A Book Review of The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

A Book Review of The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn Since it was first published in 1993, The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn has provided reassurance for children dealing with difficult transitions and situations. While the focus of the picture book is on fears about starting school, the reassurance and comfort the book provides can be applied to many different situations. Summary of The Kissing Hand The Kissing Hand is the story of Chester Raccoon, who is terrified to tears at the thought of starting kindergarten and being away from his home, his mother and his usual activities. His mother reassures him about all the good things he will find at school, including new friends, toys, and books. Best of all, she tells Chester that she has a wonderful secret that will make him feel at home at school. Its a secret, passed down to Chesters mother by her mother and to her mother by Chesters great-grandmother. The name of the secret is the Kissing Hand. Chester wants to know more, so his mother shows him the secret of the Kissing Hand. After kissing Chesters palm, his mother tells him, Whenever you feel lonely and need a little loving from home, just press your hand to your chest and think, Mommy loves you. Chester is reassured to know that his mothers love will be with him wherever he goes, even kindergarten. Chester is then inspired to give his mother a kissing hand by kissing her palm, which makes her very happy. He then happily goes off to school. The story is slightly stronger than the illustrations, which while colorful, are not as well executed as they could be. However, kids will find Chester to be appealing in both the story and the illustrations. At the end of the book, there is a page of small red heart-shaped stickers that have the words The Kissing Hand printed on each of them in white. This is a nice touch; teachers and counselors can give out the stickers after reading the story to a class or parents can use one whenever a child needs reassurance. According to her website, Audrey Penn was inspired to write The Kissing Hand as a result of something shed seen and something she did as a result. Shed seen a raccoon kiss the palm of her cub, and then the cub put the kiss on his face. When Penns daughter was scared about starting kindergarten, Penn reassured her with a kiss to the palm of her daughters hand. Her daughter was comforted, knowing the kiss would go with her wherever she went, including school. About the Author, Audrey Penn After her career as a ballerina came to an end when she became ill with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Audrey Penn found a new career as a writer. However, she began writing a journal when she was in the fourth grade and continued writing as she was growing up. Those early writings became the basis for her first book, Happy Apple Told Me, published in 1975. The Kissing Hand, her fourth book, was published in 1993 and has become her most well-known book. Audrey Penn received the Educational Press Association of Americas Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Educational Journalism for The Kissing Hand. Penn has written about 20 books for children. In all, Audrey Penn has written 6 picture books about Chester Raccoon and his mother, each focusing on a different situation that can be difficult for a child to deal with: A Pocket Full of Kisses (a new baby brother), A Kiss Goodbye (moving, going to a new school), Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully (dealing with a bully), Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories (the death of a friend) and Chester the Brave (overcoming fears), She also wrote A Bedtime Kiss for Chester Raccoon, a board book dealing with bedtime fears. As to why she writes about animals, Penn explains, Everyone can identify with an animal. I never have to worry about prejudice or hurting someones feelings if I use an animal instead of a person.   About the Illustrators, Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak Ruth E. Harper, who was born in England, has a background as an art teacher. In addition to illustrating The Kissing Hand along with Nancy M. Leak, Harper illustrated Penns picture book Sassafras. Harper uses a variety of media in her work, including pencil, charcoal, pastel, watercolor, and acrylic. Artist Nancy Leak, who lives in Maryland, is known for her printmaking. Barbara Leonard Gibson is the illustrator of all of Audrey Penns other picture books and board books about Chester Raccoon.   Review and Recommendation The Kissing Hand has provided a lot of comfort for scared children over the years. Many schools will read it to a new kindergarten class to ease their fears. In most cases, children are already familiar with the story and the idea of the kissing hand really resonates with young ones. The Kissing Hand was originally published in 1993 by the Child Welfare League of America. In the foreword to the book, Jean Kennedy Smith, founder of Very Special Arts, writes, The Kissing Hand is a story for any child who confronts a difficult situation, and for the child within each of us who sometimes needs reassurance. This book is perfect for children 3 to 8 years old who need comforting and reassurance. (Tanglewood Press, 2006.) More Recommended Picture Books If you are looking for bedtime stories for young children that are reassuring, Amy Hests Kiss Good Night, illustrated by Anita Jeram, is a good recommendation, as is Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, with illustrations by Clement Hurd. For young children worried about starting school, the following picture books will help ease their fears: First Grade Jitters by Robert Quackenbush, with illustrations by Yan Nascimbene, and Mary Ann Rodmans First Grade Stinks! illustrated by Beth Spiegel. Sources: Audrey Penns website, Tanglewood Press

Understanding the SQ3R Study Strategy

Understanding the SQ3R Study Strategy SQ3R is an  active reading  exercise that is designed to help you get a fuller understanding of your reading materials. You will need to keep a pen and some paper on hand to use this method.  SQ3R stands for: SurveyQuestionReadReciteReview Survey The first step of SQ3R is to survey the chapter.  Survey  means to observe the layout of something and get an idea of how it is constructed.  Skim  over the chapter and observe the titles and subtitles, take a look at the graphics, and make a mental note of the overall layout. The survey of the chapter gives you an idea of what the author considers most important. Once you have surveyed the chapter, you will have a mental framework of the reading assignment. Jot down any words that are in bold or italics. Question First, jot down questions that address the chapter titles and boldface (or italicized) words youve noted. Read Now that you have a framework in your mind, you can begin to read for deeper understanding. Start at the beginning and read the chapter, but stop and write down additional sample test questions for yourself as you go, fill-in-the-blank style. Why do this? Sometimes things make perfect sense as we read, but not so much sense later on, as we try to remember. The questions you form will help the information stick in your head. You may also find that the question you write matches the teacher€™s actual  test questions. Recite When you reach the end of a particular passage or section, quiz yourself on the questions you’ve written. Do you know the material well enough to answer your own questions? It’s a good idea to read and answer aloud to yourself. This can be a great learning strategy for auditory learners. Review For best results, the review step of SQ3R should take place a day after the other steps. Go back to review your questions, and see if you can answer them all easily. If not, go back and review the survey and the reading steps.

