Hamlet, By William Shakespeare - 844 Words

In the play Hamlet, there are a few main characters that have a huge impact on the overall theme of Hamlet. In this case, Polonius and Laertes are the two that will be focused on. Polonius is the chief councilor for King Hamlet. He has a son named Laertes and a daughter named Ophelia. He is extremely egotistic and he always goes off on a tangent. Laertes and Ophelia have naturally learned to tune him out when he rambles. Laertes is a college student in Paris, France. He came home because of King Hamlet’s death. He is very attached to his family and very emotional. As a college student, he is in a transitional phase and is figuring out who he wants to be without his family telling him otherwise. Polonius’s speech is at the beginning of the play. This placement of Polonius’s speech helps set the tone and theme of Hamlet well. The advice Polonius gives Laertes is long, contradictory, and hypocritical, but there is an underlining message under the ramble that Shakesp eare included to teach his readers about the special relationship between a father and a son and how difficult it can be to decipher. As Laertes is about to depart for Paris, France, Polonius gives him an incredibly long speech about what he should and should not do. As a father to Laertes, Polonius understandably wants to bestow his wisdom upon his son. To much surprise, every line Polonius says is a clichà ©. Polonius says to his son, â€Å"Take each man’s censure but reserve thy judgment†, in other words to hearShow MoreRelatedHamlet, By William Shakespeare880 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare is praised as the pioneering English poet and playwright whose collection of theatrical works is regarded as the greatest artistic value throughout the history of English literature. Shakespeare delved into the spiritual and mental component of humanity and the consequences that arise from this human spirit when it is disputed. The most famous revenge tragedy play, Hamlet, is an excellent illustration of Shakespeare’s philosophical study of human nature. In Hamlet, the arguableRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare899 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare, author of Hamlet, was a well-known author in the 1500s and is still popular today. He was born on April 24, 1564 in London, England. Although there were no birth records at that time, it shows he was baptized one year prior to that, which leads us to believe his birthday was in 1564 because children were normally baptized a year after their birth. Shakespeare’s writing style was very different than others at that time. He used many metaphors and rhetorical phrases, and most ofRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare996 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet, written by William Shakespeare, with out a doubt holds the most famous soliloquy in English history spoken by Hamlet in Act III, scene i, lines 57-90. This soliloquy holds much importance to the play as a whole because it ties together the reoccurring themes of suicide and Hamlet’s inaction portrayed by Shakespeare. Hamlet poses a problem, which is the driv ing force of the play: â€Å"To be or not to be?†(III.i.57). Shakespeare uses this logical question asked by Hamlet to drive out his underlyingRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1178 Words   |  5 Pages In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the protagonist suffers from struggles with major characters, especially with the women in his life. While reading the play Hamlet, Hamlet appears to be a disillusioned man. Throughout the play, Shakespeare has only casted two females: Gertrude and Ophelia. Gertrude is defined to be incestuous, naà ¯ve and cold-hearted. On the other side, Ophelia is characterized to be ignorant, innocent and fearful. After the quick marriage of his mother and evil uncle, Hamlet’sRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1308 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet is arguably one of the greatest tragedies in all of literature and when most people think of tragic plays, they think of none other than the one who wrote it, William Shakespeare. This classic story of revenge excites it’s readers with its main character, Prince Hamlet, who goes through the unique human-like process of revenge that is often overlooked. Many other stories rely heavily on the logi c of good people doing good things and bad people doing bad things just for the sake of their natureRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare Essay1453 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet by William Shakespeare explores many aspects of mankind--death, betrayal, love, and mourning. Out of these, the most prominent theme in this play is death in the form of suicide. The main character, Hamlet, finds himself questioning the quality of life and the uncertainty of the afterlife once he discovers news of his father s death and the corruption in the kingdom that follows. Ophelia, Hamlet’s lover, is found dead later in the plot and is presumed to have committed suicide. In Hamlet’sRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1146 Words   |  5 PagesA character so complex, enticing and fascinating, his name is Hamlet. We are all Hamlet, and that, is the argument. Hamlet is an enigmatic character with many flaws. These flaws are the ones that prove similarities between us and him. A play so popular and significant is due to its huge relevance to us as a society. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses Hamlet’s character and metaphor to demonstrate that when one is left alone to their thoughts, these thoughts overtake reason. ConsequentlyRead MoreHamlet by William Shakespeare1456 Words   |  6 PagesThe play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, takes place in a time where the impossible was a part of the lives of everyday people. Occurrences that people in the modern time would believe unbelievable. Yet, with just a quill and parchment Shakespeare’s is able to connect the past and present by weaving a plot with skill that is still unparalleled to this day. The play Hamlet this exceeds this expectation by revealing depth of Hamlets, the protagonists, character personality through the useRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1920 Words   |  8 PagesIn the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the character Hamlet must deal with both external and internal conflict. Hamlet encounters many struggles and has trouble finding a way to deal with them. With so many corrupt people in his life, Hamlet feels as if there is no one that he can trust and begins to isolate himself from others. A result from this isolation leads Hamlet to become melancholy. Hamlet struggles with suicidal thoughts, wants to kill King Claudius, and is distraught over his mother’sRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare846 Words   |  4 Pagesalways been a contemplative topic. In Hamlet, the main character Hamlet thinks to himself about suicide. Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet between 1599 and 1602. William Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights in history. Hamlet is about Prince Hamlet of Denmark who is trying to find out about the death of his father after his father s ‘ghost’ comes to him telling him it was his uncle who had killed him. While Hamlet contemplates suicide he gives his famous

Clinical Psychology Severe Depression - 1062 Words

Clinical Psychology: Severe Depression I have chosen Clinical Psychology severe depression; the reason for that is because it is very common, over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. According to The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, April 15, 1949) even the most severe cases, depression can be effectively treated. The earlier that treatment can begin, the more effective it is.The first step†¦show more content†¦The biologic basis of Clinical Depression originates in the brain. Your brain is made up of a complex network of nerve cells, called neurons and of brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters transmit messages from one neuron to another. Two of these neurotransmitters are not produced in sufficient quantities in a depressed person’s brain. Because of this lack, too few messages get transmitted between neurons and the symptoms of depression occur (Nestler 1). In Clinical depression the chemicals in the brain are out-of-balance. New technology allows researchers to take pictures of the brain that show activity levels in the brain. Some studies with these kinds of techniques have suggested that the patterns of activation in the brains of depressed people are different than those who are not. These tests can help doctors and researchers learn more about depression and other mental illnesses (Nestler 2) . Since this research is fairly new, it is not yet used to diagnose clinical depression. Strong evidence suggests that clinical depression runs in families. Still, just because a person has family members with clinical depression does not guarantee that he or she will develop it. You may get it even if no one else in your family has had it. People with high levels of stress are much more likely to develop depression that those who do not. Though most people

Racism and Jealousy in Othello Essay Example For Students

Racism and Jealousy in Othello Essay Racism and Jealousy in Othello The theme of racism is strongly depicted in William Shakespeares Othello. It depicts the attitude of European society towards those that were different in colour, race and language. In Europe, people of white complexion were the majority and all other races were considered to be less important and inferior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several characters in this play that portray this mentality. These characters include Brabantio, Roderigo and Emilia. But by far, the face of racism in this play is that of Iago, who makes his intentions crystal clear in his soliloquy where he states I hate the Moor, (I, iii, 379). Throughout the play, Iago lays forward a number of reasons for his hatred, which leads to the ruin of most of the characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is most likely that the main reason behind Iagos hatred of Othello is the colour of his skin. Similar to many other people of his time, Iago would have had little or no racial tolerance for others, and thereby saw Othello as an outcast that had risen to success which is a factor contributing to another of his reasons for hatred, jealousy. From the very first act of this play, and indeed the very first scene, Iago hurls racial insults at Othello, an example of which is .very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe (I, i, 89-90) A statement that has both racist and vulgar connotations, as well as referring to Othello as a Barbary horse (I, i, 112) Which is degrading him to the level of a filth.

Slaughter House Five Essays (907 words) - Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughter House Five Explore the use of "So it goes." Is it to be viewed as resignation to the horrors of death? Is it Billy's response? Vonnegut's? Yours? ?So it goes? is Billy Pilgrim's theory regarding death. He is simply saying that death is no big deal. Since he saw so much death in World War II, and witnessed a bombing two times as worse as Hiroshima, he deals with death much differently than others. Because of everything he has gone through, Billy has become numb to death. It has become a regular situation in his life. Billy first uses this saying on page 2, when he is talking about the death of Gerhard Muller's mother. Because Billy often travels to and from Tralfamadore, he has become accustomed to using their theories about life. ?When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in a bad condition in that particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is ?So it Goes'? (27). Billy thinks that there is no complete death, and it has no finality. Humans are often outraged at his theory when they hear Billy talking about it. They cannot comprehend how someone can be so emotionless about death. ?The most important thing that I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist? (26-27). Billy uses this as a defense mechanism for life. This shows that Billy will always live in a dream world. Billy's response is Vonnegut's response in Slaughterhouse-Five. But, Vonnegut's memories were too painful for him, so he tells his life through Billy Pilgrim. It is viewed as a resignation to the horrors of death because Vonnegut had lived through many tough points in American history; the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression, and finally World War II. 7. Explain the significance of all the material on the title page of this novel. The title page leads off with the other name Kurt Vonnegut gave Slaughterhouse-Five - The Children's Crusade. This title came from both Mary O'Hare at the beginning of the book and Edgar Derby. Mary became very angry when her husband was talking to Vonnegut because she did not want her children, who were just babies at the time to give up their lives for the war. "You'll pretend you were men instead of babies, and you'll be played in the movies by Frank Sinatra and John Wayne or some of those other glamorous, war-loving, dirty old men. And war will look just wonderful, so we'll have a lot more of them. And they'll be fought by babies like the babies upstairs" (14). Derby used "The Children's Crusade" towards the middle of the book when he was telling the colonel how young every American was in the war. "A duty-dance with death" refers to the fact that it was the American soldiers task to fight for their country even if it meant that they were going to die. Vonnegut shows this by retelling his thoughts and experiences of World War II through Billy. Now Vonnegut lives in Cape Cod, and is "smoking too much.? Since the war is over and he is retired, Vonnegut can now relax and enjoy vacation. He does this often by smoking. "An American Infantry Scout Hors de Combat" refers to him being a foot soldier in combat during the war. He witnessed the fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany. The fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany was a secret ambush of the United States that had double the casualties of those in Hiroshima, Japan from the atomic bomb. Florence is a cultural city in Rome, and the Elbe is a river in Germany. So by Vonnegut saying, "The Florence of the Elbe," he is referring to Dresden as the cultural city of Germany before it got blown into smithereens by the Americans. Vonnegut ?survived to tell the tale.? He was able to survive even after being a prisoner of war (P.O.W.) for a good portion of the war. Slaughterhouse-Five is told ?somewhat in the telegraphic schizophrenic manner.? The Tralfamadorians communicated telepathically. They talked to each other through transference of thought. Vonnegut's main character Billy Pilgrim,

