General Mills Inc. Understanding Financial Statements

Introduction The case study General Mills Inc. – Understanding Financial Statements focuses on the most basic idea of finance analysis. This case is a brief look into the language that is used in the finance world and a start to interaction with auditors. In this case, KPMG LLP, the public accounting firm that was auditing their statements, had sent two opinion letters. The first letter was ensuring that both parties were aware that General Mills had internal control over financial reporting.The second opinion letter stated that to auditor’s knowledge, General Mills had correctly reported its financial statements. The statements given in this case study are known as the four general financial statements. Displayed in the case are the Consolidated Statements of Earnings from years 2004 to 2006, the Consolidated Balance sheet from 2004 to 2006, the Consolidated Statement of shareholders’ equity from 2004 to 2006, and the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows from 20 04 to 2006.These general pieces of finance material provide enough information to analyze General Mills over the past two years. Thanks to the financial statements provided, we had the ability to compare the company’s performance in 2005 and 2006, and to see whether the company was still in good standing or not. The following is a basic analysis and interpretation of General Mills financial statements. Concepts a. General Mills is a food company. Its main activities consist on producing and selling ready-to-eat food, as well as doing retail business.These activities take place in the U. S. , Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Asia/Pacific region. b. Consolidated balance sheet, consolidated income statement, consolidated shareholders’ equity, and consolidated cash flow statement are the financial statements that are addressed to external audiences. General Mills submit consolidated financial statements because the accounts represent the company and its subsidiaries. c. The SEC requires that the financial statements for external reporting purposes be prepared quarterly. These quarterly reports are called 10Q reports.Then, SEC requires that these financial statements be done annually. These annual reports are called 10K reports. d. Financial statements are usually prepared by accounting staff; however, the CEO and CFO are the responsible for the accuracy of these statements. Generally, internal and external audiences are interested in the information presented in financial statements. On the one hand, the internal audiences are managers, owners and employees. First, in order to make decisions, managers and owners review the financial reports.Second, financial reports provide a clear view of the financial position and market value of the organization. Third, employees may use financial reports to insure their jobs positions within the company and negotiate possible salary hike and promotion. On the other hand, there are many external agents who ar e interested in the financial reports. First, investors use financial statements to evaluate the general performance and financial strength of the company. This evaluation helps make rational investment decisions.Second, financial institutions like banks and other lending institutions use the reports to assess the weight of debts and decide how risky the company is. Third, partners of the company consider the financial situation of the company in order to revise the contracts and partnership terms. Forth, suppliers are also interested in the financial performance of the company because that helps them decide whether to extend their credit or not. Fifth, government is in concern with the financial reports of this company, because these reports are the only means of verifying if the tax paid is accurate and adequate. . General Mills external auditor is KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm that issued the two â€Å"opinion† letters that General Millsâ€℠¢ Board of Directors and Stockholders received. The first â€Å"opinion† letter regards internal control over financial reporting, while the second â€Å"opinion† letter concerns financial statements and related financial statement schedule. The first â€Å"opinion† letter confirms that the General Mills upheld valid internal control over financial reporting as of May 28, 2006.The second â€Å"opinion† letter assures that the consolidated financial statements were fairly presented as of May 28, 2006. We see that the time difference between issuing the financial statements and receiving the opinion letters is fair, because audits need few months to gather information and analyze it. Analysis f. g. i. For May 28, 2006: Assets= $18,207 Liabilities + Equity = $11,299 + ($5,772 + $1,136) = $18,207 ii. For 2006, General Mills’ had a proportion of 17. 44% for short-term assets, and a proportion of 82. 6% for long-term assets. So, land, building and equipm ent, goodwill and intangible assets make up the majority of total assets. In other words, General Mill’s major assets are long-term assets, which is explained by the nature of business that General Mill Inc. does. iii. In general, intangible assets are assets that are not physical in nature. Corporate intellectual property (items such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, business methodologies), goodwill and brand recognition are all common intangible assets in today's marketplace.Goodwill is a long-term asset categorized as an intangible asset. The amount of goodwill is the cost to purchase the business minus the fair market value of the tangible assets, the intangible assets that can be identified, and the liabilities obtained in the purchase. In the case of General Mills, the intangible assets could be patents, strong brand name, copyrights, franchises and goodwill. iv. In 2006, General Mills was financed at a proportion of 62. 06% by non-owners and at a proportion of 37. 9 4% by owners. h. i.General Mills recognizes sales revenues upon acceptance of the shipment by its customers. The promotions and estimated returns are not included in the reporting of sales. The coupons costs are registered when distributed and their amounts are based on estimated redemptions. As for trade promotions, they are expensed based on estimated participation and performance levels for offered programs. Concerning returns, the company has a new return policy. However, the company may allow few returns if the product is in good condition to be sold again.The company expenses returns as reduction of net sales. The company’s policy of registering revenues, promotions and estimated returns are conform with GAAP. ii. The common-size income statement of 2006 reveals that General Mills’ major expenses are cost of sales with a proportion of 59. 85%, followed by selling, general and administrative expenses with a proportion of 23. 01%. iii. Between 2005 and 2006: The co st of sales and the selling went up by a small proportion, while selling, general and administrative expenses along with interest expenses went down by 0. 7% and 0. 54% respectively. However, selling, general and administrative expenses went up by 1. 51%. iv. To our opinion, General Mills included these unusual expenses in a separate section in order to avoid misleading the readers about the reason why selling, general and administrative expenses increased. v. During 2006, the company realized profits of 1,090 million dollars, while during 2005 realized profits of 1,240 million dollars. Since the two results are positive, we assume that the company was profitable during 2005 and 2006. vi.The change in net earnings between 2005 and 2006: (1,090 – 1,240) / 1,240 = -12. 1% The change in net earning between 2004 and 2005: (1,240 – 1,055) /1,055 = 17. 54% So, between 2004 and 2005 the net earnings raised by 17. 54%, while between 2005 and 2006 the net earnings decreased by 12. 1%. Excluding the costs of Divestitures and Debt, the net earnings of 2005 and net earnings difference between 2005 and 2006 will be as follow: Net earnings (2005) = 1,240 – (499-137) * 0. 617 = $1,016. 6 Net earnings difference (2005-2006) = (1,090 – 1,016. ) / 1,016. 6 = 7. 22% i. i. In 2006, net earnings are $1,090 while net cash provided by operating activities is $1,771, which means that there is a difference of $681 between these two accounts. This difference can be explained by the fact that some gains or costs don’t generate any increase or decrease in cash flow. For example, depreciation and amortization are costs that don’t change the level of cash flow. ii. During 2006, General Mills used for expenditures $360 million. iii. General Mills paid $485 million for dividends. j.The account on General Mills’ balance sheet that require estimates are the following: * Fixed Assets: Because the life time of a fixed asset is estimated, then depr eciation is estimated as well. Then, the net value of fixed assets –that is historical value – accumulated depreciation – is estimated as well. * Inventories: General Mills uses FIFO method for valuing the inventories in the U. S. and LIFO method for valuing inventories outside the U. S. * Doubtful accounts: these are accounts receivable that the company assumes won’t’ be collected in the future.We assume that all the balance sheet accounts, except long term debts, have estimated values. Conclusion After having studies General Mills’ business environment, and went through the analysis of its financial statements, we assume that this company’s performance for the year 2006 was better than 2005. In order to be more objective, we have excluded the gains and losses from divestitures and debt repurchases costs in our analysis, because these costs are considered as unusual. Thus, the common-size income statement shows that the company did b etter from 2004 to 2005 in terms of net sales and income statements.However, the after-tax earnings from Joint Ventures were much lower in 2006 than in 2005 and 2004. We assume that this decrease is mainly related to the change of the structure of joint ventures, as the company sold many of its subsidiaries. In addition, the income statement reveals an increase of dividends per share from the year 2004 to 2006, which means that the shareholders got higher profits. The information presented in the consolidated and common-size balance sheets was about the assets, liabilities and equity of the company.First, we noticed that the majority of the company’s assets are long-term assets, which we found normal seen the nature of business of General Mills. Second, 63% of the company’s business is run by liabilities, we assume that General Mills is a low risk company and that its cash flows are stable and positive. . ———————— ——————– [ 1 ]. Definition retrieved from: http://www. investopedia. com/terms/i/intangibleasset. asp#axzz2N0pq9ntS [ 2 ]. Definition retrieved from:

Wal-Mart (Bus 644)

