Saturday, August 31, 2019
Financial Analysis of Competition Bikes Essay
Financial Analysis of Competition Bikes Introduction            In financial analysis a complete assessment of a business organization covering competitiveness, profitability, liquidity and stability concerns. Financial analysis of a business is undertaken by reviewing the business’ financial statements. Summarized financial statement reports are frequently presented to executives and top managers for setting up business goals as well as making decisions. Analysis of the financial statements of Competition Bikes demand evaluation of the internal operation focusing on vertical, horizontal, ratio and trend analyses and the working capital. These evaluations communicate profit margins enabling projection of budgets and restraining sales and costs potential. Annual comparison of production performance subject to profit versus overhead helps in forecasting of budgets for production ingredients on a monthly basis (Shim, J. and Siegel, J. 2009). Competition Bikes Horizontal Analysis            This is the examination of percentage changes in comparative statements of a business. In this case, it is the evaluation of Competition Bike’s comparative statements between the year 6 and 7 as well as 7 and 8. The horizontal analysis chart helps in indicating the value of accounts payable differential in year 6 and 7 as well as year 7 and year 8. The company’s net sales soared up by 33.3% between year 6 and 7 at $1,495,000. However, net sales differential between year 7 and 8 was a negative implying that sales decreased by 15% at $897,000. Therefore, it is essential that Competition Bikes increases annual sales to reap higher profits. The value of gross profit registered was a negative figure of $266,600 equivalent to 16.3% decrease. Interestingly, the company registered a 37.5% gross profits increase between year 6 and 7 at $447,000.            The time period between purchasing of raw materials, manufacturing and distribution of goods is referred to as the operating cycle. The net period in collection of receipts from payments and sales is the cash conversion cycle for the different ingredients consumed and produced by Competition Bikes. The company witnessed a decrease in the operating cycle between years 6 and 7 from 50.52 to 48.00 days. This is explained by the increased growth of sales relative to the inventories growth rate. The cash conversion period between year 6 and 8 was relatively negative. This is because Competition Bikes Inc has a high liquidity owing to the short receivables period supplemented by a lengthy payable deferral period. It is indicative of the efficient management of the company’s resources.            The aggregate of administrative and general expenses between year 6 and 7 increased at $156,440 equivalent to 20.4% increase. However, the increase between year 7 and 8 was significantly lower at $11,004 equivalent to 1.2% increase. Still, Competition Bikes Inc operating income between year 6 and 7 increased at $191,820 equivalent to 154.6% increase. However, this parameter decreased at $318,392 equivalent to 61.9% decrease. Higher profits were registered between year 6 and 7 relative to year 7 and 8 which registered a dcrease in profits.            In addition, the company’s cash account differential between 6 and 7 was a decrease of $142,451 equivalent to 54.6%. However, this differential increased between year 7 and 8 at $326,475 equivalent to 275.4%. The net liabilities difference between year 6 and 7 was $128,620 equal to 1.2% increase. According to horizontal analysis, the total liabilities differential from year 6 to 8 was a decrease at $35,500 or 1.9% (Brigham, E. and Houston, J. 2007).            Still, Competition Bike’s common equity differential between year 6 and 7 was a 2.9% increase equating to $119,914 increase. Horizontal analysis of the same parameter indicates a fall between year 7 and 8 equal to $2,400 or 0.1% decrease. Since year 7 and 8 registered a lesser loss comparative to the gain between years 6 and 7, Competition Bikes Inc. broke even in the former years from the aggregate of year 6 and year 7. Competition Bikes Inc Vertical Analysis            In vertical analysis, an exploration of a company’s statement of financial position is considered to validate each element comparative to the total assets as a percentage. For the income statement, vertical analysis involves exploration of the various variables subject to total sales. This analysis helps in evaluation of the financial performance of Competition Bikes Inc with time. The tabulation below indicates the Vertical Analysis of the Competition Bikes Inc’s Balance Sheet Account elements Year 6 Total assets ($4,199,303) Year 7 Total assets ($4,319,217) Year 8 Total assets ($4,316,817) Notes and accounts Payable 1.6% 4.5% 6.1% Accrued Salaries and other expenses 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% Accrued Expenses 0.5% 0.6% 0.6% Mortgage 42.9% 39.4% 37.1% Long term Liabilities 2.1% 2.0% 1.9% Stockholders Equity 52.5% 53.3% 54.1%            Competition Bikes Inc Vertical Analysis assesses the liabilities, equities and assets of the company. Overall, the operating expenses fluctuated in little figures indicate a strong internal control policy. Therefore, there was little depreciation on the company subject to the operating sales versus costs. The proportion of liabilities decreased over the three years indicating an improved ability in Competition Bikes Inc to settle debts. The proportion of common equity relative to debts increased over the period signifying a growth in the net capital of the company. Competition Bikes Trend Analysis            This is the evaluation of the financial performance of a business over time. Firstly, Competition Bikes Inc balance sheet figures increased tremendously between years 6 and 8. This signifies growth and expansion trend in Competition Bikes. On average, the company grew at 3.3% which is a sustainable growth rate. Over the three years, the sales dropped significantly and especially between year 7 and 8. Nonetheless, the profit margin was relatively strong due to little fluctuations in overhead costs such as materials, productions costs and carrier fees. Therefore, it is potentially possible that the future sales in years 9, 10 and 11 high provided the company maintains the current growth and expansion rate.            Based on trend analysis, it is anticipated that the company’s sales in future will remain strong. This inspires the shareholder to invest more in the company over the next three years. Profits are anticipated to increase at 103.2%, 107.6% and 111.8% over the next three years respectively. In additional, further prodding of the company’s financial statements indicates a declining rate in sales growth rate. For instance, the company sales increase at 8.65% between year 6 and 7 as well as 9.85% between year 7 and year 8. Nonetheless, the significantly small sales growth rate is associative to higher boost in net income which rose by 12.82% and 14.46% in year 7 and 8 respectively. Competition Bikes Ratio Analysis            It is the determination of the past years financial performance relative to other companies ratios, trends as well as those of the company/business under review. These ratios include liquidity, profitability and efficiency ratios.            Liquidity ratios extracted from the statement of financial position determine the ability of the business to pay its debts at and as when they fall due. The fractions are significantly important in computation of the business ability to meet its short term and long term financial obligations and goals. Quick ratio is computed by dividing quick assets by current liabilities. The company registered a low quick ration of 3.11% and 3.21% for years 8 and 7 respectively. This is because as a motor bike retailer, the company must hold high levels of inventory meaning that most of the working capital ends up tied. Considering that the company enjoys a small inventory turnover ratio, this is not a worrying level.            Efficiency ratios include the inventory turnover ratio and the average collection period. The former is obtained by dividing total sales by total inventory. This ratio indicates the efficiency and the rapidity with which the company manages to sell its bikes. In year 7 and 8, the company’s inventory turnover fell from 46.7 to 45.9 indicating decrease strength in paying off debts. The latter ratio is the anticipated period of cashing owed receivables from clients. Competition Bikes Inc current average collection period is 102.6 days. It is not an ideal duration because it implies delayed conversion of receivables into cash for clearing debts and expenses.            Profitability ratios include return on assets and gross profit margin. The former ratio assesses the aptitude of Competition Bikes to raise revenue from its assets. The company’s return on asset parameter in year 7 and 8 was 4.52 and 4.25 respectively. The gross profit margin at the same period was 27.4% and 27% respectively. However, this was a 4.7% drop from the previous 5.3%. The fall in profits translates to poor operations and hence the need to evaluate the company’s strategies. Competition Bikes Working Capital            This is the difference between the current assets and the current liabilities. It is important to a business because it determines the available resources for increasing production, hiring additional staff, merging and buying out other companies as well as investing in expansion projects. The company had a working capital of $2,123,000 and $1,768,000 in year 7 and 6 respectively. The increased values in working capital indicate an advanced working capital over the three years. Internal Control Strengths and Weaknesses            These are predominant in the accounts departments. The company has adequate resources to finance its operations now and into the future. This is because all activities are adequately covered financially. Besides, the company boasts a readily available clientele with a potential to attract additional clients. The company maintains a check and balance system to control sales, purchase and cash management translates to a strong internal control system.            Corrective action in weaknesses lists changes to be made to enhance completion of targets and achieving of total significance in a business. The operations and management for implementation are executed by the management to ensure resolution of identified weaknesses. When the firms adopts a tracking system, execution of identified strategies top resolve the deficiencies is easily executed. Corrective actions were installed to improve production and purchasing deficiencies. This is to help in constant inquiry as well as cooperation among various departments in the business. Risks            Businesses face constant risks and threats and therefore, it is important to identify, address and mitigate the risks. Competition Bikes is susceptible to numerous risks such as increased competition resonating to low profit margins. Therefore, the company must strategize on maintaining and attracting additional clients. Still, the internal controls are a threat to the company. Impromptu competition between purchasing unit and the accounting department may result to delay in payment of invoices. Proper communication lines must be set within the company to address broken communication. Compliance            Competition Bikes Inc compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley is indicative of the stringent monitoring controls that the company has installed for internal auditing purposes. This assures stakeholders of the efficient management of the company as well as in compliance with different regulatory framework. Compliance entails provision of an admirable working framework such as motivation of employees, retention of skilled labor and recycling of products. Recommendation            Considering the past performance of the company, it is recommended that the firm must maintain a sound internal control system. This will report deficiencies such as weaknesses in financial reporting. It will help in securing a lock tight financial recording and documentation. Closer monitoring and evaluation of the excess raw materials and manufacturing surpluses will be maintained in reasonable amounts reducing overspending and potential theft. References Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. (2013). M: Management. New York, NY.: McGraw-Hill Companies. Internal Control Systems. (2011, July 4). Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Tread way Commission (COSO). Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.coso.org/documents/COSO_ERM_ExecutiveSummary.pdf.Kieso, D. E., & Weygandt, J. J. (2012). Intermediate accounting (9th ed.). New York: Wiley. Shim, J. K., & Siegel, J. G. (2012). Schaum’s outline of financial management (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Source document
