John Locke’s theory about political power

John Locke's theory about political power is based on the idea of â€Å"perfect freedom†, a state everyone is â€Å"naturally in† while conducting personal proceedings and using possessions in normal way without pressing over or depending on other men. A law of nature governs the state of nature teaching that all people are â€Å"equal and independent† but they cannot hurt or destroy another person's â€Å"life, liberty, health or possessions†. God gives to his people different things to use for the best advantage of their lives but no one is born to has a domination over the other.There is a natural way in which a man can express the right to the things that are not beneficial to any other man yet. Then determination of property is given. Locke Justifies property as â€Å"the labor of his body and the work of his hands†. For the property to occur a person takes something from nature, mixes it with things that used to belong to him and adds his labo r. This individual labor is basically a main point from which exclusive right for the property starts and becomes unquestionable for the laborer as long as good enough is left for others.Every man is â€Å"lord† of his own. So, the only reason why man can give up his personal freedom and be bonded by political power of another man is his own consent and wish to unite with others into one mutually beneficial community. This community or government is considered to be safer, more comfortable and peaceful than life in his personal estate that could be endangered to â€Å"invasions of others†. The state of personal freedom is very unsafe and less enjoyable than secure life in society which is concerned about preservation of property.Tyranny is an â€Å"exercise of power beyond right†. It happens when anyone uses his r her power not for the best of others, but for the satisfaction of personal passions such as greediness, ambitions, wish to overpower others against th e law of nature. So, whenever such situation has occurred it has to be opposed because if the law is transgressed it causes harm to other people. Being rich or having an exceeding power is never a reason or an excuse â€Å"for rapine and oppression†.It doesn't matter if this man has a high or low rank, but for the king exceeding the authority is more shameful than for the constable because more trust is given to him. A king is also ell better educated and more acknowledged about right and wrong things to do which additionally obligates him. People willfully â€Å"choose and authorize a legislative† to create laws that will guarantee preservation of properties for each member in the community.People will never choose a legislative that makes laws being able to demolish things that everyone is trying to protect. When a legislative being ambitious or corrupted makes an attempt to go against â€Å"fundamental rule of the society† trying to enslave people, breaking t he trust at that moment his authority is ended. A new government which is ble to work for the protection of society should be chosen in case the old one bitrates the trust of people. Jefferson's text of the Declaration of Independence is mainly based on the ideas developed by Locke.Jefferson's â€Å"truth to be self evident† is basically the determination ot state ot nature in the work ot Locke. â€Å"All men are created equal† having certain rights, such as â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness†. Governments â€Å"are instituted among men† to protect these fundamental rights. In case the governor rules destructively over the people under his power he deserved nd should be thrown off his position and â€Å"new guards for future security† should be found.Jefferson writes the main part of Declaration describing that ruling of a present king of Great Britain is a history of â€Å"repeated injuries and usurpations†. â€Å"A prince w hose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people†, he says. At this point a direct referral to the Locke's idea of perfect freedom is made. Using Locke's fundamental ideas in Declaration of Independence Jefferson Justifies separation of United States from England.

The Host Chapter 56: Welded

Ian glared down at the three of us with such fury that Sunny shivered in terror. It was an odd thing-as if Kyle and Ian had switched faces. Except Ian's face was still perfect, unbroken. Beautiful, even though it was enraged. â€Å"Ian?† Kyle asked, bewildered. â€Å"What's the problem?† Ian spoke from between his locked teeth. â€Å"Wanda,† he growled, and held his hand out. It looked as if he was having a hard time keeping that hand open, not clenching it into a fist. Uh-oh, Mel thought. Misery swept through me. I didn't want to say goodbye to Ian, and now I would have to. Of course I had to. I would be wrong to sneak out in the night like a thief and leave all my goodbyes to Melanie. Ian, tired of waiting, grabbed my arm and hauled me up from the floor. When Sunny seemed like she was coming along, too, still joined to my side, Ian shook me until she fell off. â€Å"What is with you?† Kyle demanded. Ian hauled his knee back and smashed his foot hard into Kyle's face. â€Å"Ian!† I protested. Sunny threw herself in front of Kyle-who was holding his hand to his nose and struggling to get to his feet-and tried to shield him with her tiny body. This knocked him off balance, back to the floor, and he groaned. â€Å"C'mon,† Ian snarled, dragging me away from them without a backward glance. â€Å"Ian -â€Å" He wrenched me roughly along, making it impossible for me to speak. That was fine. I had no idea what to say. I saw everyone's startled face flash by in a blur. I was worried he was going to upset the unnamed woman. She wasn't used to anger and violence. And then we jerked to a stop. Jared was blocking the exit. â€Å"Have you lost your mind, Ian?† he asked, shocked and outraged. â€Å"What are you doing to her?† â€Å"Did you know about this?† Ian shouted back, shoving me toward Jared and shaking me at him. Behind us, a whimper. He was scaring them. â€Å"You're going to hurt her!† â€Å"Do you know what she's planning?† Ian roared. Jared stared at Ian, his face suddenly closed off. He didn't answer. That was answer enough for Ian. Ian's fist struck Jared so fast that I missed the blow-I just felt the lurch in his body and saw Jared reel back into the dark hall. â€Å"Ian, stop,† I begged. â€Å"You stop,† he growled back at me. He yanked me through the arch into the tunnel, then pulled me north. I had to almost run to keep up with his longer stride. â€Å"O'Shea!† Jared shouted after us. â€Å"I'm going to hurt her?† Ian roared back over his shoulder, not breaking pace. â€Å"I am? You hypocritical swine!† There was nothing but silence and blackness behind us now. I stumbled in the dark, trying to keep up. It was then that I began to feel the throbbing from Ian's grip. His hand was tight as a tourniquet around my upper arm, his long fingers making the circle easily and then overlapping. My hand was going numb. He jerked me along faster, and my breath caught in a moan, almost a cry of pain. The sound made Ian stumble to a stop. His breathing was hoarse in the darkness. â€Å"Ian, Ian, I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I choked, unable to finish. I didn't know what to say, picturing his furious face. His arms caught me up abruptly, yanking my feet out from under me and then catching my shoulders before I could fall. He started running forward again, carrying me now. His hands were not rough and angry like before; he cradled me against his chest. He ran right through the big plaza, ignoring the surprised and even suspicious faces. There was too much that was unfamiliar and uncomfortable going on in the caves right now. The humans here-Violetta, Geoffrey, Andy, Paige, Aaron, Brandt, and more I couldn't see well as we jolted past-were skittish. It disturbed them to see Ian running headlong through them, face twisted with rage, with me in his arms. And then they were behind us. He didn't pause until we reached the doors leaning against his and Kyle's room. He kicked the red one out of the way-it hit the stone floor with an echoing boom-and dropped me onto the mattress on the floor. Ian stood above me, his chest heaving with exertion and fury. For a second he turned away and put the door back in place with one swift wrench. And then he was glowering again. I took a deep breath and rolled up onto my knees, holding my hands out, palms up, wishing that some magic would appear in them. Something I could give him, something I could say. But my hands were empty. â€Å"You. Are. Not. Leaving. Me.† His eyes blazed-burning brighter than I had ever seen them, blue flames. â€Å"Ian,† I whispered. â€Å"You have to see that†¦ that I can't stay. You must see that.† â€Å"No!† he shouted at me. I cringed back, and, abruptly, Ian crumpled forward, falling to his knees, falling into me. He buried his head in my stomach, and his arms locked around my waist. He was shaking, shaking hard, and loud, desperate sobs were breaking out of his chest. â€Å"No, Ian, no,† I begged. This was so much worse than his anger. â€Å"Don't, please. Please, don't.† â€Å"Wanda,† he moaned. â€Å"Ian, please. Don't feel this way. Don't. I'm so sorry. Please.† I was crying, too, shaking, too, though that might have been him shaking me. â€Å"You can't leave.† â€Å"I have to, I have to,† I sobbed. And then we cried wordlessly for a long time. His tears dried before mine. Eventually, he straightened up and pulled me into his arms again. He waited until I was able to speak. â€Å"Sorry,† he whispered. â€Å"I was mean.† â€Å"No, no. I'm sorry. I should have told you, when you didn't guess. I just†¦ I couldn't. I didn't want to tell you-to hurt you-to hurt me. It was selfish.† â€Å"We need to talk about this, Wanda. It's not a done deal. It can't be.† â€Å"It is.† He shook his head, clenching his teeth. â€Å"How long? How long have you been planning this?† â€Å"Since the Seeker,† I whispered. He nodded, seeming to expect this answer. â€Å"And you thought that you had to give up your secret to save her. I can understand that. But that doesn't mean you have to go anywhere. Just because Doc knows now†¦ that doesn't mean anything. If I'd thought for one minute that it did, that one action equaled the other, I wouldn't have stood there and let you show him. No one is going to force you to lie down on his blasted gurney! I'll break his hands if he tries to touch you!† â€Å"Ian, please.† â€Å"They can't make you, Wanda! Do you hear me?† He was shouting again. â€Å"No one is making me. I didn't show Doc how to do the separation so that I could save the Seeker,† I whispered. â€Å"The Seeker's being here just made me have to decide†¦ faster. I did it to save Mel, Ian.† His nostrils flared, and he said nothing. â€Å"She's trapped in here, Ian. It's like a prison-worse than that; I can't even describe it. She's like a ghost. And I can free her. I can give her herself back.† â€Å"You deserve a life, too, Wanda. You deserve to stay.† â€Å"But I love her, Ian.† He closed his eyes, and his pale lips went dead white. â€Å"But I love you,† he whispered. â€Å"Doesn't that matter?† â€Å"Of course it matters. So much. Can't you see? That only makes it more†¦ necessary.† His eyes flashed open. â€Å"Is it so unbearable to have me love you? Is that it? I can keep my mouth shut, Wanda. I won't say it again. You can be with Jared, if that's what you want. Just stay.† â€Å"No, Ian!† I took his face between my hands-his skin felt hard, strained tight over the bones. â€Å"No. I-I love you, too. Me, the little silver worm in the back of her head. But my body doesn't love you. It can't love you. I can never love you in this body, Ian. It pulls me in two. It's unbearable.† I could have borne it. But watching him suffer because of my body's limitations? Not that. He closed his eyes again. His thick black lashes were wet with tears. I could see them glisten. Oh, go ahead, Mel sighed. Do whatever you need to. I'll†¦ step into the other room, she added dryly. Thanks. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him until my lips touched his. He curled his arms around me, pulling me tighter against his chest. Our lips moved together, fusing as if they would never divide, as if separation was not the inevitable thing it was, and I could taste the salt of our tears. His and mine. Something began to change. When Melanie's body touched Jared's body, it was like a wildfire-a fast burn that raced across the surface of the desert and consumed everything in its path. With Ian it was different, so very different, because Melanie didn't love him the way I did. So when he touched me, it was deeper and slower than the wildfire, like the flow of molten rock far beneath the surface of the earth. Too deep to feel the heat of it, but it moved inexorably, changing the very foundations of the world with its advance. My unwilling body was a fog between us-a thick curtain, but gauzy enough that I could see through it, could see what was happening. It changed me, not her. It was almost a metallurgical process deep inside the core of who I was, something that had already begun, was already nearly forged. But this long, unbroken kiss finished it, searing and sharp edged-it shoved this new creation, all hissing, into the cold water that made it hard and final. Unbreakable. And I started to cry again, realizing that it must be changing him, too, this man who was kind enough to be a soul but strong as only a human could be. He moved his lips to my eyes, but it was too late. It was done. â€Å"Don't cry, Wanda. Don't cry. You're staying with me.† â€Å"Eight full lives,† I whispered against his jaw, my voice breaking. â€Å"Eight full lives and I never found anyone I would stay on a planet for, anyone I would follow when they left. I never found a partner. Why now? Why you? You're not of my species. How can you be my partner?† â€Å"It's a strange universe,† he murmured. â€Å"It's not fair,† I complained, echoing Sunny's words. It wasn't fair. How could I find this, find love-now, in this eleventh hour-and have to leave it? Was it fair that my soul and body couldn't reconcile? Was it fair that I had to love Melanie, too? Was it fair that Ian would suffer? He deserved happiness if anyone did. It wasn't fair or right or even†¦ sane. How could I do this to him? â€Å"I love you,† I whispered. â€Å"Don't say that like you're saying goodbye.† But I had to. â€Å"I, the soul called Wanderer, love you, human Ian. And that will never change, no matter what I might become.† I worded it carefully, so that there would be no lie in my voice. â€Å"If I were a Dolphin or a Bear or a Flower, it wouldn't matter. I would always love you, always remember you. You will be my only partner.† His arms stiffened, then constricted tighter around me, and I could feel the anger in them again. It was hard to breathe. â€Å"You're not wandering off anywhere. You're staying here.† â€Å"Ian -â€Å" But his voice was brusque now-angry, but also businesslike. â€Å"This isn't just for me. You're a part of this community, and you aren't getting kicked out without discussion. You are far too important to us all-even to the ones who would never admit it. We need you.† â€Å"No one's kicking me out, Ian.† â€Å"No. Not even you yourself, Wanderer.† He kissed me again, his mouth rougher with the return of the anger. His hand curled into a fist around my hair, and he pulled my face an inch away from his. â€Å"Good or bad?† he demanded. â€Å"Good.† â€Å"That's what I thought.† And his voice was a growl. He kissed me again. His arms were so tight around my ribs, his mouth so fierce against mine, that I was soon dizzy and gasping for air. He loosened his arms a little then and let his lips slide to my ear. â€Å"Let's go.† â€Å"Where? Where are we going?† I wasn't going anywhere, I knew that. And yet how my heart pounded when I thought of going away, somewhere, anywhere, with Ian. My Ian. He was mine, the way Jared never would be. The way this body could never be his. â€Å"Don't give me any trouble about this, Wanderer. I'm half out of my mind.† He pulled us both to our feet. â€Å"Where?† I insisted. â€Å"You're going down the eastern tunnel, past the field, to the end.† â€Å"The game room?† â€Å"Yes. And then you are going to wait there until I get the rest of them.† â€Å"Why?† His words sounded crazy to me. Did he want to play a game? To ease the tension again? â€Å"Because this will be discussed. I'm calling a tribunal, Wanderer, and you are going to abide by our decision.†