Wal-Mart BUS 644 Operations Management November 6, 2011 Introduction Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in the world, and it has obviously enjoyed tremendous success. But while many welcome its location in their communities, others do not. Some complain that its presence has too many negative effects on a community, ranging from traffic congestion to anti-union sentiment to unfair competition. â€Å"According to a recent study from Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, the entry of a Wal-Mart does significantly impact sales at other local establishments (McDevitt, 2009). In regards to Wal-Mart impacting small businesses and town residents, it varies. There are both pros and cons of having Wal-Mart in local communities despite biases or beliefs of critics. Owners of small businesses located nearby. After observing the effects of seven Wal-Mart openings, researchers saw a 40 percent sales drop at nearby mass merchandise chains and 17 percent sales drop at supermarkets† (McDevitt, 2009, P. 1). Those small businesses within the same area of Wal-Mart often lose out on a lot of money or go out of business due to Wal-Mart’s everyday low prices and convenient shopping. With gas prices being at $4 a gallon, people wonder if customers will stay closer to home to shop, causing Wal-Mart to lose out on customers (Barett, 2008). There are those that think Wal-Mart is bad for local small business owners and those that oppose this viewpoint. Andrea Dean of West Virginia University argues that Wal-Mart has not had a negative effect on small businesses as critics think. Instead, the company has unleashed forces that have changed the nature of small businesses in this country in unexpected ways (Bandyk, 2008, P. ). Town residents and residents of nearby towns Town residents may have concerns ranging from an increase in noise pollution to a decrease in property values and those residents in favor of having Wal-Mart in local communities argue that Wal-Mart could be beneficial to residents; bringing in new jobs and tax revenue. Many Seekonk residents are not pleased about the soon to be Wal-Mart supercenter that is to be built at 150,000 square feet and located on 2 acres. â€Å"Another concern is the possible increase in crime in the area. Mello says that police officers have come to her house in the past to search the property for alleged shoplifters that fled through the woods from one of the retail stores† (Calverley,2011 P. 1). Another Seekonk resident is concerned that the pollution and dust will affect her husband’s health that is suffering from a respiratory illness and requires oxygen 24 hours a day (Calverley, 2011). Decrease in property value is likely to occur with there being a decrease of 10 to 18 percent in property value. Wal-Mart handling criticism I think that despite the criticisms Wal-Mart face, their success speaks for itself and customers always come back. Businesses worldwide will always face criticism, its how these businesses decide to follow up on these criticisms that truly matters. Wal-Mart needs to be careful when deciding where to station Wal-Mart centers; making certain that people in the local community are affected a minimal amount. People will ultimately be affected by location no matter where; however, the level in which they are affected should be strategically thought up so that few people are affected. So, instead of remaining silent on the sidelines as critics and watchdogs continue to tear it down, Wal-Mart is recruiting its own positive watchdogs as a combative measure (White, 2008, P. 1). It’s important for customers to feel valued and the network that Wal-Mart has collectively created will help to achieve this. Conclusion While there are downfalls of Wal-Mart supercenters being placed in local communities, there is without a doubt positives and Wal-Mart seems to be taking measures to reach out customers, for example, the efforts to establish the Customer Action Network, they are giving their customers a voice in hopes of helping them feel valued. There are several problem areas to be worked out on the behalf of Wal-Mart, however, with Wal-Mart being the largest Corporation in the world, critics will always pay careful and have negative feedback. References Barett, A. (2008)Does Wal-Mart Really Hurt Small Businesses? Retrieved on November 6, 2011 from http://www. businessweek. com/smallbiz/running_small_business/ Calverley, L. (2011). Residents Concerned about Proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter. Retrieved on November 6, 2011 from http://reportertoday. com/seekonk/seekonk/stories/Residents-Concerned-About-Proposed-Walmart-Supercenter Bandyk, M. (2008). Should Small Businesses Fear Wal-Mart? Retrieved on November 6, 2011 from http://money. snews. com/money/business-economy/small-business/articles/2008/08/01/should-small-businesses-fear-wal-mart McDevitt, C. (2009). Is Wal-Mart Killing your Business? Retrieved on November 6, 2011 from http://www. inc. com/news/articles/2009/04/walmart. html White, B. (2008). Wal-Mart Fights back Against Opponents. Retrieved on November 6, 2011 from http://www. bloggingstocks. com/2008/11/24/wal-mart-weekly-wal-mart-fights-back-against-opponents/

Question Answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Question Answer - Essay Example They target both genders. Super bowl product category is beer, drinks, and snacks. Beer because its goes well with football. They can be able to get the latest brand and try it while watching the event. Snack is also a useful product for the case since they can take them while watching the game. Financial industry is not an adequate product category since people will be having fun, and they will not be having time for financial issues. Hence, they will not take it that serious. Autos too are not effect product since it runs all together in peoples mind (Hartmann and Klapper). Communications use some of the same purchase comparison metrics copy pretesting firms use, but gauges the ads effect on consumers who have seen them in the real world rather than forced viewing. The objective of the super bowl is to create product awareness to millions of people watching the event. There ads aims at reaching millions of people who are watching the game and make them join the new brand in the market by telling them about the positives of the product and the reason why they should not be left out. Direct sale cannot be the primary objective since it is not necessarily that the product will be brought at that particular time; it might take time before people can accept a new product. Active awareness means that the product has been on the market and as not been doing well hence trying to convince people that it is a real product. It will not be the place to convince them since you cannot convince them in a single day (Hartmann and Klapper). I do not think super bowl adverts are very efficient since it is one-day event, it will not capture people that much unlike TVs ads. In TV ads, people are repeated for sometimes making people know it better, hence want to try it. It is not effective too since its product category is limited to a particular product that go in line with the event hence it becomes bias. Creating brand awareness being primary

Graduation Rate in WV and Principal's Leadership Dissertation

Graduation Rate in WV and Principal's Leadership - Dissertation Example Principals with good leadership practices focus on the welfare of their students. Leadership is an important component of a school’s performance. It is the set of behavioral patterns exhibited by the principal in attainment of the school’s goals. Good leadership can bring about a positive response from teachers as well as students. Many scholars have established the relationship between principal’s effective leadership and its impact on the student’s performance. The trends in educational leadership have changed. In the past the principal had an administrative role whereas these days he is more involved in improving learning of students. A principal with a good leadership style will encourage teachers to employ different techniques to make students learn rather than let students drop out thereby increasing the graduation rate. Graduation Rate in West Virginia Graduation rate is defined by â€Å"the percentage of students who graduate from high school each year with a regular high school diploma† (Gulbin, 2008. pp.84). The graduation rates are a means to measure how a school is performing. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act passed in 2002 aims at achieving 100% results in reading and mathematics on a national level by the year 2014. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education (2009), 1.3 million High school students in the US drop out of school each year. This has dire consequences on the society in the long run. High dropout rate means that lesser number of people will be qualified to do good jobs and this will reduce the number of Americans in key political as well as professional positions. It also has a lasting impact on economy as High school dropouts eventually become a burden on the society. The average income of a family headed by a dropout has decreased by one third from 1974 to 2004 (Postsecondary Education Opportunity, 2010). In the long run more people will live below poverty line if the current trends contin ue. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (2010) published the Digest of education statistics: 2009 according to which the 8% of teenagers across the US were dropping out of school. The results in terms of races paint a shocking picture as about 15% of Native American Indians are either dropping out of schools or not enrolled in schools at all. The dropout rates have a correlation with family income, locality of the school, negative school climate and the leadership of the school. Graduation rate has implications on overall society as students who drop out find it harder to make a living and become a burden n the society. In West Virginia, 72% students graduated with a regular high school diploma in the year 2010-2011 as reported by Alliance for Excellent Education (Understanding High School Graduation Rates in West Virginia, n.d). The America’s Health Rankings, 2011 edition describes the high school graduation rate for the period 1990-2011 (see Figure 1). Figur e 1: West Virginia High School Graduation Rate (1990-2011) (America’s Health Rankings, 2011) As pointed out by the Institute for Educational Leadership (2000), learning is dependent upon leadership. Effective leadership in schools can bring down the dropout rates by improving the performance of students. The principal plays a mediating role between the teachers and students and has a direct as well as indirect effect on their achievements. The leadership

Bussiness communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bussiness communication - Assignment Example She is working for our store for the last three months and is an hourly employee. A recent disruption occurred due to which our Company faced a considerable loss. Karl Martin, the manager of the store, informed me about Ms. Jackson’s late arrival. He stated that Ms. Jackson was one and a half hour late to work without informing any senior staff member. Several of our regular customers who went in to get their morning coffee complained that the store was closed. There was an overall loss of twenty customers and the company lost a hundred of dollars because of Ms. Jackson’s irresponsible behavior at work today. I myself went to the store two hours later and Ms. Jackson did not made any efforts to inform me. The recording of the CCTV footage shows that she did arrived late at work. I discussed this issue with Mr. Martin who himself was perplexed to have witnessed such disruptive behavior by his employee. We have thoroughly assessed the situation as the decision to be made is precarious. This situation has presented us with limited options. As the store has newly opened, and is currently short on staff, we cannot dismiss Ms. Jackson for her mistake. There is only one applicant, Jerry Wright, who is not well-recommended. We are unwilling to hire him as he does not have a worthy track record and is not quite reliable for this job. Hiring new employees would not be a wise decision either, because the company would have to go through the process of training the employees which would be costly. In addition, we are not sure of the availability of new employees who may be willing to work in the store. This has left me to take a valid decision to let Ms. Jackson continue with her services. I have pondered about this situation and the scenario has presented me to consider the valuable dedication with which Anna Jackson has worked. I personally feel that she would be facing some personal problem

Book report on the book One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick Essay

