Lecture Summary

The lecture is about traffic congestions, which is one of the major problems in the UK’s transport system. The lecture consists of 2 main points which are, firstly, the effects of the congestions and secondly, how the British government have tried to address the problem by creating the Integrated Transport Policy. The first point made by the lecturer is that overcrowded roads have its effects. First of all, they affect directly in the country’s economy, as all the lost time have its repercussion decreasing the productivity.Similarly, the pollution affects the local and global environment. In addition to this, has a detrimental effect on public health. In order to solve this problem, the lecturer states that the British government created the Integrated Transport Policy. They carried out a consultation and find out that the improvement of the transport system was not very successful and people prefer to use their own car. Finally, the lecturer moves to explain some succe ssful measures that the government approved with the purpose of reducing congestions.One of the measures was to enable some fast lines in the motorways for cars with more than one occupant. The other one was to charge car user to get access to the city centre from London. Both of the measures were successful and the money that they get from the congestion charging was invested in improving the public transport system. To summarise, the lecturer affirms that the best solution to the problem of overcrowded roads is to implement some small measures to each specific problem, instead of trying to one big solution which can solve all the problems.

Internnational Negotiations Reflective Essay

Final Reflective Essay To begin with, I would like to say that the course of International Negotiations was very important for me. It lasted only two weeks but this time was enough to understand many things, to have good lessons and real negotiations that changed my life. It is not â€Å"loud words†; it is what I feel like now. First of all, the course began with meeting people of the group, learning nationalities and understanding what is real international negotiations are. In different tasks of lesson I tried to know more about the way of doing negotiations with different people.I am convinced that different ways of thinking and cultures make negotiations special. You can know rules of doing negotiations but it is not all. You also need to know a person, sometimes his culture and set of mind. These two weeks showed me that different cultural sets of mind are very difficult to overcome. In some moments I could not do it and I lost because of it. However, this is the point of international negotiations when you are dealing with different people from other countries. First negotiations in this class showed me that I was not prepared well for them.It was difficult for me, because I was not sure if I was negotiating in the right way or not. I think that when you have real negotiations you have more time to do your homework, to set up your goals and results which you want to get. It is always easier when you know your target, points which you can lose or gain. In my case, I realized how to do it after the third lesson when we tried to negotiate about multiple issues. Negotiations are not simple things. Sometimes you need to lose in some moments to gain in main one.Now I can see it, I can feel when it is important something for a person or not. In negotiations you always have a chance to know it. If somebody gives up very quickly it means that this issue or moment does not play a great role for him. Moreover, in the beginning of this course I thought that I am a risk-averse person. I did not like to take a risk because of fear of losing more. However, after this course I realized that I can be risk-seeking and I want to take a risk in some moment, but it is very ifficult to negotiate with a person with opposite opinion, especially when you are in one team. Difference in risk attitudes can fail your negotiations. It happened to me after the course. I had the negotiations with the person from other country. I thought that we were in one team, I wanted to take a risk, but he did not. Our negotiations failed, especially for me. I tried to make it works but I could not. I think that we had such kind of negotiations when our bargaining zones did not cross.We could not to find solutions and ways to make a deal, so it failed. Maybe, if it was more important for us and we could not refuse of it we would make a deal. In conclusion I would like to say that the success of negotiations is in ability to understand the problem in your negotiations. Y ou also need to find ways of solving the problem that are suitable for all partners. It is the most difficult part. To implement your decision you need to know your partner, to know his goals, main issues or moments that he does not care about.It is very important for me in negotiations to know the person, sometimes his way of thinking, his set of mind. Moreover, after the course I realized that in some moments I want to take risk, I want to be risk-seeking. However, there are situations when negotiations fail. I am convinced that in such cases I need to try more to make it happens, to make a deal. However, sometimes it does not work not because of you, but because of your partner. All partners should put efforts into the negotiations and they will reach the solution.

