Nike Wacc Case Study

Financial Management Agenda 1. What is the WACC and why is it important to estimate a firm’s cost of capital? Do you agree with Joanna Cohen’s WACC calculation? Why or why not? 2. If you do not agree with Cohen’s analysis, calculate your own WACC for Nike and justify your assumptions. 3. Calculate the costs of equity using CAPM, the dividend discount model, and the earnings capitalization ratio. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? 4. What should Kimi Ford recommend regarding an investment in Nike? 2 Case Overview Nike, Inc. NorthPoint Group Investment Decision Current share price of USD 42. 09 ? Declining market share for the period 1997-2000 ? Strategy for revitalizing the company under consideration ? Plan to boost revenue and optimize costs ? Highly experienced management team ? Mutual fund management firm ? Emphasis on large-cap value stocks ? Has been outperforming the market for the past 18 months ? Kimi Ford – portfolio manager seeking to identify undervalued stocks, consistent with the fund’s investment strategy ? Stock valuation based on forecasting future cash flows over a ten year period ? Discounting the UFCFF using a predetermined WACC value ? Calculating the discount factor based on the CAPM approach ? Considering sensitivity analysis 3 Understanding the WACC ? The Weighted Average Cost of Capital is the interest rate (minimal return) at which investor-supplied capital (equity and interest bearing loans) has been provided. Therefore, it is the weighted average minimum expectation, which shareholders and creditors require for their respective investments made with the company under consideration. The WACC reflects both, the cost of equity and the cost of debt. Different sources of funds have different costs and therefore, depending on the capital structure of the organization, the weightings of debt and equity are calculated and assigned. ? The WACC is calculated using the following equation: WACC = [E/(D+E)] x Ke + [D/(D+E)] x Kd (1-t) ? The minimum required return on shareholders’ investment. ? CAPM method has been widely used in calculating the cost of equi ty. ? Ke = Rf + b. (Rm – Rf) ? Risk level and volatility are calculated based on historical data. Cost of Equity Cost of Debt ? The interest rate at which a company can acquire new debt. ? Any fixed rates on outstanding debt are not relevant, since the investors are concerned with what it will cost the company to generate cash from any future investments, which would occur at market rates rather than historical ones. ? After tax cost of debt = (1-t)Kd, since interest is tax deductible. 4 Critique of Joanna’s Calculations Calculating Ke Since Joanna’s FCF forecast reflects a ten year period, it could be argued that, for the sake of consistency, the yield of a risk free ten year security should be used instead. ? An arithmetic mean estimation of the risk premium is generally accepted as an appropriate approach by the investment community. * ? Since Nike is a multinational company, its revenue stream bears additional risk based on the specific allocations to various countries. This should reflect additi onal risk premium such as exchange rate risk, political risk etc. Such calculation goes beyond the scope of this case but it should not be ignored. Beta has been calculated as a historic average but the included value YTD 06/30/01 should be excluded not only since it is not consistent in terms of period length, but the apparels business is seasonal with great portion of the revenues coming during the months of Dec. and Nov. Historic betas prior to 1996 should not be excluded. Calculating Kd ? Cost of debt is not properly calculated since potential shareholders and creditors are not concerned with interest on outstanding debt, but rather the current market rate at which the company could borrow to finance its operations and potential expansion. The technique used by Joanna is useful only to get some rough insight on what Nike is paying on its existing debt. ? Joanna has undertaken an appropriate approach in calculating the after tax cost of debt, since debt is tax deductible. ? Joann a is right to consider debt denominated in foreign currency, however her approach is flawed since she is once again looking at outstanding debt, which arrangements that occurred some time in the past might significantly differ from the current market reality. ? Since existing Nike bonds are trading at discount, we already know that the market yield exceeds the coupon rate. 5 Strong arguments exist for using the geometric mean under certain circumstances. This point will be further elaborated Agenda 1. What is the WACC and why is it important to estimate a firm’s cost of capital? Do you agree with Joanna Cohen’s WACC calculation? Why or why not? 2. If you do not agree with Cohen’s analysis, calculate your own WACC for Nike and justify your assumptions. 3. Calculate the costs of equity using CAPM, the dividend discount model, and the earnings capitalization ratio. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? 4. What should Kimi Ford recommend regardin g an investment in Nike? Calculating Cost of Equity ? Rf = 5. 39% based on the current 10 year yield for the sake of consistency with the forecasted 10 year FCFF. ? Calculating risk premium based on arithmetic average vs geometric mean: ? Arithmetic average assumes no serial correlation and thus could be overstating the premium. ? Arithmetic average ignores estimation error and available data is limited. ? Arithmetic average works best for forecasting short term periods where long term periods seem to be better captured by the geometric mean. Cost of Equity Yield on 10-year Treasuries Risk premium – developed market (geo. Risk premium – developed market (arit. ) 5. 39% 5. 90% 7. 50% Average risk premium Risk premium – country specific Levered ? Unlevered Cost of Equity 6. 70% 0. 00% 0. 82 0. 77 10. 91% ? Both methods are acceptable and even though the arithmetic mean is widely accepted as the proper method, we are using an average of both since we are dealing wi th a long term period and the geometric mean could be potentially more representative. ? No additional country risk premium is assumed due to lack of data. ? Unlevered beta has been calculated in order to reflect only the amount of business risk. For any future beta projections it will be more appropriate to calculate relevered beta based on the targeted capital structure. Beta 1996 1997 1998 0. 98 0. 84 0. 84 1999 2000 Average 0. 63 0. 83 0. 82 7 Sources: Ibbotson Associates, Aswath Damodaran Calculating Cost of Debt ? To calculate the appropriate yield to maturity we need to take into account that the settlement date (05/07/2011) falls between coupon payments, meaning that the first period will be shorter than the remaining 40 (20 years of semiannual payments). ? We calculate a transaction price (dirty price) of USD 98. 9 using a YTM of approximately 7. 17%. After adjusting for the accrued interest we get the quoted price of USD 95. 60. ? We are not considering the effective YTM for the cost of debt since it is not clear whether the returns could be reinvested at the same rate due to the following reasons (list not exhaustive): ? The yield curve is usually not horizontal. ? The shape of the curve is dynamic and changes over time. ? Some premium should be considered on debt issued in foreign currency, but this goes beyond the scope of this assignment and no debt breakdown has been provided for that matter. Cost of Debt Coupon Years to maturity Periods within one year Total periods Face value of c-bond Market price of c-bond YTM* Effective YTM 6. 75% 20. 03 2 40. 05 100. 00 95. 60 7. 17% 7. 30% Yield to Maturity Days from last coupon date Days to next coupon date Days between coupon dates Transaction price Accrued interest adjustment Quoted price Yield to maturity 171 10 181 98. 79 3. 19 95. 60 7. 17% 8 * Calculations have been made based on a 360 day year Calculating WACC 10. 26% WACC †¢ Calculations of the weightings †¢ We use book value of debt since not Weightings Ke / Kd onsider the market value of equity based on the current price per share and the diluted shares outstanding. 89. 87%* 10. 13%** all interest bearing debt is in the form of bonds maturing on 07/15/21 with a current YTD of 7. 17%. However, since the company has low leverage and is not under financial distress, there should not be a significant difference between the current market and book value of the outst anding debt. Cost of Equity After Tax Cost of Debt 10. 91% †¢ Calculations are based on revised 4. 44% †¢ Before tax cost of debt has been assumptions previously described. †¢ Cost of equity is not to be adjusted reviously calculated at 7. 17%. †¢ After applying tax rate of 38% the for taxes. after tax cost of debt amounts to 4. 44%. 9 * Market capitalization as of 05/07/2001 is USD 11. 5 bn. ** Total interest bearing debt (current + non-current) as of 31/05/2001 is USD 11. 3 bn. Figures as of 05/07/2001 are not provided for a better estimate. Agenda 1. What is the WACC and why is it important to estimate a firm’s cost of capital? Do you agree with Joanna Cohen’s WACC calculation? Why or why not? 2. If you do not agree with Cohen’s analysis, calculate your own WACC for Nike and justify your assumptions. 3. Calculate the costs of equity using CAPM, the dividend discount model, and the earnings capitalization ratio. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? 4. What should Kimi Ford recommend regarding an investment in Nike? 10 Other Methods for Calculating Cost of Equity ? Po = Do(1+g)/(r-g) ? Could be used for mature companies, which pay dividends on a constant basis, and it is reasonable to expect that they will also do so in the foreseeable future. ? The DDM model is overly sensitive over the value of assumed growth (g), however it is a very simple and straight forward method of calculating the fair value of a mature company. Since Nike is expected to undergo cost optimization over the next years, as well as shift in sales strategy, we should consider a high growth period of the expected dividends, after which constant growth could be assumed. ? For the purpose of this case, however, we are given than dividends increase by 5. 50% on an annual basis, even though Joanne predicts a CAGR of NOPAT for the period 2002-2011 equal to approximately 10. 4%. Dividend Discount Model Earnings Cap. Ratio ? Po = EPSo(1+g)(1-b)/(r-g), where b is the retention ratio. ? EPS is an accounting figure. The ratio depends on dividend policy. ? Useful and simple approach for mature firms with easily predictable future EPS and constant growth rate and retention ratio. ? For simplicity, we are assuming g = 5. 50%, just like in the DDM method. 11 DDM and Earnings Capitalization Ratio Calculations ? D1 has been calculated as of 30/06/2002, assuming 5. 5% increase in annual dividends paid in both 2001 and 2002. Do captures the period 30/06/2000-30/06/2001. ? Based on the DDM and Earnings Capitalization Ratio, we obtain a cost of equity of approximately 6. 7%-6. 8%. Both estimates seem unreasonably low. ? This is significantly lower than the calculated cost of equity using the CAPM model. Due to the flaws of both the DDM and Earnings Capitalization Ratio methods described above, we should hold the CAPM approach as most reliable in calculating the cost of equity. ? The calculation of the cost of equity using both the DDM and and Earnings Capitalization Ratio methods has been based on assumed constant growth in perpetuity, which will most likely not be the case, especially considering Nike’s new sales strategy and cost optimization over the next few years. Therefore, we are more likely going to observe a higher growth period followed by a stable growth period. Dividend Discount Model g Po 5. 50% 42. 09 Do D1 r 0. 48 0. 53 6. 77% Earnings Cap. Ratio g Po b (retention ratio) EPSo EPS1 r 5. 50% 42. 09 77. 75% 2. 16 2. 28 6. 70% 12 Agenda 1. What is the WACC and why is it important to estimate a firm’s cost of capital? Do you agree with Joanna Cohen’s WACC calculation? Why or why not? 2. If you do not agree with Cohen’s analysis, calculate your own WACC for Nike and justify your assumptions. 3. Calculate the costs of equity using CAPM, the dividend discount model, and the earnings capitalization ratio. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? 4. What should Kimi Ford recommend regarding an investment in Nike? 13 Investment Decision Based on the calculated WACC value, using the CAPM approach, and the predicted UFCFF for the period 2002-2011, Nike’s stock appears undervalued Since the purpose of the assignment was to calculate the WACC value only, we have taken all predicted UFCFF levels as given, even though certain adjustments could be appropriate to better reflect the expected boost in sales resulting from the new sales strategy, and the expected cost optimizations. Based on the predicted NPV of UFCFF, we are given that the current price of USD 42. 09 suggests a 11. 17% discount rate. Since our calculations reveal that the actual discount rate ought to be 10. 26%, Nike’s share price is trading under its intrinsic value. Therefore, Kimi Ford should recommend a buy on the stock. 14