Vertical Integration in Starbucks Essay Example

Vertical Integration in Starbucks Essay Example Vertical Integration in Starbucks Paper Vertical Integration in Starbucks Paper Starbucks Vertical Integration Ques 1. Starbuck’s value chain is farmers, roasting, distribution, and retail. Raw Materials (Coffee Beans): Coffee bean farming is not vertically integrated into Starbucks; the company purchases coffee beans from farmers. Starbucks choose to outsource farming due to the low potential hold-up problem. For its coffee, Starbucks uses only high-quality Arabica beans, instead of regular commodity and lower quality robusta beans. Since there are a lot of market participants trading Arabica beans (i. e. farmers Arabica beans buyers), there is an established market price. Moreover, farm land has a low degree of asset specificity, and therefore farmers’ investments do not depend only on Starbucks as their buyer. Both of these allow both parties to contract without high transaction/bargaining cost. Furthermore, Starbucks is able to outsource farming because the company is able to reduce the moral hazard problem. Since Starbucks is able to contract with the farmers and is willing to pay more for premium beans , the company can create high powered incentives within the contract to ensure that it will receive high quality beans from the farmers. Roasting: Roasting is vertically integrated into Starbucks, such that the company roasts the beans itself . Due to a potential hold-up and moral hazard problem that leads to high transaction cost, it is inefficient for Starbucks to outsource bean roasting. Since Starbucks values the quality of their product at the highest priority and â€Å"considers the roasting of its coffee beans to be an art form† , they have strict and high standards for their quality checks. More specifically, they use a blood-cell analyzer to test color of the beans. This requires a high degree of asset specificity such that other companies do not require this equipment to check the quality of their roasted beans and leads to a potential hold-up problem. Moreover, as evidenced by the fact that the Senior Vice President, on a daily basis, checks the quality of coffee samples, Starbucks prefers tight control over quality inspection. Since company’s quality standard is so controlled and strict, it would be very costly to negotiate a contract that would be enough to provide type of maintenance Starbucks requires and prevent a moral hazard problem. Distribution Warehouses: Starbucks is not vertically integrated in distribution and warehouses. It outsources to distribution and warehouses specialists , because there is low risk of a hold problem and low transaction cost for contracting. Market price for distribution and warehousing is established because there are many distributers and many buyers who need their service. Additionally, warehouses and transportation used for distribution (i. e. trucks) are not specifically tied to coffee beans and have really low degree of asset specificity. Retail: Retail is vertically integrated into Starbucks. Instead of franchising, it has company-owned stores. Starbuck choose to vertically integrate due to its main strategy of selling a unique â€Å"Starbucks experience. † More specifically, Starbucks stores aim to create a â€Å"consistent, inviting, stimulating environment that evoked the romance of coffee, that signaled the company’s passion for coffee, and that rewarded customers with ceremony, stories, and surprise. For this strategy to be successful, the company needs to â€Å"replicate precisely† this experience in all of its stores. But the amount of control required to maintain this much consistency is too costly to negotiate in order to create a contract, and therefore inefficient to outsource. Ques 2. Roasting: The integration of roasting is a source of competitive advantage because this capability is both valuable and rare. Starbucks’ full control of the roasting process allows the company to ensure that the beans are roasted at a high quality. Consequently, Starbucks is able to offer a product that satisfies the demand for premium coffee. Moreover, the resulting difference in quality between Starbucks’ coffee and their competitors’ allows Starbucks to differentiate itself and gain market share. Retail: The integration of retail is also a source of competitive advantage because this capability is also valuable and rare. Through Starbucks full control and consistent management of the distinctive Starbucks experience, the company is able to create a strong brand equity. Establishing a strong brand equity allows the company maintain market presence. Additionally, considering that there are many coffee producers competing against Starbucks, having a strong brand equity allows the company to differentiate themselves. Ques. 3 Roasting: The integration of roasting is only a temporary competitive advantage for the Starbucks because this capability is imitable. Although Starbucks has its own method of roasting and a high quality inspection process, there is no evidence that the process is a protected secret. Hence, competitors are able to copy the process as long as they have the financial resource, equipment, trained employees. However, if the roasting and inspection process is indeed a protected secret, then integration of roasting is a sustainable competitive advantage. As a protected secret, competitors will not be able to imitate it. Furthermore, this capability is firm specific to Starbucks considering that the company has been roasting their own coffee beans since the beginning. Retail: The integration of roasting is a sustained competitive advantage for the Starbucks. Through full control of retail and consistent management of the distinct â€Å"Starbucks experience† over time, Starbucks has created a strong brand equity that can be sustained. The Starbucks brand is now synonymous with premium coffee. However, if Starbucks fails to maintain consistency in the management of its retail and â€Å"Starbucks experience,† opportunities will become available for competitors to produce similar retail experiences to Starbucks and steal market share. Bibliography 1. ) Starbucks Coffee Company, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, p. -9, http://mba. tuck. dartmouth. edu/pdf/2002-1-0023. pdf 2. ) Starbucks Corporation, the McGraw-Hill Companies, mhhe. com/business/management/thompson/11e/case/starbucks-2. html 3. ) Starbucks Corporation: Competing in a Global Market, UW Business School, p. 3, http://bschool. washington. edu/gbc/documents/starbucks_final. pdf 4. )Starbucks Coffee Company, p. 15. 5. )Starbucks Corporation, mhhe. com/business/ma nagement/thompson/11e/case/starbucks-2. html 6. ) Ibid.

Lady Macbeth Character Analysis

Lady Macbeth Character Analysis Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most infamous female characters. Cunning and ambitious, Lady Macbeth is a major protagonist in the play, encouraging and helping Macbeth to carry out his bloody quest to become king. Without Lady Macbeth, her husband might never have ventured down the murderous path that leads to their ultimate downfall.   In many respects, Lady Macbeth is more ambitious and power-hungry than her husband, going so far as to call his manhood into question when he has second thoughts about committing murder.   Sexism in 'Macbeth' Along with being Shakespeares bloodiest play, Macbeth is also the one with the greatest number of outright evil female characters. Chief among them are the three witches who predict Macbeth will be king and set the plays action into motion.   Then, theres Lady Macbeth herself. It was unusual in Shakespeares day for a female character to be so boldly ambitious and manipulative as Lady Macbeth. Shes unable to take action herself, perhaps because of the social constraints of the time, and must persuade her husband to go along with her evil plans. Masculinity is defined in the play by ambition and power, two qualities that Lady Macbeth possesses in abundance. By constructing the character in this way, Shakespeare challenges our preconceived views of masculinity and femininity. But what exactly was Shakespeare suggesting? On one hand, it was a radical idea to present a dominant female character. But on the other hand, Lady Macbeth is presented negatively and ends up killing herself after experiencing what appears to be a crisis of conscience.   Lady Macbeth Character Description and Guilt Lady Macbeth’s sense of remorse soon overwhelms her. She has nightmares and in one famous scene (Act 5, Scene 1), appears to try to wash from her hands the blood she imagines has been left behind by the murders. Doctor:What is it she does now? Look how she rubs her hands.Gentlewoman:It is an accustomd action with her, to seem thuswashing her hands. I have known her continue in this a quarter ofan hour.Lady Macbeth:Yet heres a spot.Doctor:Hark, she speaks. I will set down what comes from her, tosatisfy my remembrance the more strongly.Lady Macbeth:Out, damnd spot! out, I say! - One; two: why, thentis time to dot. - Hell is murky. - Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, andafeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call ourpowr to accompt? - Yet who would have thought the old man tohave had so much blood in him? By the end of Lady Macbeths life, guilt has replaced her incredible ambition in equal measure. We are led to believe that her guilt ultimately leads to her suicide. Lady Macbeth is, therefore, a victim of her own ambition - and also possibly of her sex. As a woman  in Shakespeares world, she is not resilient enough to deal with such strong emotions, whereas Macbeth fights on to the very end despite his misgivings.   The treacherous Lady Macbeth both defies and defines what it means to be a female villain in a Shakespeare play.

