Monday, August 24, 2020

Events surrounding Royal Bank of Scotland acquisition of NatWest Dissertation

Occasions encompassing Royal Bank of Scotland securing of NatWest - Dissertation Example The investigation of the paper shows that the thought processes behind mergers and acquisitions of NatWest or different business combination across Europe are the cooperative energies and different integrative advantages that can be inferred in banking industry. Significant effect of macroeconomic components persuading such practices were residential deregulation, lower intrigues rates prompting sliding interest pay edge and rising development. Besides, the 1990s monetary strength was moved from Eastern budgetary organizations toward the Western banks and innovative advancement particularly as far as IT, changes in corporate reasoning and expanding significance of corporate administration practices and investor riches creation were other central point that propelled the banks to search for potential acquisitions. In this manner, costs decrease, income enlargement and NatWest’s wide nearness pulled in an a lot littler banks like RBS to offer and procure Britain’s one of the most established financial organizations. The examination of RBS yearly reports gives significant understanding in to whether this has expanded RBS’ shareholders’ riches. The outcomes show that there have been more than anticipated incomes and costs reserve funds in post procurement period while the net intrigue pay, complete salary, and EPS have all expanded in supreme terms. Nonetheless, the examination of RBS and NatWest with the market returns shows that no worth is made for the investors in post obtaining period. The explanation could have been that RBS proceeded with its obtaining binge without thought of investors, which shows poor administration rehearses in RBS Group.... Drivers of NatWest Acquisition 13 2.1.5 Structure of Global Banking Industry in 1990s 15 2.1.6 Impetus of Mergers in UK Banking Industry 16 2.1.7 Impact of Consolidation on Firms’ Efficiency 20 3. Part 3 22 3.1 Critical Evaluation and Analysis 22 4. Part 4 35 4.1 Conclusion and Recommendation 35 Reference List 37 Bibliography 44 1. Part 1 1.1 Project Background and Introduction The development of world exchange as clear from budgetary and financial globalization has given significant advantages to the nations. Quite a bit of these advantages have been an aftereffect of the mergers and procurement exercises that has occurred far and wide in each area. Improvement in cost to salary proportion is one of the significant explanations behind merger and procurement. Simultaneously, procurement has another expansive perspective. This aides in expanding piece of the overall industry and decreasing rivalry essentially, which upgrade firm’s nearness and haggling control over shopp ers as well as providers. This paper is a basic examination of one of these acquisitions that occurred among RBS and NatWest at the turn of 21st century in UK. This task is laid out in four areas. The principal area gives the examination point and targets. The subsequent segment is the writing audit, which includes the meanings of merger and securing, foundation of NatWest and RBS, drivers of NatWest obtaining, structure of worldwide financial industry, and the stimulus for combination when all is said in done and in UK banking industry lastly, the effect such solidification has had on the structure and effectiveness of the consolidated banks. The third segment is the basic assessment of the speculations in the light of the acquisition’s impacts on both the banks. Also, ultimately, the fourth segment finishes up the paper. 1.2 Project

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Operations Management Coursework on Night Club Events - 1

Activities Management on Night Club Events - Coursework Example Chances that the super force would lessen in the following decades are obviously high. The best situated nations to challenge America’s noticeable quality are found in East Asia and universally by China. (Abdelnour, Wesley and Herman pg57) It is accepted that if Chinas financial development proceeds reliably the following two decades just in a similar pace as the most recent two decades, at that point it would outperform and match the United States of America as far as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) .GDP isn't estimated as far as dollar yet as far as buying power equality. Regardless of whether Chinas monetary status doesn't arrive at the Americas guidelines, it is remarkable that the development has made a key political motivation in the whole East Asia. The financial clout expands East Asia influencing both extraordinary forces and the creating nations because of excitement for crude materials and serious costs for minimal effort products. China is unflinching in ascending the innovative stepping stool, a reasonable sign that it may influence United States of America monetarily. As of now China is viewed as the most predominant military powerhouse in the whole East Asia along these lines making huge steps making greatn ess in the military. The strained connection among USA and Russia has been fuelled by Americans enthusiasm for Crimea concerning the authorizations that have been appended to Russia as of late by President Barrack Obama of the United States. A few banks have been boycotted by the US government following the Russian penetrations in Ukraine. Dominant part of Russian agents in the United States who have close connections with Vladimir Putin have been ousted from the nation. President Obama has likewise accompanied techniques to tame a few pieces of the Russian economy containing both the oil and gas enterprises which structure a lot of Russians send out. (Abdelnour, Wesley and Herman pg29) As indicated by President Barack Obama, the activity would meddle with the

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Can active reading actually improve your grades

