, G6PDH and sickle cell trait, molecular biology technologies which have engaged data from the complete human genome have contributed to the progressive discovery of genes and/or gene loci that influence the susceptibility to disease both directly or indirectly. Genes that confer resistance to malaria, for instance, may alter the normal interaction between the parasite and host or in other cases may modulate the development of immune response towards the pathogen. These polymorphisms may exist in the population as processes of natural selection and co-adaptation take place. Several malaria parasites infections

LensCrafters Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

LensCrafters - Assignment Example Incurring least costs involve employing opening up more stores and having employees who serve clients in the quickest way possible. This, consequently, enhances the customer experience. Operations management is an inevitable part of an organization as it involves the movement of goods from the producer, the retailer, and finally to the consumer. Ensuring customer satisfaction while simultaneously striving after efficiency is a huge challenge to operation management activities. Operations management entails the processes and scientific methodology through which products are created and delivered effectively to customers. This is because customers define the existence of a business. The way in which an entity produces and channels products to customers creates the difference between a delightful and an unpleasant customer experience. In the end, produced goods should be available to the market on time and be of the desired quality. Effective operations management, therefore, is crucial to providing high-quality goods that customers demand within a desired period. In designing goods and services, operation managers should value the opinions of customers. A proper market research necessitates that a company asks customers what they need before designing products that appeal to general consumer preferences. Physical characteristics such as dimensions, color, and materials are customer specifications that a company translates into making final goods. It is crucial, however, for a product to undergo prototype testing in order to ensure that customers’ specifications are feasible. Customer experience also depends on the service delivery and system design. This includes the facility’s location, the servicescape, organizational structure, technology, and information support systems. Location affects a customer’s travel costs and time. Besides, the servicescape should entail an enchanting physical impression that promotes customer

Business skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business skills - Assignment Example This paper will provide how the entrepreneurial mindset would add value in the business environment(McGrath, 2000, p. 244). A good mindset should set its ambition for achievement. By doing this, they are setting their standards high and have an ambition to achieve. Their mindset should be forward looking. Looking forward will show the way the business has still to follow. The business mindset should be self-sufficient. Owners have to accumulate the necessary capital to sustain the business. Furthermore, the business mindset has to be optimistic(JM Haynie, 2010, p. 87). The mind has to see an advantage rather than a disadvantage for venturing into business. To achieve higher, the business has to be task and result oriented. The management should define to the employees on what the business wants. All employees, either the manager or cook should be restless and energetic. A hardworking workforce can attain any level of profit realization. Managers and supervisors have to be observant of the situation of the businesses(Hitt, 2001, p. 80). They should keep all employees on track and ensure they produce the b est. A self-confident businessperson is destined for success. They should fear no competitor and have the ability to participate in risk-taking ventures. The businessperson should also be persistent. He has to be determined to achieve anything. A business dedicated to completing a task would achieve higher in the end. The trait of independence is very important in businesses. The operators of these businesses should do things their own(Mauer, 2009, p. 98). Thus, they have to demonstrate that they enjoy conducting unconventional things. Thus will be their beginning of success. Being independent is working alone. Businesspersons should not involve family members or friends in running a business. Working independent will demonstrate the real potential of the business. In the market, there are forces that diverge attention of most entrepreneurs. They lure

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Critique OPEC website Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critique OPEC website - Essay Example This essay discusses OPEC, that has been quite successful in presenting its case as a joint effort to protect its members from possible exploitation by industrialized countries. For this purpose, it has used several means of propaganda and its website www.opec.org has been quite effective in projecting the serious aspect of OPEC’s loquacious inducements of using oil as a tool of diplomacy, intimidation and restitution. The details and information that have been made available through this website is the sharp example of how fastidious OPEC is about its appearance or presentation to the entire world. A number of causes comes into focus of this essay. The list of reasons starts with restrained production policy of OPEC nations. These nations have the upward trend of oil production since 1999 and have added more problem to the economic crisis that raised its head in 2008 and is still continuing. Though the prices have again fallen to the almost less than one third of the peak val ue of US $145 per barrel but it’s the recession that is responsible for this fall rather than OPEC nations’ contribution towards economic partner to the world as whole. This essay not only analyzes impact and effects that OPEC have on modern oil market, but also researches possible promotional actions of it's website. OPEC website is one of the mouthpiece or better to say a means through the use of electronic media. In conclusion, the researcher states that the website has been developed quite efficiently in pursuing the goals of OPEC as a tool for information and image broadcasting.