Perfume Advertising Adaptation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perfume Advertising Adaptation - Essay Example Beauty has taken many forms, the perceivers describe it as cute, elegant, sexy etc, and they try to relate it with the person’s lifestyles and personalities. If the product’s image is associated with the model’s beauty type then the message would be consistent in the perceivers mind and it shall enhance the acceptance of the advertisement. The article also describes that the editor while considering a model for its product studies nineteen different properties of beauty and its significant impact on the mind of the perceivers. Successful models despite blessed with beauty, they try to be more different with respect to the quality personified. It is the critical process for the advertisers in shaping the product is positioning strategy and communicating effectively. In 2009, a study by Dr. Khanfar explored the impact of culture on TV advertising behavior in GCC countries. In this published report, the author suggested that globalization and internationalization has a direct influence on the marketing activities of organizations. Marketing activities have become highly complex and companies are increaingly involved in gaining knowledge and understanding ways how cultures restrict ways in which they can advertise their businesses, products, and services. The dynamics of the market place demand companies to understand the impact of continuously evolving culture within one country or a group of countries. Over the years, GCC countries have experienced greater economic activity and individuals from broader cultural backgrounds have settled in these countries. In GCC countries, adveritising through TV is considered an important medium for marketing communication dvertising. Drawing from a detailed literature review on strategic choices the study cond ucted a research based on the positivistic paradigm and deductive approach and

LSTD206 Capstone Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LSTD206 Capstone Paper - Essay Example This informs the basis of the establishment of sound client-relations policies, which do not only serve as the basis of informing how a firm relates with its clients, but also as a marketing tool for the firm, since good client experience is a recipe for increased customer base for a firm (Brink & Berndt, 2008). Therefore, this discussion seeks to establish the client-relations policies that a legal firm should establish to enhance its client relationship as well as its marketing, communication, advertising, confidentiality and conflict of interest handling. This discussion is important for a legal firm, since it creates insights into the relevant strategies that such firms should apply to enhance a productive relationship with the clients, and thus be able to maintain a secured client base, in the face of the ever increasing competition. Discussion Client reception is the core of productive client-relations policies formulation, considering that it is the reception that clients get when they first visit a firm that determines their first impression of the firm, and the consequent future interactions with the firm (Silk, 2012). This being the case, it is therefore significant to ensure that the receptionists and the customer relationship officers within a firm follows certain guidelines that enhances a positive and productive relationship with the client, which enable the firm to project a positive image to the clients, and thus attract them for further visits and interactions. Thus, courtesy and helpfulness is the basis of the customer relationship policy, where the receptionists and the customer relationship officers address the clients with respect and integrity, while offering the essential help that a client could require (Knackstedt, 2008). While being courteous, respectful and helpful serves to enable the client feel comfortable within the firm and feel valued and appreciated as a stakeholder to the firm, it plays the vital role of enticing the customer to make repeat visits. Thus, courteousness, helpfulness and respectfulness serves both as a client recognition and appreciation strategies, as well as firm marketing strategies that encourages further business. Confidentiality is paramount in the legal relationship business, considering that the relationship between a client and a legal firm entails the discussion of sensitive personal, business or family matters, which should not be introduced to the public domain (Nollkamper, 2008). Thus, a confidentiality policy is vital within a legal firm, to ensure that the relationship between a client and the firm, and the issues discussed between them remains between the two parties, and can only be disclosed whenever it is necessary, may be in a court of law. Through implementing the confidentiality policy, a firm is able to ensure that the customer feels comfortable while dealing with the firm, through the knowledge that the personal and confidential information shared with the firm will remain as such, without any risk of unnecessary exposure (Silk, 2012). Client communications and legal advice is yet another aspect that requires that a policy guideline is established to safeguard the relationship. The policy applicable under this concept

Catcher in the Rye Essay Example for Free

Catcher in the Rye Essay Holden, the main character of the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, had to face many conflicts during the story. These conflicts connect to him either by secondary character or by himself. Not only do this conflicts affect Holden, but if affects the people around him as well. Holden’s attitude became negative because of all the conflicts he faced. â€Å"The first thing you’ll probably ask is where I was born and how my lousy childhood was like†. During his childhood, he was alone with no close friends or family. This affected him because he felt excluded from the society. It also made him feel like he didn’t have any support so that made him go to the city by himself and get into trouble. He didn’t get any support from anyone so he wasn’t told what was wrong and what was right, that was why he smoked and drank. Also since he didn’t have a family who supported him so he never took the school seriously. He was kicked out of four schools because of his bad grades. (Evidence found in Pg. 1) â€Å"I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it†. Allies death affected him mentally. It made him very sad at the moment but after a time it made him aggressive and anti-social. (Evidence found in Chapter 5) He criticized everyone. He calls everyone a phony. Thinks other people are followers and are only tricking themselves. So he wants to rebel against the society because they’re making everyone a phony. This attitude made him see everyone in a bad way which made it very difficult for him to make friends. (Evidence found all over the book) He has a Self vs. Self battle throughout the whole book. He wants to be the same person but he doesn’t realize he’s changing. He likes the museum because it never changes. One part of him wants to be an adult (he drinks and smokes and always thinks of sex) while to other part of him rejects it rejects it as a phony. So as you can see, all these conflicts led to his bad, negative attitude. He became aggressive, rebel, and excluded. It also made him problematic and hard to understand. The conflicts implemented some psychological problems on Holden by making him increase his interest in alcohol and drugs.

The Two-Tiered System of Allusions :: essays research papers

In Hollywood today, most films can be categorized according to the genre system. There are action films, horror flicks, Westerns, comedies and the likes. On a broader scope, films are often separated into two categories: Hollywood films, and independent or foreign ‘art house’ films. Yet, this outlook, albeit superficial, was how many viewed films. Celebrity-packed blockbusters filled with action and drama, with the use of seamless top-of-the-line digital editing and special effects were considered ‘Hollywood films’. Films where unconventional themes like existentialism or paranoia, often with excessive violence or sex or a combination of both, with obvious attempts to displace its audiences from the film were often attributed with the generic label of ‘foreign’ or ‘art house’ cinema. In recent times, such stereotyped categorizations of films are becoming inapplicable. ‘Blockbusters’ with celebrity-studded casts may have plots in which characters explore the depths of the human psyche, or avant-garde film techniques. Titles like ‘American Beauty’ (1999), ‘Fight Club’ (1999) and ‘Kill Bill 2’ (2004) come readily into mind. Hollywood perhaps could be gradually losing its stigma as a money-hungry machine churning out predictable, unintelligent flicks for mass consumption. While whether this image of Hollywood is justified remains open to debate, earlier films in the 60’s and 70’s like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967) and ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976) already revealed signs of depth and avant-garde film techniques. These films were successful as not only did they appeal to the mass audience, but they managed to communicate alternate messages to select groups who understood subtleties within th em. This was achieved via a two-tiered system, in which films could be viewed and interpreted on different levels. On one level, audiences could appreciate the film at face-value; the cohesive union the plot and acting of the characters to bring about a story which entertains and sometimes, carried messages or morals, such as Lumet’s ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ (1975), which had political implications. On another level, the other group of audience – those who have knowledge of film history or are learned in film culture – were able to admire artistic craftsmanship of film techniques the director employed, or appreciate the subtleties and allusions embedded within the film. As Carroll (1981: 56) explained, most movie-goers in the late seventies often felt as if they were watching two films simultaneously – the simple genre film, and the art film, coordinated with allusions in which the film-literate could pick out. He states that this system allowed Hollyw ood to remain faithful to the mass audience, yet popular among the rising film-literate generation.