Pharmacy Management System

Identification This system is developed to automate data for the organization named Bete Zata Voluntary Counseling and Testing in Awassa town. The system that is going to be developed is concerned with different tasks. For example, it automates data on patients; it records blood test result, records data on trainees etc. It revolves about how patients get service and counseling. It also stores data like patient data, trainees’ data, counselor data, trainer data, etc. . 2 System overview. This System is developed with many purposes. Out of its main purposes, it greatly minimizes cost, time and resources by computerizing the manual system.. It will be possible to search in a simple way a specific patient pr trainee among many patients or trainee in a simple way patients based on their ID. ID number is unique to each patient and trainee 1. 3 General description Bete Zata is one of the non governmental organizations established in Ethiopia. This organization has three offices incl uding the two branches in Nazareth and here in Awassa.The main goal of this organization is to treat HIV/AIDS patients in a good manner, to minimize the transmission rate of HIV in Ethiopia by contributing what it is possible. It gives VCT meaning voluntary counseling and testing services. It also provides training for many individuals. To generalize the main activities done by this organization, let’s see the following paragraph. In the first step when the patient comes, he will be given a counseling service by the organizations counselor about AIDS, its transmission, its present state, what he should do if he is positive or else negative, shortly.Then he will refer to the examination room and the Doctor will take blood from the patient and tests whether he is positive or negative. If the result shows ‘he is positive’, the patient’s health condition will be checked. Then he will be given diagnosis parallel to counseling if his health condition is not such good until he recovers from his poor condition. Otherwise he directly goes to the counselor. The counselor will give detail advice for the patient. When the counselor finishes his advice, he will ask the patient wether he is voluntary to take training or not.If he is voluntary he will start the training according to the time schedule of the training process. If the person is negative after the test, he will be referred to the counselor so that the counselor gives advice for the person so that he should protect himself from HIV. If he has the motive to participate in training he will be registered to the training. Besides counseling and testing patients, the organization also prepares training for different organizations and individuals. The flow chart in the next pages describes the above activities of the organization. [pic] pic] DESIGN Design is the first step to move from the problem domain towards the solution domain. Design is essentially the bridge between requirement specifi cation and the final solution for satisfying the requirements. It is the most critical factor affecting the quality of the software. DATA FLOW DIAGRAMS It is one of the most important modeling tools used by system analysts. It is used to illustrate how data flows in a system. DFD’s use a number of symbols to represent systems. These symbols represent processes, data stores, data flows and external entities. 1.Process: – Process show what systems do. Each process has one or more data inputs and produces one or more data outputs. Processes are represented by circles in a DFD. 2. Data Store: – A component of a DFD in which data is stored. 3. External Entity:- These are outside the of the system but either supply input data into the system or use the system output. It is represented in a box. 4. Data flow: It shows how data flows between process, data stores and external entities. They are represented by lines joining system components. [pic] Level-0 Diagram [pic] E R ModelThis model describes the relationships between different activities. The entities included in the ER model are the following. ? Counselor ? Patient ? Blood Test ? Trainer ? Trainee ? Training 1. 4 Objectives This project minimizes the complex and the difficult work of the manual processes, which is costly, in terms of time and resources. The general objective of the software is to develop a system which is capable of automating all the manual works i. e. developing a database with interfaces for storing Specific goals. The specific goals of the final product of the software are as follows. To computerize some of the manual activities of the organization – To avoid the time for searching the patients and trainees – To make the organization well documented – To decrease the risk of losing the records 1. 5 Users This software is mainly used by the Record Office workers and concerned individuals like the counselors and trainers. 2. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS In doi ng this task, I have used the â€Å"Software Engineering† book by PankaJ Jalotea, Software Engineering course handouts, System analysis and design handouts and different information getting from the host organization around different tasks. 3. REQUIREMENTS 3. External interface requirement 1. User interfaces: The system will have good looking, clear and neat interface so that user can interact easily to the software. To do this I will use buttons for any command to users, and I will not use any technical word for any command instead I will use command names that reflect the functions they perform. I will also use help statements in some of the windows to assist users in their activity. 2. Hardware interfaces: the system does not need any special hardware to operate fully but recommended configuration is 256 MB of RAM, 40 GB hard disk drive and flash memory if possible. . Software interfaces: the system will use only few types of software. The main softwares that have detectab le influence on this system are Visual Basic (VB) and Ms Access. 2 Functional Requirements When we say functional requirement, we mean the relationship between the input and output of the system. It describes all operations to be performed on the input data to obtain the output. This system has many inputs and outputs. Out of them the followings are some of them. Database Design A careful design of the database must proceed before storing the data in the database.This project contains about six database tables each containing their own primary keys. Through these tables, a user can store his personal data. 1. Patient Detail The VCT system receives patients’ information from the patient as an input and stores each individual information. The primary key in this table is phone number. This table referred from Blood Test table using date. So date is used as a foreign key. This patient detail table is related with Trainee table phone number. [pic] 2. Blood Test Detail This table uses the attribute date as a primary key. When you fill the date alue in the given space in the interface you will get the result as numbers (number of patients, HIV positives, HIV negatives). This table uses the date itself as a foreign key to be related with the Training table and Patient table. [pic] 3. Counselor Detail Counselor detail stores information about the counselor. The primary key in this case is counselor ID. Through this key is the table relate with other tables. The table relates with the Trainee and Training tables. [pic] 4. Trainee Detail Information about trainees is stored in the Trainee table. In this case, the primary key is the Trainer ID.Through this ID the Trainee table is related with Training table. It is referenced from the Trainer table using IDTrainer. [pic] 5. Training table All the data related with training is stored in this table. It uses two primary keys as the same time. These are Place and Date. Training given at a particular place in a particul ar date is unique. But if we use these two fields separately, the uniqueness will be lost. [pic] 6. Trainer Table Trainers’ information is stored here. IDTrainer is the primary key for the table. It is related with the Trainee and Training table through this table. [pic] Form DesignAs I mention before the interface I am using is VB 6. 0. Using this software I design the following forms. In each form the buttons Insert, Update, Delete, Search and Exit buttons are used to add, modify, delete, find data from the data base and close the form. The symbols ‘’ are to mean First, Previous, Next and Last respectively. 1. Login form [pic] 2. Main Form [pic] 3. Patient Detail [pic] Blood Test [pic] When you click the button †Blood Test Detail till the Defined Date†, you will get the number of negative and positive patients with in time intervals. 5. Counselor Detail [pic] 6. Trainee Detail [pic] 7. Training Detail pic] When you click the button â€Å"Status of Trainees†, you will get the number of tested and non tested trainees. 8. Trainer Detail [pic] 9. Search form In this search button the user enters the corresponding IDs in the given space. For example, if we want to search the patient information, the user enters the ID of the patient and clicks search. The patient details will display. [pic] ———————– Start Patient come Is he come for training? No Councelling Examination Is positive? Yes Is healthy? No Diagnosis Counseling Counseling Yes No Counseling Want training? No Yes A B C D Yes FLOW CHART Wait training sessionStart training Teach others A B C Want training? Wait training session Start training Teach others End D Yes No Context Level DFD HIV VCT Counselor Patient Patient Personal Detail Test Result details Advice Patient details Trainee Trainee details Patient Service for patients Personal detail Testing Testing request Test detail Referring to counselor Current res ult Counselor Counselor details info Personal details Personal details Testing result Trainee Personal details Give advice Training for trainees Participating in training Referring for training Patient Advice Trainer May be Counselor Advice Patient Trains

