A Financial Case Study Analysis - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1529 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Case study Did you like this example? Efficient market hypothesis- An investment theory that states it is impossible to beat the market because stock market efficiency causes existing share prices to always incorporate and reflect all relevant information. According to the EMH, stocks always trade at their fair value on stock exchanges, making it impossible for investors to either purchase undervalued stocks or sell stocks for inflated prices. As such, it should be impossible to outperform the overall market through expert stock selection or market timing, and that the only way an investor can possibly obtain higher returns is by purchasing riskier investments.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ (Investopedia web site). Required: . Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Financial Case Study Analysis" essay for you Create order Using the regression analysis calculate the line of best fit through the data and interpret your values of a and b. where, a=120 b=3 Y=a+bx =120+3(let x=0) =120+0 = £120( £000) = £120,000 Forecasts sales when advertising expenditure is:  £50,000 Let x= £50,000 Y=a+bx = £120,000+3( £50,000) = £120,000+ £150,000 = £270,000 Identify and appraise the sources of finance available to Jeronimo Inc. Give various sources so that the board of directors can discuss at the next board meeting. Jeronimo Inc. amass its investment commencing the basis: Lengthy period sources of finance Ordinary shares no fixed burden, permanent capital, credit worthiness, dividend. Debt à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" commercial bank loan, asset based borrowing, bonds, small business investments companies, insurance company, stock broker house. Mortgage, lottery funding, retained profiting asset also other sources of finance As well as the Jeronimo Inc. rummage sale their merchandise in a altered business promotion, sale plus reduce the manufacture price via decreasing other redundant cost. Answer, Calculation of Payback Period for Business A and Business B Business A Payback period= 4 yrs.+100,000 300,000 = 4 yrs.+0.33 = 4.33 yrs. Business B Payback period= 2 yrs.+200,000 400,000 = 2 yrs.+0.5 = 2.5 yrs. Calculation of Net Present Value for Business A and Business B Business A Year Inflows( £) Outflows( £) Net Cash flows( £) Cost of capital @ 12% Present value( £) 0 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ -1000000 -1000000 1 -1000000 1 200000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 200000 0.893 178600 2 200000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 200000 0.797 159400 3 200000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 200000 0.712 142400 4 300000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 300000 0.636 190800 5 300000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 300000 0.567 170100 6 400000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 400000 0.507 202800 Net Present Value 44,100 Business B Year Inflows( £) Outflows( £) Net Cash flows( £) Cost of capital @ 12% Present value( £) 0 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ -800000 -800000 1 -800000 1 300000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 300000 0.893 267900 2 300000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 300000 0.797 239100 3 400000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 400000 0.712 284800 4 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 0.636 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 5 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 0.567 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 6 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 0.507 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Net Present Value 8,200 Justifiable Decisions as per Payback Period Here business A, payback period is 4.33 years and business B, payback period is 2.5 years it shows whether Christine plc. devote in Business A, payback period is extended contrast among Business B. As a result I think if Christine plc. invest for the business B, company will be beneficiary rather than invest for business A. Justifiable Decisions as per Net Present Value Business Aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s net present value is  £44,100.00 and business Bà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s net present value is  £8,200.00 it shows whether Christine plc. Invest for Business A , then net present value is too high rather than business B.As a result I think if Christine plc. invest for the business B, company will be beneficiary rather than invest for business A. Select appropriate and relevant financial information for use in the process of making strategic decisions on the investment by Christie plc. Upper level executive makes a strategic decision for investment. Because of they can extent the long term cost of such decisions. Usually a major capital venture decision such as promoting a new item for consumption, spend for new-fangled division will vary to examine make ultimate decision. In general the Christie plc. have diverse scheme for creating strategic decisions on the investment which is valuable for the organization. Also subsequent are the most important;  ® Return on Capital Employed (ROE)  ®Payback Period  ®Discounted Cash flow (DCF) Net Present Values (NPV) Internal Rate of Return(IRR) On the other hand I consider to decide on Payback Period method for Making strategic decisions on the investment portfolio of Christie plc.. The payback period is the couple of years it capture to recover the unique investment. This is a cash measure and as such it procedures the couple of years taken to regain the speculation in cash terms. How would your decisions change on Business A and Business B if the net cash inflows for Business A were  £200,000 throughout the six year period and also the net cash inflows for Business B were  £300,000 throughout the three year period. The initial investment for business A is  £1,000,000 and for business B is  £800,000. Answer, Calculation of Payback Period for Business A and Business B Business A Payback period= 4 yrs.+200,000 200,000 = 4 yrs.+0 = 4 yrs. Business B Payback period= 2 yrs.+200,000 300,000 = 2 yrs.+0.67 = 2.67 yrs. Calculation of Net Present Value for Business A and Business B Business A Year Inflows( £) Outflows( £) Net Cash flows( £) Cost of capital @ 12% Present value( £) 0 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ -1000000 -1000000 1 -1000000 1 200000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 200000 0.893 178600 2 200000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 200000 0.797 159400 3 200000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 200000 0.712 142400 4 200000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 200000 0.636 127200 5 200000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 200000 0.567 113400 6 200000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 200000 0.507 101400 Net Present Value 177,600 Business B Year Inflows( £) Outflows( £) Net Cash flows( £) Cost of capital @ 12% Present value( £) 0 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ -800000 -800000 1 -800000 1 300000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 300000 0.893 267900 2 300000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 300000 0.797 239100 3 300000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 300000 0.712 213600 4 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 0.636 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 5 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 0.567 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 6 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 0.507 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Net Present Value 79,400 Justifiable Decisions as per Payback Period Here business A, payback period is 4 years and business B, payback period is 2.67 years it shows whether Christine plc. devote in Business A, payback period is extended contrast among Business B. As a result I think if Christine plc. invest for the business B, company will be beneficiary rather than invest for business A. Justifiable Decisions as per Net Present Value For business A ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s net present value is  £1, 77,600.00 and for business B its net present value is  £79,400.00 it shows whether Christine plc. Invest for Business A , then net present value is too high rather than business B.As a result I think if Christine plc. invest for the business A, company will be beneficiary rather than invest for business B. Task-3 Tesco plc The following information has been extracted from the recently published accounts of Tesco Plc: Balance sheet as at 31st May 2008 2007  £000 à ‚ £000 Fixed assets1,800 1,400 Current assets Stock1,200 200 Debtors 400 800 Cash100 100 1,700 1,100 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Loans and other borrowing(200) (500) Other creditors(300) (800) (500) (1,300) Net current assets1,200 (200) Creditors: amounts falling due after one year 10% Debentures(1,000) (600) 2,000 600 Capital and reserves Ordinary share capital (50p shares)1,200 500 Share premium 600 0 Reserves200 100 2,000 600 Profit and loss accounts 2008 2007  £000  £000 Turnover2,000 1,000 Cost of sales(1,300) (700) Gross profit700 300 Distribution costs(260) ( 90) Administration expenses(100) ( 60) Operating profit340 150 Interest(100) (60) Profit before taxation240 90 Task-4 Taxation(50) (20) Profit after taxation190 70 Ordinary dividends(90) (50) Retained profit for the year 100 20 Balance brought forward100 80 Balance carried f orward 200 100 Share price 1.301.26 Industry P/E ratio 22 20 Other industry ratios: Return on capital employed 15% Asset turnover 6 times Current ratio 2.3:1 Quick ratio 1.5:1 Interests cover 8times Required Calculate the ratios for both years Return on capital employed =PBIT ÃÆ'—100 Capital employed For Year 2008= 340,000 ÃÆ'—100 2,200,000 = 34,000,000 2,200,000 = 15.45% For Year 2007 = 150,000 ÃÆ'—100 1,100,000 = 15,000,000 1,100,000 = 13.64% Where, Capital employed= ownerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s equity+ long term liabilities For year 2008 = 1200, 000+1000, 000 =  £ 2,200,000 For year 2007 = 500,000+600,000 =  £ 1,100,000 Asset turnover = Sales Capital employed For year 2008= 2000,000 2,200,000 = 0.91times For year 2007=1000, 000 1,100,000 =0.91times Current ratio =Current assets Current liabilities For year 2008=1700, 000 500,000 = 3.4:1 For year 2007= 1100,000 1300,000 = 0.85:1 Quick ratio = Current assets-Stock Current liabilities For year 2008=1700, 000-1200, 000 500,000 = 500,000 500,000 = 1:1 For year 2007=1100, 000-200,000 1300,000 = 900,000 1300,000 = 0.69:1 Interest cover =PBIT Interest For year 2008=340,000 100,000 =3.4 times For year 2007=150,000 60,000 =2.5 times Total gearing =Long term loans+ Preference share Capital employed For year 2008=1000, 000 + 0 22, 00,000 =0.45 For year 2007=600,000+0 11, 00,000 =0.54 Earnings per share (EPS) =Profit available to ordinary shareholders Number of shares in issue For year 2008=190,000 2400,000 =0.08 For year 2007=70,000 250,000 =0.28 Earnings yield =EPSÃÆ'—100 MPS For year 2008=0.08ÃÆ'—100 1.30 =6.15% For year 2007=0.28ÃÆ'—100 1.26 =22.22% Dividend yield =Dividend per share ÃÆ'—100 Market price per share For year 2008=0.0375ÃÆ'—100 1.30 =2.88% For year 2007=0.2ÃÆ'—100 1.26 =15.87% Where, Dividend per share=Total ordinary dividend Number of shares in issue For year 2008=90,000 24, 00,000 =0.0375 For year 2007=50,000 2, 50,000 = 0.2 Dividend cover =Profit available to ordinary shareholders Dividends For year 2008=190,000 90,000 = 2.11 times For year 2007=70,000 50,000 =1.4 times P/E ratio = MPPS EPS For year 2008=1.30 0.08 =16.25:1 For year 2007=1.26 0.28 =4.5:1 b) Use the ratios below to assess the financial viability of Tesco Plc. 2007 2008 industry average Gross profit percentage 23% 19.4%21% Quick ratio 1.41:1 1.83:12.1: Return on equity 19.24% 16.39%20% Return on capital employed 15%13%16% Earnings per share 20p17p 19p Debtorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s collection period 40 days 54 days 35 days Answer, Tesco Plc. gross revenue decrease in the year 2008 contrast to the year 2007 where return on equity decrease in year 2008 compare to the year 2007, come back on capital employed decrease in year 2008 comparing the year 2007, bring in per share also decrease in year 2008comparing the year 2007.Even though debtors collection period has increased in year 2008 to 6 days comparing the last year 2007.In general it shows the year 2008 is not make profit comparing the last year 2007. c) Use these ratios, how can Tescoà ƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance improve? 2007 2008 industry average Gross profit percentage 23% 19.4% 21% Quick ratio 1.41:1 1.83:1 2.1: Return on equity 19.24%16.39% 20% Return on capital employed15% 13% 16% Earnings per share 20p 17p 19p Debtorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ collection period 40 days 54 days 35 days Answer, Develop the commerce performance of Tesco have to exploit diverse policy for make organization revenue. They must reduce the debtorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ compilation time, aim to discover reduce the costs, and hit upon the technique to develop the excellence with production. d) How would you use the balanced scorecard by Kaplan and Norton to assess the performance of Tesco Plc? Executing the Balanced Scorecards habitually contains the four procedures: Interpreting the vision into set the operational objectives; Corresponding the vision along with connect on the way to individual portion; Production development; directory ambiance Feedback, also regulating the policy consequently. The Balanced Scorecard is a structure of strategic planning and commences methods that are utilized in a business, government and non profit association whole over the world support the trade conduct into the vision, mission and strategy of the company; develop inner and outer communiquÃÆ' © and supervising the execution aligned with organizational achievement. According to Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton, The Balanced Scorecard is a performance related measurement framework to manager that gives them a scale to review the organisational performance. Fig. Adapted from The Balanced Scorecard by Kaplan Norton. In my opinion Tesco Plc must have to follow the Norton and Kaplanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Balanced scorecard to procedure their business by gathering organisational goal. 1