International Business Economics Essay

Globalization and international forms of conducting business has been the overriding factor for most economies of the world in the last two decades. According to economists, the political and economic amalgamation of nations will continue to grow as linkages to migration of products, money and people beyond their national boundaries become evident. This has led to the apprehension that, there is need for regional integration in terms of collective, political and economic reorganizations. The main reasons for this are; to make the business environment friendlier, economic power shift and regional balancing. This essay will therefore argue out the pros and cons of regional integration with specific reference to the EU. It will discuss the general benefits that have so far been gained and the downbeat impacts experienced as a result of the same. More emphasis will be placed on the impacts on the member states themselves. Regional integration aims to promote economic welfare gains among countries that have come together to meet some specific economic objectives. The EU is both a functional entity and territorial in that its main duty is to transfer sovereignty and handle regional projects that include trading activities. In an economic perspective, it is responsible for the movement of goods which in most cases becomes free within the member states. It also handles issues of labour and capital amo0ng countries that want to boost their economic growth in other places not only among the integrated community but also in other parts of the world. The EU has however grown to become an economic logic drive that is driven by the political desire to counter Asian and American competitive nature of businesses. (Hilbert, 2004) Whenever the term free trade in mentioned, many things come into the mind of the listener. The first thing is apparently conducting of trade without barriers. That is precisely what happens in free trade areas/associations. In the past developed free trade associations, all barriers to the trade of goods and services among the countries that are party to the agreement are completely done away with and a conducive environment, for carrying out business is upheld. In theory, free trade area will have things like; subsidies, custom duties, tariffs, administrative encumbrance or even quotas removed. In most cases, the countries are given the freedom to retain individual policies when talking about non-members. The most common types of free trade associations are the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which was established in 1960 and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (P. de Vries, 2002) Previous research has shown that there are many theoretical and empirical effects of free trade. This is according to the economists who have been able to study free trade in relation to regional integration and its economic, social and political implications on the countries. One aspect is that there is creation of losers and winners. In a survey that was carried out in the year 2006, it shows that 87. 5 percent of economists concurred that United States as a nation has to eliminate any barriers of trade that are still existing including tariffs and other factors in order to have other nations within the Latin America regional to support their economic quest for businesses. (Temple, 1999) Advantages of regional integration Collective bargaining power in the trade fora is the major benefit for regional integration. The European Union since its inception has been able to have a stronger bargaining power on most of the trading agreements and foreign direct investments. There have been instances where the U. S dominated the trade talks and trade policies in Europe especially when it dealt with only one country such as France. This makes it very difficult for that country to handle the economic problems that might arise. When the region comes together, even countries such as the UK need to think twice while drafting laws whether against or for the whole region. Some products that are made in the U. S. ave been denied access into the European Union markets because of some logistical issues affecting the two trading partners. (Levine, 1992) There is improved geopolitics among the participating countries. Like-minded countries can come together and assist other countries with fragile democracies, narrow global markets and limited opportunities to come t a level playing filed in the world economy. This will probably encourage development in addition to better and safe networks in the area. Political disbarment, conflict resolution and peace brokering is a key benefit of regional cooperation. Taking into contemplation the fact that there is free movement of people and goods, the poor will tend to benefit enormously from better services and products i. e. a wide variety to choose from. A non-economic gain such as security is also a major factor that regional integration is able to bring forth to the partner states. It has been possible for the European Union to talk in one voice against many issues such as the fight against terrorism. (Lain, 2006) Larger markets are developed as a result of regional integration. Trade has become increasingly global in some scope today and there are reasons for this. One is the advancement in technology including communication efficiency and modernization where people are migrating to live in areas where they feel they are comfortable. Increasingly, rapid technology lifecycles has increased competition among countries as to who can produce the best in the market hence the need to employ competitive marketing and business strategies which includes economic and monetary integration. When two or more nations come together to trade, first, the market potential increases and there is huge customer base that will allow for the expansion of businesses. The EU for example is a huge market for African and American products that may not have been possible if they traded individually and not as a block. (P. de Vries, 2002) Strategic competitive advantage for most companies will be widened by the European Union. Taking for example the larger western European countries such as France and Germany will be able to absorb cheap raw products from Belgium and those who will benefit further will be the farmers. Sometimes countries such as the UK can provide better and sophisticated communication systems that will boost business expansion in less economic countries of the EU. In some cases, regional integration gives the countries that are involved get better gains through the free flow of trade in terms of investments especially beyond the jurisdictions of organizations such as the World Trade Organizations. (P. de Vries, 2002) Disadvantages It is difficult to coordinate activities of the member countries because of the fact that there are huge disparities within the member states within the EU. Macroeconomic instability occurs as a result of unbalanced nature of the countries with regard to natural resources and infrastructure. This is reflected on the one ‘nation’ intervention decisions on market factors such as custom duties, taxes and internal matters. This also manipulates itself in the form of governance. (Hilbert, 2004) Every nation has its own governance issues to deal with; party politics, corruption, security, economic crimes, among others. This will make it impossible for the regional integrating body to look into the desires of affiliate states. To some extent, some government have authoritarian styles of leadership that prevent free flow of goods, people, community integration, and other development issues. This is most cases results in scepticism among the associate countries. The US, after the cold war was very pessimistic about the way Latin America was planning to form a regional body that encompasses the south and northern countries. All these political problems catapults regional disintegration and promote conflicts which are not favourite business catalysts. (Abeman, 2006) Some countries might lose out on the actual benefits of the integration because of the way the policies and structures may be drafted. Some countries which are more developed than others would benefit more. Taking an example of the industries such as textiles where majority of the employees here are low cost workers who may end up losing their jobs because of a shift in business locations. It is a fact that companies move to locations where the labour is cheap and investment opportunities are higher. The European Union for example has integrated the European countries in one or another. But the problem comes in when the countries such as France and the U. K invest in countries such as Spain which are still believed to have a lower economic growth than themselves. (Donovan & Marlette, 2005) It is very difficult to synchronize all rules and constitutional necessities that every country is structurally required to have. With huge disparities concerning the way Germany and UK conduct their international business, there will be looming problem in future when the countries wanted to have bring their heads together. When the EU constitution was brought into a referendum, France literally rejected it. This shows that there EU union will not come to an agreement in almost all things. Every business is affected by economic factors. Fiscal policy rates, interest rate policy, currency exchange rates, consumer factors, etc. It is possible that the U. S locale of the economy dictates how the consumer behaves in the society. If an economy is booming, recessing or recovering, the confidence of the consumer will automatically change. In all these factors, the member countries will push for their own rates to be accepted by the others. (Lain, 2006) Vocational training for national protection especially on local industries that may not effectively compete with other multinationals. It is therefore a setback for the European Union to adequately address equity and fair trade issues among countries in a bid to harmonize the member states. s a matter of theory, the thing that vestiges to be an issue of concern is the fact that every country would want to have the lion’s share when it comes to sharing same currencies, trade rules and business partnerships. This will cause poor relationships among competing nations and it might result to break-ups. (Donovan & Marlette, 2005) When there is free trade countries are normally subjected to stiff competition. This means that a country’s prosperity can be affected which is quite risky. This makes many countries to strive to protect themselves against effects of free trade. This can be implemented by ensuring that there is imposition of taxes on foreign goods hence increasing their prices. When this is done, it means that the countries own producers are protected. Research shows that free trade exits in theory and not in practical. This is because many nations strive to protect their own industries. There are several ways through which many nations protect themselves from effects of free trade. There are some countries that limit the quantity of imported products (Lain, 2006)

Nazca Lines

Earth scientists have been preoccupied with demystifying the secret behind the Nazca lines discovered in South Americas earth in the 1920’s. These precisely straight lines, still unfaded by over 3,000 years of rains, floods, winds, and dust appear to be impossible for any mortal to create. More than that, how they were drawn and why they were drawn is a challenge for the most intelligent minds to come up with any clues. The Nazca lines are as mysterious as the earth’s pyramids. The lines are forms of humans, birds, monkeys, and many other animals.From the information provided, all images drawn into the earth are some form of animals, or humans. Images can only be made out from an aerial view from the sky, such as an airplane or helicopter. These earth drawings are far to large to identify from the ground. â€Å"From ground level, earth drawings or geoglyphs as they are called, seem like a confused mass of lines. It’s only when viewed from the air, that one sees how the lines and figures convey a sense of purpose, of organization† (Stouse, 2007).Since the discovery of these lines, there has been studies and studies of these Nazca lines, intriguing people to find out more. http://www. timstouse. com/EarthHistory/nazcalines. htm Lines, Lines, Lines Without technology, even rulers and other measuring devices did not exist at this time, how can these drawings be so accurate and precise? Not only are they so accurately and precise, they are habitually accurate and perfectly straight over thousands of miles, cover several hundred feet of Peru. The lines are complicated, interweaving in and out one another, but consistently perfect.To the Incas, pottery was always a big part of their art. Their pottery contained intricate details engrained in the carvings. Scientists studying this always seem to mention their pottery art. Apparently, some significant connection has been related. One of the factors they are studying is the dry land these draw ings were sketched. Still they cannot figure out how it was done. http://www. timstouse. com/EarthHistory/nazcalines. htm No one has the right information required to unsolve the mystery. Scientists are extremely intelligent, which is a mystique in itself.They still do not have the right information to discover the hidden secrets behind the Nazca lines. Peruvians lifestyles or education from the time they were born would have to be studied. Maybe through their traditions while learning survival they acquired the ability to draw perfect lines and measurements. A twenty five year old does not wake up one day with the ability to draw so precisely. Drawing precise lines are a result of years accumulated by daily living habits beginning at a very young age.Since the images are so large, a group of people had to be involved in etching one drawing. The drawings had to be broken down into segments. Each person was assigned a section of the drawing. Another intriguing mystery about the earth ’s sketches, is these sketches are here to stay. They are not faded away, washed away, and are not desolved. If the sketches have been here for 3,000 years, they are going to be here 3,000 more. Even tombstones built of solid material to survive the earths conditions, corrode and break down after so many years.How are these drawings surviving? Once again, no one today has the right information to figure it out. The Peruvians must have had a way to draw all moisture out of the earth, to seal it off completely preventing anything to seep into the grains before they started the drawings. Water is natures most damaging resource. Water will put out and destroy fire. The sea has enormous strength and power. Almost nothing can stand up to damaging water hazards. Ancient Peruvians knew much more about the earth than what is known today. http://www.timstouse. com/EarthHistory/nazcalines. htm Reasons why the Peruvians were so motivated to create such drawings is another unsolved myster y. Their religion may provide clues to why they would take enormous amounts of time to do there drawings. Peruvians believed in sun gods and sun goddesses. Nothing is absolute certainty why they drew these sketches. One explanation, was to honor or please the gods, or the sun. Because the sketches can only be identified by an aerial view, these drawings probably were to send messages to something in the air.Studying the artists who are influenced by Peru’s culture can provide some leads to figure out how these drawings were etched into the ground. Some of the best artists have came from Peru. The artists influenced by Peru specialized in detailed measurements. (Wilepedia). An Inca artists, Joaquin Torres-Garcia, derive much of his art from Inca and Nazca Pottery. â€Å"Torres-Garcia’s style is based on grid patterns derived from the aesthetics of the golden section, a geometric proportion and surrealism†(encyclopedia article, http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedi a_762507279/Joaquin_Torres-Garcia. html). Golden section is using straight lines and exact measurements. If art work inspired by Incas have a history of placing importance on such mathematical precision, then that has to be connected to their earth drawings. Geometrical figures, lines are somehow embedded into their culture. Conclusion: The Nazca lines today remain a mystery. They will probably remain a mystery forever. Sure enough, as soon as one scientists discovers something, another finds evidence that disproves it.But that is the process of learning or studying. Even when a theory is proven false, it reveals information. The Nazca lines can only be viewed from an Ariel view. And they did worship sun gods. These drawings probably had a very sacred meaning in honor of the sun. Notes: No author, no date Joaquin Torres-Garcia http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_762507279/Joaquin_Torres-Garcia. html No Author, no date; Discovery Channel http://exn. ca/mysticplaces/Nazcalines. asp Stouse, Tim 2003, modified 2007 Nazca lines http://www. timstouse. com/EarthHistory/nazcalines. htm

