Gun control policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gun control policy - Essay Example The government should control the usage of guns; license policy for guns should be strictly implemented. Drug addicts, mentally challenged people etc are the fundamental reasons to control the usage of guns. Gun Control policies: The production and licensing of the Guns should be controlled: Usually governments use to increase the budgets for the purpose of buying weapons and for defense purpose. The main motive of that policy is to ensure the defense and security of the country. But they are forgetting the main facts, these weapons could be misused by criminals, terrorists etc. For example, we can take the situation in United States. â€Å"A school going kid brings gun to school, and he showed his friends† (The Messenger-Gazette 2011). Some kids tried to sell the gun inside the school compound. This is the best instance showing us that the guns and fire arms are reaching in the wrong hands. Proper licensing and strict laws should be implemented to prevent this danger situatio n. In countries like Pakistan, there are Gun selling streets and shops; anybody can buy guns and other weapons from those shops with out license. â€Å"The market is made up of a warren of small barren brick factories; where upwards of 1,000 guns are manufactured every day, mostly by hand† (Pasternack 2011). All this would lead to dangerous situation and uncertainty. The government should take maximum effort to control the manufacturing and buying of guns.

Medieval Europe - Papal Reformation Essay Example for Free

Medieval Europe Papal Reformation Essay Since the Council of Nicaea called in the fourth century by Constantine to the early eleventh century, the Church was never established as a free standing institution. For over eight hundred years the Church had been under the authority of secular powers. Charlemagne and the Carolingians emperors saw themselves as the ones to maintain the Church materially, organizationally, and spiritually, while the pope was only an example of ideal Christian living. Social deterioration led to the corruption of the Church and its offices; simony being the biggest problem. The papacy itself was corrupted by simony and Roman politics. While reform had been taking place in the local levels for some time, the papacy was the last part of the Church to be reformed. The papacy reformation came about through three major popes: Leo IX (1049-1054), Nicholas II (1059-1061), and Gregory VII (1073-1085). The actions by these popes in the eleventh century would root out the corruption within the church and cause conflict between the secular authorities and the papacy resulting in the separation and establishing of the Church as a power on its own. After numerous corrupt popes, Leo IX is considered to be the pope that started the papacy reformation. Ironically, he was appointed pope by his cousin Emperor Henry III. After being coroneted, Leo spent less than six months in Rome traveling through Italy, Germany, France, and as far as Hungary ( Blum, 485). According to Backman, â€Å"Leo recognized two things from the very start: first, the papacy could not be properly reformed so long as it remained mired in Roman factional politics; and second, the papacy needed to be seen by the faithful in order to secure the gains of the reform† (Backman, 268). Leo was literally the first pope to be seen by most Christians (Backman, 268), and he wanted to â€Å"project an image of the papacy in action† (Blum, 485). For a long time the title of pope was just a name without any meaning or power; however, Leo would change that with his travels. Leo’s great accomplishments were abolishing simony, help ending the practice of cl erical marriage, and improving the clergies training and education. Pope Leo IX, through his travels had plans of establishing his authority while also rooting out corruption still in local churches. â€Å"Leo staged large-scale Masses, pronounced Peace and Truce decrees, and offered all the faithful the opportunity to air grievances about their local church and ecclesiastical leaders† (Backman, 269). Clergy that had obtained their position by way of simony were given the chance to retain their office only if the confessed their faults and swore publicly to dedicate themselves to the reformed Church. According to Backman these acts were performed in public for two reasons: First, the people themselves got to hear the confession of their clergy, and second, the pope got the pleasure of having the faithful see the priest, bishops, and archbishops kneeling before Leo, in other words, used the reform-celebration itself as a means for establishing papal authority over the episcopacy. Henceforth, everyone understood that the bishops served as the legitimate leaders of the Church because the Holy Father himself had publically bestowed their office upon them. The papacy now stood at the head of a new hierarchy and determined its legitimacy. 269 The last major contributing act Leo had towards the reformation was the creation of the College of Cardinals. Leo saw that the Church was not intellectually able to deal with issue it was faced with. He created a body of advisors for the papacy that included theologians, lawyers, philosophers, historians, scientists, and diplomats. These handpicked advisors would lend expert council to the pope on settling and resolving doctrinal issues never really solved by the Church. One of the issues they dealt with was celibacy for the clergy; this would not be settled until Pope Nicholas II. The papacy was now the decision making center on doctrinal issues for the Church. Leo IX was a major turning point for the Church, but unfortunately he would not finish what he started. The next pope to further the papal reformation was Nicholas II. Pope Nicholas II built upon what Leo IX had already done. Nicholas and a council produced the Lateran synod of April 1059. The synod ended clerical marriage and established clergy celibacy. It also added to the strict prevention of simony. Also with the synod, Nicholas and the council made two major decisions that would shape the papacy up until today. The first of these decisions was to condemn the practice of lay investiture. â€Å"The ritual by which a lay prince â€Å"invested† a priest or bishop with the insignia of his office suggested that the ecclesiastical authority was subordinate to the secular† (Backman, 270). The papacy now condemned this seeing as the reforming popes were trying to establish the Church as an entity on its own. The Church wanted to control everything about itself and completely cut off any secular ties trying to control it. The second major decision Nicholas and the council made was mad in the Papal Election Decree of 1059. This was to ensure no pope could ever be placed in power by a secular ruler but only elected by the College of Cardinals. Backman describes it as this: †¦for all eternity the only way for any individual to become the legitimate pontiff of the Holy Catholic Church was to be freely elected to the position by the College of Cardinals. This decree removed the Holy See from the clutched of the Roman magnates, but it also declared the papacy’s independence from the imperial power. 270 These actions changed the state’s authority over the church that had been present since Constantine. When Henry IV came to power in 1056, he did not like the actions taken by the Church and trying to separate from his authority. The tension between the papacy and secular powers came to a high during the pontificate of Pope Gregory VII. Now Gregory VII had begun his career in Rome during the pontificate of Leo IX as Leo’s â€Å"‘secretary of state’ and author of his important papers† (Blum, 485). So Gregory had been around since the beginning of the papal reformation. His actions and policies would lead to the biggest conflict between the Church and State during this reformation. After dealing with carious rebellions, Henry IV’s resent meant lead him to prepare to attack Rome and deal with the papacy’s action. Henry wanted to show that he had supremacy and was the ruler of both Church and State. Before Henry could attack, Gregory responded with a declaration called the Dictatus Papae. This was a list of twenty-seven single sentence decrees about papal power. Gaudemet defines them as, â€Å"lapidary and unrestrained terms the universal power of the pope; his authority over bishops, clerics and councils, and his right to depose the emperor, to certify every canonical text, to make law and to deliver judgment from which there is no appeal† (Gaudemet, 470). Gregory was trying to establish that he alone, as the pope, had complete supremacy over both Church and the emperor. Henry took these Dictates as a direct attack on his royal rights and power. This led to both Gregory and Henry writing letters back and forth to each other with increasing t ensions with each letter. These letters led to both of them excommunicating and deposing the other from office at the end of 1076. The excommunicating of each other would lead to a major event in establishing supremacy to the pope. Gregory, being the pope, was still head of the Church, and Henry found himself still excommunicated. Henry and his advisor devised a plan to get him forgiven and restored into the Church. Being the pope meant that Gregory was a priest, and he would have to forgive a penitent sinner. Gregory was caught off guard at his castle in Canossa, Italy by Henry’s arrival and asking of forgiveness. This had made Gregory furious, but he had to forgive him. Gregory used this to his advantage, showing that he had supremacy over the emperor. Gregory made Henry stand outside his window barefoot wearing penitential rags for three days begging for forgiveness and pleading for restoration. While this move by Henry helped him with his enemies and restored him back into the Church, this move also hurt him. This move now shifted the supremacy towards the pope. The emperor was now seen as submissive to the pope and had to do what the pope said. While more conflicts happened between Gregory VII and Henry IV, the investiture struggle would not end with them. It was officially ended in 1122 with Henry IV’s son, Henry the V, and Pope Calixtus II (1119-1124) with the Concordat of Worms. This allowed ecclesiastical appointment to be made by the Church alone but also allowed secular rulers to participate with the lands and appurtenances supplementary to the positions. The issue of papal supremacy over imperial supremacy was circumvented, only to erupt again in centuries later. While Urban II (1088-1099) was able to finalize the reform of the Church during his pontificate, it wasn’t really until the end of the twelfth century that the Church reform came to a conclusion. Gregory VII and the popes following openly proclaimed the Church’s supremacy and sovereignty over the secular world. They had not only made the Church a standing institution on its own, but they had reversed the historical roles of the Church and State. Since the time of Gregory VII, the papacy had become a massive bureaucracy. The Church now had an ostentatious financial machinery, judicial system, bureaucratic structure, police network, and standing army. The Church was now its own free standing institution and would eventually become its own sovereign city-state.

computer history :: essays research papers

Every aspect of our life in this day and age involves technology. At the forefront of the trend is an advanced machine called the computer. Everywhere you turn, you see some facet of its work. Computers link together almost all government and economic fractions of our world with silicon chips and electrical signals. The list of tasks it can perform is amazing. With intricate parts and super fast circuitry, computers are a complex technological wonder. Its history is interesting but its evolution is amazing. From garage size monster machines to 5 pound 3 inch-thick laptops, the computer shapes today’s world. When you say the world â€Å"computer,† most people think of the desktop machine you can play games on and print out your favorite pictures. Early computers however were far different from today’s machines. They were first designed only for simple mathematical problems. Most five-dollar calculators at Wal-Mart could outperform any of the first computers. The first truly digital computer weighed 60,000 pounds. It contained 27,000 vacuum tubes, 4,000 of which had to be replaced every month. Computers since then have gotten smaller and more efficient, resulting in today’s machines. The evolution of computers has come a long way. Think of how important the Internet is. Everyday when you’re taking roll, you’re using the Internet to send your information to the main office. The government uses the Internet to keep in contact with its officials in Middle Eastern countries. Everyday thousands of business transactions are made on the Internet. E-mail has become a major form of communication. Millions of teenagers get online everyday to talk with each other. Kids can interactive with educational websites. All these simple things couldn’t be performed without the Internet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The future for computers has never looked brighter. Imagine a computer that could read your thought waves and respond to exactly what you thought at the exact time you thought it. Virtual reality computer systems could be used to train military pilots, soldiers, and officers. But on another note, an increase in technology would be just another asset on a terrorists list.