The Economics Of Renewable Energy - 3177 Words

This paper reports on the microeconomic aspect of obtaining the energy that is present in the environment. A number of factors including the rapidly growing demand for energy to fuel economic development, the need by countries to diversify their energy production into environmentally sustainable supply sources while concurrently taking into careful consideration climate change, energy security and economic factors have all served to greatly contribute towards the current accelerated private and public investment in renewable energy. While numerous countries around the world have been able to design attractive incentive structures that aim at inducing private investment in obtaining the renewable energy that is present in the environment,†¦show more content†¦The cost of producing renewable energy from the environment has undergone a significant decrease of the past 15-20 years as a result of drastic enhancements in not only the economies of scale, but also the technology tha t is related to production. Renewable energy’s future prospects are noted to be even more promising in light of the continually falling costs involved in producing this energy as well as the growing awareness of the energy and environmental security benefits that these technologies provide. Renewable energies have variously been defined as those energies that are easily derived from simple natural process and can be constantly replenished from these sources without exhausting these sources. This form of energy is usually derived either indirectly or directly from the sun or from the geothermal heat that is that present from deep within the earth (Jordan-Korte, 2011). The growing global concerns pertaining to the issue of climate change and the effect that this is having on the planet have led to growing interest in the renewable energy technologies. This is exemplified by the fact that a number of industrialized countries have over the years moved to make significant investments in developing countries aimed at developing renewable energy sources under the provisions of the Clean Development Mechanism that was included in the Kyoto Protocol (UNEP, 2008). Developing countries are investing in renewable

Free Snow Falling On Cedars Essay Example For Students

Free Snow Falling On Cedars Essay Throughout the film Snow Falling on Cedars the director Scott Hicks has used symbolism to convey a number of his ideas. He used the fog and snow to symbolise hidden secrets, the sea to represent life and death, and he used the Cedars to symbolise a place of secrecy and protection. By using these three symbols, Scott Hicks ideas could be conveyed without anything being said at all. Fog and snow are used in the film to symbolise hidden secrets and to convey the idea that nothing can stay hidden forever. The fog is first seen in the opening scenes when Carl Heine Junior died and throughout the film, the fog is seen covering the seas secrets. Like the fog, the snow also covers secrets but the snow covers the secrets on the land. It covers up Ishmael and Hatsues relationship, and it covers up the racism on the island. Both the fog and the snow look cold and lonely with no sign of life, but in reality, they act as a security blanket, covering up the islands secrets and keeping them safe. Fog and snow convey the idea that everything is being covered from someone or something and that it cant stay protected forever. Fog and snow will slowly drift away and as this happens the secrets will be revealed because the snow wont last forever. Throughout the movie Snow Falling on Cedars, the sea represented life and death on many occasions and Scott Hicks was trying to convey the idea that one mans blessings can also be his downfall. The sea was a way of life for the fishermen, but it also proved to be the downfall to one of their own. During the movie, the sea was used to represent life and death by the fish washing up on the shore. As the fish were swept onto the land they slowly suffocated and died, and this is what happened to Carl Heine Junior when he got caught in his fishing net. The seawater was also very black, making it unable to see what was going on under the surface, leaving a sense of mystery. The sea can be a way of life for some, it can also be tormenting memories for others, and Scott Hicks was able to use this idea to show the sea as a means of life and death. The cedar trees throughout the movie symbolised protection and Scott Hicks has used this to convey the idea that skin colour, size and race dont make a difference to who we are on the inside. The cedars were used to exemplify this by protecting Ishmael and Hatsue throughout the film. The cedar trees protected them from the outside world and when they were amongst the trees nothing else in the World mattered to them. Neither of them were bothered by the fact that they werent meant to be together because the Cedar trees werent bothered and this was their place of refuge. The cedar trees were oblivious to the racial differences between the two of them and because of this protected them from the outside world, which did notice that they were different. The cedar trees were tall, strong, and wise throughout the film were able to look beyond Ishmael and Hatsues race and look to their hearts to find true love. Scott Hicks created a place of refuge in the Cedar trees and tried to convey the idea that some things only go skin deep. During the film Snow Falling on Cedars Scott Hicks was able to use symbolism largely to convey many of his ideas. He used the fog and snow to send the message that nothing can stay hidden forever because the fog and snow will slowly melt away and reveal the truth. The sea represented life and death and Scott Hicks was trying to convey the idea that many things can be a blessing for some and the downfall of others, and lastly he used the cedar trees to convey the idea that some thing sonly go skin deep. Overall Scott Hicks has used symbolism at its greatest and was able to convey many of his ideas without any extra dialogue.

The Effects of Low Interest Rates on Housing Markets free essay sample

A paper which discusses how lowered interest rates are affecting the housing industry in the United States. The paper shows that bank interest rates have been steadily decreasing since the September 11th attack on America and that the attack caused the business failures of major corporations, such as World Com and Enron. It discusses that one of the areas that are going stronger then ever is the real estate industry and many homeowners are taking the option to refinance their homes. The paper shows that banks and financial institutions are not in favor of this procedure as a homeowner who refinances his house may lower his monthly payments several hundred dollars banks are making significantly less money on the lowered monthly payments through refinances. The purpose of the essay is to discuss how the lowered interest rates are affecting the housing industry. House sales are running a record high this year, according to Reaser, chief economist of Bank of America. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effects of Low Interest Rates on Housing Markets or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The refinancing of mortgages is supporting a major portion of the economy that is surviving and thriving. At the present time, refinancing is showing no signs of slowing down; in fact it is steadily increasing. People are putting the extra money into home improvements and buying new cars, another low interest financing option.