The Importance of Branding in the Constantly Changing Market Essay

The Importance of Branding in the Constantly Changing Market Environment - Essay Example The study encompasses the role of branding, a brief overview of the products and services offered by the company, the target audience of the company and the importance of branding for the organization. Branding has been playing an important role in organization’s success for over decades. Branding is the process through which an organization differentiates its products and services from the competitors while changing the perception of customers towards the brand. The ability to create awareness regarding the brand has eventually resulted in significant increase in sales. In earlier years, the offerings of organizations to the customers were merely taken as a product. With the help of branding, organizations have provided meaning and reason for existence to their products through the use of branding. With the passage of time, branding has become more of a promise of quality and reputation. The concept of branding encompasses everything about an organization to help customers in the market to create a positive perception regarding the company as well as the products offered by it. In the today’s constantly changing competitive environment, organizations are at war with one another in terms of attracting customers to purchase their products over others. Organizations have acknowledged the importance of branding to promote recognition of the products and services offered. If an organization focuses entirely on being a quality provider, this reflects that the organization encourages repeat business. Quite frankly, customers are quite busy to earn their living due to which they tend to adhere to brands that are known to them i.e. familiarity. This means that if a customer recognizes and remembers a brand used in earlier days or months, he/she will most likely choose the product or service again. The most important thing about branding is that it helps an organization to stand out from the crowd. This clearly means that branding helps an organization to differentiate the products and services offered by the organization. By thinking outside the box, organizations have witnessed significant opportunity to attract the customers in the market, while ensuring that the customers will never forget the products and services primarily because of the utmost accomplishment of desires and needs. On the other hand, branding has helped organizations to market their businesses more efficiently. Through effective marketing, the opportunity to attract potential customers will significantly increase as they will already know about the brand along with the benefits that products and services can offer to the customers. This clearly reflects that branding can help an organization to motivate the customers and potential customers to purchase the products and services offered without taking into account other products and services in the market.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Impact Of Patient Engagement In Key Areas Of Health Care Assignment

Impact Of Patient Engagement In Key Areas Of Health Care - Assignment Example However, this has worsened the health of patients. For example, a poor engagement between family, care provider and a patient could lead to a patient taking medication for a simple illness yet they are suffering from something worse that they may not have been informed by their health providers. All this is brought about by the lack of transparency. Patient engagement in their safety has also enabled them to provide important information that may be lacking from their medical records hence improving the severity of their illness.  Quality and patient outcomes  Patients have also been engaged in as far as quality and outcome is concerned, and this has also impacted positively in their welfare. There has been involved and informing them when choosing options of treatment and, therefore, they are given a chance to choose what they are comfortable with (Mullins, Abdulhalim, & Lavallee, 2012). For example, both patients and their families are engaged in educational initiatives on heal thy eating habits and the provision of better healthcare services at lower costs hence making it affordable to many people. Improvement of health outcomes has also been witnessed due to patients being involved fully in prevention, decision -making and self-management activities (Herrin et al., 2015).  Effective communication  Patient engagement in effective communication has led to a successful relationship between patient and care provider.  

The Importance of Branding in the Constantly Changing Market Essay

The Importance of Branding in the Constantly Changing Market Environment - Essay Example The study encompasses the role of branding, a brief overview of the products and services offered by the company, the target audience of the company and the importance of branding for the organization. Branding has been playing an important role in organization’s success for over decades. Branding is the process through which an organization differentiates its products and services from the competitors while changing the perception of customers towards the brand. The ability to create awareness regarding the brand has eventually resulted in significant increase in sales. In earlier years, the offerings of organizations to the customers were merely taken as a product. With the help of branding, organizations have provided meaning and reason for existence to their products through the use of branding. With the passage of time, branding has become more of a promise of quality and reputation. The concept of branding encompasses everything about an organization to help customers in the market to create a positive perception regarding the company as well as the products offered by it. In the today’s constantly changing competitive environment, organizations are at war with one another in terms of attracting customers to purchase their products over others. Organizations have acknowledged the importance of branding to promote recognition of the products and services offered. If an organization focuses entirely on being a quality provider, this reflects that the organization encourages repeat business. Quite frankly, customers are quite busy to earn their living due to which they tend to adhere to brands that are known to them i.e. familiarity. This means that if a customer recognizes and remembers a brand used in earlier days or months, he/she will most likely choose the product or service again. The most important thing about branding is that it helps an organization to stand out from the crowd. This clearly means that branding helps an organization to differentiate the products and services offered by the organization. By thinking outside the box, organizations have witnessed significant opportunity to attract the customers in the market, while ensuring that the customers will never forget the products and services primarily because of the utmost accomplishment of desires and needs. On the other hand, branding has helped organizations to market their businesses more efficiently. Through effective marketing, the opportunity to attract potential customers will significantly increase as they will already know about the brand along with the benefits that products and services can offer to the customers. This clearly reflects that branding can help an organization to motivate the customers and potential customers to purchase the products and services offered without taking into account other products and services in the market.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Apple Executive Summary Essay Example for Free