Friday, August 30, 2019
Gangnam Style Speech
If the phrase â€Å"Oppa Gangnam Style†doesn’t mean anything to you yet, you may want to Google it or ask your friends about it, or you’ll be left wondering why everyone is hopping up and down on invisible horses. The combination of catchy riffs and the corny-yet-hip dance moves made the music video by Korean artist Psy (short for â€Å"Psycho†) the most â€Å"liked†YouTube video of all time. Who is this Psy? Where exactly is Gangnam and what is its style? Well, I have all the answers for you.Today, I’d like to share you about Gangnam Style including a man behind Gangnam Style, the meaning of Gangnam Style, and its achievements. First, a man behind gangnam style. Park Jae Sang, known as PSY, is a Korean hip hop artist under YG Entertainment. He debuted in January 2001 with his full-length album titled â€Å"PSY†¦ From the Psycho World! â€Å", for which he later had to pay fine due to accusations saying that the album contains  "inappropriate contents†. Since then PSY has become a controversial artist as his second album was even banned in 2002.However, he gained much fans with his style of music. He is especially popular for his sense of humor. In summer 2012, PSY launched himself into an international stardom through â€Å"Gangnam Style,†the song that he wrote, composed and produced by himself. The term â€Å"Gangnam Style†was listed in Time's weekly vocabulary list as a manner associated with lavish lifestyles in Seoul's Gangnam district. Gangnam is the area where rich and fashionable young people get together. This song describes a guy who wants to be cool and stylish like a typical Gangnam person, but eventually fails.Psy said in an interview that he intended a twisted sense of humor by claiming himself to be â€Å"Gangnam Style†when everything about the song, dance, looks, and the music video is far from being such a high class. â€Å"People who are actually from Gangna m never proclaim that they areâ€â€it's only the wannabes that put on these airs and say that they are â€Å"Gangnam Style†â€â€so this song is actually poking fun at those kinds of people who are trying so hard to be something that they're not. †– Psy. Now we know about Psy and Gangnam Style more, right?Third, let’s talk about the achievements of the song and its accompanying music video â€Å"Gangnam Style†was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most â€Å"liked†video in YouTube history and won Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The song reached the number one position in more than 30 countries including Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. As if that’s not enough, Psy himself visited the U. N. and taught Gangnam Style dance moves to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Together, they rode invisible horses.According to the United Nations, PSY has become an â€Å"international sensation†through h is song â€Å"Gangnam Style Psy is far from the word â€Å"handsome†but he chose not to have a plastic surgery. He had kind of a tough run to this point. As we all know that Korean music is exceptionally focused on looks, and Psy is not a good looking guy, so he had to work his way to the top. It took him six albums to become a superstar. I admire Psy a lot because he is true to himself. He reminded me of Sebastian's line in The Little Mermaid that â€Å"You got your own style, now let it come through. And remember no matter what, you got to be you. â€Å"
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Dynamic Seal †Mba: Six Sigma / Operations Case Essay
Dynamic Seal, a precision parts manufacturer with a reputation for high quality, does not currently utilize a Statistical Process Control (SPC) system. However, United Airlines (UA), a major customer representing 14% of Dynamic Seal’s business, insists they implement an SPC system or loose United Airlines’ business. In addition Dynamic Seal do not have a sound preventative measure quality control system in place, preferring 100% inspection to cull bad quality, rather than building parts correctly from inception. Goal: Reduce product variance and the need for rework by implementing a company-wide quality control system that includes an element of Statistical Process Control. A secondary goal is to reduce waste by focusing on Lean engineering processes. Competitive Environment: Dynamic Seal are a successful manufacturer of mechanical components for aerospace, marine and military application. Their products require precision engineering, and the company has built an excellent reputation based on â€Å"high quality, innovative engineering and close tolerance manufacturing.†The company makes use of expensive superalloy materials manufactured to extremely tight tolerances, with many products selling for $10,000 to $50,000. A significant defective rate with such high cost materials / products will severely impact the company’s bottom line. The United Airlines production line operates under a separate department, with dedicated equipment and personnel. Dynamic Seal’s quality reputation is a result of highly skilled machinists and a 100% inspection policy. The company employs a workforce of approx. 400 people, in a 120,000 sq. ft. facility and has increased it’s sales ten-times over the last 10 years to $130 million. Key Facts: 1.Dynamic Seal does not have a company-wide Quality Management ethos. 2.There is a customer requirement to use SPC. 3.No SPC system is currently in place and equipment has not been tested for capability. 4.Quality is controlled by 35 quality inspectors and is not the responsibility of the workforce. 5.The Quality Control Dept. is overworked and underpaid – reports to the General Manager. 6.Machinists set informal equipment specifications, not the QC Dept. 7.The company operates a 100% inspection policy. 8.In-process inspection is infrequent, therefore origin of 25% of defective issues cannot be found. 9.Inspection and assignment of rework involves significant lag. 10.QC system generates significant volumes of paperwork: 80 defective reports (DMR) per week. 11.Product blueprints and Inspection Specs (IMS) often do not match and are not updated. 12.Initial defective rate documents (DMR) are often produced post-rework. Analysis: Two sets of process data have been collected for initial analysis. Before specific SPC issues can be addressed the process and equipment should be assessed to see they meet the capability requirements laid out in the customer specs. The first process examined uses the Lablond Lathe machinery and requires a machined diameter of 7.7250, plus tight tolerances of + .0005 inches. A Process Capability Ratio (Cpk) analysis of the lathe’s data, results in a Cpk of .379 (exhibit A). A result of less than one indicates the machine is not capable of matching the tolerances laid out in the IMS spec. Therefore the Lablond Lathe is not suitable to handle the process it is being used for. Before a more suitable machine is selected, the Lablond Lathe should be checked for calibration, as should the measuring equipment used. If all fall within calibration specs, new machinery should be selected that is capable of handling such tight tolerances. Solving machine capability issues is a low-hanging fruit method of quickly improving quality control. The second data set refers to the Cincinnati Milling Machine. Initial analysis indicates the machine is capable of meeting the required specs, so X-bar and R-bar run charts were constructed to visualize output performance against the IMS specs. Positions 8 to 10 on the R-bar chart (exhibit B) clearly indicate the process is out of control. The X-bar chart (exhibit C) further supports this claim by showing the process is out of control at positions 9 and 10. Although a bigger concern is that all but one data point lies above the control line, indicating the process could be off-center and require recalibrating. As Dynamic Seal’s materials and production methods are so expensive, before machine recalibration occurs, a fish bone diagram should be used to trace the problem to its source. Alternative Options: There are four significant options open to Dynamic Seal. The can opt to do nothing and potentially lose the United Airlines contract, plus risk further losses as more customers begin to impose stricter quality control requirements. They can implement a company-wide Quality Management system such as Six Sigma that incorporates SPC analysis. They can implement an SPC system on one type of machine throughout the manufacturing plant. Or they can implement a Quality Management / SPC system within the United Airlines production cell alone. Recommendation Short-term: To reduce project scope, I recommend initially focusing on the UA facility only. Once procedures have been tested and proven, they can be rolled out company-wide. Gordon Jenkins is a good person to head up the Quality Management program, as his initial plan (exhibit D) includes many elements of DMAIC and his review of the problems seems accurate. However, he needs senior management backing (possibly a promotion) and further Six Sigma training, to combat negative views from Alan Schneider and Scott Palmer. Without the three of them on the same page, any new quality management system will fail. Initially Jenkins and the QC team needs to perform a UA Dept. X-ray, creating process-maps, checking equipment capability and taking base-line SPC data (exhibit E). Once data has been received a full DMAIC analysis using Histogram / Pareto charts should be done to identify the low-hanging fruit. Variance issues in the new SPC data can be tracked to their source using fishbone diagrams and House of Quality reviews. Equipment selection, process streamlining, reduction in paperwork and implementing work procedures are valid projects. Equipment settings and tool selection should be standardized, reducing the craftsmanship required. The responsibility to monitor quality should be moved to the machinists. Having them fully involved in the process design, and giving them responsibility to manage their own quality would achieve machinist buy-in. In addition tight controls need to be placed around the production and updating of product specs, requiring improved communication and a sign-off system between the Sales, Engineering and Production Depts. Finally a measure of improvement is critical to the success of any quality management system. Improved SPC data will be part of that, but the company can also track rework labor hours, improvements in process throughput time, inventory reduction, and reduction in cost-of-goods as critical measures. Recommendation Long-term: SPC by itself does not promote in-depth quality management, therefore long-term I recommend Dynamic Seal implement a company-wide Lean Six Sigma system, with SPC analysis. To set the right tone and get management buy-in, long-term implementation should begin with upper-management Six Sigma training, including the GM. A dedicated approach to quality management should infiltrate all aspects of the company, from engineering to administration, with the goal of promoting a quality-focused Kaizen culture. The current Quality Control Dept. should train as Six Sigma black belts and be mandated to train the workforce in Six Sigma techniques and to oversee on-going Six Sigma projects. Salary incentives should be implemented that reflect advancement in Lean Six Sigma training.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Economics of State and Local Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Economics of State and Local Government - Essay Example If the schools do not make acceptable grades then corrective action or school improvement will be implemented. Data will also be sorted according to each demographic, (race, sex, poverty, ethnicity, disability and English proficiency) to better recognize groups that aren’t meeting standards. Each State will also be measured against each other. Charter school programs, rural education programs, education provision for homeless children and youth, programs and funding designed to provide children attending unsafe school opportunity to attend a safe school, and safe and drug free school policy guidance are each provisions of the No Child Left Behind. Numerous States have fought the act, calling it unfunded. The claim and reasoning behind this is that there is no reinforcement in the act should the federal government not provide the funding. States are specifically written out of the act and not required to fund the act in any circumstance. Therefore the act is thought of as an un funded act. 2. The reason that guaranteed tax based formulas have failed is because there are differences in the actual dollar cost of providing educational services in schools, districts, and student populations. Some groups of students will have much higher needs than others and small school districts might not see the same benefits as that of a larger one on a comparative scale. These differences are accounted for by associating funding with certain types of students and schools, as mentioned prior and setting up separate programs that bring in dollars for certain student populations, districts and schools. Weighting and adjustment programs usually assign a specific numerical value to portions of the student population by certain attributes and qualities. This helps to illustrate where financial resources are needed and can be directed. Students who have special needs may be weighted 1.5, while students who have no special needs may be weighted as 1.0 (Hightower, Mitani, Swanson) . This helps in deciding how much funding is actually needed when taken all factors into consideration. Weighing programs such as this are a better way of allocating funds and reducing inequity in education funding. 3. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Family’s (TANF) program was created to help families reach self-sufficiency by providing individual states with grants to reach certain goals. One being to assist families so that children can remain in the home with families, two, promoting job preparation, work and marriage, three, preventing pregnancy in unmarried individuals, and encouraging the formation and maintenance of two parent family’s (About†¦). Federal rules regarding TANF requires work participation hours standards that states must meet to continue to be eligible for TANF grants. The all-family requirement states that half of all families that contain an adult or head of household must participate in work related activities 30 hours per week if child ren are over six and 20 hours for children under six. The separate two parent family standard is that 90% of families must be participating in these work activities each week. Child support enforcement activities must be cooperated with and parents who do not have child support ordered are required to get an order (Temporary†¦). Assistance can only be received for a total of five years in
Work, Organizations and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Work, Organizations and Society - Essay Example Professional autonomy suggests that professionals are responsible to themselves for the services they offer. A profession is distinguished by initial and sustained education, an association created a set of codes, and accreditation procedures. Professional autonomy is based on three points: the high degree of control and influence on others, the fact that professionals define the problems on which they work, and the criterion that professionals are self-directed learners (Davis 1996, p. 443). The assumption that professional autonomy is based on control and influence is supported by the notion of professionals as experts. Employed professionals such as engineers, state attorneys and accountants, to name but a few, argue that their status as employees retracts their autonomy essential to be true professionals (Davis 1996, p. 441). Others such as physicians and nurses are subjected to several legal limitations and provisions that significantly limit their absolute professional autonomy . Professionals strive to attain as much autonomy as possible and employ several measures to establish their professional autonomy but are faced by different principal limitations to attaining their independence. Professionals attempt to establish their autonomy by forming various professional organizations, which socially and legally grant them autonomy, and significant control of their profession’s activities and practice free from external interference. These organizations define the requirements an individual needs to join a given profession, the nature and length of training, status, pay, expertise and code of ethics. These characteristics of professions, which are said to distinguish them from other occupations, derive from their autonomy. Consequently, they achieve considerable professional autonomy by claiming to be self-regulating, wrapping themselves in their cloaks of competence and repulsing that nonprofessional managers are qualified to challenge their profession al judgment. In one empirical study on healthcare professionals, including all kind of physicians and specialists from different medical specialty areas, findings indicate that some unique and professional characteristics confers more professional autonomy to them than to paraprofessionals and non-professionals (Kilic et al. 2007, p 159). Paraprofessional group, such as medical assistants, owns only partial professional knowledge and skills while non-professionals are just prepared to engage in running clerical, office work and administrative duties (Kilic et al. 2007, p. 160). Due to their strong organizations, healthcare professionals try to support the factors that strengthen their professional autonomy and resist the factors that may erode it. For instance, the study indicates that health professionals are unenthusiastic to make use of clinical IT potentials to improve health care delivery and efficiency (Walter & Lopez 2008, p. 11). This is due to privileges healthcare professi onals have over non-professionals and paraprofessionals. Legal privileges create a protected market for health care professionals and are the basis for autonomy and self-direction. Non-professionals are a threat to professional autonomy. Autonomy will only be found where a profession can control the production and application of skill and knowledge in its work. Autonomy will not be found if people outside the profession can understand, criticize and evaluate the work. According Chau and Hu (2002, p. 34) in another related research, a feature of clinical IT can be considered as threatening factors to healthcare professional autonomy. The factor is the level of knowledge codification and knowledge distribution conducted by a
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
World Hunger Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
World Hunger - Research Paper Example It should be noted that most of the countries are spending huge amounts of money for conducting wars whereas their expenditure for wiping off hunger from their soil remains relatively low. Many people have the false belief that hunger is a problem only in developing and underdeveloped world whereas it is not a problem in developed countries such as United Sates. According to Usborne (2008), â€Å"28 million people in the US will be using government food stamps to buy essential groceries in the fiscal year 2008, the highest level since the food assistance program was introduced in the 1960s†(Usborne). Some people believe that United States is responsible for world hunger whereas many others are of the view that it is illogical to blame America alone for the world hunger. This paper analyses various reasons of world hunger and the role of America in contributing to world hunger. The main argument against America with respect to world hunger is that America is spending too much money for defense purpose and conducting wars. The current war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan is causing huge poverty and food deficiency not only in the victim countries, but also in America as well. Being the only superpower in the world at present, America definitely has a huge role to play in eradicating world hunger. America has a decisive control over global economic and political matters. No other country enjoys the same power over global matters as America does. Even half of the amount spent for conducting war on terror can be enough for eradicating world hunger. It should be noted that America has a major role in the allocation of financial aids to poor countries from international bodies such as World Bank, IMF etc. Shah (2009) has pointed out that â€Å"being a major player of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, US actions can be felt around the world (Shah). However, United Sates is more interested in providing assistance to their allies and majority of t heir policies with respect to the dispersion of aids from international bodies are politically motivated. According to LaFollette, (2003) â€Å"decisions taken at one part of the world have economic ripples elsewhere†(LaFollette). In the current globalized world, the argument of LaFollette seems to be more relevant. It should be noted that the recent American economic crisis has been affected many other countries in different continents. Same way American policies and activities can cause severe problems to other countries, especially to the poor countries. In that respect also, one can argue that America is contributing heavily to global hunger or world hunger. Somali pirates believe that America like developed countries are dumping toxic wastes near their coastal region and destroying their marine wealth. As a result of that, poverty in Somalia and other African countries are increasing day by day since their major revenue sources is destroyed by America like countries. â €Å"Reports suggest that illegal fishing and dumping have disrupted Somalia’s coastal economy. Recent estimates by the United Nations suggest that Somalia may lose $95 million annually to illegal fishing†(Ploch et al, 2011, p.9). America on the other hand argues that they are not responsible for world hunger. They cite examples from Africa in order to substantiate their arguments. African countries are the worst, as far as world hunger in concerned. Majority of these countries do not have good governance and the autocratic administrators in this region are more interested in safeguarding their interests rather than safeguarding the interests of the
Monday, August 26, 2019
Summary on the following 3 readings Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Summary on the following 3 readings - Assignment Example The speculation about the society of states that tends to shape the international law according to Wright explains the scene of theories of IR prior to 1914. The international law was the most vital of the reminiscences of theory of IR during that period (Wight 16) Secondly, Wright opines that theories of international relations are marked by not only paucity but rather with intellectual and moral poverty. Wright highlights the unique poverty pertaining the imposition of the autonomous state and the notion of progress. The imposition of sovereign state argument is explainable via the state explanation and jurisdiction. As such, the balance of power cannot be a precise tool due to its ambiguity. Wright further provides that such hegemonic thoughts developed in the 20th C as a result of theoretical vacuum. Nevertheless, the theories could not establish themselves due to the lack of feasible situations that could cause them to happen. As such, the three determining phenomena to the international system cannot be described by an international thought, rather through domestic viewpoints. He provides that the nature of theories of IR coupled with the intellectual and political roles performed by the IR schools of thought are very similar to the natu re of typical political theory. Of interest to the theorist is the recent bias to explicit theoretical reflection about IR being a definite measure of the importance of IR. As such, he provides the ultimate theoretical and political justification of the increased interest in IR. He argues that the threats stemming from the unresolved political challenges, people have come to think more in terms of a supranational community, a global government and political structures that culminate to the nation-state. Consequently, he provides an exemplary reflection of the political challenges whose solutions need functioning structures and
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Business Environment in United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
