My character, Miss Torso Essay

My character, Miss Torso is outgoing and full of life. She has a passion for dancing and it finds a way into every aspect of her life. She dances whilst making breakfast and entertains male guests as it is highly amusing. The enthusiasm I embody cannot be faked and is clearly seen in the opening scenes. Hitchcock, my director manipulates my character and her personality to be overtly sexualised and purely for the viewing of male counterparts. I resent the portrayal of my character having to rely on the affection of men to be happy. Yes, I enjoy the company and the entertainment they provide but I do not need it to survive or to find happiness. Not only are the women in the film presented as highly attractive and submissive to men, they are given the stereotype of women being needy and reliant on men. However if you look closely at the film you will see that if it weren’t for the women, the mystery of the murder would never have been uncovered. Crucial female characters found many clues, pieced together the events within the crime and risked their lives with absolutely no recognition. Lisa, who could have had a strong relationship with Miss Torso given the opportunity could have helped further the investigation. With the understanding that the genre relies heavily on these stereotypes to recognise crime fiction they should be re-evaluated as the times have changed. Women have fought relentlessly to attain rights and equality which should be represented within this film. I feel my character was merely a device for Hitchcock to exemplify his themes of voyeurism and women being the subject of the male gaze. As even her name is characterised after her body it highlights the stereotype that women are simply at appease the male counterparts. My part within the film is that of being a doppelganger to Lisa. I highlight the traits of an attractive female in this time period. These being that without a man you are lost and that your happiness depends solely on the comfort and reliance that a man provides. With this I find utterly absurd as both Lisa and I live by ourselves and manage our lives to our satisfaction. The affection I receive from males by entertaining are all for my pleasure. In the film however this is not how it is portrayed; rather than for my amusement and independence it is depicted as my reliance on men. I resent this portrayal as it is far from what I feel. This all returns back to the murder of Mrs Thorwald. The assumption is made that she was a whinging wife that was bedridden and could not perform the daily duties that are expected thus leading to her murder. The whole concept of marriage is burdened with negative connotations throughout the film. Even the newlywed couple who are blissfully on their honeymoon depict this when at the end of the film the husband is seen looking out the window with distain towards his wife. It is almost seen as acceptable that the wife is murdered as not even the professional detective will take the case seriously. My character portrays a woman reliant of men with her quality of life being completely due to male involvement. This is a huge misinterpretation of the strong, independent and charismatic woman that she actually is. These traits need to be highlighted rather than subverted as a means of accentuating the theme of females being subject to the male gaze.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) Essay

Vertigo is a 1958 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock that has stood the test of time in the horror genre. It is considered to be one of the seminal films in the genre not only because it set the tone for the films to follow but also because it exhibited numerous features and techniques that would serve to revolutionise the way in which movies were made. The camera angles, use of space, cinematography, special effects and sound all contribute to the overall effect achieved. As such, this essay will examine each of the above with a view to concluding that Hitchcock rejuvenated the horror genre with Vertigo and provided a master class in using cinematic techniques for effect. The first technique of note is the way in which camera angles are used in order to create an atmosphere of fear, giving the impression that the characters are moving in one vicious circle. The use of the camera â€Å"†¦ simulates panicky feelings of acrophobia (fear of heights) felt by Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart). † (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2004, p. 127). For example, at one point in the film, a staircase is filmed from the very top. This not only alludes to the cyclical nature of the narrative because the bell tower staircase is indeed circular but also narrows the shot. The illusion of falling from a great height is fostered in this shot and indeed in others, like that in which Stewart appears to be standing on the ledge. Furthermore, the camera angles also link directly to the illusion of space: â€Å"†¦ serves as a template for key themes: the topography of a city and its surrounding countryside matched by dilemmas of sexual choice, guilt and obsession. † (Orr, 2005, p. 137). The view from the bell tower always appears to be bleak, thus mirroring the overtones of the plot. The sound used also highlights the cyclical nature of the narrative. In an interview in Sight and Sound, Scorsese pointed out that â€Å"†¦ the music is also built around spirals and circles, fulfilment and despair. Herrmann really understood what Hitchcock was going for – he wanted to penetrate to the heart of obsession. † (2004). Scorsese’s assessment is correct and this is typified by the scenes in which Madeline and Judy fall to their deaths. The sound is similar in both instances and actively signifies the irony that the starting point of the movie is also the end. However, it is not only the use of music that has a significant impact of the tone of the movie but also the silence. Hitchcock uses silence incredibly well and only provides dialogue as and when he has to. For example, even the confession scene at the denouement of the movie is not as full of vocabulary as it may be in other films. Words are used sparingly and to make a point. Special effects and cinematographic techniques are not used as sparingly as the dialogue in an attempt to convey the tension desired. Hitchcock undoubtedly used rear projection in Vertigo: â€Å"Foreground and background tend to look starkly separate, partly because of the absence of cast shadows from foreground to background, partly because all background planes tend to seem equally diffuse. † (Bordwell & Thompson, 1996, p. 244). This is an example of both of these features and there are numerous examples of this in the film, such as the point at which Novak and Stewart kiss against the backdrop of the ocean. The actors were filmed and then imposed on a natural backdrop, thus forgoing the use of shadow. As such, there is something innately unnatural about it, which follows the plot. The film stock is also colour and this also helps to eliminate the use of light and dark, thus enhances this particular effect. In conclusion, there can be little doubt that Hitchcock rejuvenated the horror genre with Vertigo and provided a master class in using cinematic techniques for effect. There are numerous techniques used within the movie to help contribute to the cyclical and somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere. Again, this serves to heighten the tension. The sparing use of dialogue and excellent use of sound effects, when paired with the film stock and clever camera angles, certainly enhance the narrative and ultimately allowed Hitchcock to create one of the best cinematic examples of horror in history. Bibliography Bordwell, David & Thompson, Kristin, 1996. Film Art: An Introduction. 5th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Orr, John, 2005. Hitchcock and Twentieth Century Cinema. London: Wallflower Press. Pramaggiore, Maria & Wallis, Tom, 2005. Film: A Critical Introduction. London: Laurence King Publishing. Scorsese, Martin, 2004. The Best Music in Film. Sight and Sound (September 2004). [Online] Available at: http://www. bfi. org. uk/sightandsound/filmmusic/detail. php? t=d&q=42 [Accessed 10 May 2010]. Vertigo, 1958. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. USA: Paramount Pictures.

Brand Loyalty A Two Dimensional Approach Marketing Essay

Brand Loyalty A Two Dimensional Approach Marketing Essay The ultimate goal of the research is to understand if brand loyalty may arise from participating in online brand communities. This section more specifically intends to provide an answer to the following sub-question: â€Å"Does commitment to online brand communities lead to members’ loyalty toward the brand?† Brand Loyalty: a Two-Dimensional Approach Nowadays, brand loyalty is considered as one of the most valuable asset of any company. Due to the higher cost of attracting new customers, companies have realized the interest of retaining existing ones by carefully developing and managing relationships with them. As explained Rosenberg and Czepiel (1983) (cited in Mellens, Dekimpe, indeed, if properly managed brand loyalty has the ability to provide companies with a sustainable competitive advantage. Companies selling brands with strong customer loyalty can enjoy valuable benefits including: â€Å"ability to maintain premium pricing, greater bargaining power with chann els of distribution, reduced selling costs, a strong barrier to potential new entries into the product or service category, and synergistic advantages of brand extensions† (Reichheld, 1996; cited in Gommans, Krismnan Mellens et al., 1996). Two main approaches in explaining the concept of brand loyalty have emerged in the landscape of the marketing literature, namely: the behavioral and attitudinal approaches. The former defines brand loyalty in terms of repeat purchases of a specific brand over time (Keller et al., 2008; Lichtlà © Sheth, 1968; Tuominen, 1999). The latter – often referred to brand commitment (Jacoby and Chestnut, 1978) – suggests brand loyalty is formed when customers demonstrate favorable attitudes, positive feelings toward a brand (Lichtlà © Fullerton, 1993; Jacoby Keller et al., 2008; Tuominen, 1999). Those partisans of the third approach argue that behavioral loyalty is a necessary condition but not sufficient to develop brand loyalty. I ndeed, customer may repeatedly buy a branded product/service out of convenience, or because she/he cannot afford to purchase another with her/his budget, or due to other reasons such as stock limitations. Such behaviors are referred to as purchase inertia (Bloemer & Kasper, 1995) or spurious loyalty (Dick & Basu, 1994) (Cited in Lichtlà © & Plichon, 2008). This implies that if, for example, the price increases or if an alternative product is available, the customer may turn to another brand. It is the reason why those authors speak of brand loyalty only when repeat purchase behavior over time is the result of positive feelings and attitudes to the brand (Lichtlà © & Plichon, 2008). Aaker (1991) and Keller et al. (2008) go a step further by explaining customers should not simply have positive feelings about the brand but they should feel a deep attitudinal attachment to the brand, leading to repurchase behaviors in the future. By viewing brand loyalty as a two-dimensional construct , limitations faced by the behavioral approach in explaining customer’s loyalty to a brand can be overcome.