Booker T. Washingtons Up from Slavery Essay -- Up from Slavery

The book, Up From Slavery, written by Booker Taliaferro Washington, profoundly touched me when I read it. Washington overcame many obstacles throughout his life. He became perhaps the most prominent black leader of his time. Booker T. Washington belived that African Americans could gain equality by improving their economic situation through education rather than by demanding equal rights. Washington’s life story was told during the mid to late 1800’s into the early 1900’s, in the time when the Emancipation Proclamation had gone into effect. The Emancipation Proclamation was one major event in history that forever changed our country. All slaves were free and had to go find a new place to live and a new place to work. When the slaves were first freed there was alot ofhostile feelings from the whites towards the newly freed slaves. To blacks living within post- Reconstruction South, Washington offered industrial education as the means of escape from sharecropping and allowed blacks to become self-employed, while owning their own land, or small business. Booker over came the obstacles of the free black man by educating himself and other blacks to become â€Å"equal† to whites. Until the start of World War I African Americans had a difficult time. His speaking tours and private persuasion tried to equalize public educational opportunities and to reduce racial violence. There were many gains earned after the Civil War seemed lost by the time of World War I because racial violence and lynching reached an all time high. However, both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Urban League (NUL) were founded by blacks and whites during this time. Both of these major civil rights organizations make efforts on the part of blacks and their white allies to insure that the United States provides "freedom and justice to all". The year of Washington's death marked the beginning of the Great Migration from the rural South to the urban North. He is known as one of the best civil rights leaders for the African American people in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Booker began his life as a slave for the Burroughs family. He was born in Franklin Co., Virginia around the year 1858 or 1859, he was not sure exactly when he was born because there was never any paper work kept on slaves. His mo... ...to be equally educated. His speeches not only attracted the black people but also, northern and southern white people. Booker worked hard for all that he achieved during his life time. People all over were followers of Booker T. Washington. One example of how much these followers appreciated Washington is through raising money for a trip to Europe. Not just anyone went to Europe in those days. The trip showed how much the people appreciated Booker’s efforts for civil rights and education of blacks. They sent him and his wife away for three months of strictly relaxation. I believe that this is a very inspirational book giving the message â€Å"you can do anything if you put your mind to it†. Booker shows his reader this through all the things he does in his life time. This book was a very enjoyable book to read. I would highly recommend all people to read Up From Slavery to see the impact Booker T. Washington had on the African American civil rights that are present in the United States today. I believe that Up From Slavery showed how blacks improved their economic situation through gaining education. Bibliography: Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington

Sirius XM Satellite Radio

For this particular assignment, I was to choose an existing, publically owned company to research and do a background report on. I decided to view the public companies link, provided on the module 1, Assignment 3 page, and I noticed that Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Inc. was rated #1 in top stocks by trade volume. I found it impressive that it was ranked higher than Facebook and Microsoft Corp. alone. This is what originally caught my attention about the company, but I felt it was a great corporation to do my paper on because I have been a customer of XM satellite radio way before they merged with Sirius and I have no complaints.I am a huge fan of Sirius XM radio and if I lost my account with this company, I would be lost, myself. I thought it would be interesting to learn more about this company, so Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Inc. is the company I have decided to do my background report on. What is Sirius XM Satellite Radio? Sirius XM Satellite Radio is the largest radio broadcaster m easured by income and has 25. 6 million subscribers. It offers commercial-free music, premier sports, live events, news, comedy, exclusive talk, entertainment, and the most complete line up of Latin commercial-free music, sports, and talk programming in radio.Sirius XM is one of the world’s largest pure-play audio entertainment companies and is among the largest subscription media companies in the USA offering a collection of exclusive content that covers all genres and interests. (www. siriusxm. com) What Sirius XM Has to Offer its Customers: Sirius XM Satellite Radio is available via satellite, through the Sirius XM Radio apps for smart phones and other connected devices, as well as online at siriusxm. com. You can have their service installed in your home or office and Sirius XM has arrangements with every major automaker for installation of satellite radio in their vehicles.Listeners can personalize Sirius XM music channels using MSXM and listen to thousands of hours of p rogramming using Sirius XM on demand. The service provides premium traffic, weather data, and information services in cars, trucks, RVs, boats, and aircraft through Sirius XM Traffic ®, Naveatherâ„ ¢, Sirius XM Aviation, Sirius Marineâ„ ¢, Sirius Marine Weather, and XMWX Marineâ„ ¢. How Did it All Begin? In 1988, the American Mobile Satellite Corporation (AMSC) was formed and was an association of several organizations who were originally dedicated to satellite broadcasting of telephone, fax and data signals.In 1992, AMSC established a unit called the American Mobile Radio Corporation dedicated to developing a satellite-based digital radio service; this was spun off as XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. in 1999. The satellite service was officially launched on September 25, 2001. On July 29, 2008, XM and their competitor Sirius Satellite Radio decided to merge once the U. S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved, Sirius XM Radio, Inc. was formed and on November 12, 2008, Sirius and XM began broadcasting with their new, combined channel lineups.The proposed merger was opposed by those who felt a merger would create a monopoly. Sirius and XM argued that a merger was the only way that satellite radio would survive. The two companies supposedly weren’t ever a loud to own each other’s license. CEO, Mel Karmazin ignored this rule, proceeding and gambling that the FCC would consider other audio entertainment to be competitors and allow their merger to proceed by waiving the rule.17 months after the companies merger they had a total of more than 18.5 million subscribers. As of quarter 2 of 2013, Sirius XM had over 25 million subscribers. (www. siriusxm. com) Finance Through my research, I came across a letter written by former Chief Executer Officer, Mel Karmazin, to the stockholders and it was dated April 2012. Mr. Karmazin began the letter by saying â€Å"We closed on the merger of Sirius and XM just over three years ago and are p roud of our achievements since then. The merger has delivered extraordinary benefits to the company and its stockholders.Our execution delivered the benefits we promised when we announced the merger in early 2007 and consummated the transaction in the late summer of 2008. Today, we are the largest radio company in the world ranked by revenue. www. siriusxmradio. weebly. com† The letter goes on to disgust how their subscribers grew to an all-time high, totaling almost 21. 9 million by the end of 2011. Year-over-year free cash flow more or less doubled to $416 million.The letter describes how in 2011, they saw their highest subscriber growth since their merger, adding 1.7 million new subscribers. The last thing the letter detailed was the importance of their employees. â€Å"Everything we accomplish and all the value we create is built on the dedication of our outstanding team of employees, who are focused on increasing revenue, managing costs, and delivering profits. www. siri usxmradio. weebly. com† In 2011, Sirius XM Radio’s revenue per employee averaged about $2 million. The greatest financial move for Sirius XM was the merger between Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio in July 2008.The expense on Sirius XM’s behalf is pretty low. On average, an XM satellite will cost around $30,000 to get licensed and launched which will last for 10 years. They pay around $45,000 to artists in royalties which will last about 9 years, so the output cost is extremely low compared to the annual income of $1. 63 billion. There was a close threat of bankruptcy for the company in Feb. of 2009 when their stock price dropped to an all-time low of $0. 05 per share, but, media mogul, John Malone came to their rescue with emergency funding of $5,000,000,000.(www. siriusxm. weebly. com)What’s the Future for Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Inc: The future of Sirius XM Radio is unpredictable with competition growing in the internet radio market threa tening to steal over half of Sirius XM’s business. Sirius XM offers services over the internet and mobile devices, the programming being far from that of other competitors. As long as radios are installed in cars, and if Sirius XM can become the standard alongside AM/FM radio with becoming more involved at a local level, satellite radio  could be the ruler of all radio broadcasting. Sirius XM’s Mission Statement & My Interpretation:â€Å"With Sirius XM, listeners will enjoy the clearest, hottest, hippest, and most provocative radio entertainment, seamlessly across the country. Wherever they live, whenever they want, in any style they can imagine, blues, classical, Tejano, rock, oldies, jazz, R&B, country, gospel, rap, news, talk; Sirius XM Satellite Radio will provide the quality programming, choice and convenience that today’s consumers demand.† (www. siriusxmradio. weebly. com)I think that they are conveying the message that you will be satisfied with an array and variety of music, no matter where you are at and that it will be high quality. Location, Location, Location: Sirius XM Radio is an American broadcasting company that provides satellite radio services operating in the U. S. The company also has a Canadian subsidiary called Sirius XM Canada, an affiliate company that provides Sirius XM service in Canada. (www. wikipedia. org)