Book report on the book One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick - Essay Example Though other veterans f the Iraq war have covered similar territory (see box), the author, a captain in an elite Recon battalion, is a keen observer whose fine writing is distinguished by its intelligence and candor. The Marines in his command are vividly drawn and oddly endearing--perhaps because Fick neatly captures their deep, dark humor. (A seared enemy corpse becomes "beef jerky man"; another, flattened by several tanks, is "tomato crate man.") Though cool under fire, Fick sifts through the moral dilemmas in the field: Ignoring protocol, he allows his Marines to blow up an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade that threatens an Iraqi neighborhood. Fick's book is aptly named, as a good part f it is devoted to his training to become a Marine officer, and then a member f the elite reconnaissance group, the Marine equivalent f the Navy Seals or Army Rangers. The training was rigorous, tough and even brutal at times, but the author survived and feels it accomplished its purpose, making him capable f functioning professionally in combat. The book's title is an old Marine adage that a platoon sergeant is one bullet away from becoming the platoon leader, and the platoon leader one bullet away from becoming the company commander. All Marines should be able to step quickly into a position f higher authority with no loss f efficiency. His battalion had a relatively brief tour f duty in Af... Serving as a kind f memoir, or partial autobiography, the book is naturally subjective, all events are seen through the prism f the author's beliefs and experience. Although he held in esteem the Marine generals he had come in contact with, and respected his regimental commander and other field grade officers in his battalion, he had no confidence in his immediate superior, the company commander, who he felt made poor combat decisions for the wrong reasons. But even with this enduring friction, which could become intense when one's life was at stake, the author feels that his training and the training f the Marines under him kept his platoon on a high professional level. His attitude toward the war was basically apolitical. After surviving a botched ambush by a contingent f Syrians (so identified by the passports in their effects) he mused on their appearance. He felt that fighting in a foreign country, they were similar to his Marines in age and middle class background but were markedly inferior in combat ability. He does not, however, state the difference between their goals. The jihadists wanted a medieval theocracy which he could not possibly live under, and loathed the democracy he came from. After the fall f Baghdad his battalion was given various occupation duties which changed too rapidly for any lasting good. He points out the inadequacies f this planning and feels that if they had been left in one place long enough to establish a working accommodation with the residents the occupation would have gone more smoothly. In "No True Glory: A Firsthand Account f the Battle for Fallujah," Bing West tries to give us an accurate and complete picture f one f the most controversial episodes f the Iraq

Margaret Newman's Theory of Health As Expanding Consciousness Assignment - 1

Margaret Newman's Theory of Health As Expanding Consciousness - Assignment Example In this theory, Newman redefines nursing as the means of understanding the person in connection to the environment and also as the manner of understanding of consciousness. It is the nurse who should help people to understand and use the potential within to acquire the greater level of consciousness. Newman also describes the relationship between time, space and movement. According to her, space and time are the secular patterns of a person. Both of them have reciprocal relationships. Human beings are continually evolving through space and time, and it displays a unique model of reality (Brown 2011). Newman states that human beings are open to the entire systems of energy in the universe and also regularly interacting with the energy. It is through such environmental interactions that human beings can develop their unique individual patterns. Newman emphasizes the importance of understanding individual patterns. The recognition of such individual patterns amounts to expanding consciousness. The symptoms of diseases depend on individual patterns. Therefore, the diagnostics of the illnesses exists before the signs appear. Thus, the removal of such signs does not alter the individual formation (Newman). In my opinion, Newman’s theory is about a new approach of seeing health and diseases as manifestations of the evolving patterns of the interaction of individuals with the environment. Therefore, diseases should not be seen as separate entities of people’s health. Diseases should be seen as part of the self-organizing process of expanding consciousness instead of viewing them as negative aspects of health. The treatment of diseases should, therefore, shift from the usual treatment of symptoms to a new approach of searching for patterns. The usual role of nursing is addressing the problems of diseases, but the new role should be helping people get in touch with their individual patterns of

Reporting research results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reporting research results - Essay Example The method used to collect the statistics is also important as a sign of assurance on the credibility of the results(Creswell, 2008). Other factors include the region that the research focused on and the inhabitants of the region as per the research results. Consequently, the report should clarify on whether the results depict the answers of every statistic. The report should also explain the statistics which made up the research, but were not available during the study. In addition, the report should illuminate whether the act is a shortcoming or not. The other factor is the time during which the research took place. The various ways through which the research took place should also be a composition of the report. The sampling errors that are an attribute of the research should be put to the limelight. The frequent questions during the research should also be part of the report (Rocco T.S.,

Statement of purpose for undergrad in business studies Essay Example for Free

Statement of purpose for undergrad in business studies Essay â€Å"Take up one idea. Make that idea your life- think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success†. I read this quote by Swami Vivekananda in 2011 when I was deciding my career choice in 2011 when I was in Grade 11. Initially I was inclined towards science as that’s the preferred career option for most in India. However a deeper analysis, introspection and influence of my parents made me realize my strengths and interests make me more suited for Economics and Business Studies. My family has been a major influence – my father and maternal uncle are both engineers with an MBA from top business schools and have made a great career for themselves. My father is into international business development and marketing and has made a successful career. After deciding on Commerce and Business Studies, I scored 91. 2 % (top 10 % in the CBSE across in grade 12 and made it to the top 10 % of candidates who took the board exam nationwide. After 12th grade, I took an entrance exam and qualified for the interview and group discussion round by securing a national rank of 143. I made it to the top 80 students to get admission to the coveted College of business studies, Delhi University (voted as Asias best undergraduate management college by the Commonwealth of Nations). Good academic performance in my school and college, active participation in academic as well as extra-curricular activities in several marketing activity groups and several part time and full time internships during college have helped me to develop analytical, communication and social interaction skills. I now feel strongly that I would like to pursue this career further. During the one and a half years of my undergraduate studies, I interacted with students from different cultural and social backgrounds. The college has a strong culture of developing practical skills and nurturing entrepreneurship. Most students got campus placements and more than 60 % students chose management consulting and marketing as career options. I used to visit NGO’s and teach students on weekends but I wanted to do something bigger. I got through Kartavya ( The social service club of my college) and here, I organized blood donation camps and collection drives in college, visited slums , organized movie screenings and talent shows for the unprivileged children living in orphanages and the happiness I got by seeing them happy is inexpressible. I was a part of MIC (The Management Interaction Cell) wherein my team co-hosted an event with FICCI ( Federation of Indian chambers of commerce and Industry ). I was given the role of Director, Human resources at DUMUN (Delhi University Model United Nations) where my key roles involved raising funds for our national level event, managing and ensuring co-ordination in the team and representing my team to the college authorities. While organizing and hosting these events, I led teams and was appreciated for my leadership skills and dedication towards my clubs. I started enjoying the whole process of recruiting new members, leading them, pitching to prospective sponsors to raise funds and managing the working of the team . This was the time I realized that I enjoy leading people and it is something I can do well. Academically, I balanced my studies well with my co-curriculars and always scored 80% and above in my semesters. I enjoyed every bit of my course and thoroughly researched on all my projects. Business Research, Organizational Behavior and Marketing management have been my favorite subjects in college. The project I enjoyed the most was a live project in Public Relations for which I studied the Cadbury worm crisis and took interviews of employees there to gain first hand knowledge over their crisis. CBS has made me confident about my choice of stream and made me realize my ambitions in life. To quench my thirst for practical management knowledge, I went on to join Vodafone as an HR intern where my assignment was to check employee satisfaction by conducting surveys, suggest better schemes and analyze the areas where improvement was required. Later, I also joined Brand Hawkers as a Marketing trainee. My job assignment involved creating a prospect list of advertising partners for our ‘SmartBooks’ product, qualifying and pitching to them and facilitating their engagement with Brand Hawkers. During this assignment I realized that marketing was the forte I wanted to excel in since this is what I enjoyed the most. It didn’t seem like work to me but it was simply fun. I am confident of my abilities to carve a niche for myself in this field of Business Management. I am ready to take the desired steps to achieve my ultimate goal.