Major cusses of Greek Dark Ages Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Major cusses of Greek Dark Ages - Research Paper Example This paper explores the Dark Ages and the major causes that thrust a splendid civilization like Greek into abrupt termination or presumably so. It briefly explores the authenticity of term Dark Age and its perceived occurrence. Drawing on the observations and evidences of Rhys Carpenter and V. Desborough, the paper concludes that Dark Age is a term that scholars used to name the interruption reported between evolutionary transitions from Mycenaean to Ionian Age. Irrespective of the terminology, presumed Dark Age was caused by depopulation or migration of Mycenaean as a result of natural disasters (earthquake or volcanic) rather than foreign invasion or Trojan War. Greek Dark Ages: Major Causes of Termination Dark Ages of ancient Greek is the latest scholastic term that refers to the centuries between 1100 and 800 B.C. The time period attributed as Dark ranges from Mycenaean civilization’s collapse to the establishment of Ionian Age. Abrupt and unanticipated destruction of such a wealthy and civilized culture as Greek is source of surprise and intense debate among literary and archeological circles. This paper explores the Dark Ages, major causes that led Greeks into it and concludes that the Dark Age itself is nothing but a gap of literary evidence in the evolutionary process as a consequence of climatic upheaval in the region during late seventh and eighth centuries. The term â€Å"Dark Ages† is recently coined by modern scholars who refer it as the period that intervenes between 1200 BC with the downfall of the Mycenaean palaces and around emergence of a new state form, called the polis. Ancient writers never acknowledged major distinction between historical period and heroic age .During 700 BC, writings of Hesiod represents a gradual decline of Greek society and symbolizes them with five successive â€Å"Ages†, referred as gold, silver, bronze, heroes, and iron age (Works and Days 109-76 as cited in Hall, 2006, p.202).On the other hand, Thycydides depicted early Greek history as progressive marked with stable growth of resources and power. However, the Trojan War aftermath brought immediate instability and migration (as cited in Hall, 2006, p.202).Hall (2006) further states: There is no real sense of a cultural or economic â€Å"trough† that stands in stark contrast to conditions [neither]before the Trojan expedition, nor again of a â€Å"renaissance† associated with the rise of the polis†¦Greeks believed that polis had existed from time  immemorial. (p.203) Scholars endorsed Thucydides’ general schema up to 1870s,however,some in general and George Grote in particular highlighted that lack of recent evidence hinders the construction of Greek historical narrative before 776 BC(as cited in Hall,2003,P.203).Later, Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations at Troy in 1870-90s,Mycenae in 1876, and Tiryns in 1884(as cited in Hall,2003,P.203) not only established that Greek mainland had been a h ome to civilized culture, but also confirmed the sudden end of palaces associated with â€Å"Mycenaean† civilization. The major concern here is the collapse of Mycenaean civilization and its reasons. It is believed (as cited in Hall, 2003): Following Fliners Petrie’s publication in 1890 of Mycenaean pottery in Egyptian context of the 18th and 19th Dynasties and his conclusion that the Mycenaean palaces has been destroyed around 1200 BC, it became evident†¦ gap of approximately five centuries between the collapse of the palaces and the first extant literature as  represented by Hesiod and the lyric poets of the 7th century BC. The sheer paucity of evidence for this intervening period had already by the last decade of the 19th century led historians to term it a â€Å"Dark Age† or â€Å"the medieval epoch of Greece. (p.203) Foreign invasion by Dorians or Sea Peoples and colonization, Trojan War, internal conflicts, depopulation, and great migrations as a r esult of natural disaster and unfavorable living conditions were a few but frequently

China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

China - Essay Example This started a continuing era of growth that is assessed periodically. Although the country strives for the economic growth there are factors that limit China's full economic growth. One factor that can be considered as the most influential cause of this state is the lack for political reform. Achieving the results that are aimed for such as the rapid economic growth requires the interplay of the different aspects in the nation most especially in governance. The process of launching this economic development requires changes both in the internal and the external factors. The external dynamics of economic growth includes the relation to other countries in terms of marketing products and other commercial transactions and trade. Internal factors on the other hand are lead by the reforms in the different aspects of the nation which is accompanied by the development in the government as well ("China: The four modernization"; Polonsky, Pucko, Warner, and Zhu). Through the development of China and its advancement in terms of the economic aspect, it can be viewed that there is an absence in the reform in the government. This is due the fact that China is socialist country that operates through a one party rule. This aspect had brought about both advantages and disadvantages to the nation. It can be viewed that through the success of China not only the economy of the nation but also the success of different businesses, it has not yet achieved its full potentials due to the fact that the people are working for the growth of the nation which even through hard work remains to be barely felt. This is the case for countries that operates a socialist form of government. In this from of government the people have common properties and works for the welfare of the nation and not for their own success. The government of China though has no plan of modifying already established political structure. This can be determined through the fact that through the alterations and development that was undertaken in the different aspects of the nation, any of the aspect of governance was not modified. China even promoted that their form of government is a unique feature in the economic success that was being experienced in the nation. This distinctive characteristic is comparable to the nations that have shifted from a socialist for of government to be able to better incorporate the economic development that is required for the growth of the nation. These include former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern European countries (Polonsky, Pucko, Warner, and Zhu). The lack of political reform has brought about problems in the different aspects of the nation. This is due to the fact that synthesizing the socialist form of government with the economic policies can be contradicting and affects the nation as a whole. One of the most affective factors in the process is in relation to the success that can be experience by individuals in a non-socialist country that has attained an economic growth that was achieved by China. This causes a conflict within the beliefs of the individuals who can feel just the minimal effect of the country's economic success. In this case the government can face a problem with discontentment of the people. For this matter, the leaders provide the nation with motivations on nationalism. That it is the success of the whole nation that they

Google is always trying to push the envelope when it comes to Research Paper

Google is always trying to push the envelope when it comes to gathering information about you and me - Research Paper Example Advertisers are willing to pay lots of money for the guarantee that their advertisements will magically appear on the screens of the people that are most likely to buy their products, or at the very least, people that meet a certain profile of consumer that the sellers want to attract to their products. All of this sounds fine until questions about how Google collects and uses data are raised. How did the employees of Google know that I was shopping for shoes? The trade-off for the handiness of Google search lies in the fact that every time you search, you reveal a little bit about yourself. Likes, dislikes and hobbies are all recorded. The amount of e-mail you receive, generate and key words within all of those e-mails is also gathered and stored. The concern many are beginning to have about the way Google gathers, stores and shares information centers on the opportunities and threats this activity hold for our society as a whole, not to mention the damage it can cause to individual s. One positive aspect of Google’s information gathering activities is their apparent commitment to be transparent about their activities. Google has recently published a manual that educates and guides users understanding how information is gathered about them and how it is used. This guide is written in simple language and is intended for non-technical users (Blue, 2011). The guide titled, â€Å"Good to Know† is written for a global audience but is specifically targeted to address changes in legislation in the United Kingdom concerning how user information can be gathered, shared and used. The guide is broken into four sections, Stay Safe Online, Your Data on the Web, Your Data on Google and Manage Your Data. Step by step instructions are offered for interested persons on how to find out what type of a person Google thinks you are and how to opt out of the automated generation of Google Ads. It has been noted that this move puts Google far ahead of other tech compani es when it comes to revealing how they gather and use consumer data. Apple and Facebook, most conspicuously, do not have any obvious safeguards in place for consumers (Thinesen, 2011). Neither company has a Chief Privacy Officer and Google does. Everyone gathering and using data has been stung with security concerns, but Apple and Facebook have had some of the most visible blunders. Compounding the mistrust of these companies has been the initial denials followed by admissions that data was gathered and applied in some seemingly covert manner. For Apple, the most revealing was the denial then admission that GPS software could track the movements of all iPhone users and for Facebook the denial then admission of tracking user movements through the used of the â€Å"Like† button even if not logged on to Facebook. Google’s willingness to have transparent methods of gathering and using information from users is good for society. It can help consumers feel that they are stil l in control of their own person and habits. It is good that they give users the ability to opt out of some forms of data transmission and gathering. Transparency makes all the difference because consumers are making informed choices about how they search using Google. It builds trust between society as a whole and this very important company that provides a vast quantity of the information available to people every day. While trust can eventually lead to dangerous complacency, Google best serves individuals and society

Term paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Term paper - Essay Example In the 1990s, there was a call to understand and address the issue of teacher turnover in the United States. In the 15 years since this call, the turnover rate of teachers is still a central theme in many discussions regarding the teachers, yet there is now a better understanding about this phenomena. For instance, teacher turnover now encompasses several definitions, including teachers exiting the profession, teachers changing fields, or teachers changing schools (citation). Additionally there is now information regarding the reasons that teachers turnover. XXXX (XXX) reported that new teachers leave the teaching field because they fail to cope with the complications that can accompany teaching. Others may quit or move because of disruptive behavior amongst children, issues with the administration or parents, or lack of resources (XXXX, XXXX). Most of the studies surrounding turnover pertain to beginning teachers in general. That is, most reports report teacher attrition and mobility among all teachers, and then by current teaching position. In doing these analyses, large samples are quantitatively described and implications are made about various groups of teachers. While these analyses are important, there is a need to understand reasons for teacher attrition and mobility that are specific to science teachers. This type of analysis should take into account the nuances of the science teaching. Laboratory instruction is one area that is unique to science teachers. For science teachers, they need supplies to demonstrate phenomena and to have students explore basic phenomena in the laboratory. Another area that is unique to science teachers pertains to teaching out of field. Most science teachers are certified in one area, but often teach in different disciplines. A middle school science teacher, for example, who has a degr ee in life science and teaches a general science course, may

Human Resource Leadership in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resource Leadership in Education - Essay Example Human resource development is the process of increasing the knowledge, skills and capacities of all the people in the society. In economic term it would be described as the account of the human capital and its effective investment in the development of an economy in political terms Human resource development prepares people to admit participation in political processes, from social and cultural points of vias it helps pple to lead fuller and riches lives that are less bound by tradition. In general the process of human resource development unlocks the door to modernization. Human resources are developed in many ways. Formal education is the most obvious, beginning with pry or 1st level education, continuing with various forms of secondary education, and then higher education including colleges, higher technical institutes and universities. Human resources are also developed through systematic or informal training programs in employing institutions, and adult education programs and through membership in various political, social, religious and cultural groups. Another process is self development as individuals seek to acquire greater knowledge skills or capacity through preparation on their own initiative by taking formal or correspondence courses, by reading or learning from others in formal contacts. Other process include; Improvement in the health of the workers through better medical and public health programs and improvement in nutrition, which increase the working capacity of people, on a man-hour basis as well as over a working life, which may cause economic growth. Human resource leadership has been a very important factor in the general development of Georgia state. There has been considerable growth and development in its education sector both in rural and urban area

Comparison Between Livingstone and Sauer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Comparison Between Livingstone and Sauer - Essay Example Sauer, however, began to head the geography department at Berkeley in 1923, when geography was beginning to take form as an established discipline (Bruman 1996). In the late nineteenth century, geography was more of a reading genre than it was part of institutionalized academia. Robert Mayhew explains, in an essay by Wendy Gibbons, that geography texts were "essentially gazetteers, with headed paragraphs for conveying information about the nations of the world, starting with the mathematical location before moving on to descriptive geography" (Gibbons 2001). Thus, given the different expectations of the time periods, the initial purposes, final results and methodology between the two men were also different. Each time period has its own academic trends and priorities. Prominent public figures are often direct or indirect products of their intellectual surroundings. Therefore, it is valuable to take a look at the academic climates in which Livingstone and Sauer made their respective contributions as well as their various purposes in embarking on their adventures, whether they be academic or otherwise. Livingstone conducted his explorations during what is considered the new imperial age of exploration. This was a time of expansion, the expansion of territories as well as of ideas. With the best of intentions, Livingstone helped pave the way for European colonialism and exploitation. Industrialisation brought with it the desire for imported minerals and natural resources (Crawfurd 2005). Since the accepted idea of the time was that Europe was far superior to Africa, the country that first set foot onto uncharted African territory was practically considered its owner. Even though slavery had been abolished in Europe, it was the Africans that did most of the excavating, exploring, translating and carrying. Africa at this time was seen as a mysterious and dark land, ripe for exploration and conquest. It was the perfect space to play out the prominent ideas of the time. Livingstone was initially a missionary. He began his explorations not so much as an attempt to map uncharted territory, but more as an effort to open up new paths to commerce and Christianity. While working to construct missionary stations deeper into the "Dark Continent's" interior, he came into close contact with Africa's slave trade. His intention was then to slowly eradicate the slave trade by replacing it with the trade of European goods. He believed that "civilization" must be brought to Africa and that Christianity and commerce were the perfect carriers. Livingstone was not very successful as a missionary and made numerous geographical errors (Sykes 1996). After all, he converted only one African who later reconverted and various miscalculations nearly sacrificed his Zambezi expedition. Later he thought he had found the source of the Nile only to realize that it was actually the upper Congo (Sykes 1996). Still, he represents for many the spirit of the explorer. His contributio ns to the geography of Africa are invaluable. It was he, after all, who first began to draw attention to Africa and her people. Carl Sauer is considered one of the founding fathers of American geography. He marks the initial separation of physical geography from human or cultural geography. His predominant concern was the relationship between people and their environment.  Ã‚  