Content Marketing for Local SEO How to Easily Leverage It the Right Way

Content Marketing for Local SEO How to Easily Leverage It the Right Way People search for local businesses every day. They use relevant keywords with specific location names to find businesses close to them. In fact, Google has found that 76% of smartphone local searches end up with a store visit. If you want to bring people to your business, you need to try to attract local searchers. You need to get ahead of your competitors  and make sure people find your business when they conduct a related local search. Which means you need to increase the visibility of your website in local search results. That’s where local SEO enters the picture. How to Easily Leverage Your Content Marketing for Local SEOApply What You Learn: Download Six Free Content + SEO Templates Creating great content that ranks for local searches is a lot easier when you have the right tools. Put the advice in this post into practice with this Local SEO Content Template Bundle, which includes: Local SEO Bonus Guide to walk you through the basics of local search engine optimization. An on-page SEO checklist to make sure every piece of content you publish is properly optimized. An SEO Content Strategy Template to build a complete end-to-end content strategy with SEO at its core. A Latent Semantic Indexing Infographic explaining how secondary keywords impact SEO. A Guest Blogging Target Spreadsheet Template to store important details for local sites and publications in your area who might publish your content. An Email Pitch Template to help you write great guest blog post pitches that editors will want to read (so your local-optimized content will get published). What is Local SEO? Local SEO is similar to organic search engine optimization, except that it focuses on improving a website’s ranking in local search results. Compared to traditional SEO, local search engine optimization can be much more challenging. But if you want to promote your business to local customers, at the exact moment they're looking for your products or services, you need to improve your local search ranking. Recommended Reading: How to Boost Traffic With 34 Important SEO Tips You Need to Know (+ Free Kit) How to Improve Your Local Search Ranking with Content Marketing The good news is that you can improve your local search ranking by making a few changes to your existing content marketing strategy. This post will show you five ways to optimize your content marketing for local SEO. 1. Submit Guest Posts Publish Content on Local Websites Your current content marketing strategy probably already includes creating blog content for your website. Blogging is an excellent way to enrich your site, and engage visitors. For both standard and local SEO, you need to branch out a bit and start publishing content on other websites. Guest posts can help you showcase your expertise, and earn valuable backlinks. Extensive research conducted by Local SEO Guide found that link signals play a major role in local search ranking. Guest blogging is one of the best ways to build local links, and market your content. It can also help you drive traffic to your site, and attract potential customers. The challenging part is finding local websites that accept guest posts. To do so, you need to use a few keyword combinations – location name + website + write for us/guest post/submit a guest post. Replace â€Å"location name† with your city or state. For example, let’s try to find Sacramento-based sites that accept guest posts. First, we will search for, â€Å"Sacramento website write for us.† As you can see in the screenshot below, there are several local websites that offer guest posting opportunities in Sacramento. Next, search for your location + website + guest post. Then your location + website + submit a guest post. Also try different search terms for your location, if appropriate. Such as your region, county, or nearby cities. For example, if you are in San Jose, you could also try, "Palo Alto," "Silicon Valley," "Santa Clara," or "Cupertino." Make a list of potential websites to write for in your target location. Then visit each site to check out their guest post guidelines, as well as the type of content they publish. Determine which sites cater to the kind of audience you’re targeting. For example, let’s check out the first website from the earlier search results, Sacramento Press, to find out what type of content they publish. As you can see in the screenshot above Sacramento Press publishes content related to â€Å"Things to Do,† â€Å"Food Drink,† and â€Å"Spotlights† in the Sacramento area. This site may be a good place to submit a guest post about a local restaurant, attraction, or event. Recommended Reading: How to Write a Pitch Email That Will Get Your Guest Post Accepted In addition to guest posting, there are other ways you can earn valuable links from high authority local sites. Some websites provide backlinking opportunities to local businesses by creating a local resource list, or by highlighting local deals. For example, let’s search for prominent Sacramento news websites by searching for, â€Å"Sacramento news.† As you can see in the screenshot above, publications like The Sacramento Bee and KCRA Sacramento are among the top results. If you check out some of these publications, you might be able to find an opportunity to earn links to your site. Let’s check out The Sacramento Bee for example. If you go through the website’s menu, you’ll find â€Å"Local Deals† towards the bottom. This suggests that the website gives local businesses the opportunity to list their deals, and earn links to their sites. 2. Find Relevant, Local Keywords You already know the importance of keywords for search engine optimization. Keywords are crucial for local SEO as well, and should be used to enrich and optimize your content. Keywords are crucial for local SEO and should be used to enrich and optimize your content.Whether you’re publishing a blog post on your site, rewriting your site content, or submitting a guest post; using the right keywords can help you attract local searchers. The best keywords are those that are relevant to your business, and have high search volumes in your target location. Add your location keyword to those business-specific keywords, and use that combination to optimize your content. In order to find the best keywords, you can use tools like the Google Keyword Planner. Before you use this tool, you will need to set up your AdWords account. Once your account is setup, go to the homepage, and click on â€Å"Tools† at the top of the page. Then select the â€Å"Keyword Planner,† as shown in the screenshot below. When you get to the Keyword Planner page, select â€Å"Search for new keywords using a phrase, website or category.† Then begin your keyword research using phrases related to your business. As shown in the screenshot below, you will see fields to enter a relevant phrase, your landing page, and your product category. You can also select your target location. Let’s search for keywords related to, â€Å"car dealership,† and keep the target location as San Francisco. This will bring up a long list of potential keywords. The goal is to make a list of keywords with high average monthly searches, and low competition. You can then combine them with your city/location, and use them to optimize your content for local search. For example, â€Å"car dealer in San Francisco,† or â€Å"San Francisco car dealer.† 3. Write Local Content Now that you have a list of the best keywords to use, it’s time to infuse them into your website content for better local search ranking. It’s not enough to simply use these keywords in your page content. Make the most of them by writing local content posts for your blog. You can compile local â€Å"Top 10,† and â€Å"Best Of† lists that are related to your industry or niche. Or you can write useful how-to articles or guides relevant to your industry, and target location. This will help you attract a relevant local audience. For example, if you own a car dealership in San Francisco, you can write a list of the best cars to drive in San Francisco, or the best car washes in San Francisco. You could also write an article with tips for San Francisco car owners, with location-specific advice, such as traffic-related or maintenance-related tips. Cowden Automotive, for example, writes useful car care and maintenance tips for local customers. Their service area includes San Francisco, Oakland, and San Mateo, as well as the surrounding areas. As you can see in the screenshot below, they provide readers with tire care tips, and mentioned their service areas in the blog post. 4. Cross-Promote on Social Media Platforms According to Statista, the number of worldwide social media users will increase from 2.34 billion in 2016 to 2.51 billion in 2017. With those kinds of numbers, it’s highly likely that many of your target consumers are already using social media. If you’re not already doing so, it’s time to start promoting your blog posts and guest posts on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Social media can be a great way to engage your followers, and drive traffic to your website. To further engage local audiences, and grow your follower base, join relevant local groups on social media platforms. Then share your location-specific content in those groups. You can also reach out to relevant, local Facebook pages for help promoting your content. Recommended Reading: 30 Social Media Engagement Tactics That Will Boost Shares and Conversions Let’s say you’re a restaurateur, or your business is related to the food industry, and you’re based in San Francisco. You can write a blog post that lists the best places to get fresh organic ingredients locally. To find relevant groups and pages on Facebook, search for, â€Å"San Francisco food.† You can then sort the search results for â€Å"Pages† or â€Å"Groups.† For public Facebook groups, all you have to do is join. For closed groups, you will have to ask to join, or be added by a member. For Facebook pages, you will need to contact the page owners, and request that they share your content. To contact page owners, and admins for Facebook pages, go to their page. As shown in the screenshot below, you will see an option to â€Å"Message† the page. Send them a short, friendly message with a description of your content, and why you think it would be useful or interesting to their fans. Then politely ask them to share it on their page. Similarly, you can also join relevant LinkedIn groups to promote your content. Just select â€Å"Groups† from the drop-down menu in the search bar, as shown in the screenshot below. In the search bar, enter a relevant search term with the location name to specifically target local audiences. Let’s say you’re a lawyer in San Francisco, and your firm represents businesses and corporations. You can write blog posts with useful tips and advice related to business law. To find a LinkedIn group where local business owners network, use search terms like, â€Å"San Francisco business,† or â€Å"San Francisco entrepreneur.† 5. Participate In, and Write About, Local Activities In the first point, we covered the important role backlinks from local websites play in your local search ranking. And you learned how to build your local link profile through guest posting. Another way to earn local backlinks is to get involved in the community. Participate in local events, charity drives, or awards. You may be able to get a backlink from the official website of the organization or event. If being a participant isn’t your cup of tea, you can also earn links by sponsoring local events, clubs, sports teams, and organizations. For example, the Sacramento Speakers Series has an entire page dedicated to their official sponsors, as shown in the screenshot below: Your participation or sponsorship may be considered newsworthy by local publications, which means you could earn more links from local news sites. Not only will getting involved in the community help you improve your local link profile, it can also help you build your brand’s reputation. According to Search Engine Journal, your real-world prominence can affect your local search rank as well. Real-world prominence can affect your local search rank.Participating in a local event isn’t just great for earning backlinks or boosting your reputation. It also gives you an opportunity to enrich your blog with local content. You can write a post about the event, and your experience or involvement, and publish it on your blog. If possible, include photos and/or videos from the event in your post to optimize engagement. Recommended Reading: How to Increase Visibility With Social Media Optimization Now, Optimize Your Content for Local Search You’ve now learned some of the most effective ways to leverage your content marketing for local SEO. The most important goal is to build backlinks from high-authority local websites and publications. Local links not only help drive traffic to your site  and improve your page authority, they can also help you build a good brand reputation. Another important goal is to enrich your website with high-quality local content to attract and engage a local audience. Make sure that you optimize all of your website content, blog posts, and guest posts with location-specific keywords. With the local SEO tips and strategies above, all that’s left to do is for you to get to work on boosting your local search ranking. Which of these tips will you try out first? Do you have any additional advice for using content marketing for local SEO? Share your thoughts in the comments below. And if you have any questions related to local search ranking, or the local SEO tips above, feel free to ask them in the comments section, or to reach out to me personally.