Overcoming Negative Thoughts

It was during the summer vacation and I was very excited having been offered a job as a sales person. The detergent was new and I had obtained good results after using it and so I was sure that I would make many sales. In addition, the price was affordable. After a half day’s training we began the job. However, when I started the job I was disappointed to realize that I was not making as many sales as I had anticipated. This dampened my spirits a little.When the time to hand in our weekly reports came, I was discouraged to learn that others had met and even exceeded the targets while I had barely met the target. This happened for two times and after this I started feeling like I did not measure up and that I could never meet the targets. Even as I approached prospective customers, I could visualize them rejecting me and this translated to even less sales. One day I sat down and wondered why I could not meet the targets yet others could. I started telling myself that I could do it if others could.I searched the internet for tips on direct selling and started to put them into practice. All of a sudden my whole attitude changed and as I approached customers, I felt that I would make sales as I knew the tips. The most surprising thing is that people started being more enthusiastic about the detergent I was selling to them and the sales increased to a point where I became among the people who always exceeded sales targets. It is true that positive thinking is contagious (Sasson, 2010). Reference Sasson, R. (2010). The power of positive thinking. Retrieved 30 April, 2010 from http://www.successconsciousness.com/index_000009.htm

Business plan - It Shoes Business Plan Term Paper

Business plan - It Shoes Business Plan - Term Paper Example lthough companies like Rollasole and Afterheels are selling ballerina shoes through vending machines in countries like UK, USA and Australia but they their penetration in French market is low hence IT shoes has the opportunity to cater to the demands of an untouched market (Fleming, â€Å"Flat shoes in a flash! Vending machines that dispense ballet flats to stiletto-sore party girls take U.S. clubs by storm†). The business venture has the opportunity to consolidate business opportunities in the country due to absence of any market leader. Stable political environment of France has increased the business opportunity for both foreign companies who planning to invest in the country and domestic players who planning to diversify existing business portfolio. Market line (2012) has reported that, government of France has restricted foreign direct invest up to 1, 500, 000 Euros for foreign companies planning to expand business in territories such as Saint Pierre, Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna etc. Government has imposed high corporate tax on foreign players in order to protect interest of domestic players. There is no doubt that favorable government policy will protect IT shoes from competitive threat of foreign players. Conjoint effect of economic recession and sovereign debt crisis has decreased the GDP growth rate and purchasing power parity of people of France. French government is trying to compensate high level of external debt by increasing tax rate on people. Market line (2012) has reported that tax burden on people of France has increased by 20% to 30% within last few years. Increased tax burden has reduced amount of disposable income for French people, which has resulted in reduction in demand for retail merchandises. It is evident from the economic analysis of France, IT shoes should think about using competitive pricing in order to generate demand among customers. Market line (2012) has reported that almost 35% of population in France belongs to the age group

There is No Debate, Climate Change is a Fact Research Paper

There is No Debate, Climate Change is a Fact - Research Paper Example at least. Basically, the greenhouse effect operates by the following method. When sunlight penetrates the outer atmosphere and hits the earth’s surface, not all of solar power of the sun is absorbed. About one-third of this solar energy is bounced back into space. Atmospheric gases act by much the same method as the outer roof and wall of a typical garden greenhouse, therefore the terminology. These gases permit sunlight to enter then traps some of this solar energy. The energy that remains heats the earth (Gutierrez, 2008). This is a precarious balancing act. Because of these greenhouse gases being unnaturally augmented by man-made sources, more is constantly building up in the atmosphere consequently trapping more solar energy while reflecting less back to space. This preventable scenario is causing the earth to warm and the climate to change. The most prevalent of the greenhouse gases is Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Trees ‘breathe in’ CO2 then when trees die, CO2 it i s returned to the atmosphere. Clearing land by the mass burning of trees, which is happening at an exceptional rate in the tropical rain forests, is lessening the quantity of CO2 that is absorbed consequently increasing the amount that is put into the atmosphere. CO2 contributes approximately 50 percent of the total gases that create the greenhouse effect. ... The vast majority of fossil fuel consumption, its lethal pollutants and greenhouse-enhancing derivatives are in America, Russia and European countries. Four-fifths of the earth’s people live in nations that, combined, discharge just one-third of the total CO2 whereas just two nations, America and Russia combined, are to blame for discharging half. The escalating quantity of CO2 in the air is becoming more and more disconcerting. Motor vehicles are a considerable source of air pollution. â€Å"Vehicles produce high levels of carbon monoxides (CO) and a major source of hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), whereas, fuel combustion in stationary sources is the dominant source of sulfur dioxide (SO2)† (Socha, 2007). In addition, the burning of fuel oil to for home heating and to power companies along with the toxins emitted from smokestacks at coal-burning electric generating power plants contribute to create a dangerous imbalance of CO2 in the atmosphere. If the equ ilibrium between the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and ocean is upset by injecting escalating amounts of CO2, the oceans of the world will continue to absorb greater concentrations of the gas than it normally would. This phenomenon results in the warming of the ocean waters which are then increasingly less capable to absorb CO2. As the seas lose the ability to maintain the intrusion of this organically equalizing cycle, the ever increasing quantities of CO2 stays in the atmosphere. Ever-increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere cause the earth’s surface to warm further thus increasing the greenhouse effect. â€Å"Currently carbon dioxide is responsible for 57 percent of the global warming trend. Nitrogen oxides

Little Albert and Classical Conditioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Little Albert and Classical Conditioning - Essay Example Conditioned emotional responses as defined by Coon and Mitterer (2010) are learned emotional reactions to previously neutral stimuli (p. 232). An example of this are phobias, which psychologists believe began as conditioned emotional responses. During the time of Watson and Rayner (1920) who conducted the study entitled, Conditioned Emotional Reactions, different assumptions have been proposed in concerning the likelihood of conditioning diverse types of emotional response; however, exact experimental evidence in aid of such view is missing. It was recommended previously that in infancy the fundamental emotional reaction models are not many, comprising so far as perceived of fear, rage and love, then there must be several uncomplicated ways by means of which the range of stimuli which can bring forth these emotions and their compounds are highly amplified, or else, intricacy in adult response could not be accounted for (Watson & Rayner, 1920). Watson and Rayner (1920) though without adequate experimental evidence, enhanced the perspective that this variety was augmented by means of trained impulse aspects. It was recommended that the first home life of the child endows a laboratory setting for creating conditioned emotiona l responses. With this premise, Watson and Rayner (1920) put the whole matter into an experimental test. Watson and Rayner (1920) used the subject named Albert who was reared almost from birth in a hospital environment; his mother was a wet nurse in the Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children. Alberts life was typical, he was fit from birth and one of the best developed youngsters ever brought to the hospital, weighing twenty-one pounds at nine months of age. He was impassive and inexpressive. His stability was one of the major reasons for utilizing him as a subject in their test as emphasized by Watson and Rayner (1920) for they felt that they could cause him reasonably little harm in performing such experiments. Watson