Expanding our Business into Canada Research Paper

Expanding our Business into Canada - Research Paper Example While doing business in Canada and one wants to import any goods, the Canada Border Services Agency (2010) advices that, before importing any goods to Canada, one must be in possession of a business number from the Canada Revenue Agency for an export account. Also, one must have a clear knowledge of the goods that he/she wants to import and from which country the goods are manufactured. The goods must also no belong to some of those restricted to enter the country. Moreover, the tariff classification, rates of duties and tax charged on imports are a major consideration when it comes to importing of goods to Canada. According to the guideline on doing business in Canada (HLB Canada 2008), for one to expand his business in Canada, there are a number of things that must be considered and put in place. These issues include; for instance, if one wants to start a business in certain province in Canada, â€Å"he needs to register his business as an extra- provincial corporation in that pro vince† (DBC 2008). In addition, all the procedures must be followed to the later. First of all, for a company which seeks to expand its business in Canada but already has an existing business in their country of origin, it can apply to go to Canada as business immigrant, however, there are three types of business immigrants, which include investors, entrepreneurs and self employed business immigrants. According to the citizenship and immigration Canada (2010), â€Å"business immigrants have to make a C$800,000 investment or own and manage business in Canada and must also meet certain experience.† For investors who seek to expand their businesses to Canada, they must be experienced in business, they should at least have a â€Å"minimum of c$1,600,000 net which must have been obtained genuinely, and they should also manage to make a c$800,000 investment† (CIC 2010). Nevertheless, business is considered as the main backbone of any country and so, being cautious when it comes to foreign investors is very important. Cultural factors The economics of the country as it relates to doing business there and business etiquette (how to be polite in that country when doing business, their customs and manners) In Canada, the main spoken languages are English and French, both of which are national languages. Canada is mainly associated with polite and tolerant people. Generally, the main form of greeting in Canada is by a form of a firm handshake which is inclusive of a smile and a direct eye contact (Gorrill, 2009); however, other forms of greetings may involve a light kiss on the left and right cheek. While invited by somebody for dinner, it is always a good gesture to carry a gift, which may include wine, flowers or chocolates. In the business etiquette, Canadians practice politeness at all times and they expect that others will adhere to politeness as well. In a business meeting, it is essential to shake everyone’s hand in the meeting room. Sur names and honorable titles are not commonly used in Canada, instead, academic titles are found more appealing such as Dr, Mr. or Mrs. In addition it is a custom to make sure that business cards are in both English and French languages for easier clarity for the two languages speaking citizens (Gorrill, 2009). If one wishes to conduct business in Canada, then he/she should be aware that Canadians communication is indirect. Non-verbal expressions are mainly used to emphasis on a

Starbucks Coffee Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Starbucks Coffee Company - Research Paper Example This is a persistent human behaviour, whether there was Starbucks or not. Some people go to bars, but coffee shops provide a great alternative. The fact that Starbucks took this behaviour and institutionalized it was a strategic success. b. Development of long-term buyer-seller relationships (Griffin, 2011: 498) Starbuck’s aim was ‘to create a relevant, emotional and intimate experience’ in order to build trust with the consumer (Jain, 2009: 3). By creating a unique relationship that cannot be matched by having just another cup of coffee in another coffee shop, customers seek to relive the pleasant personal experience by returning repeated to the same brand. c. International marketing mix (Griffin, 2011: 498) Schultz, who conceptualized Starbucks’ renowned business model, developed his concept from observing Italian coffee bars and was impressed that each had its own character (Jain, 2009, p.1). Starbucks has grasped the universality of appeal in what was a n Italian custom, and replicated this in all the countries the company was able to successfully market to. d. Value creation in its operations process (Griffin, 2011: 347) In the case, it was said that Americans will not pay a high price for coffee (Jain, 2009: 2), but Starbucks was able to overcome that, because customers found value in the store ambience and the service, which actually comprise its operations process. Cleanliness, a relaxing atmosphere, prompt and courteous service are as much a part of the product as the coffee itself, for which reason people find value in it to pay a high price for it. 2. SWOT Analysis in point form. Strengths Ability to accommodate customers’ requests (‘just say yes’): Enhanced customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Store ambience and design: Created a comfortable atmosphere that encouraged repeated and long-term seller-buyer relationship that reinforced brand loyalty. Strong employee culture: Generous benefits keep employ ees engaged and high employee morale encourages innovativeness and pleasant staff-customer interaction. Weaknesses Too many stores located close to each other tended to cause stores to ‘cannibalize’ each other’s customers The competitive advantage is essentially replicable. Unlike manufacturing which can patent its product design or manufacturing process, what Starbucks offers – coffee blends, ambience, service – can be replicated by others, as it already has. Opportunities Expansion to international markets; emerging market such as China and India, allows the firm alternatives to its already saturated market. Innovations in coffee preparation could further be explored, such as the Frappuccino developed by its staff. Threats Strong competition has posed challenges not only for coffee but tea and other products Economic weakness discourages personal consumption spending. Environmental and anti-globalization activism targets multinationals like Starbu cks. 3. Compensation provided baristas Starbucks’s compensation package was described as generous because it included health benefits for both full-time and part-time employees who rendered 20 hours of service per week, and also provided them stock options which is a gain-sharing plan (Griffin, 2011: 258). The advantages to the company were enhanced

Why men's basketball is better than women's basketball Essay - 1

Why men's basketball is better than women's basketball - Essay Example Basketball has from its very beginning, been a male dominated sport and this has continued to be the case to the present. While this is true, women have also come to join in the sport, with the creation of a women’s basketball league among other competitions for women. I am of the opinion that the basketball played by men is still more popular because it has a greater following. I would agree with the statement that men’s basketball is better than that of women because of several factors. Among these if the fact that women’s basketball is predictable and that women tend to be more careful and are expected to behave in a civilized manner. Women’s basketball is one of the most predictable sports today and this is because they tend to be extremely careful and cautious when playing. They tend to shy away from taking any risks and do not do as much to impress and entertain the fans as male players do. The predictability of the women’s game can be seen th rough the data available that shows that in all the years that women’s basketball has been recognized, only a handful of their teams have reached the finals. I would say that even before the game begins, the fans always know which team is going either to win or to lose.

Strategic Planning in Spokane Washington Case Study

Strategic Planning in Spokane Washington - Case Study Example The purpose of these regular meetings was to brainstorm rather than implement any long-term solutions. Chief Manga figured that the organization’s leaders are in a better position to suggest changes rather that through the central police department. The group was turned into a Strategic Planning Committee that could communicate between the different actors in the SPD. Chief Manga was trying to instill a corporate culture that was based on mutual trust and understanding rather than fear. An added benefit of this was that committee members felt confident enough to share any concerns because there was no chance of any repercussions. Instead of taking the lead role, Chief Manga acted more as a sounding board to let committee members bounce ideas off him. When determining the department’s values, Chief Manga allowed everyone one in the department to contribute towards it. Whenever a set of department values are created, it is always best to include everyone in the decision-m aking process because they will be the ones to carry out those values on a daily basis. In the same way, the vision statement also provided a path for the SPD to follow and allow the department to take ownership of it. Chief Manga also encouraged innovation on all levels because it would help to improve the efficiency of the department. The Strategic Planning Committee helped to form community policing into defined responsibilities that would improve all tasks throughout the department. A result of this was that the department should be working more closely with those in the community. Chief Manga also knew the importance of originality, so he gave authority to individuals who demonstrated innovation by allowing them the freedom to design new programs. This was not restricted by rank and was inclusive of everyone working in the department. In conclusion, Chief Manga adopted an

Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd Essay

Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd - Essay Example The purchase and installation were conducted and within a few days of ordinary usage and subsequent airing, the flue overheated and ignited some nearby towels starting a fire. Expert evidence (see the annexed report by Robert Brown) that the flue failed to comply with British Standard specifications, and that the defendant was negligent in fitting the flue in the claimant’s cupboard thereby exposing the flue to the accumulation of dangerous temperatures. The defendants basically admit these failures only remarking that they had discharged their responsibility to the plaintiff by warning of the danger of using the flue in close proximity to articles of clothing. By virtue of Rule 24 of the Civil Procedure Code 1998 the claimant’s application for summary judgment is required to show that the defendant’s answer to the claim contains a) no real prospect of success; and b) there is no other substantial or compelling reason why the case should be disposed of in a trial.1 By virtue of Practice Direction 24, summary judgment can be obtained in one of the following three situations:- It is important to note that the court will make its determination based on ‘the evidence which can reasonably be expected to be available at trial or the lack of it’.3 Since the defendant purports to be relying only on the strength of the contract itself in evidence, it will have no evidence capable of contradicting the claimants charge that the flue and its subsequent was negligent. The basis of this claim is founded on the principles enshrined in the tort of negligence rather than any contractual terms and is tantamount to no defense at all.

