The Modern Marine NCO Today

Today’s Marine NCO has changed over the years from the past Marine NCO. An NCO today takes the knowledge from their senior NCO’s that was passed down to them and help shape the Jr. Marine today. Having respect goes a long way with Marine NCO’s but how can that be achieved if the NCO doesn’t show any themselves? A Marine NCO is like a father figure in a way, teaches junior marine what he/she needs to know in order to better themselves and make good decisions so that one day when he/she becomes and NCO they can look back and be like my NCO when I was a troop taught me and show me what it takes to be a NCO. NCO’s gain knowledge and wisdom from their seniors but also gain knowledge for their jourior marines and make themselves better. The NCO from the past was more about odering and not listening to their marines which made the Marines under their charge hate their NCO as of to now and days the NCO takes time to listen to their Marines and properly take care of their needs. As a Marine NCO, we have to set standards for others to emulate and strive to be the best and surpass their leaders. A Marine NCO is there for his/her Marines from the smallest minute problem back in the rear to being on the fron lines and helping their Marine in a battle situation. A jounior Marine will trust and respect his fellow NCO(s) if that Marine NCO takes time to understand them and help them in their situation.

Porters five forces Essay

Threat of New Entry: Obesity is a big problem in the United States which is becoming a government and healthcare issue. Weight Watchers has played a role in the development of a new national awareness of healthful eating, lifestyles changes, and weight control. Weight Watchers International had experienced it biggest threat mostly because of new competition and changes in technology. When the over the counter weightless drug launched it had a drastic effect on their market. Switching Cost – Weight Watchers dropped their prices not because they focused on consumers, but because they are more focus on the health insurance business. Employers are giving incentives to employees to use weight watchers for health insurance purposes. Threat of Substitutes: In the weight loss industry there are lots of substitutes but Weight Watcher appears to be in the business of helping people make lifestyle changes. However, of course they want to make a profit. Weight Watchers is innovative and this is the reason they have been around for 50 years. Weight Watchers realizes the growth in health insurance and realizes their strength is their brand and reputation. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Presence of Substitute Inputs – Weight Watchers has the upper hand in regards to suppliers. They can turn to any alternative especially being an industry leader. Bargaining Power of Customers: Brand Identify-Weight Watchers has a great brand identity being one of the leading diet plans and having 1.4 active members. Weight Watcher uses many celebrities to market their brand to consumers. Rivalry among Existing Competitors: This force could be a big problem since new workout plans and diet products are always popping up on the market. Some diet plans are even using Weight Watchers’ formula for counting points and creating calculators. 1. Threat of new entrance3. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 5. Rivalry among Existing Competitors 2. Threat of Substitutes4. Bargaining Power of Customers Weight Watchers has a great thing going and will be around for years to come unless someone makes that magic pill to have the fat shed off you overnight. It seems as if the 5 Forces of Competitive Strategy is really working for  them. It also seems as if Weight Watchers understands its industry and where the industry is heading. They found themselves in the position to create a profitable company without totally relying on consumers. Internal forces The strongest part about the weight watchers program is the community and employee morale that comes along with the product. The program consist of two elements that really make the culture thrive. First off is the programs that it offers such as plans and dietary supplements. Second is the community and group support that really makes it hard to contest with. With all the human planning and preparation this is the key to internal success in the business market. External forces Strategy Development. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://strategyatheinz.blogspot.com/2013/05/shaping-weight-loss-with-five-forces-of_30.html

Difference Between Romanticism and Transendinlalism in American and British Writers Essay

Difference Between Romanticism and Transendinlalism in American and British Writers The expression Romantic gained currency during its own time, roughly 1780-1850. However, the Romantic era is to identify a period in which certain ideas and attitudes arose, gained the idea of intellectual achievement and became dominant. This is why , they became the dominant mode of expression. Which tells us something else about the Romantic era which expression was perhaps everything to do with them — expression in art, music, poetry, drama, literature and philosophy. Romantic ideas arose both as implicit and explicit criticisms of 18th century Enlightenment thought. For the most part, these ideas were generated by a sense of being unable to deal with the dominant ideals of the Enlightenment and of the society that produced them. Which characterized Transendinlalism very differently from that of Romanticism. The difference of Transendinlalism was that it was a literary and philosophical movement, associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, asserting the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that transcends the empirical and scientific and is knowable through intuition. However, the Romantics thought differently because they that, that romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 18th century and characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individual’s expression of emotion and imagination, departure from the attitudes and forms of classicism, and rebellion against established social rules and conventions. The Romantics felt all the opinions of the Enlightment were fraught with dangerous errors and oversimplification. Romanticism may then be considered as a critique of the inadequacies of what it held to be Enlightened thought. The difference between these two eras are the British and American writers that have chosen either the path of romanticism or transendinlalism. The characteristics of Romanticism are different to those of Transendinlalism. Romanticism results in part from the libertarian and egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution, the romantic movements had in common only a revolt against the prescribed rules of classicism. The basic aims of romanticism were various: a return to nature and to the belief in the goodness of humanity; the rediscovery of the artist as a supremely individual creator; the development of nationalistic pride; and the exaltation of the senses and emotion over reason and intellect. In addition, romanticism was a philosophical revolt against rationalism. Another difference between those of Romanticism and Transendinlalism are it’s themes that it represents. One of the many themes of romanticism are dreams and visions. The most notable example of the emphasis on dreams and visions in romantic literature is Coleridge’s poems is â€Å"Kubla Khan†written in 1816, he claims to have written is during a dream while deeply asleep . While transcribing the lines from his dream, he was interrupted by a visitor, and later claimed that if this interruption had not occurred, the poem would have been much longer. The idea that a person could compose poetry while asleep was a common amongst romantics. Although critics at the time were not particularly enthusiastic about Kubla Khan. Nature had a overwhelming influence during the Romantic Era. In Kubla Khan describes the nature that he is surrounded by; † Walls and towers were raised around â€Å"twice five miles of fertile ground,† filled with beautiful gardens and forests. A â€Å"deep romantic chasm† slanted down a green hill, occasionally spewing forth a violent and powerful burst of water, so great that it flung boulders up with it â€Å"like rebounding hail. † The river ran five miles through the woods, finally sinking â€Å"in tumult to a lifeless ocean. † Amid that tumult, in the place â€Å"as holy and enchanted / As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted / By woman wailing to her demon-lover,† Kubla heard â€Å"ancestral voices† bringing prophesies of war. The pleasure-dome’s shadow floated on the waves, where the mingled sounds of the fountain and the caves could be heard. â€Å"It was a miracle of rare device,† the speaker says, â€Å"A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice! † Coleridge’s is inspired by the beauty and charmingness that nature gives them during the romantic era. Before this period of time another era had began called The Age Of Enlightenment. In the 18th century â€Å" The Enlightenment,† made this movement advocated rationality as a means to establish an authoritative system of ethics, aesthetics, and knowledge. Which then gave the transendinlalism it’s place in this movement. Transendinlalism is a literary and philosophical movement, associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, asserting the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that transcends the empirical and scientific and is knowable through intuition. It is no coincidence that this movement took off just as the American literary tradition was beginning to blossom. Transcendentalism—though inspired by German and British Romanticism—was a distinctly American movement in that it was tied into notions of American individualism. In addition to the theme of American democracy, transcendentalist literature also promotes the idea of nature as divine and the human soul as inherently wise. Transcendentalism also had a political dimension, and writers such as Thoreau put their transcendentalist beliefs into action through acts of civil disobedience to the government. The nineteenth century was a volatile one, beginning with the hope and promise of democracy and the development of an American identity and moving towards mass devastation and division by the middle of the century. Slavery and the Civil War, women’s rights, growing industrialism and class division —all of these events were influential and each had a role to play in the transcendentalist movement. Transendinlalism had many themes to those of the Romantics at their time like self- wisdom. Quite simply, Transcendentalism is based on the belief that human beings have self-wisdom and may gain this knowledge or wisdom by tuning in to the ebb and flow of nature. Transcendentalism revolves around the self, specifically the betterment of the self. Where Emerson and his followers differed from earlier philosophical and religious beliefs was in the idea that human beings had natural knowledge and could connect with God directly rather than through an institution such as organized religion. Transcendentalism celebrated the self, an important step in the construction of American identity, better understood as the notion of American individualism—one of the cornerstones of American democracy. Nature played an important role in the Transcendentalist view. Nature was divine and alive with spirit; indeed, the human mind could read the truths of life in nature. To live in harmony with nature and to allow one’s deepest intuitive being to communicate with nature was a source of goodness and inspiration. In fact, writers not only celebrated America’s great landscape, but also constructed the wilderness as a type of dramatic character that illustrated moral law. The desire for an escape from the evils of society and a return to nature became a permanent convention of American literature. Transcendentalist thought emphasized individualism. Only by rejecting the irrelevant dogmas in place and searching for inner truth could one experience the deep intuition of spiritual reality. In relation, Transcendentalism is also very democratic, asserting that the powers of the individual mind and soul are equally available to all people. These powers are not dependent on wealth, gender, background, or education, but on the individual’s willingness to release their own imaginative power to realize his or her place in the Oversoul. The obvious results from Transcendentalist efforts are manifest in the intense moral enthusiasm that characterized Transcendental thinkers. Society, with its emphasis on material success, was often seen as a source of corruption. To combat this evil, many Transcendentalists were associated with such moralist groups as the anti-slavery group, the march for women’s rights, and other aid societies. Ultimately, some Transcendentalists hoped to reform society by creating an American utopia with a perfect social and political system. The Transcendentalists can be exasperatingly vague in their prescriptions for spiritual transformation, a vagueness which derives principally from their distrust of all forms of ritual and inherited religious forms. The transcendent individual is often a solitary figure, contemplating his soul (and by analogy, the soul of all humanity), and contemplating other souls through the reading of serious literature. But the central recurring theme that emerges is a return to nature, where the artifice and depravity of society cannot reach. Thus Thoreau leaves Concord and heads for Walden Pond to explore the great truths of the natural world. Thus Jones Very, in his poem â€Å"The Silent,† distinguishes between the sounds that strike the ear and those that strike the soul when one walks in the woods: ‘Tis all unheard; that Silent Voice, Whose goings forth unknown to all, Bids bending reed and bird rejoice, And fills with music Nature’s hall. And in the speechless human heart It speaks, where’er man’s feet have trod; Beyond the lips’ deceitful art, To tell of Him, the Unseen God. † Thus the similarities in the Romantic and Transendinlalism era are ver closely together. For the writers of these eras believed in different yet similar things. For example, nature was one of the similarities of both eras they had marked the world in believing that nature is something that will keep you clam and feel safe like all writers at the time believed in. For romantics believed in intellectual and artistic belief in their writing. Thus they also had many differences for reason over belief this is one of the subjects that the romantics and transcendentalist did not agreed in. During the 18th century their truly was no difference in both the romantic and Transendinlalism era. The only difference was those of the people’s writings of this period who made this era last for years.