Apple Executive Summary Essay The iShare is an innovative product designed to offer more convenience and speed in file sharing. iShare aims to help eliminate the traditional inconveniences and complicated requirements involved when transferring files between any two Apple i-devices, to give users the joy of easy sharing, and to deliver sustainable profit to its shareholders. This business plan concerns the introduction of iShare to the Thai market. MARKET ANALYSIS We aim to be the expert in file-sharing gadgets between any electronic devices. We decided to first begin by developing a device called the iShare, which enables music sharing between the Apple iPods/iPhones before we go further and make similar products for other brands like Samsung and HTC in the future. The target market for iShare is mainly the Thai middle-to-upper-class, younger generation who owns an iPod/iPhone and have solid income to spend on this innovative gadget. Our market size is carefully calculated to be approximately 200,000,000 THB for the iShare alone and up to 1,000,000,000 THB in total. Our direct competitor is miShare LLC, which offers a similar product to customers in the US and Europe. Indirect competitors include other computer programs that enable easy file transfer between e-devices as well. PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY The iShare is a small device that connects 2 iPods or iPhones together, and let users easily transfer files from one device to another without any computer required. We aim to provide our customers the never-before convenience, speed, and the fun of directly transferring files between their device and their friends’. The iShare will also overcome the technical problems and satisfy the customer needs that has not been met previously by our main competitor, miShare LLC. We will develop the software ourselves and outsource the production to China. After we succeed with the iShare, similar products capable with HTC Android and Samsung Galaxy will be introduced to the market. MARKETING AND SALES STRATEGY The iShare will be launched in the middle of the year 2012. They will be sold directly to first tier distributors who will then pass them on to other retailers. The iShare can be purchased from any iStudio and authorized retail stores. Customers can also find an online user manual, a demonstration video, and many more useful information on the iShare website. The iShare will be advertised through various distribution channels such as social networking websites, printed advertising, and viral marketing. MANAGEMENT TEAM Our team is composed of many talented members with different expertise and great connections. We have a technology expert with a background in consumer electronics, a talented software programmer and developer, an experienced and amazingly creative designer who specializes in hi-tech gadget designs, and a very devoting marketing manager with 5 years of experience in marketing consumer electronics. In addition, we also have a close relationship with a huge manufacturing company in China, which will be our supplier and manufacturer for the iShare. The company has confidently claimed that it is capable of producing our product at our desired cost, given our carefully developed software program and product specifications. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Market and Competition Analysis Market Opportunity There are many ideas and theories concerning the relationship between the choice of media and personality types nowadays. One of the most popular and widely accepted ideas is the one stating that a person’s music taste reveals personality type: classical music fans are most likely to be shy, while British-pop fans are mostly young, indie hipsters. As we all know, everybody in this world is unique, or at least they want to be perceived that way: as being unique, different, and have their own tastes and preferences for basically everything. Most people are likely to be confident in their own tastes. People with the same taste in music usually gets along well, providing that they believe they have some common values, backgrounds, and personalities that enable them to understand each other better. Music has always been one of the most popular communication tools that bring people closer together. Many people love to share with their friends their favorite album, current favorite songs, or the artists they admire. Nowadays in the world that has become much more digitalized, almost every music and songs offered are in the digital format, to be played and listened to on a digital music player. Sales of music CDs and cassette tapes has been constantly decreasing, while on the other hand the sales of online music, in the iTunes store, for example, has rocketed worldwide. Digital music players have become so popular, and the use of them is widely adopted globally. Cassette tapes and CD players, on the other hand, are going into extinction. One of the general customer needs that have not been fully met in the digital market nowadays is the ability to share their digital files with friends and families easily and without a computer. Whether it is a HTC android, a Samsung Galaxy Player, or an Apple iPod touch, it requires at least a cable and a computer to support file transfer and sh aring. For some particular brands like Apple, transferring files between two iPods or iPhones is still not easy, even with a computer involved. Unlike many other music player producers, the complicated Apple software does not allow users to simply copy and paste files from the portable device to the computer, but requires that users have the corresponding program, the iTunes, that supports the uploading and syncing of files from a computer to their device, and vice versa. Our group sees this unsatisfied customer need as a great market opportunity. We are determined to become the expert in file sharing between electronic devices, especially focusing on music sharing. Eventually we will become the business that provides the market with a device that will make file sharing much more easier for users of almost every digital music player brand, but we have decided to first begin with Apple. From various researches, surveys, and discussions with digital experts, we came to the conclusion that easy music sharing between the Apple i-devices is the highest in demand, due to the brand’s complicated traditional requirements involved in file transferring, and to the massive number of existing Apple users in the market. We have decided to develop first a device that enables music sharing between the Apple iPod/iPhone before we go further and make similar products for other brands like Samsung and HTC in the future. These devices to follow the iShare will work with Samsung Galaxy and HTC Androids, and can be expected to be developed, produced, and offered to the market relatively quickly. This expectation is due to the existing capability, experiences gained, and the competences achieved during the development, sales, and marketing of our first product, the iShare. Our group’s product, the iShare, is a small device that connects 2 Apple iPods or iPhones together, and let users easily transfer files from one device to another. Ordinarily, people would need a computer to transfer files, but the iShare helps eliminate this inconvenient requirement. We aim to provide our customers the never-before convenience, speed, and the fun of directly transferring files between their device and their friends’. Market Size Generally, our target market is the Thai people who own at least one digital music player and have the passion and anxiety about innovative gadgets and file sharing made-easy on their electronic devices. They are likely to be middle-to-upper-class, young to middle aged people with solid income to spend on gadgets and electronic devices’ accessories. They are likely to be interested in new technology and keep themselves updated with new innovation and hi-tech products. We also target on people whose career revolves around the digital music industry, in which it will be very helpful for them to have a device that makes file sharing and transferring convenient and fast. The overall market size is carefully estimated to be approximately 3,000,000 people. However, due to the fact that this business plan will mainly focus only on the iShare, a sharing device specifically designed for the Apple iPod and iPhone, the potential number of market size is reduced to 1,000,000 people as of now. This number is believed to be constantly rising due to the increasing popularity of Apple products. The market size for iShare can be predicted by the number of existing iPod/iPhone users in Thailand. From our careful calculation, together with some reliable sources, out of all the population in Thailand, the number of people who owns at least 1 iPod or iPhone is around 1 million people. Assuming realistically that we can sell the iShare to about 10% of this total, our market size can be estimated at roughly 100,000 people in total. Given that our wholesale price for a single iShare is 2,000 THB, our market size for the iShare alone can be estimated to be around 200,000,000 THB. However, this number does not include other potential markets, the markets for other brands’ users that we will enter in the future. If we take those markets into account, the total market size for our business can be as high as 