Mrs Fields Cookies Essay Example

Mrs Fields Cookies Essay Example Mrs Fields Cookies Paper Mrs Fields Cookies Paper When doing business in the retail industry, one thing many people take for granted is the service aspect. Not only are you selling a product or multitude of various products, but you are also selling a service, which includes helping customers, being friendly, and making sure they enjoy their day. This is exactly what Debbi Fields is an expert at. She stated, I will also tell you that, to me, Ive never felt like I was in the cookie business. Ive always been in a feel good feeling business. My job is to sell joy. My job is to sell happiness. My job is to sell an experience. Debbi took her people skills and turned them into money-making skills despite having an original agenda of baking great cookies. When she was convinced otherwise, the company exploded and her need to be able to control every store became impossible. That is where her husband came into play the most, and his integration of an information system into the strategy. More important than monitoring the stores basic business functions was the preservation of the factors that made the stores a success in the first place Debbi Fields marketing techniques. Her experience was captured in expert systems that every store could access at any time, via Retail Operations Intelligence systems. (Newquist, 1990) The implementation of the Retail Operations Intelligence (ROI) was perfectly parallel with Mrs. Fields business objectives and beliefs. As stated earlier, she believed employees should spend their time focusing on the customer and ensuring an enjoyable visit. The ROI system simplified the paperwork process and significantly cut the amount of time that managers would need to spend in the office analyzing numbers or doing interviews. The development of the Retail Operations Intelligence systems by Randi Fields was a new look to the entire way businesses in the industry, or all businesses for that matter, operate internally. Substitute products still exist just as they did before the use of Mrs. Fields Cookies and their ROI system. Consumers have the option of eating anything else as they did before: sit-down restaurants, fast food, food courts at a mall (since it is the first major location of Mrs. Fields Cookies), ice cream shops, or people could choose not to eat at the time at all. Competition between firms included many of the niche market business mentioned above as shopping malls represented the largest source of spontaneous business for specialty stores. Competition for the most favorable mall locations next to large apparel stores, as opposed to the food court was fierce. As most malls had few such locations, developers were selective about the stores they allowed outside the food courts. The ROI system did not have a great influence on bargaining power for buyers. They still have the option to pay the price that Mrs. Fields Cookies are sold for or choose not to buy. Of course, if more customers choose not to buy, the employees will seek out potential customers to give samples too, which in turn is giving the buyer some power because they can receive the product at times for no price at all. The companys use of an IS system did not have any affect on how they dealt with suppliers. The suppliers hold the power due to the loyalty to the original vendors by Mrs. Fields. This is evident by her $6.6 million purchase of chocolate from the same supplier the company had used on its first day of business. This decision truly showed Debbis way of thinking when doing business, whether it be selling cookies or buying the ingredients. She liked being treated like she was the only customer and thats the way she treated her customers. The uses of the ROI system by managers can be attributed as strengths to Mrs. Fields Cookies, because managers can work closely with their employees and meet and greet customers instead of spending ours doing monotonous office work. The strategic goal of the IS area, according to Randy Fields, was to put as much decision making and intelligence into the store level PC as is necessary to free the manager to do those thing that uniquely people do. Weaknesses can also arise from the dependent uses of the system by managers. If security or availability isnt kept up to the fullest, the system could be at risk. Would the managers be able to successfully run the store without having to depend on the ROI system? The development of Randis system can greatly increase the productivity as it relates to the value chain. One aspect that is improved is Inbound Logistics; most notably the inventory control. If Mrs. Fields Cookies has a strict policy against leaving baked cookies unsold for more than two hours, the amount of inventory has to be controlled to a reasonable level so that revenue numerous batches of cookies are not being lost due to not being sold. The Sales/Marketing aspect can also be increased by having the manager be more involved in the employee activities and face-to-face confrontations with customers. The company has since taken advantage of their system and formed Fields Software Group Inc. in 1988 to develop and market the ROI system. Since then, 8 companies, including Burger King Corp., have agreed to purchase the system. (Personnel Journal, 1991) This business action was needed due to a few failures (which have been since corrected) which include the opposition of franchising, bad financial decisions, the acquisition of LPB, and partial miss-use of the IS. The company did not do enough research when they decided to go public on the London Exchange and it showed as they were not very successful, with much of the doubt concerning the lack of will to franchise. They also did not properly integrate with the acquisition of LPB and consequently suffered at the time. And lastly, as was covered before, the use of IS deskilled the work force and they were dependant on the system alone for decision making. To extend her vision Mrs. Fields decided to start franchising the business in 1990Its now the rarest of franchise opportunities. A new dynamic opportunity thats backed by name recognition and approval from worldwide consumers. (mrsfields.com, 2004) The franchise company Mrs. Fields Famous Brands now includes many household businesses including Mrs. Fields Original Cookies, TCBY, Pretzel Time, Great American Cookies, and Pretzelmaker. Debbi Fields has taken a childhood love for cookies and developed it into an extremely successful business by focusing on a specific niche market and utilizing customers instincts for snacks. She also implemented numerous new or at least uncommon business strategies as she states herself, And so the difference was bringing, in essence, something that was considered a commodity and making it unique and different. And the best way I did that was what I call try and buy, letting people try it with the opportunity that if they like it, theyd actually make a purchase.

Top 10 Books about Ecofeminism

Top 10 Books about Ecofeminism Ecofeminism has grown since the 1970s, blending and furthering activism, feminist theory, and ecological perspectives. Many people want to connect feminism and environmental justice but arent sure where to begin. Here is a list of 10 books about ecofeminism to get you started: Ecofeminism by Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva (1993)This important text explores the links between patriarchal society and environmental destruction. Vandana Shiva, a physicist with expertise in ecology and environmental policy, and Maria Mies, a feminist social scientist, write about colonization, reproduction, biodiversity, food, soil, sustainable development, and other issues.Ecofeminism and the Sacred edited by Carol Adams (1993)An exploration of women, ecology, and ethics, this anthology includes topics such as Buddhism, Judaism, Shamanism, nuclear power plants, land in urban life and Afrowomanism. Editor Carol Adams is a feminist-vegan-activist who also wrote The Sexual Politics of Meat.Ecofeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective on What It Is and Why It Matters by Karen J. Warren (2000)An explanation of the key issues and arguments of ecofeminism from the noted environmental feminist philosopher.Ecological Politics: Ecofeminists and the Greens by Greta Gaard (1998)An in-depth look at the parallel development of ecofeminism and the Green party in the United States. Feminism and the Mastery of Nature by Val Plumwood (1993)A philosophical - as in, Plato and Descartes philosophical - look at how feminism and radical environmentalism intertwine. Val Plumwood examines oppression of nature, gender, race, and class, looking at what she calls a further frontier for feminist theory.Fertile Ground: Women, Earth and the Limits of Control by Irene Diamond (1994)A provocative reexamination of the notion of controlling either the Earth or womens bodies.Healing the Wounds: The Promise of Ecofeminism edited by Judith Plant (1989)A collection exploring the link between women and nature with thoughts on mind, body, spirit and personal and political theory.Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals edited by Linda Hogan, Deena Metzger and Brenda Peterson (1997)A mix of stories, essays, and poems about animals, women, wisdom and the natural world from an array of women authors, scientists, and naturalists. Contributors include Diane Ackerman, Jane Goodall , Barbara Kingsolver, and Ursula Le Guin. Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation by Ivone Gebara (1999)A look at how and why ecofeminism is born from the day-to-day struggle to survive, particularly when some social classes suffer more than others. Topics include patriarchal epistemology, ecofeminist epistemology and Jesus from an ecofeminist perspective.Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams (1992)A combination memoir and naturalist exploration, Refuge details the death of the authors mother from breast cancer along with the slow flooding that destroys an environmental bird sanctuary.

Investment Strategy and Portfolio Management Assignment - 1

Investment Strategy and Portfolio Management - Assignment Example The firm has anticipated that fund withdrawals by members who have invested for at least five years will exceed fund inflows (from new and existing contributors) by 7% per annum on average for the subsequent five years. A suggested interpretation of this 7% figure is: (Cash outflows during year – cash inflows during year) / Total assets at 1/1/2014 = 7%The trend, therefore, calls for strategic measure to be taken to ensure the continued survival of the initiative. The investment committee will have to establish strong measures to ensure that the competitors do not out do the Morris Capital.Over the last few years, the world’s financial system has gone through its greatest crisis since the Great Depression. Rigorous financial predicaments have come into sight concurrently in a number of regions, and the economic crises are being felt all through the universe as a consequence of the increased interconnectedness of the worldwide economy.To successfully achieve competitive advantage Morris capital must initiate investment strategies to meet the deficiency that will be incurred after the initial investor members’ start withdrawing their money from the initiative. The investment committee will appreciate using either the active or passive investment approaches. The investment committee is obliged with;†¢Ã‚  How to come to a new level of growth and sustainable profitability in an environment of low interest rates (Bernstein 2001)†¢Ã‚  Rebuilding asset quality and strengthening their capital adequacy

Detailed Summary of the article Relflections on the Economics by Essay

Detailed Summary of the article Relflections on the Economics by William D. Nordhaus - Essay Example He emphasis the importance of "global change" and the "threat of green house warming" which is taking place at a rapid speed all over the world. The approach is ideal because instead of jumping to conclusion, he explores the issue of green house warming and its impact on the world. The "Green house effect" part is given more space than required, which could have been avoided, as writing two paragraphs just to define the Green House effect is too much, especially if the audience are scientists, and are knowledgeable about the topic. Even the second paragraph seems a bit out of space, the better approach would have to combine two paragraphs, into one paragraph and add only the importance part relevant to the topic, such as "concentration of CO2" in the atmosphere. The figure1" projection of global temperature increase" is an excellent way to show the scale of the problem; the readers can easily see scale of the problem. The figure shows two hundred years change (1900 to 2100), which is enough time to see the visible changes in the climate. It clearly shows, how the temperature has increased over the time and how much it will f urther increase. However he counters the argument of dooms day prediction with his own model and mentions that it is not exactly possible to predict the climatic conditions as the scientists have claimed in their model. The reason he mentions is that climatic model depends on economic models, and slower economies and higher fuel prices will decrease the emission of gases in the atmosphere. And another reason against the climatic catastrophe is that "climate flips from one locally stable equilibrium to another" and it is not possible for climatologist at present to exactly predict what will happen, unless they come up with bigger and exhaustive models. The writer moves to "Impacts of the Climate Change" and mentions that two centuries ago man was highly dependent on day and light timing, but technology has changed he slavery to natural timing and now man is no longer dependent for his economic and agricultural needs upon natural environment. He provides solid arguments by mentioning the case of a business firm which wish to start business is not concerned about climate, even if the difference is as great as Moscow and Hong Kong (Moscow has an extreme cold temperature, while Hong Kong is an island and has mild temperature). The contrast is purposely mentioned to give the readers an idea of difference in temperature and making a business decision (Economic activity). The reason for such change is technology, which has enabled man to overcome the climatic difference and work in all kind of environments. He brings another arguments against the impact of climatic change, by mentioning the factors, such as precipitation, draughts, and natural disasters, which often have "socioeconomic impact" yet ignored by scientists. Normally scientists mention only temperature as a main factor to be influenced by climate for the reason that it is an easy way to refer to the climatic change. In reality this approach is flawed and more generic and is ignoring the impact of climate on the less developed countries of the world. Thus the conclusion is that the climatic prediction does not portray a full picture of the problem nor does it provide sufficient information as predicted by the scientists. The author does

Learning and perception Essay Example for Free

Learning and perception Essay Learning and perception can be related regarding the sensory abilities of the human mind to understand, calculate, and assign learning experiences to our sensory motors. For instance, a child will stay away from a stove if he/she is burned by an eye. At this typical age, a child is unaware of the concept of heat or hot but they can register thousands of experiences through their use of touch. In perceptional learning, human instincts are the accomplices in discovering new and exciting experiences through sensory (Freeman, 1991). According to Freeman (1991), learning has an impact on our ability to perceive experiences accurately. As an example, a child that views domestic violence on a daily basis may assume it is natural. This child could develop an ineffective sensory to pain by observing and experiencing it from a violent adult. In turn, the child may develop an innocent perception that pain is equal to normal. His or her learning of domestic violence is different from others so his or her perception of violence may not affect their judgment during a violent occurrence with others (Perception, 2006). Another obvious connection of learning and perception is the human’s ability to adjust oneself to the visual make up of others in a social surrounding. Debutants contribute to the development of young women and men. Their intentions are to teach social etiquette for proper associations mainly available in higher social classes. For instance, a debutant from a wealthy family may see a debutant from an underprivileged home as an equal if financial status was not a factor. The visual perception of the reality is seen only superficially. As the learning of the financial status of both debutants are known, the image might change one’s perception of the underprivileged Debutant. The relationship between perception and learning is evident in every day life in which people learn of their surroundings and act accordingly (Freeman, 1991). Works Cited Freeman, Walter J. â€Å"The Physiology of Perception† Scientific American, Vol. 264 (2) 78-85. Perception. Accessed on December 15, 2008 at http://www. a2zpsychology. com/PSYCHOLOGY_GUIDE/Perception. htm.