REFLECTION ON INTERNATIONAL MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

REFLECTION ON INTERNATIONAL MARKETING - Essay Example Additionally, international markets are characterised by a wide range of market forces that may limit the success of particular products that do not conform to the market forces. Some of the pertinent issues that may affect the success of a product in the market includes the skin colour of the people, their cultural aspects, and even their general attitude towards specific products. For instance, in Asia, the idea of a bright skin colour is a sensitive issue that influences the sale of beauty products. As such, organizations that consider entering the international market should be prepared to conform to these market forces to avoid the risk of opposition from their potential customers. Unilever is one of the organizations that have faced a market resistance from their sale of skin whitening products in Asia. International marketing strategy demands that an organization conforms to the ethical aspects of the new market to avoid igniting moods and emotions that may affect their operat ions. In the Asian market, there has been an upsurge of the demand of beauty products, a trend that has attracted many beauty product organizations to venture into this market. McDougall (2013, Para. 2) pointed out that Asia contributes to a large extent to the expanding beauty market that is expected to hit $19.8 billion by the year 2013. In Asia particularly, the market for beauty products has expanded due to the great desire of citizens to lighten their skin as a way of conforming to the notion that dominates in this environment that the bright skin is a symbol for superiority while darker skin symbolizes a suppressed person in the society. In China, India, Japan and Thailand, the people have learnt to associate light skin with beauty, youthfulness and success. Additionally, the demand has heightened due to the change of use of these skin lightening chemicals. Traditionally, these products were used for facial care yet currently the products are used for whole body care. Resultan tly, the market is expected to grow rapidly for at least five years in the near future. Consequently, multinational organizations, such as Unilever, have identified this as a potential market for sale of beauty products. However, the organizations seem to have undermined the concept of consumer behaviour that Samli (2013, P. 2) regards as a giant market force in the 12st century business environment. Skin colour has been a controversial issue in the Asian society that has sparked a great debate on the definition of beauty in this market. The nortion that bright people are superior to the white people has lead to a vicious discussion as most activists regard this kind of attitude as an act of discrimination that must be eliminated once and for all in the society. One of the activists against colour discrimination, Nandita, has launched a campaign to declare that â€Å"Dark is beautiful† as a way of fighting this issue that has generated mixed emotions in this country (Daily Ne ws, 2013, Para. 1). Being a popular actress, Nandita has garnered a lot of public interest among the black people who have shown their support of the campaign to fight against colour and racial discrimination. This campaign is similar to the campaign in Senegal that declares that â€Å"Don’t Bleach, black is beautiful† to assert the public that beauty is beyond the skin colour. From this point of view, skin colour is a matter that is likely to influence the consumer behaviour in the Asian market and taking precaution is the only way to

Organization behavior class in the news report Essay

Organization behavior class in the news report - Essay Example The author pointed out the openness of Grove to learn from his audience, his students. Being an educator at Stanford University, Grove have laid down a realistic case, very truthful indeed because it pertains to the future of his very own company. Tedlow used this incident to show his readers the leadership style of Grove. He wrote a brief biography of the CEO by accident, how, from being an engineer, he strove to become one of the most admired corporate leaders using his past experiences to as guides and educational tools. Tedlow also highlighted Grove's reliance on data during decision-making. He finally pointed out Grove's advocacy in independent thinking. Thinking for one's self using data and previous experiences (and mistakes) as references are cornerstones of Grove's leadership style. In the other article, "Peter Drucker On Leadership" Forbes author Rich Karlgaard used his personal interview with the management guru in plotting out the latter's basic leadership principles. The first point that the author raised is Drucker's emphasis on the question "What needs to be done" For Drucker, knowing what a leader needs to do, as opposed to the asking one's self "What do I want to do," is the key for successful management. Checking one's performance based on the things they ought to do is the next success factor of effective leaders. Drucker further emphasized that effective leaders are mission driven and are willing to turn down other irrelevant tasks to their mission. They also make clear what their current priorities are to their subordinates. A unique leadership style is also required. Focusing on strengths and delegating tasks you are weak at. To save time and money, Drucker also advised leaders to refrain from too much travelling and instead use the power of modern technologies to facilitate communication with subordinates. Karlgaard further warned leaders that misuse of charisma is detrimental to one's leadership. Better be a reliable silent leader than a deceitful charismatic one. Google's CEO Eric E. Schmidt narrowly focused strategy is what author Ben Elgin examines in his article "Google: A $50 Billion 'One Trick Pony'" in Business Week. Elgin showed how the search engine giant preferred to stick with its existing method of generating income than to diversify its advertising product line by exploring other income opportunities. The author commented that Google's singularity in its focus to its text advertisements might hurt the company in the future. Article Comparison These articles show three different perspectives on leadership. The first one is about the hands-on leadership principles accumulated by Andrew Grove. As a practicing business leader, Grove pointed out his first-hand wisdom on how to drive an organization to the top. Based on his past experiences of Grove's failures and successes, Tedlow gave us a picture on how the CEO riskily responded to the leadership problems that he encountered. The second article is more conservative and theoretical. It concerns more on the wisdom gained by an academe and business book writer, Peter Drucker. Drucker based his writings on his researches about CEO's. Being a business professor he gives us theoretical pointers rather than practical wisdom in leading an organization. Karlgaard's article is more of a commentary concerning the soundness of Schmidt's strategy. By limiting is focus on a single product line, Google has become a towering leader in that particular market. Despite these contrasts

Reasons for Jackson's Implementation of the Indian Solution Term Paper

Reasons for Jackson's Implementation of the Indian Solution - Term Paper Example Mississippi state and the western segment of Alabama will be relieved of Indian tenancy, and permit those States to progress swiftly in population, wealth, and power (Mark p134). The Indians were denied immediate contact with settlements of whites; free them from the power of the States; enable them to pursue happiness in their own way and under their own rude institutions; will retard the advancement of crumble, which is shrinking their statistics, and possibly cause them progressively, beneath the defense of the administration and through the influence of superior advice, to shed off their savage practice and develop into an interesting, cultured, and Christian society. These results, some of them so firm and others so possible, make the absolute implementation of the plan sanctioned by Congress at their last session an object of much solicitude. Impacts of Jackson destroying the National bank According to Terry, Bilhartz and Alan (106), in 1833, President Andrew Jackson announced that the government will no longer use the country's national bank. He then used his executive control to eliminate all national finances from the bank, in the ultimate round of what is referred to as the "Bank War." A national bank initially formed by George Washington and Alexander Hamilton in 1791 to dole out as a central repository for national finances. The Second Bank of the United States was founded in 1816; five years after this first bank's contract had run out. Conventionally, the bank had been managed by a board of directors with ties to industry and processing, and thus was partial towards the modern and developed northern states. Jackson, the embodiment of frontiersman, railed against the bank's deficient of financial support for development into the unsettled Western regions. Jackson also protested against the bank's uncommon political and economic power and to the lack of congressional oversight over its business dealings. Jackson, known as obstinate and bestial but a man of the ordinary people demanded for an inquiry into the bank's policies and political agenda as soon as he settled in to the White House in March 1829. To Jackson, the institution signified how a fortunate class of businessmen oppressed the will of the common Americans. He made it plain to confront the legality of the bank, much to the dismay of its cohorts. In rejoinder, the bank’s director, Nicholas Biddle, loosened his personal political power, spinning to affiliates of Congress, as well as the influential Kentucky Senator Henry Clay and leading businessmen sympathetic to the bank, to fight Jackson (Williams p 168). According to Hoffmann (44), shortly that year, Jackson presented his case against the bank in a speech to Congress; to his vexation, its members commonly agreed that the bank was certainly legal. Still, debate over the bank remained for the subsequent three years. In 1932, the troublesomeness resulted to a crack in Jackson's cabinet and, that similar year, the pigheaded president prohibited an attempt by Congress to make a new agreement for the bank. All of this occurred through Jackson's proffer for re-election; the bank's prospect was the central spot of a harsh political campaign between the Democratic

Project Management of (what ever you prefer) Coursework

Project Management of (what ever you prefer) - Coursework Example w provides the project manager with the opportunity to review the success rate of the project in a comprehensive and successive manner, formally recognize the completion phase of the project, and identify â€Å"loose-ends† and at the same time foster best practices. In this report, post project reviewing techniques of a Television commercial will be present. Since this report is not aimed at comprehensive evaluation of the project, a proposal for the same will be highlighted. The post project review proposal is for a TV commercial project which has been already telecasted in many channels. However, it can be disclosed due to certain legal constraints. According to Carton, Adam and Sammon (2008) post project review is one of the most vital steps towards knowing the effectiveness of the project. In this context, i.e. to propose the most relevant ways of measuring the success of a project, both theories and personal experience will be reflected. The application or implementation of classic iron triangle of project management can be a viable option. According to the theory of project management, every project is constrained by time goals, cost goals and quality goals and to ensure success, all the three aforementioned factors need to be in line with the other and balanced (Tsai, Shen, Lee and Kuo, 2009). This is because a change in one of the factors will lead to drastic change in the other. The quality goals represent the specifications, the project is trying to achieve; the time goals represents the total duration of the project and the cost goals represents the overall budget of the project (Rabaai, 2009; Shi, 2010). At first, the scope of the project will be identified i.e. what were the initial intentions of this TV commercial. It is obvious that the aim of TV commercial will be to reach out to a mass audience and convey messages to the customers. The extent to which the advertisement has been successful in its scope will be evaluated on the basis of the