Revelation Essay Essay Example for Free

Revelation Essay Essay The opening lines of the poem initiate the main themes; â€Å"Black bull† introduces one of the themes which are gender stereotyping. This suggests the bull is powerful, strong and very angry. Females are then introduced in the poem, â€Å"eggs and milk†. This suggests females are pale, delicate and easily broken. The poet highlights the theme of stereotypes by placing â€Å"black bull† above â€Å"eggs and milk†. This is to effectively state that the black bull is on top of eggs and milk which emphasises on the importance of gender stereotyping. The second theme is introduced which is innocence and experience, â€Å"They call him Bob – as though perhaps you could reduce a monster with the charm of a friendly name†. Tone her is cynical. The bull has been given a cheery, friendly name which is a irrelevant name for the harsh animal. The key words of the quote are â€Å"monster† and â€Å"friendly†. This is a very striking contrast between the idea of the name Bob being friendly, cheery and approachable, but in actual fact behind the cheery name lays a monster. The quote, â€Å"at the threshold of his outhouse†, is the turning point in the story. Look more:  first poem for you essay This is a symbolic quote that states you must go over a line before starting a new life. In the poem a young girl is standing in the area between safety and danger. The line is significant as the pause creates a series of tension building up to a sense of danger. The girl’s initial perceptions of the creature are conveyed in, â€Å"At first only black, and the hot reek of him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The girl’s sensory impressions of the bull are that the word â€Å"black† represents danger. The words â€Å"hot reek† represents the smell and stench of the bull. Her over all sensory impression is the smell of the bulls pungent aroma that is its natural smell and the limited sight gives her a sense of the unknown danger. The poet continues to reference the main theme of gender stereotyping by developing it, â€Å"We was immense†, This quote highlights masculinity and power. It shows that males are bigger, more powerful and the dominate gender. The theme of innocence and experience is also developed, and the bull and the girl are compared to each other. The girl is full of fear and innocence. She is extremely intimidated by the bulls presence. The poet powerfully, reinforces the contrasting thematic dichotomies suggested in verse one. In the first instance this is done by including details in verse two which contract with details from the first verse. The poet has reinforced the theme of innocence and experience as he shows that the bull knows he is restrained. Also reinforces the theme of gender stereotyping – girl and boy. This is done as it is dark and the girl cannot see what the bull is doing, whilst the girl is unaware of this, the bull is trying to break free from where he is chained up too. The poet condenses the contrast by highlighting them in a few lines of verse two. â€Å" I had always half known he existed† Here, the poet points out that the girl had always knew the bull was there, just she had never seen the bull and didn’t want to come to terms with the reality. Verse three is effective as it shows that the girl is fearful of her encounter with the bull. The girl is terrified by the bulls presence and runs away from the farm. She runs past a group of boys. Here the writer links the bull and the boys together by the use of harsh sound effects. It is important that this link is made as it makes a direct comparison between the bulls aggression and the boys cruelty. It highlights that they both share the same characteristics. Finally, the girls attention is redirected to the parlous state of the eggs and milk, due to the flight, â€Å"scared of the eggs shattering† While she’s too busy protecting the eggs it shows the reader that females are protective towards anything precious. In the girls eyes the eggs and milk are precious, and she wants to protect them from any harm. â€Å"in case the milk should spill† The precarious position of the milk is highlighted in the small hands of a weak girl, who has been charged with the responsibility of looking after the eggs and milk. She is protecting what is important to her. The poet seems to be suggesting that her experience shows that females are scared of males and have to protect themselves from any harm. Females protect all forms of life, they are caring and sensible creatures.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Hybrid Cars Engineering Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Hybrid Cars Engineering Essay Even by recently introducing hybrid vehicles to the worldwide transportation system, the need to reduce transport generated CO2 emissions is still a matter of high significance. One promising and at the same time environmentally friendly solution in terms of limiting the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is considered to be the introduction of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). In this technical report HEVs will be compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs), by surveying their technical characteristics and performance, their total cost of ownership (TOC) and their GHG and air pollution (AP) emissions. HEVs can be classified either as parallel or series due to differences at their powertrain configuration. They both use an electric motor and an engine but only parallel HEVs can use simultaneously either of them as a main power source. At series HEVs the engine charges an on-board battery unit that transmits power to the electri c motor. Reduced engine capacity, regenerative braking ability and engine shut-off capability are the main discernible characteristics of HEVs in confrontation to their equivalent conventional models.1Some of the most generally acceptable advantages of the HEVs are their low local emissions combined with a high fuel economy, the long driving range and their commercial availability but they still depended on fossil fuels and they are more expensive than conventional ICEs.2 Technical characteristics and performance Vehicle efficiency and primary energy efficiency, or otherwise well-to-wheel efficiency are the measures used in this study to compare those different drivetrain vehicles. We define the Vehicle efficiency: and, the Primary efficiency where = the useful energy at the wheels, = the energy supplied to the vehicle and = the primary energy.3 Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV): For both parallel and series HEVs the vehicle efficiency is 29%. Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle (ICEV): The max efficiency ay ICEs is achieved near the max load point. The mean efficiency is relatively low since no max power can be achieved in normal driving conditions. At mean required power of 10kW the efficiency is low around 18% whereas around 60-90kW reaches up to 35-40%.4 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV): An electric motor, connected with a generator and a system of transmission forms the main function of BEVs. Due to the development of advanced electronic control systems, the mean energy efficiency over a normal drive schedule has increased both for generators and electric motors.5 The potential vehicle efficiency is 61%. The difference in efficiency between hybrid and conventional vehicles can be partly justified by the use of Atkinson-cycle in the hybrid vehicle engines instead of the Otto cycle in the ICEs.6 In cases where the Atkinson cycle is applied to a well modified Otto cycle engine it results to high fuel economy that can be explained by the lower per displacement power than the traditional ICE four stroke engine. When more power is needed, an electric motor can supplement the engine power which is the basis of an Atkinson cycle working hybrid-electric drivetrain. Bigger work output and higher thermal efficiency than the Otto cycle while operating under similar conditions leads to higher primary efficiency in HEVs.7 In terms of acceleration, BEVs are better than both HEVs and ICEs but in high speed performances ICEs are faster than HEVs with BEVs to be the slowest.8 Total Cost of Ownership The total cost of ownership is by estimation the sum of the purchase price (Components, retail margin, battery, initial on-road costs), the operating costs (fuel, electricity, servicing) and the resale value. The purchase price is fixed for each vehicle (excluding the uncertainties in the battery prices) but in order to define the operational cost we first have to settle a representative drive cycle. In this study we will work with the AUDC (Australian Urban Drive Cycle) which is a bit more intense in the driving behavior than the common ones but still close to the NEDC (new European drive cycle) and the ARTEMIS cycle (150000 km travelled per vehicle lifetime) .9,10 Due to the large uncertainty in the vehicle battery prices we took a baseline value of $800(kWh)-1 or $16.800 [brooker,4] Furthermore, we estimated a base fuel price at $1.4 L-1 as well as a base electricity price at $0.175 kWh-1.11 In order to determine the operational cost of each vehicle we need to define the fuel and electricity consumption of our modeling vehicles. For a Class E parallel HEV the fuel consumption in L/km was calculated 5.7 whereas for the same category the CV had a consumption of 9.4 L/km. The electricity consumption of a Class E BEV is 0.11 kWh/km. It is clear that despite the entailed increase in vehicle electrification in the purchase price it is compensated with a decrease in the operational costs. Only by comparing each vehicles purchase price, the CV is the most cost effective solution of both HEVs and BEVs with the lasts to be the most costly ones mainly because of the high battery costs. On the other hand even though the BEVs have the lower running costs it is shown that the parallel HEVs are the ones with the lower Net Present value. Finally in a recent study it was suggested that even hybrid cars are a quite more expensive than the conventional ICE vehicles thay may reduce fuel consumption by 34-47% compared to them which decreases their NPV even more.12 Environmental evaluation In order to determine the environmental impact of each vehicle we will examine their air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. To estimate the total CO2 emissions we use the product of carbon intensity (CO2e/MJ) by fuel producers, energy intensity (MJ/km) by car producers and demand (km) by car drivers. In Hybrid (gasoline) vehicles the CO2 emissions are 20 gCO2/MJ and 220 gCO2/MJ delivered to vehicle wheels during production and vehicle life cycle respectively. In ICEs the emissions during production and life cycle are 50 gCO2/MJ and 300 gCO2/MJ whereas in BEVs (electricity production from coal) are 320 gCO2/MJ and approximately 0 gCO2/MJ respectively. It is interesting to notify that in case were electricity production comes from renewable sources (wind) the emission at the production stage of BEV are almost defeasance.13,14 Table1 Environmental impact associated with vehicle production stages Type of car GHG emissions (kg) AP emissions (kg) Conventional 3595.8 8.74 Hybrid 4156.7 10.10 Electric 9832.4 15.09 In both HEVs and BEVs we must also consider the environmental impact of batteries. We assume that both vehicles use NiMeH batteries of 53kg (1,8kWh capacity) and 430kg( 27kWh capacity), respectively. The production of those batteries require 1.96MJ of electricity and 8.35MJ of liquid petroleum gas.15 With those data and considering that the number of batteries per life of vehicle is 2 for hybrids and 3 for electrics, the total GHG emission per life of vehicle are more than 12 times higher in BEVs. Finally in order to compare the total GHG and AP emissions for ICE, BEV and HEVs we will consider the scenario that electricity is produced only from renewable energy sources. In that case ICE vehicles are the most polluting ones with almost double GHG and AP emissions than hybrid vehicles and 10 times more than BEV vehicles (450/235/40 g CO2,equivalent /mile respectively).16 Table2 Total environmental impact for different vehicles Car Type GHG emissions(kg) /100 km of travelling AP emissions(kg) /100 km of travelling Conventional ICE 21.4 0.0600 Hybrid HEV 13.3 0.0370 Electric BEV 2.31 0.00756 The average travelling distance during a 10 year vehicle life time is 241,350km.17 We must say here that in any scenario for electricity production the BEV are still the most environmentally friendly vehicles. Furthermore, hybrid cars may reduce Well-to-wheel GHG emissions to 89-103 gCO2 comparing to conventional ICE gasoline vehicles.18 Georgios Fontaras, Panayotis Pistikopoulos, Zissis Samaras, 2008, Experimental evaluation of hybrid vehicle fuel economy and pollutant emissions over real-world simulation driving cycles, Atmospheric Environment 42, 2008, 4023-4035. C.C.Chan, Fellow, IEEE, Alain Bouscayrol, Member, IEEE, and Keyu Chen, Member, IEEE, 2010, Electric, Hybrid, and fuel-Cell Vehicles: Architectures and Modeling, IEEE transactions on vehicular technology, Vol.59, No.2, February 2010. Max Ahman, 2000, Primary energy efficiency of alternative powertrains in vehicles, Energy 26, 2001, 973-989. Ecotraffic, The life of fuels, Stockholm, 1992 Kopf et al, 1997, development of a multifunctional high power system: meeting the demands of both a generator and traction drive system, Electric Vehicle Sympozium 14, Orlando (FL), 1997. Yingru Zhao, Jincan Chen, 2006, Performance analysis and parametric optimum criteria of an irreversible Atkinson heat-engine, Applied Energy 83,2006, 789-800. Shuhn-Shyurng Hou, 2006, Comparison of performances of air standard Atkinson and Otto cycles with heat transfer considerations, Energy conversion and Management 48, 2007, 1683-1690. Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, 2006, The 21st century electric car, Tesla Motors Inc. Michel Andrà ©, 2004, The ARTEMIS European driving cycles for measuring car pollutant emissions, The Science of the total environment, 334-335, 2004, 73-74. R.Sharma, C.Manzie, M.Bessede, M.J.Brear, R.H. Crawford, 2012, Conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions Part 1: Technical and financial analysis, Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 25, 2012, 238-249. Annual energy outlook 2012 with projections to 2035, 2012, U.S. energy information administration, June 2012. Oscar P.R van Vliet, Thomas Kruithof, Wim C. Turkenberg, Andre P.C. Faaij, 2010, Techno-economic comparison of series hybrid, plug in hybrid, fuel cell and regular cars, Journal of Power Sources, Vol.195, Issue 19, 2010, 6570-6585. Felix Creutzig, Emily McGlynn, Jan Minx, Ottmar Edenhofer, 2011, Climate policies for road transport revisited (1): Evaluation of the current framework, Energy Policy, 39, 2011, 2396-2406. Mikhail Granovskii, Ibrahim Dincer, Marc A.Rosen, 2006, Economic and environmental comparison of conventional, hybrid, electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, Journal of Power Sources, 159, 2006, 1186-1193. M.Rantik, 1999, Life Cycle Assessment of five batteries for Electric vehicles under different charging regimes, report, KFB-Stockholm, 1999. Tien Nguyen Jake Ward, 2010, Well-to-Wheels Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Petroleum Use for Mid-Size Light-Duty Vehicles, US department of energy, Program Record (Offices of Vehicle Technologies Fuel Cell Technologies), 2010. United States Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and renewable energy. Via www.fueleconomy.gov , accessed May 15, 2005. G.J.offer, D.Howey, M.Contestabile, R.Clague, N.P.Brandon, 2010, Comparative analysis of battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a future sustainable road transport system, Energy Policy, 38, 2010, 24-29.