1,000,000,000 THB. Our Section of the Market Figure 1 : Age groups of Apple i-devices users in Thailand In Thailand, the major group of Apple customers, which accounts for 32% of all users, is between the ages of 22-35. This group also made up a majority of the early adopters of Apple products. Other groups of users, which also contribute a lot to the total number of users, are users with the age of 18-21 and 36-50, which together accounts for 52% of all users. ( See illustration in Figure 1 ) Figure 2 : Percentage share of Apple users among e-mobile users per country According to Figure 2, in Thailand, the percentage share of Apple users among all other e-mobile users in Thailand is 79.6% of the whole market. This makes the market of complementary products to be used with the electronic devices very large; therefore, we can attract a lot of potential customers by introducing iShare, the new, innovative complementary product to the Apple iPhone/iPod. We conducted a survey at MBK mall, one of the most popular malls in Bangkok for mobiles and electronic devices shopping. We gave out a questionnaire about the iShare to 100 people who were wandering around the mobile phone section. More than 90% said that they are very interested in this product and more than 70% of the interested people have responded they are willing to pay up to 3000 THB for the iShare, while another 30% thinks that it would be too expensive and they would not buy it at this price. Market Segmentation Our market for iPod/iPhone users can be segmented further using age groups. By looking at different age groups of users, we can determine the segment that is most likely to be our potential customers and thus market our product and create strategies accordingly. Different segments for our market are as follow: 1. Apple devices users with the age of lower than 18 ( Students ) 2. Apple devices users between 18-21 years old ( College students ) 3. Apple devices users between 22-35 year old ( Junior working class ) 4. Apple devices users between 36-50 years old ( Senior working class ) 5. Apple devices users with the age of more than 50 years old ( Senior citizens ) ( Refer to Figure 1 for illustration ) We are targeting a specific market and plan on overtaking it with quality – what we try to achieve is to be a selection of choice that will offer a never-before convenient and fun product that enables people to share more with each other. We aimed at existing users of iPod/iPhone who desire the ability to save the time and effort required to transfer files between their devices. Basically our market is largely based on a millennium age people that give a huge importance in the ease of use and the amount of time that can be saved by using our product. After looking at some statistics and researches previously done by many interested parties, we came to the conclusion that the most interesting segments for our product are the iPhone/iPod owners with the age of between 18-35, or segment 2 and 3 from our classification. These two segments make up more than 60% of all Apple i-devices users in Thailand. Market Growth Since the market for electronic devices, including smart phones, MP3 players and tablet PC, is growing worldwide, the complementary products market is most likely to be growing along with them in the same direction. We first focused on Apple products because of its undeniable continuous rise in popularity and demand. Not only Apple, there are a lot of other companies such as Samsung, HTC and Sony who are also in the electronic device market, and in the near future there is likely to be more and more brands that will enter into this market. Although this will also attract many other competitors, we can gain the brand loyalty easier as a first mover of a product of this kind in Thailand. Therefore, after we succeed with the iShare for Apple products, we will modify the iShare and make it compatible for use with other brand users in order to generate more revenues for our business from the new market segment. We will develop a similar device to the iShare that will work with a Samsung Galaxy Tab, a HTC android, and possibly other competing brands in the future. We see a lot of opportunity for growth in this industry, and we will continue to maintain our image as being the expert in music sharing with our restless innovation. Market Competition Looking only at the iShare, our direct competitor would be the one company that actually gave us the idea of this device at the very beginning of our project: miShare LLC. MiShare LLC is a software and hardware developer company in New York City, specializing in publishing tools for iPods and other digital media and offering publishing systems for schools, museums, music and movie companies, and marketers who want to distribute audio and video directly to iPods and other digital-media players for immediate playback. MiShare LLC is the inventor and legal producer and distributor of the miShare, a small device that enables users to transfer music, pictures, or videos from one iPod to another without the use of a computer. In the past, there had been similar devices that claimed to have the same ability, but most of them failed and none has ever been as successful as miShare. Nathaniel Wice, the CEO and cofounder of miShare LLC, is the technology entrepreneur and marketer with a journalism background. He adds startup experience and contacts to the miShare and looks forward for collaboration with other startups on business and funding opportunities. His other co-partner name is Josh Hochman, a busy writing software programmer. Hochman is the top programmer with the background in consumer electronics. The company’s main players in the office consist of Nathaniel Wice, Josh Hochman, and a young woman doing shipping-and-receiving department working on the hand-stamping envelopes. Our group’s idea of the iShare originates from the fact that such successful and widely accepted device like a miShare is not yet made available to the Thai and other Asian market. MiShare targets only the iPod users in the United States and Europe. Currently they do not have the policy to ship their product to any Asian country. Thus, we take this opportunity to follow their footsteps and bring to the Thai market this interesting product. We aim to outperform miShare by overcoming their product’s major weakness, which is the current version of miShares software that does not work with the distinctive disk format of iPhone and iPod touch. Their products only works with a limited range of iPod models such as the iPod shuffle, and iPod touch are still unsupported by miShare. This is the technical problem that we aim to overcome in order to provide an even more superior file-sharing device that also works with iPod and iPhone, the iShare, in order to satisfy our customers need and be successful in our business. Other indirect competitors include other iPod/iPhone applications that also enable users to transfer files from one Apple device to another easier than traditionally required. These include applications like Bluetooth Share and Files Lite. Bluetooth share is an application that allows users to share files, photos and contacts. It was first launched to App store in early 2010. However, its major weakness is the fact that its sharing process takes much longer time than the iShare. A regular 3 minutes song would take 5 minutes to transfer from one device to the other. Another indirect competitor, Files Lite, is an application that gives users the ability to synchronize documents directly to their devices. They can store and share files via email and PC easily. The files can be opened directly on the devices. Files Lite supports Microsoft documents, PDF, HTML, images, videos, audios, Apple iWork and text documents. With the most recent update in January 2012, this application allows users to transfer their files easier and quicker. However, a Wi-fi connection is required to connect Files Lite to transfer files and documents. The transfer time is slightly faster than Bluetooth share, but still is much slower compared to iShare. Despite the fact that these applications have also made it easier for its users to transfer music and files between 2 iPods or iPhones, there are still some disadvantages that still make the iShare a superior choice over them. The fact that these applications are much slower and that some require internet connection in order to transfer files are some of those disadvantages. Looking at the situation from every angle, the iShare still holds the superior advantage of being the fastest, most convenient choice ever for file sharing. Product and Technology Product Technologies From our design development and our effective and innovative production process, the iShare will provide the convenience and speed in file transferring between Apple i-Devices like never before. Our RD Team has developed this new gadget to make file sharing between iPods and iPhones much easier. No computer or cable is needed, and its very easy to use. Users can use the iShare to transfer just about anything they have on their iPods or iPhones: music, photos, videos, and playlists. A typical song will take ten seconds to transfer once the devices are attached, depending on the file sizes. A short home video in iPod format could require half a minute.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Development of Early Child Narratology