Can active reading actually improve your grades Can active reading actually improve your grades? If we told you that during your time at university, changing how you're reading material could make a difference to the grade with which you graduate, would you believe us? Just like anything that requires practise to be better â€" like piano playing, baking, tennis â€" reading is a skill. You can work on it to improve your ability, and in turn increase your chances of success at university. Now, what type of reader are you? When you first read the title of this article, did you think about what its contents might entail? Did you make an assessment of how useful this article might be and consciously decide to read it based on that? Or, are you just browsing? The point we’re trying to make here is that there is a difference between reading say, a fictional book or an article in a glossy magazine, and the reading you need to do at university. Sounds obvious, but you may be surprised by just how many students don’t take an active role in their academic reading. Being active when reading can make a tremendous difference to how much you learn. And being able to learn a lot in a short space of time is particularly important for two reasons. First, at university there is a lot of reading to do. If you are taking multiple classes in multiple different subjects, then this becomes even more significant. Second, not everything you’ll read will be interesting (in the same way that a novel you have chosen to read might be). So it pays to have great reading skills. This blog post is designed to offer you some strategies for active reading, along with some tips and tricks about what to do when you are short on time and need to get through the basics of the material. Active reading â€" what is it? The Cambridge English Dictionary describes being passive as “not acting to influence or change a situation.” This is true of passive reading â€" when you are reading passively, you’re not analysing, critiquing or assessing the material being read. Conversely, active reading requires far more involvement from the reader; it works like a discussion between the reader and the material. The active reader does not just sit there and flip through the assigned pages, but engages with the reading and critiques the development of ideas. There are three parts to the reading process: before reading, during reading, and after reading. All three parts have a function, but the way they are approached is different for active and passive readers. Before reading, an active reader will seek out the title, think about the topic and look at the learning outcomes/subheadings for the reading. During reading, the active reader will break the material into manageable chunks and maintain focus. He or she might ask questions that they hope will be answered later in the chapter. After reading, an active reader will recall what has been read and summarise what they have learned. How can you become an active reader, or improve further on your active reading skills? It takes practice and perseverance to master this skill, but it’s certainly not impossible. The following techniques will help you hone your reading abilities. Common techniques for active reading Skim-reading Skimming is a process of absorbing the main point without going into too much detail. If you are absolutely pressed for time, this is the minimum amount of work you should do. For an active reader this is only the first step. But if an exam is looming, reviewing the headings, topic sentences of each section, chapter introduction and summary offers at least some insight into what the chapter will contain. For an active reader, skimming becomes the ‘before reading’ component as described above. It gives you the main topics you are going to review in the reading. Critical reading Critical reading is the questioning part of the reading process. Critical reading and active reading are almost synonymous. When you are reading critically, you are assuming that the author has made choices about what they are including in their own writing. It is your job as the reader to navigate what they are saying, to understand it, and to determine how the writing fits in to the larger picture. Being critical does not necessarily mean being negative, though that certainly can be one component that occurs in the critical reading process. Scanning Scanning differs than skimming because with scanning you are looking for the response to a particular question. Scanning might be helpful if you are trying to answer a specific question (e.g. from the end of the chapter review or learning outcomes). Scanning is a useful tool for the ‘after reading’ process if you are having difficulty clarifying a particular point from the reading. The SQ3R method One of the main reading strategies that students can find useful is the SQ3R method, which asks students to survey (S), question (Q), read, recall, and review (3R). It is important to note that the SQ3R method is a higher-level study skill, and something that you are going to use to read academic material like journal articles, textbooks, or research studies. You’ll likely have a far greater level of comprehension at the end of this process than if you employ a reading technique discussed above, but it takes time to complete. This is key with academic reading: while you will get faster at the overall process, it still is going to take you much longer to read than your favourite novel. The outcome, however, is likely going to be a better score on the essay or exam linked to the reading, so taking the time to complete this strategy might be well worth it in the end. So what’s involved with the SQ3R method of reading? Survey You begin with a skim of the title of the chapter, the introduction, the table of contents, any illustrations, photos, charts or graphs, and the summary paragraph at the end of the chapter. At this point you are looking for any strange vocabulary that you are unfamiliar with (and if you find some, you are going to want to look up the definitions before you get to the next stages). You are also trying to figure out what the main point of the chapter will be and what arguments you think will be developed. Surveying should not take you long â€" maybe just a few minutes or so. What you are trying to do is get the main point and orient yourself with the ideas that are still to come. Question Here, as the title suggests, you are looking to answer four main questions: What is the main point? What evidence supports this main point? What examples are being used as evidence? How is this related to the rest of the chapter/article or to other parts of the book, or to you as a student/human? One way that you might want to get started with this is to turn the first heading or the first sentence of each paragraph into a question. By doing this, you are effectively telling yourself what you need to look for in order to find that main point. A point to remember with this stage is that not only are you creating a question with that first heading, but you are also looking to answer it. If you only create the question, you are not really meeting the criteria here and putting yourself at a disadvantage. Read A fairly self-explanatory step, you next need to sit down and read the entire material. Do your best to stay focused on the material. It can be difficult to focus for long periods of time, so try and break your readings up into 25-minute chunks with a five-to-ten-minute break after each session. This will help your brain stay active and involved in the task. Read our article on The Pomodoro Technique â€" how to break your task load down into chunks for better productivity > In addition, we know that taking notes while reading increases the level of retention, so it is important that you note-take while doing bulk reading. These notes do not have to be particularly detailed, but they should probably be handwritten (because this leads to even better retention rates). You can write notes in a notebook or just add them to the margins of whatever you are reading. If you are using a highlighter, do so sparingly. Your goal is not to become really good at highlighting; your goal is to understand and retain the information in the chapter. Recall Sometimes referred to as ‘recite’ rather than ‘recall’ (though the purpose remains much the same), this step requires you try and verbalise what you have read in a section or chapter. Here, you want to close the book and explain to yourself (out loud preferably) what you understood and how the questions you initially posed were answered in their entirety. This step is great for wheedling out what you don’t really know. If you can’t verbalise what you have read, you probably didn’t fully understand it in the first place. So, open the book and skim the section again, they try to recall once more. While some people only like to recall after they have read an entire chapter, others like to do it after every section. This choice is up to you, but trying to recall a long chapter might be particularly challenging and your retention may end up being limited. Review The final step in the active reading process is the review; it may be last, but it is certainly not least in importance. This process seeks to combat our human tendency to forget what we read after time has passed. It involves going over your notes repeatedly, or re-thinking about the larger perspective on the topics within the material. In the lead up to an exam, reviewing your notes and the material daily is advised. If you are not necessarily preparing for a test, a weekly review should suffice. In summary... To recap, we kicked off above with discussing the difference between active and passive reading. Try wherever you can in your university studies to be an active reader â€" save the passiveness for your recreational reading. Then we covered some of the more common types of active reading, as well as the SQ3R method, which requires time and effort to master but will be very worth it, if you choose to use it. Don’t be afraid to try and use these reading strategies as you work to become a stronger reader of academic texts. By regularly practising active reading, you will increase your ability to retain information, become better at understanding texts more quickly, and improve your critiquing skill â€" a wholly fundamental part of essay writing and answering exam questions. Remember too, that changing old habits take time, and active reading may take you a while to master; persevere and you are likely to become a much better overall reader, and student. You may also like... How to write a first-class essay and ace your degree Everything you need to know about exam resits Great essay writing in 8 steps critical readingessay preparationexam preparationreadingstudy tipstaking notes

Friday, May 22, 2020

Understand and Prevent Memory Leaks in Delphi

Delphis support for object-oriented programming is rich and powerful. Classes and objects allow for modular code programming. Along with more modular and more complex components come more sophisticated and more complex bugs. While developing applications in Delphi is (almost) always fun, there are situations when you feel like the whole world is against you. Whenever you need to use (create) an object in Delphi, you need to free the memory it consumed (once no longer needed). Surely, the try/finally memory guarding blocks can help you prevent memory leaks; its still up to you to safeguard your code. A memory (or resource) leak occurs when the program loses the ability to free the memory it consumes. Repeated memory leaks cause the memory usage of a process to grow without bounds. Memory leaks are a serious problem -- if you have a code causing memory leak, in an application running 24/7, the application will eat up all the memory available and finally make the machine stop responding. Memory Leaks in Delphi The first step to avoiding memory leaks is to understand how they occur. What follows is a discussion on some common pitfalls and best practices for writing non-leaking Delphi code. In most (simple) Delphi applications, where you use the components (Buttons, Memos, Edits, etc.) you drop on a form (at design time), you do not need to care too much about memory management. Once the component is placed on a form, the form becomes its owner and will free the memory taken by the component once the form is closed (destroyed). Form, as the owner, is responsible for memory deallocation of the components it hosted. In short: components on a form are created and destroyed automatically Examples of Memory Leaks In any non-trivial Delphi application, you will want to instantiate Delphi components at run time. You will, also, have some of your own custom classes. Lets say you have a class TDeveloper that has a method DoProgram. Now, when you need to use the TDeveloper class, you create an instance of the class by calling the Create method (constructor). The Create method allocates memory for a new object and returns a reference to the object. varzarko : TDeveloperbeginzarko : TMyObject.Create;zarko.DoProgram;end; And heres a simple memory leak! Whenever you create an object, you must dispose of the memory it occupied. To free the memory an object allocated, you must call the Free method. To be perfectly sure, you should also use the try / finally block: varzarko : TDeveloperbeginzarko : TMyObject.Create;tryzarko.DoProgram;finallyzarko.Free;end;end; This is an example of safe memory allocation and deallocation code. Some words of warning: If you want to dynamically instantiate a Delphi component and explicitly free it sometime later, always pass nil as the owner. Failure to do so can introduce unnecessary risk, as well as performance and code maintenance problems. Besides creating and destroying objects using the Create and Free methods, you must also be very careful when using external (files, databases, etc) resources.Lets say you need to operate on some text file. In a very simple scenario, where the AssignFile method is used to associate a file on a disk with a file variable when you are finished with the file, you must call CloseFile to free the file handle to begin used. This is where you do not have an explicit call to Free. varF: TextFile;S: string;beginAssignFile(F, c:\somefile.txt) ;tryReadln(F, S) ;finallyCloseFile(F) ;end;end; Another example includes loading external DLLs from your code. Whenever you use LoadLibrary, you must call FreeLibrary: vardllHandle : THandle;begindllHandle : Loadlibrary(MyLibrary.DLL) ;//do something with this DLLif dllHandle 0 then FreeLibrary(dllHandle) ;end; Memory Leaks in .NET? Although with Delphi for .NET the garbage collector (GC) manages most memory tasks, it is possible to have memory leaks in .NET applications. Heres an article discussion GC in Delphi for .NET. How to Fight Against Memory Leaks Besides writing modular memory-safe code, preventing memory leaks can be done by using some of the third-party tools available. Delphi Memory Leak Fix Tools help you catch Delphi application errors such as memory corruption, memory leaks, memory allocation errors, variable initialization errors, variable definition conflicts, pointer errors, and more.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Analysis Of Oedipus The King - 1571 Words