Financial Analysis of Microsoft Corporation The WritePass Journal

Financial Analysis of Microsoft Corporation Financial Analysis of Microsoft Corporation IntroductionBACKGROUND OF MICROSOFTDESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF MICROSOFT’ PERFORMANCE OVERTIME  Balance sheet for Microsoft Corporation as at 30th June 2011. (Annually)COMPARISON OF MOCROSOFT PERFORMANCE WITH SP 500 (MARKET) USING T-TESTConclusion:ANALYSIS OF MICROSOFT PERFORMANCE WITH CAPMBIBLIOGRAPHYRelated Introduction BACKGROUND OF MICROSOFT Microsoft is the most prominent technology corporation in the world that deals with computers according to posts from big history.net. ’’ With annual revenues of more than $32 billion, Microsoft Corporation is more than the largest software company in the world: it is a cultural phenomenon. The companys core business is based on developing, manufacturing, and licensing software products, including operating systems, server applications, business and consumer applications, and software development tools, as well as Internet software, technologies, and services’’. fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Microsoft-Corporation-Company-History.html ‘’The name of the famous person – Bill Gates comes in one’s mind with mention of   the name of Microsoft. He is the founder of the company and is believed to be the smartest programmers ever.’’ bighistory.net/microsoft-a-short-history/. Led by him, Microsoft had witnessed its heydays and has been able to have its product on almost every personal computer in the world, and in the process creating standards in the technology industry as well as market re-definition. ‘’Gates was first exposed to computers at school in the late 1960s with his friend Paul Allen, the son of two Seattle librarians. By the time Gates was 14; the two friends were writing and testing computer programs for fun and profit. In 1972 they established their first company, Traf-O-Data, which sold a rudimentary computer that recorded and analyzed traffic data. Allen went on to study computer science at the University of Washington and then dropped out to work at Honeywell, while Gates enrolled at Harvard. Inspired in 1975 by an issue of Popular Electronics that showed the new Altair microcomputer kit just released by MITS Computer, Gates and Allen wrote a version of BASIC for the machine. Later that year Gates left college to work full time developing programming languages for the Altair, and he and Allen relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to be near MITS Computer, where Allen took a position as director of software development. Gates and Allen named their partn ership Micro-soft’’. fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Microsoft-Corporation-Company-History.html. The word Microsoft was developed from two different words, micro from microcomputer and soft from software. The name was registered in New Mexico with the secretary of state in November 1976. On November 1978, the first international office of Microsoft was established in Japan and its name was ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). It is now known as Microsoft Japan. In January 1979 the company’s headquarters was moved to Bellevue Washington. bighistory.net/microsoft-a-short-history/. In the early 80’s, Microsoft witnessed a period of great success when IBM contracted the company to develop an operating system for its personal computers (PC), which was underway. In the late 80’s Microsoft issued IPOs (initial public offering) of over two million shares and in the space of one year the price or the shares tripled and in the process making Gates a billionaire at about thirty years of age. Nonetheless, the company had lots of critics and legal cases against it from competitors and the likes. Microsoft success was further heightened by the tech bubble of the 2000 following the release of the windows XP, windows 2000,the acquisition of Visio corporation which stood as the largest acquisition in the life of Microsoft so far   with transaction value of about One and half a billion dollars. The company also spread its tentacles into the world of gaming with their popularly known X-BOX which has remained a success till date. DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF MICROSOFT’ PERFORMANCE OVERTIME   Key Dates: 1975: Microsoft is founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen; they sell BASIC, the first PC computer language program to MITS Computer, Microsofts first customer. 1981: Microsoft, Inc. is incorporated; IBM uses Microsofts 16-bit operating system for its first personal computer. 1982: Microsoft, U.K., Ltd. is incorporated. 1983: Paul Allen resigns as executive vice-president but remains on the board; Jon Shirley is made president of Microsoft (he later becomes CEO); Microsoft introduces the Microsoft Mouse and Word for MS-DOS 1.00. 1985: Microsoft and IBM forge a joint development agreement. 1986: Microsoft stock goes public at $21 per share. 1987: The Company’s first CD-ROM application, Microsoft Bookshelf, is released. 1990: Jon Shirley retires as president and CEO; Michael R. Hallman is promoted in Shirleys place; the company becomes the first PC software firm to surpass $1 billion of sales in a single year. 1992: Bill Gates is awarded the National Medal of Technology for Technological Achievement. 1993: The Company introduces Windows NT. 1995: Bill Gates publishes his first book, The Road Ahead. 1996: The Company acquires Vermeer Technologies and its software application, FrontPage. 1997: The Justice Department alleges that Microsoft violated a 1994 consent decree concerning licensing the Windows operating system to computer manufacturers. 1998: The U.S. Department of Justice files two antitrust cases against Microsoft, alleging the company had violated the Sherman Act. 2000: The Company acquires Visio Corporation, its largest acquisition to date. 2001: Microsoft Windows XP is released internationally. 2003: Microsoft launches Windows Server 2003. 2007: Microsoft launches Windows vista 2009: Microsoft launches windows 7 Source: fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Microsoft-Corporation-Company-History.html Balance sheet for Microsoft Corporation as at 30th June 2011. (Annually) Assets [+] in Millions of Dollars 06/2010 06/2009 06/2008 06/2007 06/2006 Cash and Equivalents 5,505 6,076 10,339 6,111 6,714 Restrictable Cash Marketable Securities 31,283 25,371 13,323 17,300 27,447 Accounts Receivable 13,014 11,192 13,589 11,338 9,316 Loans Receivable Other Receivables Receivables 13,014 11,192 13,589 11,338 9,316 Inventories, Raw Materials 172 170 417 435 465 Inventories, Work in Progress 16 45 31 148 Inventories, Purchased Components Inventories, Finished Goods 552 502 537 544 1,013 Inventories, Other Inventories, Adjustments Allowances Inventories 740 717 985 1,127 1,478 Prepaid Expenses Current Deferred Income Taxes 2,184 2,213 2,017 1,899 1,940 Other Current Assets 2,950 3,711 2,989 2,393 2,115 Total Current Assets 55,676 49,280 43,242 40,168 49,010 Land and Improvements 526 526 518 428 362 Buildings and Improvement 8,187 7,824 6,030 4,247 3,146 Machinery, Furniture and Equipment 7,546 6,732 5,996 4,691 3,715 Construction in Progress Fixed Assets, Other Fixed Assets, Total 16,259 15,082 12,544 9,366 7,223 Gross Fixed Assets 16,259 15,082 12,544 9,366 7,223 Accumulated Depreciation (8,629) (7,547) (6,302) (5,016) (4,179) Net Fixed Assets 7,630 7,535 6,242 4,350 3,044 Intangibles 1,158 1,759 1,973 878 539 Cost in Excess 12,394 12,503 12,108 4,760 3,866 Non-Current Deferred Income Taxes 279 949 1,389 2,611 Other Non-Current Assets 9,255 6,532 8,279 11,626 10,527 Total Non-Current Assets 30,437 28,608 29,551 23,003 20,587 Total Assets 86,113 77,888 72,793 63,171 69,597 Liabilities [+] in Millions of Dollars 06/2010 06/2009 06/2008 06/2007 06/2006 Accounts Payable 4,207 5,008 4,034 3,247 2,909 Short Term Debt 1,000 2,000 Notes Payable Accrued Expenses Accrued Liabilities 3,283 3,156 2,934 2,325 1,938 Deferred Revenues 13,652 13,003 13,397 10,779 9,138 Current Deferred Income Taxes 1,557 Other Current Liabilities 4,005 3,867 9,521 7,403 6,900 Total Current Liabilities 26,147 27,034 29,886 23,754 22,442 Long Term Debt 4,939 3,746 Deferred Income Tax 229 Other Non-Current Liabilities 8,623 7,550 6,621 8,320 7,051 Minority Interest Capital Lease Obligations Preferred Securities of Subsidiary Trust Preferred Equity Outside Shareholders Equity Total Non-Current Liabilities 13,791 11,296 6,621 8,320 7,051 Total Liabilities 39,938 38,330 36,507 32,074 29,493 Preferred Shareholders Equity Common Shareholders Equity 46,175 39,558 36,286 31,097 40,104 Common Par 62,856 62,382 62,849 Additional Paid in Capital 60,557 59,005 Cumulative Translation Adjustments 149 Retained Earnings (16,681) (22,824) (26,563) (31,114) (20,130) Treasury Stock Other Equity Adjustments 1,505 1,229 Total Capitalization 51,114 43,304 36,286 31,097 40,104 Total Equity 46,175 39,558 36,286 31,097 40,104 Total Liabilities Shareholders Equity 86,113 77,888 72,793 63,171 69 Closing price =$25.51 Volume sold =25.16m Source:answers.com/main/dsdata?dsid=2940templateid=0cid=27590212qm_page=30703. [Accessed 4 April 2011]. With more descriptive statistics, we can also examine the performance of Microsoft on a monthly basis from the year 1988- 2009 using returns (unit%) See excel for descriptive statistics. Microsoft return (unit %) Market return (unit %) Mean 0.021622876 Mean 0.857870722 Standard Error 0.00618845 Standard Error 0.269942879 Median 0.022084196 Median 1.41 Mode 0.064221396 Mode 1.78 Standard Deviation 0.100359793 Standard Deviation 4.377737838 Sample Variance 0.010072088 Sample Variance 19.16458858 Kurtosis 1.421423202 Kurtosis 1.709578314 Skewness 0.366537791 Skewness -0.812673531 Range 0.751310392 Range 29.51 Minimum -0.343529412 Minimum -18.46 Maximum 0.40778098 Maximum 11.05 Sum 5.686816298 Sum 225.62 Count 263 Count 263 From the descriptive statistics above, Microsoft has a positive skewness unlike the market whose skewness is negative, this indicates that Microsoft has a better flow or return than the market. It could also be noted that Microsoft is (1) standard deviation away from its mean whereas the market is (4) standard deviation away from its mean, this means that the returns of Microsoft had not been too volatile over the years and return on stocks are less risky. COMPARISON OF MOCROSOFT PERFORMANCE WITH SP 500 (MARKET) USING T-TEST See t-test on Excel   Ã‚  Ã‚   H0: Microsoft did not outperform the market   Ã‚  Ã‚   H1: Microsoft outperformed the market t-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means    Variable 1 Variable 2 Mean 0.021622876 0.857870722 Variance 0.010072088 19.16458858 Observations 263 263 Pearson Correlation 0.539530773 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 df 262 t Stat -3.136067434 P(T=t) one-tail 0.000953757 t Critical one-tail 1.650690284 P(T=t) two-tail 0.001907515 t Critical two-tail 1.969059657 Conclusion: From the t-Test above, since the t-stats is greater in value than the   t -critical (irrespective of the -ve sign), we need to accept the alternative hypothesis (H1) which says that Microsoft outperformed the market and reject the Null hypothesis (H0) which says that Microsoft did not outperform the market. We can also infer this conclusion by looking at the P- value, here we can see that the p- value is less than the significance level of .05, therefore we need to accept the alternative hypothesis (H1). ANALYSIS OF MICROSOFT PERFORMANCE WITH CAPM Regression Statistics Multiple R 0.258985259 R Square 0.067073365 Adjusted R Square 0.063498933 Standard Error 0.185690508 Observations 263 ANOVA    df SS MS F Significance F Regression 1 0.647027164 0.647027164 18.764764 2.11102E-05 Residual 261 8.999531777 0.034480965 Total 262 9.646558942    Coefficients Standard Error t Stat P-value Lower 95% Upper 95% Lower 95.0% Upper 95.0% Intercept -0.32415329 0.011530623 -28.1123831 6.17385E-81 -0.346858177 -0.30145 -0.34686 -0.30145 X Variable 1 0.011371441 0.002625088 4.331831484 2.11102E-05 0.006202393 0.01654 0.006202 0.01654 CAPM :- E(R)=RF+ÃŽ ²[RM-RF] By substituting the CAPM formula into the regression, we have Y= ÃŽ ±+ÃŽ ²x+e Y = dependent variable ÃŽ ± = intercept ÃŽ ² = co-efficient of independent variable e =error When x=0, ÃŽ ± is an estimate of Y, then excess return of Microsoft would be given as: Excess return= -0.32415329+0.011371441+0.185690508 Adjusted R Square = 0.063498933 The adjusted R Square indicates that 6.3% of the variability in the excess return of Microsoft is explained by the market. I.e. for every percentage change of return in the market, Microsoft’s return changes by 6.3%.    BIBLIOGRAPHY Andrews, Paul. How the Web Was Won: Microsoft from Windows to the Web: The Inside Story of How Bill Gates and His Band of Internet Idealists Transformed a Software Empire. New York: Random House, 1999. Consuming, Michael A., Microsoft Secrets: How the Worlds Most Powerful Software Company Creates Technology, Shapes Markets, and Manages People, New York: Free Press, 1995, 512 p. Desmond, Edward W., Microsofts Big Bet on Small Machines, Fortune, July 20, 1998, pp. 86-90. EU, Microsoft Clash Over Monopoly Ruling, Associated Press, April 29, 2004. Evers, Joris, Ballmer: Windows Server 2003 Does More with Less, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau). France, Mike, Microsoft: The View at Halftime, Business Week, January 25, 1999, p. 78. Hamm, Steve, No LetupAnd No Apologies: Antitrust Scrutiny Hasnt Eased Microsofts Competitiveness, Business Week, October 26, 1998, p. 58. Higgins, David, The Man Who Owns the Future, Sydney Morning Herald, March 14, 1998, p. 1. Iceboat, Daniel, and Susan L. Knepper, The Making of Microsoft: How Bill Gates and His Team Created the Worlds Most Successful Software Company, Rocklin, Calif.: Prima Publishing, 1991, 304 p. Ichbiah, Daniel, and Susan L. Knepper. The Making of Microsoft: How Bill Gates and His Team Created the Worlds Most Successful Software Company. New York: St. Martins, 1991. Isaacson, Walter, In Search of the Real Bill Gates, Time Magazine, January 13, 1997, pp. 44+. Kirkpatrick, David, He Wants All Your BusinessAnd Hes Starting to Get It, Fortune, May 26, 1997, pp. 58+. Kirkpatrick, David, Microsoft: Is Your Company Its Next Meal?, Fortune, April 27, 1998, pp. 92-102. Krantz, Michael, If You Cant Beat Em Will Bill Gates Bailout Save AppleOr Just Strengthen Microsofts Hand in the Web Wars?, Time Magazine, August 18, 1997, pp. 35+. Manes, Stephen, and Paul Andrews, Gates: How Microsofts Mogul Reinvented an IndustryAnd Made Himself the Richest Man in America, New York: Doubleday, 1993. Mardesich, Jodi, Whats Weighing Down Microsoft?, Fortune, January 11, 1999, pp. 147-48. McKenzie, Richard B., Trust on Trial: How the Microsoft Case Is Reframing the Rules of Competition, Perseus Publishing, 2000. Microsoft Corporation. Inside Out: Microsoft- In Our Own Words. New York: Warner Books, 2000. Moody, Fred, I Sing the Body Electronic: A Year with Microsoft on the Multimedia Frontier, New York: Viking, 1995, 311 p. Nocera, Joseph, High Noon, Fortune, November 23, 1998, pp. 162+. Pollock, Andrew, Media; Microsoft Makes Another Interactive TV Investment, New York Times, January 24, 2000. Schlender, Brent, What Bill Gates Really Wants, Fortune, January 16, 1995, pp. 34+. Stross, Randall E., The Microsoft Way: The Real Story of How the Company Outsmarts Its Competition, Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1996, 318 p. Wallace, James, and Jim Erickson, Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire, New York: Wiley, 1992, 426 p. Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol.63. St. James Press, 2004. answers.com/topic/microsoft#ixzz1Ia9E8U5d answers.com/main/dsdata?dsid=2940templateid=0cid=27590212qm_page=30703 bighistory.net/microsoft-a-short-history/ fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Microsoft-Corporation- Company-History.html