Choose a specific television show. How does this television show Essay

Choose a specific television show. How does this television show portray society What does it reveal about the nature of huma - Essay Example This series is a very good example of life style of New York, and it showed how a big city life style can affect the human nature. The style of this show is unique as all episodes were narrated by Ted Morsby. Ted Morsby is the main character who after the marriage of his best friends’ Marshal and Lily wanted to settle down with a good job, wife and kids (Astro46). Ted narrates the whole story of looking for a wife to his two kids. His narration consisted of some very comical situations, which happened in the life of characters. The show is an example of life of young New Yorkers, and how they spent time and share their dreams with their friends. The series show some very important aspects of human nature all sensitive issues of big cosmopolitan city dwellers were shown in a very humorous way. The show was a good example of how the citizens of New York attach themselves proudly to this great city. In the following lines, we will be discussing how people’s nature change a fter coming from different cities and settling down in a big cosmopolitan city. The show how I met Your Mother was not only hilarious, but it depicted life of young New Yorkers and their thoughts and aims and their life style. All the main characters were proud to be called New Yorkers though only two of them Barney and Lily were true New Yorkers. It showed how people feel proud to be called New Yorker and how small funny incidences can carry big messages. The main characters, Ted, Robin, Barney, Lily, and Marshal are in their early thirties, and this is the time when a person not only wants to be settled in careers but also wants to get married and have kids. The program was a very good portrayal of young people of American society who have got educated and are on their way to settling down in life (Astro46). The series showed the fast life of New York and how young people work hard to achieve their aims and dreams. The series depicted how these young people wanted to achieve their goals in a very comical style. It showed how people manage their personal lives in a very fast life style. The Series portrayed different aspects of human nature in a very humorous manner. It showed that in a big city true friendship can matter a lot. True friends fight and get jealous but at the time of need they offer their shoulder to cry on it. The series depicted how we can forget our very own close relations in the fast life of New York. One such example in this show of human nature was on the death of Marshal’s father when he wanted to know his father’s last voice message to him. The worried look of not getting embarrassed in front of his family was on his faced. He was getting jealous of his siblings. It was a very normal just like any sibling jealousy and struggle to be loved more than other siblings. His true desire was that his father should have given a very special message to him. This episode truly depicted how people exaggerate and tell false stories ab out the dead people. In this episode, Barney made everyone realize that it is human nature that last words are always thought to be something great. This episode proved that sometimes getting angry can give you consolation as was in the case of Marshal’s mum. The actions of different people on a sad occasion of death were shown in a very hilarious way. In the end of the episode everyone realizes the importance of their loved ones. It can therefore be concluded that the series was a hilarious

Reflections Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Reflections - Assignment Example Personally, I agree with Lewis’s saying that the ultimate price that we pay for losing those we love is pain and grief (Tesiik, 2001). I saw my mother, G.M struggling with the pain of losing my stepfather. Thus, she was paying a price for the commitment and love that she accorded my stepfather. Connection to saying. The saying relates well to the scenario of my mother, G.M. As pointed by Lewis, one can go through a series of pain if she loses the object of her love. G.M was indeed in deep love with my stepfather. She went through series of pain and episodes of depression attributable to cognitive response. As a result, she is suffering from Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases. Description of manifestations of grief. Grief manifests itself in four different ways including feelings, physical sensations, cognitions, and behaviors. Feelings are often diverse and take different turns. Sadness is a feeling that many individuals experience after losing the persons that they love or have a close attachment (Loos, Willetts, & Kempe, 2014). My mother, G.M experienced this when she lost my stepfather. Individuals often demonstrate sadness by crying. Crying is a gesture that arouses a protective or sympathetic reaction from other individuals. Complicated grief may result if individuals fail to express sadness with or without the accompaniment of tears. I felt sad when I watched G.M writhing in pain. Anxiety is a common feeling that relates to the loss and it often originates from the fear that the bereaved may not be in a position to take care of themselves. There are different ranges of anxiety and can extend from mild to extreme forms of panic attacks. Grief also manifests itself through cognition. In most cases, a cognitive response often occurs after an individual develops varied feelings. As I have outlined above, my mother G.M experienced different feelings of sadness, and anxiety after the loss of my stepfather. It is through this happening that I realized

Incorporate Expectancy Theory Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Incorporate Expectancy Theory - Article Example Other than the hygiene and food, the sailors have to sleep on single beds and do so for not more than 5 hours so. This is so that they can ensure they continue to race and relieve each other of the duty to sail and control the boat at all times due to the harsh conditions of the water they are sailing in. In order to prevent them from giving up, they have to build relationships with each other and live like married couples. This is important for support and surviving the extreme conditions in all the 10 days. The other way is to visualize the end prize as well as build the worst case scenarios on their heads so that the reality is much more tolerable and the sailors would be mentally prepared to handle it. Being disciplined enough to stick to a routine and getting enough time to rest and sleep are also important for success not forgetting being extraordinarily selfish and simply thinking about the competition and winning alone (Webster, 2011). Expectancy theory is all about putting on effort and acting in a certain way because one is expecting a reward at the end. The individual effort that is put on an activity is transformed into good or even excellent performance which will lead to a reward and hence having attained a personal goal. This is the same theory that drives the performance of the extreme sports sailors discussed in detail above (McShane, et al 2013). The sailors expect that by putting in a lot of effort towards their practice as well as adhere to the advice provided by their psychologists and other trainers, they will be able to endure while sailing and hence increase their performance level. The increased effort they put towards their sailing will lead them to complete the race within the specified timeline and will most probably be able to have fulfilled their specific goal (Kremer & Moran, 2013).

Sydney as an Efficient Department of Health Assignment

Sydney as an Efficient Department of Health - Assignment Example In the past, Sydney had higher unemployment rates in comparison to the national average and other regions of Nova Scotia (LFS December 2014). The ethnic groups that are mostly found in Sydney are mostly French, Canadian, Scottish, English, and Irish. There might also be a visible small population of Chinese, Arabs, and Africans. According to a recent census, 65% of the big population reports to have England as their original motherland and thus English as their mother tongue. The rest of the population that reports having French and another non-official language as their mother tongue are almost equal, 15% and 13%.The Francophone and Acadian are not concentrated in Sydney as they are in other counties such as Richmond, Digby and Halifax. Despite Christianity taking dominance in this population, the practice of Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism is exhibited. In the total population, 75% practice Christianity, 5% practice Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam while the rest 20% have no religious affiliation (Sylvester, 2001). From the 2011 census, the population practices Agriculture though not in large scale. They mostly cultivate vegetables to feed the people that live in Sydney.They build dikes along the tidal marshes so that they can secure salt that they use to cure salt. Fishing is a large contributor the economy of Sydney. This makes it a leader among a majority of fisheries in the Atlantis coast. Due to this, salt and dried fish is the main export commodity to other parts of the world such as Latin America. There is the presence of valuable fish in their markets such as cod and haddock. Crustaceans such as lobsters and scallops are also present. Sydney does not have a large presence in manufacturing industries. It accounts for less than three percentages of the manufacturing sales in Canada. However, the region manufactures wood, plastics, and food. The tourism in the community is relatively active, employing 7200 workers. The sea is a main source of  transport despite the region having other transport services such as railway and road.

The Spitfire Grill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Spitfire Grill - Essay Example All the characters in this movie are offered a second chance to establish a turning point in their lives through a reinventing that could change their way of life. In that case, residents of town of Gilead, who are characters in the movie The Spitfire Grill (1996), are offered a second chance. However, this is not taken to be a chance for reviving their difficult lives; in fact, they are expected to reinvent themselves from detestable setting, though they take them as a chance of making excuses for procrastination. One of the characters is Nahum, who is portrayed to be antagonistic in the movie due to the conflicts raised between them and Percy, which leads to Percy’s death. Therefore, Nahum gets a possibility to have a manifestation of his life; in fact, Nahum is portrayed as antagonistic person suffering from mid-age crisis. In fact, he lacks confidence due to his failure in life other than ascendancy, and he is egotistical, sexist who evades taking responsibility of his fai lure not managing his real estate company appropriately. Nonetheless, he is offered a chance to take a self-reflection in the entire movie, but he avoids taking chances of avoiding mistakes. The other character is Aomame considered to be among the three main characters; in fact, he helps The Dowager to terminate the male sexists, who bring mischief to women. She holds a notion that peoples alter their memory instinctively, while others alter their history in a way that alleviates their blunders. In contrast, Murakami maintain that people may be acquainted with their faults in an erroneous way. Furthermore, other groups of people who have consistent behaviors of preventing their mistakes, though this happens if they are not offered a second chance. Nonetheless, through his character, it is evident that only one chance and people how are failures deny themselves a chance to cancel their failure. Analysis of these characters indicates that chances are available to achievers, though the re is no absolute causality between achievement and chances, others depicted to be striving for accomplishment other than waiting for chances. During my high school learning, I had high inspirations of becoming the one of the best performing students; in fact, my parents wished the same. Therefore, this led a decision to wait for a chance and attain this objective. However, there were situations when chances would emerge and I took these chances by getting a better score such as during a test, though there were other instances when I could complain that I did not meet my expectations. In this case, this applies to the situation with Estragon and Vladimir in the absurdist play, who were waiting for a Godot by Samuel Beckett; for instance, Estragon and Vladimir were waiting for a chance to meet with Godot. Ironically, Estragon offers a significant motive underneath the notion that waiting for Godot would be meaningless; in fact, there are chances that Godot will offer them a great opp ortunity, though both Estragon and Vladimir had not met Godot; in fact, this chance had no attribute of bringing achievements, instead it would lead to mischief. In conclusion, this paper focuses on analyzing characters in the movie The Spitfire Grill, who had second chance to reinvent their lives. It is apparent that some took this chance to decline other concentration and evade their mistakes; in fact, others