German Jewry on the Eve of Destruction Essay -- Jews Jewish Nazi Essay

Did the Jews of Germany do enough to prevent their wholesale massacre by the Nazis? Should they have resisted earlier and to a greater degree? Should the Jews in Western countries acted even when Jews within Germany did not? In 1933, there were several different responses to Germany's increasingly anti-Jewish tendencies. Then, on the eve of destruction, before the Nazis had fully planned for their extermination, the German Jews had a chance to affect Germany and their own lives. I have chosen a few of the German Jewish responses to examine in this essay. After the single-day boycott of April 1, 1993, where the Magen David was posted on establishments of Jewish-race ownership, a Zionist named Robert Weltsch wrote the following lines in a Zionist newspaper article titled 'Wear It With Pride, The Yellow Badge': This is a painful reminder to all those who betrayed their Judaism...The Jew who denies his Judaism is no better a citizen than his fellow who avows it openly...The Jew is marked a Jew. He gets the Yellow Badge...This regulation is intended as a brand, a sign of contempt. We will take it up and make it a badge of honor.[1] As a Zionist, Weltsch was critical of those Jews who had replaced their Jewish identities with solely German ones. He was happy to see the German government show those Jews that they were still Jewish, regardless of what they thought -- as far as he was concerned the German government was helping his cause by reawakening the assimilated Jews in Germany. The Magen David was being recreated as the symbol of the Zionist movement and so why shouldn't Jews be proud to wear it? What Weltsch unfortunately did not seem to comprehend was the significance of these initial acts of discrimination. Th... ...story of the Holocaust. New York: Franklin Watts, 1982. p. 120. [**] Centralverein deutscher Straatsbà ¼rger jà ¼dischen Glaubens [5] C.V.-Zeitung, No. 22, June 1, 1933 (cited in Documents on the Holocaust p. 50-51). [6] Holborn, Halo. A History of Modern Germany. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. p. 277-280. [7] Bauer, p. 123. [8] Bauer, p. 117-118. [9] Yahil, p. 95. To return to the reference in the text, click on the number. Works Cited ed. Arad, Yitzhak, Yisrael Gutman and Abraham Margaliot. Documents on the Holocaust. Jerusalem: Yad Vashem, 1981. Bauer, Yehuda. A History of the Holocaust. New York: Franklin Watts, 1982. Holborn, Halo. A History of Modern Germany. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. Yahil, Leni. The Holocaust: The Fate of European Jewry. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.

Graded Assignment Essay

1. Three hypotheses—ecocide, rat outbreak, and climate change—are candidates as explanations of why the society of Easter Island collapsed. Explain each hypothesis, present at least one piece of evidence for each one, and state a lesson that each hypothesis contains for the world today. For each hypothesis, write one paragraph of at least four lines Answer: Ecocide Hypothesis: Humans used the resources irresponsibly and caused deforestation. Humans used the logs from the trees to transport the big statues. People also used the trees to build shelter. The resources were used irresponsibly when they should have been used graciously. Rat Outbreak: Rats were introduced to the environment and fed on the trees. The trees had bite marks on the bottom of the tree. Rats were brought over by ships. It wasn’t an intentional introduction. Climate Change: As the climate changed the Lakes were separated from the main body of water. (8 points) 2. In a paragraph, describe the seven steps of the scientific method. Answer: You must make an observation and ask a question or identify and define a problem about that observation. Then you make your hypothesis which is an if-then statement and then test the hypothesis by performing experiments or making observations. Then you have to organize and analyze your data. Finally you draw your conclusions and communicate your results. (7 points) 3. Error in data analysis often occurs because the researcher has chosen an inappropriate sample for study—a sample that does not correctly reflect the characteristics of the population or phenomenon as a whole. Name at least three different causes of sampling error and state why each of them can produce invalid data. Answer: Size: your sample must include enough size or amount of people or organisms. If you don’t have enough samples then your data will be concluded with an insufficient amount of data. Bias: If someone has a strong bias towards something then they may only use the data that supports their views. Location of Sample: If someone takes a sample in a location and then doesn’t go to another location to take a sample then the data may be insufficient.

Childhood and Young People

Explain how a solution focused approach will encourage children and young people to have a positive outlook on their lives. A solution focused approach is about looking at the present and the future, it helps children to look at what is happening in their lives now and whether they are happy that things are heading in the right direction, if this is not the case then it enables children to be able to work out what needs to be changed and start working towards the goals they want to achieve.This can help children and young people to have a positive outlook on their lives by allowing them to see that even if things aren’t that great at the moment there’s always their future (which can be whatever they want it to be) to look forward to. 4. 4 Explain the importance of informing relevant people when there are concerns about a child or young person’s health or well – being. The child protection and welfare policies in my setting states that i must report any con cerns that i may have around a child’s health and well being. If i was to not report the concerns raised then this could have a big impact on the child.The earlier concerns are spotted and raised, the easier they are to be dealt with and the smaller the impact on the child, same as the longer it takes for concerns to be spotted and raised, the harder they are to be dealt with and the bigger the impact on the child. For example if i were to notice that a child was attending nursery and feeling extra hungry than usual, this would be a welfare concern as being underfed (if this is the case) will have an effect on the child’s health, it will effect concentration which will affect the overall performance of the child.My concerns would be raised with the manager and this would be monitored and recorded before raising the issue with parents. 4. 5 Record concerns about a child or young person’s health or well being following recognised procedures. So far during my place ment i have not had to record any concerns about a child but if a situation occurred where this needed to happen i would first raise my concerns with the manager.

War World I essays

War World I essays During the summer of 1914 World War I had begun when Austria-Hungary declared on Serbia. Nobody knew that twenty-one years later another world war would spark. Both wars very different because of the age gap but very alike on the subject of war. World War I began in the Balkans, where Archduke Francis Ferdinand heir to the Austria-Hungary throne was assassinated. Austria-Hungary accused Serbia of the assassination of their Archduke which would spark the beginning of a war. Austria-Hungary gained a promise of support for any action it took against Serbia. A list of demands was then sent to Serbia from Austria-Hungary. Serbia accepted most of the demands. Serbia then offered to have the rest settled by an international conference. When Austria-Hungary did not accept the offer they declared war on Serbia and expected a quick victory. World War II began on September 1st, 1989 when Germany declared war on Poland, Poland being the largest country for the Jewish population. Adolf Hitler had turned Germany into a war machine. Germany now powerful as ever crushed Poland, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and France. World War I and World War II both had Germany on the enemy side against the US. Both of the wars were actually because of Germany, Germany backed Austria-Hungary which declared war on Serbia in WWI. Germany invaded Poland in WWII which caused the war to begin. WWI was a bit shorter than WWII which lasted for six years, where WWI lasted only about 4 years. In WWI Germany invaded only a few countries with the battles whereas in WWII Germany took over many countries with Hitler in power. Both of the wars were hoped as to be quick victories but that never happened. Also with both of the wars the US always started out as staying neutral until they were bought into the wars. In WWII the rise of dictatorships had come into play in Italy, Japan, the Soviet Union, and Germany. With WWI there were no set dictatorships...