Explain the relationship between performance and rewards Essay

Explain the relationship between performance and rewards - Essay Example When I was working at the sales department of Nestle Company I was offered three types of rewards: money, promotion and a vacation. Before these rewards could be offered, the goals of the department were clearly stipulated and aligned to organizational goals. Then we sat with the departmental manager to set individual goals which if achieved, reward would be given. We met periodically with the manager to review our performance and revise the goals if unachievable before performance was evaluated at the end of each year. Those of us who achieved our targets got monetary rewards and this made us to work harder for extra cash. I was also promoted from sales representative to sales manager and this motivated me to worker harder so as to climb up the ladder and achieve self-actualization. A vacation was also welcome to spend time with family away from the stress of work. This made me feel fresh on reporting back to work hence increased morale, job satisfaction and consequently improved pe rformance. If such rewards were not offered, then many employees would not go out of their way to ensure organizational goals are achieved or work beyond the expected performance. This is in line with the expectancy theory of motivation whereby employees expect to be given something in return for their extra effort (Hegar, 2012, p. 12). If they do not expect anything, the likelihood of losing morale is high. The most likely type of rewards to result in improved productivity are intrinsic rewards such as recognition, increased responsibility, challenging work, sense of accomplishment and belonging. These come from inside the person rather than from external source such as money given by a boss hence have more power to motivate (Hegar 2012). An employee is most likely to get used to external rewards hence views them as a norm thus reducing his/her motivation. For intrinsic rewards, an employee is not forced to

How to Be a Successful Investor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How to Be a Successful Investor - Essay Example Market efficiency Eugene Fama in 1970 developed the concept of market efficiency on the basis of EMH (efficient market hypothesis). He suggested that at any given time the prices of stocks are purely dependent on the information present in the stock market regarding stock or overall market (Moyer, McGuigan & Kretlow 2008). He also concluded that no one can efficiently predict the exact future return on any stock because no one has access to the information which is not easily be predicted or available to everyone else (Damodaran 2002). Fama divided efficiency of a market into three levels: Strong-form efficiency Shows that stock price truly reflects all the information available, whether it is public or private. Investors did not get any additional value because it is quite impossible to predict the prices. Even the availability of insider information does not benefit the investor in any way (Moyer, McGuigan & Kretlow 2008). Semi-strong efficiency Movement of asset prices truly refle cts the availability of public information; therefore investor having insider information gets the investing advantage. The investor does not get any stock advantage through any fundamental or technical analysis. Weak form efficiency   Type of efficiency which states that today’s Prices of assets and securities shows the reflection of past prices. Therefore, technical analysis is useless to predict the prices in order to beat the market (Chandra 2008). Efficient market hypothesis (EMH) is also called as Random Walk Theory (Hebner 2006). This theory suggests that the movement or fluctuation of the stock price is a true proposition of all the related information regarding the value of the company that is available in the market. According to this theory, nobody earns profit more than the overall return of the market. In other words, it can be said that depending on the available information everyone earns the same level of return on the investment of stock. There are some cri tics of this theory that are related to fundamental and electrifying issues of finance. For example, why the price of stock change frequently and what are the factors that cause this change. All the stock related information has very important value for both investors as well as financial managers (Cai 2009). The concept of â€Å"Efficient market â€Å"was first developed by Eugene Fama in 1965 and he said that â€Å"in an efficient market, on the average, competition will cause the full effects of new information on intrinsic values to be reflected "instantaneously" in actual prices.† (Arffa 2001) The primary target of all the investors and finance managers is to invest in the stock that outperforms the market and provide more return as compared to other stocks. Similarly, most of the investor selects the securities that are undervalued having expectations that their price will beat the market, and in the end, they get their desired return. All these decisions are based on different valuation techniques of stocks, future expectation and predictions depending on the available information. Effective use of the valuation techniques and prediction enables the investor to get more return on the investment made.

An evaluation of the impact of immigration on Social Cohesion in Essay

An evaluation of the impact of immigration on Social Cohesion in present day Britain - Essay Example Only 8 of the respondents representing 15.38% were dissatisfied with their financial situation while 28 (53.85%) were satisfied and another 4 (7.69%) were very satisfied. Fifteen (28.85%) of the respondent agreed that Britain provides adequate financial assistance to citizens while 16(30.77%) were neutral and 12 (23.17%) disagreed with 11 disagreeing and 1 strongly disagreeing. Nine of the respondents (17.31%) did not know. Nearly half (24 representing 46.15%) of the respondents thought that the number of immigrants in Britain were acceptable. Thirteen (25%) thought there were too many immigrants in Britain, 4 (7.15%) thought the number of immigrants in Britain were too low and 11 (21.15%) had no opinion or did not know. A majority of respondents thought that immigration was good for Britain (4 strongly agreeing [7.84%]; 18 agreeing [35.29%]) while 13 (25.49%) were neutral and 12 (23.53%) disagreed and 1 (1.96%) strongly disagreed. Three (5.88%) did not know. From the respondents’ perspective, immigration, social issues and education were the main issues effecting Britain today. However there were 13 items that the respondents were able to choose from and there were nearly evenly divided (See Figure 1 below). A majority of the respondents had neutral attitudes toward immigration (21 representing 44.46%) and 20 representing 44.44% had positive attitudes. Only 2 of the respondents (4.44%) and another 2 were negative or did not know. A majority of the respondents (2 [4.44%] strongly agreeing; 26 [57.785] agreeing) that the UK was land of economic opportunity). Seven (15.56%) were neutral, while 9 (20%) disagreed and 1 (2.22%) strongly disagreed. The results of the survey demonstrate that there is a significant shift on the public’s attitudes toward immigration. Previously, national polls had progressively demonstrated a negative attitude