Swimming pool policy evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Swimming pool policy evaluation - Essay Example The regulation states that I am sure that the other users of the facility will agree with me when I say that shutting down the facilities for 15 minutes 4 times a day takes away from the enjoyment that we expect to get when we come to the pool. In fact, the facilities are closed up to 6 times a day, depending upon the number of babies and children present at the pool on that day. This is not to say that we do not appreciate the concern of management towards the health safety of the pool users. It is after all, a well known fact that water borne illnesses are most often transferred through ingested pool water. With the prevalence of cryptosporidosis, the water borne diarrhea in most swimming water facilities, one can never be too cautious. Our community would of course, hate to see the facility shut down together with the other 12.1% of pools that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shut down for health safety violations ( Spivey, 2). Closing the pool 4 times a day for cleaning is obviously part of the zeal and protectiveness that the pool administrators feel for the bathers. However, closing the pool 4 times a day to add chemicals and disinfectants to the water may not be the proper way to insure the cleanliness of the general pools. It may instead, be removing from the enjoyment of the swimmers and their family members. Even the Hyperchlorinization of the pool once a week does not improve the water enjoyment of the members. Instead, it poses a different kind of water borne health threat due to the Chloramine levels in the pool which cause mild to severe eye and respiratory inflammation among those exposed to it. As concerned members of this facility, we would like to suggest that certain changes be undertaken be in the cleaning policy in order to add instead of hinder the water enjoyment of the bathers. We would like

Critical Essay on ‘Follower’ Essay Example for Free

Critical Essay on ‘Follower’ Essay A poem which explores the problems of growing older is the poem ‘Follower’ by Seamus Heaney. This poem is about Heaney’s childhood memories of his father working on the farm ploughing the land. Heaney talks very highly of his father and creates the impression of a very strong man who was an expert at what he done and a man who was his son’s hero. It also talks about how Heaney used to follow his dad around as he worked and how he dreamed of growing up and ploughing like his dad. However, there is a twist at the end of the poem and Heaney goes from talking about how he was an annoyance to his dad when he was younger but now his dad is the annoyance to him as he is now old. In the first stanza, Heaney talks about his father and his work. He is talking very highly of his father and says, â€Å"The horses strained at his clicking tongue† This quote shows how his father was a man who was extremely good at his work as it shows how his father could control numerous strong farm animals perfectly and with ease just by clicking his tongue, a very hard thing to do using reasonable force never mind just by a simple gesture such of the click of his tongue. The image the reader gathers from this quote goes well with the image of a strong, well-built man that we get when Heaney writes, â€Å"His shoulders globed like a full sail strung† These two quotes together give a very good impression of Heaney’s dad. Together they give the impression that his dad was a very heroic figure to him and that he aspired to be like him. It gives the image of the perfect male, a strong, graceful man that was an expert at his profession and that was an idol to his son. However, these hero-like images of his father when he was younger are dismissed later on in the poem when Heaney writes about how his dad is no longer the big strong man that is an idol to younger males but the complete opposite, someone who is annoying and in the way of him rather than being someone who he looks up to, follows around and aspires to be. These positive quotes of the young strong man and the negative image created by the last stanza go hand in hand to show the problems of growing older. The same kind of idea of the negative points of growing older are continued in to the second stanza when Heaney continues to talk about how his dad was so much of an idol to him and how his dad was someone to be looked up to and to aspire to be like when he was younger and in his prime in this stanza. This time Heaney says, â€Å"An expert. He would set the wing† This is a very powerful line. The short sentence of only two words to start off the stanza is very effective as it gives the impression that his father wasn’t only very good at his job but he was an expert, he was the best. This is once again showing how his father was so much of an idol to him and that he was a very respectable stereotypical perfect father when he was younger as it shows how good his father was at his job. The second part of the line shows that his father knew exactly what he was doing and gives us the impression that his father took his job very seriously and that he was very precise and concentrated when doing anything in his job such as setting the wing. The idea of his dad being so good at his job and being able to do it with ease is continued when Heaney writes, â€Å"The sod rolled over without breaking. At the headrig, with a single pluck† The quotes ‘without breaking’ and ‘with a single pluck’ reinforce the idea that his dad was an ‘expert’ at his job as they show that he could do hard work with ease and that he knew exactly what he was doing and that he could do it perfectly if he could turn soil without it even breaking and control his animals with a ‘single pluck‘. Once again it is the negative image of his father given in the last stanza as he is older that shows the negative effects of growing older as it is so different from the image you gather from the first two stanzas alone about how good his father was at his job and how strong his father was and how much of an idol his father was to him when he was younger. The image of his father being so strong and good at his job in his youth is continued throughout the next three stanzas. The idea of him being an expert and being someone to look up to who was strong and almost perfect is continued through the continued use of quotes such as, â€Å"the sweating team† This shows that the work was not easy. If the team of strong farm horses that where doing the job were sweating and tired you could only imagine how much sweat and effort Heaney’s father would have to put in to the work. It then continues to talk about his expertise in the job as it says things such as, â€Å"Narrowed and angled at the ground, Mapping the furrow exactly.† The first line shows how his father took his work very seriously and that he was very precise in what he done and that he made sure he done it to a good standard therefore he had to concentrate greatly on what he was doing. The second line also reinstates the fact that he was an expert at his work as it shows how he mapped the furrow in his head and made sure it was exact once again showing that he took it very seriously and had pride in his work. Heaney then goes on to write, â€Å"Sometimes he rode me on his back† This gives the impression that his father was the ultimate as he has talked about how hard his work was when he wrote about the ‘sweating team’ and he was talked about how much effort and concentration that he had to put in to his work but he says how he still even managed to carry his little son on his back while he did all of this. Something that would make the work even more harder and longer and would make it harder to concentrate but he still did it. However, all these quotes can be compared to the last three or so lines that show the real problems of growing older. Althought he had listed all of these positive things and even said how he literally followed in his fathers footsteps all day, he finishes of the poem by saying, â€Å"But today It is my father who keeps stumbling Behind me, and will not go away.† This really highlights the problem of growing older as it shows how people can just disregard someone when they get old regardless of what they thought of them when they were younger. Although Heaney had idolised his dad when he was young and wanted to be exactly like him and used to stumble behind his father and annoy him, now that it is Heaney in the position of having his father stumbling behind him and relying on him, Heaney doesn’t even want to know him. This is actually quite a sad ending to the poem as it really does highlight the problems of growing older as it shows how it seems that once you are older and start relying on those younger than you who once relied in you they don’t want to know you. So, as you can see, the author, Seamus Heaney has been very successful at exploring the problems of growing older in his poem ‘Follower’. Heaney does this by writing the vast majority of the poem about positive points about his dad when he was younger making him out to be a hero but then introducing a cruel twist in the last stanza about how even though he once idolised his dad and relied on him now that his dad relies on Heaney, he doesn’t want to know him.