The Dominance of Women in Parenting Responsibilities Essay

The Dominance of Women in Parenting Responsibilities - Essay Example The attitude sons develop is one that may devalue women as mere caregivers of humanity, while men go on to more important endeavors such as seeking livelihood and providing for the family’s basic needs. Social learning theories contend that this kind of learning may have been acquired from children’s observations of their parents’ life patterns. Although society has historically assigned women the role of a nurturer of the family, Chodorow raises feminist protests as to the role men should likewise play in parenting. She asserts that men should level themselves with their wives in terms of being parents and not leave all the parenting responsibilities to them. Only then can the cycle of reproduction of mothering or in most cases, pseudo-solo parenting by mothers, be stopped. Sociobiological theories link the bonds between mothers and their children. It contends that mothers are biologically predisposed to care for their infants. Nine long months in the womb, the fetus affects the mother and its dependence on her likewise affects her. For example, a stressed mother can hinder the normal brain processes of brain masculinization of her unborn child. T. Berry Brazelton, a prominent child psychologist claims, in a good interaction mother and baby synchronize with each other from the beginning, and that the pathways may be set up in intrauterine life ready to be entrained, especially by the mothers, immediately after birth" Biological studies indicate that when human babies are born, their brains are underdeveloped, hence are â€Å"born highly dependent and in constant need of care.†Ã‚  

How ICT impacts on me Essay Example for Free

How ICT impacts on me Essay I think ICT impacts me a lot since I first used a computer. It made my life happier but as well as distracting me too much sometimes. When I first used a computer, I was about 8 or 9; it was a must because we all had computer lessons since primary 3 until year 7. Email was the only major thing that made me use computers. By the time goes by, I am getting older, I was told by my younger cousin to play computer games on the internet. Since then, I used computer every day. My mum saw this then she set me a do’s list and a don’ts list. She thought that I was too addicted to the internet for some reason. This probably is one of the handicaps of how ICT impacts on me. On the other hand, teachers taught us how to use email on the internet since we were small, that leaded me communicating with my school friends during holiday. I thought this was very easy for us; we did not have to ring each other very frequently, we could simply send emails. However, we did not use it too appropriately. As the technology is growing year by year, now I know what exactly computers or anything related to ICT help us and influence us. Say about the online banking nowadays, customers will receive a little machine from their bank, which is used for confirming you are the right person when your debit or withdraw money from online banking. This can help with avoiding crime on online banking. For example, customer will need their secure key every time they log on. Secure key is the name of the little machine. It is handy, easy to keep in a safe place. Whenever customers need to log on to their online banking account, the website will ask them for the security code from their secure key. Next, they need to click one of the buttons on their secure key, then a random number or key appear on the screen. This prevents from some people who are trying to hack in others’ accounts. This would also make people feel safer when they do online banking, and getting away from the stress of being stolen a huge amount of money sneakily. This also affects hackers in a bad way; they will not be able to investigate a new way to hack people’s accounts in a period! On the other side of the influence on me, it would probably be computers. Years ago, I was still ‘’writing’’ my prep, nowadays, I go straight to my laptop and ‘’type’’ out my prep and then print them off. We have a various choice for us to prepare and do our paper work on our laptops. Now I use word processer to do my essay-work. Presentation software is for presenting information to a group of people. Spreadsheet is for calculating faster than working out numbers ‘manually’. Database is for holding a massive amount of data and records. This really does help people work more efficiently and spend less time on their work. Correcting words immediately after you find out wrong words is one of the advantages of ICT. Scribbles can be prevented if I work on my laptop. Finally, ICT really affects us in a good way, but there is one main thing that is bad for us. On the social side, some social websites tend to be too distracting to people, this would affect their working motivation and their working force. ICT could be a handicap in some ways. It could lead some teenagers or children over-addicted to computer games or social websites. In conclusion, ICT impacts me well so far. I could do my prep in a faster way and entertainment myself when I am bored or free.

Personal Statement Essay Example for Free

Personal Statement Essay In rerouting my life for a better future, I have chosen to pursue computer science. Upon setting foot in Houston Community College (HCC), I enrolled in engineering chemistry. However, I have decided to seriously take computer science in the prestigious school of University of California (UC). My desire to switch course and school has been influenced by the fact that I find less satisfaction with the present course I am taking. Until, I realized that computer science is my professional call and UC will be the best school that will fully educate me and will develop my skills and capabilities to its maximum potential. My intention and interest to take computer science is brought by the fact that today’s era is marked by computer and technology. The technological innovation is unstoppable and drastic. Through which, the demand for computer scientists has also intensified. In addition, my interest in computer science is molded by my innate interest in math and chemistry. Even as a kid, I had been excelling in math. I believe that my talent in loving and easily grasping the complexities of math is a God’s given ability that will eventually lead me to the life I had always wanted. As such, I want to blend my talent with the demand in the society in the field of computer science. Furthermore, I have considered that having a career in technologically- innovated field would effectively make me a better person and a contributor to the society. As an ordinary person, I also wished to be of help to other people, especially to the needy. In this era, I have seen many who are still striving to adopt the culture and to learn computer. For some students and other unemployed, they find their innocence and ignorance to technology as an adversity that hinders them to change their life for the better. Among the unemployed, they have admitted having been denied work due to their inadequate knowledge in computers. As a good citizen, I want to help in minimizing this common problem in the society. This could also be my chance to help in giving hope to those who are discouraged because of their ignorance in technology. For this reason, I have made a firm decision to pursue computer science. Interestingly, the church has been one of the major influences in my life and to my decisions. In church, helping other people is always reiterated. Even to an ordinary person, it is natural to extend help to others. At church, I had been an active member of the band as a singer and sometimes playing the drums. During services, our band leads the song. Through my membership in church activities, my self-esteem and socialization skills have been improved. Significantly, leading the whole church to sing and maintaining the momentum of praise is not an easy task. Taking the lead in singing is important in order to give the expectation of the church-goers and try to persuade them to sing in chorus. Aside from that, it is also important that the message of the song is being delivered well and understood by the attendees. In doing so, it is necessary that the songs that are being played correspond to the mood of the people. In addition to my membership in a band, the church to where I am affiliated also exposed us to charity works and volunteering activities. Some of the activities include mentoring children about values and religious teachings. We also initiated programs for the underprivileged by going to their places and provide foods and clothing. My experiences and membership in a group greatly improved my perception about friendship and trust. Significantly, my involvement in community services has nurtured my idea on grace and benevolence. As a band member, I had the chance of meeting real friends I can truly trust for every simple secret shared. In doing community service, I felt the satisfaction that any material things can ever offer to me. Having seen a smile among the children happy in receiving our aids brought joy to my heart. From there, I committed myself to maximize my capability in helping other people. I also realized that it is through extending financial and emotional help and eventually changing other’s life for the better is a way by which I can truly say to myself that I am an asset of the society. For these noble reasons, I decided to pursue computer science. As a human being, mere experiences and perception of the future is not enough motivation or factor in achieving goals. Values and characters are also important for it helps one in making his decisions and on how he looks at things. In life, there are plenty of struggles that everyone has to meet. These struggles may comprise of problems and temptations. As for me, I have plenty of struggles that have kept on pulling me down from fulfilling my dreams. The diversity factor is one thing that usually weakens my self-esteem. Aside from that, I am also living away from my family which makes me feel alone most often. However, I have to overcome these adversities in order to achieve my dreams. In having this kind of thinking, being optimistic has helped me a lot. Since childhood, I always viewed things in the positive light. I try not to be discouraged by any disappointments that may come in my life. My battles with diversity have been won through optimism and courage. Furthermore, in surviving the trials in life and in ensuring success in the future, I believe that it is vital to be honest, persistent, and determined in everything that I have to do. Before coming here in United States and since childhood, my parents have reiterated the importance of these values in life. As I grew old, I realized that my parents are right. At this stage of my life, I need to be persistent and determined so that I will be able to fulfill my purpose in life.