â€Å"The only thing worse than being blind, is having sight with no vision†. This quote by American author Helen Keller perfectly captures the main characters journey in the play Oedipus the king by Sophocles. In this play the reader finds out that to see the truth one does not have to have eyes but have an open mind. The reader learns this through the quest the main character takes to solve a mystery in his kingdom. The main character, Oedipus is the king of a Greek city called Thebes who was from Corinth. He came to Thebes because there was prophecy stating that he would kill his father and marry is mother, so he left for Thebes where he solved the riddle and took the crown. While Oedipus was the kings, the city of Thebes fell into bad times†¦show more content†¦As the play continues Oedipus once again calls for a seer but this time he called for the oracle of Delphi, Teiresias. During this encounter many things go wrong that reveal how little knowledge Oedipus has of his past and the situation the city is in. The oracle Delphi is blind only being able to see what he prophesizes or has the knowledge about. In this situation the oracle knows that the corruption of the land is Oedipus while he doesn’t or doesn’t want to believe it. Oedipus asks the oracle for the answer but Teiresias doesn’t want to say anything because what he knows is worse for Oedipus than not knowing the truth. This is another case where not having knowledge makes you blind like Oedipus but having knowledge can make you see like the oracle even though he is physically blind. Tiresias says â€Å", how terrible-to see the truth is only pain to him who sees (line, 359)!† in this quote he tries to explain that because Oedipus can’t see the truth he can’t feel the pain that comes with it be if he could he would understand why it’s painful. The seer believes this so much that he says â€Å"just send me home. You bear your burdens, ill bear mine. It’s better that way, please believe me (line 363).† After the oracle says this to Oedipus, he becomes even more blind but instead of being blind because he has no knowledge it’s because he’s blind with anger. Oedipus adds beingShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Oedipus The King 1127 Words   |  5 Pages For A Life Of Regrets Oedipus the King is a play written by Sophocles. Oedipus is the main figure and legend of Sophocles play. After Oedipus birth into the world, his father King Laius of Thebes heard from a prophet that his own child was destined to kill him. Sophocles play begins from past to present and starts to unravel the journeys Oedipus goes through. Oedipus isn t an evil character as one would think while reading the story. He neverRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus Oedipus The King 1152 Words   |  5 Pagesreading Oedipus the King. The number of times the words â€Å"see† or â€Å"blind† are in the play make it make it undeniably obvious that they are significant. The theme is developed throughout the dialogue, through characters such as Tiresias and Oedipus, and also directly in the irony of the play. It is important in a play about the truth because almost every character was â€Å"blind† to the truth. All of the characters, except one, can physically see, bu t mentally cannot see the truth. Oedipus seems toRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Oedipus The King1025 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Analysis: Oedipus the King Oedipus the King is a tragic play showing a shift from the belief of fate to freedom of choice. Therefore, Oedipus the king is a great example of those who run from fate ends up fulfilling their fate After reading this type of tragic play â€Å"Oedipus the King† written by Sophocles you can see that the author did a very outstanding form of presenting a tragedy that has the characteristics of mimesis and a tragic hero. Specifically, the writer written the playRead MoreOedipus the King Character Analysis1321 Words   |  6 PagesLancaster ENG230 11/25/2010 Oedipus the King Character Analysis Oedipus the King had accomplished many great things during his reign of Thebes and in his life time. Oedipus found out during his reign in Thebes that the Gods who loved him also knew his devastating fate. As a young man when Oedipus answered the riddle the Sphinx he soon found his self having everything want and need. He earned his spot as the new King of Thebes, he had a great wife and lovely set of childrenRead MoreAnalysis Essay: Oedipus the King1017 Words   |  4 Pages Casual Analysis Essay: Oedipus the King Sophocles play Oedipus the King has endured for over two thousand years. The plays lasting appeal may be attributed to the fact it encompasses all the classical elements of tragedy as put forth by Aristotle in Poetics nearly a century before it was written. According to Aristotle, tragedy needs to be an imitation of life according to the law of probability or necessity. Tragedy is serious, complete, and has magnitude. It must have a beginning, middleRead MoreOedipus The King Character Analysis1429 Words   |  6 Pages Mrs. Long-Goldberg Honors World Lit/Comp 26 September, 2017 Ignorance Can Lead to Great Agony Plays were of great importance in early Greek culture. Plays were the main source of entertainment, and one of the most prominent examples is Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. The drama is uplifted by the character development and excellent structure Sophocles has put forward. Interactions between characters and each character’s motivations generate brilliant themes throughout the play. SophoclesRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Oedipus The King1419 Words   |  6 PagesAdhikari Mrs. Long-Goldberg Honors World Lit/Comp 26 September, 2017 Ignorance Can Lead to Great Agony Plays were of great importance in early Greek culture. Plays were the main source of entertainment, and one of the most prominent examples is Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. The drama is uplifted by the character development and excellent structure Sophocles has put forward. Interactions between characters and each character’s motivations generate brilliant themes throughout the play. SophoclesRead MoreOedipus The King Analysis1357 Words   |  6 PagesThe Greek play, Oedipus the King, shows how easy it is for a man to fall apart, while trying to make things right. Sophocles’ tragedy tells the story of Oedipus, a regular man turned king of Thebes. Throughout the tragedy, Oedipus searches for the cause of the chaos and havoc encompassing his land; however, he discovers that he is the one responsible for the hardships plaguing Thebes. As the tragedy continues, Sophocles’ exposes a dark side to power, fame, and ambition. Further, Sophocles’ expose sRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus The King 1696 Words   |  7 PagesDaKan Wei Professor Annjeanette Wiese HUMN 1110 1 October 2014 Fatalism in Oedipus the King Tragedy has always been considered the highest form of literature; Oedipus the King is written by Sophocles who is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians, it fully represents the enduring charm of the ancient Greek tragedy, leaving the reader endless thinking. Through Oedipus’ misfortune, Sophocles tries to reveal the cause of their tragedy is ubiquitous and ever-present fate,Read MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus The King1145 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus goes against the Chorus as he strongly defends himself as the people intensify his incrimination of killing the old king. Oedipus could not believe in his wildest dreams that he murdered his own father and was the husband of his mother. As an adopted runaway boy and a newfound king, he had to dig deep in his past to ease his burden. The Chorus’ incrimination of the King has brought the town into a downward spiral due to finding the real truth of the blind prophet. The relevance of Oedipus’