Observing the Positive Side of the Medical Profession Essay -- Medical

People who decide to become medical doctors need to make several sacrifices. The training to become a doctor is long and difficult. Furthermore, it does not end with school because doctors are required to learn about new problems and advances in the field of medical science for the rest of their lives. However, there is a positive side in becoming a doctor. It is not just about learning complicated procedures and going through rigorous training. Being a doctor means that a person is required to nurture the positive fundamental characteristics of the human mind. Doctors have to be truthful, both to their patients and their patients' relatives. They need to be above discrimination. If a doctor practices medicine with a correct attitude and respect towards the oaths taken, that person has an opportunity to develop all positive qualities of a human being and improve people's living standards without sacrificing their own. Becoming an expert in the field of medicine is a long process that will turn away most people, particularly because doctors gain their abilities exclusively by practicing on other people. â€Å"The moral burden of practicing on people is always with us, but for the most part unspoken† (Gawade, 2003). Besides the moral burden that is created by practicing on others, when their lives might depend on the doctor's skills, doctors need to constantly keep up with the advances in the field. In addition, they need to adapt to different patients constantly. Even if there are no advances in the medical field, the doctor must always remain flexible and accept that something unexpected might happen at any given moment. Atul Gawade (2003) states that the incredible pace of advances in medicine do not always keep up with the advances... ...cause no other field is so closely connected to human well-being and life. However, according to Carola Eisenberg (1986), â€Å"What we do as doctors, most of the time, is deeply gratifying, whatever the mix of patient care, research, and teaching in our individual careers. I cannot imagine a more satisfying calling. Let us make sure out students hear that message from us†. In the final part of the UCLA medical oath, the doctor states, â€Å"In being true to this oath, I will preserve the finest traditions of medicine and science, and enjoy and conduct my life, my profession, and my art to the fullest† (Robinson & Parker, 1995). Doctors do not give up their lives to help others. Doctors swear that they will live their life and art to the fullest. And there is no greater satisfaction in life other than when a person lives both his professional and personal life to the fullest.

Abortion Controversy Essay -- Pregnancy

The Abortion Issue Introduction Abortion has been a very controversial subject over these past few decades. Every time you pick up a paper or magazine it seems there is always some protest regarding abortion, whether it be for fetal rights or women's rights. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica the definition of abortion is "the expulsion of a fetus from the uterus before it has reached the stage of viability (in human beings, usually about the 20th week of gestation). An abortion may occur spontaneously, in which case it is also called a miscarriage, or it may be brought on purposefully, in which case it is often called an induced abortion." This paper will focus only on those abortions which are considered to be induced and will present the argument to both sides, considering both the argument for Pro-life as well as for Pro-choice. Pro-Life Argument Don Marquis states in his article Why Abortion is Immoral that killing someone is wrong because the killing inflicts the greatest possible loss on the victim. He says that it is not the effect on the murderer and the victim's friends and relatives that makes killing an absolute wrong. Although killing does affect those close to the victim the ultimate harm done is on the victim himself due to their loss of future. Marquis states that killing is regarded as one of the worst crimes because it is depriving people of the value of their future. If this view were applied to abortion it would be easy to see how abortion could be considered wrong. By willingly ending the life of the fetus you are willingly ending their possibility of a future. The fetus has the possibility of having a future with emotions, experiences and activities that are the same as human beings and even closer to that of young children. This argument applies in most cases of abortion but not all. For example, to abort a fetus whose life will be filled with unbearable pain and anguish because of a physical or cognitive disorder could be justified because it could be said that the future of the fetus would be bleak and uncertain. In ways it could be stated that the "means justify the end". It must be noted however, that this acceptance would not apply to all situations of physical and cognitive disabilities; only the most severe cases would qualify. For example, there could be no way to justify inducing an abortion because it has been de... ...e brain is functioning. Conclusion When analyzing both sides of the abortion issues, it is evident that both sides provide both strong and weak arguments. Abortion will always be a controversial issue in society and there will always be disputing sides to the matter. Each person must make their own decisions based on their beliefs and factual evidence. Both sides must learn to be open-minded to the other side and learn to respect the fact that they have different thoughts and views. WORKS CITED "Abortion." Encyclopaedia Britannica - Online. 1 Oct. 2000. Carrier, Richard C. "Abortion is not Immoral and Should not be Illegal." Internet Infidels. 1 Oct. 2002 . Jarvis Thomson, Judith. "A defence of Abortion." Gender Basics. 2nd Ed. Anne Minas. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Inc, 2000. 402-409. Marquis, Don. "Why Abortion is Immoral." Gender Basics. 2nd Ed. Anne Minas. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Inc, 2000. 398-401. Robinson, B.A. "Abortion." Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 3 Jul 2002. 1 Oct. 2002 Sherwin, Susan. "Abortion." Gender Basics. 2nd Ed. Anne Minas. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning Inc, 2000. 410-417.

Stereotypes and Stereotyping - My Boyfriend, the Half-Breed :: Example Personal Narratives

Stereotyping - My Boyfriend, the Half-Breed I sat across the table from my dad while he stared at me with a disbelieving look on his face. My mom sat to the right of me with tears in her eyes. She could see my pain as well as my dads, and she knew the war that was about to start between my own father and me. My brother sat to the left of me making comments that only made the situation worse. I could feel myself dying inside as my heart began to break. I had no idea how to deal with the situation that I had gotten myself into. My new boyfriend was mixed in races, and my dad was totally against it. I sat there crying while trying to make him understand, saying things like, "Dad, he's a person not a color." But, it was like talking to a brick wall. My dad was brought up with the belief that races do not mix under any circumstances. I did not realize that dating someone whom was not completely of my race would tear my dad and I apart. We had talked about it before, but I did not think he would react the way that he did . The words and fights that followed tore me apart. I went from being near perfect in my fathers eyes to being a "spoiled, selfish brat" whom supposedly only cared about myself. I could not believe those words were coming out of my dad's mouth. Things got so bad that I did everything I could to stay away from home for as long as I could. I even tried to move out. I got yelled at every time I walked through the door. I went from being great to not being able to do anything right, and it all happened over night. To make things worse, some of my friends started to look at me in different ways too. If I wasn't around, they would say things like, "I can't believe Lori is a nigger lover." Others talked about me and said what I was doing was immoral. According to a large portion of society today, immorality is the act of doing something that is not traditionally done.

Alabama School District Essay

The purpose of this research is to look at rural Alabama school districts and to look at the overall effects that the exit examinations have had on the teachers and how they choose to teach in their classrooms. The problem has been that it has been suggested that the exit examinations have been biased towards students who being taught in specific school districts and these are typically associated with the urban locations. It has also been suggested that there be needs to be a difference in the instructional practices of the teachers in order to be able to do well on their exit examinations. Research Questions There are many research questions that can be answered through the research. One of the main questions is: What is the overall effect that the examination has had on how teachers’ are instructing their classrooms? Some other questions that can be answered include the following. How has your teaching style changed since the exit examination has been in place? What are the disadvantages to the exit examination? What are the advantages to the exit examination? Is there biasness against the rural school districts in the exit examination? Has the overall effect of the exit examination been good or bad for the students? What are the disadvantages for teachers who are teaching with the exit examination in place? To be able to answer these questions fully and completely will best show how the teachers are able to be in a better situation no matter what school district they are teaching in or the location of the school district.