Impact of the Nigerian Business Environment on Shell

Impact of the Nigerian Business Environment on Shell ABSTRACT Since the advent of crude oil production half a century ago in Nigeria, other parts of the productive economy such as agriculture and manufacturing have been neglected by the government and also the countrys poor and shambolic infrastructure has made doing business too costly for investors. There is a major exodus of Manufacturing companies from Nigeria presently as the rising cost of running their business is eating deeply into their profits for example Michelin, closed its operations in Nigeria two years ago citing the high cost of production, while chocolate maker, Cadbury has found it cheaper to move production to neighbouring country (like Ghana) and re-import its goods. Cheaper imports from China have closed a high percentage of factories in Nigerias once-thriving textile industry. Investors who bought equipment with foreign exchange component said they now need more naira to pay for their loans. They linked what is happening to their investment now to the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) or pre-SFEM days when importers suddenly had huge accumulated debts resulting from the adjustment of the exchange rate, over dependant on foreign goods, and high level of corrupt within the system. The micro and macro economic factors impacting on the running costs of manufacturing and production companies doing business in Nigeria makes it difficult for continued business activities in Nigeria by expatriate companies unless they are really making profit or they have a business that do not depend largely on the infrastructural amenities in Nigeria or can build a mini city that generates and produces its own power and other resources necessary to run its business such as Royal Dutch Shell. This report looks at the impact of the Nigerian business environment on Shell Plc and analysed the risks involved with macro-environmental factors. The report also analysed the strengths and weakness of shell Plc and strategies employed to take advantage of its strengths and opportunities in dealing with the various challenges they face. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.0 NIGERIA The Federal Republic of Nigeria comprises thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory (Abuja). The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the south. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba (see appendix, fig 1). Nigeria has a population of almost 148 million and is the most populous African country and the 9th most populated country in the world. It has about 400 Languages (Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo Etc) and its official Language Is English but its Lingua Franca in the North Is Hausa, Yoruba in the West, Ibo in the East and Pidgin English in the South. The Nigerian currency is Naira and Kobo (see appendix, fig 2). Nigeria has a dual economy with a modern segment dependent on oil earnings, overlaid by a traditional agricultural and trading economy. At independence in 1960, agriculture accounted for well over half of GDP, and was the main source of export earnings and public revenue. The oil sector, which emerged in the 1960s and was firmly established during the 1970s now making Nigeria the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and 8th largest exporter is now of overwhelming importance to the point of over-dependence: it provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. Competition between ethnic and regional groups for power and access to the countrys oil wealth has been at the root of politics in Nigeria. The per capita income of Nigeria is $2,300 as at 2008 base on the reports from the World Fact book. Nigeria is governed by a democratic government but not politically stable because Nigeria is a country of extremes. Great wealth and great poverty sit cheek by jowl, and tensions between different communities can boil over into civil strife especially in the delta region. While a few parts of the country remain problematic, the vast majority is as warm and welcoming to visitors as anywhere. The country have an image problem as corruption seems to be the order of the day, also email scams (419) has become known as a lot of innocent yet greedy people have been a prey to this scam. Conducting business in Nigeria is characterized with so many factors and this report will critically analyze the business environmental factors, degree of risk involved and the advantages of operating in such an environment (Nigeria). 1.1 ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC The Royal Dutch Shell Plc is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies founded by Alfred Donovan, was formed in February 1907 with the amalgamation of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company (legal name in Dutch, N.V. Koninklijke, Nederlandsche Petroleum Maatschappij) and the Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd of the United Kingdom, a move largely driven by the need to compete globally with the then predominant US petroleum company, John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil in the ratio of 60:40. Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) is engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, transportation and marketing of natural gas and electricity, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals. The company also has interests in renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar; and hydrogen. The company has extensive operations in more than 140 countries around the world. Its headquartered is in The Hague, the Netherlands and employs more than 300,000 people across the globe. The company recorded revenues of $318,845 million during the fiscal year ended December 2006, an increase of 3.9% over 2005. The operating profit of the company was $45,777 million during fiscal year 2006, an increase of 0.3% over 2005. The net profit was $26,311 million in fiscal year 2006, an increase of 0.2% over 2005. The current supplies earnings for year 2008 were $31.4 billion compared to $27.6 billion for year 2007 with an increase of 13.7%. 1.2 Management The Non executive chairman of Shell is Jorma Ollila, former Chairman and CEO of Nokia, he was appointed on the 1 June 2006. Ollila is the first Shell Chairman to be neither Dutch nor British. Other non-executive directors include Maarten van den Bergh, Wim Kok, Nina Henderson, Lord Kerr, Adelbert van Roxe, and Christine Morin-Postel. Jeroen van der Veer is the present CEO of Shell. 1.3 Shell Plc in Nigeria Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) started onshore operations in Nigeria since 1958 as part of a consortium led by NNPC (The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) with 55 percent and including Shell (30 percent), Elf (10 percent) and Agip (5 percent). SPDCs operations concentrate in the Niger Delta and offshore shallows nearby, where it holds oil mining leases covering an area of 31,000 km2. There, it has installed more than 6,000 km of pipelines and flow lines, 87 flow stations, eight gas plants and more than 1,000 producing wells. In 1997, SPDC produced 899,000 barrels per day from this system (about 40 percent of Nigerias OPEC crude oil quota). The SPDC workforce stands at more than 10,000 people of whom 4,500 are employees; the remainder work for contractors and of total workers, 98 percent are Nigerians (see appendix, fig 3 for Niger delta oil field in Nigeria). Shell also has three other companies which are NLNG (Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas) a gas company to produce Liquefied Natural gas and natural gas liquids for export. Shell is in joint venture with Nigeria with a 25.6% interest in NLNG (Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas) together with NNPC (49%) while SNEPCO (Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company) and SNG (Shell Nigeria Gas) are both 100% owned by Shell. SNEPCO comprise Shell Plc, Total, Exxon Mobil, and Chevron Corporation. CHAPTER TWO 2.0 SHELL PLC AND OIL INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA 2.1 Oil and Gas The Oil and Gas Industry has played a major role globally. It has always been a central global player in international development and geopolitics and because of the critical importance of hydrocarbon based energy as the engine of rapid industrial growth in modern economy, either capitalist or communist. Due to the intrinsic dependence of this centurys growth model on access to ever-greater reserves, the industry has had to deal with increasing complexity in its relations with developing countries and environments. This in turn has led to increased cost of operations to match the growth models demands (Meadows et al, 1972; Nordhaus, 1973). WCED (1987) agreed that since 1970s, continued hydrocarbon-based Growth model is only justifiable if profits are ploughed into technological advances that would ensure a timely and less painful transition to alternative energy. 