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

A Belief Essay Free Essays

â€Å"I believe in God, the Father Almighty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  starts the famous Catholic prayer, the Apostle’s Creed. And this is how I will also start this paper. I am not a very religious person but I do believe in a Supreme Being, in God, in an invisible an invincible hand that has created everything there is in on earth. We will write a custom essay sample on A Belief Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now This belief of mine is probably one of the most difficult things to prove since no one has ever actually seen this God I am pertaining to. However, a lot of people share my belief and a proof of this is the many religions and religious sects all over the world. The world kneels down and prays. Most of us pray for ourselves, our families, our relatives, our neighbors, even for people we do not know, and even for our enemies. We say our graces before and after meals; we close our eyes and talk to God before we rest for the night; and we blurt out God’s name when we are caught up in extremely tough situations. Why do we do these things? It’s as if prayers are our e-mails, text messages, or phone calls to the God we cannot see but can only feel. We believe that somebody out or up there actually will read through our messages and reply or someone will answer our calls to listen to our pleas and eventually grant our wishes and fulfill our dreams. Even for not-so-religious or not-so-spiritual people, a simple â€Å"Thank God! † or â€Å"Oh my God! † is already an indirect or subtle acknowledgment that indeed there is a God. But where is God? Is he a male? Is she a female? Who knows? What I know is that when I was a kid, my Mom would always warn me to be good because someone up there in heaven is watching over my actions. So I came to believe that God lives in the heavens, smiling every time I am obedient but frowning in times I am naughty. As I grew older, I knew about the church, the sacred place for worship. It is here where people honor and praise God. A united community gathers and celebrates God’s goodness. Prayers and songs of praise fill the air in glorifying God’s name. But still, no physical being comes down from heaven to join in the holy celebration. Now that I am much wiser, I am told that I can find God in my fellowmen – in my so-called brothers and sisters. God can actually be anyone from my Dad, to the cab driver, to my teacher, to a beggar, to a waiter, to whomever who does good deeds. God can be in disguise, in nameless faces, in unfamiliar places, in unexpected circumstances. Wherever happiness and goodness exist, God definitely exists. The Bible, which has existed since time immemorial, is a living proof of God’s divine existence. Just like us today, the earliest people have felt God’s presence in their lives. However, just like us as well, they only knew God as the creator, the Supreme Being, the higher one. Nobody knew God’s ways – how he/she looks, how he/she speaks, his/her mannerisms or hobbies, what have you. Except probably for films and TV shows that portray God either as an old man in a white shining robe or just plain white light, speaking in a mellow commanding voice, we know nothing of his/her true nature. What we know are the marvelous wondrous things God has done for us. I believe God knows what is best for each one of us that’s why we call him/her the great provider who gives us only the things – material or non-material, which we truly need. God is the hand that showers us with blessings. God is the light that guides every step or endeavor we take. God is the teacher who teaches us valuable lessons to learn in life. God is the kind heart that forgives all our shortcomings. God is the perfect epitome of how we should all live our lives. In my life, I always adhere to â€Å"To see is to believe. † But in the case of believing in God, not everything I do not see is unbelievable. I believe in God and will continue to do so. Why? Just simply call it faith. How to cite A Belief Essay, Essays

Monday, April 27, 2020

Othello Vs Much Ado About Nothing Essays - Othello, Emilia, Iago

Othello Vs Much Ado About Nothing The two villains in ?Much Ado About Nothing? and ?Othello? share much in common, despite their numerous differences. It is evident that Shakespeare framed the second piece of literature to be similar to the first. Although shorter, the plot of ?Othello? is definitely more complex. The villains play a major part in the novels, and are very much alike in their line of thinking. The comedy, ?Much Ado About Nothing? depicts the story of a group of high-ranking soldiers who travel through a town called Messina. They had been to the town before, and this time Claudio confesses his love for the governor's daughter, Hero. Because Leonato is so fond of Claudio, the wedding is set to be a few days away. This gives Don John, Claudio's bastard brother, a chance to show his true hatred for Claudio. He comes up with a scheme to make Claudio think that Hero is cheating by dressing Margaret in her clothing and perching her near the window with another man. When Claudio sees this, he says that he will humiliate Hero instead of marrying her. The next day Claudio does exactly as he had said, degrading Hero in front of all her family and friends. Because she did not cheat on him, she did not expect that kind of reaction. She is so dejected that she faints, and everyone assumes she is dead. Eventually Borrachio is overheard talking about Don John's plan, and Don John is arrested. Later Claudio learns that Hero is not actually dead, and they are finally married. ?Othello?'s Iago is very much similar to Don John. He wants to get revenge on Othello for not being chosen as lieutenant and also suspects that Othello has slept with Emilia. Somehow Iago manages to manipulate Othello into thinking that Desdemona cheated on him. When he demands that she show him the handkerchief he had given her, and she does not, he is convinced that she is being unfaithful. This is when he decides that he must kill her. Later in the novel Othello suffocates Desdemona out of jealousy. The villains of both novels contain an unusually large number of similarities. Both Don John and Iago are determined to break up the key relationships of the two novels. Iago tricks Othello for revenge, Don John out of sheer hatred for Claudio. The bastard brother goes through a period where he acts very pleasant toward Claudio, and Iago seems to be the ally of Othello throughout the entire piece. Both Don John and Othello used unsuspecting women to break up the main characters. Don John used Margaret and Iago used Emilia. Finally, both villains are strong egotists. Don John shows it in the way that he does not interact with the other characters. Iago believes that Othello is much too trusting, and respects no one but himself. Although Shakespeare meant to create these two evil characters alike, there are a few differences between them. Don John set up Claudio using other people to convince him. I go used his manipulative speaking and wits, along with Othello's gullible nature to convince him. Don John and Iago caused the two main characters to take different methods of revenge on their women. Othello killed Desdemona in a jealous rage, whereas Claudio merely humiliated Hero. Iago seeks revenge on Othello for two reasons: he suspects Othello slept with Emilia, and he also despises Othello for choosing Cassio as lieutenant instead of him. One final and resounding difference between Don John and Iago has to do with the past of each character. Shakespeare portrays Iago as an intelligent and sometimes caring character until Othello supposedly wrongs him. On the other hand, Don John has more of an evil aura about him, and shows his hatred for Claudio right from the start. Overall, the characters of Don John and Iago are very similar, although the latter is much more intelligent and complex. These two men are what draw the reader's attention to the novel, and share so much in common that the two seemingly unrelated works are read in tandem constantly. Shakespeare

Thursday, March 19, 2020

How to Complete a Culture Research Paper

How to Complete a Culture Research Paper The work on a culture research paper is not that simple as it can seem for a student. This is a special type of writing work that demands some serious practice and original approach as culture itself is the result of the creative process among humanity. In major aspects, the investigation project on culture has got significant similarities with papers on philosophy and sociology, but the culture does not deal with some abstract notions, it deals with the products that were generated by the society. The thing that is the most attractive for the students is the level of freedom that is granted during the writing process. The student is allowed to select any topic that is equally actual and meaningful from the cultural point of view. The theme can be based on the analysis of past historical heritage, or the writer can concentrate on pop culture essay topics or any other modern cultural phenomena which have not been presented to the vast public. The Points to Consider While Completing Culture Essay Every person who is working on the text cherishes all the performed work and wants it to be estimated at the top level by all readers. To complete the research paper on culture, there are some points which should be attended to in order to acquire the maximal result from the conducted investigation. Stick to the selected aspect of the paper While writing a paper on culture, you should clearly understand that the topic is multi-aspectual, and you can shift between different points of the same topic unnoticing it. When scrolling the top topics for a culture research paper, choose the one you like the most, define the core point, and stay in tune exclusively with it. In this way, your work will be attached to some single idea, and the result of such investigation will be productive for sure. Select the method of the research The applied method of investigation is extremely crucial for a research on culture. It can be either a descriptive analysis, historical discourse, statistical data analysis or problem-solving investigation. Each method is applicable to some peculiar type. Remember that culture is a super-individual entity While writing, the author should forget about personal preferences and explore the culture as a sort of social treasure. Such approach can add some fundamentalism to the paper, besides independent position is always a sign of decent scientist. The term ‘super-individual entity’ means that culture cannot be positive or negative – it just exists regardless of the position of people. Do NOT forget about the interdisciplinary approach Today, more and more students get involved into social studies as it is one of the most interdisciplinary subjects that encompasses anthropology, history, sociology, arts, psychology and other sciences to study the greatest achievements of the world. The study through the prism of various fields of science can result in a more fascinating and informative paper. To finalize everything, the creator of the essay should bring the information to the reader and disturb the minds for further reading. Mind to also support the ideas with strong facts that will hook the audience. That is the main goal of culture writing. As a matter of fact, our service can provide you with research paper writing help on culture topics.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Battle of Eniwetok in World War II