Military Commission

For years I have been dedicated to the principles and values that are represented by the United States Navy within my everyday life, and to the philosophy that governs the role of the Health Care Administration Officer in the Medical Service Corps. For this reason, among many, I am seeking a commission with the United States Navy in this capacity. My strong work ethic, my adherence to the philosophy and ethics of both the Navy and the medical field, and my ability to work as a member of a team make me a successful candidate for this position, and I am certain that I have many qualities that I could bring to this commission that would enhance not only my own abilities, but enhance the United States Navy. Early on I realized that it was important to help others, to go outside of the box that is the average person’s life and reach out to others, whether they live right next door or across the world. It was this desire that led me to volunteer and participate in community service, an experience that has helped me develop into an individual that enjoys serving mankind, and who understands the importance of doing so because I have witnessed the effects kindness and compassion has on others in need. Along with my desire to serve mankind through compassion, I also saw the United States military as sharing those values that I cherished, and realized that a career in the military would allow me to use my strengths in pursuit of attaining both my own goal, and that of our nation. In high school I joined the NJROTC and remained dedicated to this organization throughout four years until graduation. I have served as a Supply Officer and Commander, and through these experiences I have developed the commitment, courage, and discipline through the training provided to me by the United States Navy. Throughout these years I have never given up my belief that helping others is the highest calling of any individual, and the U.S. Navy brings out the best in me, and it is these traits that I wish to bring to the Medical Service Corps. It was my time in the Leadership Academy through the NJROTC that truly transformed my life and pushed me in the direction of my ultimate goal in a commission with the U.S. Navy. During my time at the Leadership Academy I was pushed to my limits both intellectually and physically, and was asked time and time again to be the best cadet that I could be. The fact that this was expected of me, and that others truly believed in me, gave me the will power and self-confidence to challenge myself to limits that I had never imagined possible. I was instilled with confidence, honor for myself and my nation, and learned to be self-reliant. These values all helped me develop leadership qualities within myself. By the end of my time at the Leadership Academy I was placed as one of the top three cadets and had developed new goals for myself, goals that I intend to fulfill within this commission. In pursuit of this goal, I have attained a Masters degree in Health Care Management, a field that allows me to use all of my strengths to the betterment of others. My ability to organize and effectively communicate with others are essential in this field, and I have spent many years, both inside a classroom and within the NJROTC and beyond, developing my management skills. A Health Care Administration Officer requires the ability to manage effectively and create a team environment in which to function. The leadership abilities that I began developing at Leadership Academy, and which I have continued to develop, are essential to being successful in this field. My time in the NJROTC has taught me that I must have high standards for myself in all aspects of my life, and this would transfer easily to this position. Beyond this, my dedication to helping others and showing compassion to those who are in pain or ill, has led me to the belief that I would bring a great deal to the position of Health Care Administration Officer in the United States Navy’s Medical Service Corps, and I would be proud to continue the tradition of service and sacrifice that has been shown by my predecessors in this commission.

Sigmund Freud Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sigmund Freud - Research Paper Example The basis of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was that everything was deterministic. Many of the fields of psychology did not exist yet, meaning that the psychology of that period was highly related to the biology and physiology which was studied. He postulated the existence of sexual energy, eros, and the death instinct, thanatos. He was the first to come up with the theories of personality: the id, ego, and superego. Freud also pioneered in the fields of neuroticism in that our ego tries to compromise with the anxiety caused by the incongruence’s in life. He termed these actions reaction mechanisms such as displacement and repression. He also came up with the ideas behind dream therapy in that dreams were the â€Å"royal road to the unconscious†. This was also explained by the â€Å"Iceberg principle† in that a majority of the human consciousness, preconsciousness, and unconsciousness remains submerged and is many times inaccessible. He further continued to add to the new field of psychology by focusing on what he called his stages of psychosexual development which consisted of the: oral, anal, phallic, latent, and genital stages. It was from these phases and being able to overcome these phases that personality develops (Corey 68-87).