Potential ranges of consequences of a development failure Essay Example for Free

Potential ranges of consequences of a development failure Essay The concept of society and culture has a long history associated with it, similar to the most other aspects of social science. The culture has always progressively developed with time, and is an indication of â€Å"improvement†. However, there have been doubts with the quality of the progress, and how has the so-called development helped in evolving the culture into a successful social structure. There is a school of thought that believes that development of societies and culture has only resulted in failure. The failed development has had quite adverse consequences over the society too. Success or failure of a project is dependent on the policies taken towards the process of development. In today’s world where most development projects are government initiatives with political motives, the word â€Å"development† can be often associated with failure, keeping in mind the complete social structure and culture of the particular region. In the book, â€Å"Whose Development? An Ethnography of Aid† the authors Emma Crewe and Elizabeth Harrison raise the ultimate question in the very first line: â€Å"Is development a failure? † If the third world countries, especially in Asia and Africa, are considered, the development projects had been undertaken over fifty years ago, and yet there is poverty, hunger and lack of education every where. So, the question that automatically comes up is how development has affected the people in half a century? The so-called development projects have only made the rich nations richer, and the poor poorer. Crewe and Harrison also believes that the success or failure of a development depends upon the gap between the project plans, and their final outcomes. Often, the field staff has not always been able to implement the plans accordingly, resulting in the failure of the overall project. However, going deeper into the issues of field workers, Crewe and Harrison feels that it the opportunities and limitations provided by the society and the staffing organization, that influences the choices or decisions taken by the field staffs. This in turn influences the worker’s field-level activity and thus development failure can stem from the lack of attention to the field-level workers. According to them, the bureaucratic approach to implementation of the project leads to such development failures, and often results in increased power imbalances, and a predetermined section of the society will rise up to take control and would discourage any flexibility in the society. On the other hand, James Ferguson takes another approach to the development failures, where he particularly documents the failure of the Lesotho project. The project, which started off as a â€Å"livestock project† grew in magnitude with time, and soon the plan was to develop a new society out of the mountainous region, with means of arable agriculture in the mountains. Eventually, the whole â€Å"development† project failed. The author attributes this failure to the lack of a common purpose. The plans grew in stature but it diverted from the original purpose. This lack of understanding between the government and the development officials led to the failure of the project. The main aim of the project should have been to maintain the livestock without much of human intervention. However, with foreign aids coming in for the project, the evil intentions of the government surfaced, and a complete social transformation was planned. The author feels that the foreign aids led to the eventual consequence of the failed project. After ten years of commitment, the costly project did nothing to enhance the living standards of the people in the region, and it is claimed that the quality of village life has actually declined as a result of the pullout of the project. The project might not have done any good to the people, but the roads that were made during the implementation helped the Lesotho government in gaining a stronger position in the region. The case of Rwanda genocide provides an insight on the consequences of development failures. Peter Uvin, author of the book â€Å"Aiding Violence: The Development Enterprise in Rwanda† documents the reasons that led to the eventual genocide, and how it was the result of irresponsible actions of aid providing institutions. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) had kept on providing funds and aids to the government of Rwanda without any investigation of the social situation in the nation. Over the years, the aid had kept increasing, and finally resulted in the government-sponsored genocide of the Tutsi by the Hutus. The author feels that the aid given by the institutions promoted violence in the region. The basic aim was to help in the development of the African region, but the purpose was not sufficient enough, as the aiding institutions should have looked deeper into the social and cultural trends of the society. The institutions failed to implement their development plans properly, which not only led to a development failure, but also gave rise to a catastrophic disaster, which took away 500,000 lives approximately. This is also the largest genocide incident registered in the history, and it is quite alarming to see how the failure of a â€Å"development† project could lead to such a destruction of society and culture. Mary B. Anderson, in her book â€Å"Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace-or War† presents a similar approach as Peter Uvin, where she provides an insight on how international assistance can become a factor in a conflict-affected area. According to her, outside help, aimed at development of a certain region, can either be helpful in resolving a conflict or prolong the conflict by helping a particular group involved in the conflict. Anderson believes that it is not possible for international assistance to remain separate from the conflict. Most assistance is given with the purpose of reducing tensions in conflict settings, and helps the region to develop. However, these development initiatives can turn into a failure, which would mean that the aid is actually reinforcing the conflict in the region. She urges to aid providers to take a step back, and look closely how the aid might have a negative effect on the conflict. The impact that is created by the aids often decides the success and failure of its developmental purpose. If the impact is destructive, the conflict increases, and leads to war instead of the desired peace. Through these four books, the authors provide a similar aspect to the cause of development failure: external aid. In spite of the fact that external aid is mostly essential for development to take place, it is also important to carry on the implementation in a proper way. While Crewe, Harrison and Anderson specify the general effects of such development failures, Ferguson and Uvin has presented similar views with the help of specific development failure cases. The instances given in all the four books maintain the importance of local aspects while planning a development project for a particular region. The social, political and economic trends are to be studied carefully before implementing a development idea. The consequences are mostly devastating, and reach out to the society and often result in power imbalance and discrimination. References Crewe, Emma Harrison, Elizabeth. Whose Development? An Ethnography of Aid. London: Zed Books Ferguson, James 1994. The Anti-Politics Machine: Development, DePoliticization, and Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. Uvin, Peter 1998. Aiding Violence: The Development Enterprise in Rwanda. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press Anderson, M. 1999. Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace-or War. London: Lynne Rienner Coletta, Amy. Book review on Aiding Violence: The Development Enterprise in Rwanda. Praxis: Fletcher Journal of Development Studies A. M. Hassan, Fareed. Lesetho. African Development Bank: Operations Evaluation Department. O’Reilly, Kathleen. Responding to Intervention: Gender, Knowledge and Authority.