2.2 Challenges Faced By Shell Plc in Nigeria Since Shell started producing Oil in Nigeria, it has faced a lot of challenges in dealing with the government, micro and macro economics factors in Nigeria and most especially the communities, as Shell production led to oil spillage, gas leakage and so many more. It has affected the soil and water which is the main source of earnings for people in the Niger delta, as the agriculture and fishing has almost become impossible which is source of living for the people. This has raised a lot of community clashes with Shell so much so that their operations in Nigeria has been globally criticised and has also affected the image of company. In 1995, the company faced two major challenges; firstly, the Greenpeace occupied its Brent Spar platform in the North Sea to prevent its being decommissioned by sinking. Secondly, the Nigerian government executed Ogoni human rights activists: Ken Saro Wiwa, the head of the MOSOP (Movement for the survival of Ogoni people) a campaigning organization representing the ogoni people in their struggle for ethnic and environmental rights and eight others, this problem led to boycotts, public outcry and violence against the company. The crises arose soon after Shell began to review its societal relations, and further catalyzed internal support for transformation. Unfortunately, they occurred at a moment when the company was casting about for ways to avoid exactly such crises, leading Shell officials to heed those who internally promoted a new approach. CHAPTER THREE 3.0 ANALYSIS OF NIGERIAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS For management of Shell Plc to apply effective Strategy that will work at international level and which will also reflect the Companys Vision, Mission, and Objectives, they need to understand the international business environment (both internal and external environment) of the host country (Niger delta, Nigeria). A good international strategic planner must recognise all relevant factors within the environment before pushing it through the process of analysing, decisions making and actions taking. Putting the relevant factors into consideration and testing them will help to create sustainable competitive advantages over other competitors. After critical analysis of the international business environment by the team of strategic planners for Shell Plc regarding Nigeria Oil Industry, decision needs to be taken to determine the mode of operation that should be employed by the company in order to compete effectively and efficiently within the oil industry of the host country. Decisions are of no use unless they have been implemented (acted on and monitored); Shell Plc needs competent strategists that will utilize the available resources effectively to bring the intended operations and strategies to reality. Shell Plc has been in Oil business since 1886 and operates around the world. The company has been able to maintain good name (goodwill), good customers loyalty, and strong customer database. The company construct meaningful strategic planning for Nigeria business environment before/after operating in the country, while the strategy is monitored and reviewed quarterly to reflect the companys true vision, mission, and objectives. 3.1 SWOT ANALYSIS The Strengths of Royal Dutch in Nigeria includes SPDC (Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria) is the Oldest Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria. It was the first company to begin the production of Oil and Gas in Nigeria as a result, the company was able to monopolise the Oil Sector in Nigeria for a long period and established herself as a for-runner with a higher percentage than any competitors in the market. SPDC has a long standing name as one of the biggest Oil and Gas Company in the world as such it has the necessary equipment and money to invest in exploration of oil in Nigeria. Shell has been in business for over a century and they came to Nigeria with wealth of experience, technology, innovation and machinery. Shell operates autonomy of Shell Companies in a decentralized structure allowing Shell Offices in different countries to deal with the regulations, culture and behaviour of the communities in the best suitable way to meet their needs and concern. The Weaknesses of Shell Plc in Nigeria are: Shell faces the challenges that most companies encountered when they come into other countries as they have to learn the new rules, regulations and behaviours of the country and this can be a weakness from the start. Shell was not prepared for the challenge of dealing with the expense of ameliorating socio-environmental concerns which escalated and caused a lot of criticism internally and damaged the image of the company globally. The Opportunities of Shell Plc in Nigeria are: Nigeria was a virgin ground and shell Plc had the opportunity of being the first oil and gas to start production of oil and since then more and more oil fields were been discovered in Nigeria which has led to continuous production and increased production and business for the company. Shell had the opportunity for developing new business ideas as Nigeria gave them the licence to do that which led to joint venture between Shell Plc and Nigerian government, then the discovery of Natural gas led to LNG (another Joint venture) with Nigerian government and other opportunities opened up and shell now has SNEPCO and SNG, wholly owned. Also, Shell has the financial background to go into deep water exploration that led to new discoveries and new business expansion. The Threats of operating in Nigeria are: Fear of persistent interruption in their operations or damages to their properties and machineries by the militants in the delta region from which they conduct the drilling. Oil Gas extraction will someday reach a limit point but technical improvements in seismic exploration and extraction efficiencies have ensured continuing growth in reserves at the resource frontier. Growth of alternative sources of energy particularly renewable such as biomass and solar might changed their modus operandi. Continuing criticism on their image globally will increase costs spend on company and brand image. The new oil reform bill that would allow the Nigeria to retake acreage that has not yet been explored by their owners. Fear of new players into the oil sector from China and Brazil that will break its dominance in Nigerian oil and gas sector. It may be the target for other competitors. 3.2 PEST ANALYSIS AND RISK ASSESSMENT If organisation is able to know that only one thing that constant in this world is change, it would be able to make plan for emergent situations by understanding its business environment. It is very important for any organisation that intends to operate in Nigeria business environment to conduct environmental analysis before and after starting a business. In fact, continuous process should be applied to all aspects of planning because Nigeria business environment is not predictable despite its attractiveness. The companys strategic planners must be able to identify its marketing environment that is made up of the following: The internal environment is the staff (or internal customers- hired contractors), office technology, finance, wages etc. The microenvironment is the organisational external customers, suppliers, distributors, other competitors etc. Company with strong internal forces can still set up strategies to dictate the mode of its operations. The macro-environment cannot be control but company can set up strategies that will help in adapting to the business environment, which is known as PEST FACTORS- Political Factors (and Legal), Economic Factors, Socio-cultural Factors, and Technological Factors (see appendix, fig 4). 3.2.1 POLITICAL/ LEGAL FACTORS political/legal factors influences the environmental regulations which participants in the oil industry must comply with. As with many factors in the general environment, changes that benefit one industry may damage others. For example, on the political front, government legislation can affect oil production by increasing the leasing charges on oilfield and then charge taxes per barrel produced. In a broader view, the following constitutes the numerous political and legal issues to be considered in any business environment: Political stability Risk of military invasion Legal framework for air pollution Intellectual property protection Industrial safety regulations Anti-trust laws Pricing regulation Taxation and incentives Wages legislation Hours work per week Mandatory employee benefits RISK ASSESSMENT ON POLITICAL/LEGAL FACTORS Nigerian political/legal history was characterised by military intervention, civil war, ethnic sentiments, and marginalisation. The country has a bad record in democratic set up and abuse of human right practices. The high level of corruption and political instability did not allow the rule of law to reflect in the society and also, the problem of instability in government policy due to lack of continuity in governance. Shell Plc assessed Nigerian business environment and capitalised on the corruption practices of the people. The company involvement in the execution of environmental activist (Ken Saro-wiwa) and eight Ogoni people that protested against the company reckless operations on their farm lands (in Niger Delta) cannot be dismissed. The political/legal factors do not possess any risk to Shell Plc if it knows is way. It is not necessary also for the company to follow all the legislations laid down for the Oil Industry. Legislations on industrial safety, air pollution control, wages, maximum hours work, mandatory employee benefits etc were not observed by the company. 3.2.2 ECONOMIC FACTORS the economy has an impact in all industries, from suppliers of raw materials to manufacturers of finished goods and services as well as all organisation in the service, wholesale, retail, government and non-profit sectors of economies. Key economic indicators include the following: Interest rates Unemployment rate Type of economic system in countries of operation Government intervention in the free market Comparative advantages of host country Exchange rates and stability of host country currency Efficiency of financial markets Workforce and labour cost Business cycle stage (e.g. prosperity, recession and recovery) RISK ASSESSMENT ON ECONOMIC FACTORS Nigeria operates mixed economy system which helps Shell Plc to manipulate the system because of government intervention in the economy. The interest rate does not pose any threat to Shell Plc because it did not take loans from any Nigerian banks. The companys bankers (the foreign banks) finance and support all their financial activities which favour Shell Plc because of devaluation in Nigerian currency. The major economic risk assessment to Shell Plc operating in Nigeria is increase in unemployment rate (especially in Niger Delta) due to exploitation of crude oil in that area that leads to job lost. The effect of this action has turned thousand of youths into militant groups that kidnapped foreign workers employed the company in exchange for money while some stole extracted oil from Shell. Despite the problem encountered from the militants, the company still operate in Nigeria because of prosperity attached to Oil Industry in Nigeria. 