Business Environment in United Kingdom - Essay Example An economic system are the consists of the people, institutions, processes, procedures that must be followed when making economic decisions to help solve the economic problems that face different economies. The different types of economic systems will determine the decisions on what to produce, how to produce, and who to consume the output. Economic Concepts and Problems The major economic problems that face economies include: the scarcity problem, competition, choice, resources, opportunity costs, needs, efficiency and wants. These are the key concepts that are fundamental in the understanding of the economic problems and that influence the kind of economic decisions that must be made for economic stability purposes and for the attainment of the solutions to the economic problems. The first concept is scarcity. This is a major economic problem that states that human needs are unlimited and resources are insufficient to satisfy all the diverse needs. The society is therefore faced wi th the challenges of the allocation of the scarce resources to attain maximum satisfaction of the unlimited needs. The economic system will therefore determine what to be produced and who to consume. It therefore also mean that a trade off must be made while making the economic decisions. Due to scarcity problem, the individuals in an economy will compete for the limited resources in order to survive. Competition is the scramble for the limited resources in order to acquire a fair share. Businesses and individuals both have to compete for the limited and scarce resources in order not to get eliminated in the system. When competition arises, the government agencies may formulate policies that are aimed at ensuring that the allocation of resources and that the competition is fair for all the participants. Competition has always been desired in order to increase efficiency and improve on the quality. The third important concept is opportunity cost. In economics the pursuance of one dec ision will mean a sacrifice to another possible action. Opportunity cost is the cost forgone for selecting the best alternative. Because the resources that are available in each economy is not enough to produce enough goods and services for everybody, some decisions must be made while others will be sacrificed. Economic systems will assist in the determination on what to produce and what to sacrifice. Needs are the requirements for existence or survival. Individuals in an economy will need food, shelter and good infrastructure for them to have a good life. Businesses as well will need resources e.g. raw materials in production or economic conditions that are favourable for operation. In addition, resources are the commodities or assets that are needed for production of goods and services that are demanded by individuals. Resources have the characteristics that they are limited, get depleted and have utility. The allocation of resources in production determines the manner in which th e economy performs and the output that will be attained. Economic systems are instrumental in the allocation of these scarce resources to maximize the satisfaction that will be achieved in the economy. Moreover, the scarcity of resources in production and in the satisfaction of human needs will mean that a choice must be made in relation to what to produce, quantity to produce, when to produce and who to consume. Choice can be defined as the choosing from among alternatives. In economic problems, a choice must be made on what to pursue among the various alternatives that are existing. The economic system influences the choices that are adopted in the
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Director of digital strategy for a leading UK estate agency chain Essay
Director of digital strategy for a leading UK estate agency chain - Essay Example This report highlights the tangible characteristics of viral, affiliate and search engine marketing strategies, ultimately selecting one viable marketing strategy to enhance sales volumes and brand visibility of the estate agency chain. In 2007, web-based advertising of properties increased 70 percent from 2004 (Key Note Media 2010). This means that it is becoming common practice for estate agents to utilise the Internet as a means of expanding their brand presence and effectively promoting a variety of properties in this industry. Coupled with this dramatic increase, a recent survey indicated that 57.7 percent of consumers would actively search the Internet as an option when desiring to move into a new home (Key Note Media 2010). Furthermore, in 2010, the volume of consumers sustaining Internet access in the United Kingdom was listed at over 44 million (Digital Age 2012). This represents approximately 70 percent of the entire United Kingdom population (ONS 2012). Because of this dynamic and high volume usage of Internet technologies by many demographics, viral marketing represents a significant opportunity for improving the market position of this leading estate agency. Viral marketing is defined as an amalgamation of marketing tactics that utilise existing social networks and related Internet technologies to achieve specific marketing objectives or increase brand awareness (Boone and Kurtz 2007). It is a strategy that attempts to promote growth in word-of-mouth by passing on a well-developed marketing message that proliferates itself much like a virus to encourage social circulation of a marketing message or organization (NCTU 2011). Viral marketing provides opportunities to create thrill in consumer markets, or buzz, that facilitates positive gossip in desired market groups about the viral content observed or otherwise engaged with on the Internet. Viral marketing efforts generally utilise video clips, images, integrated marketing
Friday, August 23, 2019
Poverty in Guatemala Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Poverty in Guatemala - Essay Example In 2012, only eleven point percent of the taxes reached the Central Bank. Of the 215 countries ranked in the CIA World Fact Book, the collected GDO is at position two hundred and four. However, the problem does not have any relations with too low value-added tax or income, but the inefficiency from government authorities and corrupt public servants. Now that majority of the population surive in informal economy makes it easy for the tax collector to hide behind little collection. The informal sector means that a bigger proportion of the population does not have formal businesses and formal jobs therefore; they do not operate with registered licences. Based on this, the tax authorities cannot levy taxes on them. Registered businesses also have the tendency of evading tax adding to the complication. Comparatively, Honduras, an immediate neighbour to Guatemala spends 15.8% of the GDP after collection, Kenya; a country in Africa collects and spends 18.4 % of its GDP, and Germany, an economic powerhouse spends 40.6% of the GDP (Zakaria 36). In other case studies, Mexico spends 29.7%, South Africa 26. 8%, Costa Rica 21%, and Canada 32.3% of its GDP. Data collected from economic sources shows a hitherto correlation (positive) between the proportion of GDP channelled through government spending and the standards of living of a country. Good public services and infrastructure explain factors behind established business activity. Senior economists from the World Bank hold that the economy of Guatemala continues to with typical support from private consumption. However, they also hold that the rate of investment is on a steady decline with little progress in the rate of productivity. Normally, lack of or minimal productivity affects the incomes for workers negatively. The growth rate of the country’s GDP is less impressive taking into account demographic trends of the country. While the population continues to grow at an average of 1.9%, the
Thursday, August 22, 2019
What Is the defining business Essay Example for Free
What Is the defining business Essay What is the defining business and economic characteristics of the video game console industry? ? Intensity of competition: the competition in the video game industry is dramatically fierce. There are three largest companies in this industry, which are Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. Additionally, lots of companies have relatively high level of strength, for example:high technology and meet the social trend, which are able to compete in the market place. ? Market size; the target market for the products cover all over the world ,however,the cumulate sales in Europe, Japan and the U. S are higher compare to other regions. ?Influenced by global recession: video game is not the necessary product, hence,the global economic recession have influenced the sale of video game products. The revenue declines 6% in 2010 compare to 2009, and also continued decreasing in 2011. ?Growth rapidly:the video game industry have been growingrapidly, and also expected to continue growing in the future. What is the industry like? The companies in video game industry refer to provide high technological and innovative products. It includes online game, mobile game, video game console and handheld game. In addition, in order to attract exist and potential consumers and build customer loyalty, these companies multiply their efforts to enhancethe technology of the products. What’s more, video game business sectorupdate very fast, the new generation replaced the old one in short period. Meanwhile, the companies launched latest production rapidly. However, an obviously issue is that the target market is limited, young men are the majority part. What 3-5 key factors determine the success of video game console developers like Nintendo (2009-2012)? 1. Unique concept of video game console: In the original period, the video game companies tend to pay more attention to improving technology, which lead to less market share and high competition, however, after a strategic research, Nintendo intend to create product differentiation advantage over rivals, it avoid pursuing high-tech blindly, focusing on developing unique function of product, such as to allowed consumers to participate in the games by themselves. That characteristic can easily catch consumers’ attention. Having a unique and propriety concept is essential in video game console industry. 2. New market segment: The video game market is almost saturated;hence, these game companies have to seek new target market to survive. In traditional video game console target market, men occupied the majority portion. In order to gain more profit, companies should take effort to attract more women, elderly and so on. In terms of extending market share, companies can’t rely on a small proportion of population. Nintendo designed â€Å"Wii†not only just for men but also for the whole family, the game is very suitable for everyone 3. Technology capability: High technology capability is a vital factor for game companies to be a leader in video game console industry; it can provide more technical advantage over rivals. 4. Various range of products: In today’s world, people have relatively high demand of products, in order to satisfy the needs, it is necessary to produce diverse product to grab more market share. 5. Low cost Undeniably, reducing cost is an effective way to make profit gain, low cost lead to low price, and low price are more acceptable by consumers. Reference: Morris, C. (2011), Video Game Sales Drop 6% in 2010, Second Year of Declines, [Online] Available from: http://www. cnbc. com/id/41062675/Video_Game_Sales_Drop_6_in_2010_Second_Year_of_Declines.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
The Albany Congress Essay Example for Free
The Albany Congress Essay During the two Decades from 1754 to 1775, the American colonies moved from division to unity. The accomplishments of the Albany Congress, the Stamp Act Congress, and the First Continental Congress caused this change. The Albany Congress was held in 1754. It was a meeting of representatives from various colonies in response to the war between Britain and France. The main plan was to form a colonial defense and gain the support of the Iroquois Confederacy. They also debated an intercolonial government. Ben Franklin and Thomas Hutchinson were the authors of the Albany Plan. They proposed an elected assembly would plan for a common defense paid for by taxes levied by congress. Although the plan did not pass, because the colonies were not ready to share their powers to tax with each other, it did put the idea of a unified nation in the minds of the colonists. The Stamp Act Congress was held in New York City in1765. Delegates from 9 American Colonies gathered to respond to the Stamp Act Parliament passed. The Stamp Act taxed commercial or legal documents, licenses, newspapers, permits, pamphlets and even playing cards. It was not a heavy tax but if they let Parliament pass this tax, they would only have more in the future. No taxation without representation basically means the English colonies did not want to be taxed without their consent. The First Continental Congress met in 1774 in Philadelphia to protest Britains Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts): 1. Boston Ports would be closed until compensation was met to the East India Tea Company for the Boston Tea Party. 2. The Colonial Charter was annulled and they replaced colonial officials with royal officials and they banned town meetings. 3. Royal Officers would not be tried in colonial courts. 4. They legalized quartering of troops in public buildings and private homes. 5. They established a government in Quebec and gave them the territory claimed by colonists North of the Ohio River. Twelve of the colonies were present at the meeting (not Georgia.) They urged the colonies to form militias. They formed the Continental Association to boycott British goods. They also voted to reconvene the following spring if Britain would not redress American grievances. After this meeting, the majority of the colonies were in unity.
How Should our Society Assign Value to Human Life?