HOPE, Barack Obama Poster | An Analysis

HOPE, Barack Obama Poster | An Analysis Introduction In my term paper HOPE the poster for Obama. I will analyze the Poster itself, this means to give an overview of what we can see and how we can interpret it as an art image and try to answer the questions why it went viral so fast and whether it had a huge impact on the outcome of the election campaign 2008. Since the poster by Shepard Fairey is a special kind of art, which can be describeb as Appropriation Art, I will also point out his message, as well as explain the meaning. After that, I will start with the actual analysis, beginning with the idea and initiative and then showing the political goals and strategies the Democrats used during the election campaign, while keeping the message and vision of the image from Sheperd Fairey in mind, because these two points are unseperable, in view of the fact that the poster was made for this political occasion. It will be interesting to see the development, we will get know that Shepard Fairey was long before his actual HOPE poster a Obamanist, sharing the same political views as Obama. Gradually, I will state out and interpret the image, for instance, why Fairey used actually this original head shot of Obama looking into the distance or why he switched to the HOPE writing after all. Additionally, I will raise the question why the Democrats pushed such special image for this campaign, instead of maybe banning it. Plus characterize the effect of colors in general and what it could mean for this poster. Finally, I will compare Faireys iconic Poster to Jim Fitzpatricks worldwide known Che Guevara Poster from 1968. Appropriation Art The HOPE Poster by Shepard Fairey can be described as Appropriation Art. Appropriation artists adopt images and add their own style to it, hence create a new art work (cf. Gersh-Nesic np.). Fairey also used an consisting image of Barack Obama, which was actually taken in Washington D.C. in 2006 (cf. Spiering np.), and then created his personal design based on the original. Most importantly the Appropriation artists want to make a new statement without loosing the impression of the original, this can also be called as recontextualization (cf. Gersh-Nesic np.). As one could imagine there is a thin line between Appropriation art and plagriasm, since the artist takes a consisting image or picture, whose rights may are arranged clearly, but nevertheless this can lead to copyright infringement or a legal dispute, as it is with Shepard Faireys HOPE poster (cf. Fairey 7). Analysis Nearly everyone knows or at least has seen the HOPE poster by Shepard Fairey, which has become a symbol in the 2008 Election Campaign and beyond. The image is showing Barack Obama in three-quarters profile, focusing sharply into the distance, while wearing a suit. Across the bottom of the image the word HOPE is written in bold letters and above the letter E there is the Obama/Biden logo (cf. author unknown np.). The poster is illustrated in a very simple color scheme, the dominating colors are blue ,red and white, the colors of the United States of America. All began in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention, where Obama held a speech about uniting America and creating opportunities for everyone to prosper (Fairey 7) , thereafter Fairey noticed that him and Obama share the same political views and because Fairey made art concerning political issues before, it was clear that he wanted to provide an artwork for Obamas presidential campaign also. So with the help from his friend Yosi Sergant, who got it all going, because he had contacts to the people from the Obama campaign, Fairey got permission two weeks before Super Tuesday to contribute a illustration (cf. Fairey 7). He came up with the iconic Obama Poster, which is actually based on a photograph taken in April 2006 by Manni Garcia (author unknown np.), the original photo showed Obama sitting next to George Clooney in Washington D.C. (cf. Spiering np.). Fairey transformed it into an abstract art image, which should: capture his idealism, vision, and his contemplative  nature, this last one of the most easily overlooked  qualities that a strong leader embodies (7). And he sure did, his eyes looking ahead, maybe to symbolize that he will take up future issues at an early stage, and expressing that I can guide you (Booth pMO1) combined with the writing hope it gives a perfect association of Obamas idealism and vision, without loosing the seriousness a future president should have, since Obama is able to talk about challenging problems and inspire people at the same time (cf. Fairey 8). Additionally the poster is divided in the middle in a nationalistic way, only including the colors of the national flag of America, red, white and blue, a highlighted blue left side and a darker red side. On the one hand this could show the blue and red states, as in Democrats against Republicans and never ending antagonism between these two oppositions (cf. Fairey 7), on the other this could also sybolize a united America. Moreover, the colors used by Fairey, have also a strong psychological effect on the viewer, cause generally it is to mention that adults prefer blue as their favorite color (cf. Frieling and Auer 13), but more importantly the colors can influence our mind and feeling, for example blue is characteristic for constructiveness and depeening, however red can trigger the attitudes strongness and power in our minds (cf. Frieling and Auer 16), which can be translated to Faireys impression of Obama, by saying that his sincerity and leadership qualities should be expressed (cf. Fairey 7). Furthermore it is interesting to see that Fairey, not even a bit strive the point that Barack Hussein Obama could be the first African-American President of the United States of America (Nagourney np.), by making a appropriation art image that is showing Obamas skin color, but Fairey abstained, instead he shares the same ideals that Obama shared through his speeches that everyone is created equal, and is equally entitled to life(Fairey 7). First of all, it is to say that the initial 350 pieces that were put up on the streets and the next 350 sold all said Progress. After that Fairey switched to the famous Hope , because he got feedback and official approval from the Democrats claiming they want to spread the hope message (Arnon np.). As a matter of course the politicial slogans were hope and change (cf. Johnson 174) , so there was the thought of a strategic politcial move to back up and expand Obamas themes of the 2008 Electoral Campaign and give the people a unique way to show their support. Clearly the demand was not statisfied yet, so when Fairey uploaded his image on his website, where fans and supporters could get it, it went viral quickly, because the supporters started using the jpeg of my image as their email signature and their MySpace or Facebook profile image (Fairey 8), this gave them the opportunity to show their support in a modern, symbolic way, and they were highly motivated to do so and spread the imag e (cf. Arnon np.). This could only be in favour of the Democrats, not only does more than fifty percent of the Americans use actually the internet in 2010 (Smith np.), but also thirty percent of the generation between 18-32 are active online, according to the study Generations Online in 2009 (Lachut np.). It should be added that just before Super Tuesday the image arouse the curiousity and maybe influenced the last undecided voters, or at least activated them to get more information about it (cf.Fairey 9). One might say, that the Poster helped also influence at least a bit the younger generation, sixty-six percent of the age group 18-29 voted for Obama, compared to the 30-45 from which fifty-two voted for him, it is a huge difference (CNN Exit Poll np). Additionally Faireys goal was to create an artwork that is attracting the younger generation, without loosing his own style. All in All, it is to say that the image from Fairey is an idealization of Obama, the gazing look, the lines, colors and the fall of the light with brighter and darker sides (cf. Booth pMO1), he is shown almost like a messiah, because he has the abbility to influence people, through his monologues (Fairey 7). But since everything has to sides, there was also some critique to the artwork, writers for the Clout column in the Philadelphia Daily News said the Soviet-style heroic Obama, the use of a single word HOPE reminded them of George Orwells 1984 and Big Brother and in the Los Angeles Times Meghan Daum sees the image as: a half-artsy, half-creepy genuflection that suggests the subject is (a) a Third World dictator whose rule is enmeshed in a seductive cult of personality; (b) a controversial American figure whos been assassinated; or (c) one of those people from a Warhol silkscreen that you dont recognize but assume to be important in an abstruse way. (MO1) One might think that this would bother Fairey, but not if you are honoured by the future president himself. Obama wrote a letter thanking Fairey for his artwork supporting his campaign, further more he wrote that his work has a recondite impact on the people, regardless of the place where it can be seen (cf. Fairey 8). Not only that he got honoured by Obama, there is also a huge amount of parodies based on Faireys image. Most of them are illustrated in the same colors, but the decisive factor, which actually makes them a parody, is the writing. Instead of Hope, there is written Pope and Benedikt the XVI is shown (Weinfeld 3). Others versions include, John McCain and Sarah Palin with the writing Nope in order to express their rejection (villagevoice 5 and 7). Additionally to these parodies, there of course several instructions in the internet on how to make your own Obama poster, plus there is a huge quantitiy of printed shirts, fliers available with the image (cf. Booth MO1). Last but not least, it is to mention that there are several images comparable to the Fairey poster, but the most controversial would be with the Che Gueavara poster by Jim Fitzpatrick, which is also known as Guerrillero Heroico (the heroic fighter). This poster can also be described as appropriation art, since the image is also based on a photograph, this time taken by Alberto Korda, Fidel Castros personal photographer, in 1960 at a mass funeral in Havana. The original shot, similar to the one Fairey used, showed also another man and palm fonds (cf. Holmes np). Che Guevara is depicted with a straight look into the distance, wearing a brevet with a star on it, his eye brows are a bit contracted and frame his sharply focused eyes. The color scheme is simple Che Guevaras head is held in black and white, on a noticeable red background, only the star on his brevet is yellow. In contrast to the Fairey poster, the one by Fitzpatrick is much more easily build-up, since there are no complicated outlines or color transitions. It is more likely that Fitzpatrick, cropped out the rest of the image, changed the background color, as well as turned the head into black and white portrait. Soon after Che Guevaras death his main goal was to spread the image as fast as possible I deliberately designed it to breed like rabbits, (Holmes np) says Fitzpatrick. Though it was not a campaign poster that should have been spread, it is the idea behind it that they both share, to get a huge amount of people to regonize the poster, in the fastest way possible. Another point both posters have in common, is the desire to change, change as a political order. As I stated out earlier Obamas themes were change and hope and after Che Guevaras death, which was followed by various demonstrations around Europe, people also were looking for a change (cf. Holmes np). And like the Hope poster by Shepard Fairey, the Che Guevara poster, also became a symbol of change (cf. Holmes np). Moreover, by the time the posters got more recognition, and developed into an iconic statement, the several industries took advantage of and printed for example t-shirts or underwear with the Che Guevara logo, there were even a ice cream version of Che in Australia (cf. Holmes np). Conclusion In this term paper I wanted to show and analyze Obamas 2008 electoral campaign poster by Shepard Fairey, gradually interpretating several aspects of the image, while contributing background information on the artwork itself, the development and most importantly the meaning behind the work. The research has shown that Shepard Fairey did an incredible job, not only did he create an iconic poster that will be remembered forever, but also he combined the political messages from the democrats with his own perception of Obama, without loosing his way of creating art. It is to say that the success is caused by the millions of supporters that were hungry for a new, fresh way of showing their support. And with the medium internet, it has found the perfect environment, esspecially for the younger generation, to expand promptly. Of course the Democratic Party maintained the poster, after a short period of time, where they analyzed the image. Fairey did what every fan of the future president would have done, he tried to illustrate the positive characteristics of Obama, also concentrating on the history of the land, that the overall aim should be a united America. Furthermore the image arouse a spate of advertising material, shirts, cups, caps, the amount was huge, because the demand was not going to end soon. But whether this had an impact on the acual election is questionable. Sure is that Obama won the election with a great percentage of voters between the age of eighteen and twenty-nine. However, it is clear that they did not all vote for Obama, because of the poster, but rather enjoyed it, because it reflects the person they admire with the creativity they like to support. Finally, it will be interesting to see how this years election will go for Obama and the democrats and whether the supporters and artists will find a new way of showing their support in the election campaign 2012.

The Abortion Debate :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

The Abortion Debate During the past quarter century, abortion has joined race and war as one of the most debatable subject of controversy in the United States. It discusses human interaction where ethics, emotions and law come together. Abortion poses a moral, social and medical dilemma that faces many individuals to create a emotional and violent atmosphere. There are many points of view toward abortion but the only two fine distinctions are "pro-choice" and "pro-life". A pro-choicer would feel that the decision to abort a pregnancy is that of the mothers and the state has no right to interfere. A pro-lifer would hold that from the moment of conception, the embryo or fetus is alive. This life imposes on us a moral obligation to preserve it and that abortion is tantamount to murder (Kolner 5). In the United States about 1.6 million pregnancies end in abortion. Women with incomes under eleven thousand are over three times more likely to abort than those with incomes above twenty-five thousand. Unmarried women are four to five times more likely to abort than married and the abortion rate has doubled for 18 and 19 year olds. Recently the U.S. rate dropped 6 percent overall but the rate of abortion among girls younger than 15 jumped 18 percent. The rate among minority teens climbed from 186 per 1,000 to 189 per 1,000. The most popular procedure involved in abortions is the vacuum aspiration which is done during the first trimester (three months or less since the women has become pregnant). A tube is simply inserted through the cervix and the contents of the uterus are vacuumed out. The most commonly used type of second trimester abortion is called dilation and evacuation. Since the fetus has bones, bulk and can move, second trimester is not as simple. When as much of the fetus and placenta are vacuumed out then tweezers are used to remove larger parts. After this, or the beginning of the fifth month abortion is serious and actually induced as childbirth. That is, the mother is given substances which puts her into labor and delivers the fetus as she would a full-term baby. About 40 percent of Americans believe that abortion should remain legal and 40 percent believe it should be banned except when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother or is the result of rape or incest.

chemical waste :: essays research papers

Clean Up Of Chemical Waste Chemical spills are major problems that haunt the environment. Strict government regulation are trying help this problem, but governmental leaders face many challenges. Disposal of harmful chemicals is often difficult and costly. Since chemical waste has destroyed the environment, steps are being taken to prevent further pollution, Like the Yucca mountain project. A local based pharmaceutical company named Novo Nordisk released its 1999 environmental report. The company, which strives to keep from contaminating the environment, confessed to two separate accidents for the year. A North Carolina plant was fined from the United States Department of Agriculture 1,000 dollars. Due to the fact that hydrochloric acid was disposed of in the public sewage system. New management has taken action to insure this does not happen again. Also at the Gentofte site in Denmark wastewater with the E- Coli bacteria was drained into the public sewage system from a leaky heater exchanger. The incident was reported to the local authorities and cleaned up quickly. A local company offered to donate expired chemicals to local schools. The chemicals have expired to which they can be used in schools for experiments and related activities. The companies prefer to donate the chemicals because it keeps them from the costly action of disposing of them properly. For example Novo Nordisk in Clayton, North Carolina has a program in which they donate hydrochloric acid and other expired chemicals to Clayton High School. A chemistry teacher at North Johnston High School was unaware that companies could donate their expired chemicals. Her comment of the quality of the expired chemicals was positive. "Expired chemicals would be fine to use for experiments and help me out a lot due to the small budget I am allowed each year for chemicals". A representative from Novo Nordisk stated that a program could easily be established if schools would show interest in the program. Certain disasters stick out in the minds of many people . Chernobyl was a nuclear plant in Ukraine that ended up being the worst nuclear leak in history. The media reported that, "On April 26, 1986, Chernobyl’s number four reactor exploded, spewing a cloud of radioactive material across a portion of Europe in the world's worst civilian nuclear reactor disaster". Officials estimate that about thirty people were killed immediately and more than fifteen thousand people died in the emergency clean up afterwards.