3.2.3 SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS -socio-cultural forces influence the values, believes, and lifestyles of a society. Examples include a higher percentage of women in civil service and more men engineering related jobs, holidaymaker, dual-income families, night out orientation, increases in the number of temporary workers, greater concern for healthy diets and physical fitness, greater interest in the environment, and postponement of having children. Some of these factors affect Oil Industry in Nigeria. RISK ASSESSMENT ON SOCIAL-CULTURAL FACTORS The risks that associate with Social-Cultural factors are many especial to the indigene of Niger Delta where eighty percent of the population are illiterate and have strong believed in their local tradition. Most of the indigene want to work for Shell Plc as a security officer or domestic assistant but their level of literacy does not matched the companys requirement. Shell Plc has employed some of the indigene on temporary basis and gives them opportunity to integrate within the system. The company give out scholarship to the indigene of Niger Delta to increase their level of literacy and give them sound orientations that meet the companys standard in order to tackle some of the problems associated with these factors. 3.2.4 TECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS development in technology leads to new products and services and improve how they are produced and delivered to the customers. Innovations can create entire new industries and alter boundaries of existing industries. Issues to be considered in technological analysis include the following: Recent technological development Technologys impact on product offering Impact on cost of production Impact on value chain structure Rate of technological diffusion RISK ASSESSMENT ON TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS The only major risk on technological factors is problem of electricity power supply which can hinder technological advancement. This problem has been taken care for by using Power Generator to support the power system but add to the cost of production. There are no standard infrastructural facilities in place when Shell Plc moved to Nigeria but the government is now committed to modern technological development. Shell Plc imports most of its equipment with foreign expertise that operate it and then arranged with the expertise to train home workers. This process improves technological adoption and diffusion which also reduce the cost of production in long run. The company have used different methods to attract young talented graduates (in all disciplines but priority to engineering students) and trained them to become an expert. The number of Macro- environmental factors is virtually unlimited. In practice, the oil producers must prioritise and monitor those factors that influence the industry. It may be difficult to forecast future trends of any international business environment base on the macro-environmental factors with an accurate level of acceptability because of its complexity. 3.3 STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY SHELL PLC FOR DEALING WITH CHALLENGES Shell Plc used corporate alliance strategy to shed off threats from competitors and to maintain its dominant position. The company operates joint venture with Nigerian government (NNPC) and also in partnership with Total, Chevron Corporation, and Exxon Mobil Corporation to form Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO). The company was also in partnership with Globacom (a Nigerian telecommunication company) to create employment impact that will enhance the companys operations (Shell Plc) in Nigeria. Their strategy involved helping communities to leverage income and improve their quality of life in conventional ways, such as creating jobs and assisting to defray costs of social overheads such as roads, schools and hospitals. The company set up a committee that look into complain by the farmer(s). The committee assessed complains and compensate appropriate to their loss. The company also support the government initiative on amnesty by giving support to militants that submit their gun(s). The company want to support training or education of militants that surrendered their ammunition for to better life (see appendix, fig 6 for the images of militants surrendered their guns). The company is using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to build its image locally and globally to show more concern on corporate governance and sustainable development. The CSR campaign by Shell Plc is to accelerate developmental and employment-generating opportunities across the Nation but especial Niger delta. Two special partnerships have been entered into by the company with USAID (United States Agency for International Development)- a 5 year worth $20 million agreement to develop Nigerian capacity in agriculture, health and business enterprise; and with Africare- a 3 year worth $4.5 million partnership that focus on reducing deaths from malaria. Security strategy was used to crush the militants through cooperation between Shell and State Security Forces but proved ultimately counterproductive as youth militancy increased and the security deteriorated across the wider Delta. The militants target (kidnap) the foreign workers and key officers in Shell Plc in exchange for money (compensation) which nearly put an end to Shell operations in that region (see appendix, fig 5 for images of workers kidnapped). The company outlined a new approach of CSR and community engagement which aimed to build a security-development nexus in partnership with local people. This approach has worked well for the company but now it has led to uncivil tensions along gendered and ethnic lines which undermine the prospect of a long term solution. 3.4 NIGERIAN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE- Porters Diamond Model SWOT analysis was used to determine the advantages, the level of attractiveness and risk involved in Nigerian business environment in line with the macro environmental factors for Shell Plc to operate in Nigeria (especially in Oil Gas Sector). Despite the problems and criticism encountered by Shell Plc, the company still operate and increase investment in Nigerian Oil and Gas Sector, and also extend partnership across the sector because of Nigerian comparative advantage. The Nigerian business environment possesses most of the qualities and characteristics that determine national competitive advantage as stated by Michael Porter in his theory (see appendix, fig 7 for porters diamond model). He identifies four sets of conditions that are essential in determining country competitive advantage: Factor conditions- human, knowledge, physical, technological and capital resources. Demand conditions- quality and quantity of home demand, demand that internationalised the domestic market will stimulate innovation faster in the domestic market. Related and supporting industries- availability of aid to trade (banking, insurance, transportation, warehouse and telecommunication). Firm strategy, structure and rivalry- local rivals and strategy that works with business environment. There are two other factors that can play an important role for any company to fully enjoy competitive advantage of any nation: chance (war, politics, financial movement and serendipity) and government (government policies, subsidies, training/education, and effective capital market). We have discussed most of these factors in our SWOT analysis and PEST analysis on Shell Plc. CHAPTER FOUR CONCLUSION What is Shell Plc comparative advantage in economic reform, competitiveness and economic governance when viewed in the light of activities initiated by other bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, and the Government of Nigeria? Shell Plcs broad comparative advantages are in government institutional strengthening and promoting private sector-led growth. Shell Plc has the most impact when it targets its activities in these areas at operational levels, where they can have sustainable effects, rather than at broad consensus-building (except in public awareness activities). In a vast bureaucratic environment like Nigerias, support must be highly selective, focusing on agencies and institutions in key leverage positions. These activities will complement the comparative advantages of other donors (who are operating at different sector but in partnership with Shell plc like Globacom and USAID). Globacom will continue to focus on telecommunication, and its technical and operational activities in the technology area can coordinate with Shell Plc. The USAIDs comparative advantage is in developing and implementing programs that actually address agriculture, health and business development. Shell Plcs CSR campaigns and partnership with international body (like Africare and USAID) will go a long way to redeem the image of the company internationally and also help to maximise their competitive advantage over others (like BP- British Petroleum). Their support to Nigerian government amnesty to educate and employ militants that surrendered their guns will reduce the number of youth that join militant group to survive. It is very important to be realistic about the strengths and weaknesses of any organisation when using SWOT analysis; it is of most important to identify the organisational current strengths and weaknesses then future chances. The macro environmental factors need to be mirrored with the organisational competitive advantage. Continuing evaluation of organisation strategy will help to check how effective they are in practice and then helps to inform of future environmental challenges. References Best, M. (1990) the New Competition: Institutions of Industrial Restructuring. Harvard University Press, Cambridge Dabbs and Bateson (1998), corporate impact of addressing social issues in projects of the developing world, Pro-Natural. Lima, Peru Davis, J (1998), a Commitment to Sustainable Development, WBCSD, London. Elkington, J (1998) Contributing to Society, a personal view. In Shell International, Ltd. Profits and Principles: does there have to be a choice? London. pp. 46-47. Environmental Resources Management (ERM), 1996, Camisea: Increasing Social Capital. London, May Faulds, E, F. Morrison and A. Wilkinson Shell, UK (1998) Engineering in a Show Me Frynas, Jedzrej George Oil in Nigeria: conflict and Litigation between Oil Companies and Village Communities Hamburg Lit 2000 Hastings, M, Corporate Incentives and environmental decision making: A case study and workshop report Centre for Global Studies, September 1999 Marketing Teacher (2008), Analysing the Environment- Five Forces Analysis retrieved on 08, December 2009 www.marketingteacher.com The World Fact Book (2009), Country with top per capita income retrieved on 03, December 2009 Wade, B.N