Causes of and Needs Related to Intellectual Disability

Causes of and Needs Related to Intellectual Disability Demonstrate knowledge of causes and associated condition related to intellectual disability Candidate’s full name: Hangbun Tang Task 1 Give 2 definitions of intellectual disability in accordance with a recognised source. Follow prescribed APA format when citing sources. Definition 1: Intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in the intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem solving), or adaptive behaviour, which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 18. Source: Frequently Asked Questions on Intellectual Disability, American Association on intellectual and developmental disabilities. Definition 2: Intellectual disability is a term used when a person has certain limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as communicating, taking care of him or herself, and social skills. These limitations will cause a child to learn and develop more slowly than a typical child. Source: National Dissemination Centre for children with Disabilities. Using a definition of intellectual disability give 2 explanations of how this impact on the person adaptive skill: Adaptive skills are those daily life skills needed for living, working and playing in the community. It includes communication, social skills, self-care, health and safety, basic reading, numbering, time, money†¦. Furthermore, adaptive skills are assessed in the person’s typical across all aspects of an individual’s life. When a person with an intellectual disability and they don’t know about their disability, it might be hard for them to learn about the realistic, and growing up to be a responsible person. If that person always treated as a child, it will be very hard when he/she grow up. Using a definition of intellectual disability give 2 explanations of how this impact on the person cognitive ability: Cognitive ability is the ability to think and process information. When a person grows up with an intellectual disability, this person will be hardly to receive the information or misunderstood about the instruction. Most of intellectual disability people are having a big issues of problem solving, comparing to a typical people. Task 2 2.1 Give 2 examples of causes of intellectual disability that occur before birth and describe 2 main characteristics of the effects. Example 1: Prader Willi Syndrome (Genetic factor) Source: The American Association on intellectual and developmental disabilities. Main characteristics: If a person grows up with the prader willi syndrome, his/her genitals not a well developed, has almond shaped eyes, and a small down turned mouth. And the skeletal abnormalities and has small hands and feet with the delayed motor skill. Example 2: Foetal alcohol syndrome Source: The American Association on intellectual and developmental disabilities. Main characteristics: The baby will have a low birth weight and has small head and facial abnormalities, comparing to a typical baby. Failure to thrive, developmental delay, has behaviour problems, hyperactivity and poor social skills. 2.2 Give 2 examples of causes of intellectual disability that occur during or immediately following birth and describe 2 main characteristics of the effects. Example 1: Hypoxia Source: FAQ on intellectual disabilities, AAIDD Main characteristics: Babies born with hypoxia condition present at birth with pale or blue tinged skin and slow heart rate. Baby will also find difficulty in breathing, feeding, and has a poor muscle tone (floppy baby). Example 2: Trauma Source: FAQ on intellectual disabilities, AAIDD Main characteristics: The baby will be unresponsive and inability to regulate or maintain the body temperature. The baby will have problem with breathing and tissue damaged (obvious bruising, swelling and/or intracranial bleed). Give 2 examples of causes of intellectual disability that occur during childhood years and describe the impact on the day to day support needs of the person. Outcome 3: Describe conditions frequently associated with intellectual disability. Task 3 Condition 1: Spina Bifida Cause/s: Birth defect of the spinal column occurs 21 to 28 days after conception. Sometime during the first month of the pregnancy, the two sides of the spine (backbone) join together to cover the spinal cord, spinal nerves and meninges (the tissues covering the spinal cord). Spina Bifida refers to any birth defect involving incomplete closure of the spine. Main characteristics 1: partial or complete lack of sensation or paralysis of the legs. Main characteristics 2: fluid buildup inside the skull (hydrocephalus) and dimpling of the sacral area. Description of the support needs of the person with the condition: Physical support needs: Medical and surgical interventions Mobility aids Continence needs Adapting environment Social support: Transport and community access Friendship and activities support Opportunity for education and work Cognitive support needs: Learning support Aids to support learning Condition 2: Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Cause/s: Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is growth, mental and physical problems that may occur in a baby when a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy. Main characteristics 1: problem with face narrow, small eyes with large epicanthal folds and small head. Main characteristics 2: small upper jaw, smooth groove in upper lip, smooth and thin upper lip. Description of the support needs of the person with the condition: Physical support needs: Medical supervision. Physiotherapy. Assistance with daily living activities. Social support needs: Interaction with friends training. Behavior management training. Support activities Cognitive support needs: Support educational opportunities. Aids to support learning. Assist with communication. Condition 3: Prader Willi Syndrome Cause/s: a gene missing on part of chromosome 15. Normally, your parents each pass down a copy of this chromosome. Main characteristics 1: If a person grows up with the prader willi syndrome, his/her genitals not a well developed, has almond shaped eyes, and a small down turned mouth. Main characteristics 2: The skeletal abnormalities and has small hands and feet with the delayed motor skill. Description of the support needs of the person with the condition: Physical support needs: Specialist weight management. Exercise. Remove food (usually locked away). Medical supervision. Social needs: Consistency about food issues. Activities which are unrelated to food. Provide distractions so life is not centered on food. Cognitive needs: Routine about meal times. Educate about managing own diet. Educational support. Reference List: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.  http://aaidd.org Bray, Anne. (2003). Definition of Intellectual Disability. Donald Beasley Institute. Intellectual Disability Causes and Prevention  http://www.inclusionireland.ie/sites/default/files/documents/causesandpreventionbooklet.pdf National Dissemination Centre for Children with Disabilities.  http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/intellectual Oliver, Michael. (1997). The Politic of Disablement, critical texts in social work and the welfare state.  London: Greenwich Macmillan.

Our Prison System Sucks :: essays research papers

Our Prison System Sucks Good afternoon ****** and fellow class mates. To many of you, the word prison might frighten you. To some, you welcome the idea of prison. To others, well, you just don't care. Well I am for the idea of prison, but I don't support the way our prisons in north america are being run. These people deserved to be punished! I don't want them to waste our money, get "paid" for television interviews, book rights and all the other goodies that come from doing a crime. And then slapped on the hand saying: "You be a good boy/girl now" and sent them off to a place we call prison, but in reality, some of the prisoners, find prison to be just like a strict camp. I have personally talked to some people who had gotten out of prison a few weeks prior to our talk, and they where telling me how they learned how to make certain crafts, learn how to sow, and many other things. To me, that sounds awfully like a camp I was made to go to when I was young. Some people in prison even have television, others treat it like a hotel. This disgusts me! This doesn't sound at all like a prison. A prison is a place where people are supposed to be punished. Not treated like guests. There is a fin line between being punished and being over punished however. I'm not saying that each person should be beaten daily, or made to stay in a cell by themselves with no one to talk to for an eternity. The person should be punished according to the crime. "An eye for an eye." This brings me to the subject of capital punishment. I'm sure some of you are disgusted by the word, but I am not. I am disgusted with the fact that it is not here in Canada. I believe that for major crimes, such as that of Paul Bernardo certainly deserve the death penalty. If someone can go out and kill dozens of children, or adults. They surely have the guts to go though with the end of their lives. The amount of grief a family has to suffer when a loved one is lost is tremendous, and to have to go through life worrying weather or not you safe because your afraid the killer will get out of jail with good behavior.

How did you explore victim and violence? :: Drama

How did you explore victim and violence? As an assessed drama piece based on â€Å"Domestic Violence†, the group I was in explored victim and violence by using a number of explorative strategies and drama mediums. In the play, we explored the feeling of being a victim of violence and how a victim of violence becomes a violator. The play that we performed was based on two key words from the song, â€Å"Behind the Wall† by Tracy Chapman. The two words are: victim and violence. The play’s main theme is irony. The play revolves around two characters that used to attend school together. One of the characters, Catherine – played by Bronwyn, had a low status at school and was always bullied. The other character, Kevin – played by Sean, was a bully and therefore had a higher status. However, as time passes Kevin becomes a low status character and Catherine evolves into a high status character. This results in the bullied person now being the bully and one day meeting the character who bullied her through childhood. There is also a waiter – played by Oliver, and a waitress - played by Joelle. The first scene was set in a modern day, British cafà ©. To make the audience aware of the setting, a still image was used as the opening of the play. The still image consisted of 2 chairs facing each other, one down stage left and one up stage right. In front of each chair was a main character. The high status character, Catherine, was placed in front of the chair down stage left. Catherine stood in a slouchy position and her hair a mess. This gave the audience a clue that Catherine was of a higher status. The low status character, Kevin, was placed in front of the chair up stage right. Kevin stood with his head positioned towards the floor. The reason the low status character was placed backstage was to give the audience a hint of the characters’ social status. This is because a stereotypical low status person is more likely to blend into the background of a cafà © than sit near the front window to be viewed by passing pedestrians. Behind each chair, facing down stage, was a waiter/waitress. The movements of the waiter and waitress were performed synchronistical. This means that they both walked to the table at the same time and both spoke at the same time. This was used to show that the waiter and waitress were of equal status and relevantly insignificant in the play. The two characters of the play are complete contrasts.