Ecosystemic Psychology Essay

Ecosystemic Psychology – Definitions Definition Epistemology Epistemology is â€Å"the study of the origin, nature and methods, as well as the limits, of knowledge; it is also how things can be known, thus a framework for describing and conceptualizing what is being observed and experienced and it also specifies the nature of the relationship between the researcher (knower) and what can be known† (Terre Blanche & Durrheim, 2006, p. 6; Terre Blanche, Durrheim & Painter, 2006, p. 559; Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2004, p. 507). Theory is â€Å"a general principle or a collection of interrelated general principles that is put forward as an explanation of a set of known facts and empirical findings† (Reber, 1985). Example If for example the researcher needs to rely on people’s subjective experiences of day to day living in an old age home, the researcher could adopt an interactional epistemological stance and make use of interviewing as a method of enquiry. This is reflective of the interpretive approach, â€Å"which aims to explain the subjective reasons and meanings that lie behind social action† (Terre Blanche & Durrheim, 2006, p. 7). Thus, epistemologically the observer needs to be empathetic and subjective in his/her approach. Theory The theory of psychosocial development by Erikson (1963) â€Å"holds that psychosexual growth and psychosocial growth take place together and that at each stage of life we face the task of establishing equilibrium between ourselves and our social world† (cited in Corey, 2009, p. 66). For example, very early in life the infant learns to trust or mistrust. If a baby has a careless parent, that does not meet the babies basic needs the baby can easily develop mistrust. Model A model is â€Å"an ideal, a standard, an example set up as worthy of imitation or copying† (Reber, 1985). Bandura’s social learning theory is well known in the discipline of psychology. Bandura did an experiment with a ‘Bobo Doll’ in which he used a live model of observational learning where children observed adults acting violently toward the doll. In the end the children imitated similar behaviour toward the Bobo Doll (http://psychology.about.com/od/ developmentalpsychology/a/sociall earning.htm). Technique A technique is â€Å"a fairly specific, learned procedure or set of procedures for accomplishing some specific goal† (Reber, 1985). Systematic sampling is an example of a technique. In systematic sampling a â€Å"fixed distance between elements is calculated† (Durrheim & Painter, 2006, p. 135). For example 100 out of a sampling frame of 1000, the interval will be calculated as follow: 1000/100 = 10. Thus every 10th element will be selected until there is a sample of 100.

Soccer Ritual

I had the passion to play soccer because of them and I was wanted to become as a famous player in Saudi Arabia Maxed Abdullah. From that moment my sibling and play it and like it very much. Also, we were fans to AY-Edited FCC as my father does because most of children want to become like their fathers. My father once bought for us a football, so my brother and I keep play with it and watch soccer matches to learn some skills. Furthermore, when we became good player, we start to play against my cousins and our neighbors.We won In all of games we took medallions. After that I was plan to win on my brothers and get the medallion from them to look a hero on my father eyes, so I started watch a lot soccer matches and soccer animation. I learn a lot of skills such as how to shoot by left foot, how to skip from the player, and how to pass the ball under the player and that happen when I was in second grade in elementary school. I start to collect my team from my cousins and my neighbors, so my oldest brother and I made a competition and we asked my father to Judge.So I won the game and my dad was surprised of the way I was played, so he gave me a hundred SIR is about $26 but in that time it value a lot because when my father gave us 5 RSI we feel like rich. Soccer is more than a sport; soccer player are a folk group with rituals and Informal tradition. In this research I will define a ritual and how is related to soccer. What Is a ritual? A ritual Is a particular type of tradition that many folklorist as a distinct category of folklore.Ritual are habitual actions, but they are more purposeful than customs rituals are frequently highly organized and controlled often ant to indicate or announce membership in a group. Most rituals are stylized, and highly conceptualized deeply symbolic activities that enable groups to acknowledge exemplify, and / or act out certain traditional ideas, values, and beliefs. Family and community celebrations scared and secular ceremonies, an d a variety of other structured performance include rituals.Rituals required a set of beliefs and values that group members accept and want to have reinforced. The ritual works to teach their importance by emphasizing even acting out these sales or belies like tradition in general. Rituals frequently employ symbols and metaphors to represent Important concepts. There are no clear records about who or whom Invited the soccer or the mime was, however the historian agreed that a kind of play ball was played for at least 3000 years, and that can see In China, Egypt, and Greece before modern one has developed in England.There are many rituals related to teams before they join first time. That was because they have a ritual before the game and they belief they can win the game. Especially Fabian Breather's shaved head before each game and hanging a towel on goal. Shatter is a soccer team in Khaki. Before they play the game they slaughtered a sheep to win games, however the animal rights g roup PETA .NET â€Å"strongly worded letter† to the FAA president. They do that because they feel the luck comes by this ritual.In many Muslim majority countries like Astrakhan, the ritual slaughter of a sheep is seen as bringing good fortune ahead of a major event. The meat is then often distributed among the poor. According to Shatter coach Smoky says, â€Å"Of course this tradition may have certain psychological impact on players that can help them to relax before the game. â€Å"(FOOTBALL) Slaughter a lamb has known from old centuries in many books and religions such as Islam, and Christianity. In holy Curran mention (e-*HCI 4439) that mean God command Abraham to sacrifice a sheep instead of his son Small (AY shaft 107).People sacrifice a sheep because they want to be placed by God or to forgive a sign, and some do it for the evil to make a bad thing. As Jewish and Muslim did the same thing when they have children. To be grateful to the God. Most soccer players have sup erstitions and rituals. They think they can success in their game. Superstitions can have variety things such as dirty socks, pre-game song, or a sort of pray. Also, there are funny operations like Christian Rolando has 7 1. On the bus Christian is sitting alone in the back row and he is the last one who leaves the bus 2. N the plane he sits always with Epee, and he is the first who leaves the plane 3. In the locker room at the halftime he must change his hairstyle 4. He must touch the ball before leaving the dressing room 5. In the Portugal national team he is the only Portuguese who is allowed to start off with a long-sleeve Jersey 6. On the pitch he always steps onto the right foot 7. When he scores the goal, first he is waving to his family (footballers). Sorcery Sorcery is a one of a taboo thing. Many clubs used sorcery to win the game.They used it before the game and some wear it or hang it. They do that that to blind the other team from scoring goals or they used devils to st op goalkeepers from follow the ball. According to AY hill FCC Ex player conference that he used sorcery in one of games by washing his face, and after the game he quit and went to Mecca to erase his sin. (sport kabob) In conclusion, soccer became a famous game in the world have it's on rituals and superstitions between the players, mangers, and fans. I