Negative Impact Of Playing Video Games Media Essay

Negative Impact Of Playing Video Games Media Essay Information Technology also known as I.T , refers to anything that related to computer technology , such as the internet , networking , hardware , software , or peoples that work with this technology . Research from UCLAs Higher Education Research Institute provide useful informations about the usage of video games on college campuses . These data shows that most of the college students play videos games regularly , and a small percentage use them as a primary means of entertainment and leisure . In the 2009 Freshman Survey, around 1% of respondents admitted to playing over 20 hours of videogames per week. Over 35% of the respondents stated that they play at least one hour per week. Computer games can have impact on teenagers , especially for those who spent hours after hours playing them. Games that played with a team can helps to reinforce concept of the effectiveness of teamwork . However , video games may have negative effects too . For my opinion , video games will definitely affect us as a college students . 3.1 Negative impact of playing video games Alertness Teenagers that do not have their video games playing time limit by their parents might find themselves playing until late at the night . This can result in a loss of sleep and a decrease in alertness in school. A decrease in alertness and focus at school can result in lower academic performance. HEALTH PROBLEMS If teenagers spent all of their free time playing video games, skipping meals or lose sleep because of their game play, it can negatively impact their health. The Mayo Clinic notes that teenagers who spent more than 2 hours a day in front of a television or computers might suffer from their childhood obesity. In addition, the University of Texas at Dallas also notes that the addiction can leads to medical issues , such as backaches, headaches, eyestrain and carpal tunnel syndrome pain and numbness that they might feel in their wrists, hands, shoulders and elbows. Death There are already few cases of death had been reported in the press . All linked to excessive play of video games. In the year of 2002 , a young man was found dead in the toilet of a cybercafe in Kwanju, South Korea . He was said to be previously glued to a computer, deprived of proper nutrition and sleep , also earlier in the same year, a mother in Louisiana sued Nintendo who caused her son suffered from seizures and consequently death. The report shows that he had play an average of 48 hours per week. POOR PERFORMANCE Long hours in playing video games can negatively affect teenagers performance in their school or at work if they are preoccupied with their video games or failing to work at their optimum level because they are exhausted from a late night of playing video games . The Mayo Clinic notes that teenagers who devotes more than two hours a day to television or video games might have the troubles of falling asleep, have problems paying attention than teenagers who dont spent as much time in front of the computer and video games . PREOCCUPATION Video games addiction can be harmful if teenagers are unable to participate in any outdoor activities rather than gaming . The On-Line Gamers Anonymous website notes that it may be a sign of an addiction if teenagers are constantly thinking about their next video game , devising ways just to get back to the game, abandoning former hobbies that dont related to the video games or declining social events with personal interaction because they are spending too much time on discussing the video games through the Internet. 3.2 Tips on managing teenagers media consumption Because of the popularity of video games, it can completely eliminating them from teenagers life might be difficult. But there are also few ways that can decrease the negative impact that they have on the teenagers . Know the rating of the video games that the teenagers are playing . Never install any video games equipment if necessary . Always set a limit on how often and how long teenagers is allowed to play video games. Take the time to discuss with the teenagers about the games they are playing or other media they are watching. Ask them how do they feel about and what they observe in these video games . This is an opportunity to share your feelings and grow closer with the teenagers . It is vital for teenagers to spend their time on both indoor and outdoor activities . Excessive time spent on video games may curb some outdoor activities among some of the teenagers. We might not want them to be game addicts at the cost of active outdoor pastimes. It is the responsibility of the elders to encourage teenagers to participate in outdoor activities as well, rather than sticking to the video games for all day long. Being able to monitor and control the amount of time that the teenagers spent on video games is the key to restrict the negative impacts of video games. Make sure to expose them to the right games with limited time log to benefit from this fun filled activity. 2.0 Define Peer Pressure In every day of a teenagers life , they get to experienced peer pressure in their school and the environment among them . Peer pressure means that friends trying to persuade you for doing something that you dont want to do . But maybe you want to do it and you dont have the courage and your friends talks you into it . Much research had shown that peer pressure had a much greater impact in adolescent behavior than any other factor . Try to think about it , teenagers nowadays spent most of their time with peers and family members , so the interaction is direct and much more powerful than the influences of the teachers and others authority figures . 2.1 Peer pressure risk factors : Teenagers with low self esteem Teenagers with low confidence Feeling isolate from friends or families Poor academic performance Without personal interest Peer pressure can be divided into 2 types :- Good Peer Pressure Good peer pressure can be a situation that your friends try to convince you not to do something that youre going to do because it maybe not your best interest . Good pressure is when you got pushed into something that you did not want to do but it turned out well . But for my opinion , the bad peer pressure is much more effectively towards the teenagers than the good peer pressure . Bad Peer Pressure Bad peer pressure is when you are being coerced into doing things that you did not want to do just because you friends said you should . It can be leads to experimentation with sex , alcoholic , skipping school , drugs and others high risk behavior . Your friends may had a tendency to think that they know what is the best for you . For example : if you friends offered you a stick of cigarette , you might say NO , but the real problem arises when you friends keep repeatedly asked you for doing something . Alcoholic One of the common peer pressures in school/college/university is alcoholic . I am sure that there are some of the people that sometimes dont feel like drinking , but they do because that is what everyone is doing , this is a negative form of peer pressure . Research shown that alcoholic abuse is one of the biggest problems among schools and colleges . The students usually end up with missing class , damaging property , getting injured and having unprotected sex as a result of abusing in alcohol . Nowadays , statistics shown that unsafe safe , drunk driving , and the sexually transmitted diseases are rising . All these problems are caused by the peer pressure of drinking . Drug addiction Drug addiction is another common peer pressure faced by teenagers . Initially, the teens are not aware about the adversed effect of drug addiction. When they become familiar with the adversed effect, it will be too late. This is a life threatening issues that is quite impossible to resolve. Drug addiction will ruined their futures completely.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Ã‚   If teenagers are addicted to drugs , it can negatively impact upon the following: Marriage and relationships Home and family life Education Employment Health Personality Financial issues Unprotected Sex Sex is the common issues faced by the teenagers. Both of the boys and girls are equally affected by the sex problems. In this modern age, people love to have sex in their early age. For most of the boys , they thought that who dont like to make sex in the teenage are considered as weak and dumb, whereas Oral sex is more popular among teens. In oral sex, there is no chance of pregnancy , so that the teenagers dont considered oral sex is wrong.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Ã‚   2.2 How to handle the peer pressure ? Choose the good friends that who will share the value of yours . Good friends will use positive peer pressure to help you to be your best self.   Avoid situation where your friends are doing things that you dont want to do.   Think about the reasons for doing things: Is it a good reasons? Are you really being true to yourself ? Practice to say no -always come up with excuses if it is necessary. For example you dont want to get in any troubles, damage your body or mind, or risk blowing Always Talk to your parents or a any adults about the kinds of peer pressure that you are facing and listen to their advices .   Nowadays , Peer pressure is a part of our daily life ,it can be a strong influences during the teenagerss years when peers are important to their identity.Teenagers must learn how to handle the peer pressure, and recognized when it is positive and negative . Lastly , do remember , if there are just one teenager stands up against the peer pressure, usually others will join him / her. Learning to handle peer pressure will gives teenagers more confidence and maturity.

History Of The Bahai Faith Religion Essay

History Of The Bahai Faith Religion Essay The Bahai Faith is an independent monotheistic religion. The Bahai Faith is an independent religion in the sense that it has its own scriptures, own laws, own holy days as well as its own calendar. This faith is known to be one of the fastest growing religion in the world and is spread to at least 250 independent nations in the world. The Bahai Faith represents approximately 2112 ethnic and tribal groups and is composed of as many as over six million people who have declared themselves as followers of the Bahai Faith. This faith is distinct in terms of the diversity of the believers of the faith. The Bahai Faith is a global religion as the believers come from different cultural, ethnic, professional and social class background. The second figure, Bahaullah (Glory of God) was known to be the founder of the Bahai Faith. Bahaullah was born as Mirza Husayn- Ali Nuri in Tehran, Persia who was the son of a prominent Iranian noblemen. He was one of Babs first disciples as well as the most renowned one. In his 20s, he renounced a life filled with wealth, privilege and high social standing in order to join the Babis and fight for humanitarian rights. When the Babis were being persecuted after the death of the Bab, Bahaullah also suffered and was thrown into the Siyah-Chal which is a black pit. It was during his imprisonment here where he received revelations through a maiden from God of him being a Messenger of God and him being the prophet of which the Bab had predicted. While most of the Babis were being killed, he was spared and released from prison but he was consequently exiled from Iran by the government. Bahaullah then made his way to Baghdad and began the quest to revive the Babi community there. Due to this , he was again exiled to Constantinople but before his departure, he revealed to his followers that he was the manifestation of God. This incident marked the birth of the Bahai Faith. After his stay in Constantinople, he was again asked to depart for Adrianople, Turkey. Here, he openly revealed his claim of being the messenger of God and began proclaiming his station openly to the world at a larger scale. It was here also when Bahaullah sent a series of letters to the leading monarchs of his time to inform them about his faith. The monarchs included Pope Pius IX and Queen Victoria. Bahaullah was subsequently sent to Akka which is the modern day Acre, Israel. His final years were spent here but before his death, he assigned and declared his son, Abdul-Baha as the Centre of the Covenant, successor and interpreter of Bahaullahs writings. The third figure, Abdul-Baha known as the Servant of God was the oldest son of Bahaullah and the successor of the leader of the Bahai community. His appointment was stated in the will of Bahaullah. Abdul-Baha was born as Abbas Effendi in Tehran. His birth was special as that day marked the start of the mission of the Bab. From a very young age, he experienced the sufferings of exile and imprisonment alongside his father. Under his leadership, the Bahai Faith expanded beyond the Middle East and found its way to Europe as well as North America.

Free Hamlet Essays: The Perspective of Aristotle on Hamlet :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Hamlet

Custom Written Essays - The Perspective of Aristotle on Hamlet One of the foremost Elizabethan tragedies is Hamlet by William Shakespeare and one of the earliest critics of tragedy is Aristotle. One way to measure Shakespeare's work is to appraise it using the methods of classical critics and thereby to see how if it would have retained its meaning. Hamlet is one of the most recognizable and most often quoted tragedies in the all of English literature. Aristotle, is concerned with the proper presentation of tragic plays and poetry. Aristotle defines tragedy as: "...a representation of an action that is worth serious attention, complete in itself, and of some amplitude; in language enriched by a variety of artistic devices appropriate to the several parts of the play; presented in the form of action, not narration; by means of pity and fear bringing about the purgation of such emotion. (Aristotle 38 - 9) Shakespeare uses character, plot and setting to create a mood of disgust and a theme of proper revenge, as opposed to fear and pity, hence Aristotle would have disapproved of Hamlet. It is the above mentioned elements; character, plot and setting, used in a non- Aristotelian way, that makes Hamlet work as a one of the English language's most renown tragedies. By proper revenge we refer to the Elizabethan view that revenge must be sought in certain cases, for the world to continue properly. This is the main plot of Hamlet. In Poetics, Aristotle defines for us, the element of plot and shows us how he believes it must be put together. He also believes in various unities which he states are necessary for a proper tragedy. Aristotle believes in what he calls "Unity of plot" (Aristotle 42 - 3). This "Unity" leaves no room for subplots, which are crucial to the theme of Hamlet. Without the subplot of Laertes' revenge and the subplot of Fortinbras' revenge, we are left with a lugubrious play where the ending, although necessary, is pointless. The three sub-plots together as a unit, allow us to understand what Shakespeare thought of revenge. Another of the ways Aristotle defines plot in tragedy as "The noble actions and the doings of noble persons"(Aristotle 35). By this definition, Hamlet should be a noble person, who does only noble things.