Development of Early Child Narratology Aims: I aim to evaluate how the structure and composition of early child narratology develops and evolves with age. To conduct this evaluation I will approach local primary schools for examples of short narrative texts written by Key stage 1 pupils (4-7), to serve as empirical data. I will assess these texts by employing the six part Labovian narrative model and analysing the presence and frequency of narrative components, evaluative temporal indicators and markers. Background: This study builds on many other works as the Labovian model is now frequently used to assess narratology in children, (see Kernan, 1977; Eaton, Collis and Lewis, 1999). The idea of linguistic and narrative development in children is also a popular issue. One study that specifically charts the evolution of child narrative with age is â€Å"Telling stories of experiences: Narrative development of young Chinese children† a study by Chien-JuChang in which young Chinese children were visited in their homes at age 3 years and 6 months and then at 3 month intervals for the next 9 months. Their individual development in three key areas (narrative structure, evaluation, and temporality) was evaluated with the conclusion that â€Å"Chinese children, generally speaking, include more narrative components, evaluative information, and temporal markers in their narratives over time. However, the growth patterns and rates of change for each child on each narrative measure vary.† Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that as a child is introduced to more narrative texts, and comes to identify narrative components, that he or she will employ them more frequently and more readily in their own narratives. Thus, I hypothesise that there will be a marked increase both in the inclusion of these features in individual narratives and in the cohesion between the narratives of the evaluated children (their similarity to each other) in the older age ranges, as they adapt and adhere to literary and narrative norms. I believe that there will be a greater proliferation of linguistic devices and conventions, as well as more narrative components, in the older childrens narratives. Although I will not specifically be studying the effects of ethnicity or socio-economic background I believe that these factors will skew the data slightly as my hypothesis centres on the fact that the children will have been exposed to similar volumes and types of narrative material. This may well not be the case for pupils from a different cultural background or a less affluent family environment. Data: The data I will use for this investigation will be collected from local and, hopefully, schools which are more widely distributed throughout the country, to give a representative sample of empirical data. I will approach the schools to provide short texts from every early years age group so that I have approximately 50-100 short texts from pupils aged from 4 to 7 with a similar number for each age group. I will specify that I would like work from a cross section of abilities, genders, ethnicities, and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds so as to have a representative sample of narratives for an age range. I will also request that the gender, ethnicity and socio-economic group be specified for each child included in the study as, although I am not directly studying the consequences of these factors on the narratives, it would be informative and useful to see if they affect the cohesion of the data in any way. All texts will be included as an appendix to the final extended essay and the appropriate permissions will be obtained from the schools and, if necessary, from the parents of the children whose work is used. Methodology: As previously defined I will employ the Labovian 6 part narrative model to assess the texts. This will be both a quantitative and qualitative analysis as it will deal not only with the evolution in the number of narrative components in each text but also their function and type. The results of the analyses will be presented in tabulated form. Initially I will fill in a table to give the main characteristics of each narrative and then tabulate the overall results. An example of a narrative text and a simplified table are given as an appendix. My work so far: I have investigated a number of studies covering similar subject areas and approached schools in my local area to see if they would be willing to provide samples of work The response so far is encouraging. I have also obtained some examples of writing from neighbourhood children and analysis of these texts seems to back my hypothesis thus far. Naturally I will be unsure until I study the larger volumes of empirical data foreseen by my study. Timescale: Owing to the complexity of obtaining the data and analysing it, this project will be quite time consuming. I believe I will require one month to obtain the work and the various permissions and a further month to analyse the texts and tabulate the results. I will then need a further two weeks to present my conclusions, draft and check the final copy. Annotated Bibliography Applebee, Arthur 1978. â€Å"The Childs Concept Of Story: Ages Two To Seventeen†. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. This book defines the â€Å"interaction of children and stories†. Various chapters discuss the stories told by primary school children, their organisation and motivation as well as children’s responses to stories and story telling. It also contains a number of appendices giving information about the methods for data collection and analysis employed by Applebee throughout his investigations. Chang, Chien-Ju 2004: â€Å"Telling stories of experiences: Narrative development of young Chinese children† Applied Psycholinguistics, 25: 83-104 Cambridge University Press This presents a study in which young Chinese children were visited in their homes at age 3 years and 6 months and then at 3 month intervals for the next 9 months and their individual development in three key areas (narrative structure, evaluation, and temporality) assessed. Gutierrez Clellen, V. F., Quinn, R. (1993). Assessing narratives of children from diverse cultural/linguistic groups. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 24, 2-9. This article discusses the issues surrounding cultural and ethnic background and the impact on a child’s narrative development. This supports my claim that linguistic and narration conventions are learnt and states â€Å"narrative contextualization processes are culture-specific† Kernan, K. T. (1977). Semantic and expressive elaboration in childrens narratives. C. Mitchell-Kernan and S.Ervin-Tripp (Eds.), Child Discourse. New York: Academic Press, 91-102. This paper was presented at the Child Discourse Symposium at the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (Mexico City, Mexico, November 1974) and presents a theoretical and ground breaking discussion of children’s narrative discourse and the acquisition of discourse competencies. Labov, William., and Waletzky, Joshua. 1967. â€Å"Narrative analysis: oral versions of personal experience.† Essays on the Verbal and Visual Arts, ed. June Helm, 12-44. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Seminal and scholarly text discussing the basics of narrative analysis detailing the six point model, etc. Pena E. D., Gillam R. B., Malek M., Ruiz-Felter R., Resendiz M., Fiestas C., and Sabel T. : Dynamic Assessment of School-Age Childrens Narrative Ability: An Experimental Investigation of Classification Accuracy J Speech Lang Hear Res, October1,2006; 49(5): 1037 1057. This article provides useful and information about analysing the â€Å"macrostructural and microstructural aspects of language form and content† (in this case in narratives given by first and second grade students describing a picture book.) Appendix one – example narrative (direct transcript) On Saturday, Daddy, Mummy, Jamie and me went to the park to go on the swings. It was really cold so Daddy bought me and Jamie a hot chocolate to warm us up. It was really funny because Jamie dropped his down his jumper and had to wear Daddy’s jumper. It was to(sic) big for him and he looked really funny. I went on the swings and the roundabout and the slide and then Jamie and me sat on one side of the sea(sic) saw while Daddy sat on the other. Mummy took pictures of us. Then we went to the sweet shop and bought some jelly babies. They are my Mummys favourite and I like them to(sic). Then we went home and watched ice age 2 and then we had tea. Then we went to bed. We all had a lovely day and Daddy said it was nice that me and Jamie didn’t shout at each other. Jenny, age 6 Example tabulation Table 1 – Labovian concepts Table 2 Common markers Used by the child in her narrative