Black Death Cause and Effect Essay Example for Free

Black Death Cause and Effect Essay The Bubonic Plague or the Black Death has been in the history books since the medieval times. This deadly disease has claimed nearly 1. 5 million lives in Europe (Gottfried). The Black Death hit Europe in October of 1347 and quickly spread through most of Europe by the end of 1349 and continued on to Scandinavia and Russia in the 1350s. Not only did the plague effect the European population by killing one-third to two-thirds (Gottfried), it also hurt the social and economic structures of every European society. How it spread The Black Death actually first appeared in the Himalayan region around 1250 AD. There are several theories as to how the disease made its way to Europe. One theory is that since the plague is transmitted from a bite of a flea, that fleas that lived on marmots that were indigenous to the region were the original transporters (Clay,1). The first recorded appearance of the plague in Europe was at Messina, Sicily in October of 1347. It was believed to have arrived on trading ships that came from the Black Sea, past Constantinople and through the Mediterranean (Gottfried). This route was used to bring import items such as silks and porcelain, which were carried overland to the Black Sea from as far away as China (Gottfried). No one know the exact point of origin of the Black Death but what most scholars will agree with is that the disease reach Europe by rodents. The reason given was due to the climatic shifts in the area which caused a shortage of food. The disease ridden rodents’ migration put them in contact with human populations, thus, putting humans in contact with the disease carrying fleas. So many people were impacted because most people lived in very crammed and tight spaces. This also made waste disposal an issue, which caused people to just tip their waste out the window of their home, bringing the rats. Because everyone was so close, the fleas could easily infect hundreds of people in one day, so no one was safe (Gottfried). The people that did manage to escape death was due to the fact that their immune systems being able to withstand the plague (Gottfried). Types of Plague What killed so many wasn’t due to just one type of plague going around; The disease that devastated Europe was caused by three different types of plague: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. All three are bacterial infections caused by Yersinia pestis (Gottfried). The most common form was the bubonic plague. Fleas that lived on the plague-infected rats spread the bubonic plague (Gottfried). After 6 days people who were infected with this strain would develop flu-like symptoms and blood pressure drops, heartbeats faster, and a sudden fever erupts, accompanied by chills, weakness, and headache. Next, a black pus filled bump surrounded by an inflamed red ring shows up at the place that was bitten (Gottfried). The lymph node would begin to swell with pus. When the enlarged lymph nodes would burst they would also emit dark colored blood and pus. This is how the name Black Death came to be coined (Vunguyen). A second type of plague was that of pneumonic. This plague could spread with a sneeze and could quickly jump from person to person and though it was less common than the bubonic form, but more deadly. This form was contracted through breathing in a mutated, airborne strain of the bacteria. The infected person would experience fluid building up in the lungs. This very unfortunate circumstance would, in turn, cause suffocation of the infected individual. This particular form of the bacteria would cause death within a short time span, usually two or three days (Boeckl). The third type of plague was speticemic plague. Though it was the least common out of the three, it was the deadliest. Septicemic plague was carried in the blood and was contracted only through blood-to-blood contact. The person infected with this type would develop a high fever but they would not develop many outward symptoms that they had contracted the plague. The individuals who were infected with this final strain of the bacterium were usually dead within 24 hours. Almost all who contracted either the pneumonic or septicemic plague died from the infection (Boeckl). Causes of the Black Death The causes of the Black Death – the flea, the rat, and the bacillus Yersinia pestis– have been labeled the â€Å"unholy trinity† (Boeckl). The flea is able to live in environmental conditions of about 74 ° Fahrenheit and 60% humidity (Ibid). Before the Black Death reached Europe, they were experiencing those same types of weather conditions. The rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis and the human flea, Pulex irritans, are both capable of transmitting plague (Boeckl). Sometimes, an infected flea cannot ingest blood because Yersinia pestis obstructs its digestive tract. The blockage causes a flea to regurgitate into a bitten host rather than ingest the host’s blood, thereby infecting the host with plague (Boeckl). Unable to eat, the famished flea will bite with more frequency, accelerating the spread of plague. A flea can be carrying Yersinia pestis without it blocking the flea’s digestive tract, in which case the flea does not transmit plague when it bites a host. Also, Yersinia pestis can only enter a victim through a bite, as the bacilli cannot pass through intact skin (Gottfried). Social Changes The disease took a major toll on the population of Europe but as it wiped out communities it also caused changes in the social structure of European society. Europe was run by a feudal system (Vunguyen). As death took its toll, people started to question the way of life. When the Black Death swept over Europe and wiped out a third of its population, it also dismantled Feudalism. The feudal system was structured like a pyramid with the King being at the top and having complete control. The King owned everything; he had the power to decide who he would lease the land to. If he did allow a citizen to lease part of his land, before doing so they had to swear to an oath of loyalty (Vunguyen). People who did rent the King’s land were called Baron/Baronesses (Vunguyen). The leased land was called a manor, and the Barons were often called the ‘Lord of the Manor’ (Vunguyen). They were allowed to establish their own system of justice, mint their own money and set their own taxes. The Barons had to serve on the royal council, pay rent and provide the King with Knights for military service when he demanded it in return for the land they had been given (Vunguyen). When the King and his court travelled around the country, the Barons also had to provide lodging and food. The Barons kept as much of their land as they desired, then divided the rest among their Knights (Vunguyen). Knights were given land by the Baron in return for military service when demanded, and to protect the manor. The Knights kept as much of the land as they wished for their own personal use, and distributed the rest of it to serfs – although they weren’t as rich as the Barons, Knights were quite wealthy (). Serfs were given land by Knights in exchange for free labor, food and services whenever it was desired. They had no rights and weren’t allowed to leave the Manor. They had to ask their Lord’s permission before they could marry, and were often mistreated and poor (). The serfs or peasants were a key group in the population so when they started to die off, everything went downhill. The serfs served everyone on the pyramid and now Barons were willing to pay higher wages and offer extra benefits (Vunguyen). All their life they had lived off the serfs’ hard work, and were willing to pay them to stay on the manor to continue slaving for them. When the serfs died, the foundation on which feudalism relied upon was broken. The pyramid of power broke, and everything was a mess. Serfs left to find high wages due to the labor shortages. The land that had usually been the primary source of wealth was now worthless (Vunguyen). Entire estates were deserted as families fell to the plague and died, or fled in a vain attempt to escape its fury, were there for the taking (Vunguyen). As Europe evolved away from relying on land as the main source of prosperity, a rising middle-class claimed more and more wealth and prestige, as the once-noble began to quickly lose both (Vunguyen). The end of Feudalism had started and progressed each day as the plague claimed more lives. As the days went on people wondered, if they needed to change the way they lived or worshipped God. Many found that if they continued to live and worship as they had for centuries, the plague was not being pacified (Clay). This caused many people to abandon the way of life that they were accustomed to and chose a life that contrasted with social norms. A large group of people, desperate to point their fingers at someone, alleged and accused many different ‘groups’ which included ‘witches,’ lepers and Jews (Clay). In central Europe, the flagellants convincingly charged the Jews. On a tragic day in Strasbourg alone, over 8,000 Jews were killed for being the target of vain suspicions (). This quote shows just how the mind of Europeans changed: Many were uncertain about the cause of this great mortality. In some places, they believed that the Jews had poisoned the worlds, and so they killed them. In some other areas, that it was a deformity of the poor, so they chased them out; in others, that it was the nobles, and so they [the nobles] hesitated to go out into the world. Finally, it reached the point where guards were posted in cities and towns, and they permitted no one to enter, unless he was well known. And if they found anyone with powders or unguents, they made him swallow them, fearing that these might be poisons (Clay, 2-3)†. Someone who survived the plague wrote â€Å"Everyone appeared to be rich because they had survived and regained value in life. Now, no one knows how to put their life back in order(Clay, 3). No one knew how to put their life back together after the plague hit. When all the chaos died down and order was restored, the society was much different than what it once was. The disease did not discriminate; it killed people from all different social classes. The peasants now saw that everyone was made up of the same flesh, even though who once ruled over them. This epiphany led the serfs see the inequality of the system and they saw it as unfair and unjust (Clay, 3). Because of all the affliction and misery there was much lawbreaking and because most of the law enforcers had also been hit by the plague there was not much that was done about it (Clay, 3). † This quote shows just how their mentality was changing. Lawbreakers could not be stopped especially by the lords and so once peasants realized all ties could be broken, they gained a new level of freedom (Clay, 4). Peasants and lord relationships were not the only thing that changed; individuals in the same social circle were forced to interact with one another differently. As a result of so many deaths, women were now being served by male servants and it did not matter if they were of noble birth or not. Men serving women was something taboo and unheard of before the plague, but the disease made that change. Noble women had to a find a different lifestyle under normal circumstances, these women would have been dishonored and shunned but this was not the case. Economic Effects All the death that fell upon Europe created a major labor shortage. It was a dominos affect, if the plague hit an area or manor in the summer, there wouldn’t be enough serfs to harvest the crops in the fall. If it hit in the winter, there wasn’t enough workers to plant new crops in the spring (â€Å"The Black Death, 1348†). So inevitably there wasn’t any one left on farm and maintain the land. The one’s who did withstand the plague, moved else-where for better wages (â€Å"The Black Death, 1348†). Not only did it affect the farms, it hurt businesses or building projects. Cathedral that usually were beautiful and performed weekly services were left eerily empty with no priests to conduct services. The barons did not have enough knights and serfs to cater to them and so many manors were abandoned. When someone dies normally, there would be a service and immediately be buried, well that didn’t happen during the Black Death era. No one was left to bury the dead. Citizens, lower and middle classes were scared, they stayed in the homes believing they would be safe. The shelter did not stop the disease from entering and since they were poor they did not get the care and attention they needed and most of them died (â€Å"The Black Death, 1348†). Instead of suffering, many decided to take their own lives and committed suicide in the street; others died in their homes but only found because their neighbors smelled the decaying body. Dead bodies were everywhere on every corner and in every home that wasn’t abandoned (â€Å"The Black Death, 1348†). â€Å"Most of them were treated in the same manner by the survivors, who were more concerned to get rid of their rotting bodies than moved by charity towards the dead. With the aid of porters, if they could get them, they carried the bodies out of the houses and laid them at the door; where every morning quantities of the dead might be seen. They then were laid on biers or, as these were often lacking, on tables† (â€Å"The Black Death, 1348†). Bodies upon bodies were brought to the church every day and almost every hour so it was impossible to give them a proper burial especially since they wanted to bury each person in the family grave, according to the old custom (â€Å"The Black Death, 1348†). â€Å"Although the cemeteries were full they were forced to dig huge trenches, where they buried the bodies by hundreds. Here they stowed them away like bales in the hold of a ship and covered them with a little earth, until the whole trench was full† (â€Å"The Black Death, 1348†). Cultural Effects The plague not only affected humans it also impacted the arts. In the Medieval period, people had concentrated mainly on the Church, God, and personal salvation. The plague was evident in paintings, sculptures, and architecture, everything was centered on death. The arrival of plague â€Å"harkened in a new darker era of painting. Paintings were overflowing with tortured souls, death, dying, fire and brimstone† (â€Å"The Effect of Black Death on Art and Artists in the Medieval Period†). Thousands of painters, craftsmen, patrons of the arts died during the plague. The disease tore a hole in the heart of the cultural world. The effects of the plague were lasting, bringing a somber darkness to visual art, literature, and music (â€Å"The Effect of Black Death on Art and Artists in the Medieval Period†). Writers and painters imaginations became dark and gloomy. The unknowing survival created a atmosphere of gloom and doom influencing artist to move away from optimistic themes and turn to images of Hell, Satan and the Grim Reaper (â€Å"The Effect of Black Death on Art and Artists in the Medieval Period†). Many painters simply gave up art with the idea that it was hopeless to try and create beauty in a hellish world. The Decameron by Boccaccio, a collection of medieval tales and folklore is the most famous literary work that came from that time period (â€Å"The Black Death†). The collection is set in the Italian countryside where aristocrats, fleeing the Plague as it ravages Florence, are stranded without their usual entertainments. To pass the time, they tell each other stories, from which Boccaccio harvested a rich storehouse of traditional narrative. The Decameron eventually became the foundation for many other Renaissance works, including several of Shakespeares plays (â€Å"The Black Death†). Positive Consequences It’s hard to find positive in so much death but the plague actually helped in a few ways. First being manpower, because of the shortages, manpower had so much more value. Peasants weren’t readily available in large numbers so the ones still alive found themselves in high demand (â€Å"The Black Death†). The ones who had all the power, kings and dukes, now found themselves bargaining with laborers over working conditions, and also the lower class were able to demand better pay for their services (â€Å"The Black Death†). Also, serfdom was terminated, so those peasants that were slaves and tied to the land were no longer obligated to farm and serve. And one other positive result of the bubonic plague was the development of medicine as a science in the West. Islamic doctors had advocating general cleanliness and the value of studying anatomy but Western healers prior to the black death were still using practices like the theory of humors (â€Å"The Black Death†). But when Plague wiped out nearly all the doctors of Europe, because the doctors had to attend to the dying and because of this were exposed at a higher rate to the more virulent pneumonic form of Plague. With so many doctors dying, it created a change in both personnel and precept (â€Å"The Black Death†). Strangely, western medicine owes much to plague. Conclusion The Black Death started in 1347 and continued for a full five years, this devastating plague spread throughout Europe, leaving more than twenty million people dead. The consequences to Europe were profound. Besides immeasurable death, traditional medieval society broke, the economies were fractured, and art and literature took a turn from light to dark. Though it spread throughout Europe, the Black Death was world-shattering and shows how even the smallest of things, the microbial world, can at times steer the course of human civilization.