The Civil War Was Not So Civil

The Civil War Was Not So Civil Free Online Research Papers The Northern and Southern states had been in conflict long since before the Constitution was signed in 1789. A number of formal compromises had eased the tension but it began to flare up again in the early 1800s. The American Civil War was a combination of four decades of intense social conflict and reflected economic, social and political differences between the Northern and the Southern states. Through the four years of bitter conflict and sacrifice, America would emerge a stronger and unified nation. This first main issue that the war was fought over was the industrial differences between the North and the South. In 1793, Eli Whitney, invented the cotton gin. At this time cotton became very profitable as a source of trade and the cotton gin revolutionized how cotton was harvested. â€Å"This machine was able to reduce the time it took to separate seeds from the cotton† (Kelly). At the same time that the cotton gin was created, there was an increase in the number of plantations willing to move from other crops to cotton. This meant that there was a greater need for large amounts of cheap labor. Because of this the Southerner economy became a one crop economy who depended on cotton and therefore on slavery. â€Å"Utilizing slave labor, cotton planters and farmers could cut costs† (Kelly). The South produced cotton to sell to other regions and for export to England. In exchange, Southerner farmers and planters purchased manufactured goods from the North. They also bou ght food items from the West and imported luxuries from Europe (Kelly). The growth of the Southern cotton industry served as big boost for the entire nations economy in the antebellum years. The Northern economy was based more on industry than agriculture. â€Å"The North had five times the number of factories as the South, and over ten times the number of factory workers. In addition, 90% of the nations skilled workers were in the North†(Economics of the Civil War). The labor forces in the North and South were primarily different as well. In the North, labor was expensive, and workers were very mobile and active. The Northern industries began purchasing raw cotton and turning it into finished goods. Another economic issue that divided the North from the South was based on tariffs. Tariffs are taxes placed on imported goods. â€Å"Throughout the antebellum period, whenever the federal government wanted to raise tariffs, the South generally opposed it and the North generally supported it. Southerners generally favored low tariffs because they kept the cost of imported goods low† (Economics of the civil War). This was important because the South was an import economy. Southern planters and farmers were concerned that high tariffs might make their European trading partners raise prices on manufactured goods. In the North, high tariffs were viewed favorably because the tariffs would make imported goods more expensive (Economics of the Civil War). Because of this, goods produced in the North would seem relatively cheap, and Americans would want to buy American goods instead of European goods. Many politicians at the time were in favor of the high tariffs because they protected the industry form foreign competition (King). Americans in the West were also divided on the issue. In the Southwest, where cotton was a primary commodity, people generally promoted low tariffs. In the Northwest, people supported high tariffs because of other resources (Economics of the Civil War). State verses federal rights were another big reason that the North was fighting against the South. During the time of the American Revolution two sides developed. There were those arguing for greater states rights and those arguing that the federal government should have more control. The Confederate States of America fought to preserve Constitutional Limited Federal Government as established by America’s founding fathers that were primarily Southern Gentlemen from Virginia. Thus Confederate soldiers were fighting for rights that had been paid for in blood by their forefathers upon the battlefields of the American Revolution (King).After the American Revolution, the first organized government was under the Articles of Confederation. The original thirteen states formed a loose confederation and a very weak federal government (Kelly). Because of this many problems began to develop. â€Å"This weak government caused the leaders of the time to come together at the Constitutional Convention and create, in secret, the US Constitution† (Kelly). Many people felt that the new constitution ignored the rights of states. They felt that it did not let them continue to act independently as they once did. States felt that they should still have the right to decide if they wanted to accept certain federal acts. (Kelly) As a result the process of nullification resulted. Nullification is a constitutional theory that gives an individual state the right to declare â€Å"null and void† any law passed by the United States Congress that the state deems unacceptable and unconstitutional. The federal government would later deny states this right however. John C. Calhoun, vise president in the Jackson administration, promoted nullification as a moderate alternative to secession (Harlow). When nullification would not work and states felt that they were no longer respected, they moved towards secession (Kelly). Indirectly slavery was a cause of the war. Many Southerners during this time did not own slaves. This is why they did not fight for the protection of slavery at the time. They did however believe that the North had no Constitutional right to free slaves held by citizens of the Sovereign Southern States. In the South as in the North, prior to the war, there were five times as many abolition societies (King). Nearly all of the southerners at the time were fighting for emancipation from the slaves. â€Å"During the Mexican War, conflict started about what would happen with the new territories that the US expected to gain upon victory† (King). In 1846, David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso. The Wilmot Provision would ban slavery in the new lands. The Wilmot Proviso justified many Southern’ fears that the North was against slavery. Many people worried that if politicians in the North prevented slavery from expanding westward, they feared they would be attacking in the S outh as well (The Civil War 1850-1865). Because of this, Southerners in both parties rejected the proviso after much debate. The great support was unprecedented and demonstrated just how serious the South really felt about the issue (The Civil War 1850-1865) At the end of the Mexican War, many new lands west of Texas were yielded to the United States including the lands gained from the Louisiana Purchase (The Civil War 1850-1856). The problem now was whether or not the new states admitted to the union would be slave or free (King). The Missouri compromise was passed in 1820. The compromise prohibited slavery in states from the former Louisiana Purchase, except in Missouri. Henry Clay created the compromise to deal with the balance between slave and free states (Kelly). The last issue that further increased tensions was the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. â€Å"It created two new territories that would allow the states to use popular sovereignty to determine whether they would be free or slave† (Kelly). The Act opened a vast area in the nations heartland to the possible spread of slavery by repealing the Missouri compromise and providing that settlers would determine the status of slavery in these territories (Foner). The real issue occurred in Kansas where proslavery Missourians began to pour into the state to help force it to be slave. They were called â€Å"Border Ruffians.† Problems came to a head in violence at Lawrence Kansas. The fighting that occurred caused it to be called â€Å"Bleeding Kansas.† â€Å"The fight even erupted on the floor of the senate when antislavery proponent Charles Sumner was beat over the head by South Carolina’s Senator Preston Brooks† (Kelly). The Civil was one that resulted over a necessary combination of many factors. Their combatant had many separate views and believes that ultimately let them to war. The war was one that changed not only the country for the better but also changed the views of my individuals. Slavery, a key issue of the war was never looked at the same again after it. Harlow, Jennifer. â€Å"Nullification† The web chronology projects October 15, 1997 http://thenagain.info/WebChron/Glossary/Nullif.html King, James. â€Å"The 10 Causes of the War Between the States† The Confederacy Projects May 30, 2007 http://members.cox.net/polincorr1/conpro11.htm â€Å"The Civil War 1850-1865† Sparknotes History Study Guides 2007 sparknotes.com/history/american/civilwar/section1.html Kelly, Martin. â€Å"Top Five Causes of the Civil War† About.com History on the Web 2007 http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarmenu/a/cause_civil_war.htm Foner, Eric. â€Å"Give Me Liberty, An American History† W.W. Norton Company, Inc. Copyright 2005. 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3 Problems with Suspensive Hyphenation