Police System In Japan Essay

In Japan, police system generally enjoy wide community support and respect. The system, so called keisatsu seido consists of approximately 220,000 police officers who are organized into prefectural forces coordinated and partially controlled by the National Police Agency in Tokyo. Concerning the historical development, during the Edo period – we are talking about the years 1600 – 1868 here, the Tokugawa Shogunate ( the form of those days governing the country ) developed elaborate police system based on town magistrates who held samurai status and served as chiefs of police, prosecutors and criminal judges. The system was extended by citizens  ´s groups such as five-family associations ( gonin gumi ) . These groups were composed of neighbours, collectively liable to the government for the activities of their membership. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the main change in the whole Japanese history, the Home Ministry was established in 1873. With jurisdiction over the Police Bureau, it effectively controlled the police. This new, centralized police system had wide-ranging responsibilities, includng the authority to issue ordinances and handle quasi-judicial functions. It also regulated public health, factories, constructions, businesses and issued permits, licenses and orders. In 1911 the Special Higher Police was established to help control proscribed political activities. Later in 1928 it was strengthened with the introduction of the Peace Preservation Law. When the Sino-Japanese War began in 1937, the police were given the added responsibilities of regulating business activities for the war efforts, mobilizing labour and controlling transportatioon. Also regulation of publications, motion pictures, political meetings, and election campaigns came under police direction. After World War II, Japan as a defeated country was under strong pressure and influence mainly from the U.S., on all branches of life, including the police system. The National Diet – the highest organ of state power was required to enact a new Police Law. This 1947 law abolished the previous  Home Ministry. It decentralized the system by establishing about 1,600 independent municipal police forces in all cities and towns with population of over 5,000 smaller communities. These were served by the newly created National Rural Police. General contol of the police was supposed to be ensured by the establishment of civilian public safety commissions. As to present structure, today the Japanese police system is based on prefectural units that are autonomous in daily operations yet are linked nationalwide under the National Police Agency. Prefectural police headquarters, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, control everyday police operations in each prefecture. In effect, the prefectures pay for the patrol man on the beat, traffic control over domestic security units, which are funded by the national government, as are the salaries of senior national and prefectural police officials. Prefectures are divided into districts, each with its own police station under direct control of prefectural police headquarters. There are about 1,250 of these police stations nationwide. Districts are further subdivided into jurisdictions of urban police boxes ( koban ) and rural residential police boxes ( chuzaisho). The mainstay of the Japanese police system is the uniformed patrol officer (omawari san ). The patrol officers supply the police boxes and patrol cars and comprised 40 percent of al incidents and crimes and then move them to the specialized units for further investigation. The sphere of police resposibilities remains broad. Besides solving ordinary crimes, criminal investigators establish the causes of fires and industrial accidents. Crime prevention police hold added responsibility for juveniles, businesses and the enforcement of â€Å"special laws† regulating gun and sword ownership, drugs, smuggling, prostitution, pornography and industrial pollution. Public safety commissions usually defer to police decisions. Police contact with the community is extended by the requirement that koban based police visit every home in their jurisdiction to gather information,  pass on suggestions regarding crime prevention and hear complaints. Neighbourhood crime prevention and traffic safety associations provide another link between police and community, further promoting extensive public involvement in law and order.

Accounting Information System

Accounting Information System (AIS An  accounting information system  (AIS) is a system of collection, storage and processing of financial and  accounting   data that is used by  decision makers. accounting information system (AIS) consists of: – People – Procedures – Data – Software – Information technology infrastructure What important functions does the AIS perform in an organization? 1. It collects and stores data about activities and transactions. 2. It processes data into information that is useful for making decisions. 3.It provides adequate controls to safe-guard the organization’s assets. Uses of (AIS) * Producing External Reports * Supporting Routine Activities * Decision Support * Planning and Control * Implementing Internal Control Producing External Reports Businesses use (AIS) to produce special reports that follow a required structure established by organizations such as (FASB). These reports include financial stateme nts, tax returns, etc Supporting Routine Activities Managers need an (AIS) for handling routine operating activities during the firm’s operating cycle.Computer systems excel at handling repetitive transaction by many accounting software support these routine functions. Decision Support Information is needed for nonroutine decision support at all levels of an organization. Some information are critical for planning, deciding, marketing functions. Planning and Control An information system is required for planning and control activities as well. Historical data can be extracted from the database and used to forecast growth and cash flows. Planners can use data mining to reveal long-term trends and relationships.Implementing Internal Control Internal control includes the policies, procedures, and information system used to protect a company’s assets from loss and to maintain accurate financial data. It is possible to build controls into a computerized accounting informati on system to help reach these goals. Benefits AIS * Speed The main benefit of information systems in accounting is the speed of processing tasks. Data is entered once and can then be used and reused in compiling reports by literally pressing a button.If a transaction needs correction, it is easily done, with reports generated afterward at speeds never possible with manual accounting systems. * Classification When data is entered in an accounting system, manual or computerized, an accountant needs to classify it in a detailed fashion. For example, a transaction could be a sales revenue or an interest revenue. Using information systems, this classification process is easily accomplished with a drop-down menu from which you choose the proper category.You can also quickly generate reports involving classifications. With a manual system, this process takes much more time. * Safety Once data is entered into a computer, it is safe. The chances of losing data are remote, especially when you perform regular system backups. In manual systems, paper pads can be lost or damaged more easily. You can save data on the Internet, where it will not only be accessible anytime you need it but will also still be secure even if your computer is lost or damaged. One disadvantage of Accounting Information SystemOne disadvantage of Accounting Information System is that this system cannot identify any future loss or wrong transaction entry. As we know that computer is a machine, and it cannot do any activity itself. Therefore, computer cannot give any advice or warning. However, accountants in business are capable to estimate any future loss on the basis of their knowledge and experience. Due to this disadvantage it is important and wise for small and mid-size businesses to have some accountants in their business on permanent basis to avoid future losses. Accounting Information System Accounting Information System (AIS An  accounting information system  (AIS) is a system of collection, storage and processing of financial and  accounting   data that is used by  decision makers. accounting information system (AIS) consists of: – People – Procedures – Data – Software – Information technology infrastructure What important functions does the AIS perform in an organization? 1. It collects and stores data about activities and transactions. 2. It processes data into information that is useful for making decisions. 3.It provides adequate controls to safe-guard the organization’s assets. Uses of (AIS) * Producing External Reports * Supporting Routine Activities * Decision Support * Planning and Control * Implementing Internal Control Producing External Reports Businesses use (AIS) to produce special reports that follow a required structure established by organizations such as (FASB). These reports include financial stateme nts, tax returns, etc Supporting Routine Activities Managers need an (AIS) for handling routine operating activities during the firm’s operating cycle.Computer systems excel at handling repetitive transaction by many accounting software support these routine functions. Decision Support Information is needed for nonroutine decision support at all levels of an organization. Some information are critical for planning, deciding, marketing functions. Planning and Control An information system is required for planning and control activities as well. Historical data can be extracted from the database and used to forecast growth and cash flows. Planners can use data mining to reveal long-term trends and relationships.Implementing Internal Control Internal control includes the policies, procedures, and information system used to protect a company’s assets from loss and to maintain accurate financial data. It is possible to build controls into a computerized accounting informati on system to help reach these goals. Benefits AIS * Speed The main benefit of information systems in accounting is the speed of processing tasks. Data is entered once and can then be used and reused in compiling reports by literally pressing a button.If a transaction needs correction, it is easily done, with reports generated afterward at speeds never possible with manual accounting systems. * Classification When data is entered in an accounting system, manual or computerized, an accountant needs to classify it in a detailed fashion. For example, a transaction could be a sales revenue or an interest revenue. Using information systems, this classification process is easily accomplished with a drop-down menu from which you choose the proper category.You can also quickly generate reports involving classifications. With a manual system, this process takes much more time. * Safety Once data is entered into a computer, it is safe. The chances of losing data are remote, especially when you perform regular system backups. In manual systems, paper pads can be lost or damaged more easily. You can save data on the Internet, where it will not only be accessible anytime you need it but will also still be secure even if your computer is lost or damaged. One disadvantage of Accounting Information SystemOne disadvantage of Accounting Information System is that this system cannot identify any future loss or wrong transaction entry. As we know that computer is a machine, and it cannot do any activity itself. Therefore, computer cannot give any advice or warning. However, accountants in business are capable to estimate any future loss on the basis of their knowledge and experience. Due to this disadvantage it is important and wise for small and mid-size businesses to have some accountants in their business on permanent basis to avoid future losses.

Application for Gaining Admission to a Course in Optometry in the SCCO

It is my heartfelt objective to study in the graduate school of the Southern California College of Optometry or the SCCO, in order to be awarded the degree of Doctor of Optometry. Some of my reasons for choosing the SCCO are that it has a highly erudite and accessible faculty, who are always willing to bestow their personal attention to the genuine needs of their students.Further, I came to know about the high academic standards that are always maintained at the SCCO from a student who is in her final year of graduation at the SCCO. Moreover, the SCCO has had a formidable reputation for excellence in education for several years; therefore, I am totally convinced that I will acquire an excellent clinical and didactic education at this school.Another reason for my choice is that I am endowed with an open and inquisitive mind, which would be of immense benefit in this school, because it imparts to students the latest technological changes in their field of study.Since, I am committed to devoting a lot of effort and time to acquiring knowledge in this field of study; I will be benefitted to a very great extent, as this school makes the maximum effort possible to help students to succeed in their chosen field of study.Furthermore, I am highly desirous of studying this course at this school for the reasons appended in the sequel. The avowed goal of the Doctor of Optometry, a four year course, is designed to groom primary health care professionals who are well versed with the latest technological developments in their field of study.Every student of this course is given thorough training in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, clinical patient care and practice administration and management. In addition, there are several clinical programs on offer, which ensure that students become proficient in a number of health care delivery systems and in succoring patients hailing from a variety of social, economic, racial, ethnic and educational milieu (Why attend S CCO?).In addition, the SCCO offers clinical programs that contain patient encounters, which are unique and progressive. Such programs are the best on offer in Optometry education. Moreover, the faculty of the SCCO comprises of erudite scholars in the basic sciences and clinical medicine.These faculty members are not only highly qualified but also highly experienced in their field of specialization. This unique combination of knowledge and experience proves to be extremely beneficial to the students of optometry in the SCCO (Why attend SCCO?).The extent to which the faculty members involve themselves with their students can be evaluated from the fact that these faculty members work very hard to make the students acquire a mastery over optometry and to this end they encourage personal interaction, exchange of ideas and discussions on the outlook of the students towards their chosen profession.  In all these endeavors, an undercurrent of total professionalism is always evident (Why a ttend SCCO?).Moreover, students at SCCO constitute a highly privileged class. These students come from a vast array of cultural, educational and geographical backgrounds and therefore, they are provided with an excellent opportunity to acquire a large amount of social knowledge.Further, students learn in an atmosphere of health and keen competition, due to the proliferation of class notes, study groups and review sessions. It goes without saying that this competition enables the students to perform at their optimum academic level (Why attend SCCO?).In addition, there are a number of activities, in which students are persuaded to engage in. Some of these are intercollegiate contests and competitions, activities that relate to the community, service activities, lectures, social functions and fraternal activities. These activities help the students to become highly proficient in interacting with society and each other (Why attend SCCO?).The above features, which are made readily availa ble to every student at SCCO, make it extremely beneficial and attractive to study at the SCCO. It is an indisputable fact that The SCCO has rendered and continues to render yeoman service in the field of optometry education. Therefore, it is my earnest desire to participate and contribute my mite to this endeavor.ReferencesWhy attend SCCO? (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2007, from Southern California College of