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Odysseus Lessons :: essays research papers

On Odysseus journey home, he learned many lessons as on of them†¦he learned that he needs the help of others. His men for instance helped him fight in the Trojan War. They put together a large horse to sit and wait in, and in a building where the Trojans were celebrating, for they thought they had won the war. Once everybody was asleep, they got out of the horse, and started to attack everybody and killed everybody that was in sight. They won the war without losing any men in the group. Another way he helped was by his men rowing their boats to all the places so they could get more information on how to get home to Ithaca. One of many gods that helped him was Aedus. Aedus gave him a bag of bad winds to get him home to Ithaca. All the winds were in the bag except for the west wind. The west wind will get him and his men home safely unless the bag is opened. If the bags of winds were to open all the winds would get out, and Odysseus would get turned back even further away from Ithaca.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Odysseus learned many lessons during his journey home to Ithaca. One of his lessons was that he got some wisdom. While on his journey he learned how to get around things the hard way. Instead of going through on land and on a pathway he went through water, and which the water gods would try to kill him. He got through safely with most of his men, and then they got into another situation just like the whole story. Another lesson he got was courage. The courage came from fighting all the monsters of evil. There were huge man-eating flowers inside a cave. He lost six men, but got through the rest of the cave with all his men. They were deadly gods who tried to kill his crew but only Odysseus survives. And he floated to an island where he was captured for days, but to us was years. With his courage, he built a boat and sailed off to another island for help. And that is what he got, help. Without these two things, he would have depended on the gods instead of himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One other lesson is that he learned was to trust. And to trust the gods that