Molly Dinton Essay Example for Free

Molly Dinton Essay I dont know where documentary is going, but at the moment it is fast becoming a soap opera in order to keep its place in the schedules Molly Dinton. Dinton believes that the documentary genre is changing in order to survive. This evolution of the genre could be justified, and enables the diverse genre to still be able to attain fixtures on the British television broadcasting stations. The statement of the documentary fast becoming a soap opera, can to some extent be supported. Currently on British television, there has been a swarm of reality TV programmes and Docu- soaps, which can be seen as a polluted hybrid of the documentary genre. These programmes are noted as successful in attracting an audience, therefore, the TV institutions are more likely to exploit these wining formulas of the genre and schedule the newer, more popular American format of documentary rather than the traditional documentary formula that aims to construct a social criticism and catalyse change, which often has a stigma of smelling of dust and boredom (Alberto Cavalcanti). Institutions are able to have a minimal risk of financial failure with docu- soaps and reality TV programmes, because as well having a high rating of audience consumption, the programmes are financially very cheap to produce. This is because the hybrid forms do not generally have professional actors but consist of real people. Also the programmes are often filmed in cheap locations over a relatively short period of time compared with Nick Broomfields Aileen- The Life and Death of a Serial Killer. In this recent documentary (2003) Broomfield worked in America for multiple months, which would have been extremely costly. Paul Hanmann, head of BBC Documentary features, says that a reality programme is three times cheaper as comparable light entertainment. Or take for example, Martin Bashirs The Michael Jackson Story, where by Bashir followed Michael Jackson from country to country over a period of a year, making a very costly production for ITV. In this investigative documentary, it too can also be noted as conforming to the new soap opera style of documentary, as Bashir chose to present to the nation the version that sensationalised the Jackson story in a negative light creating a spin off of conversation for a duration after. Bashir, like a soap opera director, chose to present the narrative version of the documentary that would create the most dramatic effect or shock for the audience. TV executives are more keen on scheduling the popular forms of the documentary genre and make the values of the programme centre on entertainment, as they feel entertainment is more appealing to the audience than a documentary that exits on a moral and ethical dimension. The intertextuality of the Docu- Soaps such as Vet School, The Cruise and Driving school, attract huge viewing ratings. For example Driving school had a 12. 5 million audience. The Docu- soap resembles the conventional fly on the wall antecedents, but like a Soap Opera, the genre prioritises audience entertainment over social commentary, and focuses on characters and their personalities, rather than on their social roles or professions. Characters are picked for their personalities, to ensure interesting viewing and strike a parallel with the Soap Operas, in that the characters are known on a first name basis to build up a relationship between audience and screen characters. Likewise, the episodes are strongly based on the drive of the narrative structure, to make more entertaining, simplistic and more story- like for the audience to follow and enjoy. Yet another demonstration of documentaries becoming a soap opera is with channel 4s Thatll teach them. In this series, teenagers of today were seemingly sent back in time to be educated in the 1950s. The programme is then followed up, several months later with, That taught em, making the series like a soap opera because the channel are adding to the original narrative, in order to get a greater knowledge of the teenagers. Reality TV combines the commercial success of tabloid content with a public service mode of address. The genre includes The Salon, Big Brother, Police Camera Action and Wife Swap, which are all hugely popular. Big Brother had a staggering 45, 000 people audition to be on the programme. These programmes are essentially very alike in comparison to Soap Operas. Often in reality TV, contrasting personalities are deliberately selected or an arisen conflict sensationalised; also many of the programmes are edited in order to capture comedy moments. Moreover in the Docu- Soap Driving School, there is evidence to suggest that many of the sequences, or body language/ facial expressions in the programme were faked in order to create further dramatic effect. Through sensationalising episodes, these programmes are able to compete with the story lines of many soaps, and attract viewers who enjoy much of the dramatisation that occurs in the soap operas. It also serves to entertain the audience. Reality TV is very much like many soaps. This is achieved by using editing. The Directors are able to create a persona or character of the participants, that the audience will either love or loathe, through selecting which footage to air and which to discard. With CCTV footage in Police Camera Action and 24/7 actuality footage of the constructed documentary, Big Brother, the audience is able to involve themselves in dramatic irony and acquire a greater knowledge of the characters and their situations, like we are also able to do through watching soaps. As McCann states it often turns us into Peeping Toms, which obviously appeals to a sector of society. There is however, evidence to suggest that many documentaries, which adopt the objective of catalysing change in the law or the dominant ideology and use film verite, are also still scheduled on British TV. For example, during November of each year, war documentaries will be broadcasted for Remembrance Day, and in the month of August, documentaries on Princess Diana and her death will be documented, to heighten the audiences level of awareness surrounding her suspicious death. These documentaries try to offer several new pieces of information discovered that are based on fact and not fiction. Experts, eyewitnesses, and official civil servants provide the evidence for the programme, giving it credibility. The documentary serves to criticise, the way in which the investigation was run, but also to cause the audience to change their previously held opinion on the subject, and to take on and believe the message given by the text. Occasionally other documentaries by famous documentarians are scheduled, such as Nick Broomfields Biggie and Tupac, (channel 4 2003), where Broomfield exposes the maze of obstacles and corruption complicating the investigation of the unsolved murders of the rap stars. Also, it is evident that many nature documentaries are shown on channel five, but not at peak times, which docu- soaps and reality TV are aired. In addition to this there is evidence to suggest that not all documentaries have to become soap operas in order to keep its place in the soap operas. This point can be clearly illustrated with the co- production by the BBC and Discovery Channel in their creation of Walking with Dinosaurs. The documentary achieved huge success and was stated as being the biggest thing on TV in 160 million years. With the aid of computer graphics, the programme portrayed to the audience at peak times of scheduling, a factual account of how dinosaurs lived, adapted into the different time periods, and eventually became extinct. There are also niche channels on Digital or Sky channels, such as Discovery, History, and the Learning channel, all of which schedule films solely from the documentary genre. These channels have high ratings and status, but are not available to everyone. In conclusion, I feel that Molly Dinton was justified in stating that the documentary is fast becoming a soap opera in order to keep its place in the schedules. This is mainly because the mass audience prefer docu- soaps and reality TV, which are closely related to soap operas. This is because these factions of the documentary genre entertain, and cause diversion and escapism for the audience, who are easily able to relax in their leisure time and watch the light- entertainment programmes. They are not presented with a programme that requires the mind to work too hard after a draining day. The broadcasting institutions generally broadcast, what is demanded from the public and what is financially better for their business, making the way clear for further reality shows that resemble the soaps to be produced. Perhaps the film verite documentaries are not as popular as the hybrid genres because in general they require a higher intellect/ socio- economic group to follow the programme or be interested in the issues investigated. This form of documentary perhaps has outlived its usefulness and no longer has a very clear significance. The vast docu- soaps and reality television programmes are scheduled at peak times, because they appeal to a wider audience where as the occasional documentary is scheduled mainly in the late eve. Therefore it is true that documentaries are fast becoming soap operas in order to survive.