To what extent the laws on foreign invested enterprises in China have Essay

To what extent the laws on foreign invested enterprises in China have transformed in line with China' WTO membership - Essay Example Moreover, the ‘dual tax system’ has led towards imposition of different tax rates that are applicable to FIEs and Chinese enterprises. FIEs in China possess favourable tax treatment in comparison to domestic Chinese enterprises. The FIEs are also facilitated with special tax rates as well as deduction of taxes along with tax holidays 1(LI 2008). The People’s Republic of China (PRC) Enterprise Income Tax Law, from the beginning of the year 2008 has developed a unified tax system that is applicable for both domestic Chinese enterprise and FIEs. In accordance with the revised PRC law, it has been viewed that an income tax charge of 25 percent is applicable for all business enterprises of China2. In December 2001, China acceded towards significant World Trade Organisation (WTO) that deals with trade regulations between different nations, ultimately changed the scenario of the business law environment of China3. In this regard, WTO had devised significant reforms for d ifferent FIEs in China that emphasised upon minimising tariff rates as well as opening new sectors for foreign investment. Moreover, WTO has also reformed the legal system which includes protection of intellectual property as well as control of foreign exchange4. The discussion intends to emphasize upon examining the historic background, development and features of Chinese law governing the forms of organisation belonging to FIEs. Moreover, the WTO impact upon the transformation of Chinese business law will also be portrayed in the discussion. Main Body Historic Background and Development of FIEs The historic background and the development of Chinese law governing the forms of organisations of FIEs can be segregated into three phases that have been discussed hereunder. The Initial Stage (1979-1986) In the year 1979, a law on Chinese-Foreign Joint Ventures was approved and it was the first law of the State Council of China that is related to foreign investment consumption. The Chines e State Council from the year 1979 to 1980 had provided favourable as well as flexible policies with regard to foreign investments. In order to develop the Chinese economy as compared to Soviet Union, China developed a legal system based on Soviet Union legal framework. In this similar context, it was viewed that Hong Kong as well as Macao was regarded to be the major foreign investors in China and investments were mainly made in manufacturing units as well as hotels which are mainly labour intensive5. Steady Development Stage (1987-1991) In the year 1986, the State Council instigated a law relating to the development of foreign investments for the motive of minimising issues between domestic Chinese enterprises and FIEs. Moreover, the law helped in eliminating the problem of currency exchange for foreign investors and it also facilitated the foreign investors and export businesses to reap significant benefits. During this stage, foreign investments increased in export enterprises a s well as manufacturing industries along with high technology industries and its expansion in many business areas was also been observed 6. Accelerated Development Stage (1992-1999) In the year 1993, it has been observed that the amount of foreign inve

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 55

Assignment - Essay Example Likewise, the formation of this team was disclosed to be part of Zuckerberg’s Internet.org initiative, which allegedly aims to bring connections to parts of the world where access to the Web has not yet been reached. Therefore, to enable connections to be made possible, it was disclosed that new technologies would have to be invented, which, accordingly would necessitate working with drones, satellites and lasers (Albergotti, 2014). Concurrently, Albergotti (2014) also revealed that Facebook has made other business ventures and acquisitions to expand its organizational sphere. As noted, Facebook had reportedly agreed to purchase â€Å"Oculus VR, a maker of virtual reality goggles, for $2 billion†¦ (and) announced a $19 billion deal to acquire WhatsApp, a mobile messaging service† (Albergotti, 2014, p. 1). As indicated, these business ventures fare lesser in scope and amount of investments when compared to the launching Connectivity Lab. The manner by which connections to remote places would be accessed was described as â€Å"sending infrared light beams to the earth, using satellites for rural areas and solar powered aircraft for more suburban areas that lack Internet connections† (Albergotti, 2014, p. 1). These future plans evidently indicates that Facebook has made advanced thrusts to capture opportunities in currently remote areas towards the organization’s outlook for unprecedented growth through technological innovations. Albergotti, R. (2014, March 27). Facebook Creates Team to Beam Internet Everywhere on Earth. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal:

Cultural Diversity and Globalization Case Study - 4

Cultural Diversity and Globalization - Case Study Example Hofstede’s cultural dimensions can be used to explain the cultural differences between the two countries. These differences are very important as they are the main cause why Euro Disneyland failed despite its huge name and publicity. The dimensions of culture are very well known in organizational behavior and sociology. They include power distance, collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity (Kwintessential, 2010).The first dimension is power distance. It is defined as the extent of belief in the inequality or equality of distribution of power in the society. The countries that have high power distance exhibit acceptance with regards to the inequalities of people. In these countries, people conform to the powerful and follow orders. Countries like China, Mexico and India. In these countries, we can witness disparity in incomes and power. The countries that have low power distance exhibit equality. In these countries, power is equally distributed in the society. The United States of America, Austria and Norway have low power distance. We can see less disparity of incomes and power in these countries.France has a relatively high power distance than the United States of America. This means that people of France accept, to a certain extent, inequality of power. For this reason, Euro Disneyland should have special rights for people in France and ‘rules are for all’ strategy is not appropriate for France. The second dimension is individualism. Countries that have high individualism, people there care about themselves and family only. Low individualistic or collectivist countries have people that care about the extended family and the whole clan. These countries lack personal initiative and people are dependent on family. The United States of America is a highly individualistic country. Personal values of the people are strong. France is relatively less individualistic and people still care about their families. The degree of individualism is less in France than in the United States of America where people have relatively strong family values.

Lifting the Corporate Veil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Lifting the Corporate Veil - Essay Example The extremely famous and somewhat revolutionary decision of Salomon v Salmon & Co Ltd [1897]1 introduced and upheld the corporate personality doctrine which was then defined in the Companies Act 1862. The effect of the decision was that creditors of a company that had gone insolvent would not be able to sue the shareholders of the company for its outstanding debts: the doctrine of separate corporate personality was effectively entrenched by the House of Lords. More noticeably, the House of Lords fully established the concept that the company exists as a separate personality from that of its members, causing the company to become its own entity, thus competent to sue and be sued,4 to enter into contractual agreements,5 to make profits and suffer losses in its own name,6 and to own property. The decision of Salomon also formed the beneficial concept that shareholders would be afforded limited liability in the event of insolvency of the company. Despite the passing of more than a centur y, the dicta of the House of Lords has stood strong as an â€Å"unyielding rock†,7 even enjoying codification in section 16(2) of the Companies Act 2006. The decision brought several new effects to the company law world. Lord Herschell claimed that â€Å"the company is ex hypothesi a distinct legal person†2 and Lord McNaghten stressed that â€Å"the company is at law a different person altogether from the subscribers to the memorandum†¦nor are the members as subscribers liable†¦except to the extent and in the manner provided by the Act’.3 ... When will the courts disregard Salomon and lift the corporate veil? Can a specific set of criteria be established in order to determine when the veil will be lifted, or does it depend on the particular circumstances of each case? It is arguable that the courts’ previous instances of lifting the corporate veil have been difficult to predict with any degree of certainty. It will be argued however that this is not necessarily disadvantageous and any alternative approach of the courts could prove more detrimental to company law as a whole. Attempts to establish specific criteria for lifting the veil have been fruitless, as the courts have remained adamant to keep derogations from Salomon flexible. This paper will evaluate when the courts have lifted the corporate veil, and under what circumstances they chose to as opposed to when the courts have specifically refused to lift the corporate veil. Potential for reforms in the law will be explored, though it will ultimately be argued t hat codification of the lifting of the veil will greatly reduce, even remove the flexibility enjoyed by the courts when lifting the veil. It will be argued that this flexibility is essential in order to make the principle apply as and when the courts see fit. Have the courts approached the lifting of the veil appropriately, or is the veil’s fate left arbitrarily in the hands of the court? Is more certainty required? When Is The Corporate Veil Lifted? It is clear to see that the debate surrounding the courts’ lifting of the corporate veil has centred around the need to balance between certainty and flexibility. The courts have been presented with extremely varied situations and circumstances under which they were required to decide whether the veil

Current Events Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Current Events - Research Paper Example Many of the private equity fund managers and other stakeholders in the equity industry feared that the tax code could be changed if Barrack Obama was elected as the president. Nevertheless, private equity funds investors and limited partners have fought back to stop these tax code changes (Fifield & McCrum, 2012). Many general partners in the equity industry receive incomes from carried interest deals. This is typically valued about 20% of the fund’s yearly profit. The carried interests are usually charged at a rate of 15% on all capital gains. The Obama administration proposed different changes that could see carried interests being charged equally as incomes, normally 35 percent. Due to these possibilities in changing taxation, many general partners introduced general clauses in the partnership agreements that would enable them to change the terms in case the tax regime was altered (Fifield & McCrum, 2012). On the other hand, general partners stated that their investors showed minimum interest in their tax rates and had declined requests for controlling the industry in the event that tax breaks emerged. Evidently, these tax breaks benefited buyout groups only. According to Steve Judge, premier of the Private Equity Growth Capital Council, â€Å"the political rhetoric surrounding the presidential election certainly brought attention to many aspects of the tax code including carried interest† (Nyhan, 2011). If treatments of capital gain could be accessible to individuals who have money to invest, a policy putting higher values on financial contributions than hard work and vision would be advanced (Fifield & McCrum, 2012). Due to the ruling made by the European court in France on dividend taxation policies, exchange trade fund providers and securities, lending agents are facing a lot of problems in their revenues. The court stated that France dividend taxation policies favoring domestic funds, was