Teaching Philosophy Statement :: Education Teachers Essays

Teaching Philosophy Statement Children by nature are human sponges. They absorb information on many different levels, intellectually, emotionally, physically, etc. Their lives are mapped out by experiences, what they learn, and where they learn it. School is the first opportunity for children to learn, to experience, and to see where their lives are headed. All children have the right to an education. One that focuses on their individual needs and an education that will make them learn and feel good about themselves. School should always be challenging. Children need to understand that they are responsible for who they are and who they become. They need to be taught that school is the beginning step to success. The more you learn and absorb the more power and opportunities you will have later in life. Between knowledge and self-esteem (that should be taught in schools), kids should be able to walk away from high school with the knowledge that they have developed and a head full of ideas on where to go from there. People as a society need to raise the bar on our educational standards. The teaching styles that were seen as exceptional in the 1950’s should not be seen as exceptional today. Kids need to be taught that they can reach for the stars and beyond. Everyone is special and with work can have the same opportunities as anyone else. Education is a tool that provides many aspects of learning into a nicely gift-wrapped package. Education teaches skills that help children move from grade to grade but also from childhood into adulthood with acute readiness. Education is important not only for the knowledge that is obtained, but also for the value it holds in today’s society. Jobs are not as obtainable as they once were without some form of higher education. Education is also important because it brings people together. Families are able to communicate with more ease. Nations are able to trade and help in times of need. Learning is education and the education of learning starts in the classroom. In my classroom I hope to accomplish all the textbook materials for the grade I am teaching so that my students may advance to the next grade level with ease. I also hope to accomplish new fun ways of teaching my students self-discipline and self-esteem. Teaching children at such a young age is crucial. I believe that early education teachers help to pave a student’s road through school and life.

Crossing the Rubicon Essay

Crossing the Rubicon By: Emalie Von Douche In Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at he End of the Age of Oil, there are three main points where Mr. Ruppert tries to blame the entire tradjety of September 11, 2001, better known as 9/11, on the acting Vice President at the time, Dick Cheney. At first glance this seems to be a bold if not insane accusation against the Vice President of the United States of America, but Ruppert does make a few points that will make you think. The first point of Ruppert is Dick Cheney had the Ability to pull off this plan if he wanted to. According to Ruppert, Cheney was acting as Commander in Chief on 9/11 due to the terrible threat on the United States. This means he was in control and was calling the shots. Ruppert also has reason to believe that Cheney was leading a â€Å"completely separate chain of Command & Control via the Secret Service, assuring the paralysis of Air Force response on 9/11. The Secret Service has the technology to see the same radar screens the FAA sees in real time. (Kane) Ruppert claims that President Bush was kept out of a leadership position on purpose by the Secret Service men around him as he was reading to school children the morning of 9/11. He also claims that the Secret Service, acting through Cheney, had control over the FAA, Airforce (including the Fighter Jets), and President Bush. One question I would ask Ruppert is â€Å"Why? † Why would Cheney and the Secret Service go throu gh all of this trouble to attack his own country? The answer, according to Ruppert, is simply Oil. Cheney’s plan was to start a never-ending war to take control of the Middle Eastern oil and use it for American purposes. Ruppert claims that there was a peak in the oil reserves around the world from 2000-2007. After 2007, oil will become more rare and extremely more expensive. â€Å"By way of confirmation, people in and close to the oil industry are reporting that increased drilling is not resulting as yet in significantly increased supply. † (Ruppert) Upon hearing of this news, Cheney had to go into action. He just needed the right time to plan his so called â€Å"Attack†. According to Ruppert, the â€Å"right time† was any time that Cheney chose because as of May 8, 2001, Dick Cheney was put into control of all training exercises of all branches of military and government. This means he could set up â€Å"fake† hijackings by calling them training situations just in case anyone would ever want to hijack airplanes and fly them into buildings. Cheney did call for these training simulations, except he did it on the morning of 9/11. Also, Cheney called for another training simulation that send all the fighters from D. C. into Canada and Alaska to train just incase an attack came from Russia. This meant that the Air Force could not do anything to prevent the hijacked airplanes from crashing into anything they pleased. Also, the Secret Service had control over the FAA flight path screens and put fake hijacked airplanes in the air to confuse air traffic control. At one point the FAA thought there was 11 hijacked airplanes. All of this was put into motion by Dick Cheney and people taking orders from Cheney. He is guilty for singlehandedly putting this plan into motion and being successful. The scary part if these accusations by Ruppert are true, is that Bush and Cheney were re-elected the following term.

American Icon: Johnny Cash

The man in black, as he was called, was an artist idolized by millions in his time. He wrote songs that inspired his fans, and was one of the most influential country singers in history. Born the son of a poor cotton farmer, he overcame poverty to become an American icon and one of the most recognizable names of both his genre, and outside of it. He lived an unruly life, riddled with drug abuse and addiction. He suffered pains that many people could only imagine, but he still managed to make it to the top.Even then, trouble seemed to follow him, but his fans loved him in spite of his hardships. In death, he lives on, immortalized by his music. His fans continue to worship him, we continue to sing along to the songs he wrote, and his face will be etched into our memories for all of eternity. Other than his musical genius, Johnny Cash was not a man that most would consider a role model. He did not lead an honorable life, in fact in his youth his behavior was seemingly uncontrollable. S o what was it then that took him from a simple poor boy in the south and shot him up to iconic status?While he was a rebel, it was not his rebellious attitude. Even though he was famous, it was not necessarily his fame or the amount of money he had earned. Instead, it was more of the connection that he had with his audience. With his success, Johnny left his impoverished life behind him, but he never could separate himself from his roots or his past. He represented the all of things inside of us that we are ashamed of, and he encompassed a sense of sympathy for those flaws that touched everyone who saw his face or heard him sing.Johnny Cash is an icon because he was a real person, and he never acted like anything else. Johnny Cash started his life in the cotton fields of Arkansas. His family was a poor, struggling farming family. His situation was typical for the time. He and his family were hard working people trying to pull out of the depression, stressed to make ends meet. After high school, he enlisted in the military and served in Germany, returning a few years later to be married. He worked hard, and soon he was signed by a record label and making the hits we all know and love.He toured the country, led a very busy life, and after a while drugs began to take over. After cheating on his wife, the two were divorced, leaving Johnny to spin out of control. His drug use took its toll, he spent nights in jail, and his career began to suffer because of his addiction. Eventually though, he got back on his feet when he married his second wife, June Carter. Against all odds, he managed to overcome his own downfalls to live a truly successful life. He became famous for songs such as ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, ‘I Walk the Line’, ‘Ring of Fire’, and ‘Man in Black’.Johnny Cash was even eventually awarded for his career by an induction in to both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Following his death, the film version of his life was made entitled, ‘Walk the Line’. His story is one that we can all relate to, the classic guy who battles the troubles of life to end up on top. Everyone wants their life to end up the way that Johnny’s did. He was an American dream poster child. While his story is indeed inspiring, it is not the primary reason that so many people loved him, and continue to love him today.Instead, it is more the result of this interesting life that Johnny portrayed on stage, both in his appearance and in the words he spoke and sang. The secret to his success, and therefore his iconic status in our country, was the fact that he never forgot the problems of his past. He was true to them, and he wore them on his face and in the way he dressed. He sang and spoke of them, and he loved the people who had made mistakes just as he had. Johnny Cash was called the man in black, and is famous by the nickname. The only color he ever wore was black, from head to toe.He even wrote a song entitled, ‘Man in Black’, in which he spoke of the poor, the homeless, prisoners, and people who never knew Jesus. He wrote about the dead and the good people who die each day. He told the world that he wore black for the people in unfortunate situations, understanding each one of them, and feeling their pain. He wore black to remind us all of the people who were living such terrible lives. He connected with people in this way, drawing them in, and forcing them to love him despite the mistakes he had made himself. His face never cracked a smile.Instead it was gloomy and sorrowful. His entire appearance gave off the impression that he had experienced a life full of pain and suffering, and it was easy to recognize those feelings in some of the music that he wrote. He was real, unlike the stars we tend to look up to today who never acknowledge the mistakes that they have made. Rather than putting up a fake exterior, Johnny was never af raid to be true to who he was, hence allowing others to feel comfortable with him, and to be as real as he was. More importantly, Johnny never thought that he was better than the people who idolized him.He was no different from his fans, nor did his life hold any more value than theirs. He did not act as though he was any different from anyone that he sang to. In the height of his career he visited Folsom Prison and San Quentin, and even recorded while he was there. The prisoners adored him just as much as everyone else did because to them, it seemed as though Johnny was just a regular guy. That is how he came across to everyone, and most likely that is the reason that his fans could relate to him the way they did.He was a typical guy, who had lived a difficult life, and who had worked hard to become the idol that he was. People respected him, tossing aside the mistakes that he had made because he was down to earth and real. He did not hide his flaws. Rather he inspired others to em brace their own imperfections and to rise above them. Johnny Cash was an amazing man, and that is why he has become an American icon. In today’s society, musicians tend to think that they are better than the people who brought them to fame in the first place. Johnny however, welcomed his fans.He used his dark, dreary outward appearance to portray a life of bad decisions. He was mysterious, but sympathetic in that he knew that each person in the audience had made mistakes just as he had, and he used that truth to connect with people. He sang songs in which he spoke of his past, rather than hiding from it. Most importantly, he treated others as though they were no different than he was, no matter how famous he became. Johnny Cash is and forever will be an American icon simply because he was a real person who did not pretend to be anything other than who he was.