How to Make Distilled Water

How to Make Distilled Water Distilled water is purified water produced by condensing steam or water vapor from impure water, such as well water, seawater, tap water, snow, streams, or even plants or damp rock. You can distill water to further purify the water you have, to make drinking water for emergencies, or to obtain water while on camping trips. There are several methods for making distilled water, so you can save yourself some money and distill it yourself rather than buying it at the store. Which of several methods to use to distill water depends on the resources you have available and whether you are distilling impure water or have to get water from the air or plants. Distill Water on Your Stove, Grill or Campfire You can make distilled water over a stove, grill, or campfire quite easily. You need a large container of water, a smaller collection container that either floats in the first container or can be propped up above the water level, a rounded or pointed lid that fits the big container  (turned upside down so that when the steam condenses, the water drips into your smaller container), and some ice. Here is a recommended material list: 5-gallon stainless steel or aluminum potRounded lid for the potGlass or metal bowl that floats inside the potIce cubesHot pads Fill the large pot partly full of water.Set the collection bowl in the pot. The plan is to collect water dripping from the center of the inverted pan lid, so choose the size of the bowl to make sure the distilled water wont just drip back into the main pot.Set the pot lid upside down on the pot. When you heat the water, water vapor will rise up to the lid, condense into droplets, and fall into your bowl.Turn on the heat for the pan. The water needs to get very hot, but its OK if it doesnt boil.Put ice cubes on top of the lid of the pot. The cold will help to condense the steam in the pot into liquid water.When complete, turn off the heat and use care to remove the bowl of distilled water. Store distilled water in a clean, preferably sterile container (dishwasher clean or else immersed in boiling water). Use a container intended for long-term storage of water because other containers may have contaminants that would leach into your water over time, undoing all your work to get pure water. Collect Water in an Outside Container A similar method is to heat water in a pot but collect the distilled water in an outside container. You can be as creative as you like with your setup for this. Just be sure to collect the distilled water and not the pot water. One option is to use a funnel over the boiling water container that is connected to the collection bottle with aquarium tubing. For the funnel to drain into your collection bottle, you want to empty the tubing at a lower level than the funnel. Otherwise, the method is the same. The advantages include safety (you dont need to wait for the pot to cool to get your water) and reduced risk of contamination from the source water. Contamination is not a big concern when youre purifying rain or tap water but may be more of a consideration if youre trying to make nonpotable water safe enough to drink. Distill Water From Rain or Snow Rain and snow are two forms of naturally distilled water. Water evaporates from the ocean, lakes, rivers, and the land and condenses in the atmosphere to fall as precipitation. Unless you live in a highly polluted area, the water is pure and safe to drink. (Do not collect rainwater that comes off an asphalt shingle roof through the gutters for this procedure.) Collect rain or snow in a clean container. Allow a day or so for any sediment to fall to the bottom of the bowl. In most cases, you can pour off the clean water and drink it as-is; however, you can include additional filtration steps, such as running the water through a coffee filter or boiling it. Water keeps best if its refrigerated, but you can keep it indefinitely in a clean, sealed container at room temperature, too. Use Home Distillation Kits Unless youre collecting rain or snow, water distillation costs money because it uses fuel or electricity to heat the source water. Its cheaper to buy bottled distilled water than it is to make it on your stove. However, if you use a home distiller, you can make distilled water more cheaply than you can buy it. Home distillation kits range in price from about $100 to several hundred dollars. If youre making distilled water for drinking, the less expensive kits are fine. More expensive kits are used for lab work or for processing large volumes of water to supply water needs for an entire house. Distill Water From Plants or Mud While out camping or in serious emergency situations, you can distill water from virtually any source of water. If you understand the basic principle, you likely can imagine many potential setups. Heres an example of a method used to extract water from desert plants. Note that this is a time-consuming process. Green plantsPlastic wrapCoffee can or other clean containerSmall rocks Dig a hole in the ground in a sunny location.Place the coffee can in the center of the bottom of the hole to collect the water.Pile up damp plants in the hole around the coffee can.Cover the hole with a piece of plastic wrap. You can secure it using rocks or dirt. Ideally, you want to seal the plastic so no moisture escapes. The greenhouse effect  will trap heat inside the plastic, aiding in the evaporation of the water.Place a pebble in the center of the plastic wrap to create a small depression. As water evaporates, the vapor will condense on the plastic and fall where you created the depression, dripping into the can. You can add fresh plants to keep the process going. Avoid using poisonous plants containing volatile toxins because they will contaminate your water. Cacti and ferns are good choices, where they are available. Ferns are edible, too.

Sources of English Law and Examples of their Use Essay

Sources of English Law and Examples of their Use - Essay Example Statute law represents the primary legislation passed by parliament and consist of acts, as well as amendments to acts. Common Law: Common law is a form of law that is not based on any external set of rules or regulations. Instead, common law is derived from previous cases. . By this part of its nature, common law is unique as it self-generates. These cases are often poorly documented and summarised, making the determination of what is common law difficult It is primarily used in cases where there is no legislation that covers the case currently being considered, and is instigated by judges, often in cases of negligence. Equity: Equity is connected to common law, and was formed to assist in cases where common law was not enough. Equity occurs when common law has been applied in a situation, but the ruling doesn’t appear to make sense for the particular criteria or people involved. Equity does not happen in all cases; instead it is an option that the judge can take, rather than a right of those under the law. Initially common law and equity used separate courts, but now both occur seamlessly within the same court, and often the same judgment within the UK as well as other countries and colonies. Injunctions are one example of equity. As such equity occurs in areas of the law where common law is applied, as there is limited legislative backing for the situation, but the conclusion from common law does not fit the situation. European Law: This refers specifically to law that is connected to the European Union, which came into being towards the end of 1993. When the UK joined the European Union it was required to incorporate legislation from the European Union into the laws of the UK and to recognise the European Court’s jurisdiction in regards to European Union law. An example of a European law is the European Convention of Human Rights, which was incorporated into UK law in 1998. European Law, while applied in the UK, is developed through the European Union . Question Two There are many legislative acts created through statute law that are important in Britain. One of these that had a large impact on business was the equality act, introduced by the Labour Government in 2010. The act was designed to dramatically increase the rights of employees of all types, aiming to advance equality and protect against discrimination. This law had a major effect on businesses, increasing costs involved in dealing with disabled employees, as well as allowing avenues for issues of harassment and discrimination in the workplace to be addressed, which generally has the effect of improv ing employee morale . The case of Donoghue v. Stevenson was a case brought to the House of Lords in 1932. The case is monumental, as it was a case of common law that set the precedent for negligence in modern English law, as well as Scottish law. The case itself revolved around a snail that Donoghue claimed was poured in her ginger beer. She consequently brought action against the manufacturer of the water in the ginger beer, Stevenson. The case was important as there was no legal precedent, so the case fell into the grounds of common law . For businesses today, the case has important ramifications, as it has served as the basis of the concept that one person is able to owe another person a duty of care. The case of Seager versus Copydex was a case of damages and of breaches of confidence. The case was one of the early cases that

Improving Leadership Skills and Academic Performance Assignment

Improving Leadership Skills and Academic Performance - Assignment Example Whilst I have always been extroverted in social and professional situations, prior to this study program, my over-confidence in my capabilities and knowledge complicated being a solid team member when working in groups. For instance, I had previously desired to work independently in most situations, both academic and professional, with minor levels of resentment and animosity when forced to work in team environments. It was not an inherent part of my personality in which I believed that team members were not capable, only that trust in my own talents and ability to organize made it difficult for me to build group inter-dependency and rely on others achieving team goals. Hence, I have come to learn that an effective leader is one that gives others opportunities to excel and make positive contributions to a group. Stover (2004) discusses the concept of tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge, in which individuals that maintain a specialized set of talents (tacit knowledge) must convert this knowledge to teach others. Interaction with others, according to Stover, is absolutely necessary for effective knowledge conversion to be achieved. However, as aforementioned, my personal resistance to participative teamwork challenged gaining followership from others as an effective leader. My current study program has given me ample opportunities to work with others and I have made a very competent effort at reducing the internal conflicts that arise when forced to work in groups where all members have a distinct task. Some of these attitudes and resistance to teamwork ideology is likely a product of my cultural background in the Middle East. In my home country, it is common that professional members of an organization, in politics and even general society to maintain high power distance, defined by Hofstede (2001) as a type of inequality where hierarchies are dominant business, social and political structures.

Behaviorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Behaviorism - Essay Example Principles of behaviorism should be part of every elementary classroom (Monchinski, 2008). Although not all activities or ideas are behaviorist in nature, it will help to incorporate behaviorism in some parts of the lesson. The reason behind this is that students in grade school are not yet mature and they need guidance in order to learn proper behavior and skills. Activating prior knowledge, providing models for activities, and giving rewards are some ways to incorporate behaviorism in the given lesson. Incorporating behaviorism into the lesson plan serves the teacher in three ways. First, by activating prior knowledge, the teacher will have the chance to check students’ understanding of the previous lesson. Likewise, by doing such, the students will feel the need to review past lessons, thus reinforcing good study habits among students. They will be inclined to think that past lessons should not be taken for granted; thus taking down notes, reviewing them, and even memorizi ng will help them get a better grade. Moreover, activating prior knowledge will make students see the link between the previous and the current lesson (Monchinski, 2008). Using principles of behaviorism, the teacher also provides model for learning a new skill. In the given lesson, students will be taught directly how to work on the thesis statement and subsections of the speech. This effort could guide students to perform the task appropriately and produce the expected output. Also, telling students what to do or what is expected to happen prior to performing the activity could lead them to write the best speech. The key is to condition learners to act as expected. Modeling and direct instruction also serve to promote positive behavior among students.