Battle of Eniwetok in World War II Following the US victory at Tarawa in November 1943, Allied forces pressed forward with their island-hopping campaign by advancing against Japanese positions in the Marshall Islands. Part of the Eastern Mandates, the Marshalls had been a German possession and were given to Japan after World War I. Though held as part of the outer ring of Japanese territory, planners in Tokyo decided after the loss of the Solomons and New Guinea that the chain was expendable. With this in mind, what forces were available were moved to the area to make the islands capture as costly as possible. Commanded by Rear Admiral Monzo Akiyama, Japanese troops in the Marshalls consisted of the 6th Base Force which originally numbered around 8,100 men and 110 aircraft. While a relatively large force, Akiyamas strength was diluted by the requirement to spread his command over all of the Marshalls. Also, much of Akiyamas command consisted labor/construction details or naval troops with little infantry training. As a result, Akiyama could only muster around 4,000 effective. Anticipating that the assault would strike one of the outlying islands first, he positioned the majority of his men on Jaluit, Millie, Maloelap, and Wotje. Armies Commanders United States Vice Admiral Harry W. HillBrigadier General Thomas E. Watson2 regiments Japan Major General  Yoshimi Nishida3,500 men American Plans In November 1943, American airstrikes commenced eliminating Akiyamas air power, destroying 71 aircraft. These were partially replaced by reinforcements brought in from Truk during the following weeks. On the Allied side, Admiral Chester Nimitz initially planned a series of attacks on the outer islands of the Marshalls, but upon receiving word of Japanese troop dispositions through ULTRA radio intercepts elected to change his approach. Rather than assault where Akiyamas defenses were strongest, Nimitz ordered his forces to move against Kwajalein Atoll in the central Marshalls.   Attacking on January 31, Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turners 5th Amphibious Force landed elements of Major General Holland M. Smiths V Amphibious Corps on the islands that formed the atoll.   With support from Rear Admiral Marc A. Mitschers carriers, American forces secured Kwajalein in four days.   Capture of Engebi With the rapid capture of Kwajalein, Nimitz flew out from Pearl Harbor to meet with his commanders.   The resulting discussions led to the decision to immediately move against Eniwetok Atoll, 330 miles to the northwest.   Initially scheduled for May, the invasion of Eniwetok was assigned to Brigadier General Thomas E. Watsons command which was centered on the 22nd Marines and 106th Infantry Regiment.   Advanced to mid-February, plans for capturing the atoll called for landings on three of its islands: Engebi, Eniwetok, and Parry.   Arriving off Engebi on February 17, Allied warships commenced bombarding the island while elements of the  2nd Separate Pack Howitzer Battalion and the 104th Field Artillery Battalion landed on adjacent islets (Map). The next morning, the 1st and 2nd Battalions from Colonel John T. Walkers 22nd Marines began landing and moved ashore.   Encountering the enemy, they found that the Japanese had centered their defense in a palm grove in the islands center.   Fighting from spider holes (concealed foxholes) and the underbrush, the Japanese proved difficult to locate.   Supported by the artillery landed the previous day, the Marines succeeded in overwhelming the defenders and secured the island by that afternoon.   The next day was spent eliminating the remaining pockets of resistance. Focus on Eniwetok and Parry With Engebi taken, Watson shifted his focus to Eniwetok.   Following a brief naval bombardment on February 19, the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 106th Infantry moved towards the beach.   Encountering fierce resistance, the 106th was also hampered by a steep bluff which blocked their advance inland.   This also caused traffic issues on the beach as AmTracs were unable to move forward.   Concerned about the delays, Watson instructed the 106ths commander, Colonel Russell G. Ayers, to press his attack.   Fighting from spider holes and from behind log barriers, the Japanese continued to slow Ayers men.   In an effort to quickly secure the island, Watson directed the 3rd Battalion of the 22nd Marines to land early that afternoon. Hitting the beach, the Marines were quickly engaged and soon bore the brunt of the fight to secure the southern part of Eniwetok.   After pausing for the night, they renewed their attack in the morning and eliminated enemy resistance later in the day.   In the northern part of the island, the Japanese continued to hold out and were not overcome until late on February 21.   The extended fight for Eniwetok compelled Watson to alter his plans for the attack on Parry.   For this part of the operation, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 22nd Marines were withdrawn from Engebi while the 3rd Battalion was pulled from Eniwetok.    In an effort to expedite Parrys capture, the island was subjected to an intense naval bombardment on February 22.   Led by the battleships USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) and USS Tennessee (BB-43), Allied warships hit Parry with over 900 tons of shells.   At 9:00 AM, the 1st and 2nd Battalions moved ashore behind a creeping bombardment.   Encountering similar defenses to Engebi and Eniwetok, the Marines steadily advanced and secured the island around 7:30 PM.   Sporadic fighting lasted through the following day as the last Japanese holdouts were eliminated. Aftermath The fighting for Eniwetok Atoll saw Allied forces sustain 348 killed and 866 wounded while the Japanese garrison incurred losses of 3,380 killed and 105 captured.   With key objectives in the Marshalls secured, Nimitzs forces briefly shifted south to aid General Douglas MacArthurs campaign in New Guinea.   This done, plans moved forward for continuing the campaign in the Central Pacific with landings in the Marianas.   Advancing in June, Allied forces won victories at Saipan, Guam, and Tinian as well as a decisive naval triumph at the Philippine Sea.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Leadership - Essay Example A Panic or Choke Moment My panic or choke moment is from a job scenario. It happened during a meeting in my workplace where I was supposed to give a presentation regarding a new project that our company wanted to initiate. That day turned out to be the most provoking and infuriating of my life. Before that time, I had experienced something similar, but this incident was more pronounced and baffling. The meeting was to take at least one hour since I was the only one presenting the project. I wanted to give a perfect presentation so I had to prepare adequately since my first presentation within my department had inadequacies and pitfalls. I had clearly mastered the whole presentation in my mind, but to ensure a sophisticated presentation, I brought along my laptop and projector. The meeting commenced, my boss did the introduction and thereafter called me to take the centre stage. I took centre stage, got ready by setting up my laptop and projector. I was so motivated and enthusiastic s ince I was sure that I had everything under control. However, five minutes into the presentation, a power surge occurred, which tampered with my laptop. The laptop failed to work; I realized that I could not access my presentation from the laptop, suddenly my mine went blank. Although, I had all the information in my mind, without my laptop, I could do nothing. Contending with the Situation After that incident, I resolved to get help in order to avoid an embarrassment like that again. Choking or panicking can be resolved through different methods. When Novotna faltered during her Wimbledon match, it was because she started to think too much about her shots, and thus, losing her fluidity. In my situation, when the power surge occurred, it tampered with my laptop, which had my presentation. I had put all my focus in presenting with the help of my laptop and projector. All I had to do was to give the presentation from my mind instead of thinking that using the laptop was the only in wh ich I possibly present. If I had relied on my mind, I would have easily avoided the stress and presented the project. Forgetting the past is very important, especially forgetting unpleasant incidences. Novotna, remembering her choke at Wimbledon was again culpable at the French Open in 1995. Forgetting disappointments in the past can help to avoid those affecting current events. Finally, it is important not to think too hard. Failure develops when an individual focuses too much on mechanical and technical procedures when carrying out an activity. As in my case, I focused too much on delivering a sophisticated presentation with my laptop and projector. In addition, contending with situations that bring about stress call for experience. Essentially, it means thinking something through with the objective of anticipating what might go wrong. Understanding Stress Reactions Understanding how a person reacts to stress is vital in making that person an effective leader. Emotional intelligen ce refers to the ability to comprehend and manage one’s emotions and of those around them (Vidula et al, 2012: p10). Leaders or team members who have good emotional intelligence normally know their feelings, what it means, and the manner in which this can affect the rest of the team. For a leader, being aware of one’s emotions is vital for success. A leader, who shouts at