Othello, the Moore of Venice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Othello, the Moore of Venice - Essay Example He is portrayed to be physically strong and admired by the people who know him. He is considered to be an asset for the government of Venice and he is important for the Duke as well as the other senior members. On the other hand, Roderigo is highlighted to be very weak and is dependent upon others for his decisions. He is rich but is not as strong as Othello by any means. Thus, Othello and Roderigo strike a balance in the play where Othello portrays strength and Roderigo portrays weakness. Othello is a very brave soldier and his suggestions and recommendations are given importance by the senators and the Duke of Venice. He is a man who is loved for his strength and determination. He holds the strong position of the general of the armies of Venice and has authority to promote people. Othello marries the woman he loves, Desdemona secretly. He explains that Desdemona chose to marry him after listening to the story of his achievements and attainments in his life. It is seen that Desdemona loves Othello for what he is and she chooses to stand by him. The accomplishments of Othello are so impressive that when the Duke listens to the story of Othello that he told Desdemona, he is compelled to say, â€Å"I think this tale would win my daughter too.† Thus, the life of Othello displays strength and his character is the most noticeable character of the play. Roderigo is a rich man who lives in Venice. He is a weak man who does not have his own decisions and judgments. He rather relies on deceitful people like Iago for support and help. Roderigo loves Desdemona but does not approach her through the right means. He rather pays Iago to assist him in marrying her. This can be seen as a step that displays his weakness. He cannot express his love for Desdemona by himself and win her love by his qualities. He is disappointed when he learns of the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Despite of their marriage, he

Hiring and Firing Professors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hiring and Firing Professors - Essay Example Moreover, the type of school is another point of consideration. A private school and a public school have different working conditions. This may include tenure and security. For private schools, teachers are less secure and are easily dismissed from service. Another cause is the tendency to do research more over teaching because research is more attractive and more interesting for it gives more pay and is counted much more in terms of professional advancement (Etzioni). Amitai Etzioni's "Confessions" gives insights on this question of student participation. According to him: "On the question of hiring, firing and promoting faculty, we favored some student participation." This is through the "fine teaching-evaluation instrument" which is a questionnaire given out to students by semester to evaluate the professor's teaching. He adds that the result must be "given to committee which passes on promotions and renewal of contracts, as a students report on teaching." The student assessment of the teaching performance "would provide some systematic information and thus might increase the reward - and maybe pressure - for good teaching, at least as seen by the students." I agree with the idea of Etzioni that students must have a part in the hiring and firing of professors but limited only on the teaching-evaluation instr... nd promoting faculty, we favored some student participation." This is through the "fine teaching-evaluation instrument" which is a questionnaire given out to students by semester to evaluate the professor's teaching. He adds that the result must be "given to committee which passes on promotions and renewal of contracts, as a students report on teaching." The student assessment of the teaching performance "would provide some systematic information and thus might increase the reward - and maybe pressure - for good teaching, at least as seen by the students." I agree with the idea of Etzioni that students must have a part in the hiring and firing of professors but limited only on the teaching-evaluation instrument, except on rare cases of grave misconduct and abuse of authority of the teacher. There are several reasons why students' participation should be limited to the questionnaire only. One is that students are "transient members of the university community and will not have to live with the consequences of their action." This refers to undergraduate students. For graduate students, the case may be a little different for they stay beyond the four or five years' stay of the undergraduates. Another reason is that "students often have a highly unrealistic idea of what 'the system' can realistically do" such as "much larger faculty staff to provide for more intimate instruction; but they are horrified at any suggestion that students should pay a still higher tuition fees" (Etzioni). In addition, "there are matters that students can have no say - for example, what political views a teacher may have or must not have when hired or retained, what he will teach specifically (as distinct from what areas will be taught), or what specific competence will be required for

Paragraph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Paragraph - Essay Example more, the authors also emphasize that the number of individuals that develop diabetes would mean an increase in government expenses to fight the disease. Moreover, Cresswell states that there are 275 Australians who develop diabetes per day, which matches Robotham’s statement that 100,000 Australians develop diabetes annually. While both Cresswell’s and Robotham’s articles have many similarities, they also have some differences. First, Cresswell discusses in his article a study in 1999 to 2000 involving 11, 247 participants while Robotham did not mention this at all. Second, Cresswell also mentions that aside from the 275 individuals who develop diabetes daily, there are already one millions Australians who have the disease. Robotham does not mention this in her article either. Third, Cresswell again is very specific when he writes that the government expenses in fighting diabetes would cost around $3 billion annually, while Robotham merely says that the diabetes epidemic will have a big impact on the government’s health budget. Finally, Cresswell states that 25% of schoolchildren are already overweight, while Robotham mentions that younger individuals gain weight faster than middle age adults