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Essay --

Rerum Novarum refers to new beginnings. New beginnings refers to an open letter given to all Catholic bishops that addressed the circumstances of the working class. Written on May 15th 1891 by Tommaso Maria Zigliara, the Rerum Novarum examined the interrelation and duties between labor and capital. This document also covers the relationship between the government and citizens. The document begins with an introduction, as all documents do. The introduction opens with remarks on social issues of that time. The speaker continues to speak out against the Socialist motives, and those who allowed them to come about and prosper. The first issues to be discussed are rights and duties. Pope Leo introduces an idea that entails the rights every worker is to be afforded and the duties he then owes his employer. Pope Leo also states that this rule should go both ways and extend to the employer as well. The Pope states that workers are, â€Å"fully and faithfully to perform the work which has been freely and equitably agreed upon; never to injure the property, nor to outrage the person, of an employer; never to resort to violence in defending their own cause, nor to engage in riot or disorder; and to have nothing to do with men of evil principles, who work upon the people with artful promises of great results, and excite foolish hopes which usually end in useless regrets and grievous loss. (p20)† The duties a worker owes his employer are quite clearcut. As such, so are the duties of an employer to his workman. A decent employer is not to use their workers as bondsmen, they are to regard every man with self-respect. They are to treat each worker as a person aggrandized by a good Christian character. Employers are reminded that there is no shame... ... value them for their bodily functions, and not as people. However, if all employers were privy to the contents of Rerum Novarum that talk about how employers are supposed to treat their workers how they deserved to be treated, America’s poverty level would go down. Others who are not well read on the struggles of others should especially look into Rerum Novarum so that they may understand what it is like for others who are on the opposite side of the spectrum. It was paragraph twenty that spoke to me the most. As mentioned previously I really appreciate the fact that it is written somewhere that there should be a set of rights and duties between workers and their employers. All of the rights and duties are fair, and I believe that they should be followed by everyone. I also appreciate these rights because they should be followed whether or not someone is Christian.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Evaluate Break-Even Analysis as a Decision-Making Tool

3. 3 Evaluate break-even analysis as a decision-making tool. The definition of the Break-even analysis: The break-even analysis is an analysis of a product or company’s sales required to neither lose money nor make a profit, but simply to cover costs. Explain in mathematical term: total revenues – total costs = 0. The methods: By using a break-even formula or by drawing a break-even chart. Why is it so important using a break-even analysis?Because it gives vital information about a business or a company’s financial status, not just for a simple break-even point. For start-up businesses, it determines how businesses are setting-up prices for their projections to achieve a reasonable level of break-even point and safety margin. For an on-going business, it equally vital for review analysis and forecast its break-even point; as, how can it improve the relationship between fixed costs, variable costs and revenues and justify a right decision to achieve an ultimate re sult for a healthy business.Although it’s simple and easy to set-up, yet fundamentally it’s an essential decision-making tool for analysing all forms of businesses. For example: 1. Increase prices to raise total revenues, it creates a lower break-even point and better safety margin. 2. Reduce fixed costs or variable costs and prices remain the same also can lower the break-even point. 3. Reduce selling prices and variable costs to generate more sale revenues; equally it can lower the break-even point.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Personal writing – David’s Table