NHS and Community Care Act | Critiques

NHS and Community Care Act | Critiques Community Care is really care by families which is really care by women; and it always will be! Discuss Introduction When Margaret Thatcher came to power in the late 1970s one of her Government’s primary aims was to roll back the welfare state and cut spending on services. They argued that state services, and the health service in particular, were inefficient and costly. They further maintained that the introduction of market principles into welfare provision would increase efficiency, provide better services, and reduce costs. The Conservatives were anti-institutionalisation and began closing geriatric wards and psychiatric hospitals. The 1982 Government White Paper Growing Older emphasised the role of the family and that the role of Government was to enable, rather than replace that care. There was an implicit assumption here that much of this care would be provided by women. Twigg (1993) maintains that the 1988 Griffith Report which advised on more effective use of Government funds for community care also recognised that public services would only have a role where community and family su pport had broken down. Large numbers of the elderly and the disabled have always been cared for in the community, the state took over where this became a burden and the Tories were keen to discourage too much state provision. In 1990 the NHS and Community Care Act was introduced where the state was no longer the sole provider of care. Community care is the term used for both social and health care. Voluntary and Charitable organisations would also play a part and care packages would be organised by local authorities. This might include provision of services in a person’s home, residential care, respite care, day care and family placements, sheltered housing and group homes and hostels. This Act placed a much greater burden of care on those professions associated with healthcare e.g. social work, and at the same time resulted in further inequalities as care provision differed depending on what region of the country a person was in. It was argued that this kind of care would al low individuals to live with dignity and independence in their own communities. This paper therefore, aims to assess the statement that Community Care is really care by families which is really care by women and it always will be. Under the terms of the 1990 Act, responsibility for care in the community became the responsibility of local authority social services. Each authority has a duty to publish its care plans and has a duty to assess all those people who might need care. It is the authority’s responsibility to provide care and to promote the work of voluntary and charitable organisations by purchasing care from them. Local authorities are also bound to establish a complaints procedure and have the responsibility of checking out care packages.[1] There have been a number of problems with the terms of the Act. Since 1993 the number of old people need support has continued to grow while NHS short and long term care has continued to shrink (Filinson, 1997). At the same time it is actually cheaper for social services departments to keep a person in residential care than to support them in their own home. New policies such as the Carers Representations and Services Act 1995 and the introduction of Direc t payments which were intended to empower users and give them greater choice have been implemented without all the additional resources. Thus demands for service have increased while budgets have remained much the same. While there has been a lot of rhetoric about the needs of pensioners the focus has, necessarily been on the user, and carers needs are largely ignored. Unell (1996) points out that changes in community care: †¦simultaneously raised the profile of carers and made their needs more difficult to meet in the short term (Unell, 1996:9). Community Care and Familial Obligation Since the 1970s there has been an increasing emphasis on care in the community and care within the family. This does not always work well and the greatest burden usually falls on those families with the least resources. Familial obligation is defined in law. In the UK it usually refers to the nuclear family of husband and wife, parents and children and benefits and taxes almost always recognise these relationships (Millar and Warman, 1996). The provision of services are intended to support, rather than take the place of the care and support that is expected of the family. Although Britain and most other European countries give some recognition to gender equality much policy making stems from post-war understandings within the welfare state, of the male breadwinner and the female housewife/carer. Community care and familial obligation are based on these hidden gendered assumptions. In Britain these obligations only extend downwards i.e. parental obligation to their children. In some c ountries adult children have familial obligation to their parents but this is not the case in the UK (Millar and Warman, 1996). In spite of this the decreasing number of acute hospital beds means that there are more older people with chronic conditions in the community. They receive care from the local authority in their own homes but in many instances they rely heavily on informal carers, usually members of the family. Informal care involves a number of different activities and relationships and has been explained in the following way. Informal care: †¦normally takes place in the context of family or marital relationships and is provided on an unpaid basis that draws on feelings of love, obligation and duty (Twigg, 1993:2). Thus, this kind of care normally occurs within the family and Kirk (1998) states that data from the General Household Survey tends to suggest that the bulk of this kind of care is undertaken by women. Phillips and Bernard (1995) maintain that the kind of caring that many women give are the difficult tasks of physical and personal care. These carers may also have contact with a range of other community services and district nurses who might be involved in the caring process. The meaning of community care changes over time and during the 1970s and 1980s policy in this area brought changes to services for people with disabilities, people with learning disabilities, and people suffering from the frailties of old age (Kirk, 1998). Cost concerns meant that many institutions were closed and care was focussed on the community. Lewis and Glennerster (1996) maintain that during the 1990a community care was a policy shift to aid spending cuts. There was a change from residential care for older people to care in the community. How successful the shift from residential care to care at home has been is, Wistoe (1995) maintains still unclear. In the 1990s health policies in the UK have focussed on primary care, this has come about because of cost concerns, demographic shifts and changing patterns of illness. Many services that were provided in hospitals are now operating in the primary sector. This has resulted in complex nursing care being undertaken in a domicilary context. Which shifts the burden of care to informal carers, usually female family members with the help of district nurses. In some cases informal carers and the person themselves undertake some tasks such as intravenous injections (Conway, 1996). Costain and Warner (1992) maintain that if this continues then more dependent people with complex, intensive needs will be cared for at home thus increasing the burden on the family and on community care services. Manthorpe (1994) points out that informal carers are gi ven little choice over their caring role and there is little respite as they are not often presented with an acceptable alternative. There has been little research into how this kind of caregiving affects family members although feminists (Abbott and Wallace, 1997) have expressed concern over the hidden assumptions underlying the concept of community care. The Feminist Critique of Community Care Feminists have focused on the informal caring that women do and which is often ignored by the professionals. Caring for an ageing or disabled relative for twenty four hours a day is bound to have an effect on women and yet there is little available help for respite.. Furthermore, the Community Care Act of 1990 has imposed further responsibilities on women in the role of informal carers (Abbott and Wallace, 1997). Based on the gender roles that existed in the welfare state, the discourses of health take it for granted that when members of their family are sick a woman will care for them. It assumes that women will put the needs of their children before their own. Health care is defined as care that is given by doctors, nurses, and other health professionals and the caring that women do in the home is recognised only as a part of the role that a woman plays in the home. Not only is her caring role invisible but the impact of shouldering the burden of caring is also ignored (Graham, 199 3). The Office for National Statistics reports that in 1995 there were three times the number of female informal carers to male carers. Watson et al (1999) maintain women, who are the primary care givers in the family actually negate the view that the responsibility of care should primarily be in institutional structures. This is because as wives and mothers, even if they are employed full time, they still give care to other family members. Walby (1990) contends that women have been oppressed because of their biology and this is evident in the healthcare system. However, patriarchal control of women operates through an inter-related set of structures and practices through which women are oppressed by men, the state is patriarchal in its policies and practices and its interests are biased towards men. Thus it is not surprising that implicit in discourses of care in the community is the view that women will shoulder the burden of care. Abbott and Wallace state that: While it is rarely given official recognition, and the tendency is to see paid health workers as the primary providers of health care, women provide most health care, within the confines of the family (Abbott and Wallace, 1997:170). Conclusion Care in the community is care in the home and feminists are right to suggest that this largely means care by women. The gendered nature of care giving needs to be re-examined if policy continues to shift the greater burden of care to the community. While there are such things as carer’s allowances these are very low and means tested, therefore many people do not claim them. There seems to be a stigma attached to the idea that people should claim allowances for long term care within the family. Perhaps a better option, once a person was assessed as needing long term community care would be an automatic payment for informal carers. It might also be useful if Government debate on care in the community lauded the work undertaken by informal carers and promoted a positive image of care within the family. Those families where men are the informal carers could, perhaps, be promoted as positive models for other men to follow. This might not only bring a shift in the implicit assumptio n that women will do the caring, but might give a broader and less stigmatised view of caring within the family. Assessment packages for long term informal carers should have regular respite care built into them so that carers get a regular break. Free community nursing care and domicilary care should be provided so that informal carers can go on holiday without having to worry about what was happening at home. Government may be keen to establish policies that shift even more care into the community but should also recognise that truly cost effective care takes account of all eventualities. At present it seems as though the notion that problems may arise in informal care settings is ignored, so that when these problems do occur it actually costs more to rectify than if an allowance for such eventualities was made in the first place. Too much strain is placed on many women because of the expectation that they will be informal carers, community care, it would seem needs much more care ful planning than is presently the case. References Abbott and Wallace, 1997 An Introduction to Sociology: Feminist Perspectives. London, Routledge Conway A.1996 Home intravenous therapy for bronchiectasis patients. Nursing Times 92(45), 34 35 Costain D. Warner M.1992From Hospital to Home Care: The Potential for Acute Service Provision in the Home. Kings Fund Centre, London Filinson, R. (1997) ‘Legislating community care: the British experience, with U.S. comparisons’, The Gerontologist, 37,3: 333-140. Giddens, 2001. 4th ed. Sociology. Cambridge, Polity Press Graham, H. 1993 Hardship and Health in Women’s Lives Hemel Hempstead, Harvester Griffiths, R. (1988) Community Care: An Agenda for Action. A Report to the Secretary of State for Social Services, London: HMSO. Kirk, S. 1998 â€Å"Trends in community care and patient participation: Implications for the roles of informal carers and community nurses in the United Kingdom† Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol 28 August 1998 Issue 2 p.370 Lewis J. Glennerster H.1996Implementing the New Community Care. Open University Press, Milton Keynes. Manthorpe J.1994 The family and informal care. In Implementing Community Care (Malin N. ed.), Open University Press, Milton Keynes Millar, J. and Warman A. 1996 Family Obligations in Europe Family Policies Centre in association with Joseph Rowntree Foundation Moore, S. Scourfield, P. Sinclair, S. Burch, S. and Wendon, B. 3rd ed. 2002 Social Welfare Alive Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes. Phillips J. Bernard M.1995 Perspectives on caring. In Working Carers (Phillips J. ed.), Avebury, Aldershot. Twigg, J. (1993) ‘Integrating carers in to the service system: six strategic responses’, Ageing and Society, 13: 141-170. Unell, J. (1996) The Carers Impact Experiment, London: King’s Fund Publishing. . Walby,S. 1990. Theorising Patriarchy. Blackwell, Oxford. Walsh, I ed. 2000 Sociology: Making Sense of Society. Edinburgh, Prentice Hall. 1 [1] http://www.infosci.org/MS-UK-MSSoc/pubcca.html

Portrayal of Women in the Movie (Film), Metropolis :: Movie Film Essays

Portrayal of Women in the Movie (Film), Metropolis Women were represented in different ways throughout the movie Metropolis, but the underlying theme was women were seen as purely sexual. Maria was seen as the nurturer in the film, but also as a sexual object. She was the one who preached for peace and harmony down in the catacombs to the workers. Maria was also the nurturing maternal figure that was seen walking into the garden with all of the poor children. The vamp, on the other hand, was portrayed blatantly as a sexual object. This whole movie was seen through the eyes of the male perspective, which usually portrays women as sexual objects, and robs them of any identity. Lang shows Frederson as having fear of femininity which involves women's emotion and nurturing. The robot was seen as a creation of technology and femininity and sexuality through the male imagination. This creation of the robot was to reflect the fear that men have of women and of technology. Women, machines, and nature raise fear in men because they threaten the male dominance and control. The female robot rose fear about threatening male control because of the idea that technology could become so large and advanced that it would go out of control of man and destroy humanity. Maria also posed as a threat to Frederson because of her emotions and nurturing. As seen in the movie, the scene where Rotwang leads Frederson down to the catacombs to watch Maria preach about peace is a direct depiction of the male fear of femininity. This fear comes from Frederson not having any control over this situation because he did not know about the catacombs, which scares him. Men need to control these women because of these insecurities about their own dominance. Throughout the entire movie there is an underlying theme of men always controlling women. The world of technology has always been seen as being all men while the women were standing on the outside looking in. For example, Rotwang creates this vamp to satisfy his own sexual desires, and to be able to control and dominate her every move. Woman has been constructed by man to serve her master, be completely dependent, and meet his needs. Lang invents his females as technological objects that come to life at the hands, and visions of their male masters. This is clearly seen when the robot, disguised as Maria, is put on the stake to burn.