Australia in a Business Context Essay Example for Free

Australia in a Business Context Essay 1.1 Introduction In today’s world, internationalization is inevitable for companies competing in the global world, where their production, target market, business model were integrated across different frontiers (Robins 2000) and between different people in different countries (Schulte 2000) In this report, we will discuss about Fraser and Neave and the potential of a joint venture with University of Queensland, Brisbane to build student hostels within the university’s premises. The entry mode will be suggested based on supporting context and company analysis. Predicted impact of action will be considered and suggestions for further expansion of the university hostel market under the name of Fraser and Neave will also be made. 2.1 Context Analysis 2.1.1 Australia in business context Australia, being an open economy with open policies for trade and investments, she has attracted many foreign investors without the need of providing any special incentives (Euromonitor business environment: Australia 2013). Reaching a $986.7 billion of total GDP in year 2013, $618.9 billion comes from FDI alone. Due to harsh contractions in mining financial tightening by both the state and federal governments and the strong Australian dollar, the country’s economic growth will ease in the year 2013. (Euromonitor Australia Country Profile 2013) 2.1.2 Australia: Cultural Analysis Culture is a ‘powerful social construct’ (Boyacigiller, 2004) in diverse multicultural workforces, particularly vital in the sustainability and success for any international business (Doney, 1998). Through a series of empirical studies, Australia being a country of low context culture (Markus G 2011, 75) has 4 main characteristics identified of their community (Australia World View, 2001) and (Communicaid: Doing Business in Australia): 1. Linear, logical, individualistic, and action-oriented people. Australians are generally results orientated. Therefore when dealing business with Australians, statistics and figures are essential for a successful deal. Since they can be seen to have confrontational and strong opinions, business dealings with them would need to back up with research or evidence in order to convince them. 2. Community likes to avoid uncertainties As Australians are people who like to avoid uncertainties, they tend to be very straight to the point with their words with the intention of having them taken literally. To avoid any misunderstanding or future conflicts, business dealings with them would have to be very literal with all conditions on the table for discussion. Implicit messages will most probably go unnoticed. 3. Adopts a very egalitarian culture Australians avoids differentiation between individuals and are often preferred to be impartial, modest and have mutual respect for others. Therefore they prefer a more down to earth approach to business. They are also altogether more receptive to innovation, fresh ideas and encourage active discussions or debates. 4. Appreciates privacy When dealing with Australian business counterparts, it would be wise to stay within the lines and treat attempts at developing interpersonal relationships with much caution. 2.1.3 Australia: Legal Environments In relation to the construction of property, we would be looking at laws that are relevant. As a joint venture is suggested for the construction of the student hostel, we would have to consider the complications of contract law besides the obvious property law, employment and industry relations, and general tax issues. As the land that we are proposing to construct is within the University’s premises, a partnership with the university will give Fraser and Neave access to the land without any legislation to bind or cripple the project. Nevertheless, there would be a need to attain approval for development through the Integrated Development Assessment System (IDAS) under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009. An application would have to be submitted in order to get a development permit for the construction of the hotels. Required information for the approval will be as follows: * Material used * Any impacts to the surrounding environment * Completed development look (Queensland Government: Development Approvals, 2013) Further legal issues will be discussed at a later date when the university of Queensland accepts the joint venture intention. 2.1.4 Australia: Political Environments The Australian’s political environment have been consistently stable since the year 1996 to 2011 with a small drop in the year 2009 according to the political stability index (World Governance Indicators, 2011). Ranked top 50 worldwide, Australia’s political environment has made the nation an attractive location for business makers to invest in. In order to protect Australia’s AU$15 billion international education industry from competition, the government have made its commitment to quicken visa processing for international students and release a list of policies universities, international education and research (Back to board on foreign students, 2013). Although concrete releases of these policies are not known yet, we can expect better support from the government on Australia’s international education industry. This would mean the future outlook of industry sees potential for further educational development. With a faster visa processing for international students, the demand for accommodation will increase and there will be our market. 2.1.5 Market Size and Growth We first identify the primary market for student hostels as domestic and international students, those in which plans on residing away from their homes in pursuit of their academics. Based on the study by Government of Australia and assuming 20% of the Domestic Students and 80% of the International require hostel accommodation, Australia Universities will require hostels to accommodate about 450,000 students: Australia| Domestic| International| Full Time| Students enrolled| 934,110| 323,612| 884,179| Students(estimated) needing Accomodation | 20%| 80%| | Rooms Required| 186,822| 258,890| 445,712| Study done by Government of Australia (Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education) in 2012 Looking at the numbers reflected above, the demand for student accommodations is substantial, especially among international students where accommodation serves great importance as it puts their respective parents at ease of sending their Children overseas. Students commencing would also be a positive indicator for high occupancy turn over rates. Although reports have shown that Australia is one of the most expensive countries to study abroad in (Cost of studying in Australia putting off international students, it is claimed, 2013), Australia remains optimistic about the future of international education program as part of their GDP contributor. In the report by International Education Advisory Council (Australia Educating Globally), there would be an estimated increase in total number of international students by 30% in the year 2020. Market growth in this market would be projected to be escalating even if it might be time periods where the growth might temporarily slowed down (Australia focused on international student enrolment growth, 2013). 3.1 Company Analysis 3.1.1 Fraser and Neave Formed in the year 1883, Fraser and Neave have flourished into a brand that is ranked as one of the most successful and established organization in the Asia Pacific region. With a remarkable array of renowned brands that relish strong market leadership, Fraser and Neave traditionally made its reputation through the production and distribution from its own FN range and several other international brands. In the recent decades, Fraser and Neave have moved on to property development and publishing with ravishing results. Operating at S$32 billion worth of shareholders’ funds and total assets, Fraser and Neave is present over 20 countries spreading across Europe, Asia Pacific and the USA. Leveraging on its strength in brand and financial management, research and development, marketing and distribution, as well as many years of acquisition experience, its subsidiary companies across the three industries are able to receive strategic directions and key resources to ensure sustainability and success. 3.1.2 Fraser and Neave: Properties As part of the business diversification, Fraser and Neave developed the Property Industry as a new core business. Since 1990 from a single mall operator, Fraser and Neave have blossomed into a full-fledge real estate group, Frasers Centrepoint Limited (â€Å"FCL†), which achieved a total of $1,345 million dollars just in year 2012. The group’s overseas property subsidiary in Australia, Fraser Property Australia, has made outstanding success in the Australia property market with the very prosperous development of residential and commercial projects. Involved in joint venture partnership with Sekisui House Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Fraser Property Australia has established its brand and reputation as a property developer in Australia having their projects span across Perth, Western Australia and largely in Sydney. Aside from just property development, the group have also developed and runs a service apartment under their Fraser Hospitality where they own full management rights. 3.2.3 University of Queensland Ranked in the top 100 universities in the world, University of Queensland is the first university that opened in the state and the largest university in Queensland. With a total of 4 major campuses – St Lucia and Herston in Brisbane and Ipswich and Gatton in South-East Queensland, the University have invested significantly in development and construction providing students with conducive environments for studies, research and other school activities. Covering a total of 1376 hectares of land 754,500 m2 (gross floor area) of which occupied by 764 buildings holding 522 teaching rooms and 1588 laboratories. 10 of which are residential colleges that provides student accommodations and places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty. All residential colleges are located at the main St Lucia Campus. We note that there are no other student accommodations located in the other 3 campuses – Herston Ipswich and Gatton. Students studying in these campuses are encouraged to look for accommodations that are near the schools. In the University of Queensland, there are more than 46,863 students including 11,389 international students from 142 nations around the world. Of the total 46,863 students, there are presently only 2,955 rooms available within the University as follows: College with Residence| Student with Residence at the College| Cromwell College| 247| Duchess College| 200| Emmanuel College| 340| Grace College| 180| Halls of Residences| 440| International House| 238| Kings College| 298| St. John College| 263| St Leo’s College| 212| Union College| 334| Woman’s College| 203| Total Residence| 2,955| Assuming 80% of the International and 20% of the Australian Students desire accommodation within the University, the University of Queensland will require an additional of 13,000 rooms that it does not have today! Based on an average AU$4,500 per year per residence fee, we estimate a Business Potential of AU$58 million per annum if all 13,000 rooms are provided. 4.1 Entry Mode 4.1.1 International Joint Venture We proposed that the entry mode for Fraser and Neave in developing and managing Hostel Accommodation within the University be an international joint venture with University of Queensland. This entry mode is proposed mainly due to the ownership rights for the land within University. This also simplifies the challenges of property rights and taxes. This Joint Venture is formed on the basis of University of Queensland providing the land while Fraser and Neave will provide the resources to build and operate the Hostel, which is the key strength of Fraser Property Australia. Through the company analysis, it can be seen that University of Queensland has a potential shortage of 13,000 student accommodation. Therefore the construction of a student hostel in the campuses will increase the attractiveness and reliability of the school to domestic or international students. In the initial phase, the proposed hostel construction would take place in campuses in South-East Queensland (Ipswich and Gatton) as these campuses are far away from the only campus in Brisbane that provides student accommodations. Based on the current capacity of only 2,955 residences within the University, we are confident that there will be strong student occupancy rates to uphold the sustainability of the hostels. We believe that the University of Queensland would be able to attract and house more domestic and international students with the value addition of these hostels while receiving percentage of it earnings. Fraser and Neave could also benefit by entering the market of student hostels through this singular joint venture. If proven to be a success, Fraser and Neave could move into the development of student hostels in Australia and the rest of the world that offers international studies aside from residential and commercial buildings. This is a niche market that has not been developed by any multinational companies and has the potential worth looking into. As Fraser and Neave is already in a joint venture with Sekisui House Australia Holdings Pty Limited with its subsidiary Fraser Property Australia, it would be wise to approach this new joint venture as partners. This would allow Fraser and Neave to once again tap onto the expertise of its local partner and mitigate the development cost between its partners. Therefore the joint venture will be proposed to run three ways. 5.1 Scale Analysis: International Joint Venture 5.1.1 Scale of Entry Since construction and management of student hostels in a University is considered to be a new extension of Fraser and Neave’s properties development, we would propose a conservative approach in the scale of market entry. We would propose an initial accommodation for 500 students, which will generate AU $2.25 million per annum, and this can be subsequently expanded to more accommodations depending on the availability of land within the University of Queensland. Although small, it allows Fraser and Neave more time to learn about this market. As this particular market is very niche with only small players traditionally, it will take time for Fraser and Neave to study the characteristics of the market and develop the most effective and functional way to progress this into a large-scale international hostel construction business. This also limits Fraser and Neave’s exposure to the monetary and economic losses that might follow if this project is a failure. 5.1.2 Risk Levels and control Given that the hostel is only for 500 students, the risks in this project are also relatively low in relation to the small scale of entry. Nonetheless, these are the possible risks involved and how to mitigate them: Sudden project withdrawal from the University of Queensland Land owned by the school required for the hostel constructions may be needed for other University purposes. To avoid this risk, conditions for the withdrawal of the joint venture have to be carefully constructed in the contract to ensure a high penalty cost if any party were to decide to withdraw. Disapproval of property development by local authorities or state government agencies To avoid last minute disapproval, Fraser and Neave must ensure that all conditions posed by the authorities are fulfilled before filing for approval. Sudden hike of interest rates for the properties building sector Although this is a risk that cannot be mitigated substantially, a possible way to minimize it would be to make payments in full. This would however increase the financial investment for the project in a shorter time frame. A more prudent approach is to ensure fixed interest rates are negotiated prior to the start of the projects. Sudden drop in student numbers in the proposed campuses Opening the rooms for rent to students of schools nearby could mitigate this risk however; it would have to be based on agreement with University of Queensland. Students from the university will also be given priority in this case. 5.1.3 Return Levels Return of investments for the proposed project will be 17% 20% per annum for each hostel. Payback period for the hostels will be at approximately of 4 years. 5.1.4 Control Levels Control levels for this form of entry mode is lower due to the number of parties involved. As this is a three way partnership proposed, Fraser and Neave must ensure that it has all the management decision for construction and management of the hostel thereafter. The agreement with the other 2 joint venture partners is needed and should be detailed in the agreement prior to project start. 5.1.5 Integration Levels With a long-term joint venture partner (Sekisui House Australia Holdings Pty Limited), integration with the local construction environment will not pose a great threat to Fraser and Neave. Along with the past experiences of commercial and residential properties in Australia, the integration of their construction contribution in this project is expected to be positive. On the other hand, partnership with a University is a first for Fraser and Neave and they might be hindered by the new rules and regulations that are imposed by the school. This can be mitigated by understanding the limitations of the school and its school grounds before the commencement of the construction. 6.1 Conclusion There is a great potential in extending Fraser and Neave construction line towards hostels construction with the increasing demand of international education in Australia. Being an undermined market, hostels construction will give Fraser and Neave competitive advantage as one of the first multinational company to internationalize this business. A joint venture with a renowned University worldwide gives the group an exposure to other Universities if proven to be successful. The joint venture would also provide the group with reliable knowledge and information essential for bringing this business into international grounds. A possible development can also arise from this business plan with the introduction of a brand new brand extension ‘Frasers Hostels’, the management of all the Fraser and Neave hostels across the globe. Total Word Count: 2750 References: Websites Fraser and Neave. Our Business. Available: http://www.fraserandneave.com/FN_ourbusiness_properties.asp. Last accessed 17th Aug 2013. Central Intelligence Agency (2013). The World Fact Book: Australia. Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html. Last Accessed: 17th Aug 2013. Fraser and Neave. Fraser Property. Available: http://www.frasersproperty.com.au/. Last accessed 23th Aug 2013. Alvin Chua. (2011). Fraser and Neave. Available: http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1792_2011-03-04.html. Last accessed 23th Aug 2013. Communicaid. (2009). Doing Business In Australia, Australian Social and Business Culture. Available: http://www.communicaid.com/access/pdf/library/culture/doing-business-in/Doing%20Business%20in%20Australia.pdf. Last accessed 20th Aug 2013. College of Marin. High-context and Low-context Culture Styles, Available at: http://www.marin.edu/buscom/index_files/Page605.htm. Last Accessed: 18th Aug 2013. http://acad.depauw.edu/ (2001). Australia World View. Available at: http://acad.depauw.edu/~mkfinney/teaching/Com227/culturalportfolios/australia/WorldView.htm. Last Accessed: 18th Aug 2013. Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2012). Legal Systems. Available at: http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/legal_system.html. Last Accessed: 22th Aug 2013. Intead International Education Advantage, LLC (2013). Australia focused on international student enrolment growth. Available at: http://www.intead.com/australia-focus/. Last Accessed: 23th Aug 2013. Queensland Government Department of State Development. Infrastructure and Planning (2013). Development Applications. Available at: http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/development-applications/development-application-process.html. Last Accessed: 25th Aug 2013. Queensland Government Department of State Development. Infrastructure and Planning (2013). Development Assessment Process. Available at: http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/development-applications/development-assessment-process.html. Last Accessed: 25th Aug 2013. Worldwide Governance Indicators. Australia. Available at: http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/sc_chart.asp#. Last Accessed: 25th Aug 2013. Newspaper Article Andrew Trouson and Bernard Lane (2013). Back to board on foreign students. The Australian, 04 September, Available at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/election-2013/back-to-board- on-foreign-students/story-fn9qr68y-1226710079478. Last Accessed: 4th Sep 2013 Books / Peer reviewed journals Jan Aart Scholte (2000). Globalization: A Critical Introduction Second Edition. Great Britain: Creative Print and Design (Wales), Ebbw Vale. Robins Kevins (2000). ‘Encountering Globalisation’ by David Held Anthony McGrew. The Global Transformations Reader. Great Britain. TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall. pg 239 – 245. Markus G. Kittler, David Rygl and Alex Mackinnon. (2011). Beyond culture or beyond control? Reviewing the use of Halls high-/low-context concept. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management. 11 (1), pg 63-82. Doney PM, Cannon JP, and Mullen MR (1998). Understanding the influence of national culture on the development of trust. Academy of Management Review 23: 601–20. Boyacigiller NA, Kleinberg J, Phillips ME, and Sackmann SA (2004). Conceptualizing culture: elucidating the streams of research in international cross-cultural management. In: Punnett BJ, Shenkar O (eds) Handbook for International Management Research. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press 99–167. Reports Fraser and Neave (2012). FN Annual Report 2012. Fraser and Neave. Singapore. Last accessed 17th Aug 2013 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank (2013). Doing Business 2013. The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Washington Dc. Last accessed 17th Aug 2013. Euromonitor International (2013). Business Environment: Australia. Euromonitor International. Last accessed 17th August 2013. Global Market Information Database Euromonitor International (2013). Australia Country Profile. Euromonitor International. Last accessed 17th August 2013. Global Market Information Database Clayton UTZ (2012). Doing Business in Australia. Clayton UTZ. Last accessed 22nd Aug 2013 International Education Advisory Council (2013). Australia – Educating Globally. International Education Advisory Council. Australia. Last accessed 23th Aug 2013. Government of Australia Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (2012). Summary of the 2012 full year higher education student statistics. Government of Australia Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. Australia. Last accessed 23th Aug 2013.