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2 Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2 Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2 By Mark Nichol Here are some questions from DailyWritingTips.com readers about subject-verb agreement and my responses. 1. In your post concerning subject-verb agreement, why would you use a singular verb for ten liters of water? â€Å"Of water† is a prepositional phrase, and the subject is liters. We have always been taught to ignore the prepositional phrase that modifies the subject when determining agreement. The sentence I used in this post exemplifies an exception to the rule: When the first noun in a â€Å"[noun] of [noun]† phrase is a percentage, distance, fraction, or amount, the verb agrees with the second noun. 2. I have a question about noun-verb agreement in conjunction with and. For example, should a sentence read, â€Å"There was no moon and no clouds† or â€Å"There were no clouds and no moon†? Either construction is acceptable; the verb form should agree with the form of the nearest noun. However, â€Å"There were no clouds and no moon† is better because the plural form of the verb agrees with both clouds and the combination of â€Å"clouds and . . . moon,† so it feels more natural. 3. When I write sums, I normally use plus and equals, but if I use and instead of plus, should I use is, or are, before the sum? In mathematical equations, when we put two or more numbers through an operation, they are considered a single set. As you note, we use a singular verb we say or write, for example, â€Å"One plus two equals three,† not â€Å"One plus two equal three† so â€Å"One plus two is three† is correct. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?26 Feel-Good WordsEbook, eBook, ebook or e-book?

Analyze the letter written by Galileo Galilei to the Grand Duchess Essay

Analyze the letter written by Galileo Galilei to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany - Essay Example He reiterates his loyalty to the Catholic Church and, at the same time, justifies his support of the Copernican theory of the heliocentric universe. Galileo Galilei: Letter to the Grand Duchess Galileo Galilei may be considered to be the Father of modern science. His letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, written in 1615, is one to the most famous epistles in scientific history. It demonstrates the conflict between science and religion, and Galileo’s attempt to strike a balance between the two. As the protege of the late Ferdinando I de Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and the mentor of his son, Cosimo II de Medici, Galileo enjoyed a close relationship with the politically powerful and influential Medici clan. With his outspoken support for the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, Galileo was already at loggerheads with the conservative adherents of the geocentric theory and the church hierarchy. In this letter, he seeks â€Å"to justify myself in the eyes of all m en† (Galileo, 1615. P. 11). In this context, his letter to the Grand Duchess may be considered a device used by Galileo to publicize and justify his stand on the issue, to canvass the support of the Medici family, and to attempt to seek reconciliation with the church by clearing the air of the controversy which continued to dog his works. Throughout the letter, Galileo remains firm in reiterating his loyalty to the Catholic Church, its Council and its Supreme Pontiff, the Pope. Even when Galileo passionately defends experimental science, he reiterates his identity as a staunch Catholic. His intimate relationship with the Catholic Church cannot be denied. He initially studied for the priesthood, and was on friendly terms with Cardinal Bellarmine and Pope Urban VII. His two daughters, Virginia and Livia, became nuns at the Franciscan convent of St. Mathew, near Florence (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2010). Galileo’s belief in God is clearly stated. He sees the Div ine Maker revealed in nature’s actions. To him, his work in astronomy and his belief in God are but two mutually reconciled facets of his life. Galileo poignantly asserts his faith in God, and its expression in his work, with the words â€Å"the glory and greatness of Almighty God are marvelously discerned in all his works and divinely read in the open book of heaven† (Galileo, 1615.P22). He considers the faculty of reason to be a divine gift given to man. It is evident that he is deliberately assuming a placatory tone and is determined not to antagonize the Church, as far as possible. He declares, â€Å"I proceed with --- piety† (Galileo, 1615. P.12). Again, regarding the Bible, theologians and Church Councils, he firmly asserts that â€Å"I hold these to be of supreme authority† (Galileo, 1915. P12). He declares himself as willing to admit to any mistakes based on religious ignorance and is ready to submit to the church’s stand on the Copernican system. He does not claim from his works â€Å"any fruit that is not pious and Catholic† (Galileo, 1615. P.13). He makes his position with respect to the Church very clear by unequivocally stating, â€Å"that divine wisdom surpasses all human judgment and conjecture† (Galileo. 1615. P.15). He professes his â€Å"extraordinary esteem for the passages of holy Scripture† (Galileo, 1615. P18). Galileo attempts to clearly differentiate between his critics and adversaries, and the Church authorities. He denounces the former in the

Art and Intention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Art and Intention - Essay Example Quite often we see that the leaders of a new movement such as have been misunderstood and ridiculed before a critical mass begins to appreciate the value of their work. In this context, Michelangelo’s ‘David’ (1501-04) and Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Nude Descending a Staircase’ (1912) signified movements in art form that were ahead of their time. Discussion In the context of Michelangelo’s ‘David’, it is worthwhile to remember that this masterpiece was carved from a stone block that had various defects and fissures running through it. It had been refused earlier by both Sandro Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci. The statue of David stands 5.17 meters tall and Michelangelo had to do most of the work standing up. He was 26 years at the time. Originally meant for a Florentine cathedral, the final work took over two years to complete and weighed 6 tons and so it was unveiled as a public figure in the square outside the Palazzo della Signor ia, the seat of civic governance in Florence, where it stood as a symbol of civic liberties. Its initial unveiling met with the distaste of the local public, who objected against its nudity.

Enron Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Enron - Essay Example Within about 5 years of the emergence of the Internet and the Web, electricity consumption linked to this new phenomenon had surged to 8 percent of total consumption. Naturally enough, this caught the eye of the prosperous energy trader down in Houston. How could Enron play in this exciting new game (Jorion 2003, p. 6) In order for a firm to have a reasonable chance of success in the realm of the Internet, it needed to be able to control its risks. Well, this was something that Enron was in a very good position to do. In fact, very few companies in the 1990s were as well positioned as Enron to play in this game (or so it seemed). "What Enron has been about for a long time," said Jeff Skilling, then Enron's chief operating officer, "has been making and restructuring markets. If you look at the present phenomenon, the Internet, it also comes into existing markets and dramatically overhauls them. That's something we started doing in the mid-1980s. The Internet just gives us the juice to extend more products across more markets more quickly (Jorion 2003, p. 6)." In particular, Enron got interested in the exotic-sounding world of broadband, which is a catch-all term for high-speed access to the Internet through the use of fiber-optic cable. Broadband is little more than a data pipeline of great bandwidth, or carrying capacity. (Or more precisely, bandwidth "determines the speed at which data can flow through computer and communications systems without interference (Jorion 2003, p. 6)." Even at the time-even amid all the Internet hype and hoopla-people knew that the nascent broadband/ bandwidth industry was a dicey proposition. "The market will not be for the faint of heart or the ill-prepared," one observer commented. "Success will require careful consideration of the appropriate market entry strategy. Organizations must ask the tough questions, such as 'what's my appetite for risk' (Jorion 2003, p. 6)" Well, in Enron's case, the answer was "big appetite." In the spring of 1999, Enron created a company called Enron Communications, Inc., that soon changed its name to Enron Broadband Services (EBS). It began selling a standardized bandwidth product, effectively turning the elusive concept of bandwidth into a commodity (Jorion 2003, p. 6). WHAT WENT WRONG For a while, and especially from a particular perspective, it worked. That perspective, of course, was the price of a share of Enron stock. People loved the idea of Enron and the Internet converging. Within 9 months-that is, the period between year-end 1999 and September 2000- Enron's stock price soared. In fact, it more than doubled-from $44 to $90 (Jorion 2003, p. 6-7). For a group of ambitious and self-impressed executives-especially those with heavy stock options-stock-price fever is something like heroin addiction. It goes from being a nice-to-have to the be-all and end-all. And over time, you need more and more of the stuff to get those good feelings. (In fact, when you do not get the stuff, you start feeling bad.) Management got accustomed to a high and rising stock price-and so, by the way, did Wall Street (Jorion 2003, p. 7). When stock-price fever sets in, lots of other temptations begin