Hitlers Rise to Power

A Comparative Essay on Historical Schools: The Annales and Marxist Historiography Historical Interpretation, as a term, is a skill that historians acquire to describe human events. As historians gather information regarding the past and analyze the artifacts, they are left with the task to explain their findings to the masses. For many years, profound members of society were used as primary sources for historical events. But as the world turned, historians began to question the grounds of which these â€Å"facts† stood. How are the rulers and priest to be the only true source of widespread events?Such questions gave birth to schools of historical interpretation. These schools became well- known on their scrutiny of historical facts to the point where history became a specialized field with various focal points, such as linguistics, agriculture, cliometrics, culture, and many more. This essay will compare the analytical styles of the Annales and the Marxists historians. Althoug h these schools recognize the superstructure of socioeconomic relationships, they have different approaches and motivations for their historical analyses which has changed the way history is studied.The Annales School is a group of historians who innovated historical research. They focused on properly documenting French history prior to the French Revolution. Prior to their research, french history was dominated by Marxism and was made up mostly from the vantage point of the leaders and other well known figures. The Annales vigorously opposed Marxism due to its tendency to discredit the natural causes and individualism that also play a major part in history. However, the Annales countered Marxism’s monopolizing ways by presenting their socially scientific approach.The Annales was founded by two Strasburg professors, who taught history and it was through their connection that they were able to become a school of historical interpretation. Co-founders, Lucien Febvre and Marc Bl och developed a scholarly journal that incorporated their approach and was published in 1929. This groundbreaking article was titled â€Å"Annales d'Histoire Economique et social† which was subtle in its initial push for change in historical documentation. As they began this journey as the Annales, they opted for historians to examine the state of France as it is and then deduce history rather than judge the present based on the past.Although there works are one in the same, they had different approaches that worked well together. Bloch contributed an agrarian and comparative perspective, while Febvre’s contribution was geared more toward combining history and the social sciences. In the Annales School: An Intellectual History, Andre Burguiere states â€Å"the act of placing the present in perspective by setting it against what the past can teach us does not lead to skepticism but to a spirit of tolerance and responsibility. † This tells us that the Annales felt as though history should be judged not by the â€Å"great men† alone but by the masses.And the only way to get history outside of the proverbial box is to take into consideration the ideals of all men and evaluate them along with economic and material withholding of their country. In order to fully capture an unbiased survey of history Febvre and Bloch pushed for an intercontinental journal. This would allow them to expand their practices not only by incorporating other disciplines but also understanding these events from a broader perspective. Besides their interdisciplinary approach, they also wanted to transform history into a social science.For them, this would prove to be more practical and would be made up of checkable facts and resources. By turning history into a social science, collective beliefs and customs would be taken into consideration. With these approaches, Bloch and Febvre makes up the first generation of the Annales School of Historical Interpretation but their works are still being used, updated, and adapted in current historical interpretation. Marxist historiography takes a different approach to understanding history. Spawned from Marxism’s class scale, Marxist’s historical interpretation is limited, as it works backwards from the outcome to the event.However, this form of historical interpretation is recognized for its middle and lower class historical perspective. Karl Marx is well-known for his strong support for Communism. He professed that society goes through a cycle from anarchy to socialism, with capitalism and communism being on opposite ends of the spectrum. This approach led him to analyze and judge history on these characteristics. In Marxist historiography, every historical event was a result of the socioeconomic status in which the event took place.Marxist historians are sometime ashamed of the Marxist title that they have due to Marx’s position on what we call the free world. However, Marxist hi storians do not hang on every idea of Marxism. A Marxist historian analyzes history with the understanding that historical events are occurrences that are determined by the working class’ level of production and the type of government in place at the time of the occurrence. In Marxist historiography, historians pay close attention to historical materialism, class struggle, government, and production.These are the viewpoints that sum up this type of historical interpretation. The historiography of Marxism many times exclude political factors because it lacks the substantial and tangible evidence that other forms of historical interpretation embrace. Karl Marx both embraced and opposed the ideas of GWF Hegel, a German philosopher, who was well known for his conflict and contradictions theories. Yet, it was because of Hegel’s philosophy that Marxism thrives. Through Marxist historiography, historical events are at the mercy of a superstructure that has a predetermined pat h.The work of Karl Marx and the Annales are still in practice today. Both schools of historical interpretation emphasize the social and economic impact on society as being the source for historical events. They examine the framework of society and compare the circumstances of many events to verify their theories and downplay prior trust in political narratives. As Stuart Clark states, in The Annales School: Critical Assessments, â€Å"At the centre of these issues and at the point of convergence of the Annales school and Marxist history is the theme of power. He concluded that their two distinct methods explain the plight of human events without discussing power and because of this missing link, the two schools will have more differences than similarities. Power is a common idea of both schools, however, they do not point out this fact. As there studies show, shifts of power is the driving force behind all historical events. The foundations of the perspectives of these two schools are astonishingly similar, but their differences lie in the details of their work.The Annales eventually introduced their three tiered paradigm which was â€Å"structure at the base, conjecture in the center and the event at the top. This this was then divided again by geography, social, and the individual. †(Hunt ,1986) In their use of this paradigm, they set themselves apart from Marxism because they incorporated geography and the individual in their studies, which was unique. Taking into consideration , the individual gives a personal take on the superstructure because from this vantage point the big picture can not be seen.The Annales understood that the individual has personal motivations that are not apart of the collective opinion and that the structure affects each person differently. The evidence that the Annales consider when interpreting history is more detailed than the practices of Marxist historians. Marxist historians emphasize the super and sub-structures of s ociety and remain focused on the outcome rather than the events. Marx stated in the Communist Manifesto that â€Å"the history of all past societies has been the history of all class struggles. † This sentence sums up the motivation behind Marxist historiography.Marx wanted inform the world that details did not matter as much as the inevitable social cycle. In The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1852), Marx states that history repeats itself, first as a tragedy and second, as a farce. † The Marxist historian upholds this statement to be a slogan for their studies. As they uncover new ideas regarding the â€Å"system†, they are able to interpret historical events from the outside in. Schools of historical interpretations have the duty of setting their methods apart from others and coming up with different ways to analyze history.Although each event has its facts, each school interpret the findings in interesting ways. The Annales began their journey trying to combat the Marxist historical methods and they prevailed in the way they were able to contribute to history what Marxist historiography could not cover. With each of their motivations deriving from the fallacies of political narratives, these schools have transformed historical documentation from a series of both unfortunate and fortunate events to a narrative of social and economic situations that inevitably force certain outcomes. Bibliography: . Burguiere, Andre. The Annales School: An Intellectual History, trans. Jane Marie Todd, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 2009; cloth; pp. 328; 2. Long, Pamela. Annales d'histoire economique et sociale 7 (November 1935), Les techniques, I'histoire et la vie Technology and CultureVol. 46, No. 1 (Jan. , 2005), pp. 177-186 Published by: Society for the History of Technology Article Stable URL:http://www. jstor. org/stable/40060803 3. Hunt, Lynn. French History in the Last Twenty Years: The Rise and Fall of the Annales Paradigm. Journal of Contemporary History. Vol. 21, No. , Twentieth Anniversary Issue (Apr. , 1986), pp. 209-224Published by: Sage Publications, Ltd. retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/260364 4. Marx, K. , and F. Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York, NY: Signet Classics, 1998. Print 5. The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. Karl Marx 1852 Course Textbooks: 1. Tosh, John. The Pursuit of History. 5th. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2010. 2. Green, Anna, and Kathleen Troup. The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twenthieth-century History and Theory. Washington Square, New York: New York University Press, 1999.

The Happy Prince

In the beautifully written tale The Happy Prince, it tells a story of love and generosity. The book delves into a fairy tale of a swallow and a prince, it poetically talks of the time when the prince was alive and how he was such a joyful person. The people of the kingdom bestowed upon the prince the nickname ‘The Happy Prince. ‘ When the prince died the town councillors chose to create a statue honouring him, setting the statue high above the town so the happy prince could watch over everyone. The Prince was coated in gold and rubies, this made him look magnificent and the whole town admired him. The prince became friends with a swallow and together they help the poor by giving them the gold and rubies off the statue. The book enters into a world of perplexity and reliance. The construction of the tale is written in an humorous way, but in doing that it also explores some serious issues involving poverty and loneliness. Playwright and poet Oscar Wilde started writing the children's book ‘The Happy Prince' in 1988, the remarkably written book is wildly popular even still 23 years later. Wilde’s collection of children's story books consists of The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Selfish Giant, The Devoted Friend and The Remarkable Rocket, all with different meanings, all just as funny and all just as heart wrenching. I think Wilde not only wrote these books for children but he made sure they are comedic and entertaining for adults too. The stories all have deeper meanings and talk about essential issues, this I think is makes the books even better. I remember my dad reading ‘The Happy Prince' to me as a child, the story back then was completely different to what I remember now. The humorous way Wilde goes into relationship between the two main characters in the story really made me laugh, I liked the way he talked of how to swallow fell in love with the reed and how the other swallows thought it was ridiculous because â€Å"she has no money, and far to many relations. Eventually the swallow tired of the reed as she â€Å"had no conversation. † Wilde uses humorous writing conventions such as metaphorical description of the relationships in the story between the wind and the reed â€Å"she was always flirting with the wind. † I love the style of writing and how witty and crazy Wilde’s ideas are. I think Wilde’s children’s book will always be loved, the bizarre stories will co ntinue to make people laugh and proceed to be fantastic bedtime stories.