3 Problems with Suspensive Hyphenation 3 Problems with Suspensive Hyphenation 3 Problems with Suspensive Hyphenation By Mark Nichol The grammatical convention known as suspensive hyphenation is employed when two or more adjacent and parallel phrasal adjectives, phrases that in tandem modify a noun that follows them, have a common element in the same position. Elision of one of the repeated words because it is clearly implicit is a common strategy, but misuse of suspensive hyphenation can complicate a sentence rather than simplify it, as the examples below demonstrate. (Each sentence is accompanied by a discussion and a solution.) 1. We help companies identify, manage, and resolve the business and technology related risks they face. This sentence contains two phrasal adjectives, â€Å"business related† and â€Å"technology related,† but because they share the second word, that word has been elided from the first phrase because it is implicit. However, because the phrasal adjectives precede the noun, they must be hyphenated, and a hyphen should follow business to clarify that an implicit word has been omitted: â€Å"We help companies identify, manage, and resolve the business- and technology-related risks they face.† 2. Most of these markets are little-known small- and midsize cities. Here, suspensive hyphenation has been erroneously introduced. Because small is not part of a phrasal adjective (the reference is to â€Å"small cities,† not â€Å"small-sized cities†), no hyphen should be attached to it: â€Å"Most of these markets are little-known small and midsize cities.† 3. The meeting was held to discuss risk-assessment and -management policies. Here, suspensive hyphenation is employed to elide the first word of a two-word phrasal adjective that has the same first word as an adjacent phrasal adjective. (Notice that in this case, the second instance of the first word has been omitted; compare this with omission of the first instance of a second word in common to two or more two-word phrasal adjectives.) The construction is technically correct but awkward and distracting, so it’s better to explicitly include the second instance of risk rather than elide it: â€Å"The meeting was held to discuss risk-assessment and risk-management policies.† Check out our latest YouTube video: How to Write a Reference Letter Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsAwoken or Awakened?9 Forms of the Past Tense

The production and sale of cigarettes should be made illegal Essay - 2

The production and sale of cigarettes should be made illegal - Essay Example The sale and use of cigarettes should be made illegal. Tobacco is a dangerous and addictive substance that causes major health problems to its users. Lung cancer increases the risk of lung cancer by 23 times in men and 13 times in women (Cdc, 2012). It also causes 10 other cancers including bladder kidney, and pancreatic cancer. Smoking decreases men’s sperm count and it causes infertility. The regular use of cigarettes is a risk factor that increases the chance of coronary disease. There is empirical proof that states that half of all regular smokers will die from its use. This fact implies that nearly 650 million people or 9.28% of the population will die from smoking. Cigarette smoking is even more dangerous among teenagers and pregnant women. Cigarette smoking is an epidemic that is hurting the youth in America. It is estimated that approximately 80% of all smokers begin to smoke cigarettes before the age of 18. The health dangers of smoking are greater for teenagers because their bodies are still developing. The incidence of teen smoking in the U.S. is extremely high as 30% of high school students are cigarette smokers (Cavnett, 2010). One of the reasons smoking is so dangerous among teenagers is because it causes oxygen deprivation. â€Å"Oxygen deprivation can damage and kill brain cells that are not replaced or repaired later in life† (Cavnett, 2010). Since the brains of teenagers are still developing smoking can inhibit the developmental process due to damage to brain cells. Pregnant women that smoke are irresponsible and are endangering an innocent life that is supposed to be protected by its mother. Smoking among pregnant women is a serious problem that deserves the immediate attention of our society. â€Å"Nearly one-quarter of all pregnant women in the United States are smokers, with more than half refusing to quit during their pregnancy† (Mozes, 2012). Making

Finance and Growth Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Finance and Growth Strategies - Assignment Example The paper tells that dividends are returns which are paid to the shareholders from the firm’s earnings for their investment in the company regardless of whether the earnings are generated in previous period or the current period. Dividends will influence the capital structure of the firm since retained earnings increase the value of the common stock than debt capital. A firm cannot assume the dividend policy to be irrelevant. In determining the amount to be paid as dividends, the firm should analyze the effect of the dividend policy on the operations of the. However, some financial analysts are of the opinion that dividend policy is irrelevant since it does not change the value of the firm. Investors can adjust the investment portfolios when if their preference is a steady source of income hence they can invest in bonds where the interest payments are certain rather than investing in common stocks where the dividend payments fluctuate. Another argument of the opponents of divi dend payment is that taxation of dividends is higher hence capital gains are more preferable by investors. They propose that the firm should reinvest the earnings which will ultimately increase the value of the firm hence increasing the share value. The firm should utilize its earnings in undertaking more investment projects, repurchasing the common stock and acquiring more profitable companies thus increasing the market value of the common stock... The firm is also supposed to make a decision on the timing of the payment of the dividends whereby interim and final dividends can be paid from the earnings of the firm (Khan 2004). The board of directors is supposed to make a decision on the amount to pay where a constant dividend pay out ratio or fluctuating dividend pay out ratio may be implemented by the firm. The firm may also adopt a residual policy on the payment of dividends. The dividend policy has to take in to account several practical considerations which include the following (Khan 2004). Long term financing decision The dividend policy can be termed as a financing decision when retained earnings are considered as cheap source of finance. The dividend policy should consider the investment opportunities which are available (Khan 2004). If the firm ahs viable investment opportunities which exist, the dividend policy which is adopted should be residual dividend decision where dividends are paid only after enough funds have been allocated to the viable investment opportunities (Khan 2004). Retained earnings are a cheaper source of funds since they do not involve the floatation costs. Payment of cash dividends would reduce the funds available for the long term financing decisions when the firm may not have other sources of finance (Harold 2009). In this case, the firm may decide to pay bonus shares as dividends to the stockholders and invest the retained earnings in other profitable opportunities since the share value of the stocks increase with the increase in the value of the firm (Harold 2009). Financial needs of the firm Retained earnings of the firm are cheaper source of finance for reinvestment purposes. If the internal rate of return of the firm

Planning and Controlling Purchases and Materials Usage Essay

Planning and Controlling Purchases and Materials Usage - Essay Example Budgeting is an important tool adopted by the company for planning and controlling purchases and materials usage. Sales forecast is the basis for planning and budgeting after carefully considering various factors such as capacity available and product mix. Since inventory involves significant investment, keeping it at an optimum level is very important for controlling cost. Material requirement planning is carried out in line with the production schedule for the year. Importance of study Home appliances market is very competitive. The company’s products face stiff competition from the products imported from China and Japan. The company is under tremendous pressure to ensure quality of its products and make improvements to maintain its market share. The company focuses on ‘planning and controlling purchases and materials usage’ with a view to bring down the cost of production to make its products more competitive in the market. The main objective of inventory plann ing is to keep the investment low for reducing the interest cost. The inventory can be classified into three categories. 1. Raw materials 2. Components purchased for assembly 3. Finished products Purchase and production departments along with stores are responsible for planning and controlling of inventory of raw materials and components and the production department is responsible for planning and controlling of material usage. There are varieties of household appliances manufactured and marketed by the company. Since most of the appliances are electrically operated, quality of materials purchased is very important, keeping in view the safety of the customers. Timely supply of raw materials and components avoid disruptions in production schedule usually. Order size is decided based on factors such as price, usage and lead time required for supply of materials. The materials should be purchased without compromising quality of materials at the cheapest cost in line with the purchase policy of the organization. This requires product knowledge and negotiating skills on the part of purchase manager. Planning and control of purchases is closely relating to storing of raw materials and component part before issue to various production or assembly units of the organization. Inventory planning is therefore is an important aspect in planning and control of purchases in the organization. According to Michalski (2008) â€Å"The basic financial inventory management aim is holding the inventory to a minimally acceptable level in relation to its costs. Holding inventory means using capital to finance inventory and links with inventory storage, insurance, transport, obsolescence, wasting and spoilage costs.† Planning and control of usage of materials in production department depends upon the regular supply of materials by the stores department, efficiency in production by the workers and keeping generation of scrap at minimum level. At the same time, requirements as p er the production schedule and changes thereof for a week need to be informed in advance to the stores for closely monitoring the stock levels of various raw materials and components for making necessary requisition to purchase department for initiating purchase process. Though reorder levels are fixed for various materials, uncertainties in lead time and sudden demand for appliances should be informed to the purchase and