Marvel

Bankruptcy and Restructuring at Marvel Entertainment Group Chen Ziqiang Wu Libin Lin Yingshuai Deng Linli Lim Yihao 2011/11/29 1. Why did Marvel file for Chapter 11? Were the proble ms caused by bad luck, bad strategy, or bad execution? We think that Marvel filed for Chapter 11 mainly due to its bad business strategy. Three o f its six b usiness lines, Trading cards, Stickers and Comic Books started facing the decline in sales after year 1993. There were two main reasons for this decline: F irst, these businesses increasingly had to compete with a lternative forms of child entertainment (mainly video games).Second, the decline in sales was driven by disappointed collectors who had viewed comic books as a form of investment and stopped buying them as company stopped increasing the prices. We believe that the company should have foreseen these events while performing a market research and forming a long- term business and financial strategy. The three unpromising business lines account ed to 61% of total revenues of a company in year 1995. At the same time, the company's financial strategy was based on highly optimistic business expectations and was not suitable for unfavorable turn of demand for entertainment products towards video games.Due to its high leverage (52%), the company was not able to serve all the debt in case of sharply declining revenues. It is obvious that the company did not anticipate the cha nge in customers' preferences and was wrong in prediction of market trends, focusing on cards, stickers and publishing business lines and leveraging itself. Moreover, in 1995 Marvin continued its leveraged expansion into entertainment cards b usiness – acquiring Skybox. This decision was extremely imprudent, as the company was already on the threshold of financial distress and should have sought for high growth pportunities to expand in order to boost its revenues instead of adding debt to buy business whic h produces non- demanded products. Operatin g ratios Marvel Entertainment Group 1991 1992 1993 Sales 115. 1 223. 8 415. 2 Cost of Sales 58. 2 112. 6 215. 3 Cost of sales/ Sales 50. 6% 50. 3% 51. 9% SG&A 21. 4 43. 4 85. 3 SG&A/Sales 18. 6% 19. 4% 20. 5% Net Income 16. 1 32. 6 56 Net Income/Sales 14. 0% 14. 6% 13. 5% 1994 514. 8 275. 3 53. 5% 119. 7 23. 3% 61. 8 12. 0% 1995 823. 9 383. 3 46. 2% 231. 3 27. 9% – 48. 4 – 5. 8% 1996 581. 2 372. 4 61. 4% 168 28. 9% – 27. 9 – 4. 8%As can be seen in the table above, Marvels operating ratios dropped dramatically. The cost of Sales/Sales rose from 51% in 1991 to 62% in 1996, together with the SG&A expenses/Sales rising from 19% to 29%. Additionally Marvels Net Income/Sales dropped from 14% to – 5%. Leverage ratios Marvel Entertainment Group 1991 1992 1993 Total Debt 355,3 324,7 Shares outstanding 97,7 98,6 102,6 Share price 5 12 26 Market value of equity 488,5 1183,2 2667,6 Debt/ D+E 23,1% 10,9% EBITDA 35,5 67,8 114,6 EBITDA/SALES 30,8% 30,3% 27,6% Int erest expenses 3,50 6,50 14,60 EBITDA/Interest 10,1 10,4 7,8 1994 585,7 103,7 16 1659,2 6,1% 119,8 23,3% 16,50 7,3 1995 934,8 101,3 12 1215,6 43,5% 214,7 25,9% 43,20 5,0 1996 977 101,8 4 407,2 70,6% 40,8 7,0% 42,70 1,0 Compare the management policy and the leverage ratios from that time together with its operating ratios, we believe Marvel made an extremely impudent move to acquire Skybox in 1995. While their operating margins where deteriorating and their leverage coverage ratio (EBITDA/Interest) where falling, they should have acquired a different policy. For all above stated reasons, we believe that the company's financial problems were caused mainly by bad strategy and poor management. . Evaluate the proposed restructuring plan. Will it solve the proble ms that caused Marvel to file Chapter 11? As Carl Icahn, the largest unsecured debt holder, would you vote for the proposed restructuring plan? Why or why not? A. ) We believe that the restructuring plan can only solve part of th e problems that Marvel is facing. We also believe that the proposed restructuring plan will not solve the actual problems that Marvel is facing but only provide temporary relief to the company that is not sustainable.The proposed restructuring plan aims at providing liquidity to Marvel, lifting its debt burden and expanding its existing toy business. This is to be achieved by means of a recapitalization of the company through an emission of 427mn additional shares of common equity fo r a total value of USD 365mn. Additionally, the outstanding public debt of the company shall be retired with debt holders being paid in the shares that acted as collateral for their loans. With the proceeds of the emission and the lowered debt burden, Marvel is then supposed to acquire the remaining stake in ToyBiz, its toy manufacturer subsidiary.The recapitalization through the issue of 427mn new shares would solve the acute liquidity problems of the firm and the retirement of the firm’s public d ebt would lower the debt burden of the firm significantly. However, we believe that Marvel, under the proposed plan, would use its newly gained liquidity and flexibility to the wrong end. The acquisition of the remaining shares of ToyBiz would mean the continuation of an already ill- fated strategy that led to the current crisis.We therefore believe that the restructuring plan can only solve part of the problems that Marvel is facing. More precisely, the plan offers a solution for the symptoms of the underlying problems only. It solves the liquidity problem that caused Marvel to violate some of its debt covenants and it also lowers the company’s debt burden. The core problem in our view, the business strategy of Marvel, is not abandoned but even pursued further. B. ) I would not you vote for the proposed restructuring plan.The shares being p ledged to their bonds as collateral are valued largely lower now than they were when the bonds were first issued , which result in t hey can only recover a fraction of the face value of their bonds in the form of equity now and a breaking even again seems questionable. This argument does not necessarily hold for the investors who bought the deeply discounted bonds but given the valuat ion of Bear Stearns it is questionable whether they will recover their investment either. 3. How much is Marvel’s equity worth per share under the proposed restructuring plan assuming it acquires Toy Biz as planned?What is your assessment of the pro forma Financial projections and liquidation assumptions? Marvel’s current market price that is 2 dollars before restricting plan assuming it acquires Toy Biz as planned. Table 1: Debt/Equity Ratio With the aim to calculate Marvel’s equity with the proposed a cquisition of Toy Biz we used DCF model. As Debt/Equity ratios are stable (table 1), FCFE is used to calculate the cash flow with the following assumptions. Table 2: Assumptions Assume: Discount Rate is equal to average Annual Return on Investments in Stocks from 1997 to 2001. *Annual Returns data is from histretSP. xls (http://pages. tern. nyu. edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/Inv2ed. htm) Table 3: FCFE 401. 7million/528. 8 million = 0. 76 Dollars per share. It shows that Mr. Perelman pays 13. 3% premium for new shares (he pays 0. 85 dollars per share). M arvel’s liquidation value Table 4: Marvel’s liquidation value The liquidation value is 424. 7million via Chapter 7. 4. Will it be difficult for Marvel or other companies in the MacAndrews and Forbes holding company to issue debt in the future? The outstanding debt of Marvel has been downgraded by two rating agencies. In 1995 S and Moody’s downgraded the holding companies’ debt from B to B- .In 1996 Moody’s downgraded Marvel’s public debt. After that, Marvel had announced that it would violate specific bank loan covenants due to decreasing revenues and profits. Downgrading of debt increases the change o f default. After downgrading of debt, the process of probability to default increased substantially. The low credit rating indicates a high risk of defaulting on a loan and, hence leads to high interest rates or the refusal of a loan by the creditor. Investors realize this risk and therefore would demand a higher default premium. The increased default pre miums raised the cost of capital for the holding company.Given the increased risk premium and default possibilities, Marvel and other companies in the MacAndrews and Forbes holding group would having more difficulties issuing new debt in the future. Debt holders and creditors where raising questions about the integrity on the judgment decisions from Perelman. Judge Balick approved Marvel did not discriminate unfairly against non- affecting creditor classes and provided it was fair and equitable to all classes. In reaction, a lawyer challenged the Bearn Stern’s conclusions and insinuated Bearn Sterns had multiple levels of co nflicts due to the contingency fee provided by Perelman.In the end even the Vice – Chairman of the Andrew group had to come with a statement to overcome all the negative sounds in the market. Anyhow it looks like Perelman’s reputation was damaged already. 5. Why did the price of Marvel’s zero-coupon bonds drop on Tuesday, Nov 12, 1996? Why did portfolio managers at Fidelity and Putnam sell their bonds on Friday, Nov 8,1996? On Nov 12, 1996, Marvel’s zero- coupon bonds fell by more than 50% when the spokesman for the Andrews Group announced the details of the proposed restructuring plan.According to the announcement, Perelman was to purchase, through Perelman- related entities, 410 million shares of newly- issued Marvel common for $0. 85 per share, 81% discount to the then prevailing market price of $4. 625. The newly- issued stock would not be subject to the pledge of Perelman- owned Marvel stock that otherwise secured the bonds. The announcement of this self- dealing transaction was in no way foreshadowed by Marvels' prior public statements and conflicted with the covenants in the indentures to the bonds.Therefore, the market prices of the bonds to decline suddenly as the collateral t hat supported the bonds. Perelman's Marvel common stock holdings pre- proposed transaction was diluted from 80% of the equity in Marvel to less than 16%. The terms of the prospective transaction required Marvel to increase the number of its outstanding shares to approximately 511. 6 million shares from 101. 8 million, diluting Marvel common stockholders and greatly reducing the value of the shares that were pledged as collateral for the bonds. So it greatly impaired and reduced the value of the bonds.In fac t, Marvel bondholders were divested of virtually the whole of their collateral while Perelman would maintain 80% ownership of the firm, purchasing the newly- issued shares at grossly sub- market prices while preserving the ability to write off Marv el's losse s against the reported income in his other consolidated enterprises due to the maintenance of his 80% ownership of the firm. The price of Marvel’s zero- coupon bonds dropped also due to it did not meet the expectation of the debt holders, who analyzed the b ond by fair value or future growth of the firm.In addition, the public would predict that the restructuring plan could not be settled down so that the firm would have a very uncertain future, even bankrupt. Thus, the price declined because a lot of debt holders could not bear the risk for getting nothing and sold out their debts. On Nov 8, 1996, Howard Gittis, vice chairman of Andrews Group, called Fidelity Investments and Putnam Investments, two of the largest institutional holders of Marvel’s public debt, and asked them what they would like to see in a restructuring plan.Portfolio managers at Fidelity and Putnam decided to sell more that $70 million of Marvel bonds at a price of $0. 