Global Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Financial Crisis - Essay Example The crisis had great impact as it led to slow growth which translated into unemployment further worsening the situation. The paper will discuss the origin or causes of the financial crisis and how it affects individuals and the economy as a whole. Loose monetary policy in USA has mostly been blamed for the crisis. According to Taylor (2009, p. 20), low interest rates led to depreciation of the dollar and consequently rise in oil prices from $70 a barrel in August 2007 to over $140 per barrel in July 2008. This consequently led to the increase in commodity prices especially housing prices. Davies (2010) argues that the crisis was precipitated by financial innovations and laxity in monetary policy which were used as measures to offset the impact of income inequalities on aggregate demand. Households were encouraged to borrow funds to finance consumption hence growth of leverage in American households. Credit expansion led to economic growth thereby pushing up the value of equities, com modities and real estate (Jackson, 2009). The increased housing prices were the beginning of the crisis. There was speculation in the market that the prices would continue rising in future creating an opportunity for banks to offer mortgage-backed loans even to subprime borrowers. Households were being encouraged to own homes and hence were given mortgages at low interest or waiver of interest for two years and no down payment (Kolb, 2010). The mortgage brokers then sold the mortgage to a bank at a commission hence transferring risk to the bank. The banks then bundled the mortgages into one complex product and got the services of credit rating agencies for valuation. Due to complexity of the product, the rating agencies gave a good rating to the product. The bank then securitized the loans and due to the high rating, the securities were worth much more than government securities thereby attracting investors. Banks could borrow funds to buy more mortgages so as to securitize and earn high returns. The easy money and overconfidence due to speculation of high housing prices in future led to excessive risk-taking by banks and other financial institutions. Davies (2010) argues that the financial market regulators are to blame for allowing speculation and not offering adequate risk management controls. Due to speculation, there was decline in risk perceptions by banks as well as risk tolerance such that investors were accepting low returns for mortgage-backed securities. The investors did not know the value of the securities or risks involved as they were relying on credit rating agencies who were giving wrong ratings due to complexity of the mortgages. Swan (2010) on the other hand, argues that the government programs aimed at promoting home ownership and increasing profits of real estate investments were to blame. The government enterprises and mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac promoted the program by deducting interest for owner-occupied home loans. The y were buying mortgage-backed securities including those that were formed with risky subprime mortgages.  

Computer security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Computer security - Essay Example It also provides recommendations for them. Threats to the system include the absence of multilayered protection. The ease with which the junior officer accessed the DRS is suggestive of implies threats too. The backup copies were not functional and the ease of access meant that the information is at a greater risk. There were also a number of security principles that were broken. These include the need for professionals to have knowledge about their profession, lack of responsibility by the duty manager etc. The recommendations encompass the development of multifactor authentication, a risk management system, introducing firewalls etc. Introduction One of the oldest definitions for security is that it is the process whereby steps are taken to minimize vulnerabilities of assets and resources. Security encompasses the elements of keeping information confidential and of upholding the integrity and availability of resources; these three elements are often used to describe computer securi ty goals (Stallings 2009). It is often associated with the three As: authentication, authorization and accountability. Security does not entail the elimination of every threat or vulnerability to the system; rather security implies that there is no such thing has 100% security, although one can get close to it. ... On the other hand, security will be high if the data is secured tightly, causing obstacles in accessibility (Cross & Shinder 2008). Computer security is also regarded as a compromise; it is seen that the greater the security, the difficult it is for users to work with the system (Salomon 2006). The case study provides an example of how security lapses can occur and expose the system’s vulnerabilities. This paper looks into the threats and vulnerabilities that the event exposed and examines the security principles that were broken. It also provides recommendations for buttressing the security of the computer systems based on the identified threats and vulnerabilities. Identifying Threats and Vulnerabilities Threat to a computing device is referred to as any potential happening, either unintentional or malicious, that may cause undesirable effects on the asset (Newman 2009). One of the main security issues that the event brought into limelight was the ease with which a junior em ployee was able to change the keys for the encryption on the database. There was no layered security protocol and a simple password provided the user access to valuable information. Moreover when the junior officer had logged into the system using the password of the duty manager, a message came up asking the officer to change the crypto keys on the DRS. Giving away the password to a junior officer and allowing him access to company files and other information which constitute a large value of the company gives rise to threats to the security of the computer. The junior officer did not know much about the application that launched to change the keys. The application could have been a malicious software too and could

(GC Instrument Experiment) Determination of Ethanol Concentration in Lab Report - 1