Module 7 †Reflective Practice and Professional Development

Certificate in Education Module 7 – Reflective Practice and Professional Development Report to compare teaching roles In any organisation there must be some structure and it is this that leads to a selection of teaching and management roles within education. All roles are focused on the quality of service provided to not only the learners but to the community, our stakeholders, awarding bodies, funders and parents. The 3 roles I have chosen for comparison are Team Manager, which is my role at NN, a Trainer on the foundation learning programme at NN and the role of Learning Support Assistant.I have collected the information by talking to and observing, the trainer on foundation learning. I have researched the post of LSA as this is a role that I need to employ in the New Year for the new programme I will be running. I have 12 learners on programme at any given time, the course is entry 3 and the maximum I have in a group is 6. The courses are a mixture of practical and theory f or example the driving theory course as the name suggests is mainly theory however the nail technicians course is mainly practical.The trainer on foundation learning has a maximum of 16 learners and the level ranges between entry 3 and level 1. He does 75% practical and 25% theory as he gets the learners to take a lot of responsibility for their own learning. The LSA that I will be employing will be working on a 1:1 or 1:2 basis. We all work with 16-18 year olds that have not fitted into mainstream education. . I have split the responsibilities into sections of common themes to compare the roles. My role as Team Manager is to plan and direct the activities of the team.Through Team meetings and one to one support & supervision sessions we discuss the needs of current and potential learners, with this information in mind, I then need to create Schemes of Work which not only meet the individual needs of the learner and the targets, but also the standards and outcomes set by senior mana gement, funders and regulatory bodies. The session plans are then created by either myself or the trainers for the appropriate programme. The LSA’s, trainers and myself are all responsible for working from the session plans and ensuring that outcomes and targets are met and standards adhered to.As a group we would also discuss what additional resources and materials would be necessary for the course and create an essential list and a wish list. It would then be my responsibility to check what was available within the budget and authorise any additional spending. I am responsible for risk assessing and ensuring the health & Safety of the staff and learners. The trainers are responsible for the health and safety of themselves and learners during sessions and have a responsibility to bring to the attention of the team manager anything that arises during their sessions.The LSA has a responsibility to report any health and safety issue to their line manager. We all have a responsi bility to ensure that our areas are clean, tidy and secure at the end of each session. I am responsible for learner registrations, arranging internal and external verification and attending standardisation meetings. The trainers are responsible for providing me or their team manager with the necessary information for us to do the registrations and to ensure that learner’s portfolios are completed to an acceptable standard.The LSA’s can complete learner progress reports and are responsible for completing the tasks with the learners that have been set by the trainer. All of the roles are responsible for discipline and classroom management, the trainer is responsible for the discipline and management of the whole class, the LSA, alongside the trainer is responsible for the learners they are working with and I am responsible overall for making any final decisions about discipline and behavioural issues. On my project specifically, I allow the learners quite a lot more lati tude initially as my focus is on engagement following a long period of no education.The trainer on FL would expect a far greater standard of behaviour as he is preparing the learners for further training or employment. Ideally we would see a journey of improving behaviour from when they start on my course to when they finish on FL. The LSA’s are responsible for setting up equipment and resources whilst the trainer is responsible for deciding which equipment to use, designing any handouts/resources and ensure that resources are used effectively and efficiently. I need to ensure that there are adequate resources for the trainers including purchasing and designing my own resources whilst remaining inside the allocated budget.I am responsible for securing adequate funding to provide appropriate resources. We are all responsible for the learning journey of the learner; the LSA must be impartial when assisting the learners and ensure that their practice is professional and inclusiv e. The trainer is responsible for ensuring the practice with the group is inclusive and that they can challenge any discriminatory behaviour and attitudes. They design individualised learning plans with the learners and the LSA’s work towards goals set with the learners on these plans.I need to ensure that any new paperwork is designed within our, and other regulatory bodies, codes of practice. The trainer is responsible for completing initial assessments with the learner and I am responsible for ensuring that initial assessments take place and that all relevant paperwork is completed. The LSA would not be expected to do initial assessments however would be expected to contribute to learning reviews. I am responsible for ensuring that practice and assessments are standardised. All staff are required to attend standardisation meetings for the various awarding bodies that we use.This ensures that our assessments are fair, reliable, sufficient and valid. The Trainer on FL would be expected to work with external bodies to find and maintain suitable work placements however on my course this is not as relevant. The Team manager along with the health and Safety manager would be responsible for carrying out a risk assessment on the placement. The trainer is responsible for communicating with colleagues and attending meetings to ensure that training is standardised. They are responsible for collecting information that could be needed by others and passing it to their line manager.I am responsible for collating performance data to present to senior management, external agencies and regulatory bodies. In addition I am responsible for leading, managing, developing and motivating staff, including support & supervision and arranging adequate cover. I control and monitor expenditure against a set budget and contribute to the budget setting process. I am responsible for maintaining the viability of my project and work with my team manager colleagues to ensure that we m aximise, and identify any potential use of any shared resources.I am responsible for developing relationships with referral agencies, stakeholders and partnership agencies and where required work collaboratively in a multi agency setting, whilst maintaining confidentiality of information. The conclusion is that there are a lot of similarities between the roles as they are all predominantly based on supporting the learning journey of young people. All roles are vital for the success of the young people. The differences are based around the levels of responsibility and accountability.

Book Review: the Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr Essay

Many are still quoting from Nicholas Carr’s 2008 Atlantic article â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† Here in The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, he elaborates to illustrate precisely how the Internet changes our lives. Along the way, Carr’s highly entertaining book reminds us of how the great thinkers of past centuries did just fine without a hyperlinked database of all the world’s knowledge at hand. In the 21st century, we are facing the consequences of our distracted and scattered society, and we make choices about the impact of technology, weighted with assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains presents a thoughtful, if frightening, look at what we’re doing to ourselves. We learn to take in information the way the Internet distributes it, â€Å"in a swiftly moving stream of particles.† At best we skim the surface, rather than go deep into information, and our fragmented journey results in lack of concentration and comprehension. Pay attention as the author cites his own difficulties with reading and that of others who find problems with their ability to read and absorb. Sadly much of our reading has become â€Å"skimming and scrolling.† In just twenty years, since the web’s graphical browser was created, the Internet has become the communication and information medium of choice. Those of us who grew up in an analog youth can still remember when AOL was the top consumer choice for web use. Do you remember AOL’s weekly allotment of a limited amount of web surfing? Carr colors his analysis with interesting stories and profiles of some of the world’s greatest thinkers and writers, including Socrates and Plato. He reaches far back in time to bring us a full understanding of the development of human intellect over centuries. In the late 19th century, when first using a typewriter, Nietzsche quickly found a difference in his work when not using paper and pen. †Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts.† The Shallows illustrates that every technology is an expression of human will and changes how we think. The typewriter, sextant, globe, book newspaper and computer are all tools for self-expression, our identity and relations with others. In Chapter Four, â€Å"The Deepening Page,† Carr creates an interesting parallel between today’s technology divide and Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press invention, developed in the mid-15th century. While it was as central an event as the Internet is today, it too was out of reach for the poor, illiterate, isolated or incurious. The biggest difference between the printing press and the web today, other than speed, is the web’s bi-directional communication ability. Yet, Carr quotes Marshall McLuhan stating, â€Å"A new medium is never an addition to an old one. Nor does it leave the old one in peace.† â€Å"Today, when a printed book is transferred to an electronic device connected to the Internet, it turns into something very like a web site,† says Carr. Yet, he reflects on what this means, when the ability to continually update a book removes the sense of closure from book writing. He raises the question of whether an author’s pressure to achieve perfection will diminish, along with artistic rigor that pressure imposed. â€Å"The Juggler’s Brain,† Chapter Seven, should be mandatory reading for us to understand effects of technology in the school system, after a decade of using hypertext on computer screens instead of printed pages. Over time, it was apparent that evaluating links and navigating paths was mentally challenging, and extraneous to the act of reading. Studies quickly determined that hypertext increases readers’ cognitive load and is more than the average reader is capable of handling and remembering. As skimming becomes our dominant mode of reading, we as a society and individually, pay a price. With lessened comprehension and compulsive multitasking, we’re easily distracted, compounding our problems. As Carr says, â€Å"The Net is making us smarter, in other words, only if we define intelligence by the Net’s own standards.† Do yourself a favor and turn off your browser and email while you read the section on attentiveness. It points to a problem many of us experience without understanding, thinking we’re faced with â€Å"too much information.† The reality may be that changes in our brains, as we use the web, turn us into shallow thinkers. The Shallows is more than a report on the current state of technology in society. The greatest problem is the more we use the web, the more we train our brain to be distracted – to process information very quickly and very efficiently but without sustained attention. It’s worth reading this book to remind ourselves that we are responsible for the priorities we set and the choices we make. Reviewers note: In the complexity of today’s technology, and as proof of the dramatic changes the simple act of reading a book, The Shallows is available in hardcover, as well as a Kindle edition, audio book, CD, Audible Audio edition, cassette and MP3. Such is the reality in the modern world.

The Primary Framework for Literacy and Mathematics Essay

The Primary Framework for Literacy and Mathematics - Essay Example These variations are built upon evaluation and research carried out since the late 1990s. The changes include: 1. Extending it to the beginning of funded education, to create greater coherence and continuity within and between stages of care and education 2. Creating a clearer set of learning objectives to support teachers and practitioners in planning for progression in literacy and mathematics, to help raise the attainment of all children, personalise learning and secure intervention for those children who need it 3. Bringing an increased sense of drive and momentum to literacy and mathematics through the primary phase, involving some scaling up of expectations and a greater focus upon planning for progression through a teaching sequence over an extended unit of work covering two or three weeks 4. Supporting schools and settings in implementing the recommendations of the Rose report through the provision of high-quality teaching of phonics and early reading 5. Supporting improved l eadership and management of literacy and mathematics to stimulate and improve standards further 6. Reducing workload and foster professional dialogue on how to use the Framework flexibly to meet the needs of the children. 7. Introducing a new, electronic format which allows for customised planning, teaching and assessment, with the ability to link quickly to a wide range of teaching and learning resources available through the Primary National Strategy. (DfES, 2006) The Primary Framework for literacy and mathematics differs from the 1998 Framework in that it involves an electronic version with simplified learning objectives. The electronic Framework provides a resource that will be added to and expanded, as well as providing additional materials and support and as the Framework project develops. This may include any necessary revisions to the Early Years elements, and the simplified learning objectives that give a broader overview of the literacy curriculum in the primary phase. The learning objectives of the framework are aligned to 12 strands that demonstrate progression in each of the strands. The 12 strands also create a direct link to the Early Learning Goals and aspects of English inside the National Curriculum. If the learning objectives are covered, this will enable the pupils to reach the desired Communication, Language and Literacy goals, and ensure that the appropriate National Curriculum levels are accomplished for the Key Stages. The strands of this framework include Speak and listening for a wide range of purposes in different contexts, Reading and writing for a range of purposes on paper and on screen Word recognition, Understanding and interpreting texts, creating and shaping texts, organisation and structuring of text, Engaging and responding to text, Sentence structure and punctuation, Word Structure, spelling and Presentation. (DfES, 2006) This framework also involves the Literacy Hour within which Pupils have daily literacy lessons where th ey are taught the knowledge, skills and understanding set out in the National Curriculum for English. The guidance in the renewed Framework still places emphasis on properly directed, carefully planned, purposeful learning and teaching. Initially, the context of the literacy framework required adequate attention to be given to how the lessons are organised and structured. The real challenge