37 per dollar of fac e value on the next day. The main reason for selling by the managers is the conversation between Howard Gittis and them, which caused the managers considering the result of restructuring plan. They believed the plan would disappoint the public depending on their professional judgment. Perhaps, during this conversation, they got some detail information of the plan which proved the present value of Marvel’s bonds was overvalued.It gave the chance for them to avoid tens of millions of additional losses in diminished value that would have followed and suffer t he time they continued to hold the bonds already existing facts were revealed. On the other hand, the managers may worried about the downgrade of the bonds because the requirement of their portfolio allocation which constrained the percentage of the lower graded bonds or prohibited buying such bonds. Therefore, the bonds have to be sold to meet the requirement. Marvel Bankruptcy and Restructuring at Marvel Entertainment Group Chen Ziqiang Wu Libin Lin Yingshuai Deng Linli Lim Yihao 2011/11/29 1. Why did Marvel file for Chapter 11? Were the proble ms caused by bad luck, bad strategy, or bad execution? We think that Marvel filed for Chapter 11 mainly due to its bad business strategy. Three o f its six b usiness lines, Trading cards, Stickers and Comic Books started facing the decline in sales after year 1993. There were two main reasons for this decline: F irst, these businesses increasingly had to compete with a lternative forms of child entertainment (mainly video games).Second, the decline in sales was driven by disappointed collectors who had viewed comic books as a form of investment and stopped buying them as company stopped increasing the prices. We believe that the company should have foreseen these events while performing a market research and forming a long- term business and financial strategy. The three unpromising business lines account ed to 61% of total revenues of a company in year 1995. At the same time, the company's financial strategy was based on highly optimistic business expectations and was not suitable for unfavorable turn of demand for entertainment products towards video games.Due to its high leverage (52%), the company was not able to serve all the debt in case of sharply declining revenues. It is obvious that the company did not anticipate the cha nge in customers' preferences and was wrong in prediction of market trends, focusing on cards, stickers and publishing business lines and leveraging itself. Moreover, in 1995 Marvin continued its leveraged expansion into entertainment cards b usiness – acquiring Skybox. This decision was extremely imprudent, as the company was already on the threshold of financial distress and should have sought for high growth pportunities to expand in order to boost its revenues instead of adding debt to buy business whic h produces non- demanded products. Operatin g ratios Marvel Entertainment Group 1991 1992 1993 Sales 115. 1 223. 8 415. 2 Cost of Sales 58. 2 112. 6 215. 3 Cost of sales/ Sales 50. 6% 50. 3% 51. 9% SG&A 21. 4 43. 4 85. 3 SG&A/Sales 18. 6% 19. 4% 20. 5% Net Income 16. 1 32. 6 56 Net Income/Sales 14. 0% 14. 6% 13. 5% 1994 514. 8 275. 3 53. 5% 119. 7 23. 3% 61. 8 12. 0% 1995 823. 9 383. 3 46. 2% 231. 3 27. 9% – 48. 4 – 5. 8% 1996 581. 2 372. 4 61. 4% 168 28. 9% – 27. 9 – 4. 8%As can be seen in the table above, Marvels operating ratios dropped dramatically. The cost of Sales/Sales rose from 51% in 1991 to 62% in 1996, together with the SG&A expenses/Sales rising from 19% to 29%. Additionally Marvels Net Income/Sales dropped from 14% to – 5%. Leverage ratios Marvel Entertainment Group 1991 1992 1993 Total Debt 355,3 324,7 Shares outstanding 97,7 98,6 102,6 Share price 5 12 26 Market value of equity 488,5 1183,2 2667,6 Debt/ D+E 23,1% 10,9% EBITDA 35,5 67,8 114,6 EBITDA/SALES 30,8% 30,3% 27,6% Int erest expenses 3,50 6,50 14,60 EBITDA/Interest 10,1 10,4 7,8 1994 585,7 103,7 16 1659,2 6,1% 119,8 23,3% 16,50 7,3 1995 934,8 101,3 12 1215,6 43,5% 214,7 25,9% 43,20 5,0 1996 977 101,8 4 407,2 70,6% 40,8 7,0% 42,70 1,0 Compare the management policy and the leverage ratios from that time together with its operating ratios, we believe Marvel made an extremely impudent move to acquire Skybox in 1995. While their operating margins where deteriorating and their leverage coverage ratio (EBITDA/Interest) where falling, they should have acquired a different policy. For all above stated reasons, we believe that the company's financial problems were caused mainly by bad strategy and poor management. . Evaluate the proposed restructuring plan. Will it solve the proble ms that caused Marvel to file Chapter 11? As Carl Icahn, the largest unsecured debt holder, would you vote for the proposed restructuring plan? Why or why not? A. ) We believe that the restructuring plan can only solve part of th e problems that Marvel is facing. We also believe that the proposed restructuring plan will not solve the actual problems that Marvel is facing but only provide temporary relief to the company that is not sustainable.The proposed restructuring plan aims at providing liquidity to Marvel, lifting its debt burden and expanding its existing toy business. This is to be achieved by means of a recapitalization of the company through an emission of 427mn additional shares of common equity fo r a total value of USD 365mn. Additionally, the outstanding public debt of the company shall be retired with debt holders being paid in the shares that acted as collateral for their loans. With the proceeds of the emission and the lowered debt burden, Marvel is then supposed to acquire the remaining stake in ToyBiz, its toy manufacturer subsidiary.The recapitalization through the issue of 427mn new shares would solve the acute liquidity problems of the firm and the retirement of the firm’s public d ebt would lower the debt burden of the firm significantly. However, we believe that Marvel, under the proposed plan, would use its newly gained liquidity and flexibility to the wrong end. The acquisition of the remaining shares of ToyBiz would mean the continuation of an already ill- fated strategy that led to the current crisis.We therefore believe that the restructuring plan can only solve part of the problems that Marvel is facing. More precisely, the plan offers a solution for the symptoms of the underlying problems only. It solves the liquidity problem that caused Marvel to violate some of its debt covenants and it also lowers the company’s debt burden. The core problem in our view, the business strategy of Marvel, is not abandoned but even pursued further. B. ) I would not you vote for the proposed restructuring plan.The shares being p ledged to their bonds as collateral are valued largely lower now than they were when the bonds were first issued , which result in t hey can only recover a fraction of the face value of their bonds in the form of equity now and a breaking even again seems questionable. This argument does not necessarily hold for the investors who bought the deeply discounted bonds but given the valuat ion of Bear Stearns it is questionable whether they will recover their investment either. 3. How much is Marvel’s equity worth per share under the proposed restructuring plan assuming it acquires Toy Biz as planned?What is your assessment of the pro forma Financial projections and liquidation assumptions? Marvel’s current market price that is 2 dollars before restricting plan assuming it acquires Toy Biz as planned. Table 1: Debt/Equity Ratio With the aim to calculate Marvel’s equity with the proposed a cquisition of Toy Biz we used DCF model. As Debt/Equity ratios are stable (table 1), FCFE is used to calculate the cash flow with the following assumptions. Table 2: Assumptions Assume: Discount Rate is equal to average Annual Return on Investments in Stocks from 1997 to 2001. *Annual Returns data is from histretSP. xls (http://pages. tern. nyu. edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/Inv2ed. htm) Table 3: FCFE 401. 7million/528. 8 million = 0. 76 Dollars per share. It shows that Mr. Perelman pays 13. 3% premium for new shares (he pays 0. 85 dollars per share). M arvel’s liquidation value Table 4: Marvel’s liquidation value The liquidation value is 424. 7million via Chapter 7. 4. Will it be difficult for Marvel or other companies in the MacAndrews and Forbes holding company to issue debt in the future? The outstanding debt of Marvel has been downgraded by two rating agencies. In 1995 S and Moody’s downgraded the holding companies’ debt from B to B- .In 1996 Moody’s downgraded Marvel’s public debt. After that, Marvel had announced that it would violate specific bank loan covenants due to decreasing revenues and profits. Downgrading of debt increases the change o f default. After downgrading of debt, the process of probability to default increased substantially. The low credit rating indicates a high risk of defaulting on a loan and, hence leads to high interest rates or the refusal of a loan by the creditor. Investors realize this risk and therefore would demand a higher default premium. The increased default pre miums raised the cost of capital for the holding company.Given the increased risk premium and default possibilities, Marvel and other companies in the MacAndrews and Forbes holding group would having more difficulties issuing new debt in the future. Debt holders and creditors where raising questions about the integrity on the judgment decisions from Perelman. Judge Balick approved Marvel did not discriminate unfairly against non- affecting creditor classes and provided it was fair and equitable to all classes. In reaction, a lawyer challenged the Bearn Stern’s conclusions and insinuated Bearn Sterns had multiple levels of co nflicts due to the contingency fee provided by Perelman.In the end even the Vice – Chairman of the Andrew group had to come with a statement to overcome all the negative sounds in the market. Anyhow it looks like Perelman’s reputation was damaged already. 5. Why did the price of Marvel’s zero-coupon bonds drop on Tuesday, Nov 12, 1996? Why did portfolio managers at Fidelity and Putnam sell their bonds on Friday, Nov 8,1996? On Nov 12, 1996, Marvel’s zero- coupon bonds fell by more than 50% when the spokesman for the Andrews Group announced the details of the proposed restructuring plan.According to the announcement, Perelman was to purchase, through Perelman- related entities, 410 million shares of newly- issued Marvel common for $0. 85 per share, 81% discount to the then prevailing market price of $4. 625. The newly- issued stock would not be subject to the pledge of Perelman- owned Marvel stock that otherwise secured the bonds. The announcement of this self- dealing transaction was in no way foreshadowed by Marvels' prior public statements and conflicted with the covenants in the indentures to the bonds.Therefore, the market prices of the bonds to decline suddenly as the collateral t hat supported the bonds. Perelman's Marvel common stock holdings pre- proposed transaction was diluted from 80% of the equity in Marvel to less than 16%. The terms of the prospective transaction required Marvel to increase the number of its outstanding shares to approximately 511. 6 million shares from 101. 8 million, diluting Marvel common stockholders and greatly reducing the value of the shares that were pledged as collateral for the bonds. So it greatly impaired and reduced the value of the bonds.In fac t, Marvel bondholders were divested of virtually the whole of their collateral while Perelman would maintain 80% ownership of the firm, purchasing the newly- issued shares at grossly sub- market prices while preserving the ability to write off Marv el's losse s against the reported income in his other consolidated enterprises due to the maintenance of his 80% ownership of the firm. The price of Marvel’s zero- coupon bonds dropped also due to it did not meet the expectation of the debt holders, who analyzed the b ond by fair value or future growth of the firm.In addition, the public would predict that the restructuring plan could not be settled down so that the firm would have a very uncertain future, even bankrupt. Thus, the price declined because a lot of debt holders could not bear the risk for getting nothing and sold out their debts. On Nov 8, 1996, Howard Gittis, vice chairman of Andrews Group, called Fidelity Investments and Putnam Investments, two of the largest institutional holders of Marvel’s public debt, and asked them what they would like to see in a restructuring plan.Portfolio managers at Fidelity and Putnam decided to sell more that $70 million of Marvel bonds at a price of $0. 37 per dollar of fac e value on the next day. The main reason for selling by the managers is the conversation between Howard Gittis and them, which caused the managers considering the result of restructuring plan. They believed the plan would disappoint the public depending on their professional judgment. Perhaps, during this conversation, they got some detail information of the plan which proved the present value of Marvel’s bonds was overvalued.It gave the chance for them to avoid tens of millions of additional losses in diminished value that would have followed and suffer t he time they continued to hold the bonds already existing facts were revealed. On the other hand, the managers may worried about the downgrade of the bonds because the requirement of their portfolio allocation which constrained the percentage of the lower graded bonds or prohibited buying such bonds. Therefore, the bonds have to be sold to meet the requirement.