Danielle's heart stopped the moment He stepped through the doorway. Although He was the reason that she came to this particular cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ at this precise time, she wasn't certain about her vague information. Go to Isabella's at quarter past four. He orders a cappuccino and a biscuit. He sits outside under the green umbrella at a wooden table and drinks his coffee, giving his biscuit to the birds. Sure enough, Danielle's man was given a polystyrene cup and white paper bag. She watched from her dark corner as He went outside. When she left, she noticed crumbs surrounding Him. The next day, Danielle couldn't curtail her thoughts. Whenever she looked at the clock she wondered what He was doing at that moment. At last, the bell rang and her body tensed in anticipation, but she had to wait until the end of roll call to grab her bag and make her way to Isabella's. Sitting at the same corner table, Danielle again ordered a cappuccino. Danielle hated coffee but it made her feel closer to Him. Today, she listened to His order at the counter. â€Å"Cappuccino to go and one of those cornflake biscuits, thanks.† Danielle smiled when the owner of the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ laughed and took His money. â€Å"David, mate, you've been coming here for months and its always the same thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Danielle knew this was Him. â€Å"†¦And you only have different biscuits because you take whatever's there.† David grinned and took his order. â€Å"Well don't expect me tomorrow Bruce, I'm going back to Melbourne.† Danielle froze mid-pretend sip. Melbourne? â€Å"Melbourne?† echoed Bruce aloud. â€Å"Yeah, I have unfinished business there †¦Ã¢â‚¬  David looked away. â€Å"Ah, I see.† Bruce shut the till, smiled and turned to the next customer. David walked out onto the terrace. Inside, Danielle lost interest in her pretence. He was going away before she had a chance to talk to him. She picked up her coat and left, crossing the terrace just as He looked up and saw her walking away. School came second to Danielle's thoughts. However, this time her mind was firmly in the distant past on the day that had been the hardest of her life. Even thinking about it made her want to bawl into her notebooks. Mercifully, Danielle had on Thursdays she didn't have to say much, just sit there and look busy, so no one noticed. Neither Danielle nor David went to Isabella's on Thursday. David didn't want to go to Melbourne as he had only been in Adelaide for five months. However, since his mother died six weeks previously and he had been in Melbourne for the funeral, the pull became too strong. David knew that to start over again in Adelaide, he needed closure in Melbourne. A month sounded long, but there was a lot he had to do. Thankfully, he and Cassie didn't have any children; apparently they made divorce harder. David left for Melbourne on Thursday at six-thirty pm. After the weekend, Danielle returned to Isabella's. She wasn't sure whether to be upset that had was gone or relieved. Bruce noticed that she no longer sat in the corner with an untouched cappuccino; now Danielle sat outside on David's table with hot chocolate and cake. She ate the icing but crumbled the cake for the birds. Bruce considered getting a new cook, but instead, befriended her. Soon a month was up. Once, David wondered why some married couples had separate bank accounts. Wasn't marriage for life? Now he wished he had their foresight. Neither he nor Cassie wanted to sell everything but they couldn't do things fairly, too many emotions in the way. David was returning to Adelaide with money from the sale of his old life to purchase his new. His only concern was that his parents, his past, was buried in Melbourne. An indiscernible smell wafted down the aisle and punched David fair in the nose. Old shoes? Rotten eggs? It was too early for David to recognise the stench. â€Å"Would you like breakfast sir?† David smiled wanly as the flight attendant plonked a tray in front of him. The smell became stronger when he lifted the foil: overcooked omelette. Quarter to six he boarded the plane and now at seven-thirty it was too early for offal disguised as breakfast. David leant back in his chair and closed his eyes. He felt guilty about betraying his parents by leaving, by putting his childhood and young adult life in a neat box labelled â€Å"Melbourne† and moving on. But it was more; his motives for moving to Adelaide went against his parents' wishes and it was only after they had both died that he could defy them. At 32, David was still a naughty little boy. Danielle gazed at the attentive but blank faces in her chemistry class. Sometimes she wondered why she bothered. Most of these girls would go on to be nurses, secretaries or teachers. However it was a precious few who wanted more that made it all worthwhile. When Danielle was fifteen, she had been a precious one. She was to be a doctor in a time when girls were trained to be wives. Danielle was going somewhere until†¦ â€Å"Miss Everard, isn't there a two minus charge on the oxygen molecule?† Danielle shook herself from her reverie and looked at what she had written on the board. â€Å"Ah, yes, thankyou Catherine.† Catherine was a lucky one, going on to be what Danielle dreamed of. The siren went and the students began to pack up. â€Å"Miss Everard, is there any homework?† But Danielle had already left. David decided to go to Isabella's at four, as he wasn't back working yet. Bruce was pleased to see him. â€Å"David, I'm sorry but you can't have your table today. Why not try the table with the red umbrella?† David shrugged and sat down, glancing at the woman sitting at â€Å"his† table. She was slowly eating the icing from the top of her cake in between sips from her mug. He watched, captivated, as she picked at her cake and let bits fall from her fingers to the sparrows on the ground. He realised it, as his own cappuccino cooled beside him. Danielle, not noticing her company, was fully engrossed in the sparrows that flitted and darted around her. She found peace beyond her forty-eight years, something she hadn't felt for almost thirty-three years. David felt his thirst be slaked as he watched her, after twenty years of drought. This woman surrounded by birds mitigated the dryness started when he was told he was adopted. Bruce saw the young man approach the middle-aged woman and smiled. Knowing both sides, he had figured the whole story out long ago. With the strong sunlight slanting under the umbrella, Bruce could see that the resemblance between mother and son was uncanny.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

To The Grils Who Are Going to College Tone Essay

â€Å"To Girls Who Are Going to College† by Helen Keller, Keller uses an overarching passionate tone that shifts from reminiscent to Instructive In order to strengthen college women's confidence. Through repetition of the word â€Å"you†, Keller comes across as sentimental, almost as if she is trying to recall her own memories in the eyes of the reader. By trying to reenact her memories in the form of writing, Keller succeeds in drawing the audience together to sympathize with college women.On the other hand, women visualize themselves through her memories and become reassured that everything will work out fine. Seller's reflective tone is mainly seen in the beginning of the essay, but her nostalgia carries on throughout the whole passage. As the nostalgia starts to fade away towards the end of the reading, Keller transitions into a more commanding, motherly type role and takes advantage of the use of imperative words to convince college women to follow her, while not s ounding o hostile.Sentences start off with authoritative verbs and turn into pieces of advice, such as â€Å"do not forget†, â€Å"Learn from your books†, and â€Å"Rebel against the hardness and injustice†. Keller asserts her ideas in a more friendly and loving way, which enables the audience to obey her advice without thinking she is too authoritative. In return, college women feel empowered by her insights and gain strength leading up to the school year. Helen Keller manages to speak to the audience through her passion by petition and verb usage.By connecting her own memories with the future, Keller enables women to see things through her own eyes. She helps them realize, through use of an overarching passionate tone, that most things will not be expected, but to still push through either way. To The Grills Who Are Going to College Tone Essay By Nikolas passionate tone that shifts from reminiscent to instructive in order to strengthen college women's confiden ce. Through repetition of the word â€Å"you†.