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Case Study - woman Raped while in coma Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

- woman Raped while in coma - Case Study Example Using the RESOLVEDD method, the first item that must be expounded on is the review of the facts. There is a need to know the details of the rape. When was the rape consummated, who were the people or staff in the facility at the time of the rape and was there any staff in particular who was assigned to the woman at that time. Information as to whether there were other visitors of the other patients present at that time need to be determined. The policies of the facility regarding who can enter a patient’s room must be scrutinized too. The second step that must be done is to estimate or specify the problem presented in the case. The major problem in this case is what to do with the baby. Should the baby be aborted or should it be allowed to live? Will the current state of health of the woman permit her to rear a child? If the baby is not aborted, whose responsibility is it to take care of the baby? Another issue to be resolved is whether the facility has a responsibility to tak e care of the baby? There are several solutions that may be considered in this case.

Saturday, January 25, 2020

environment is under constant threat as a result of modernisation

environment is under constant threat as a result of modernisation The environment is under constant threat as a result of modernisation, business activities, constant growth and development. All these are human activities that affect the immediate environment. The depletion in natural resources especially by the oil and gas companies such as the Pipeline Product Marketing Company (PPMC) has resulted in serious environmental impacts. Therefore, the need for sustainability and sustainable development cannot be overemphasized as it has become more important over the last two decades (Micheal Lan, 2000; Carbon Trust, 2008; Hahn, 2001; Cunningham et al., 2005). These accounts for the increasing pressure on governments to develop a response to a variety of problems which range from the use of natural resources to pollution control. In response, variety of environmental protection legislation and regulations were formulated with the aim of protecting the environment (Powley, 2004; IEMA 2005). The increase in natural resources consumption between 1961 and 1990 by 25% every 10 years resulted in serious environmental impacts in the form of acid rain. This leads to raising acidity in the soil and water thereby causing damage to forest crops, and freshwater fish and wildlife. Methane emission and mining waste, oil spills, air pollution by sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide as a result of burnt coal, oil or gas including climate change are also causes of environmental impacts (Micheal Lan, 2000; Edwards, 2000; Jaccard, 2005). PPMC is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation owned by the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The company is involved in oil processing, production and marketing. PPMC was established to offer excellent customer services by transporting crude oil to the Nigerian three refineries as well as moving white petroleum products to existing markets. Its main objective is to profitably and efficiently market refined petroleum and petrochemical products in the domestic market as well as in the ECOWAS sub region and also provide marine services (PPMC, 2009). INVESTMENT PROJECT The PPMCs monitory and inspection department has 36 vehicles, a vehicle in each of the 36 states of Nigeria. The vehicles are used as official cars by staff in order to move in-between their offices, depot and filling stations and monitor and inspect their daily operational activities. Each car covers hundreds of kilometres daily due to the long distance between their office, filling stations as well as depots which are located far out of the city for environmental purpose. Every car consumes approximately 50 litres of petrol per day. However, it is environmentally unfriendly as they pollute the environment with carbon emissions. The company has set a target to drastically reduce or if possible to stop polluting the environment. Therefore, the senior management wants to accomplish a viable project with a length of 4 years, to improve their environmental performance and upgrade its corporate social responsibility. This project is expected to be a non-profit project that could bring ma ny savings to the company and return the initial investment in 3 years in order to avoid risk. The decision of expecting the payback period of 3 years was made by the senior management after careful consideration of the companys payback criteria which is 5yrs. PPMC has a standard of judging all its investments objectively, so as to determine whether the payback period is good or bad thereby passing an objective judgement as to know if the investment is worthy to be taken or not. Reducing or stopping the amount of petrol that is used during their daily activities, will support the company to obtain good corporate image and cost savings as each litre of petrol is N65 (Naira). In addition the company spends an average of N25, 000 monthly for maintenance on every car. PPMC is experiencing a great loss of resources as a result of this high petrol consumption every day there by polluting the natural environment. The vehicles have been used for approximately 6 years which has exceeded its guarantee period of 1 year. They are being used at maximum level as PPMC operates everyday including weekends and public holidays due to their nature of work and huge demand for their supply. The company is currently spending N52, 920,000 annually trying to main tain and fuel the old vehicles. The breakdown of these expenses is shown below: Annual cost of fuel and maintenance (Running cost). This includes running cost of fuel, repairs and monthly checks. Monthly cost of fuel = 50 x 36 x 30 x 65 = N3, 510,000 Annual cost of fuel = N3, 510,000 x 12 = N42, 120,000 Monthly cost of maintenance = N25, 000 x 36 = N900, 000 Annual cost of maintenance = N900, 000 x 12 = N10, 800, 000 Total Annual Expenditure = N42, 120,000 + N10, 800, 000 = N52, 920,000 In order to solve the above mentioned issues, PPMC management have decided to replace the old vehicles with brand new electric cars. These electric cars use neither petrol nor diesel, they have zero emission and their only by product is water. The car is known as Honda FCX Clarity, it is a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV). This vehicle has worn the world green car award, during the 2009 World Cars Awards in Newyork. This award has upgraded Hondas corporate image by exposing its commitment towards a green environment. In addition, Honda already has an excellent history of environmental leadership as they are known to be manufactures of low emission vehicles under an improved regulatory requirement (Honda, 2009). It is rated by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) as the greenest auto maker for four different times in a row (UCS, 2007). The car generates electricity through the V flow fuel cell stack and stores it by the use of its highly efficient lithium ion battery, which helps recover energy. It also monitors electrical flow through its power drive unit and propels the vehicle (Honda, 2009). Honda FCX Clarity has an improved safety measures such as the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), six air bags and a unit body structure that is well reinforced. It also has a visual and audio alert which alert the driver in case of any potential collision. Another safety precaution programmed in the vehicle is the prompting of the driver by the automatic tug of the seat belt in case of an unavoidable accident it minimises the speed by breaking force to reduce the impact of collision. Furthermore, it has a very strong electric motor as well as groundbreaking new fuel cell stack. These safety measures have been tested by the United States Federal Safety Standards and it was a success story (Honda, 2009). The purchase of Honda FCX Clarity by PPMC will demonstrate the companys commitment towards the reduction of Co2 emission thereby protecting the environment. The company will also be recognised as the first to introduce zero emission cars to Nige ria and it will serve as a solution that could bring cost savings. Total cost of investment Number of cars to be purchased = 36 cars Cost of each car = N3, 000,000 Total amount to be spent on cars = N3, 00,000 x 36 = N108, 000,000 Cost of delivery (Shipping) = N300, 000 x 36 = N10, 800,000 Total cost of investment = N108, 000,000 + N10, 800,000 = N118, 800,000 Annual savings The investment is expected to save the annual cost of fuel and maintenance; N42, 120,000 + N10, 800, 000 = N52, 920,000 Since the vehicle also comes with a free maintenance package including running cost for 3years 6months in form of a guarantee, as it is a newly introduced vehicle. Honda Company is trying to advertise this environmentally friendly vehicle to the world and attracting customers by covering maintenance and running cost. This is better compared to the guarantee of the old vehicles which is only 1 year. N52, 920,000 will be saved in the first year, while in the subsequent years N1 per litre will be added due to the projected annual oil product price increment. Therefore the total cost of investment will save the annual cost of fuel and maintenance. It is important to note that N65 is the current price of the petrol in Nigeria. Investment appraisal is a technique used by managers to achieve their target. It is the duty of the manager to determine and prove the importance of the project (Akalu, 2001; Mulholland et al., 2003). Therefore, it is important in the planning of this particular environmental project. PAYBACK PERIOD The duration of time for the PPMC to gain its initiated investment of N118, 800,000 on implementation is known as the payback period (Layard Glaister, 1994). The period of time that cash inflows will become the same with cash outflows is also known as the payback period (ACCA, 2008). However, it does not consider time value for money which expresses that, amount saved today is much more valuable than the same amount saved in 2 years. This is considered as one of the greatest setback (Dury, 1997). Initial investment Annual savings Table 1 Payback period   Ã‚                                                            Cash flow                                              Cumulative cash flow Initial Investment                     (118,800,000)                                                (118,800,000) Savings Year 1                                                   52,920,000                                                      (65,880,000) Year 2                                                   42,768,000                                                      (23,112,000) Year 3                                                   43,416,000                                                       20,304,000 Year 4                                                   44,064,000                                                       44,064,000 Total savings                           N183, 168,000 Initial Investment = N118, 800,000 Year 1 and Year 2 savings            =         52,920,000 + 42,768,000 = N95, 688,000 Year 3 = N43, 416,000 In order to calculate the payback period with precision and accuracy, the year 3 savings should be broken down to monthly by dividing it by 12 and then the cumulative savings for year 1 and 2 should be subtracted from the initial investment. The result should then be divided by the monthly savings of year 3 to have the actual number of months (Mclaney, 1994). This is calculated below: Savings per month for year 3 = N43, 416,000/12 = N3, 618,000 N118, 800,000 N95, 688,000 = N23, 112,000/N3, 618,000 = 6.38 Approximately 6 months. Payback period is 2years 6 months   NET PRESENT VALUE (NPV) NPV is realised by using a discount rate to determine the current value of future savings and subtracting the capital cost (Hannagan, 2008). This method accepts with projects that have positive NPV. The method also makes comparison between present value of cash outflows and inflows from an investment (ACCA, 2008). The table below shows the number of years (4), future value (FV), cash flow, discount factor (DF) 15% and the present value (PV). The first step in calculating NPV is to multiply the cash inflow (savings) by the DF of each year to get the PV. Then, sum up the PV and deduct the initial investment from the total PV to arrive at the NPV (Mclaney, 1994). 