Literature and imagination Essay

In â€Å"Critical Approaches to Literature†, David Daiches has said that the imagination, in its primary manifestation, is â€Å"the great ordering principle†, an agency which enables us both â€Å"to discriminate and to order, to separate and to synthesize, and thus makes perception possible†, for without it, we would have only a collection of meaningless sensory data. Literary theory and poetry materialize concurrently, for poets have a strong tendency to form opinions about their craft and to use these opinions as part of the message of their poems. Imagination is undoubtedly inherent in literature, the prime component in any work of art, but this view has been a cause of debate since the dawn of literature and criticism. As with most dissentions and philosophy regarding literature and its attendant features, the first records of this debate are to be found in the germinal works of Aristotle and Plato. Writing at a time when the poet was venerated for his work, and the philosopher persecuted for his, it is but natural that Plato would react negatively towards poetry. He regarded it as being fundamentally unsound and his view of imagination was much the same, since the imagination is the wellspring from which poetry arises. Imagination was inspirational and emotional, and he did not agree or identify with it for he did not find it logical. Aristotle, on the other hand, acknowledged that art represented reality, and that imagination was an important element of the structuring and creating of art. Horace, while admitting that poets utilized â€Å"fiction and often mingled facts with fancy†, put forth a synthesis of Aristotle and Plato’s views. According to him, the end function of poetry is to please and instruct, â€Å"†¦ a mixture of pleasure and profit appeals to every reader†¦ † and hence, imagination took on a fairly central position. John Dryden, a Seventeenth Century liberal and neo- classical critic, acknowledged imagination as â€Å"inspiration breath’d into man by God. † Increasingly we observe that, as it is investigated down the ages, the primary human faculty of imagination becomes inseparable from poetry- Dryden acknowledged both the didactic and aesthetic nature of poetry. The term ‘Fancy†, so commonly used, was coined by him. Pope, in accordance to the vigorous structural formalism of the Augustans, declares that imagination was â€Å"native†, but that it should be kept under control, for there was a necessity for decorum. In the Nineteenth Century, the issue of imagination became one of utmost significance, mostly due to the theorizing of Wordsworth, and more significantly, of Coleridge. While imagination, as a primary and unique faculty of the human psyche and consciousness, was never debated, both poets managed to convey its indisputable significance in poetry. In the Seventeenth Century, the writer became of soul importance- the readers reacted to the experience of emotion with delight. This ‘delight’, the Romantics stressed, was the prime objective of their poetry, but was not achieved by mechanical application of rules, but by the strength of the imagination. An early and somewhat haphazard attempt on the part of Wordsworth to discriminate between ‘imagination’ (â€Å"Impressive effects out of simple elements†), and ‘fancy’ (â€Å"Pleasure and surprise†¦ excited by sudden varieties of situation and accumulated imagery†), appears in â€Å"The Thorn†. In earlier discussions, both of these had been in most part used synonymously to denote a faculty of the mind which is distinguished from ‘reason’ and ‘judgement’, and which receives ‘images’ from the senses and records them into new combinations. He stresses that ‘imagination’, and not ‘fancy’, should be used to refer to the creative or poetic principle. The distinction between imagination and fancy was a key element in Coleridge’s theory of poetry, as well as in the general theory of the mental processes. This laconic differentiation is the core of his exposition on â€Å"the nature and genesis of the imagination. † M. H. Abrams, in â€Å"The Mirror and the Lamp†, points out that, â€Å"As in his philosophy, so in his criticism, Coleridge roots his theory in the constitution and activity of the creative mind. † The memory, for Coleridge, is â€Å"mechanical†, and fancy â€Å"passive†, which acts only â€Å"by a sort of juxtaposition†. The imagination, on the other hand, â€Å"recreates†, its elements by a process to which Coleridge sometimes applies terms borrowed from the physical and chemical unions- it is a â€Å"synthetic†, a â€Å"permeative† and a â€Å"blending, fusing power†. The imagination is â€Å"essentially vital†; it â€Å"generates and produces a form of its own. † Fancy is thus a perfunctory process which receives the elementary images- the â€Å"fixities and definites† which it receives from the senses, and without altering the parts, reassembles them into a different spatial and temporal order form that in which they were originally perceived. The imagination creates rather than reassembles by dissolving the fixities and definites, and unifying them into a new whole. The faculty of imagination â€Å"generates and produces a form of its own† while its rules are â€Å"the very powers of growth and production. † It assimilates and synthesises the most disparate elements into an organic whole- a newly generated unity, constituted by a living interdependence of parts whose identity cannot survive their removal from the whole. Fancy can be taken to mean surface decorations of new combinations of memories and perceptions, while imagination involved a combination of elements in the cauldron of the poet’s mind, with imagination acting as a base of sorts more than anything else, which results in the creation of a new work. Coleridge further distinguishes between the Primary and Secondary imagination. If the process of creation is conceived as being essentially and perpetually the bringing of order out of chaos, then the Primary imagination is essentially creative and â€Å"a repetition in the finite mind of the eternal act of creation in the finite I AM. † This could be explained by reducing imagination to a single image, or a train of thought, in one’s mind- this quality, being inherent in every conscious, human being (that is, in evolutionary terms, the ability of foresight and being able to think around a situation), and Coleridge has recognized this as constituting the Primary imagination. The Secondary imagination is the conscious human use of this power. When we employ our Primary imagination in the act of perception, we are not doing so with our conscious will, but are exercising the basic faculty of our awareness of ourselves and the external world; the Secondary imagination is more conscious and less elemental, but it does not differ in kind from the primary. In imagination, elements in an environment that strike the creator’s sensibility are blended and fused into a new whole- the poet has to merge reason and emotion, restraint and spontaneity, the abstract and the concrete, etc. The entire exercise is a â€Å"reconciliation of opposites†, (precisely why it is a conscious one), emphasizing the dialectical character of creativity. The action can be reduced to three basic phases: thesis, antithesis and synthesis, but this process is inexplicable, as is imagination, and particular to the poet himself. The resultant exposition can never be stripped down to its original elements. To exemplify this, Coleridge uses the analogy of the transformation of a seed into a plant to explain this theory. Once the seed has been planted, and grows into a plant, it is impossible to reduce the plant to singular elements like the seed, the water, the air, the soil, etc. It is a whole- an organic unit. In the same manner- a creation of the imagination has an inherent organic unity- it cannot be reduced to any of its contributory elements. This is the dialectical character of creativity that involves synthesis- the result of this blend and fusion is a whole. Coleridge stressed that imagination makes â€Å"new perception possible†. If indeed a work springs out of imagination, it holds the ability to penetrate the experience of its genesis and reveal the essence of the object. This echoes Aristotle’s view that poetry or art penetrates through the idea of an object and brings to the surface not the particular, but the universal in the particular, the essence. In a writer’s imagination, thus, the experience is unifying or coadunative- what Coleridge calls â€Å"Esemplastic†- it is moulded into an expression by the imagination. Literature thus becomes a piece of actuality subjected to the laws of imagination. Most critics after Coleridge tended to make fancy simply that faculty that produces a lesser, lighter, or more humorous kind of poetry, and to make imagination the faculty that produces a higher, more serious, and more passionate poetry. However, the mark of Coleridge’s theories is undoubtedly present in each of these. As he himself has stated: â€Å"I laboured at a solid foundation, in the component faculties of the human mind itself and their comparative dignity and importance. â€Å"

Lloyd Newson and Intertextuality Essay

1986 saw the formation of the physical theatre company known as DV8 Physical Theatre which since its inception until present day has been led by Lloyd Newson (www. dv8. co. uk) . Based in the United Kingdom this company has produced a lot of pieces which have toured internationally and have received awards , they also add to their achievements four award-winning films for television (www. dv8. co. uk) . In this essay I will discuss the intertextuality that can be seen in Dv8 original film The Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men conceived and directed by Lloyd Newson and how Newson approached the piece . Intertextuality can be defined as â€Å"the complex interrelationship between a text and other texts taken as basic to the creation or interpretation of the text†(Wall, 2007:97). Or the ways in which the components of a performance text get meaning on the basis of their relationship with other texts(Jordan , 1992: 257). I this case this will be the way in which the piece makes reference to other material other than what the director and performers thoughts are about Nilsen. Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men is loosely based on Brian Master’s book Killing for Company which is the story of Dennis Nilsen a serial killer who lured his victims (all young men ) back to his homes in Cricklewood and Muswell Hill and killed them by chopping their bodies into little pieces and stuffing them down the drain (http://www. ailymail. co. uk). Newson liked to challenge his audience by taking risks in his pieces not only physical risks but risks in his approach and within the piece itself draw form real life -the sociological and psychological- â€Å" for many dance companies it seem risk just means nothing is risked in terms of content and approach† ( Lloyd :www. dv8. co. uk) . Newson stresses that as a company they only work on pieces that are motivated and driven by how the central idea affects them, they talk about their own personal experiences before they start to rehearse and set actual choreography, the process of coming up with the final piece is a collaborative process â€Å"by sharing the process the final work become collaborative and the performers get credited accordingly† (www. dv8. co. uk) . The film also draws into homosexuality, at the time homosexuality was still something that people didn’t talk about widely it was all done behind closed doors . In Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men Newson â€Å"explores the interwoven notions of loneliness, desire and trust† (www. dv8. co. uk) . As mentioned earlier at the time of the film homosexuality was seen as somewhat â€Å"taboo† Newson draws on societies views and explores if what led Nilsen to his disturbing actions could have been the mere fact that there were already so many negative views place on homosexuality he was lonely in need of company -killing for company- â€Å"societal homophobia often results in tragic consequences† (www. dv8. co. uk) . The film is in black and white this in itself could be seen as an intertext , a photographer by the name of Robert Mapplethorpe famous for his photo called Man in Polyester Suit all his pictures are in black and white most of his work could be described as homoerotic, so this can be seen as intertext from the start the films exploration of homosexuality . Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men starts off at a bar or club just like where Dennis would have picked his victim at this point of the film there is pop music (popular gay culture ) playing , the music used as an intertext , movement at this time is not to the music but influenced by the music . The body language of the performer is that of a hunter seeking its prey (victim) . Then as the piece progresses the music moves from pop to a more slower tonal sound . This is when the piece moves to a more â€Å"intimate† space – into Dennis’s home-. Looking at the design and setting throughout the piece we can see that there are many deep intertexts , the use of the sculptures being one , sculptures of nude men almost as an objectification of men as if to say this is how men should look like . The costumes the white underwear not something you would have people where as their full costume on stage , and the dull colored shirts and pants worn by the other characters . There are a few scenes don in the bathroom where we see visible pipes relating to the drains where Dennis’s victims body parts were found , this could be an intertext to point out that the body parts in the drain were the reason that Dennis was caught so have the pipes visible in that way shows his one mistake that lead to his arrest. Also Newson uses the bathroom which is a secret place where some of the action takes place this also draws to the gay culture -secretive â€Å"behind closed doors†- . In the film most of the action is not actual â€Å"dance† its all realism it’s realistic everyday moves and gestures â€Å"realist dance can be said to communicate to audiences ,to attempt to reveal the truths of our world†(Wall, 2007:91). In the bathroom scenes there is no dancing there is an exploration of weight and gestures no choreographed movement , the two men also exchange underwear this switching of something personal represents ntimacy (sexual acts) between them . The piece has a strong intertext to the womb in the bathtub the man lies in a fetal position there is also water and at some point he is immersed in it just like in the womb . The bathtub also being where Dennis drowned his victims or mutilated them . The picture of the man in fetal position in the water can be seen as both the beginning (fetus in womb) and the end (drowned by Dennis). Going back to the spacial design we see that besides the visible pipes the roof is not closed off -no ceiling- you can see the planks , when the performer is up on the roof and moving along the planks in an almost sneaky way this draws to secrecy again it also brings some Notre dame themes of people in the rafters sneaking around , bringing us back to the secrecy . Some have argued that in Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men Lloyd Newson portrays homosexuality in a bad way -as dirty and promiscuous- , they say that with this single film he has undone all the hard work done by gay activist in the past to have homosexuality accepted by society. In conclusion Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men is a powerful film digging deep into the action of a serial killer , playing on the intertextual meanings that we as the audience leave with questions about sometimes as viewers we consciously recognize where the style and ways of using style come from and at other times the origin just provides an unconsciously sensed undercurrent (Bazerman, 2001:1). Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men also shows that physical theatre is capable of taking on complex issues without simplifying the subject (www. dv8. co. uk).