Meritocracy As An Ideology Sociology Essay

Meritocracy As An Ideology Sociology Essay Meritocracy can also refer to an idealised society where discrimination on the basis of race, nationality, gender, age, and other irrelevant characteristics is completely absent. Merit is the encompassing value, the basic and morally correct criterion for any and all social classifications, particularly in respect to socioeconomic standing and in public space. A notion, emphasising societal consensus on the means and processes of selection for particular roles through a system of sifting, sorting, and rewarding talent and ability, motivated by competition for qualifications that in turn structure access to wealth, prestige, and personal satisfaction. It is conceived as a repudiation of systems like aristocracy where individuals inherit their social status. A meritocracy resembles aristocracy in the classical sense of the term meaning rule by the best. What has happened over the centuries, however, is that aristocracy has become associated with hereditary privilege and a rigid class s ystem. Instead of this, a meritocracy promotes worthy individuals regardless of which social strata they happen to be born in and each individual has good fortune in proportion to the individuals deservingness (Rawls, 1999, Nozick 1974, Miller 1999). IQ tests primarily tap analytical, logic-based reasoning; and surely that kind of cognitive ability is related to performance in many job settings. But other kinds of cognitive ability are also related to performance and thus also represent merit. For instance: imagination, practical sense, and the ability to interpret others perspectives. By the same token, the effort component of Youngs formulation suggests that a number of personality factors may figure into a reasonable conception of merit. For example, being conscientious may enhance job performance. Of course, some individual traits and social skills may be rewarded because they reflect conformity to arbitrary group norms. It is not clear why the term merit should be identified so closely with mental ability as distinct from many other conditions and traits that improve the chances of social and economic success (Hauser et als, 2000, p. 203). David Miller (1996, 300) eluding on Walzer (1983) has indicated that a meritocracy is not only more stable but also more socially just if there are a number of socially recognised forms of merit: economic contribution would be one kind of merit, education and scholarship another, artistic achievement a third, public service yet another, and so forth. However these other conditions and traits do not contribute to a fair opportunity. In Rawls view, the correlation between ones social origins and ones outcome in life is zero in a meritocracy and as long as some form of the family exists in society fair opportunity cannot be achieved as (Rawls 1971, 64). The social context within which individuals grow up influences the achievements of equally competent persons. Success in the labour market is transmitted from parents to children, and the advantages of the children of successful parents go considerably beyond the benefits of the best education, wealth and genetic cognitive ability. Many of the criteria associated with individual talent and effort do not measure the individual in isolation but rather parallel the phenomena associated with aristocracy; what is called individual talent is actually a function of that individuals social position or opportunities gained by virtue of family and ancestry. Among these, for example, one might list ambition or drive, perseverance, responsibility, personal attractiveness, and physical or artistic skills or talents, along with access to social support and to favourable social and economic networks and resources. Access to education is partly defined by inheritance as much research has demonstrated (Bowles and Gintis, 2002; Bourdieu and Passeron 1990; Aschaffenburg and Maas 1997; Sacks, 2003; Ballantine 2001). Compiling evidence from other studies Herrnstein concludes that 80% of the differences in IQ among individuals is explained by inherited factors and 15% is explained by environmental factors (Herrnstein 1971, 171). Children from the upper class get upper class education, middle class children get middle class education, working class people get working class education, and poor people get poor education. Privileged young people can perceive reachable goals and develop lofty aspirations because they tend to benefit from high expectations and support networks from the fa mily and social milieu, as well as extensive economic and educational resources. Those who have the resources, via their parental background, will move through higher education, get well paid jobs, and postpone family plans until they are well into their thirties, building their financial and cultural capital significantly prior to family formation. Inheritance may provide access to powerful forms of social capital (who you know) and cultural capital (what you know). Bourdieu Passeron (1990) indicate that students who lack the required knowledge and skills with which to successfully navigate the parameters of middle class culture inevitably fail at school. It therefore seems that unequal educational opportunity is the driver of individual achievement. Research shows that as class rises so does the level of education. As a consequence, the expansion of higher education will broaden the gulf between rich and poor (Blanden et al. 2005). So achievement capacities are ascribed to social class. Thus, IQ tests measure intelligence as a reflection of inherent intellectual capacity combined with environmental influences. Thus parents can predispose their children to succeed or fail in life as they are a part of the environment that affect the abilities that children attain. Thus the first and foremost among non-merit factors is the effect of social class at birth on future life. Therefore truly equalizing childrens environments in an effort to create a system with equal opportunities for all would mean having to eliminate the family. Meritocracy thus could lead to a hereditary caste system that, far from promoting social mobility, actually makes social advancement nearly impossible for the lower orders. This could be the case if wealth and social position are or primarily distributed by unchangeable genetic characteristics of individuals. This argument can be reworked into the form of a Hernsteins syllogism: 1. If differences in mental abilities are inherited, and 2. If success requires those abilities, and 3. If earnings and prestige depend on success, 4. Then social standing (which reflects earnings and prestige) will be based to some extent on inherited differences among people. (Herrnstein 1971, 197-8) This implies that absolute equality of opportunity is an ideal that cannot be achieved. (Loury 1977, p. 176). For John Rawls, the question of distributive justice is rather different. He is not content to say that any person begins at some point in the process of acquisition and then is merely constrained by a set of rules and procedures to ensure fairness. Rather, the socioeconomic position of the agent is also considered. Rawls bases his query on how the agent is presented with the distribution of talents and social position. His conclusion is that these distributions are accidental and arbitrary. It is an accident that someone is born with whatever natural traits he may possess. The question is raised whether a meritocracy based on natural abilities is thus unfair. Some might contend, for example, that even if we do not deserve our natural abilities it is not unfair if we reap the rewards of those abilities because the system of reward is independent of the system of deserts. However, Rawls makes the case that social position is also random and arbitrary. The fact that natural abilities may or may not be rewarded in that society is an accident. To be rewarded based merely on an accident is not deserved. Thus, a meritocracy that is based on reward from undeserved social position is similarly unfair. Therefore, both natural abilities and social position may not be the basis of distributive justice because they are unfair. The naturally advantaged are not to gain merely because they are more gifted. The individual cannot help how she begins life. Why make her pay for her positive talents and advantages? The rectification of these disparities in Rawls is his difference principle that makes all inequalities subject to the stipulation that the least advantaged will benefit from them.

Legend that College Roommates Death Boosts GPA Essay -- Urban Legends

Dead Man's Curve--College Roommate's Death Boosts GPA Introduction and Background The legend I collected was one that I had heard before, although this version differed a little from the way I remember it. The storyteller was a 19 year-old male first year student at the University. He’s from Columbia, and his dad works in business while his mother is a homemaker. The telling of this story took place at the diner after we had finished eating: Well, my brother told me one his first summer back from attending University. He had heard the story one late night just before finals were supposed to begin. He was with a small group of friends and he had told him that he was worried about his grades. That was when a friend joked, â€Å"Well, if you’re desperate, you could kill your roommate.† The friend then elaborated that if his roommate died he magically would receive straight A’s for that semester. Context I had first heard of this legend when I saw movie on television called â€Å"Dead Man on Campus.† The film originally came out in the fall of 1998, but I had not seen it until 2003. I asked my subject if he had seen or heard of the movie. He told me that he had not. Although this legend may at first appear to be fairly straightforward, my research has shown that this legend exists in several forms. In the film version that I known, after hearing about a campus policy that gives a 4.0 to anyone if their roommate commits suicide, two freshman try to find a third roommate who is suicidal and push him over the edge. There are differences between the story I am familiar with and the story that was told to me by my subject. In my version, the death had to be a suicide while in my subject’s version any... .... The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings. New York: W.W. Norton, 1981. Butcher, James N. "Assessment in Clinical Psychology: A Perspective on the Past, Present Challenges, and Future Prospects." Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 13(3)(2006): 205-209. IMDb. 2007. The Internet Movie Database. 1 April 2007. http://www.imdb.com/. Mikkelson , Barbara. "Urban Legends Reference Pages: Grade Expectations." Urban Legends Reference Pages. 03 Mar 2007. Retrieved on 1 April 2007. http://www.snopes.com/college/admin/suicide.asp. Mortenson, Tom . "Suicide Among 15 to 24 Year Olds by Gender 1940 to 1998." Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY Number 132Jun 2003 01 April 2007. http://www.postsecondary.org/archives/previous/117302SUICIDE.pdf. Reisberg, Leo. "Hollywood Discovers an Apocryphal Legend." Chronicle of Higher Education (1998).