15% DF was selected not to make profit but to avoid risk; it was selected after considering the current base rate of the Central Bank Nigeria which is 13.2% as the base rate keeps appreciating every year (CBN, 2009). Inflation rate in Nigeria increases, therefore oil product price will also appreciate. Table 2 NPV calculation   Ã‚                                                        CF in Naira (N)                DF (15%)                PV in Naira (N) Initial investment                      (118,800,000)             1.000                            (118,800,000) Savings Year 1                                                    52,920,000                                    0.870                               46,040,000 Year2                                                      42,768,000                                  0.756                               32,333,000 Year 3                                                    43,416,000                                  0.658                               28,568,000 Year 4                                                    44,064,000                                    0.572                            25,205,000 Total savings                                 183,168,000                                                                            132,146,000 NPV = Total PV of savings PV of investment N132, 146,000 N118, 800,000 = 13,346,000 The project has a positive NPV as such it should be undertaken. INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN (IRR) IRR is a very important technique that influences the decision making as to whether or not an investment should be approved. It is interested in projects whose IRR are greater than the target rate of return. It also considers time value for money (ACCA, 2008). In order to have precision in calculating the IRR similar steps will be taken as how the NPV was sorted. However, it will require calculations at two different stages (NPV1 and NPV2) with two different DFs and normally both DFs should be greater than the DF used to determine the NPV. Finally the IRR formula will then be applied. IRR = NPV1 x (B A) + A NPV1 NPV2 Table 3: IRR calculation Years                           Cash Flows                DF (at 18%)                   PV Year 0                           (118,800,000)                      1.000                         (N118, 800 Initial investme-+nt) Year 1                               52,920,000                            0.847                                     44,823,000 Year 2                               42,768,000                              0.718                               30,707,000 Year 3                            43,416,000                            0.609                                     26,440,000 Year 4                               44,064,000                              0.516                               22,737,000 Total savings             183,168,000                                                                      124,707,000 NPV1 = 124, 707,000 118, 800,000 = + 5, 907,000 Table 4:  Ã‚                                 Years Cash flow                               DF (at23%)          PV Year 0                  (118,800,000)                                     1.000                                     (118,800,000) Year 1                                             52,920,000                                          0.813                                        43,024,000 Year 2                                             42,768,000                                          0.661                                          28,270,000 Year 3                                             43,416,000                                          0.537                                          23,314,000 Year 4                                             44,064,000                                          0.437                                          19,256,000 Total savings                         183,168,000                                                                                              113,864,000 NPV2 =      113,864,000 118,800,000 = 4,936,000 IRR calculation:                           Ã‚   5907  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  x (23 18) + 18   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5907 (- 4936)   Ã‚                                                                                   IRR=20.7% NON FINANCIAL FACTORS The key purpose of an environmental initiative according to Sheldon and Yoxon (2003) is to reduce environmental impacts of an organisation in ways which makes business sense. The direct result of this provides organisations with benefits which include the use of alternative source of energy to increase in an organisations efficiency, thus providing the organisation with a competitive edge. In addition, it ensures compliance with environmental regulations and increases organisation understands of how its activities impact the environment (Brady, 2006). PPMC has a lot to benefit apart from the financial savings. The organisation will be contributing its own quota towards achieving sustainability. This will result in environmental performance improvement through the initiative of purchasing brand new cars to reduce or stop carbon emissions. The initiative will reduce pollution, minimise waste, protect the natural environment and provide better corporate social responsibility as well as good corporate image to the organisation. Furthermore, status of the companys reputation will be upgraded as it is encouraging green environment and legal compliance (Aslaksen Synnedstvedt, 2003). It will also assists in the implementation of environmental policy, while improving compliance with legislation and corporate image (Sheldon Yoxon, 2003). Moreover, PPMC will demonstrate good operations within a safe and clean environment thereby creating a friendly environment for staff and the public (Edward, 2004). This will help sort out social matters and improve health and safety. Since, the electric cars have a highly improved safety measures that could provide ways of pollution control to protect the people and their environment (Edward, 2004). The company could also benefit from changes within the organisation, by delivering this environmental initiative that deals with environmental impacts such as climate change and global warming caused by their emissions (Murray, 2003). In addition, it will support the company to identify and minimise its impacts on the environment so as to enhance its corporate social responsibilities through the use of an alternative source of energy. This will not only promote their business environment but will promote the global environment at large. Purchasing the zero emission vehicles will pave way for the organisation to achieve sustainable development since it is a strategy that could consider maximum utility of resources. In addition, the project is not aimed at profit making but returning of initial investment. SUGGESTIONS/DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION. The rate of interest at which the investment cost leads to investment benefit is known as the IRR. This means that, all investment gains are with the time value for money and at the interest rate, the investment has a zero NPV (ACCA, 2008). This investment appraisal has demonstrated the use of IRR to value the cash flow and raise it as a consequence of the investment while determining it with inflation (ACCA, 2008). For example, a higher target rate of return was chosen, so that even in a situation where the inflation rate rises the company will still save cost. Interest rate may rise to 15% during the life time of the project due to the increasing inflation rate in Nigeria, as history has shown that Nigerian base rate rises up to 0.45 every year. Therefore, risk is incorporated and the project is considered less risky. The IRR is 20.7%, this has shown a very good risk margin considering the Nigerian economic instability. Furthermore, the advantage of the IRR being 20.7% is that, eve n if the interest rate increases the project will still be economically good. Base rate of the Central Bank of Nigeria was used to determine the cost of capital and calculate the initial NPV. The base rate was also used to incorporate inflation by discounting cash flows to get the future value. Inflation changes value for money, this is the main reason for using the base rate in determining the discount factor for the NPV calculation. Two discount rates were used to solve the equation of IRR which assumes that NPV changes with discount rate but this is not the case in reality. The positive result of the NPV means that the project should be accepted and the chosen discount rate of 15% helped identify the actual value of the savings to be made, based on the fact that the project is anticipated to make an overall savings. However, the actual value of IRR is more important as it considers the current economic climate and the future interest rate of Nigeria. The result has shown that the IRR is higher than the target rate of return. It is important to note that, ba se rate is used to determine NPV not IRR while IRR assumes that NPV is zero. The savings to be realised by PPMC as a result of the new initiative as well as the indication of an attractive Payback period upon investment is clearly exposed. Payback period 2 years 6 months is a good payback period since, the criteria requires payback of the initial investment in 5yrs. Hence, it would have been a bad payback period if it exceeds 5years. Furthermore, PBP was used to support other data because it is not enough to serve as criteria for investment. The company will continue to benefit from the project for years even after returning the initial investment. PPMC could consider using a different discount rate for this project since it is aimed at executing an environmental project and not profit making. This appraisal has been thoroughly evaluated and has proven that the investment is reasonable (Mclaney, 1994). Since, the company will spend only N65, 880,000 more on the annual maintenance cost (52, 920,000) and save N52, 920,000 in the first year and more in the subse quent years at the same time stopping the carbon emissions from the old cars. In addition, it is a mandatory for the company to meet up the governments requirement to reduce environmental impact and comply with the prevailing legislation. If the organisation was not to invest in this project the money would have been channelled to the federation account and budgeted to execute other projects in other sectors or Nigerian ministries. However, PPMC has the authority to use any reasonable amount to improve its environmental performance or execute any viable project that will be beneficial to the organisation. Finally, the calculation resulted in a less discount rate where NPV1 became positive and a greater discount rate where NPV2 remain negative and IRR fell in between the two discount factors (ACCA, 2008). The 3 investment appraisal techniques were fully utilised to determine the projects viability. This has proven that the project is economically viable (Mclaney, 1994). In view of this, the investment appraisal is affordable and worthy of acceptance. Moreover, the purchase of the electric cars is the best option, as it will not only reduce carbon emissions but will stop the emissions from the old vehicles completely, thereby upgrading the companys image as well as enhancing its overall environmental performance.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Myths that Hide the American Indian Essay