(GC Instrument Experiment) Determination of Ethanol Concentration in Biological Fluids using Gas Chromatography - Lab Report Example the way it is been publicized by media and entertainment industry to this group of audience increases peer pressure and they end up consuming alcohol and drugs to a level that can be extremely dangerous for their health (Strasburger, 2010). The program aims to provide information about the disadvantages associated with consumption of alcohol and drugs. Although schools, parents and governments are trying to get the children as well as the adolescents to say no to drugs, there drugs and alcohol worth $25 billion are present in the market which are influencing them to say yes. This program aims to make the clients understand that the movies and television programs are using and promoting way too much substance use; however it is based on consumer’s own will power to not let them affect it. The program also aims to provide counseling to clients who are addicted to this unhealthy and destructive habit. We will be targeting the teenagers and adolescence ranging from the age of 12 to 18. This program will be launched in Washington DC only. The reason behind selecting this age group is because they easily get influence by anything that they find attractive, including drugs. The people belonging to this age group make the highest part of the television audience. This is the main reason why most of the television shows, movies and advertisements and made to target this age group. These teenagers form the age group that easily gets influenced by the drug and alcohol use being promoted by the media. Therefore it is important to target this age group and stop the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs among them. The purpose of this promotion is to increase the awareness of the program by different means and influence more and more suffering teenagers to come to us for counseling. The program is being funded by some non-profit organization and will therefore be free of cost. Another reason behind the promotion of this program is to collect funds and charities for spending on

Victorian America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Victorian America - Essay Example The country gained 12 new states, doubling its geographical area, voted on 10 new amendments to their constitution and increased its population by more than twice its number at the beginning of this period. â€Å"Americans were becoming more diverse, more urban, and more mobile.†2 Slavery had legally come to an end and an entirely new population was struggling to redefine itself and find a home. Social norms were questioned and the preconceptions of the elders were no longer automatically assumed honorable. Technology had changed too, bringing with it the mechanized tools of the factory, enabling large groups of workers to earn living wages within a single location rather than struggle to grow crops out on the farm. With the advent of the machine and the production line, more and more Americans were moving to the cities to seek work, bringing the women in from the fields on the farms to the kitchens and family rooms of the middle class. This emerging middle class gave birth to what has since been referred to as the Cult of the True Woman, coined first by Barbara Welter in the mid-1960s3, a set of ideas and beliefs regarding the proper structure of the quintessential American family. However, through this ideology, women were brought into closer contact with one another, gaining power and voice enough to finally give rise to the feminist movements that marked the tremendous strides toward equal rights that were accomplished in the early part of the twentieth century. Through this process of growth and change, moving from the True Woman to the New Woman, the feminist movement was seen primarily as a masculine movement with very little to suggest the ‘feminisation of American culture’, with its emphasis on compassion, consideration, and control that would emerge in the twenty-first century. In leaving the farms for the cities with the new modernization of the cities and factories, Welter and others hypothesized that it became necessary for women to uphold the traditional ideologies the family had held dear while in a rural setting, thereby restricting them to a single idealized image of what embodies the True Woman.

Rising Costs of Higher Education Research Paper

Rising Costs of Higher Education - Research Paper Example The assistance has led to an increase in demand for higher education and the students have greatly enrolled for courses in the universities. The universities have taken an advantage of this and have increased the fees that students should pay for higher education with an argument that these students have money from these funds. Government funding to the institutions have also declined but the universities have not reduced their budgets. This means that the money will be extended to the students in terms of tuition and fees. Another issue is the lack of market discipline. Different departments in the institutions bloat their budgets so that they gain more power and get their work done. This has again led to the rise in the cost of higher education. Ineffective price competition among the institutions has also made a major contribution to the rise in the cost of higher education. Competition is also there where each institution wants the best lecturers and that means that they have to pay more. There are also government regulations that require the universities to pay some amounts of money to people like workers who construct buildings in the universities and pay some other fees in relation to research. This increases the costs of running the universities and eventually leads to increased fees on the part of the student. This paper will seek to analyze the different factors that have led to the rising costs of higher education. This research was done to identify the various factors that have led to the rising costs of higher education. In conducting the research, the following questions were put into consideration. What are the major causes of the rising costs on higher education What role do the universities play in the rising costs of higher education Does the government play any role in promoting the rise in the costs of higher education In answering these research questions, both primary and secondary sources have been chosen. One of the primary sources chosen is the book: Going Broke by Degree: Why College Costs too Much by Richard K. Vedder. This book tries to discuss different aspects of the reasons as to why the costs of higher education have risen. Some of the ideas that have been discussed here are the issues of government and other third-party provider funding where fees have been increased because the students are getting some funding from the government and other third-party providers. Competition issues have also been discussed where institutions are competing with their peers in terms of development and the money needed for development is extended to student fees. Government regulations have also been identified as a factor that leads to the rise in the costs of higher education in that the government regulations require the school to pay some money in areas such as research, construction, etc. The other issue discussed is the lack of market discipline where departments and deans will bloat their budgets so that they have some power and resources required to do their job. The other source used is a print PDF: Books and Manuals Application Briefs that identifies the factors that affect the rising cost of higher education. Some of the factors identified include: declining government funding where the government does not fund the education of students in universities fully and also does not support all the students who join these institutions, fierce