Paul’s Teachings and His Impact on Christianity

It is a widely accepted notion that Paul of Tarsus, a Christian teacher living from AD 4- 67, ultimately and significantly impacted Christianity's expression. Through his writings and beliefs, Paul has changed the spiritual dimension of Christianity in its entirety. Paul, originally a persecutor of Christians for the Roman Empire, received his conversion on the Road to Damascus. It is this that prompted his change of heart, and for his incessant preaching of the gospel.Perhaps driven by his former life, Paul preached the notion of love to all. â€Å"If I have no love, I am like a clanging gong,† he wrote in one of his epistles. In Galatians, Paul notes the importance of love as one of the ‘Fruits of the Spirit'. This devotion to loving one another impacted Christianity as previously, this idea had not been taught so prominently (except, obviously, by Christ). Paul taught that Christians were to, as Jesus taught and demonstrated by His death on the cross, love through all circumstances, as love â€Å"never fails†.This idea has led to the teaching, in many churches now, of adherents ‘becoming love', or becoming one with the qualities Paul so admired in the Saviour he worshipped. Secondly, Paul's preaching of salvation through faith, and, more importantly, through God's grace, led to the amazing expansion of Christianity through the salvation of new believers. In this way, Paul made Christianity accessible to all, no matter whether they were â€Å"Jew or Gentile, male or female, freed or slave†.This revolutionised religious expression as anyone knew it, as previously, salvation was earned through works (for example, sacrifices and commandments). Paul, once again building on Jesus' teachings, taught that obeying commandments was not the way to earn salvation, but was a way to show love for Jesus. While this idea was predominately lost until Martin Luther's reformation, Christianity was transformed by this and expanded significantly as a result. Paul also reiterated the importance of relying on Jesus, which is expressed in his letter to the Colossian church.Their reliance on the self was causing nothing but trouble for their spiritual lives, and Paul was quick to point this uot. Rather than testing human capabilities, Paul promoted the idea of keeping faith in the works of God, through constant prayer and reading of God's word. This, he said, would lead to a spiritually stronger church. This idea transformed the way Christian churches react in the face of crisis – whether to stand on their own ideas (â€Å"lean not on your own understanding,† as the Old Testament says) or to â€Å"Trust in the Lord your God† – with many following Paul's example and receiving through prayer.Paul promoted the idea of individual spiritual growth, as proclaimed in his epistles. He compares newcomers to the faith as spiritual babies, but he advises through learning about the Gospel that any believer can g row (â€Å"for we are all one with Christ†). This transformed Christianity as the believer is able t now feel a closer spiritual connection to God – Paul promotes heavenly rewards, but also new spiritual gifts through growth that God lovingly gives. Paul, while teaching that spiritual growth may accompany struggles and sin, also advise d the adherent to â€Å"flee† from sin.In his epistle to the Galatians, Paul refers to the old self – anger, gluttony, jealousy and hatred – as how believers should not act, then describes the Fruit of the Spirit: â€Å"Love, gentleness, meekness, self-control, kindness, joy and peace† as how believers should live. Paul gave examples of the adherent's ideal life, which had a transforming effect on Christianity not because of its content, but because Paul admitted sin was inevitable. Paul accommodated the nature of all individuals but urged the believer to use self-control, to â€Å"make his body a slave† and to try and resist temptation.Paul's words, undeniably, had a profound effect on Christian spirituality and understanding, as well as teaching. Through Paul's teachings of equality and love, his teachings of Jesus' love and God's grace through salvation, Paul revolutionised Christianity for the better and could always use Jesus' preaching’s to support these (a necessity for the faith). Paul himself did not profess to be perfect – â€Å"my body does things I don't want to do† – but spoke always of Jesus' love and forgiveness for all, showing

The Feeling of Excellence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Feeling of Excellence - Essay Example If you want more, then go for more excellence.† And so Matilda looked for more. Matilda’s paternal grandfather, Leonardo, seemed to be the perfect source of knowledge when it came to excellence. At 90 years old, he must know what excellence means. Matilda decided to visit him. She took two sandwiches and a can of orange juice. She wanted to be prepared of their long conversation over the definition of excellence. She took her food and drinks and went to the next door, because that’s where her grandparents lived. Before even knocking, a large, looming figure with grey hair opened the door. Matilda shouted: â€Å"Grandpapa! You almost killed me!† Leonardo laughed and carried the child to the living room. He said: â€Å"Well, your mother called and told me you’d come.† Matilda shrugged: â€Å"You should have pretended you read my mind! That would have been more exciting and mysterious!† She opened her juice and drank some before she said: â€Å"Anyway, I have some business with you grandpapa. Do you know what excellence is? Your son does not give a clear meaning for it.† Then she smiled. Leonardo laughed cheerfully: â€Å"I must say so. My son must be quite over his head on this one. Well, excellence is about being the best of where you are. Like the best student. That’s excellence.† Matilda asked: â€Å"What about the effort? Does that not account for excellence too?† Grandfather answered: â€Å"Hmm†¦You have a point there. Excellence is more of an outcome or result though.† Matilda thanked him and left. She was slowly walking and chewing on her second sandwich. Thinking made her hungry. On her way back to her house, she chanced upon the philosopher who called himself Socrates. Socrates called Matilda: â€Å"Why hello there my pumpkin! What seems to be bothering you? You look so creased, you can roll away like crumpled paper!† Matilda laughed at the thought of her rolli ng along the street. Matilda told Socrates her dilemma. He said that the question was difficult to answer, because every answer yields additional questions. He said: â€Å"What is excellence? Who defines it? Who says who can define it? Who believes these definitions? Ah, excellence confounded Aristotle and Socrates too. I am not much of a help. You have to discover what it means in your own, my little Plato.† Matilda creased herself even further. She should be rolling like crumpled paper by now. Matilda decided to sit at the porch. She stared blankly into space. Mr. Smithson walked by. He was the mayor. He saw the bothered look on Matilda and decided to approach her. He said: â€Å"Can I sit with you Matilda? Anything I can do for you?† Matilda answered: â€Å"Well, you can if you know what excellence is.† The Mayor shared his ideas on excellence: â€Å"Excellence is public service. It is about going beyond yourself and helping others.† Matilda looked pen sive and replied: â€Å"But that does not make me an excellent one then. I can barely help myself in many things. Thanks anyway.† The Mayor smiled and said goodbye. Matilda went in her house and felt deflated. No one gave her a satisfying answer of what excellence is. She sat at the living room and looked at her mom. She just baked some banana cake and pressed fresh orange juice.

Sustainale management futures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sustainale management futures - Essay Example Apparently, the author argued that business and ethics are two contradictory notions that have been brought together. Nonetheless, growing corporate malpractices has highlighted demand of corporate or business ethics significantly. Crane and Matten (2010) defined business ethics as assessment of a particular business situation or activity or decision that involve moral dilemma related to right and wrong. In business ethics, moral correctness is stress upon instead of commercially, strategically and financially correctness. Although there are several instances of violation of business ethics, one of the greatest scandals from gas and oil industry has been selected for evaluation with respect to two ethical theories. The paper will evaluate incident of Gulf Oil Spill by British Petroleum (BP) in the lights of Utilitarianism theory and Kant’s Ethics of duties or deontology theory. The oil and gas industry has been considered for evaluation of ethical crisis in business because this industry is one of the essential sectors from the perspective of economic development and environmental impact. The United States alone consist of 24.7 percent of global oil share while accommodating other subsectors such as exploration and production of oil and gas. Significant oil and gas reserved in the nation has attracted several global players such as British Petroleum (Marketline, 2012a; Marketline, 2014). Oil spill is often considered as an unavoidable situation in the process of drilling and extraction but the situation can cause havoc if goes uncontrolled. Two such critical examples are spill by Exxon Valdez in the gulf coast of Alaska and BP spill at the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to discussing the spill and its ethical consequences, brief introduction regarding BP Plc has been provided in the following section (Hanson, 2014). BP Plc was founded in 1901 and currently, it is considered as one of the largest oil and gas

Case analysis on The Treadway Tire Company Study

Analysis on The Treadway Tire Company - Case Study Example Raw materials depended on the price of oil, which has rapidly increased from $ 20 per barrel to $ 90 barrel in 2007 influencing the economics of tire firms. The rising cost of raw materials was posing a great impact on the company’s economy. Further, Lima Tire plant was facing serious morale problems with the line-foreman. Their dissatisfaction was starting to affect the entire company. The plant presently is undergoing massive expansion in that it aims to modernize its efforts that will increase the plant’s capacity and use new manufacturing technology. In addition, Lima plant has become one of the Treadways top plants in quality ratings and productivity because of the enhanced technology and updated equipment. Treadway closed Greenville Plant situated in South Carolina because of outdated equipment and moved some equipment to Lima. Therefore, with the additional volume, Lima moved to continuous operations, which has allowed Treadways to amortize the substantial fixed costs of operating a tire plant over maximum production volume. Current issues within the plant is the rising cost of raw materials, high level of job dissatisfaction and tension that exist between hourly paid workers and foremen. Currently, there are no enough people qualified to be promoted to the ranks of foreman. The company desires to solve the turnover problem in order to make Lima Plant become Treadway’s top plant for productivity and its lowest cost producer in North America. The Company wants to have employees who are satisfied with their work. Due to this, the company conducted an employee satisfaction research, noticed that some supervisors were not happy with the job, and was concerned about the positions of line supervisors. There is need to increase intercompany transfers and the percentage of college graduates. Summarily, the increase in costs of operation should allow the company to increase