Nearly everyone in this world is guilty of stereotyping against a certain race, religion, ethnic group, nationality, etc. One of those groups that are stereotyped is the Native Americans. Ever since the Europeans â€Å"discovered† the New World, there have myths about the Native Americans that lead to this stereotyping. In the essay, â€Å"Myths That Hide the American Indian† by Oliver La Farge, many of those myths are brought up. Due to these myths about the Native Americans, people’s views, past and present, of who and what they are have become extremely distorted, or essentially hiding the Native Americans from white people. One of the many myths that the Europeans created about the Native Americans is that they are bloodthirsty, ruthless savages. Oliver La Farge does a good job in his essay of discounting this myth by giving multiple examples of how most groups of Native Americans were a peaceful group of people that just were not quite as well developed socially, economically, technologically, etc. as the Europeans. Because of this lack of development on behalf of the Native Americans, the Europeans looked at the Native Americans as uncivilized savages. The reason that this myth was even created was to justify the slaughtering of thousands of Native Americans at the hands of the Europeans, with the justification being that they were inferior beings, which is another myth brought up. Once the Europeans had conquered the Native Americans, this myth was altered, now proclaiming that the Native Americans were drunken, lazy good-for-nothings. La Farge also discounts this part of the myth in his essay. Going back to the point of the Europeans thinking they were superior a superior race when being compared to the Native Americans, that would happen in any situation if the circumstances were similar because it is human nature to believe that if one race able to conquer another race, then they will believe they are superior. This is one of the continuing myths that have hid the Native Americans from white people. Another one of the myths that plagued the Native Americans is that the early European settlers tended to assume that all or most of the Native Americans had one culture and that they were all at about the same stage of development. This myth could not be further from the truth. â€Å"The tribes and nations that occupied North America varied enormously, and their condition was anything but static† (pg. 7). The cultures of the Native Americans were like snowflakes; no two were alike. Many different types of cultures are described in detail in the essay, proving that the myth is completely wrong. Each tribe of Native Americans had a culture that, while considered backwards and wrong by the Europeans, was unique. This myth helped to hide the Native Americans from white settlers because if the whites got to know the culture of one tribe, they would just assume that all of the other tribes had identical cultures. If that culture they learned had some barbaric practices, like the Aztecs sacrificing men by tearing out their hearts, they would assume that all tribes did that and further prove the myth that Native Americans were savages. That is how this myth hid the Native Americans from white people. The first myth that was ever started about the Native Americans is the Noble Red Man or Child of Nature myth. What this myth is about is the Europeans considered the Native Americans to be children of nature. Also, it â€Å"credited the Indian with either a penchant for flowery but dull oratory or an inability to communicate beyond ‘Ugh’ and grunts† (pg. 4). This myth puts the Native Americans on the same level as an animal. If the Europeans thought the Native Americans were that ignorant, then it is no wonder why they thought that they were a superior race. The Native Americans became hidden by this myth because it is so completely false and completely misrepresents them as a whole because they had developed languages and could communicate with one another. Myths about Native Americans have, and will continue to be a cause of people stereotyping them. Because of the stereotyping, most people will never know the truth about Native Americans and they will remain hidden from white people. This stereotyping has gone so far that today, Native Americans will get dressed up for tourists in a costumes and put on war dances just to please tourists who believe in the myth because if they did not, the tourists would question the legitimacy of them. That is how myths of the Native Americans have hid them.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Imagery in in Cold Blood - 876 Words

Truly successful authors have the ability to convey their view of a place without actually saying it, to portray a landscape in a certain light simply by describing it. In the opening paragraphs of In Cold Blood, Truman Capote does just this. Through his use of stylistic elements such as selection of detail, imagery, and figurative language, Capote reveals his own solemn and mysterious view of Holcomb, Kansas, while setting the stage for an imminent change. Beginning in the first line of the passage, Capote selects the most boring details of life in the small town in order to portray its character. He draws attention to the physical isolation of Holcomb by referring to it as the place that other Kansans call out there. In addition,†¦show more content†¦In addition to including the most boring of details, Capote uses a great deal of imagery to describe the town and its residents. Focusing mostly on visual appeal, he describes the sulphur-colored paint and flaking gold to reveal the towns appearance and has-been status. Portraying the area as one that has seen better days, Capote writes about the old stucco structure that no longer holds dances, the crumbling post office, and the bank that now fails to serve its original purpose.† Combining visual imagery with hints of desolation, Capote attempts to reveal the gray and boring nature of the town through its appearance. He does not, however, rely only on visual details; in de scribing the local accent as barbed with a prairie twang, he uses both auditory and visual appeal to make one imagine a ranch-hands tone of voice and pattern of speech as he describes the events of his farming days. The hard blue skies and desert-clear air contribute to a feeling of emptiness, an emotional vacancy that seems omnipresent in the small town. 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