Fides et Ratio Essay

When looking at the context of the Fides et Ratio, John Paul II expresses on â€Å"crisis of meaning† in contemporary society. Throughout this section John Paul II offers examples on how the crisis of meaning has emerged. John Paul II touches on â€Å"scientism† and â€Å"pragmatism† and how these have affected modern society and are believed to be steering individuals in the wrong direction. John Paul II also includes other non-religious or philosophical based attitudes toward the contemporary society. John Paul II seems to be expressing his thoughts towards the â€Å"crisis of meaning† in hope to regain focus from individuals on the value of religion in contemporary society. Although John Paul II raises many well thought out reasons supporting the idea that there is what he calls a â€Å"crisis of meaning† in modern society, Sigmund Freud’s theories of how humanities’ desire for meaning in life is actually just delaying the inevitabl e and compounding the struggles of life. The sooner people accept that in the end, everyone dies, and after that there is nothing, the sooner one can succeed without regret or worry, and the better society will be. â€Å"Crisis of meaning† is stated by John Paul II to be one of the most important attributes in the current state of our society around the world. Pope John Paul II believes that people in contemporary society are beginning to question if it still makes sense to know the meaning of one’s life. When looking at â€Å"crisis of meaning† from a scientific perspective, the increase in knowledge on the subject makes the search for the meaning of life problematic. The amount of research and data introduced because of the increase in human knowledge in contemporary society has started to â€Å"compromise the fabric of life† (Fides et Ratio, #81). The display of theories that compete with one another, and how people view and interpret the world and human life serve to â€Å"aggravate the radical doubt† (Fides et Ratio) which than leads to scepticism, indifference and the rejection to religion and religious moral principles. Theories that were specifically developed to show an individual the answers to the big  questions in human life are consequently invading the human spirit and offering different interpretations to the meaning of life. John Paul II states that a philosophical perspective that no longer expresses on the meaning of life would reduce importanc e of â€Å"accessory functions† (Fides et Ratio, #88) and take passion away from the search for the truth. Philosophy will have to regain focus on the â€Å"sapient dimension† in order to regain a sense of harmony with the word of God. If Philosophy conformed back to its natural ways it will would be a critical factor that discovers the foundation of â€Å"scientific learning† and would also join together human knowledge and action. Philosophy has the potential to create a path to a final goal of a better understanding of the meaning of life. John Paul II discusses that â€Å"sapient dimension† in philosophy is much more necessary in modern society because peoples technical capabilities are demanding a renewed understanding of ultimate values. John Paul II argues that â€Å"If this technology is not ordered to something greater than a merely utilitarian end, then it could soon prove inhuman and even become potential destroyer of the human race.† (F ides et Ratio, #81) This quote from Fides et Ratio by John Paul II expresses his thoughts on how technology has the power to prove inhuman and possibly ruin the human race. He believes that the word of God gives people an understanding of one’s destiny and the true meaning to life. Philosophy is invited to give reason to the natural impulse within everyone on the meaning of life. Another threat that John Paul II relates to the â€Å"crisis of meaning† is through â€Å"pragmatism† and â€Å"scientism†. John Paul II believes that â€Å"scientism† is another threat the â€Å"crisis of meaning† faces in contemporary society. â€Å"Scientism† only validates the forms of knowledge through factual sciences and will not accept knowledge based on religious beliefs. Scientism views religious and theological knowledge as fantasies and considers it to be meaningless. â€Å"Positivism† and â€Å"neo-positivism† expressed the same idea in the past on the meaningless of religion and now has been revived through â€Å"scientism†. Due to technological progress and factual scientific research, science has now taken control of human life, as people have begun to believe that if something is technically or scientifically possible it then can be morally accepted. John Paul II also looks at â€Å"pragmatism† to be none the less as dangerous to the â€Å"crisis of meaning† as â€Å"scientism†. John Paul II defines â€Å"pragmatism† as, â€Å"An attitude  of mind which, in making its choices, precludes theoretical considerations or judgements based on ethical principles.†(Fides et Ratio, #89) He believes that a particular action can be morally accepted if it is backed by a majority of votes by a parliament. John Paul II expresses that â€Å"scientism† and â€Å"pragmatism†, or both philo sophical views that modern society is now trusting, are is causing this â€Å"crisis of meaning†. Pope John Paul II expresses what he sees to be a problem of â€Å"crisis of meaning† through ideas such as â€Å"scientism† and â€Å"pragmatism†. When examining John Paul II encyclical to the Bishops of Catholic Church it becomes obvious that the â€Å"crisis of meaning† is not a problem in modern society but only a positive development. People are now realizing that the meaning of life is not to be accepted by a God but to succeed in personal goals. When looking at modern society and religion it is evident that times have changed and the value of religion has slowly diminished. People in modern society are gaining a better understanding of life through â€Å"scientism† and the advancement of technology. The advancement of technology and human knowledge has begun to alter the thoughts and views people have on the meaning of life. John Paul II e xpresses that â€Å"scientism† is having a negative effect on modern society. â€Å"This leads to the impoverishment of human thought, which no longer addresses the ultimate problems which the human being, as the animal rationale, has pondered constantly from the beginning of time.†(Fides et Ratio, #81) In this quote he is stating that â€Å"scientism† is effecting how people are beginning to think and that people are being persuaded away from addressing the main problems in life. Rather than looking at this change in modern society negatively, this change has actually given people a more modern and realistic way of looking at life. Science is overpowering religious beliefs with its factual evidence challenging religion in many ways. Another point presented by John Paul II is the idea of â€Å"pragmatism†. In modern society people are beginning to base their decisions upon ethical principles rather than religious beliefs. Individuals in modern society can distinguish between right and wrong and understand the practical way in dealing with situations rather than looking to religion to guide them in the right direction. The â€Å"crisis of meaning† stated by John Paul II is not a crisis but simply a positive adjustment within contemporary society. Sigmund Freud who was a well-known psychoanalyst developed a psychoanalytic theory  on religion. He came up with the idea that people who believe in a God suffer from what he refers to as a childish neurosis in that they use religion as a way to cope with the fact that life has no meaning. He believed that the concept of religion was false. Freud believed that an individual’s life is meaningless and that people have a difficult time accepting that life does not a have an overarching meaning or purpose. In contemporary society pe ople are beginning to believe, or accept that one’s life may not have a higher meaning. Freud argued that once one accepts that there is no greater meaning, it would be easier for them to set personal goals that can be achieved, allowing them to accomplish personal enlightenment. Even though, John Paul II raises many well thought out ideas and concepts that argue his belief of the problem â€Å"crisis of meaning†. Sigmund Freud believes that one’s life is meaningless and when a person can understand that, they can then begin looking at life in a more personal way without regret rather than looking to be accepted by a god. â€Å"Scientism† and â€Å"pragmatism† are both philosophical views that are allowing modern society to grasp a more realistic idea of life, instead of living life through a specific religion. John Paul II believes that philosophy is now leading society in the wrong direction, persuading people away from asking the ultimate questi ons in life. This however is not a negative in modern society it is simply a modernized way of looking at life and is leading society in the right direction.