How Should our Society Assign Value to Human Life? Sample Student Essays The Value of Life Writing Assignment So far in this assignment sequence, we have heard a number of different voices giving insights into the value of life. Hamlets soliloquy offers an emotional, metaphor-laden glimpse into the thinking of a young man contemplating suicide. Lance Armstrongs autobiography uses storytelling from a first-person perspective to get across how the famed cyclist thinks about life. Amanda Ripleys article from Time magazine provides insight into the problems involved in translating the concept of valuing life from abstract terms into actual dollars and cents. The Human Life Value Calculator establishes specific criteria for assigning monetary value to a persons life. You might not fully agree or disagree with any of the texts essential claims about the value of life. This makes your voice an important contribution to this discussion about how we should value human life. Where do your ideas fit into the terrain mapped by the other texts we have read? Is it right to assign dollar values to a persons life? Do suffering and illness impact how we should value life? Assume that the audience for your piece consists of intelligent citizens interested in this issue-the same types of people, for instance, who would read Time magazine. As you write your essay, think about the different ways the authors we have read make their points about valuing life. Depending on the points you are trying to make, you might want to use some metaphors for life, as Hamlet does, or tell some stories the way Armstrong does. You may choose to include some words from people you interview, as Ripley does in her article, or you might even choose to establish some criteria for how human life should be calculated in monetary terms. As you construct your essay, make conscious choices about the ways you can represent your ideas to your reader. Be sure to refer to and cite the readings. You may also use examples from your personal experience or observations. The sample student essays that follow reflect the EPT Scoring Guides criteria. Sample student essay with a score of 6: The Value of Life Should people put the value of life into monetary value or should life be kept solely as an emotional quantity? People and societies throughout the ages have been trying to answer the problem of putting the value of life into terms of dollar bills. The ancient Egyptians buried their dead with all of their worldly belongings. They believed a persons monetary worth on Earth was over, and they should take all of that earthly worth with them to the afterlife. Modern day Americans are different from the Egyptians. Today people believe that the families of the dead should be compensated for their loss. It is true that life is a precious commodity much like a diamond. But unlike a diamond, life has no set monetary value. But todays government is trying to change that. After the tragedies of September 11, 2002, the federal government started a federal fund to help the victims and families of victims of the attacks. This fund would give priority to people who were injured in the attacks, then to the spouse, and then to the parents. Sounds great doesnt it? Your husband dies and now you just lost your income, and the government is going to pay you for your loss. Well dont jump on the bandwagon so fast now. This might sound great now, but once you are knee deep in the program, it wont be so fun. To figure out how much money a person will receive from this fund is determined by a multi-step process. First they figure out how much an individual would have earned had there been no attacks. This would mean that a bankers family would earn far more than the family of a janitor in the building s. Is it true that a banker is worth more to society than a janitor? Is a lawyer more important than a desk clerk? Then the fund adds $250,000 as a base cover, and then another $50,000 for a spouse and each child (Ripley 12). This would imply that a married man who has 6 kids in more important than a married man with no children at all. Is it more important in society to make babies than it is to just live your life? What about people who havent yet had a chance to start a family because their lives were cut so short? Now all that money sounds like a blessing, doesnt it? Well now that you have your foundation money, now you have to subtract the money you get from life insurance, pension, Social Security death benefits, and workers compensation. After these little subtractions, you now have the total that you are going to receive from the governments fund. Now you are going to be hit with new questions after all this, for example is a rich man with high life insurance, high pension, and no children worth less than a poor man with no life insurance, no job, and ten children (Ripley 13)? The answer to all these questions is no. The lives of all people should be valued at the same price, if you are to set a price at all. A rich man should be the same as a poor man; a woman with no children should have the same life value as a woman with seven kids. The point is that if the government is going to put a monetary value of a human life, than it should be the same for everyone. We hold these truths to self-evidence: that all men are created equal (King Jr.). There are many arguments against putting a money value on human life and two of the most impressive come from Alephonsion Deng and Lance Armstrong. Alephonsion Deng is one of the Sudanese Lost Boys. We crossed a thousand miles of war ravaged country without the hope of sanctuary. Bullets replaced food, medicine, shelter and my loving parents. I lived on wild vegetable, ate mud from Mother Earth, and drank urine from my own body (Deng 16). He had to walk across an entire country from refugee camp to refugee camp, always with the thought of death behind him. He didnt have the luxury of being able to go down to the grocery store when he ran out of food. He had to scavenge for what ever he could get his hands on. If Mr. Deng was asked about the governments 9/11 victims fund, which is set to put a monetary value on life, he would probably be outraged. After what he had been through he would probably say that it is impossible to turn something as valuable as life into terms of money. Lance Armstrong survived a long battle with cancer, and after this battle came out with a new outlook on life. When I was 25, I got testicular cancer and nearly died. I was given less than a 40 percent chance of surviving, and frankly, some of my doctors were just being kind when they gave me those odds (Armstrong 1). Before having the ordeal with cancer his out look on life was just live it fast, everything was fast for him. After surviving the unbeatable he came out with a brand new outlook on his value of life. He now preached that life can end very quickly and that everyone should live their lives to the fullest terms possible. If someone asked Lance Armstrong about the government trying to put life into terms of dollars, bills, he would have a heart attack. Much like Mr. Deng, he would think that life is precious and the government should not demean it by trying to bring money into the same picture frame as life. Should life be put into monetary values? The answer is no. Life is way too precious of a commodity to put into terms of money. People who have been on the brink of death would all say that you cannot put a value on the natural high that is known as life. To go back to an earlier metaphor, life truly is like the most precious and valuable of gems. They are similar in rareness and beauty, but are different in the fact that gems have a set money value, but life is a lot more stupendous than any gem on Earth. That is why life doesnt have a monetary value and never should. Work Cited Armstrong, Lance, and Sally Jenkins. Its Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to life. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. Deng, Alephonsion. I have Had to Learn to Live With Peace. Newsweek 31 October 2005: 16. King, Jr., Martin Luther. I Have A Dream. Mephis Educational Computer Connectivity Alliance. 11/21/05. http://www.mecca.org/~crights/dream.html. Ripley, Amanda. What is Life Worth? Time December 2002: 12-13. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992. Unknown, Human Life Value Calculator. Life and Insurance Foundation for Education. November 14, 2005 http://www.life-line.org/life_human.html. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 6. The superior response indicates that the writer is very well prepared to handle college-level reading and writing. Because this prompt asks for an edited (that is, revised and polished) essay, student papers should reflect the appropriate degree of organization, content, and editing. The writer addresses the entire topic and responds fully to all aspects of the prompt. The writer demonstrates a thorough critical understanding of the readings by incorporating them into the argument and by quoting them extensively, accurately, and, generally, in correct MLA format; occasional dropped in quotations indicate that the writer has not yet fully mastered this process. The writer uses rhetorical questions to undercut the assumptions made by sources with whose opinions the writer disagrees; rhetorical questions are occasionally overused, but the writer attempts to mitigate them with details from the reading. The writer has a smooth and easy writers voice, addressing the reader directly and confidently. The essay uses a sophisticated inductive strategy, marshaling evidence first and saving the conclusions for later. The essay remains focused throughout. The essay makes use of source material beyond the readings; it also ties different types of support material together nicely. The writer avoids a formulaic essay approach and brings the reader full circle at the end by returning to the opening idea (the gem). Errors are rare and do not detract from meaning. Sample student essay with a score of 5: The Value of Life People often question how we should measure the value of life. Can life be calculated into dollars and cents? Should ones value be determined by their lifes accomplishments? Or does the value of ones life depend solely upon how much that individual embraces and loves their existence? In my personal experience I have found the latter to be true. Life is given value and meaning by one enjoying and accepting it. Someone once said You should not fear death, but fear the unlived life. This means that one should not fear the end of a journey, but enjoy the trip. To me this is absolutely true. Why should we spend our time fearing the inevitable? We are given only a few short years to experience the world, friendships, loves, and losses. Even the bad experiences teach us to appreciate the good ones. This doesnt mean we should all go out and be terrible people just so we will appreciate our good experiences, but rather that we should learn from our mistakes. Lance Armstrongs view of life is similar to this; he says that sometimes life is fun, and great, and other times it is horrible, but whether good or bad our experiences make us stronger people. It is these experiences which give our lives meaning. Meaning and value however, are completely different issues. So how can the value of ones entire life and worth be translated into monetary values? The people at most life insurance companies will tell you it is a simple mathematical process based on age, physical health, and income. Subtract $1000 for every year over 40, subtract for any diseases, or illnesses, add 50 times their yearly income and voila! Youll have the value of anyones life calculated in an instant! Unfortunately, this process cannot be applied to memories and experiences. You cant subtract points for every bad experience, lost love, and abandoned friendship and even the bad memories are carried around with us forever. Amanda Ripleys article, from TIME magazine, outlines, some of the problems with calculating the monetary value of life. Many people view the amount of money they receive as a measure of their loved ones value, which creates problems for the people who have to award the money. Calculating the value of l ife in dollar worth can be a complicated issue involving tough emotional and moral dilemmas. Value is something which each individual assigns to their life depending on how much meaning it has to them self and others. A life is not a self contained object; it is a network which is shared with others. All people have value not just to themselves but to others as well. If you died tomorrow you entire network of friends and family would surely mourn for you. All of the people whose lives you have touched would mourn for you. In Hamlets soliloquy, he neglected to consider what effect his life had on his family and friends. Everyone whether they realize it or not, has some kind of effect on the people around them. Hamlet thought of his own life as worthless and thought everyone else did too. Lifes value cannot be determined by dollar value, popularity or even by ones accomplishments. If one doesnt value life them self then they will be unhappy therefore making people around them unhappy. People must depend on themselves to make their lives valuable and meaningful. Ultimately it is peoples own ability and willingness to value life which gives them worth. Bibliography Armstrong, Lance, and Sally Jenkins. Itss Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to life. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. Ripley, Amanda. What is Life Worth? Time December 2002: 12-13. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992. Unknown, Human Life Value Calculator. Life and Insurance Foundation for Education. November 14, 2005 http://www.life-line.org/life_human.html. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 5. The clear competence of the essay indicates that this writer is quite ready to handle college-level reading and writing. Because this prompt asks for an edited (that is, revised and polished) essay, student papers should reflect the appropriate degree of organization, content, and editing. The essay thoroughly addresses the prompt and raises the pertinent question of the difference between value and money. The writer remains focused throughout the essay, offers a clear thesis about enjoyment and acceptance, and pursues that thesis throughout the supporting paragraphs. The writer uses transitions to guide the reader, such as the sentence that ends the second paragraph, It is these experiences which give our lives meaning, which transitions to the opening sentence of the third paragraph, Meaning and value however, are completely different issues. Occasional shifts in diction (for example, one in first paragraph, to we in the second, to you in third) are distracting; the essay mainly uses a conversational tone that works very well for this writer. The writer makes a lovely case in the fourth paragraph for life as a network rather than a self-contained object. The essays second half begins to repeat itself, particularly in the final two paragraphs, although the writer attempts to mitigate this repetition by using the Hamlet example. Errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics are minor; the writer could use some practice with commas. Sample student essay with a score of 4: The Value of Life The value of life. What is it exactly? We will never know the true definition of the value of life because there are so many different perspectives in this world and everyone will think their perspective is right. According to the Human Life Calculator, our value is based on the amount of money we will make in our lives and nothing more. It depends on the money we make, how many children we have, and how much we spend on ourselves each month. Some people find it fair to actually compare the value of life to the dollar amount they are worth. They might even look into it so much that people choose their partner according to their monetary values and not the emotional attachment. There are many people like that these days that only worry about money and what society thinks of them instead of wanted to be truly happy. I dont agree with the Human Life Value Calculator what so ever. No persons life should be estimated on their monetary worth. It should go deeper then that. It all depends on how they want to live there life and if they think they live it to the fullest. If they live it to only become rich and die rich then so be it that is their own personal value. But to assume that every person values their life that way is completely and utterly wrong When it comes to Hamlet, he wonders if there is even a value to life. To be, or not to be-that is the question: that is his main issue throughout the entire play. He pretty much loses everything that means anything to him in his life so he cant help but wonder if there is even a point anymore. Anything he truly valued, such as his father and Ophelia, was taken from him. He has nothing to value so why should he question the value of life? Life has many hardships no matter who you are, even if you are Hamlet. It still has a value to it. It teaches you to value you what you have because you never know when or they may not be there. Lance Armstrong is a whole different story. He looks at life in such a positive perspective now unlike before. Unlike many people, he was given a second chance to live his life. He values every single thing because he never knows when it will be his time to go. He was luck the first time but no one know if he will be next time, if there is a next time. He learned the hard way not to take life for granted but to take advantage of it and live everyday as though it were your last. Not everyone is as lucky as Lance Armstrong. He now realizes how valuable his life and everyone in it is but thats because he was given a second chance. There are so many people out there who wish they would have realized how valuable everything was before it was too late because they didnt get that second chance. We may not realize it until it happens but when we or a loved one goes through suffering or illness it truly impacts how we value life. It makes us face the reality that not everyday is guaranteed and people will not stay with us forever no matter how much we wish they would. I think, as a society, we should value life not by how much money we have or how much we are worth but by how much we enjoy life and everyone in it. It shouldnt take the death of a loved one for us to realize everyday is valuable. We should wake up everyday realizing its a new day and be thankful for it. Im not saying to wake up and say today might be my last but realize it, embrace it. Take nothing fro granted and live everyday to its fullest. If you love someone then tell them. If you want to start a business then do what it take to start one. Do whatever you have to so that when you leave this world you are happy with who you are and what you accomplished. Dont expect to have no regrets or make no mistakes because those are what helped to form you to the person you become over time. I admit I am far fro perfect but that is what makes me and I am happy with myself. I love my life and everyone in it who helps to form it. I wouldnt take anything back or do anything over because if I did I wouldnt be the intelligent, free spirited, young woman I am today. I value my life to the fullest and it will never be based on money or praying to be given a second change because I didnt live it right the first time. Works Cited Armstrong, Lance and Sally Jenkins. Its Not About The Bike: My Journey Back To Life.New York: Berkley Trade, 1991. Human Life Value Calculator Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Alan Durband. London: Hutchinson and Co., 1986. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 4; however, it is a strong 4. This adequate response to the topic suggests that the writer should be able to handle college-level reading and writing. Because this prompt asks for an edited (that is, revised and polished) essay, student papers should reflect the appropriate degree of organization, content, and editing. The essay is a classic befuddling 4 paper; it wobbles between a 5 paper and a 3 paper, never really settling in either camp. The writer opens with a rhetorical question and then moves quickly to a clear, if simplistic, thesis. The writer attempts to integrate the readings by including supporting detail, although the essay offers only a single direct quotation. The works cited list provides a quasi-MLA format for sources. The logic in the third paragraph fails to persuade; the writer opens by showing Hamlet questioning lifes value and then closes with the question, He has nothing to value so why should he question the value of life? The essay is somewhat repetitive, restating the idea of personal satisfaction as the best gauge of lifes value. The essay lacks transitions in general, although the opening sentence of the penultimate paragraph, Not everyone is as lucky as Lance Armstrong, is an exception. The writer opens each paragraph with a statement that focuses on the reading; however, the second half of each paragraph, which features the writers own experience and opinions, generally becomes repetitive, rambles, or offers a cliched conclusion. The writer struggles with usage (than/then, there/their, everyday/every day), mechanics (especially punctuation), and grammar, although such instances do not greatly detract from meaning; the shifts in person in paragraph six, however, are quite distracting. Sample student essay with a score of 3: Extreme Life What is life? I dont know, but I know it is full of obstacles. Sometimes they are small, sometimes they arent. I dont think there is a point to it, but who knows? Another thing I know, everybody dies at the end, so why wont people live it to the maxim instead of just sitting on their bums and doing nothing, Being alive to me is to experience new adventures and to have fun. Life is worth living for as long as you can. As Lance Armstrong said, I want to die at a hundred years old with an American Flag on my back on the star of Texas on my helmet. It is very fun living out to your maximum, doing extreme sports like bungi jumping. I think that life should be extreme. It is also nice to come back home to someone who loves you and cares about you. I love food; I think its another great thing to spend time with friends, especially when you can dig in and pig out. Its nice to have friends that are there for you when you have problems, and you know that they will help you out. Life is just a great things, but it doesnt always feel like it. To be or not to be is Hamlets famous quote. I bet every single person on earth has come to this decision. Besides the great things in life, you come across difficulties. For example losing the loved one. I think that hurts the most. Another thing is when you dont feel loved or accepted. Thats when people come out of their limit and start doing bad stuff like drugs. When it gets really out of hand, they try to commit suicide. I believe that anybody who tried it or attempts suicide it are failures in life. As Lance Armstrong said, Why dont we all just stop and lie down where we are? what is we just do it? Its just an easy way out of life, escaping all the obstacles and pain. There is a lot of it. You friend can stab you in the back, your family member can die, there are just too many to name. You should just love life enough to struggle through the painful times. Why would I want to change, even for a day, the most important and shaping event in my life? Lance Armstrongs words. Express how I feel. I would not give me life up for anything. I have made many of bad mistakes that I should not have done, but those mistakes make me the person I am today. I wouldnt want to look or be any different than I am right now. I love my life, and I hope everyone else does too because its the only one weve got. You will have to start loving it or that only one wont be a good one. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 3. Although the essay suggests developing competence, it is flawed in significant ways that suggest the writer needs additional practice before being able to succeed in college-level reading and writing. Because this prompt asks for an edited (that is, revised and polished) essay, student papers should reflect the appropriate degree of organization, content, and editing. The essay responds to the prompt at the opening, although it moves away from the prompt later. The writer attempts to define life itself rather than discuss the value of life. The writer offers a thesis about adventures and fun but does little to offer support for that thesis. The essays paragraphs, although short, are overworked in that they contain several ideas competing for space; the essay does not attempt to separate paragraphs into discrete ideas. The paragraph about eating and hanging out with friends struggles with logic, perhaps because the writer is still trying to connect the evidence to the thesis; by the third paragraph, the writer seems willing to move away from the thesis completely. The opening of the third paragraph (To be or not to be is Hamlets famous quote. I bet every single person on earth has come to this decision) makes neither logical nor rhetorical sense. The writer attempts to quote texts directly but lacks the skill to incorporate quoted material properly. The writer shows a limited syntactic repertoire; the first paragraph, for example, contains four rhetorical questions out of six sentences. Errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics accumulate to detract from meaning; there are several missing apostrophes and fragments (see the second sentence of the final paragraph, for example). Sample student essay with a score of 2: Value of Life This is a question that runs through everybodys mind. What would somebody pay for a life? What would you do if your life ended tomorrow? Would you tell someone that you cared about the most that you loved them? What would you do for your final hours? How do you think the people aboard the 9/11 plane attack felt as soon as they knew that they werent going to see their families anymore? These questions are all very goods questions but the most important one is Have you been living the life that you wanted to live? Humans always follow others ways of posture and ways of thinking. People picking up laughs, looks, even the way they think about other people. Think of it this wayif someone put a gun to year head and they said, Give me three reasons why I should not pull this trigger? What would you say? It might sound like a harsh, blunt question but if you think about it. where you living your life to the fullest? Posers always get on everybodys nerves. They are going to look back on their lives and think what they did was really stupid. Their values of life are following somebodys elses footstep, following others stories, what they like, dont like because they cant think for themselves. They rely on other people to make their decisions for them. The final thought is the toughest thought of all. Things all bundled up inside your head. The only thing to realize is that people dont make you who you are. You make the decisions that will lead your life, the rest of your life. What would your family get if you died? Tack on an extra $50,000 in pain and suffering for a spouse and for each child. Thats what you would get. Now think to yourself, are you living your life to the fullest, what you think is good? Ripley, Amanda. What is a life worth? Time: 11 Feb. 2002. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 2. The serious flaws here indicate that this writer will need considerable additional practice before being able to succeed in college-level reading and writing. Because this prompt asks for an edited (that is, revised and polished) essay, student papers should reflect the appropriate degree of organization, content, and editing. The essay opens with a statement about questions, followed by six rhetorical questions in a row. The writer seriously overuses the questioning strategy, with three additional questions in the second paragraph and two in the fourth (concluding) paragraph; the essay itself finishes with a question. The essay neglects the prompt; it discusses values rather than the value of life. The final paragraph attempts to approach the prompt by quoting Ripley (although the writer does not attribute the quoted material), but the quotation is ineffectively dropped into the concluding text. The essay does not demonstrate any discernible organizational strategy. Some sentences make no sense at all, such as People picking up laughs, looks, even the way they think about other people. Errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics are present but not all that profound; lack of logic and content is the issue with this essay. Sample student essay with a score of 1: The Value of Life People put a money aspect on people for example, when people have money then we need them, we dont even care about anyone unless they have money. When disaters like sunamis happen, people want to find there family but dont understand the water infected and no one nos whats happening to any one any where. Katrina for example. They (the army) use colors were dead are, yellow were sick are, green x marking the spot were people who are worth saving were. We help people every where in the world but no our own people, to save them, even the army was there making every one get out of there house if they wanted to or not, they might get shot if not. People have always come here to make a new lives and this is what happens? Its way messed up. Is this how to value people? Shakespeare new how bad life can be. To be or not to be said Hamlet who thought not. We have to find out a way to help and over come what might happen next so every one is not so discouraged because money is not the answer or stocks or bonds or jewelers but only love. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 1. The fundamental deficiencies here indicate that this writer will need a great deal of additional practice before being
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Philippine Bureaucracy Essay -- social issues
Philippine Bureaucracy I. A POLITICAL SYSTEM DEFINES ITS BUREAUCRACY: That the Philippine government has consistently failed in satisfying the needs and growing expectations of the Filipino people is a fact rather than a perception. What is widely perceived however, is that such failure of government is only due to the inefficiency of its bureaucracy to produce and deliver public goods and services. To accept the perception that the inefficiency of the bureaucracy is the main culprit in the failu re of government is to grant the dichotomization of the orientation of governance and the administration of its affairs. The form and substance of the bureaucracy as the main machinery of government is heavily defined by the latter's policies and politics. It cannot be expected to produce and deliver goods and services corresponding to the needs of the people if the policies of government are anti-people. In the same manner that the bureaucracy cannot operate differently and independently of the ills of th e Philippine political system. A political system is based on its economic foundation thus it is beyond doubt that economic power makes political power. In a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society such as the Philippines, it is easy to conclude that the fo reign investors, their local counterparts such as the big compradors and landlords, who are the main players in the economy, control the state thru their cohorts in government. That it is their business, to effectively manage the affairs of the bureaucrac y as a means and source of graft and corruption for further self-aggrandizement and their perpetuation in power. The basic issue of the misprioritization and misutilization of the national budget clearly represents that the business of governance depends on the interests of the power holders rather than the people they govern. The coming of the public debt aspect in the 80s worsens the misprioritization of government's annual budget in favor of foreign debt payment allocations and is usually followed by t he national defense budget, the sum of which account for about three-fourths (3/4) of its grand total. As the foreign debt payment becomes automatic the government went into deficit spending, in order to correct this, the International Monetary Fund-World Bank (IMF-WB) prescribed the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) which included the aust... ... a dictator. Ramos has improved the blue print of mar tial rule of Marcos, why not, when he has the comparative advantage of being educated at West Point which is one of the best training grounds of agents of the imperialist United States of America. His regime has not reached desperation as its psychologica l-war tactics are still effective in a situation which does not yet necessitate an open fascist rule. From the point of view of the CESOs and the rank and file of government employees, the process of re-engineering the bureaucracy is but another exercise of patronage system in the positioning of the proteges of the politicians and the high bureaucrats. While in the process, victimizing hundreds of thousands of government personnel who shall be dismissed in violation of the merit system of the civil service and their security of tenure. For the public sector workers, this is another round of their continuing struggle to defend their rights as workers much more their right to a source of livelihood. As they have proven that the exercise of their strength thr u their organization is their reliable instrument to protect their interests, such is the route that they shall take.
Monday, August 19, 2019
College Admissions Essay: Half as Courageous :: College Admissions Essays
If I Could be but Half as Courageous  Helen Keller was born on June 27th, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She was a bright infant, interested in everything around her, and imitating adults at a very young age. In February of 1882, she was struck with an illness which left her deaf and blind. For several years, Helen had very little communication with the rest of the world, except for a few signs which she used with her family. When she was six, her parents wanted desperately to do something to help their strong-willed, half-wild, child. They were far from any deaf or blind schools, and doubted that anyone would come to the little town to educate their deaf and blind child. They heard of a doctor in Baltimore who had helped many seemingly hopeless cases of blindness, but when he examined Helen, there was nothing he could do for her. However, he referred them to Dr. Alexander Graham Bell who recommended Anne Sullivan to teach Helen.  On March 3, 1887 Helen met "the Miracle Worker," Anne Mansfield Sullivan. Then, about a month later on April 5, Helen associated the water running over her hand with the letters w-a-t-e r that Anne was spelling into her hand. That day she learned thirty words and proved to be a very intelligent, fast learner from then on. She quickly learned the finger-tip alphabet and shortly thereafter, to write. Helen had mastered Braille and learned how to use a typewriter by the age of 10. When she was 16, she could speak well enough to attend preparatory school and college. In 1904 she graduated from Radcliffe College with Anne Sullivan by her side interpreting lectures and class discussion to her.  Helen then dedicated her life to improving the world. She delivered many lectures to improve the conditions for the blind and deaf-blind. She spoke out for women's rights and pacifism. She spoke in over 25 countries bringing new hope to many people. She spoke against World War I and her pay from lectures declined because of her stand. During World War II she visited military personnel who had become blind and/or deaf because of injuries. She also spent a lot of time raising funds for organizations working with the deaf and blind. Helen also wrote several books concerning her life, her religious beliefs, and her teacher Anne Sullivan.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
The Destructive Effects of the Vietnam War Essay example -- Vietnam Wa
The Destructive Effects of the Vietnam War The destructive effects of the US war in Vietnam encompass not only a body count, but also the festering intellectual wound of a war that could not be satisfactorily explained away. The battles of Vietnam, in particular, seemed an affront to conventional understandings of ‘American culture’, military power, the limits of technology, the very possibility to control, and the causes of wartime atrocity. This deeply unsettling part of the Vietnam experiences the US endured revolve, at least to a degree, around the division between the inside and outside. The inside going into the war, from the US perspective, was an ‘American culture’ with ‘American values’, entailing an entire worldview with attendant sets of behaviors considered domestic. The outside was, of course, the radically alien junglescape populated with in-credible enemies, ‘shifty’ and ‘dangerous’ peasants, and untamable environmental hazards to boot. Apoca lypse Now works from a context fixated on the terms of inside and outside for analysis of the battles of the Vietnam War to question these categories by a strategic challenge to both totalizing theories’ explanatory power with elements of layered complexity. Of the post-war 1970’s commentary and reflection on the Vietnam war, the anti-war and rather pacifist afterglow of wartime activists offered perhaps the clearest analysis of the tragedy of the war and its atrocities: the problems are deeply internal to American culture. The 1978 film The Deer Hunter addresses the issue head on, with the Washington Post review opening, As the world moves down the various roads that converge at apocalypse, the ultimate issue becomes life itself, transcending politics or ideology... ...e before the theoretical, where place cannot exist because there is not yet a relation formed to tell the experience where it is. In the bright flames of a reality with uncertain connection to simplistic theories of division of place, the credits roll as the forest and dichotomy of place explode and burn away. Works Cited Apocalypse Now. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Miramax, 1979. Bonds, Ray. The Vietnam War. New York: Crown, 1979. Hornbacker, Robert Allen. Real Ultimate Power. 2002. UCLA. 1 March. 2002. http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~rahjr79/ Kroll, Jack. â€Å"Life or Death Gambles.†Newsweek 11 December, 1978: 113+. Matthews, Jay. â€Å"Chinese Assert Viets have Been ‘Taught Lesson’.†The Washington Post 4 March, 1979, A1+. Price, Bem. â€Å"They Fought In Vietnam with One Hand Tied Behind Their Backs.†U.S. News & World Report 30 June, 1975: 41+.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Reitman’s Financial Analysis Essay