Study And Analysis On Cash Flow Statements Finance Essay

Study And Analysis On Cash Flow Statements Finance Essay The Statement of Cash Flows is one of three very important financial reports that managers and investors look at when analyzing a companys past or present financial status. The balance sheet and the income statement are the other two reports. All of these reports are very important in running a successful business, but I personally feel that the cash flow statement is the most important. It is like the blood of a company since it would not survive successfully without it. Cash on hand can actually be much more important than income, profits, assets, and liabilities put together, especially in the early stages of our company. The cash flow statement tells us how much cash we have on hand after all costs are met. It shows how much cash we started with and how much we pay out. There are two parts to the Cash Flow Statement which are the top and bottom halves. The top half deals with the inflow and outflow of our companys cash. The bottom half of the statement reports where the funds end up. Just like the balance sheet, the top and bottom halves of a cash flow statement match. Knowing just how important it is to have cash on hand to pay the bills we want to make sure and review our cash flow statement regularly (How to Prepare, 2010). The top half of the cash flow statement deals with the inflow and outflow of cash. This tracks where our company gets our money and what we spend those funds on. Cash flow is a little more honest than an income statement, because the cash flow statement shows money coming in only when we actually deposit it and money going out only when we physically write out a check (How to Prepare, 2010). Because the cash flow statement reflects the actual receipt of cash, no matter where it comes from, the entries are a bit different from the revenue shown in a companys income statement. These funds are usually made up of gross receipts on sales, dividend and interest income, and invested capital. Gross receipts on sales represent the total money that we take in on sales during the period. Gross receipts are based on our gross revenue, of course, but they also take into account when you actually receive payment. Dividend and interest income is the income that we receive from savings accounts and other securities (Dividend Income, 2010). This is one of those amounts that are also reported on the income statement and should be the same as long as we actually receive the money during the period covered by the cash flow statement. Invested capital is part of the owners equity in the balance sheet. Although it does not represent revenue from our business operations and would not be part o f the income statement, it can be a source of cash for our company. The cash flow statement keeps track of the costs and expenses that we incur for anything and everything. Some of the expenses appear in the income statement and some dont because they dont directly relate to our costs of doing business. These funds consist of cost of goods produced, sales, administration, interest expense, taxes ECT. The cost of goods produced is exactly that, the cost incurred to produce our product or service during the period. Sales expenses are the same expenses that appear in an income statement except that paying off bills or postponing payments may change the amounts (. On to the bottom half of the cash flow statement which shows where our money is ending up. When our companys cash reserves raise the money flows into one or more of our asset accounts. The bottom half of the cash flow statement keeps track of what is happening to those accounts. This part of the Statement consists of changes in liquid assets and net change in cash position. With cash flowing in and out of the company, our liquid assets are going to change during the period covered by the cash flow statement. The items listed in this portion of the cash flow statement are the same ones that appear in the balance sheet. Raising the level of our liquid asset accounts has the effect of strengthening our cash position. In order to properly construct a cash flow analysis we have to look at three very important activities which are operating, investing and financing (Cash Flow, 2010). Operating activities are the cash components that are generated from the sales of the companies goods or products effecting the core business operation. These include the purchase of raw materials, production costs, advertising cost and even the delivery to customers (Cash Flow, 2010). Investing activities are straight forward items that report adjustments in the balances of fixed asset accounts like equipment, buildings, land and vehicles. Investing activities include making and collecting loans and acquiring and disposing of investments and property, plant and equipment (Investing, 2010). Financing activities are cash adjustments to fixed liabilities and owners equity. Cash increases when the company takes up a loan or raised capital, when dividends are paid out, cash decreases accordingly. Financing activities involve liabilities and owners equity items. They include obtaining resources from owners and providing them with a return on their investments, and borrowing money from creditors to repay the amounts borrowed (Financing, 2010). There are a few main objectives of the Statement of Cash flows one of which is to help assess the timing, amounts and the uncertainty of future cash flows (Revenues, 2010). This is one of the quarterly financial reports that publicly traded companies are required to release to the public. According to Investopedia, because public companies tend to use accrual accounting, the income statements they release each quarter may not necessarily reflect changes in their cash positions. The statement of cash flows is very important to businesses because it helps investors see where the company can benefit from better cash management. There are many profitable companies today that still fail at adequately managing their cash flow so it is important to be able to see where the weaknesses are in order to correct them. In conclusion the statement of cash flows is very important for companies and people that want to invest into a certain company. It shows how well a company manages its cash incomings and outgoings as well as showing how profitable a company might be or become. It is a very clear document to understand so that we dont fall victim to making a profit while still going broke. It is also helpful for the companies finance department so that they can see where the company stands in order to get more potential investors. It is a great resource to look at in order to recap a companys financial standing that most people are able to understand.

American Dream in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald :: essays research papers

Essential Question: What is the American Dream? America is the land with the most dreamers. America is the land of opportunity and equality. In America your dreams can be fulfilled if you work hard to achieve your goals. The American dream to most is, to be wealthy and to be able to afford anything. Wealth is a plus in life because you can afford expensive items that do not necessarily have a use, but it does not necessarily matter how hard you try or how much you spend you can not buy happiness. Although being wealthy can make you seem happy on the outside, on the inside you would not be as happy as you seem. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author shows how being wealthy will not make you happy. Many people have voiced their opinions of the America dream. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author tries to show you that wealthiness is a luxury not the American dream. And as I sat there, brooding on the old unknown world, I thought of Gatsby?s wonder when he first picked out that green light at the end of Daisy?s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dreams must have seemed so close that he can hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. (Fitzgerald) To put in simpler terms sometimes your American dream can be so close that you can taste it but it is not close enough to bite it. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrayed his view of the American dream through a character named Jay Gatsby. In the novel Jay Gatsby?s American dream was to get an old girlfriend back by showing off his wealth, but all he got was a bullet that killed him. In the novel he also states that everyone has an American dream and sometimes surpasses it in the process of grasping it. Gatsby It is believed that every person has a dream to accomplish in life but only those who believe can achieve them. ?No man e`er was glorious who was not laborious. Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it? (Franklin). Franklin believed that you can only spoil yourself if you can afford to.

The Sphinx of Giza Essay -- Egypt Symbol Pyramids Sphinx Essays

The Sphinx of Giza The Sphinx of Giza is a symbol that has represented the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. The body of a lion with the head of a king comes from the Egyptian culture symbolizing strength and wisdom. The sphinx is a carved out of the living rock. Egyptologists believe that the sphinx was built in 2500 BC in the fourth dynasty. From the north side the profile of the Sphinx reveals the proportion of the body to the head. It would appear as though the head is small in proportion to the body. Because of the changing desert terrain, the body of the Sphinx has been buried several times over the past several thousand years. Most recently in 1905, the sand has been cleared away to expose the magnitude and beauty of the entirety of the Sphinx.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sphinx is carved out of a single ridge of soft limestone 240 feet long and 66 feet high. The head was sculpted from the same stone, and the forepaws were separately made from blocks of limestone. The paws themselves are 50 feet long while the entire length is 150 feet . The head is 30 feet long and 14 feet wide. Because certain layers of the stone are softer than others, there is a high degree of erosion that has claimed the original detail of the carved figure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The face of the Great Sphinx has been thought to be pharaoh Khafre's face Fascinatingly, the features of the face of the Sphinx has a far more striking resemblance to an older brother of Khafre, the Pharaoh Djedefre . Djedefre's short lived reign occurred just prior to the reign of Khafre. Originally it is believed that the Sphinx was painted and was quite colorful. Since then, the nose and beard have been broken away from . In between the paws of the Sphinx is a stela, now called the "Dream Stela" which is a stone slab placed vertically and inscribed with a story. The 18th Dynasty story tells of the time Thutmosis IV fell asleep under the Sphinx which was covered to the neck in sand. Thutmosis had a dream that the Sphinx spoke to him and promised that if he would free the Sphinx from the sand, Thutmosis would be destined to become king of Egypt. From Ancient Egypt ,astronomy and astrology play an inextricable part. Everything seems to have something to do with the stars, or at the very least have a close relation that is. The people who made it had the most extraordinary knowledge of the stars and the behavior o... ...hat culture and how similar it was to the older structure. The Luxor hotel and the sphinx in its entrance was built to show a different culture and theme from the rest of the hotels. Another reason why the Sphinx might have been built in Las Vegas, could be because both cities are deserts and that makes it a perfect place to build the Luxor and the Sphinx.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the whole, both monuments are very fascinating and have special characteristics. For example, the size and design of it, the body of a Lion and Face of a Pharaoh represents the strength and power of the ruler. Both of the monuments were built for different reasons but they still represent the same culture. The sphinx in Las Vegas was built for attraction and to represent the Sphinx in Giza and to signify the Egyptian culture. It was easy to compare the two because their so much a like, and at the same time have different purposes. Looking at a Sphinx at close range is an amazing experience. It is one of the most fascinating monuments you will ever look at, the size and magnificence of it will take your breath away. So, Whenever you get the chance to see such an amazing monument do not forget to take lots of pictures.

Bate Besong’s Beasts of no Nations :: Bate Besong Beasts Nations Essays

Bate Besong’s Beasts of no Nations Drama is one genre in Literature whose functionality in society cannot be under estimated. It is an active and practical genre because; there is harmony and a practical relationship between the audience and the dramatis personae. It thus imitates its society at best. From this, it is difficult to separate drama from politics; politics being a science that deals with the state and the condition of the human society. Bate Besong is one of the most renown Cameroonian playwright of English expression, besides Bole Butake, Victor Epie Ngome and John Nkemngong, who is of the younger generation of Cameroonian playwrights in English. Even then, Bate Besong’s plays have not gained impetus in the eyes of critics. But examining the content and form of Beasts of no Nations,a play he published in 1990, one can rightly conclude that Bate Besong is an experimentalist playwright and a reformer. That is, one who uses art with the hope of changing the state of affairs in his ailing Cameroonian society. It is in this light that he becomes a political writer. I defend the hypothesis here that drama and politics are inseparable. Drama does not only mirror society but plays the role of a conscientizing, since man is only a political being and not a political genius. My goal in this paper will be to assess the relationship that exists between drama and politics and its results in society. The sociological approach would be used to analyse the relationship between drama and politics in Batae Besong’s play. This approach is based on the assumption that literary works are reflections of society. Critics of the approach hold that the understanding of the actual society is very important in the understanding of the textual society. In this case a literary work becomes the product of the community. I find this approach relevant in that I am going to be dealing with a subject, which handles text and societal relationship. This paper has been structured into two broad phases: the first phase looks at drama as a genre, politics as a discipline and their relationship. The next phase looks at how Bate Besong uses the art of drama to handle some burning issues in Post-independent Cameroon Aristotle defines drama as â€Å"action†. Action results from the interaction between the dramatis personae. Through action, the audience understands the conflicts and follows closely how it is resolved. Bate Besong’s Beasts of no Nations :: Bate Besong Beasts Nations Essays Bate Besong’s Beasts of no Nations Drama is one genre in Literature whose functionality in society cannot be under estimated. It is an active and practical genre because; there is harmony and a practical relationship between the audience and the dramatis personae. It thus imitates its society at best. From this, it is difficult to separate drama from politics; politics being a science that deals with the state and the condition of the human society. Bate Besong is one of the most renown Cameroonian playwright of English expression, besides Bole Butake, Victor Epie Ngome and John Nkemngong, who is of the younger generation of Cameroonian playwrights in English. Even then, Bate Besong’s plays have not gained impetus in the eyes of critics. But examining the content and form of Beasts of no Nations,a play he published in 1990, one can rightly conclude that Bate Besong is an experimentalist playwright and a reformer. That is, one who uses art with the hope of changing the state of affairs in his ailing Cameroonian society. It is in this light that he becomes a political writer. I defend the hypothesis here that drama and politics are inseparable. Drama does not only mirror society but plays the role of a conscientizing, since man is only a political being and not a political genius. My goal in this paper will be to assess the relationship that exists between drama and politics and its results in society. The sociological approach would be used to analyse the relationship between drama and politics in Batae Besong’s play. This approach is based on the assumption that literary works are reflections of society. Critics of the approach hold that the understanding of the actual society is very important in the understanding of the textual society. In this case a literary work becomes the product of the community. I find this approach relevant in that I am going to be dealing with a subject, which handles text and societal relationship. This paper has been structured into two broad phases: the first phase looks at drama as a genre, politics as a discipline and their relationship. The next phase looks at how Bate Besong uses the art of drama to handle some burning issues in Post-independent Cameroon Aristotle defines drama as â€Å"action†. Action results from the interaction between the dramatis personae. Through action, the audience understands the conflicts and follows closely how it is resolved.