A Case Study of the Impact of Cultural Differences on the HRM of Dissertation

A Case Study of the Impact of Cultural Differences on the HRM of Foreign Companies in China - Dissertation Example This incongruity between, for instance, Western management values and those of employees in China can create difficulties in establishing effective human resource management policies and systems. Economic globalisation has created the necessity for MNEs to expand overseas and thus is creating fierce competition. Many companies that have expanded into China whilst still maintaining their host operations overseas seek to exploit their human capital as a means of gaining competitive advantage effectively over their competing companies in similar markets. Because the human capital is considered one of the most important and crucial elements of establishing this advantage, it becomes extremely necessary for businesses to understand how to bridge cultural and social differences in order to build loyalty, motivation and productivity with individuals in China. China is a country that is ruled by rituals that often express significant differences in status at the social level. Those with high er resources often do not exploit or display their material wealth in order to illustrate their superiority over the lower or middle class citizens (Bell 2008). However, significant changes to social policy in the 19th Century had the wealthy citizens in China driving lower class citizens from their land and poorer people grew increasingly angry over their exploitation by the wealthy (Bell). Because of this, individuals who fit the lower and middle class categories of citizens and workers have had it instilled into their social systems and mindsets that one must constantly fight to gain economic freedom by amassing wealth. Generation after generation have found that material wealth is the most important method to gain influence and social freedoms and continue to fight to gain this type of prestige through finance (Creative Media Applications 1999). Why is this important for the study? Chinese management have a

Buddism and Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Buddism and Christianity - Essay Example The paper compares and contrasts the vision of afterlife in Christianity and Buddhism and considers the morality in these two religions. Buddhism vs Christianity: general overview of the role of afterlife and morality The vision of the world in Buddhism is represented in the following way: the world and the actions of people are connected by causal actions. There are many different gods and their existence is not denied in Buddhism, but they are not the representatives of the basis for morality and they do not give much happiness (Buddhist Afterlife Beliefs, 2007). There is not an afterlife in its pure essence, but the Ultimate Reality, which is a transcendent truth governing the universe and human life. The main Hindu doctrines of reincarnation and karma were accepted by Buddhist practices. A human being should free himself from a desire, to escape the circle of life and death and exist in a kind of a philosophical emptiness. For this phenomenon Nirvana is positioned as a way of lib eration. Moreover, there is no role assigned to the eternal soul. It is more about the eternal and everlasting mind in Buddhism, than about soul. Therefore, death is not a final point for the followers of Buddhism. Therefore, it should be noted that death in Buddhism is an option of further reincarnation or rebirth. Buddha departed from Hinduism and claimed that there are no eternal souls of individuals (Yong, 2006). The main goal is to abandon the false senses and leave nothing to reincarnate and to experience no pain. The departed soul is departing during 49 days and there are three basic stages called â€Å"bardos†. Then a person reaches Nirvana or reaches the Earth for a rebirth (Buddhist Afterlife Beliefs, 2007). The conscious of a departed has a vision of "Clear White Light", when a person dies. Further apparitions occur and in order to achieve Nirvana the personification of human feelings can be seen. Unlike this religion, Christianity has another representation of an individual’s departure. An important role is assigned to God. God sends an individual either to Hell or to Heaven after the Last Judgment. There are different Christian views about afterlife. The concept of afterlife exists around the life of Christ. It concerns his resurrection, death and Resurrection. There is the following interpretation of afterlife: â€Å"At the end of the age, the bodies of the dead shall be raised. The righteous shall enter into full possession of eternal bliss in the presence of God, and the wicked shall be condemned to eternal death† (Christian Beliefs about the Afterlife, 2004). Concerning morality, it is evident that there is a different representation of morality in Christianity and Buddhism. In the former religion, there are evident basic moral pillars and absolutes, which are absent in Buddhism. The latter is more concerned about an individual’s motivation, intentionality of his actions etc. Moreover, Buddhists teachings are focuse d on the absence of necessity to trigger one’s self perfection from outside. It is on behalf of any follower to advance his decision making and the ability to have his own morals and norms of behavior. The different thing happens to Christian practices of morality: there is God, who is a center of morality perfection and the followers should comply with the God’s instructions in order to purify their souls. A centrality of moral concerns is relevant to Christianity, at the same time, while Buddhism

A Case Study of the Impact of Cultural Differences on the HRM of Dissertation

A Case Study of the Impact of Cultural Differences on the HRM of Foreign Companies in China - Dissertation Example This incongruity between, for instance, Western management values and those of employees in China can create difficulties in establishing effective human resource management policies and systems. Economic globalisation has created the necessity for MNEs to expand overseas and thus is creating fierce competition. Many companies that have expanded into China whilst still maintaining their host operations overseas seek to exploit their human capital as a means of gaining competitive advantage effectively over their competing companies in similar markets. Because the human capital is considered one of the most important and crucial elements of establishing this advantage, it becomes extremely necessary for businesses to understand how to bridge cultural and social differences in order to build loyalty, motivation and productivity with individuals in China. China is a country that is ruled by rituals that often express significant differences in status at the social level. Those with high er resources often do not exploit or display their material wealth in order to illustrate their superiority over the lower or middle class citizens (Bell 2008). However, significant changes to social policy in the 19th Century had the wealthy citizens in China driving lower class citizens from their land and poorer people grew increasingly angry over their exploitation by the wealthy (Bell). Because of this, individuals who fit the lower and middle class categories of citizens and workers have had it instilled into their social systems and mindsets that one must constantly fight to gain economic freedom by amassing wealth. Generation after generation have found that material wealth is the most important method to gain influence and social freedoms and continue to fight to gain this type of prestige through finance (Creative Media Applications 1999). Why is this important for the study? Chinese management have a

Product Analysis On a Portable Electronic Scale Essay

Product Analysis On a Portable Electronic Scale - Essay Example Balances are used to measure the mass of a body which means the gravitational pull on the body whereas the scale measure the weight which is the tension of the compression force provided by the scale used. In order to measure the mass of very small objects we cannot use ordinary scales or balances. For this purpose a microbalance is used which can measure mass of the order of million parts of a gram. Portable electronic scales can be used for a variety of purposes. One such purpose is to check your own luggage before entering the airport so that you do not have to pay any extra luggage money at the airport. These scales are also used by traders and businessmen who are always on the move. Diamond traders usually carry their own portable scales in order to ensure that they are not ripped off during transactions. One example of a portable electronic scales the xinyu digital luggage scale. These scales are usually very light weight and easy to use. (Best Micro-controller Projects, 2007) They also show weight correctly in kgs, pounds and other units. They can also be programmed to save the last few readings, work on easily available batteries and can be switched off when not in use. Thus the scales are quite handy and useful. A picture of the scale is shown below – Electronic portable scales measure weight with the help of a strain gauge. The strain gauge is a length sensitive electrical resistance and is used to measure the deflection of the beam once the weight is suspended from it. As the object is suspended the electrical resistance of the gauge changes. (Window, 1992)The resistance of the beam to deflection determines the capacity of the strain gauge and in turn the capacity of the scale. In order to measure smaller objects only a single strain gauge may be required but to measure very heavy objects like trucks rail wagons etc, the results which arrive from different supporting locations are added up electronically in order