Reitmans – Financial Analysis From an analysis of the Company’s ratios over the last three years since 2009, as found in the Appendix: Exhibit _, the quantitative data reveals an unfavourable trend in performance. Liquidity Reitmans has the strongest current ratio when compared to its competitorsâ€â€The Gap and Le Chateauâ€â€at almost double their value. However, the Company’s ratio has been in decline since 2009; at that time, it was at 4. , then fell to 4. 3, and finally, to 4. 1 in 2011. This trend reveals a slight decline in Reitmans’ short-term liquidity; however, even with the decline, the Company has more than enough liquidity to meet their short-term cash requirements. It could even be argued that they are not utilizing their assets to their full potential, as the usual acceptable current ratio is 2:1. Even when inventory is not considered, as with the quick ratio and cash ratio, Reitmans’ ratios are unusually high when compared to their competitorsâ€â€which adds strength to the argument that they are not utilizing their assets as effectively as they could be if they were to invest their funds instead of leaving them sitting idle within an account. Asset Management As revealed by their inventory turnover of 1. 2, Reitmans sells its inventory more slowly than its competitor, the Gap, does with their ratio of 5. 7 in 2011. However, the Gap may have a higher than normal turnover, as Reitmans is favourable when compared to their other competitor, Le Chateau. The Company’s accounts receivable turnover has remained relatively stable over the past three years, fluctuating slightly but still taking just one day on average to collect from customers. In contrast, Reitmans’ accounts payable turnover has been experiencing an unfavourable decline since 2009; it used to take just 106 days to make payments to suppliers, but now it takes 257 days, over twice the time. Long-term Debt Paying Ability Reitmans’ debt ratio measures the extent of creditor financing and leverage. Their percentage of debt, 22%, is much smaller than their competitors at 63% and 39% and a result, Reitmans’ is much more solvent and more able to maintain their long-run financial viability. Further, when looking at the Company’s times interest earned, we see that Reitmans is considered to be less-risky for lenders as they are able to earn their fixed interest charges ver 3 times per year; this exceeds the general guideline that says creditors are reasonably safe if the company has a times interest earned ratio of two or more times. Profitability Most merchandising companies need sufficient gross profit in order to cover their operating expenses or else they will likely fail. Reitmans, as similar to their competitors, maintains a higher profit ratio of 64% in 2011 and 67% in 2010. Even though the Company’s other measures of profitability are still fa vourable compared with their competitors, Reitmans’ profitability ratios have declined by almost half from 2010 to 2011.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Mis “Myspace
What kind of databases and database servers does MySpace use? A database is an organized collection of data. A database server is a computer program that provides database services to other computer programs. In the initial phases, MySpace operated with two web servers (a computer application that helps to deliver web content that can be accessed through the internet) communicating with one database server and a Microsoft SQL Server database(as s database, it is a software product whose primary function is to store and retrieve data requested by other software applications).But as the number of accounts started to increase to 500,000 in 2004 one database server wasn’t sufficient. MySpace then deployed three SQL servers database. Which one served as a master database, which received all new data and copied it to the other two databases. As time passed and the number of accounts grew to millions, the database servers where approaching their input/output capacity and causing MySp ace to add many cheaper servers to share the database load.Still having problems with overload, MySpace switched to virtualized storage architecture. In which databases write to any available disk, thus eliminating the possibility of an application’s dedicated disk becoming overloaded. In 2005 MySpace added more servers between the database servers and the Web servers to store and serve copies of frequently accessed data objects so that the site’s web servers wouldn’t have to query the servers with lookups as frequently. Why is a database technology so important for a business such as MySpace?Due to the nature of MySpace and because it mostly receive from and serves to its uses are data objects like pictures, audio files and video files databases technology is the only technology that accomplish the mission. Its database must make the objects readily available to anyone requesting access to an entity (person). Database technology cuts through many problems of tr aditional filing. Rather than storing data in separate file for each application, data are store as to appear to users as being stored in only one single location.How effectively does MySpace organize and store the data on its site? MySpace. com was one of the most popular social networking sites and experienced one of the greatest growths in the history. But unfortunately it wasn’t able to keep with its data storage and challenged technical letdowns that degrade web site performance and frustrated its rapidly expanding network users. MySpace used two Web servers communicating with one database server. It was adequate when the site had a small number of users who were updating or accessing database objects.Obviously that won’t work with millions of users. Unfortunately, MySpace kept overloading more frequently than other major Web sites. With a log-in error rate of 20 to 40 percent on some days, the site is not effectively organizing or storing data. What data manageme nt problems have risen? How has MySpace solved, or attempted to solve these problems? Some of the problems MySpace has encountered are inadequate storage space on its database servers, slow access or no access through its log-in application, and users’ inabilities to access data.Over the years, MySpace has attempted to fix these problems by adding more and Web servers and more database servers. Some were simply â€Å"added on†without restructuring the entire system to more efficiently use its hardware and software. Workloads were not distributed evenly between servers which caused inefficient use of resources. MySpace developers continue to redesign the Web site’s database, software, and storage systems, to keep pace with its exploding growth, but their job is never done. MySpace switched to a virtualization storage architecture which ended the practice of attaching disk dedicated to specific applications.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Baroque Art Essay
This paper will start with an explanation of what Baroque art is. Baroque art is art that utilizes the effects between lightness and darkness. We will begin by looking at three paintings from the Baroque period. The first painting we will be discussing from the Baroque period is Annibale Carracci’s Pieta. A pieta is a sculpture or painting of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. This particular pieta was done by the artist Annibale Carracci from Bologna, Italy. Annibale’s Pieta depicts the Virgin Mary holding her son Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. Annibale used his lighting very well in this painting. Because of the way he used the lighting in his painting it made Jesus Christ the main figure, but still managed to have the Virgin Mary in the center along with Jesus. Annibale painted Mary in a soft blue, which contrasted well with the paleness of Jesus Christ. Annibale painted the look of sorrow onto Mary’s face and out stretched her left hand as if she was questioning how this could happen to her. This painting has so much detailed to it, along with Mary and Jesus there are also two angels in the painting: one angel scrutinizes the crown of thorns, while the other mourns while holding Jesus’ hand. Annibale Carracci was a well-known and admired painter that helped create the Baroque style. Annibale Carracci, along with his brother and cousin founded the Accademia degli Incamminati, which translates to the Academy of progressives. Later in the 15th century the Carracci family was painting some of the most advanced paintings throughout Europe. Annibale created a new broken brushwork style to capture movement and the effects of light on form (Christiansen, Keith. 2003). This new style resulted in paintings being put inside churches. The fresco painting on the ceiling of Pope Farnese’s Palace was Annibale’s greatest masterpiece. The second painting from the Baroque Period is The Entombment by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The symmetry of the group of people in this painting is miraculous . This painting shows everyone bowing down or bending towards Jesus, showing that his death has an impact not only emotionally but physically on them. The look of terror and shock is remarkably captured in this painting. The group of people look traumatized at the death of their beloved Savior Jesus Christ, however at the same time they look relieved. I love how Caravaggio illustrates these people. He doesn’t make the people beautiful or extravagant looking, he makes them look like ordinary people. Just as Annibale used the lightness and darkness as did Caravaggio, bringing out the drama and suspense of the moment. Caravaggio was a wild and carefree person. He believed in truth, that not everyone was beautiful or heroic as they are made to seem. He refused to portray the human individual as sublime, beautiful and heroic (Christiansen, Keith 2003). During Caravaggio’s time the Catholic Church had complete control of what was considered to be acceptable art if it wasn’t deemed acceptable by the church then it wasn’t art. Caravaggio disdained the masters of the Renaissance and the mannerist style (Sayre 2010). In the Baroque Period, religion was the best thing you could paint about, this is the only topic that would be profitable. The third painting from the Baroque Period is Belshazzar’s feast by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. The painting displays King Belshazzar and his visitants feasting while using the holy items from the Jewish temple. Rembrandt depicts a moment when a glorious hand appears in right to the inscription on the wall when transliterated the inscription reads: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN; meaning ‘God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; your kingdom is given to the Medes and Persians. ‘. â€Å"Rembrandt | Belshazzar’s Feast | NG6350 | The National Gallery, London†, 2004) . After that night, King Belshazzar was killed. Rembrandt utilizes the light in this painting to give light more effect the hand. The main figure is King Belshazzar who is struck with fear as the hand continues to write on the wall. Not only is the King and shock but so are all his adversaries. Rembrandt uses chiaroscuro in his painting by outlining the outside of the painting in a dark color. Chiaroscuro is the contrast of light and dark to create atmosphere, drama, and emotion (Sayre, 2010). Rembrandt was asked what he truly wanted to achieve through his art, he stated â€Å"the greatest and most natural movement†translated from die meeste ende di naetuereelste beweechgelickheijt (encyclopedia. stateuniversity, 2010. He didn’t want the subjects of his paintings in poses contrived as was the case in Mannerist style. (Sayre, 2010). His main goal was to portray the naturalness of the human body. In Holland, during the 16th-century at the Utrecht school Italianate architecture continued because of most of its attendance, especially the notable Gerard van Honthorst. He later traveled to Italy where he met Caravaggio and was inspired by his work. The Utrecht school artists ended up influencing Pieter Lastman with their styles of using lightness and darkness. Pieter ended up becoming Rembrandts, therefore providing a monolithic background for what would become known as Dutch Art. All three of examples I chose are religious; depicting an important scene from the bible. The first two paintings show Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. The third painting is from the Old Testament from the prophet Daniel. All three paintings used lightness and darkness to add drama to their paintings as well as chiaroscuro. These paintings show characters are very lifelike as well as the difference of chiaroscuro from its very beginning to it being perfected by Rembrandt. There are differences within these paintings. The way emotion is depicted upon each of the characters faces in every painting is different. What shocked me the most was that the The Pieta depicting the crucifixion showed the least detailed emotion. You see that Mary is grieving and is in sorrow but in the entombment the emotion is really detailed upon the faces of everyone. However, I believe Rembrandts Belshazzar’s feast has most emotional of all three paintings. You can actually see the fear and terror upon their faces. Also, the use lighting is more evident in Rembrandt paintings and his characters look more realistic; whereas in the Pieta the characters are perfect and beautiful when they’re supposed to be mourning the death of their loved one. In comparison to the Entombment the Pieta was the least dramatic and emotional of the two. Through these paintings you can see how the church has influence over the art and how it changes throughout the centuries. You can also see how each painter understands chiaroscuro. For instance, Rembrandt perfected it whereas Annibale merely understood it. While studying this I learned that art styles progress throughout the years, sometimes getting better and sometimes becoming worse.
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