The Importance of History :: World History

The Importance of History Can anything worthwhile be gained from continued research into historical events? History seen as study of the past is an integral part of many education systems across the world. Many countries spend huge amounts of money and resources to uncover their past. Every year new and new historical sites are uncovered, excavations on those sites are conducted and the result are studied by archeologists throughout the world. But have we gained anything worthwhile from research into the past? The answer seems clear: Yes, we have. The Study of history especially into historical battles and wars is beneficial when not vital for the evolution of warfare in the modern world. Military strategists continually study wars such as the World Wars, the Napoleonic Conflicts and many modern wars. Tactics and strategies are analyzed and continuously refined, so as to improve their effectiveness and efficacy in future conflicts, without historical study into conflicts, advanced warfare tactics prevalent today would never have evolved from those primitive tactics man used to use in wars. Many countries nowadays are trying to acquire Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), as history has convincingly displayed their awesome destructive power, and their potential to deter aggressions and conflicts thrust upon on a country, like the Cold war remained 'cold' because both countries had WMD and were aware of the consequences if they were used. Another example were historical research is vital is the judicial system. History sets precedents of judicial cases, which are studied by judges to before they make decision in similar cases themselves. The effectiveness of certain punishments for offences is also evaluated through history. Thus we study history in order to learn from it, improve our past experiences and avoid repeating past mistakes. However this is not always the case. When World war one broke out in Europe, The Empires of Germany, Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman, were fighting against the axis France, Britain, and Italy. The result of this conflict was total destruction for all of Europe. However just after 20 years, the same nations were getting closer to another military confrontation. Yet again the same nations were allowing Germany to rise militarily, yet again they failed to act soon enough, and yet again they found themselves in another conflict. Yet again the conflict brought total destruction for Europe. What went wrong here, why didn't the study of history prevent a cataclysm in Europe when just one had happened 2 or 3 decades ago?

Assess the Sociological Explanations of the Role of Culture

Assess the sociological explanations of the role of culture in contemporary society Culture is the behaviour, beliefs and characteristics of a particular group of people. Age groups, ethnic groups and social groups etc†¦ are all examples of groups of people that possess their own unique culture. The people within a culture are expected to follow the norms and values that are passed down through generation to generation. Over the past 30 years, different cultures have gradually intermingled due to an increasing number people immigrating to different countries, which each bring their own cultures, be it religious or pop culture etc†¦ This is particular visible in many western countries such as Britain, Canada and the United States, as there is a much higher level of ethnic diversity. The amalgamation of different cultures has also shaped people’s views on things like sexuality, gender roles and age roles etc†¦ Functionalists believe that culture benefits the whole of society. They believe that if everyone in society shares the same beliefs and ideas, i. e. a value consensus is reached, and then society as a whole can be kept in a civilised manner. They also believe that socialisation is a key factor, to shaping culture and society.Primary socialisation is taught by parents who teach children what they expect of them. It also develops their own personal characteristics, beliefs and values, which are largely influenced by their parents and family. Secondary socialisation is taught mainly by teachers in schools. Teenagers and young adults learn what is expected of them in larger society, outside of their home (e. g. what is acceptable and not acceptable based on age or gender etc†¦). Tertiary socialization occurs when individuals are integrated into the world and being to gain new ideas and values of socialization.Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist during the late 19th century and early 20th century, believed that culture is collectively formed and only exists collectively, meaning that culture can only be developed by a group of people and not by an individual. He believed that culture has many relationships with society, including a logical relationship (the idea that power over individuals belongs to certain cultural categories, and beliefs such as God), a functional relationship (the idea that culture creates common beliefs amongst individuals in society, strengthening social order). However, the unctionalist explanations are based on a more traditional society. They are outdated as some ideas do fit todays multi-cultural society. The classical Marxist theory culture as a way of expressing a ruling class ideology. This is where the bourgeoisie control the superstructure of society, the proletariats (working class) creating a false class consciousness, which further creates a false description of reality and the relationships between them and the proletariats. They also believe that culture reinforces the class structure. This means that culture is a way of maintaining the ideas of what each class can achieve.For example, the classical Marxist theory believes that in society, the rich population will always achieve higher than the poorer population, as they can afford to carry on their education to the highest level, whilst the poorer population are sifted out of the educational system at the earliest possible stage. The classical Marxist theory does not take into account the times when the working class rejects their control under the ruling class. This can be in the form of riots, strikes or even a group of people, who are in their own subculture who share the same beliefs about the relationship between the working class and the ruling class (e. . skin heads, punks). Neo-Marxist believes that the working class are being distracted from revolting against the ruling class. One of the most widely adopted forms of neo Marxism is the Frankfurt school. Two of its key members, Theodor Adorno an d Max Horkheimer, came up with the theory of â€Å"the culture industry†. This is the idea that popular culture is like a factory that produces standardized cultural goods (e. g. film, radio, magazines) that are used to manipulate mass society into being content, no matter how poor the quality of their lives are.They believe that mass culture encourages the working class to buy things that are false needs, which leads to a commodity fetishism. This is when capitalism affects the way people interact with each other based on the economic class the belong to. For example, under capitalism, everything that can be exchanged becomes a commodity. Things like labour can become a commodity, by selling your labour to an employer you are commoditizing yourself, and that defines the kind of relationship you and your employer will have.Overall, the neo Marxist theory sees that the population are passive victims of mass culture, who are distracted from the realisation of the quality of the ir lives. Neo-Marxists at the Birmingham University adopted Gramsci’s idea of cultural hegemony. This was an idea thought up by the Italian Marxist Antonia Gramsci, that capitalism would have to face and tolerate oppositional cultures. These are usually sub cultures, particularly within youth culture, that stand against capitalist values.Stuart hall gave the example of the skinhead as an oppositional culture, as he argued that they do not follow the norms and values set in place by capitalism, and resist capitalist views. This theory however is highly theoretical and lacks primary data. Feminists believe that culture is dominated by male ideas. They believe that men control women to serve their own interests, and that women are seen as â€Å"second class citizens†. The idea that females from an early age, are brought up being brainwashed by culture and society into thinking that women cannot strive to achieve high goals like men can.This is visible in the mass media. F or example, in many soap operas and sitcoms, women are portrayed as home makers, cleaners or secretaries, whilst men a portrayed as having high powered jobs. In the 1950’s, all advertisements for thing like kitchen appliances or cleaning products where women orientated, and many T. V commercials for these often saw the male as the breadwinner, returning home from work to his wife. However, this theory is becoming outdated as women in contemporary society are given the same opportunities as men.For example, women now have equal job opportunities as mean, as many of them are entering previously male dominated occupations. The interpretive, interactionist approach or the action theory as it’s more commonly known, is the idea that culture is made up of every bodies individual actions in society. It believes that people’s views and explanations of culture are moulded by the social groups in which they belong to. These interpretations of culture by individuals in soci ety come together to form what is known as the actionist theory. This theory however does not take into account shared beliefs or a value consensus.It also conflicts with the idea that culture cannot be formed by an individual, and can only be formed when there is a group of people. Semiotic culture attempts to define culture as types of symbolic human activity, creation of signs and a way of giving meaning to everything around. In this idea, culture is understood as a system of meaningful symbols, signs words and images. This approach can be adopted by any theorist (e. g. Marxist, feminist) no matter where they stand on the sociological spectrum. Post modernists theories of culture are based around the idea that society is adopting new cultures all the time.This is what is known as cultural diversity. Post-modernists believe that individuals are free to choose and design their own culture and identities. They also may pick up a hybrid culture, which is a mixture of different cultur es that is usually found in countries where there is a large culture diversity. Overall, I think that most of the theories have valid plausibility and evidence, especially Horkeimer’s and Adorno’s neo_marxist theory. However, Theory I find most plausible is the functionalist theory. I find that it has the most supportive evidence out of all the theories.