China, India, and Wal-Mart: Issues of Price and Sourcing

Case 3: China, India, and Wal-Mart: Issues of Price, Quality, and Sourcing Introduction: Wal-Mart was the largest retailer in the United States and the largest corporation in the world because of the crusade, which meant all US products on the shelves by its creator, Sam Walton (Weiss, 2009, pp. 471). However, after he died in 1992, crusade evaporated, instead of US products, 98% of all of shelves throughout Wal-Mart (Weiss, 2009, pp. 471) are manufactured in China, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan and India. Too-cheap-to-beat Chinese products are killing the US manufactories, which cannot afford to make products anymore and still make a profit.Someone said that the Wal-Mart’s goal is only get the lowest price without regarding the quality which means Wal-Mart’s products from global markets are taking an increasingly vigorous public trashing because of product safety and quality concerns. Nonetheless, Wal-Mart still expands its purchases of Chinese goods (Weiss, 2009, pp. 4 72). Ethical Issues: According to this case, Wal-Mart’s ethical business management is related to the global environment, which consists of financial markets, cultures, technologies and government policies (Weiss, 2009, pp. 18). As the case indicates, the market also consists of hypercompetition from different countries such as China and India and regional players in the global environment. China has low cost offshore labor in the â€Å"flat world†, so that Chinese imports are so inexpensive to enter in U. S. So many factors lead most US manufactories to close the doors and eventually jobs are lost accelerate. The United States’ economic outlooks vary with regard to the global economy (Weiss, 2009, pp. 420).In my opinion, the labor force is one of technologies in a developing country and it supports the globalization process. China as a global manufacturer and U. S. partner is a great source of world-class offshore technology services. Wal-Mart has its own exter nal and internal stakeholders. The largest benefit able external stakeholder is a customer. As Wal-Mart, it sacrifices product quality in order to offer customers low prices. It is hard to justify that Wal-Mart is unethical without further investigation of overall impacts that brings to the customers.As its internal stakeholders, the employees have more job opportunities because of expending its business scope and shareholders can benefit more in the global trade. In my opinion, moreover, the government as its external stakeholder, it can control the quality when the products import to the U. S. The technological environment comprises factors related to the materials and machines used in manufacturing goods and services. Wal-Mart has no control over its international suppliers, which should be controlled by the U. S. overnments, although it has ability to control its threats in the global environment. In conclusion, globalization makes hypercompetition and challenges to new and cont inuing leaders and professionals in organizations (Weiss, 2009, pp. 423). As the case indicated, the critic asserts that U. S. must stop Wal-Mart to continue to grow. However, I think it is not practical in a â€Å"flat world†, it provides the lowest price of the products for the customers after all. References Weiss W. Joseph. Business Ethics: A Stakeholder & Issues Management Approach. 5e

Best Buy CEO Chairman Relationship Research Paper

Best Buy CEO Chairman Relationship - Research Paper Example 17). As expounded, the reported improper relationship, despite the allegations being denied by both Dunn and the employee, has caused a damaged morale within the organization, supposed distractions, and speculations on the true nature of the relationship. Issues Being Addressed The issues being addressed in this case are violations of transparency, violations of conformity to ethical and moral standards, and failures to disclose critical information to the Board of Directors, which could assist in addressing the issues in a more professional manner consistent with the standards posed under corporate social responsibility. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has defined corporate social responsibility (CSR) as â€Å"the continuing commitment by business to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the community and society at large" (WBCSD par. 4). Obviously, the violations and i ssues noted from the case at Best Buys undermined ‘improving the quality of life of the workforce’ due to causing apparent distractions and speculations. Likewise, the improper relationship of Dunn, a married man, with a 29-year old employee caused conflicts in the marital relationship with Dunn’s spouse and the relationship with his children. The relationship is deemed as violating the standards of ethics and moral codes. The situation was exacerbated by Schulze’s failure to disclose the investigations made by him to the Board based on previous reports, which was an apparent violation of the rules of transparency and the rules on partnering to stop misconduct (Best Buy, n.d.). Rules According to the report written by Clifford (2012) and published in The New York Times, the rules and company policies on adherence to ethical and moral codes of conduct have apparently been applied to all employees except the CEO. As cited, â€Å"the C.E.O.’s relation ship with this employee led some employees to question senior management’s commitment to company policy and the ethical principles the company champions† (Clifford par. 17). Best Buy has a Code of Business Ethics that explicitly states rules on responsibility to each other, responsibility to shareholders, and responsibility to the company’s business associates – the areas where some violations have been noted. Analysis Upon closer examination of Best Buy Code of Business Ethics, the violations noted were on the rules pertaining to the following: (1) responsibility to each other, particularly honoring our differences; (2) responsibility to our business associates, particularly conflict of interest; (3) gift giving; (4) partnering to stop conduct. The Code of Business Ethics stipulated that â€Å"one of our values is to show respect, humility and integrity. Creating a positive work environment supports this value† (Best Buy 14). The actions of Dunn an d the female employee have been reported to cause conflicts in the work environment that apparently led to low morale. Likewise, the inability of Schulze to disclose the information immediately was a weakness on his character, pursuant

Describe in Detail any Garden or Landscape Design Surrounding a House Essay

Describe in Detail any Garden or Landscape Design Surrounding a House from the Period Covered by the Coursee period covered by t - Essay Example It must be stated that if one desires to ignore other gardens that were also in existence during the period, one should not ignore the Vaux-le-Vicomte. The Vaux-le-Vicomte alone is enough to explain the principles of gardening of the splendid and graceful age in which it was constructed. The chateau qualifies it as the most significant work built on the European continent in the mid seventeenth century. The house also stands as one of the grandest building in France that was built after Chateau de Maisons. For such a grand structure, one would expect to encounter a similarly grand landscape and garden. As far as this is concerned, Vaux-le-Vicomte does not disappoint in any way. Vaux-le-Vicomte is a nice building that has pavilions surrounding it. The structure also has a fortification in the form of a large moat around it. Many of the chateaux to the north of France are surrounded by a moat, which is rectangular in colour on three sides. This is also the case with Vaux-le-Vicomte, on ly that in the case of Vaux-le-Vicomte, the axial arrival avenue continued across a bridge, leading to a public space. In line with the norm during the period when the structure was constructed, the layout is symmetrical and firmly incorporated, with a somewhat projecting central block and ending marquee, and two returned wings that project forward. 2 The gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte are so grand that it covers about three kilometres. As far as the gardening tenets of that period were concerned, the landscaping of Vaux-le-Vicomte is a great advancement. One of the most amazing, yet pleasing, features of the structure, that is, the buildings and the gardening, is that there is a successful blend of architecture with the environment; this may not have been a feature that was coming during the seventeenth century. In the garden, there is an enormous area which is divided into a succession of terraces. These terraces form diverse assemblage of pattern based on shrubberies, lake and founta ins, Turkish carpets and so on.2 Vaux-le-Vicomte On entering into the Vaux-le-Vicomte, one is greeted by a wide green space. The green space extends to a length to about 5000 feet. This is evidence to show that green occupies a significant position in the mind of those that designed the gardens.3 The unique way in which the garden is designed is such that the viewer would make the embrace or better still literarily the garden along to anywhere they would like to go. This is the case because of the outstanding use of optical illusion and perspective. On gaining entry into the property, one would observe grotto which would be very close to a lake. However, on gaining entry into the property, the same grotto which appeared to be close initially would be far. In fact, the planning that was done is such that the grotto is more than six hundred feet away from the canal which is on the other side. As a result of the largeness of the property, there are electric cars to aid transportation. Vaux-le-Vicomte Another part of the garden that is affected by this motif is the pool. When standing at the back of the chateau, the reflecting pool is more tapered at the closest point than when standing at the uttermost point; standing at the uttermost part makes them appear nearer to the point of view. What one then observes is that when the landscape is viewed from a particular angle, the distortion which was intentionally premeditated into the scenery essentials produces a forced