Organizational theory and design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational theory and design - Assignment Example In addition, today’s planning enhances quicker decision making than planning twenty five years ago (Amagoh, 2008). In the modern world where everything changes quickly and crises are a regular part of organizational life, I think the importance for planning is increasing. The dynamic of today’s organizational life and the high risk of crises need planning that has the capacity to implement and modify strategies quickly in order to mitigate undesirable outcomes. In the past, organizations could draw ten years strategic plans but in the highly dynamic and crises-prone organizational life, organizations need planning that will guides their practices on a daily basis. Survival in contemporary organizational life is largely dependent on how effectively an organization adopts planning that helps evaluate and monitor performance and predicts likely occurrences (Miroux, 2008). Changing an organization’s domain is feasible strategy for coping with a threatening environment. The feasibility of changing an organization’s domain is embedded in the things it enables businesses to do. It helps companies to move to a domain that has little competition and avoid unfriendly government regulation. Changing an organization’s domain helps the organization to move to better customers and suppliers. That notwithstanding, the feasibility of this strategy depends on an organization’s preparedness to adjust to the new domain and to counter unlikely outcomes. Google is an example of a company that changed its domain when it went into advertising. In 2008, the initiative paid off when Google announced that it had made twenty one billion dollars from advertising. Google’s experience is proof of the feasibility of changing a business’ domain as a strategy for coping with a threatening environment (Sherif, 2006). The learning organization is made up of five elements namely structure, task, systems,

Outsourcing offshore At Darden restaurants Essay

Outsourcing offshore At Darden restaurants - Essay Example It was also set to be the leading distributor of food items, for example, olive garden (Anguish, 1) The Company has immensely grown over the years since its inception in the US. Currently, it has several subsidiaries and business units in US and Canada. These are set to aid its product distribution to satisfy consumer needs. The company manufactures and supplies seafood products that include red lobster, olive garden, Smokey bones barbeque and grill. Darden restaurant is a high-rank global business organization that produces nutritional food items. Since its initiation in 1967, the institution produces products that conform to consumer specifications. Its popular product brands include olive garden and red lobster that give it a competitive edge in the dynamic business environment (Heizer & Barry, 2). The company operate under sound strategic business system that is propelling its growth. Currently, it serves more than 3000 million meals to various individuals annually and has over 1700 distribution centres. This facilitates timely delivery of services and adherence to consumer needs. Indeed, the company has well established supply chain and distribution network that enhances delivery of services. It also operates under effective outsourcing guidelines that are set to facilitate the optimization of resources (Anguish, 1). The restaurant’s management focuses on lean administration system that is adopted to ensure that qual ity is guaranteed with minimal wastage. The major outsourcing services include cleaning services, maintenance of websites, marketing activities and human capital. This explains the company’s growth that is due to continuous implementation of transformational development plans. As indicated by xxx the corporation has well established supply chain that is set with an aim to enhance timely delivery of seafood items to customers. The broad supply chain is in adoption as a performance strategy and a

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

Final - Essay Example This is of Italian origin and speaks about the intricacies that surround the human condition (Petsko 2). These works of the Italians tell something about their culture. They value relations between the human and the society with them. Together with it, there is an association of different cultures all packed in to the Divine comedy; something to be regarded as a hybrid that becomes a new level of critical analysis for the society (Papastergiadis 40). Cultures are diverse and they are very colourful since it speaks about identity of every individual. However, one thing to consider in modern world now, especially in America is that arts start to become a burden and its relevance is deteriorating in the context of the modern American society since universities now starts to do cost cutting on the arts and humanities (Petsko 1). This is now a sad situation that I really abhor. The world now becomes a business place and through globalization, America starts to be so hegemonic and homogene ous (Steger 82). This made art a commodity only for entertainment and art as an education becomes a burden (Petsko 1). America now starts to be so insensitive about the importance of arts and humanities for the development of an individual. ... Different priorities happen. Welfare over profit becomes the mode of most societies nowadays (Petsko 1). Cost cutting occurs and the irrelevant ones affected especially the arts. However, the American society now, due to globalization, has become so unappreciative of the arts and undermining its value (Nussbaum 8). Curriculums are changed to be so responsive to the profit driven world that constantly robs the people of the society their right to a decent living (Petsko 1 and Steger 75). Given this case, why did the Americans start to shun out other cultures and view them as not that relevant to the conditions of America now? Globalization is the answer. Globalization starts to exert a hegemonic in all forms especially culture especially in terms of the popular (Steger 81). Even if we say that culture is something intrinsic and relevant to one particular group or society, they have been undermines by these hegemonies. Hybrid then becomes a form of resistance (Papastergiadis 49). This becomes a strong that can at least sustain the field of arts and humanities in other countries present in the world though I always put into consideration that even if this resistance is indeed plausible, it still cannot exert a very strong condition for it to prevent the diminishing value that the arts and humanities, ultimately culture in its totality, cannot be regarded as strong enough. In the present wave of occurrence, I somehow detest the political moves of the America in the global arena since they are regarded to be one of the strongest forces that uphold globalization. This something that I do not really like at all because globalization then becomes a tool for America to be undemocratic and inconsiderate of other cultures which could be a reflection of

Acient art image discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Acient art image discussion - Essay Example The art has conspicuous grey and yellow colors. The art of the colors represents artistic painting reminiscent of Egyptians’ Minoan style (Gardner and Fred 90). All the painted figures have a representation of Mediterranean cultures. The paintings have a characterization of fluidity line, small waist and vitality of character. The Minoan style depicted in the art shows emphasize on spontaneity, elasticity, and dynamic motion. The high-contrasts patterns and the colors elaborate the freshness and elegance of the scene and its characters. Many features of civilization, such as writing and drawing, originated during the ancient Near East. Most communities were hunters and gatherers. The image, therefore, is from the ancient Near East. Art of the ancient Near East displays similarly great variety of forms and style that reflect the many individuals, kingdoms, cities and empires flourishing in the region for thousands of years. Making of this image happened about two thousand years ago. The image depicts the culture of the ancient Near East of a number of ways. Promotion of artistic work was primarily by spiritual, religious, and religious. The image was a major form of communication. Therefore, most of the ancient Near East communities were visually literate than reading words. They could easily read the inscribed words. Two women are featured in this image. The materials used as a part of the craft of the ancient Near East were deliberately selected with gimmicks, for example, color, and hardness as integral elements. Gold and silver were considered to have particular supernatural and apotropaic properties, as did the Lapis Lazuli and Carnelian stones. Valuable metals were referenced in legendary writing to pass on ideas and qualities connected with divinities, essentially in light of the fact that their color, sparkle, and splendor were regarded fitting for divine

10 environmental science articles Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

10 environmental science articles - Article Example In 2008,twelve orphan chimpanzees were released back into the wild after being equipped with GPS tracking devices attached to collars.Six males and six females were released,all ranging between eight and twenty years of age,making this only the second time that captive chimpanzees were sent to live among wild chimpanzees Due to the tracking devices, researchers were able to monitor the activities of the chimpanzees, discovering that five of them created their own community in the area where they were originally released, two of which gave birth to healthy offspring. One of the other females integrated with success into a community of wild chimpanzees. By releasing the chimpanzees back into the wild, awareness programs and environmental education programs have increased, drawing attention from people who frequent the park. The release has also caused a halt in illegal hunting and fishing. It is because of the release that other sanctuaries are considering releasing some of their own b ack into the wild in the near future. These sanctuaries feel that the more people are educated about the animals being released, the more likely the animals will be able to survive in the wild without having to fear humans bringing harm to them or their environment. Article Quality The quality of the article could have been better. While it explained the benefits of releasing the chimpanzees into the wild and tracking them with GPS, the article could have gotten more into detail about how well the chimpanzees were adapting to their new surroundings. It also failed to go into detail about how people were being educated and supportive of the chimpanzees’ release. Article Topic The subject matter of this article is very interesting. There are often stories that are not so successful about animals being released into the wild. By using GPS to monitor the whereabouts and conditions of the chimpanzees, as well as informing people about the project, the release was able to be a succ ess. If other sanctuaries use similar tactics, perhaps more animal releases will be just as successful. Summary A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health revealed that an increased intake of berries is capable of decreasing the chances of men and women developing Parkinson’s disease. The study conducted also showed that men could decrease their chances even more by also eating apples, oranges, and other food items that contain flavonoids or anthocyanins, which have proven to be neuroprotective. Flavonoids and anthocyanins can be found in plants and fruits, but also in berries, chocolate, and citrus fruits. These dietary components are also known as vitamin P and citrin. This was the first study to focus on the impact of flavonoids on the development of Parkinson’s disease. The study consisted of 49,281 men and 80,336 women. They were each given a questionnaire that was used to determine the amount of flavonoids that each person took in on average. The co nnection between flavonoid intakes and risk of Parkinson’s disease was then analyzed. The participants were then followed for twenty years. During the twenty years, it was found that the more flavonoids that a male took in, the less of a chance he had at developing Parkinson’s. While women showed no significant results with flavonoids, it was revealed that women can decrease their risk by increasing their intake of anthocyanins. Article Quality The quality of the article is very good. It summarized the most important aspects of the study, such as who was involved, what took place, the results, and the importance of the study itself. However, the article could have gotten into more detail about the effects of flavonoids and anthocyanins and how they actually protect the brain. The article only informed the reader that these components are capable of protecting them, but it would be even more beneficial to know how. Article Topic The topic of the article is fascinating, informative, and very