Free Essays on Typical Americans

DIALECT (TYPICAL AMERICANS) Dialects in this novel generate serious amount of emotion for readers who know Chinese culture well. Gish Jen ¡Ã‚ ¦s technique of translating Chinese dialogue with increasing amounts of English language thrown in, helps to put us in Helen and Ralph' minds as they journey between languages, cultures, and ways of thinking. The dialects have gained insight for non-Chinese and acquaintance of Chinese. For instance, in China, a person ¡Ã‚ ¦s character is believed written on face and palms. That is why humans are born with unique appearances and fingerprints. Those experts who read one ¡Ã‚ ¦s character and fate by looking at their hands are called sheng xi. On the other hand, feng shui, literally means wind and water. It is an ancient Chinese study of the natural environment. Feng shui can determine the best or most favorable location for anyone and assist that person to avoid their worst or least desirable location in any environment. Throughout ancient China, classical feng shui was a closely guarded discipline used as a tool to ensure the good health, wealth, and power of the imperial dynasties.  ¡Ã‚ §Ralph and Helen joked about hiring a feng shui expert to determine a propitious day for the grand opening. ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Pg. 237) Only Chinese expression can bring out the ideas of the traditional Chinese knowledge.  ¡Ã‚ §Do you know that saying, about a wife ¡Ã‚ ¦s ankle? Being tied to her husband ¡Ã‚ ¦s? ¡Ã‚ ¨ (pg.65) Helen is talking about an old Chinese myth about  ¡Ã‚ §red strings ¡Ã‚ ¨. Once upon a time, there was an old man called Moon Old living on Moon. Moon Old is one of the gods in Chinese myths. His red strings determine love. By tying his red strings between the ankles of two persons, their destinies become intertwined as well; the effect is that they will be repeatedly meeting each other wherever they may travel. The string will never vanish after the connection is made. Nothi... Free Essays on Typical Americans Free Essays on Typical Americans DIALECT (TYPICAL AMERICANS) Dialects in this novel generate serious amount of emotion for readers who know Chinese culture well. Gish Jen ¡Ã‚ ¦s technique of translating Chinese dialogue with increasing amounts of English language thrown in, helps to put us in Helen and Ralph' minds as they journey between languages, cultures, and ways of thinking. The dialects have gained insight for non-Chinese and acquaintance of Chinese. For instance, in China, a person ¡Ã‚ ¦s character is believed written on face and palms. That is why humans are born with unique appearances and fingerprints. Those experts who read one ¡Ã‚ ¦s character and fate by looking at their hands are called sheng xi. On the other hand, feng shui, literally means wind and water. It is an ancient Chinese study of the natural environment. Feng shui can determine the best or most favorable location for anyone and assist that person to avoid their worst or least desirable location in any environment. Throughout ancient China, classical feng shui was a closely guarded discipline used as a tool to ensure the good health, wealth, and power of the imperial dynasties.  ¡Ã‚ §Ralph and Helen joked about hiring a feng shui expert to determine a propitious day for the grand opening. ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Pg. 237) Only Chinese expression can bring out the ideas of the traditional Chinese knowledge.  ¡Ã‚ §Do you know that saying, about a wife ¡Ã‚ ¦s ankle? Being tied to her husband ¡Ã‚ ¦s? ¡Ã‚ ¨ (pg.65) Helen is talking about an old Chinese myth about  ¡Ã‚ §red strings ¡Ã‚ ¨. Once upon a time, there was an old man called Moon Old living on Moon. Moon Old is one of the gods in Chinese myths. His red strings determine love. By tying his red strings between the ankles of two persons, their destinies become intertwined as well; the effect is that they will be repeatedly meeting each other wherever they may travel. The string will never vanish after the connection is made. Nothi...

Free Essays on Inherit The Wind

In 1955, Laurence and Lee wrote Inherit the Wind to emphasize Conflicts that arose during the Scopes Trial and the McCarthy era. They illustrated these themes/conflicts by manipulating the events of the Scopes trial and creating characters that effectively convey the themes. Although the Scopes trial already on its own conveys conflicts suck as: Science Vs. Faith but Laurence and Lee manipulated the story to convey an even bigger theme of Acceptance vs. Fundamentalism. In Dayton where the actual Scopes trial took place the towns people where slightly different from what the authors had made them, for example a quote from an article says, â€Å"The people of Dayton were portrayed as charming, friendly, polite, and open-minded, and the atmosphere throughout the trial was festive and circus-like.† In contrast to what is says above, the towns people of Hillsboro were the exact opposite of what the article says on the citizens of Dayton. They are narrow minded and inscrutable in their actions. By manipulating the plot of the Scopes trial this way, the playwrights emphasize the fact that people are would benefit from being more accepting of other cultures, rather than have strict fundamentalism values. The consequences of not being accepting are r ecognized at the end when all said is done and the town of Hillsboro looks like a joke to the rest of the world. Not only the towns people portrayed fundamentalist values, but Laurence and Lee chose to give the towns priest, Reverend Brown, strict fundamentalist values as well. This is shown in Act Two, Scene One, when Brown is preaching during the meeting where he says, â€Å"Lord we call down the same curse on these who ask grace on this sin though they be blood of my blood and flesh of my flesh.†(Pg #66, Lee, Laurence) Here we see the Reverend basically stating his beliefs are so strong that he is willing to wish an eternity of hell upon his own daughter. Furthermore, from the precedin... Free Essays on Inherit The Wind Free Essays on Inherit The Wind Inherit the Wind SUMMARY Inherit the Wind, published by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, is a dramatized account of an actualized trial called the Scopes â€Å"Monkey Trial†. The play takes place during the hot July summer, in a small town named Hillsboro. In the first act, the major characters are introduced. Bertram Cates, a schoolteacher in Hillsboro, has taught his kids about Charles Darwin’s Origins of the Species even though it’s against the law to teach evolution in the state. Being the Fundamentalist town that it is, the people of Hillsboro have decided to prosecute Cates who believes that evolution is the truth. Matthew Harrison Brady, a politician and lawyer, comes into town to prosecute for the state against Cates. He is well respected and even honored with a parade and picnic when he arrives in Hillsboro. E.K. Hornbeck, a reporter for the Baltimore Herald comes into town to cover the Cates trial. He feels that the people are backwards and even make fun of the town calling it â€Å"†¦Heavenly Hillsboro. The buckle on the Bible belt†(13). Henry Drummond, the defense attorney for Cates and also a former friend of Brady, comes into town unwanted and unwelcomed. He is described as â€Å"A vicious, godless man!†(24). And is personified as the Devil himself. All the people of Hillsboro give their support to Brady and ignore Drummond. Cates seems to be abandoned by those that knew him and is treated badly. He remains in a cell while he awaits his trial. Throughout the trial, Brady constantly objects Drummond when he calls for his witnesses and sustained by the judge. Brady holds a standing ground until Drummond calls him to the stand and makes a fool out of him. At the end, Cates is found guilty and is only fined $100. The defense team loses the case but gains a respect from the people. Brady dies later on that day and Hornbeck says that he â€Å"died of a busted belly†(112). However, Drummond, his oppo... Free Essays on Inherit the Wind In 1955, Laurence and Lee wrote Inherit the Wind to emphasize Conflicts that arose during the Scopes Trial and the McCarthy era. They illustrated these themes/conflicts by manipulating the events of the Scopes trial and creating characters that effectively convey the themes. Although the Scopes trial already on its own conveys conflicts suck as: Science Vs. Faith but Laurence and Lee manipulated the story to convey an even bigger theme of Acceptance vs. Fundamentalism. In Dayton where the actual Scopes trial took place the towns people where slightly different from what the authors had made them, for example a quote from an article says, â€Å"The people of Dayton were portrayed as charming, friendly, polite, and open-minded, and the atmosphere throughout the trial was festive and circus-like.† In contrast to what is says above, the towns people of Hillsboro were the exact opposite of what the article says on the citizens of Dayton. They are narrow minded and inscrutable in their actions. By manipulating the plot of the Scopes trial this way, the playwrights emphasize the fact that people are would benefit from being more accepting of other cultures, rather than have strict fundamentalism values. The consequences of not being accepting are r ecognized at the end when all said is done and the town of Hillsboro looks like a joke to the rest of the world. Not only the towns people portrayed fundamentalist values, but Laurence and Lee chose to give the towns priest, Reverend Brown, strict fundamentalist values as well. This is shown in Act Two, Scene One, when Brown is preaching during the meeting where he says, â€Å"Lord we call down the same curse on these who ask grace on this sin though they be blood of my blood and flesh of my flesh.†(Pg #66, Lee, Laurence) Here we see the Reverend basically stating his beliefs are so strong that he is willing to wish an eternity of hell upon his own daughter. Furthermore, from the precedin...