African American Essay Example for Free

African American Essay James Baldwin once said, â€Å"I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me, certainly, but I am also so much more than that. So are we all. † When the subject of race comes up, I feel like that quote is very meaningful. According to class lecture, race is an arbitrary social classification of clearly bounded categories based on skin color which corresponds to no biological reality. To be able to understand race today, a person should have a background on the history of race. According to the American Anthropological Association, by the 1600s, English colonists had established a system of indentured servitude that included both Europeans and Africans. But by the time of Bacon’s Rebellion the status of Africans began to change. Servants who once had an opportunity for freedom following servitude were relegated to a life of permanent slavery in the colonies. Thomas Jefferson was influential in the idea of race with a biological and social hierarchy. He stated that, â€Å"blacks, whether originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of body and mind. Not only did people begin to base their opinions on Thomas Jefferson’s statement, but when Carolus Linnaeus developed a biological classification system and the German scientist Johann Blumenbach introduced a race-based classification of humans, the concept of race expanded and whites saw themselves as superior. I feel that even though race is so deeply embedded into our lives, and it also appears to be the natural order of things, it is not a useful way to talk about human variation. Skin color alone does not provide any reliable information about at person’s race, culture, or susceptibility to disease. Ryan A. Brown and George J. Armelagos in the review, Apportionment of Racial Diversity, makes a good point by saying, â€Å"A single trait such as skin color will result in a classification system that is easily determined. Add another trait and classification becomes a more difficult task, and there usually are groups that cannot be classified. † For too long people have been basing human variation on a person’s race. Many people are guilty of simply looking at an individual and grouping them by their skin color. The sorting exercise on the PBS website confirms this. When I completed the exercise, the results said that I only had grouped 3 individuals in the right group. I was using appearance and appearance only to classify the individuals. Appearance doesn’t always tell a person about someone’s ancestry of self-identity. It’s hard to make any accurate predictions based on appearance alone. According to the Me, My Race, and I reading on the PBS website, I realized that whites and nonwhites had very different things to say. A Caucasian individual stated, â€Å"race does not affect his life so he doesn’t dwell on it. † It is quite different for nonwhites. An African American male stated that he feels as if people automatically perceive him as a robber. An Asian said she was expected to be good at math and sciences, just because of the way she looked. According to the Why Genes Don’t Count (for Racial Differences in Health) article, Human variation is non-concordant. â€Å"Traits tend to vary independently of other traits. Race classifications vary, therefore, by the traits used in the classification. † For example, a classification based on the sickle cell trait might include equatorial Africans, Greeks, and Turks. Sickle cell is not a â€Å"black† disease. According to AAA, â€Å"Contrary to popular perception, the gene variant that causes sickle cell disease evolved as a result of its surprising upside – malaria resistance. The gene variant for sickle cell disease is related to malaria, not skin color. † There is no possibility for consistency. Because skin color correlates with only a few other phenotype traits such as hair and eye color, it is true that â€Å"race is only skin deep. † Another reason why I would say race is not a useful way to talk about human variation is the reason that human variation is continuous. Alan H. Goodman, PhD says â€Å"there is no clear place to designate where one race begins and another ends. Skin color, for example, slowly changes from place to place. † Whether than using race to talk about human variation, I think there is a better way to talk about groups of humans. I think the better way to talk about groups of humans is based on culture. In lecture we learned how a person’s ethnic group is the emphasis of cultural construction over genes. Ethnicity is a multifactorial concept including, but not limited to cultural constructs, genetic background, ecological specialization, and self-specialization. According to the article Culture, Not Race, Explains Human Diversity, â€Å"races† are imagined by the public and do not actually exist. If you think about it, ethnicity/culture is such a better way to talk about groups of people rather than grouping according to skin color. Skin color is based simply on appearance, whereas ethnicity/culture brings multiple concepts into play. Mark Nathan Cohen says, â€Å"The anthropological concept of culture can be explained best by an analogy with language. Just as language is more than vocabulary, culture is more than, say art and music. † Culture structures our behavior, thoughts, perceptions, values, goals, morals, and cognitive processes. Mr. Cohen makes a good point by stressing that people should stray from their egocentric ways and look more carefully at what other people are doing and try to understand their behavior in context before judgment. A person’s culture shapes many things once thought determined by biology, including sexuality, aggression, perception, and susceptibility to disease. This exercise of exploring on the websites and reading all the outside readings, did reinforce our classroom discussions. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that we talked about a girl from Lau Lagoon, Solomon Islands who had dark skin but was born with blond hair. This example also came up in our outside reading as an example. This emphasized that skin color does not come with a certain set of hair colors. Another way this exercise reinforced our classroom discussion was that the websites and reading both reinforced the concept that race has no genetic basis. Not one characteristic, trait or gene distinguishes all members of one so-called race from all members of another so-called society. I feel that that was the overall major concept that was learned in both this exercise and classroom lecture. As I was on the PBS website, I came across one of the background reading entitled â€Å"Where Race Lives. † I found this article very interesting because I read that in 1993, â€Å"86% of suburban whites still lived in places with a black population of less than 1%. † This was interesting to me because in 1994 my family moved to what was considered a white suburb. Even though I was only 1 years of age, at the time, my mom told me that we were 1 of the 2 African Americans families living in the neighborhood at the time. We were the only African American family on our street at the time. Today our street has more African American families on it than white families. It is sad to say but as more African American families moved on our street, more white families moved away. All in all, Genes and environments work together to make each person unique. Why just look at a person’s skin color and make judgments, when there is more to a person than their skin color. Characteristics such as skin color, height and susceptibility to disease are determined by complex combinations of genetic traits, environmental factors and cultural experience.

The purpose of Corporate social responsibility

The purpose of Corporate social responsibility Corporate social responsibility (CSR) covers the responsibilities corporations have to the societies within which they are based and operate. More specifically, CSR involves a business identifying its stakeholder groups and incorporating their needs and values within the strategic and day-to-day decision-making process. Therefore, a business society within which it operates, which defines the number of stakeholders to which the organization has a responsibility, may be broad or narrow depending on the industry in which the firm operates and its perspective. There is still having other definitions for CSR. Such as, based on South China Morning Post, 2002, the notion of companies looking beyond profits to their role in society is generally termed corporate social responsibility (CSR). It refers to a company linking itself with ethical values, transparency, employee relations, compliance with legal requirements and overall respect for the communities in which they operate. It goes beyond the occasional community service action, however, as CSR is a corporate philosophy that drives strategic decision-making, partner selection, hiring practices and, ultimately, brand development. Beside, according to Archie B. Carroll, 1979, the social responsibility of business encompasses the economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary expectations that society has of organizations at a given point in time. On the other hand, the Institute of Directors, UK, 2002, stated that CSR is about businesses and other organizations going beyond the legal obligations to manage the impact they have on the environment and society. In particular, this could include how organizations interact with their employees, suppliers, customers and the communities in which they operate, as well as the extent they attempt to protect the environment. CSR is a means of analyzing the inter-dependent relationships that exist between businesses and economic systems, and the communities within which they are based. CSR is a means of discussing the extent of any obligations a business has to its immediate society and also a way of proposing policy ideas on how those obligations can be met as well as a tool by which the benefits to a business for meeting those obligations can be identified. Today, companies permanently need to implement solutions aimed at generating competitive advantage that allow them to survive and be successful in ever changing and demanding markets. Therefore, to focus on customers is a common denominator for organizations, aiming to meet their needs and satisfy their expectations. Society has become one of the players as one of the actors that highly influence corporate behavior. Communities have expressed more mistrust of corporations because of various scandals. This has put business ethics in the spot light influencing companies to be good corporate citizens, respecting the law but also to create good social values and principles. Today, the level of demand goes beyond the direct impact of the organizations business to also incorporate how corporations can contribute to societal and environmental causes. For corporations, these activities are manifested through the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). However, from a corporate perspective, it is difficult to measure if these changes can have a positive impact on a firm. To analyse the companies financial performance, the profitability ratios such as profit margin, asset turnover, return on assets, return on common stockholders equity, earnings per share and price-earnings ratio had been used. Net profit margin is a widely used ratio in the assessment of company performance and in comparisons with other companies. A higher margin generally suggests good performance. For the AirAsia Berhad, in year 2007, net profit margin is 20.02% but it decreased to -13.35% in year 2008 and increased to 29.13% in year 2009. ChangHuat Corporation Berhad is having net profit margin 1.81%, -11.09% in year 2008 and -3.63% in year 2009. On the other hand, the return on capital employed is a fundamental measure of the profitability of a company. It is a popular indicator of management efficiency because it contrasts the net profit generated by the company with the total value of fixed and current assets which are presumed to be under management control. Therefore, the ROCE demonstrates how well the management has utilized total assets. The ratio for the year 2007 is 10.44% but decreased to -21.90% in year 2008 and increased to 34.82%. For the ChangHuat Corporation Berhad, the ratio for the year 2007 is 2.15%, -16.39% in year 2008 and -3.38% in year 2009. Besides, the return on equity is a measure of how well a company used reinvested earnings to generate additional earnings, equal to a fiscal years after-tax income divided by book value, expressed as a percentage. It is used as a general indication of the companys efficiency. In other words, how much profit it is able to generate given the resources provided by its stockholders. Investors usually look for companies with returns on equity that are high and growing. The ratio for the year 2007 is 20.28%, -30.93% in year 2008 and 19.32% in year 2009. But for the ChangHuat Corporation Berhad, it is having 1.16% in year 2007, -18.13% in year 2008, and -6.30% in year 2009. The inventory turnover is a measure of how much sales are generated by the capital asset base of a company. Although the ratio can act as a good guide to company performance, it can also be misleading. If the inventory turnover increases, either the total value of sales is increasing, or the capital asset base is decreasing, or both. If it is because sales are increasing, this might signify improved performance. The ratio of inventory turnover period for the AirAsia Berhad is -57.41days for the year 2007, -31.88days for the year 2008 and -24.88days for the year 2009. On the other hand, ChangHuat Corporation Berhad is -76.33days in year 2007, -66.59days in year 2008 and -29.76days in year 2009. Furthermore, earnings per share (EPS) indicates the amount of profit after tax, interest and dividends to preference shares has been earned for each ordinary share. AirAsia Berhad is earned RM 0.181 per share in year 2007, RM -0.211 per share in year 2008 and RM 0.206 in year 2009; ChangHuat Corporation Berhad is earned RM 0.0212 per share in year 2007, RM -0.2812 in year 2008 and RM -0.1183 in year 2009. Price earnings ratio is calculated using the current share price and current earnings. It is a measure of market confidence in the shares of a company. However, the market price also takes into account anticipated changes in the earnings arising from their assessment of a marco events such as political factors, economic factors and the market conditions. It is also influenced by company-related events. The ratio for the AirAsia Berhad is 8.84 in year 2007 and 6.70 in year 2009 but for the ChangHuat Corporation Berhad, it is only have 3.07 in 2007. Comparing these two companies, the financial performance of AirAsia Berhad is much better than ChangHuat Corporation Berhad. The net profit margin for AirAsia Berhad is more than 20% (but the year 2008 is having negative) but ChangHuat Corporation Berhad only have less than 10% and also having negative percentage in year 2008 and 2009. In conclusion, having more corporate social responsibility will lead company to have better performance.