Excel Igcse Computer Studies Glossary Essay

Actuator – It is a device that can be operated by signals from a computer or control system causing physical movement. (E.g. devices for opening windows in a computer controlled ventilation system) Algorithm – It is a sequence of instructions designed to perform a particular task and it is independent of any programming language. It includes precise details about the operations to be performed and in what order. (E.g. pseudo-code or program flow chart) Batch processing – It is a processing that doesn’t start until all the data are collected without any needs of human interaction. It uses computer during overnight. (E.g. payroll system, billing, cheque processing) CAD (Computer Aided Design) – It is the use of computer system that allows engineers and architects to design new projects by producing drawings. (E.g. designing new cars) Command-line interface – It is a set of commands instructed by the user in order to communicate with the computer and get the requirements sorted out. Compiler – It is a program that converts high-level language into machine language and converts whole program before execution. Cookies – It is a text which the user receives when in access to the internet website and gets automatically downloaded onto the user’s computer and further develops to infect a computer. (E.g. it can be blocked when the user rejects it by setting its restriction on the web page) Data integrity – It refers to the accuracy of data. Data-logging – It is an automatic capturing and storing of data readings from sensors over a period of time. (E.g. weather forecasting) De-skilling – It is replacing a semi-skilled labour with a micro-processing control system. Dry run – It is working through a program or a section of a program manually. This is useful for locating errors, particularly run time errors. E-commerce – It is an electronic commerce that allows buying and selling goods and services through the internet/computer networks. Either B2B or B2C, they still serve their products. (E.g. on-line shopping, Internet/online banking) H.J.Hong Encryption – It is a way of preventing data files that contain sensitive  information from being used if they’re stolen. Expert system – It is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) to a particular area of activity where traditional human expert knowledge and experience are made available through a computer package. (E.g. medical diagnosis) Generic software – It is a type of software that can perform many different related tasks. Intranet – It is a communication system, providing similar services to the internet solely within a particular company or organization. It makes it possible to share documents, databases and applications, using the same protocol as the internet. (E.g. more secure data) Logic gates – They are the components used in making logic circuits. Each gate has 1 or more inputs and produces a single output that depends upon the input(s). Simulation – It is a study of the behaviour of a system by using a model. (E.g. flight simulator) Structure diagram – It is a means of representing the design of a program or system and it demonstrates what happens at a program level Top-down design – It is the technic of breaking down a problem into subtasks that are sufficiently simple enough to be written as a self-contained module or procedure. (E.g. allows several programmers to work on the same large task, each module can be tested/debugged separately) Validation – It is a check on the data input and detects any data that is unreasonable and unacceptable. Video-conferencing – It is a form of an electronic communication through Internet for people who are geographically separated to transmit audio and video data. (E.g. meetings held at different locations) Virtual reality – It is a computer simulation that uses special interactive devices such as data gloves to create an artificial environment. (E.g. viewing newly constructed houses/pilot training) Virus – It is a program which replicates itself and damages files or data. (E.g. it alters the data on the infected computer without the user knowing it)

Physiological Impacts of World War Two Essay

When a soldier enlists into the military forces they know they are going in to fight for their country and freedom for everyone. They spend months training and preparing for the war and what to come. They learn to fight, shoot, and kill enemies, but what they do not learn is how to cope with the after math of the war. Soldiers in war every year come home with many post traumatic effects from what they had witnessed. During world war two this was known as shell shock; however what can be concluded is that world war two impacted the soldiers emotionally and physiologically from the time they entered to post war. World War Two was one of the biggest struggles nations everywhere have ever seen. â€Å"It killed more people, costs more money, damaged more property, and affected more people†¦than any other war in history† (The History on the Net Group). People everywhere were in panic when the War started. With all the damage done during the war it can be imagined how the soldiers were traumatized by losing their fellow soldiers. â€Å"The number of people killed, wounded, or missing between September 1939 and September 1945 can never be calculated, but it is estimated that more than 55 million people perished† (The History on the Net Group). Soldiers were devastated by the tragedies that occurred at the time of war. However, before the war started there were a lot of causes that went into why everything ended up in war. World War Two began in September 1939 when Britain and France declared war on Germany following Germany’s invasion of Poland. The war was triggered by Germany’s invasion of Poland but the causes of the war are far beyond this fact. After World War One had occurred Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States of America wanted to make a treaty on his four point plan to bring peace to Europe. Other countries involved in this treaty did not have the same idea as President Wilson. George Clemenceau wanted revenged. He wanted to make sure Germany would never be able to start a war again. When Germany received this treaty they were very surprised with the terms. The terms included, war guilt clause, which meant Germany accepted all the blame for  World War One. Reparations, Germany had to pay millions in damage from the war. Disarmament, Germany could not have tanks or air force and land was taken away from them and given to other countries. The Germans were not happy with this treaty and thought of it as very harsh. However the Germans took responsibility and continued on in hope to get revenge later. In 1919, to help keep the world safe for democracy the League of Nations was set up. League of Nations would intend that if there were disagreements between countries they would negotiate rather than fight. The failure of the League of Nation can be summarized by points such as, not all countries joining in such as Germany as a punishment and Russia because of the spread of communism. The League of Nations had no power or any army. Countries were hesitant to get involved with an aggressive country and taking direct action against them. These things led to the fall of the League of Nations. People were angry because they did not want to cut off resources with other countries, even if they were aggressive because during the late 1920’s depression hit most of them. â€Å"The depression destroyed the market for imported silk from Japan, which had provided the country with two fifths of its export income’’ (The History on the Net Group). Economic problems played a fundamental part in the cause of World War 2. Germany, one of the poor countries became crippled in power and vulnerable. When Adolf Hitler came into power he immediately began placing blame on other countries and making Germany at the top of resources again. All these aspects lead to the start of World War two in Europe. As the war in Europe continued President Franklin D. Roosevelt told America he did not want to get involved. He thought it was better to stay neutral in this matter and let them handle their own battle. The United States decided to eventually join the war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, however the issues had started years before Pearl Harbor was attacked. It starts with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, China. The Japanese invade Manchuria on September 18th, 1931. China was in the middle of a depression, so the Japanese had the upper hand. When Russia found this out they were enraged meaning America was as well, being alliances with Russia. Also, â€Å"the Japanese invading China violated the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 which renounced war as national policy† (Ketchum). The United states told Japan  if they don’t get out of China, they would stop trading oil with them. Japan stayed in China so the U.S stopped trading oil. Japan disliked this and held a grudge on America for years. Besides this, The US was already trading with other countries through the Lend-Lease Act, a document allowing the US to lend countries like Britain war materials in exchange for money. Germany was also angry that America was helping their enemies. As a result the Nazi’s decide to sink the U.S supply ships to help keep them from sending resources to other countries. However, President Roosevelt did not want to enter war until the attack of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii occurred. This pushed the United States into the war officially on December 8, 1941. Right after we entered the war Hitler declared war on the United States. Followed by a United States declaration of war against Germany, and then the United States was fully involved in the war. America did not want to go to war but when America was targeted they decided to counter attack, however they did not plan on going to war with Germany but once they did it lead to one of the biggest and bloodiest wars of all time in history. My grandfather, Edward Weil was lucky and un lucky enough to be able to experience World War 2. As a veteran of war he tells me all his stories about what the war was like. â€Å"The war was a very hard time.† He tells me, â€Å"it was rough but it also brought the nation closer together and America’s pride shined.† When I asked my grandfather why he joined the war he has told me about the attack of pearl harbor and how everyone had to stand for the pledge of allegiance out of respect and when he put his hand to his heart a navy officer came up to him and told him, â€Å"You would look very good in a uniform.† It really made my grandfather look at what he wanted to do and how he wanted to protect his nation. At the same time joining the war also impacted him in a negative way. During the war my grandfather was nervous but knew this was what he wanted to do. He saw the Japanese bomb his mother ship and his sailors being killed and put on the edge of the deck to take back and bury. These experiences get scarred into soldiers minds forever. They cannot escape what they saw and those horrific actions done to one another. My grandfather was only 17 years old when he entered war. He wanted freedom and security for the American people. However, as a young teenage boy still the war affected his emotions and to this day it is still  a very sentimental and emotional topic to him. During my interview with my grandfather as I talked about what he wished he could change about the war, he started to tear up and told me about all the people lost to the war and his friends. His ship pulled next to another ship while it was burning and the people were asking for help and they tried to save as many people as they could. My grandfather even lost his left hearing due to the war. He is very proud to show his metals from the war and how he helped our nation. My grandfather is very proud to be a world war to veteran.