Public Housing in USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Public Housing in USA - Essay Example The paper has shown that since the end of the World War II, it has been argued that the poor have lost access to expensive housing provided by private markets. Almost all the United States presidents have either come up or sponsored projects targeted at enhancing the access of the poor to quality better housing than they do (Howard 1). As Howard explains, there are numerous reasons why the government gets involved in the public, housing sector activities (Howard 2). First, the government believes that the private market cannot offer enough housing to the poor Americans. The government also believes that the private markets offer their housing at a high price which the poor cannot afford. Currently, the United States government action in public housing is the provision of subsidized housing to the poor families so as to replace the buildings that have been demolished through the HOPE IV program. HOPE VI program was developed in the 1990s so as to demolish houses that did not meet the standards according to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and those that fell into crime and disorder (Howard 3). Presidents have either come up or sponsored housing projects to enhance that the poor can have access to quality housing. The issue of house shortage also affects the poor. Reports shows that there is a shortage of houses in the United States and the poor are the most affected. The demand is higher than the supply although there is race discrimination, which is affecting the blacks. This is the reason why the government ought to control public housing. The other issue that should concern the government is some individuals setting lower prices thereby increasing the demand. The government ought to fix the prices to protect the poor who are their mercies. The major Stakeholders in the Subsidized Housing Project for the Poor Families The US government presented HUD as the main stakeholder of the subsidized housing projects. As Johan has written in his article , Housing Subsidies and Homeowners, the United States government’s main interest is to provide affordable housing for the poor families. The government also aims at ending the HOPE VI program. It will then replace the demolished apartments through HOPE VI program, so as to ensure the poor families are not homeless. The other stakeholders in the project are some of the public housing landlords who are supporting the government involvement in matters of public housing for the poor. According to the Guide section 8 Housing Assistance programs of 2008, voucher 8 is given to families who are not able to afford quality housing. Therefore, the United States government funds them through their voucher 8 program. However, it has been argued that it is the landlords who benefit from these funds. Therefore, their main interests in this program are ensuring they continue benefiting from governments funds aimed at improving the housing conditions for the poor. The landlords should be scru tinized to ensure they get what they deserve and avail to the tenants their dues. The

Cost Accounting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cost Accounting - Research Paper Example Among the various costing methods, absorption costing and marginal costing are the two important tools that are widely used for managerial decision making. This piece of research paper describes the differences between these two methods and explains the arguments for and against these costing methods. Marginal Costing As Lucey and Lucey (2002, p. 296) defined, marginal costing is an accounting system in which variable costs are charged to some specific cost units for a period of time and fixed costs are fully written off against the total contribution, which is the value of sales less variable costs. Marginal costing is widely used and is considered to be more effective and useful in the valuation of stocks and in the calculation of total costs of goods sold because of that only variable manufacturing costs are considered in this type of costing method. Variable manufacturing costs are considered in this costing method as they are attributed to the cost units and fixed costs are igno red. Marginal cost and variable production costs are more often used interchangeably. When ever an extra one unit of the output is manufactured, the additional cost incurred for manufacturing that one extra unit will be ultimately variable because the fixed cost remains always constant. Weygandt, Keiso and Kimmel (2005, p. 265) pointed that fixed manufacturing costs are never considered to be production costs and these are not considered in the inventory valuation as well as in management’s decision making process. Marginal costing is a strategic managerial accounting tool that can be used to disseminate managerial information about costs incurred in the manufacturing and other business operation and relationship between some of the significant elements such as profit, volume, costs and efficiency. Glautier and Underdown (2001, p. 441), found that the very basic advantage of using marginal costing is that it is an easy success-pathway for the management to make proper decisio n and achieve business success accordingly. Absorption Costing Absorption or full costing, in contrast, considers all the manufacturing costs including both variable and fixed costs. All manufacturing costs are fully attributed and absorbed to the final output (Jawahar-Lal, 2008, p. 627). direct costs are attributed directly to the cost units and thus they can easily be identified along with the output, whereas manufacturing overheads are attributed to the product and other overheads including administration and selling expenses. As Williams, Haka and Bettner (2004, p. 923) argued, the use of absorption costing will be very effective when the variable costs such as direct material costs and direct labor costs are directly charged to the product and fixed costs are charged proportionately to different products manufactured during a particular period of time. One of the criticisms that absorption method of costing faces is that it presumes prices as the functions of the costs and thus demand of the product is less considered. It includes past costs that are relatively less relevant to the current pricing and is therefore relatively less dependable for managerial decision making. Absorption costing may not be an