Dialysis Encephalopathy: A Complication of Chronic Renal Failure Essay

Dialysis Encephalopathy: A Complication of Chronic Renal Failure The neurological problems that patients with chronic renal failure face are relatively new to the medical world. Although dialysis was technically feasible in the 1940’s, it has only been since 1960 that techniques and equipment have been developed to make long term dialysis available as a practical treatment for end stage renal failure. Further, it has only been since 1973 when Medicare legislation was amended to include patients with chronic renal failure; and the expansion of hospital dialysis services in addition to the emergence of private outpatient hemodialysis clinics, that hemodialysis has become available for the vast majority with end stage renal failure. By increasing services to many more patients, our experience with the problems associated with long term dialysis has grown. All body systems, including the central and peripheral nervous system, are affected by chronic renal failure and its treatment. We have developed an understanding of the long term effects of chronic hemodialysis and the physiological effects are still being studied, but some of the long term complications of chronic renal failure are still unknown. The neurological problems encountered in patients with chronic renal failure may be acute, such as dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome is caused by abrupt changes in the osmotic pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid during dialysis. Chronic complications, such as uremic peripheral neuropathy and dialysis encephalopathy, also known as dialysis dementia, are also well documented. This paper will focus on one of those neurological complications of chronic renal failure namely dialysis encephalopathy. .. ...imental Aluminum Encephalopathy. Acta. Neuropathol., 50:19-24, 1980. 6. Asbury, A. K., McKhann, G., Mc Donald, D. Diseases of the Nervous System. Vol. 2, W. B. Saunders Company: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich ,Philadelphia, 1992. 7. Nissenson, A. R., Fine, R. N., Gentile, D. E. Dialysis in Chronic Renal Failure. Appleton-Century-Crofts, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1984. 8. Knochel, J. P. and Eknoyan, G. (Edt.) The Systemic Consequences of Renal Failure. Grune and Stratton, Inc. New York, 1984. 9. Geary, D. F. et. al. Encephalopathy in Children with Chronic Renal Failure. Journal of Pediatrics, 96: 41-44, 1980. 10.Rosati, G., De Bastiani, P., Gilli, P., and Paolino, E. Oral Aluminum and Neuropsychological Functioning. J. Neurol., 223: 251-7, 1980. 11.De Broe, M. E. and Coburn, J. W. Aluminum and Renal Failure. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Boston, 1990. Dialysis Encephalopathy: A Complication of Chronic Renal Failure Essay Dialysis Encephalopathy: A Complication of Chronic Renal Failure The neurological problems that patients with chronic renal failure face are relatively new to the medical world. Although dialysis was technically feasible in the 1940’s, it has only been since 1960 that techniques and equipment have been developed to make long term dialysis available as a practical treatment for end stage renal failure. Further, it has only been since 1973 when Medicare legislation was amended to include patients with chronic renal failure; and the expansion of hospital dialysis services in addition to the emergence of private outpatient hemodialysis clinics, that hemodialysis has become available for the vast majority with end stage renal failure. By increasing services to many more patients, our experience with the problems associated with long term dialysis has grown. All body systems, including the central and peripheral nervous system, are affected by chronic renal failure and its treatment. We have developed an understanding of the long term effects of chronic hemodialysis and the physiological effects are still being studied, but some of the long term complications of chronic renal failure are still unknown. The neurological problems encountered in patients with chronic renal failure may be acute, such as dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome is caused by abrupt changes in the osmotic pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid during dialysis. Chronic complications, such as uremic peripheral neuropathy and dialysis encephalopathy, also known as dialysis dementia, are also well documented. This paper will focus on one of those neurological complications of chronic renal failure namely dialysis encephalopathy. .. ...imental Aluminum Encephalopathy. Acta. Neuropathol., 50:19-24, 1980. 6. Asbury, A. K., McKhann, G., Mc Donald, D. Diseases of the Nervous System. Vol. 2, W. B. Saunders Company: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich ,Philadelphia, 1992. 7. Nissenson, A. R., Fine, R. N., Gentile, D. E. Dialysis in Chronic Renal Failure. Appleton-Century-Crofts, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1984. 8. Knochel, J. P. and Eknoyan, G. (Edt.) The Systemic Consequences of Renal Failure. Grune and Stratton, Inc. New York, 1984. 9. Geary, D. F. et. al. Encephalopathy in Children with Chronic Renal Failure. Journal of Pediatrics, 96: 41-44, 1980. 10.Rosati, G., De Bastiani, P., Gilli, P., and Paolino, E. Oral Aluminum and Neuropsychological Functioning. J. Neurol., 223: 251-7, 1980. 11.De Broe, M. E. and Coburn, J. W. Aluminum and Renal Failure. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Boston, 1990.

The Crucible - Form and Structure Essay -- English Literature

The Crucible - Form and Structure Arthur Miller uses various different techniques in the form and structure of ‘The Crucible’ to create suspense and maintain the audience’s interest. Of course, one of the main factors of the form and structure of the play is its genre. ‘The Crucible’ can be described as being a symbolic play, a tragedy, a political play, an historical play and a narrative play in naturalistic form. It is symbolic, political and historic as although the story revolves around the Salem witch trials, the ideas and morals behind the plot can be viewed as Miller’s criticism of McCarthyism. The play can also be seen as being narrative in a naturalistic form due to the lengthy set descriptions and stage directions followed by regular, natural yet stylised conversational prose. Obviously, the plot of ‘The Crucible’ is tragic as it ends with Miller killing off the main characters. One method Miller uses to keep the audience excited and interested is his use of high tension and climaxes. He ends each of the four acts with a climax, for example, Act Three finishes with Hale exclaiming, ‘I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court!’ as ‘he slams the door’ behind him. Climaxes such as this will always keep an audience alert and wanting to know more. Scenes like this particular one also create an engaging atmosphere and help the audience to understand extreme Puritanism more clearly. The theme of witch hunting in ‘The Crucible’ is an exciting factor which will also maintain audience interest. Miller also changes the focus of the play in each act. For instance, Miller’s main idea in Act One is ‘fear of the unknown’ which he shows through Parris’ insistence on there being ‘no unnatural cause here... ...d his wife creating tension not only by the change of space on stage, but also by adapting to a much slower dialogue with pauses. Through acting out various scenes from ‘The Crucible’, I have learnt that by ending each act with a cliff-hanger it is human nature which makes one feel like they must know more and what happens next. By forming each act as a story in itself, Miller heightens the atmosphere of mass hysteria due to this ongoing use of tension and climaxes. Miller succeeds in keeping the audience’s interest flowing despite this way of a different story in each act by using subplots, for example, the rivalry between Giles Corey and Thomas Putnam. Altogether, ‘The Crucible’ is written with an easy to follow form and structure using pace, dialogue and action to aid builds of tension and climaxes and therefore remain interesting to the audience.

Digital Fortress Chapter 1

They were in the smoky mountains at their favorite bed-and-breakfast. David was smiling down at her. â€Å"What do you say, gorgeous? Marry me?† Looking up from their canopy bed, she knew he was the one. Forever. As she stared into his deep-green eyes, somewhere in the distance a deafening bell began to ring. It was pulling him away. She reached for him, but her arms clutched empty air. It was the sound of the phone that fully awoke Susan Fletcher from her dream. She gasped, sat up in bed, and fumbled for the receiver. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Susan, it's David. Did I wake you?† She smiled, rolling over in bed. â€Å"I was just dreaming of you. Come over and play.† He laughed. â€Å"It's still dark out.† â€Å"Mmm.† She moaned sensuously. â€Å"Then definitely come over and play. We can sleep in before we head north.† David let out a frustrated sigh. â€Å"That's why I'm calling. It's about our trip. I've got to postpone.† Susan was suddenly wide awake. â€Å"What!† â€Å"I'm sorry. I've got to leave town. I'll be back by tomorrow. We can head up first thing in the morning. We'll still have two days.† â€Å"But I made reservations,† Susan said, hurt. â€Å"I got our old room at Stone Manor.† â€Å"I know, but-â€Å" â€Å"Tonight was supposed to be special-to celebrate six months. You do remember we're engaged, don't you?† â€Å"Susan.† He sighed. â€Å"I really can't go into it now, they've got a car waiting. I'll call you from the plane and explain everything.† â€Å"Plane?† she repeated. â€Å"What's going on? Why would the university†¦?† â€Å"It's not the university. I'll phone and explain later. I've really got to go; they're calling for me. I'll be in touch. I promise.† â€Å"David!† she cried. â€Å"What's-† But it was too late. David had hung up. Susan Fletcher lay awake for hours waiting for him to call back. The phone never rang. Later that afternoon Susan sat dejected in the tub. She submerged herself in the soapy water and tried to forget Stone Manor and the Smoky Mountains. Where could he be? she wondered. Why hasn't he called? Gradually the water around her went from hot to lukewarm and finally to cold. She was about to get out when her cordless phone buzzed to life. Susan bolted upright, sloshing water on the floor as she grappled for the receiver she'd left on the sink. â€Å"David?† â€Å"It's Strathmore,† the voice replied. Susan slumped. â€Å"Oh.† She was unable to hide her disappointment. â€Å"Good afternoon, Commander.† â€Å"Hoping for a younger man?† The voice chuckled. â€Å"No, sir,† Susan said, embarrassed. â€Å"It's not how it-â€Å" â€Å"Sure it is.† He laughed. â€Å"David Becker's a good man. Don't ever lose him.† â€Å"Thank you, sir.† The commander's voice turned suddenly stern. â€Å"Susan, I'm calling because I need you in here. Pronto.† She tried to focus. â€Å"It's Saturday, sir. We don't usually-â€Å" â€Å"I know,† he said calmly. â€Å"It's an emergency.† Susan sat up. Emergency? She had never heard the word cross Commander Strathmore's lips. An emergency? In Crypto? She couldn't imagine. â€Å"Y-yes, sir.† She paused. â€Å"I'll be there as soon as I can.† â€Å"Make it sooner.† Strathmore hung up. Susan Fletcher stood wrapped in a towel and dripped on the neatly folded clothes she'd set out the night before-hiking shorts, a sweater for the cool mountain evenings, and the new lingerie she'd bought for the nights. Depressed, she went to her closet for a clean blouse and skirt. An emergency? In Crypto? As she went downstairs, Susan wondered how the day could get much worse. She was about to find out.