Bigger Thomas A Tragic Hero Essay

Bigger Thomas as a Tragic Hero When analyzing Bigger Thomas, Richard Wright’s protagonist in the novel Native Son, one must take into consideration the development of his characterization. Being a poor twenty-year-old Black man in the south side of Chicago living with his family in a cramped one- bedroom apartment in the 1930’s, the odds of him prospering in life were not in his favor. Filled with oppression, violence, and tragedy, Bigger Thomas’ life was doomed from the moment he was born. Through the novel, Bigger divulges his own dreams to provide for his family and to be anything but a â€Å"nobody.† Although Bigger struggled to fight through obstacles to pursue his dreams for the future, his chase for a better life came to an abrupt halt after the tragic accidental murder of his employer’s white daughter. Bigger Thomas fits the definition of a tragic hero, considering he is the protagonist of Native Son that experiences tragedy throughout the novel. Along with tragedy, Bigge r also undergoes change as the novel progresses. By the end Bigger’s life story, he is able to change into a man that is no longer consumed through the fear in his heart. Due to his characteristics, Bigger Thomas can be compared to Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Both characters are tragic heroes that are related by their struggles through tragedy and changes they undergo throughout their lives. By comparing the two characters, one can solidify the importance of both characters because of their tragedies they experience. In the beginning of Native Son’s book one: Fear, one is able to realize that Bigger Thomas’s fate looms in the hands of his environment. He did not choose to live a life of poverty in the â€Å"Black Belt† of south side Chicago. This life was forced upon him. On page 20 of the novel, foreshadowing occurs as Bigger chats with his friend Gus about his future. He says, â€Å"Every time I get to thinking about me being black and they being white, me being here and they being there, I feel like something awful’s going to happen to me† (Wright 20). He displays a defeatist attitude that he further explains as he talks to Gus. He explains his reasoning as he questions, â€Å"Why they make us live in one corner of the city? Why don’t they let us fly planes and run ships?†(Wright 20). As a result of this conversation, the reader is able to  identify that Bigger goes through his life feeling defeated. He has minimal hope for his future as he li ves in fear that something awful will happen to him due to the color of his skin and where he lives. Although one may argue that Bigger is a negative person who uses the color of his skin to justify his evils, this is not the case considering Bigger constantly is oppressed by his environment and lacks options in his life. The white people that surround Bigger give him no hope to prosper thus creating a tragic existence from the start. It is not until Bigger gets a job offer from a rich white philanthropist, Mr. Dalton that his life may be able to turn around for the better. Unfortunately for Bigger, this opportunity does just the opposite. While accepting a job as a chauffer for the Dalton family, Bigger becomes optimistic about his current situation. Instead of constantly letting his mother and siblings down, he is now able to provide for them through this job by granting them $20 from his salary each week. Although the job acquired little skill, Bigger was satisfied that through this job, he could be less of a â€Å"nobody.† While reflecting on this new chapter in his life, Bigger expressed, â€Å"This would be an easy life. Everything was all right, except that girl† (Wright 59). The girl that worried Bigger was Mary Dalton, Mr. Dalton’s free spirited daughter that constantly challenged Bigger’s patience and authority. Their first encounter left Bigger skeptical of Mary Dalton’s motives. By their second encounter, Bigger was blatantly fearful that Mary would cause him to lose his job. During their second encounter, Bigger is ordered to chauffer Miss Dalton to the University for her nightly class. Unfortunately to Bigger’s surprise, Miss Dalton has another set of plans. She tells Bigger, â€Å"I think I can trust you† (Wright 64) in order to toy with his emotions and disobey his boss’ orders as Bigger, Mary, and Mary’s communist boyfriend Jan Erlone take the car out for a night in the loop. After a rousing evening on the town filled with booze and conversations about communism that left Bigger offended and ashamed to be black, it became Bigger’s duty to make sure that Mary was placed safely in her bed after being too intoxicated to stand on her own. Because Bigger strives to obey his boss, he feels inclined to personally place Mary in her own room in order to avoid trouble. This shows that Bigger Thomas took Mary to her bedroom with no intention of causing any problems in his new  workplace reminding the reader that Bigger is not an evil human being, just a product of his environment. After being in Mary’s bedroom, B igger decided to overstay his welcome due to his curious arousal with white women. To Bigger’s surprise, â€Å"a hysterical terror seized him† (Wright 85) as Mrs. Dalton makes an appearance in Mary’s bedroom to check on her daughter. Bigger automatically assumed that if he was caught in Mary Dalton’s bedroom at an odd hour of the night he would be immediately fired and accused of raping a white woman that could ruin his already tragic life forever. Due to her blindness, Bigger was not seen immediately, but he realized if Mary kept mumbling, Mrs. Dalton would make her way to the bed and eventually feel Bigger laying next to her. Out of pure fear, Bigger reacts irrationally as he suffocates Mary Dalton with a pillow in order to keep her quiet. Fear is what provoked the irrational response that killed Mary Dalton and turned Bigger Thomas’ life into a series of tragic events. In Malcolm Cowley’s scholarly article, Richard Wright: The Case of Big ger Thomas, he reminds the reader that despite his monstrous actions towards Mary Dalton, he is not the one to be blamed. Cowley makes the point that Bigger, â€Å"has been trained from the beginning to be a bad citizen. He had been taught American ideals of life†¦but had been denied the means of achieving them† (Cowley 113). Cowley’s observation justifies that Bigger reacted as a product of his environment that constantly taught him to be a bad citizen because he had no way to achieve the kind of life he would hope for. This provokes even more tragedy in Bigger’s life. Through the accidental murder of Mary Dalton, a tragic hero arose in the form of Bigger Thomas. This tragic hero was born out of pure fear for the white man, but as the novel progressed, the fear of oppression slowly left the tragic hero as he vows to no longer live in fear. After Bigger Thomas’ accidental murder of Mary Dalton, Bigger’s life turns into a wild goose chase where he is forced to hide out until being caught by Chicago authorities. While awaiting his trial, certain to face death, Bigger meets the man that will defend his case. The defendant Max, a white communist decides to take on Bigger Thomas’ case in order to show white people the oppressive lifestyles black people were forced to survive on every day. At first Bigger was skeptical about a white man volunteering to defend a black man accused of murder and rape. He questioned, â€Å"Why would Max  risk that white tide of hate to help him† (Wright 420). He is shocked that a white man would defend a black man out of the goodness of his heart. Max asks Bigger questions that remind Bigger that he is a human being among everyone else despite his race. At this point it does not matter to Bigger if Max saves his life, because Max has made him mature mentally and unde rgo change. After recounting a conversation where Max asked Bigger questions about what he wanted to do with his future, he expresses to Max, â€Å" (you) asked me questions nobody ever asked me before. You knew that I was a murderer two times over, but you treated me like a human† (Wright 424). After Max assures Bigger that he is a human, Bigger transforms his way of looking at life. Instead of feeling constantly oppressed, Bigger believes that he is a human that deserves a future much like everyone else despite the color of his skin. Instead of accepting his death sentence, Bigger realizes that he has the urge to live his life as a human that possesses the ability to have a future. As Max reassures him, â€Å"you’re human, Bigger† (Wright 424) Bigger comes to a change in his heart. He realizes that the fear he has sustained from the white people that constantly suppress him comes from his own thoughts. He now believes in himself as an individual that no longer lives in fear. Because of this, Bigger is able to accept his death sentence and change his outlook on life. Unfortunately, this change came too late in his existence to matter. Although Bigger loses the battle with life, he ultimately wins the battle with the color of his skin after accepting that he is just as human as Max, his defendant. In James Baldwin’s article, â€Å"Many Thousand Gone- Twentieth Century Interpretations of Native Son,† Baldwin explains his interpretation of Bigger Thomas’ battle within Native son. He explains, â€Å"In this case the force of circumstance is not poverty merely, but color a circumstance which cannot be overcome, against which the protagonist battles for his life and loses† (Baldwin 53). This statement is not accurate considering a battle is not lost. Even though Bigger Thomas is sentenced to death, he is able to end his life with peace of mind knowing that he can die as a human without fear. The change Bigger Thomas has undergone shows that Bigger has overcome his oppression thus winning his battle. After reading Native Son, the protagonist Bigger Thomas resembled another tragic hero from the play, Death of a Salesman. By comparing Willy Loman, the protagonist of Death of a Salesman to Bigger  Thomas, one can tell how similar their characters are altho ugh they have been created in different time periods and environments. Both Bigger and Willy are lost souls trying to give meaning to their ultimately meaningless lives. As a result of their self made pressure to have a purpose in life, they both are not well liked by their friends. After divulging a plan to rob a store owned by a white person, Bigger gives his friends Gus, G.H., and Jack strict instructions to meet together at a specific time. When Gus shows up to their meeting spot late, Bigger is outraged. He cusses at his friends and resorts to physical harm due to his anger. While his friends watch Bigger self-destruct into a man of rage, G.H. lets bigger know that, â€Å"You done spoiled things now† (Wright 40). Not only had Bigger spoiled the plan to rob the store, but Bigger had also spoiled his friendships as all three men leave him to wallow in his rage alone. A similar situation occurs in Death of a Salesman as Willy Loman receives a friendly visit with his friend Charley. Since both men were unable to sleep, they decided that a quick game of cards would be a sufficient outlet for their energy. While playing cards, Willy develops a hostile attitude towards Charley and constantly insults him on his choice of eating habits and card playing abilities. After Charley accuses Willy of cheating during their game, Willy evolves into a rage-infested tyrant and orders his friend to leave. Charley retorts, â€Å"You ought to be ashamed of yourself† (Miller 1252) and storms out the door. This instance compares to Bigger Thomas’ uproar with his friends considering both outbursts led to their friends leaving them to wallow in their own anger. In addition to not being well liked, both Willy Loman and Bigger Thomas live in constant fear throughout their stories. As a mediocre salesman, Willy Loman spends his days fearing that he is not successful enough to provide for his family. Because of this looming fear to be successful, Willy often lies to his family about his job in sales to make himself seem far superior to who he really is. For example, while Willy explains to his wife, Linda about the money he has made on one of his sales trips, he exaggerates the amount of money he made. This lie would have been unnoticed if Linda did not ask Willy to pay for the reparations of their leaky roof. When Linda asks him to pay, Willy exclaims, â€Å"A hundred and twenty dollars! My god, if business don’t pick up I don’t know what I’m gonna do† (Miller 1247). The shame Willy feels because he is unable to pay for the roof reparations  directly correlates to the constant fear Willy has to become successful f or his family. Bigger Thomas is also a character that constantly lives in fear. This fear is shown when Bigger is explaining to his lawyer Max about how whites have all the power and Bigger fears that because of this, his life will not amount to anything. He tells Max, â€Å"Well they own everything. They choke you off the face of the earth, they like god†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wright 353). Since Bigger believes that white people control everything he fears that nothing can be done to make his life meaningful. Both Bigger Thomas and Willy Loman possess similar qualities that show are comparable through their lack of ability to make friends throughout their fear ridden lives. Through Bigger Thomas’ life of oppression, violence, and tragedy, one is able to tell that he struggles with the hopes of becoming anything but a â€Å"nobody.† Being the protagonist of a tragic novel, Bigger possesses the qualities of a tragic hero. Even though his life is cut short due to the tragic acc idental murder of Mary Dalton, his boss’ wild daughter, Bigger is able to go through a change that brings him peace of mind as he awaits his sentence to die. Being a product of his environment, Bigger constantly lived in fear of the white man. With the help of his lawyer Max, Bigger was able to undergo change and realize that he too was a human that had no need to live in fear. Drawing from specific scenes from the text, Bigger Thomas can be compared to Willy Loman, the protagonist in the play, Death of a Salesman. Their characters were both inflicted with fear throughout their lives that eventually ended in tragedy for both characters. Works Cited Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman. Baym, Nina, gen. ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A. †¨New York: Norton, 2013. Print. James Baldwin- Many Thousand Gone- Twentieth Century Interpretations of Native Son – Ed. Houston A Baker- Englewood NJ Prentice Hall. 1972-48-63 Malcolm Cowley- Richard Wright The Case of Bigger Thomas- Twentieth Century Interpretations of Native Son- Ed Houston A Baker – Englewood Hills NJ Prentice Hall. 1972-112-115 Wright, Richard. Native Son. New York, London: Harper & Brothers, 1940.