Capital Structure Essay

Capital structure is how a company finances its overall operations and growth by using funds from equity or debt (Investopedia, 2012). Of course, every company must determine its preference on its debt-to-equity ratio and determine which capital structure works best for them. Some approaches to analyzing capital structure are: 1.EBIT – EPS: This analyzes the impact of debt on earnings per share (EPS). Optimizing shareholder’s wealth is the optimum goal and therefore, this approach analyzes the high EPS based on an expected range of earnings before income taxes (EBIT). 2.Valuation: Determines impact of debt use on shareholder’s value by determining the level of debt at which the benefits of increased debt no longer outweigh the increased risks and expenses associated with financing (Wenk, 2012) 3.Cash Flow: Analyzes a firm’s debt capacity by using the weighted average of cost of capital (WACC). The WACC is a calculation of a firm’s cost of capital in which each capital source (bonds, stock and other long-term debt) are proportionally weighted to determine how much interest the company has to pay for every dollar it finances (Investopedia, 2012). Look more:  capital budgeting examples essay Part of Competition Bikes’ (CB) main consideration in the decision to merge or acquire Canadian Biking is working capital. Lets use the EBIT – EPS approach to determine how to maximize shareholder return while minimizing the cost of capital. We currently know Canadian Biking’s moderate sales forecast of EBIT figures for the next 5 years (Year 9 – 13), therefore we can apply the EBIT – EPS approach to choose an optimal capital structure. The total of capital sources in each of the 5 years is $600,000. We will use EBIT – EPS to determine which assortment of bonds*, preferred stock, and common stock is the best option to increase Canadian Biking’s EPS. The five alternative capital structures include: Option 1: 100% Bonds (fully financed) Option 2: 50% Preferred Stock & 50% Common Stock (no bonds) Option 3: 20% Bonds & 80% Common Stock Option 4: 40% Bonds & 60% Common Stock Option 5: 60% Bonds & 40% Common Stock *Annual bond interest rate is 9% After using the EBIT – EPS approach using the forecasted EBIT amounts for Years 9 through 13, we can average the EPS for each of the 5 years to determine which capital structure produced the highest EPS. The EPS averages computed for the capital structure options are: Option 1: Average EPS = .0452 Option 2: Average EPS = .0542 Option 3: Average EPS = .0526 Option 4: Average EPS = .051 Option 5: Average EPS = .0494 Based on the EBIT – EPS approach, the recommended capital structure is option 2, â€Å"50% preferred stock & 50% common stock†. This is the best capital structure mainly because there are two things to consider: 1) long-term debt and associated interest expense and, 2) equity and # of common shares. Option 2 is the best capital structure because there are no bonds and therefore, no interest expense. For example, if we look at option 1 in Year 9, and the bond interest is 9%, then the bond interest expense is $54,000 (.09*600,00). This lowers the income before taxes by $54,000. Although companies can finance debt and use the interest expense deduction to lower their taxable income, it doesn’t make sense for Canadian Bikes to fully finance their capital, because the interest expense costs outweigh the benefit of the tax deduction, resulting in a significant decrease in total income available for common stock. Additionally, because the capital structure consists of 300,000 shares of preferred stock, the company must pay dividends of 5%, reducing the company’s total income available for common stock by $15,000 (.05 * 300,000). Although this reduces the total income available for common stock, the company will maximize its EPS by only having 50% capital in common stock. This reduces the total number of common shares outstanding, which means less shares to divide the total income among. Therefore, Option 2 is the most optimal capital structure that considers minimizing long-term  debt expenses and the optimal number of common shares in order to maximize shareholder return. CAPITAL BUDGETING: Competition Bikes’ is considering building a manufacturing facility in a new Canadian location. The total investment for this project would be $600,000 USD. This consists of $400,000 to build the facility and an additional $200,000 in working capital to support operational costs. The company has projected cash flows over the next five years; therefore we can use cash flow budgeting methods such as net present value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) that consider time value of money for long-term investments (Pearson Education, Inc., 2008). Net present value analyzes the profitability of a project by determining the difference between the present value of the project’s cash inflows and outflows followed by subtracting the initial investment. (Investopedia, 2012). The decision rule applied to NPV is fairly simple, if the NPV is positive, invest; if the difference is negative, do not invest. Competition Bikes applies NPV to forecasted low and moderate sales for the next 5 years. After using the forecasted sales for low demand, the total present value (after subtracting cash outflows from inflows) is $560,719. If we subtract the initial investment of $600,000 from this amount, the NPV is -$39,281. This is a significant warning that the company should not proceed in building a manufacturing facility. On the other hand, if we use the forecasted sales for moderate demand, the total present value is $608,447. If we subtract the initial investment of $600,000, the NPV is $8,447. Therefore a positive NPV indicates the company should proceed with building the manufacturing facility. The biggest concern is determining which NPV to lean towards based on low or moderate sales. Unfortunately, the risk of having low sales outweighs the profitability benefit of having moderate sales. It is too risky for CB to move forward with the investment based on the NPV of low sales (-$39,281). In order for the company to profit from this investment, CB would need to have a moderate sales demand at minimum! The present value in NPV is calculated using an interest rate, also known as the required rate of return. CB’s required rate of return is 10%. When this interest rate is altered or calculated to make the total present value equal to the initial investment, the NPV becomes equal to zero; this is called the internal rate of return (IRR) (Pearson Education, Inc., 2008). The IRR is what a company can expect to earn from investing in the project and the higher the IRR, the more desirable the investment. The calculated IRR for low demand cash flows is 8.2% and the IRR for moderate demand cash flows is 10.4%. Based on these IRR figures, the company should not pursue the capital investment because the average IRR between both low and moderate sales is 9.3%. This is below the company’s required return on capital (hurdle rate) of 10% to pursue a capital investment. Again, the company would need to have a moderate sales demand, at minimum for this capital investment to be profitable and should therefore not pursue building a new manufacturing facility. WORKING CAPITAL: CB must effectively obtain and manage working capital for the expansion of the operation. CB must first look at their operating cycle, cash conversion cycle and free cash flow factors in order to improve production and management of working capital. Let’s discuss the company’s current status of each of the working capital and cash flow factors and determine how the company can improve in these areas. First, the operating cycle involves CB sending the distributor a monthly invoice for all raw materials ordered with terms of net/30 days. This can be improved by renegotiating the payment terms will distributors to net/15 days. This would increase cash flows by improving payment turn around time and accounts receivable collections. Additionally, the company can improve its relations with its distributers to increase effectiveness of its collection process. Another operating cycle factor is ordering and paying for inventory. Currently, the company pays for inventory in the month following production and all inventory ordered for the month is used leaving inventory levels (at the end of each month) at consistent levels. In order  to improve working capital the company should utilize and lower its year ending inventory balance. For example, at the end of Year 8, the company had $91,573 worth of inventory left over. The company should utilize the current inventory on hand before ordering similar raw material items. This will decease cash flows and leave fewer inventories on hand at the end of the year. Currently the average time in inventory is 25 days. This is a substantial turnaround time currently, however in the future, the company can consider replacing labor workers with fixed asset items to improve production time. This will satisfy customer demand by decreasing delivery time and improve cash flows by invoicing customers more frequently than 25 days after production. CB’s cash conversion cycle factors also impact working capital. Currently, the CB’s suppliers invoice at the end of the month for orders that month with terms of net/15. CB does an excellent job of preserving its cash flows by paying the invoices on the 15th of the month following the order.. CB can improve its working capital by negotiating for longer payment terms, i.e. net/30 days, allowing for more time for the company to earn money to pay their invoices. If this is not possible, the company can improve its forecasting measurements for ordering supplies and order the majority of the supplies needed for the month at the beginning of the month. This would increase the amount of time the company has sufficient supplies on hand without having to pay more money, (because the suppliers will still invoice for the orders at the end of the month, regardless of how early in the month the supplies were ordered). This can increase working capital because it acts as a contingency plan, to reduce the likelihood of running out of supplies, avoiding delays, or ordering supplies in excess. Free cash flow factors also affect CB’s working capital. Currently, the company recognizes depreciation in both manufacturing overhead and as depreciation expenses depending on the fixed asset. The company can use their depreciation data to increase management of cash flows by predicting when the company will have to spend a significant amount of money to replace an asset when its useful life expires. This will prepare CB for those unwanted – although necessary – fixed asset costs. Currently the  corporation’s marginal tax rate is 25%. The company can consider obtaining working capital by financing debt. This will leave the company with an interest expense at the end of the year, which is deductible from gross earnings and results in paying lower taxes. After CB improves its working capital, let’s discuss how CB can use its working capital for the lease vs. buy option for a factory building in Canada. CB can use its working capital to cover the $50,000 down payment (or buy out option if they decide to lease) and $200,000 for operational costs of the new factory. According to the data provided for the lease vs. buy option, the lease option will preserve cash outflows of $12,339, (purchase cash outflows are $333,999 and lease cash outflows are $321,660). Therefore, the company should lease the manufacturing facility to preserve cash outflows. Leasing the facility will also allow CB to deduct annual interest payments (6% interest) from the gross earnings to lower their tax payments. This will increase the company’s net earnings at the end of the year, also resulting in higher retained earnings and increased shareholder value. MERGER OR ACQUISITION: CB should consider many factors when deciding to merge or acquire Canadian Biking. Let’s analyze the pros and cons between a merge vs. acquisition and determine what the best move would be for CB. First off, if the company were to merge with Canadian Biking, the potential EPS would increase by approximately .021. This shows potential for increased ownership earnings, but is it significant enough? At the same token, the price/earnings ratio for Canadian Bikes at the end of Year 8 was 9 and CB’s was 70. This shows that CB’s current investors are expecting greater earnings in Year 9 and are willing to pay $70 for $1 of current earnings. This is not the case with Canadian Biking’s investors. Unfortunately a low P/E ratio of 9 indicates that investors are not expecting a significant growth in company earnings. This raises a concern if the merge will result in a potential increase of .021 in EPS. On the other hand, a merge would result in lower costs because CB would not be purchasing Canadian Biking outright. Canadian Biking also has a lower cost competition bike that can decrease production costs and complement CB’s current bike model being offered. This will result in  greater net earnings and cash flows. If the company were to acquire Canadian Bikes, CB can expect a gradual increase in cash inflows over the next 5 years. However, the current offered sales price for Canadian Biking is $286,000; this is 30% more than what the company was valued at, at the end of Year 8. Although CB has enough working capital to make the purchase, it would take 5 years of gradually increasing cash inflows to recoup the price tag of $286,000. This means it could take approximately 5 years, before shareholders saw a significant increase in earnings per share. Based on the pro and cons, CB should merge with Canadian Bikes to lower their production and delivery costs, increase net income, EPS and cash flows, and preserve working capital. The price to acquire Canadian Biking is simply unreasonable based on predicted cash inflows over the next 5 years. The merger will enhance CB’s market position in Canada by having a local distributer to handle all customer orders and provide cost effective and great customer service to the growing Canadian market. References Investopedia. (2012). Capital Structure. Retrieved from http://www.kotzinvaluation.com/articles/capital-structure.htm Investopedia. (2012). Weighted Average Cost of Capital. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/wacc.asp#axzz2Azkq4E2V Investopedia. (2012). Net Present Value. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/npv.asp#axzz2Azkq4E2 Pearson Education, Inc.. (2008). Horngren Accounting. Retrieved from http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/wps/media/objects/6716/6877765/hha08_flash_main.html?chapter=null&page=1042&anchory=null&pstart=null&pend=null Wenk, D. (2012). Using an optimal capital structure in business valuation. Retrieved from http://www.kotzinvaluation.com/articles/capital-structure.htm