Financial markets

Financial assets are made up of securities, stocks and derivatives. These are claims to the cash flow generated by real, tangible assets which are the lands, buildings and machineries we use. These pieces of paper are how citizens of highly developed countries increase their wealth. Wealth generation involves risk, for no business activity is certain to provide returns. Financial markets allow investors to participate in money-making ventures without being physically present in the project site.Most risk tolerant individuals prefer stocks, for it has the potential to yield very high returns, while conservative ones go for bonds which provides a steady, fixed income. In this activity, stock trading is the main focus. Objectives Just like any investor, generating cash flow was the primary goal. The amount of cash to be gained from trading should compensate the risk undertaken. The goal was to achieve steady growth. The expected was return is 40%. After setting the required return, a po rtfolio strategy was chosen.Assets were then selected which would comprise the efficient portfolio– provides the highest return for a given level of risk. Fundamental analysis was the method used to pick the stocks. Diversification was another tactic used to maximize return while spreading the risk. Construct a portfolio Portfolio construction was a tedious task. I had to weigh the risk and returns, and sometimes, to trust my gut feel. Stock prices, as studies have shown follow a random walk movement. The approach used was a top-down portfolio construction. A portfolio is basically a collection of investment assets.The type of assets to be held was first determined. It was then followed by security analysis to pick out the stocks deemed profitable. Diversification was one principle used in choosing the stocks. It simply meant that equities from different industries were held in the portfolio so that risk exposure was limited. Shares from the software industry (RIMM, JAVA), ar ms(SWHC), pharmaceutical (GERN), computer (PALM), insurance (HUM), health care(HMA), power (FL), SAM, metals and mining(AUY, AA) ,oil and gas(IEO), index fund(SWPIX), cement(CX),AXP Asset Analysis Fundamental analysis was mainly used in the decisions undertaken.This approach uses earnings and dividend prospects of the firm, expectations of future interest rates, and risk evaluation of the firm to determine proper stock prices. It relies on the company's financial health indicators. The stocks’ annual growth rate, quarterly earnings records, and P/E (price-to-earnings) ratios were measured. Historical data was also used. One such statistic is the EPS, or earnings-per-share ranking. PALM stocks were bought since the firm’s return on investment was stated at 2470. 70%. Also, on the day that it was traded, it was lower priced.Smith and Weson, SWHC had a P/E ratio of 5. 50%, an ROE of 19. 7%. Thus, a total of 4000 shares of SWCH were bought. Alcoa, or AA’s ROE was 16 . 20%. Its EBITDA was 5. 45 B. Meanwhile, its P/E ratio was 11. 60 and its annual dividend was at . 68 per share. Alcoa looks financially healthy, but was expensive, so only 1000 shares were purchased. Similarly, FPL’s ROE was 14. 6%. Its P/E ratio was 12. 7%. Its EBITDA was 4. 47 B. The market values FPL shares highly. But, I found it unsmart to invest in highly valued stocks, because market perceptions fluctuate wildly. Thus, I only acquired 700 shares of FPL.RIMM had an ROE of 30. 60%. Its P/E ratio was 50%. For me, RIMM shares were really costly. In fact, it was has the highest cost per share in my portfolio. But I was attracted to its financial forecast. Furthermore, its 52 week high was at $148 so I found the $80 per share enticing. I thus bought 1000 shares from RIMM. HUM had an ROE of 19. 9% and a P/E ratio of 18. 00. It was quite overpriced, so I only bought 1000 shares. HMA was the lowest priced stock in my portfolio. But, I decided to purchase it believing that dem and for health care services will increase in the near future.CX, compared with its competitor, Heidelberg cement had higher earnings and historically displayed returns higher than the market average. I bought 1000 shares. I also bought SWPIX, an index fund as a comparison for the return of my trading activities. Event Selection One of the most remarkable news was the launching of PALM’s Pre. With the belief that the Pre will be hot in the market, just like Apple’s I-pod, I bought 4,000 shares from PALM. I deem that the future value of PALM will increase more than two-fold once the Pre is introduced. The hype will push the price of its stock.Thereafter, I can sold my shares at a profit. In addition, the popularity of smart phones, or phones which serve more than just talking devices was forecasted to increase steadily in the near future. Aside from purchasing PALM stocks, I decided to buy shares from BlackBerry’s maker, RIMM. News of the global swine flu outbrea k prompted me to purchase HMA shares. HMA , a healthcare provider would have more profits if the flu would become widespread. In addition, Citigroup upgraded HMA shares from hold to buy. Meanwhile, the news on the pending sale of JAVA drove me to sell my 1000 shares.Monster stocks which were identified two weeks in a row included AUY. The information urged me to buy 3000 shares of AUY. Behavioral Finance Even if information processing were perfect, it seemed that investors tend towards irrational decisions. In hindsight, these behavioral biases largely affected how I framed questions of risk versus return. Psychologists have found that individuals blame themselves more when an unconventional decision turned out poorly. Based on regret aversion theory, buying a blue-chip portfolio that declines in value is not as painful as experiencing similar losses on an unknown start-up firm.Losses on the blue-chip stock can be more easily attributed to grim luck rather than bad decision. To avoi d future remorse, I did not include stocks from start up firms. I considered less-well-known firms to be more risky. Even if potential gains can be realized from new firms due to their tremendous growth capacity and often undervalued stocks, I steered clear from such path. Instead, I trudged towards the tried and tested road and concentrated on well-established companies like Alcoa, Smith and Weson and Cemex, and popular companies like JAVA and RIMM.Availability bias is rooted on the concept that people base their decisions on the most recent and meaningful events. The more current or up-to-date the information, the more profound would be its effect on the investor. In the late 1990's, investors got caught up in the internet mania, which caused them to disregard the risks. I suppose that people naturally get lost in the moment. In fact, I purchased HUM stocks based mainly on the news that Humana was named top payer of pay claims. With the positive publicity of Humana, I projected th at its value would also increase in the market, making it an insurance of choice of the public.According to behavioral finance theories, people are overconfident, especially when they experience success. One main source of overconfidence pointed was that, most individuals consider themselves to be above average in terms of skills. This behavior was apparent when even greenhorn investors experienced exceptional growth in technology stocks of the 1990’s. As the stocks continued to climb, investors began to ascribe much of their triumph to their ability to make shrewd investment decisions. Personally, I thought that my projections on the oil and mining industries were more accurate than the foresight of other investors.I thus bought a total of 2000 IEO shares in two different occasions. My rationale was that, oil prices would rise, because it already dipped this year. The same level of smug overconfidence applied to my AUY stock acquisition. In times of crisis, I reasoned, peopl e would splurge on objects which have economic value. In my mind, a woman with money will likely choose a Louis Vuitton bag due to its resale value, than a Prada, even if the former were more expensive. Gold jewelry too, will have high demand, since it can be pawned. Thus, AUY, a gold mining firm was a reasonable buy.Humans have a tendency to seek or interpret information in a way that would confirm one's preconceptions. Conversely, information which contradict prior beliefs would be avoided. This type of selective thinking is called the confirmation bias. With the positive financial data I had gathered about SWHC, I already had a mental picture of its performance. However, since it is mainly an arms company, an industry which I am not well aware of, and less publicized as compared to energy firms, I still had to substantiate my expectations. True enough, the earnings of SWHC grew consistently.The information I needed to verify my previous opinion was made available. I decided to pu rchase 1000 shares at two different occasions. I bought the first share at $5. 68 and the next 500 at $5. 46. My decision turned out bad, since I decided to sell half of my SWHC shares days later, at a lower price of $5. 29. This action of mine is reflective of the loss aversion theory. It refers to the propensity of people to lean towards avoidance of losing a certain amount than gaining the same value. Losses are considered to have heavier emotional impact than do gains.Observing that the price of SWHC is quite going down, I disposed half my shares. I would rather sell at a marginal loss of . 27 per share than wait for the SWHC stock to plunge deeper than lose much more. However, I decided to keep half the shares. Why? Because I wanted to at least break even with my losses, just in case the price goes up, a behavior quite related to gambler’s fallacy. According to the gambler’s fallacy, investors liquidate a position after it has consistently gone up. It is also call ed the Monte Carlo fallacy.It rests on the belief that deviations from expected behavior which occur repeatedly will eventually be countered by opposite movements. For instance, a huge increase in stock price will eventually be corrected by the market, thus the difference should be exploited right away. This belief that high prices are temporary was illustrated in my trading of GERN shares. I bought 4000 shares from GERN at 6. 37 per share. Since the price to book ratio is 2. 02, the stock appeared to be highly valued by the market. But, the return on investment, and EBITDA of GERN is negative, indicating that it is not good for medium term investments.I wanted simply to buy and sell the shares. To take advantage of its high market value, the 1000 shares of the 4000 GERN stocks were sold at $6. 61. In addition, the news regarding the probability of Oracle selling Sun Microsystems prompted me to sell my shares in JAVA. Oracle’s move would mean that JAVA is not performing well. Thus, I had no desire to be part of the lowering of its market value When the news was announced that Palm and Dell lead the technological race,I decided to purchase its stocks. In addition, Palm was about to launch its Pre, a handheld technological device.Palm was a company with huge potential growth, I surmised. I wanted to take advantage of the boom it will undergo once its new product floods the market. Given such information, I bought 4000 shares of the company. Apparently, I wasn’t the only investor clamoring for PALM’s shares. The market over reacted to the statement that Pre is predicted to be the next It thing. This kind of behavior is called overreaction. According to market efficiency, new information should be reflected almost immediately in a security's price. For instance, positive reviews should raise a business' share price.The new share price should not decline even if no fresh information has been released since. Reality, however, tends to challenge this concept. Usually, stock market participants predictably overreact to the most recent information, creating a larger-than-expected effect on the price. In addition, it also appears that this price surge erodes over time. The herding or bandwagon effect simply states that investors move in a certain popular direction. They tend to mimic one another. The huge volume of PALM shares traded enticed me to join in the trend.I had the same mindset with my purchase of IEO shares. The number of subscribers has been increasing since December 2008. Thus, I decided to buy in. Furthermore, on June 1, 2008, IEO was at its 6 month high at more than 900,000 shares. I decided to purchase an additional 1000 shares at $47. 55 . The same theory applied with my purchase of the AUY shares. It was considered hotstock due to its increasing volume in the market. Lastly, the news on CX’s reorganization did not entice me to buy its stocks. It announced that it would restructure its top management ef fective May 15.But, I only decided to buy 1000 shares two weeks after. I did underreact to new information Expected Return I expected a 40% return for my portfolio. But, I was largely disappointed. The portfolio return was a mere 3%. Since the current risk free rate is at 5%, the asset return is 3% and the standard deviation is . 00334, the Sharpe ratio is -5988. 024 . Based on this calculation, I was not successful as an active portfolio manager. I would have done better if I bought an index fund. My trading performance was largely disappointing. I relied too much on fundamental analysis.I could have used technical data more, to incur larger profits. For starters, I depended heavily on P/E ratios. P/E ratios, it turned out are simply market forecasts, but not highly reliable. Also, I should have taken the risk with undervalued, high growth stocks. These start-up firms could have provided me with returns I could have also used the CAPM, where Re=Rf+(Rm-Rf)B. By comparing a stockâ₠¬â„¢s return relative to the market average and risk free rate, I would have a more precise gauge of whether the asset has high yields. Lastly, I wasn’t able to observe the market closely for I only traded at night.