Module Two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Module Two - Essay Example Here is a generic form of function: 4. Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) formula is also represented as a function. EOQ is the number of units in an order that minimizes the total costs. EOQ is a function of setup costs and the cost of holding inventories. 7. Make or Buy decisions are the most important decisions made by the managers. Managers define the models as functions and then make decision for whether to produce the materials themselves or outsource them. 9. Forecasting of various variables can be represented using functions. For instance if we want to predict the next year profit then we will first find out the linear equation from the past data using regression tools and then we can simply put the value of the year for which we want to predict the profits. Sets are fundamental concept of mathematics. A set is a well-defined collection of objects. For instance, a set of people who have defaulted on loans amounting $500,000. The set theory involves operation related to sets (union, intersection and complement etc.). These sets are also vital for business applications. For example, let’s say that, The set theory has a limited usage in business world but set theory concepts provide a useful vehicle for presenting and discussing probability concepts. These probability mechanisms are applied thoroughly in business world. Fuzzy set theory is also an emerging concept that is being applied now days for business

Net Framework Essay Example for Free

Net Framework Essay Net Framework is a Microsoft tool provided to the development world with an objective to facilitate the consistent object oriented programming environment. The . net Framework comes as an integral component of Windows Operating System to create a code execution environment. For this the . NET Framework comes with the Common Language Runtime (CLR) and the . NET Framework class library. CLR acts as a standard foundation to build a variety of new applications, where as the . NET Framework class library offers standard implementations new services for CLR-based applications. Such facility of code execution settings will minimize the Software versioning and software deployment conflicts. The built in . net Framework in Operating system will encourage safe execution of code Microsoft’s design goals in building the . net Framework are Component Infrastructure Simplified Development, Language Integration, Reliability, Security and Interoperability The advantages with the . Net Framework include – A Development environment which is language Independent and with Multi-Language Support. The partial platform independency of the . net Framework enables it to work on Linux operating system. The   net Framework supports different types of application development. It even supports the different user accepted tool integration like windows, console, mobile, pocket pc, GPRS, smart client etc. , The major disadvantage is it doesn’t fully support all the operating systems. Unlike Java or JVM, the CLR components, which are essential to run . net application are not readily available. Also the Cost of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) with . NET, ASP. NET, and C# is another disadvantage. Though alternative IDEs and Text Editors are available to develop the . net application they experience less efficient productivity. The multiple Language integrating and support aspect of CLR enable the languages like VB to easily integrate with . net Framework.. Through this a class written in Visual Basic can inherit from a base class written in another language like COBOL or C++, when implemented on . NET. This interoperability is supported by the metadata of the CLR in . net Framework. References: .NET Framework Advantages, Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://www. startvbdotnet. com/dotnet/frameworkadvantages. aspx .NET Framework (2), Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://www. developerfusion. com/samplechapter/1678/introducing-net/3/

Foreign Policy Judiciary Politics Essay Example for Free

Foreign Policy Judiciary Politics Essay 1. Although the power of the national government increased during the early republic, these developments often face serious opposition. Compare the motives and effectiveness of those who opposed the growing power of the national government in TWO of the following: Whiskey Rebellion, 1794 Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, 1798-1799 Hartford Convention, 1814-1815 2. To what extent did the Jeffersonian Republican’s of economic boycott in the years 1807 – 1812 affect the new nation? 3. To what extent was the early United States foreign policy a primarily defensive reaction to actual or perceived threats from Europe? Evaluate with regard to United States foreign policy on TWO major issues during the period from 1789 – 1815. 4. Analyze the contributions of TWO of the following in helping establishing a stable government after the adoption of the Constitution John Adams Thomas Jefferson George Washington 5. Explain the influence of TWO of the following on the U.S. decision to go to war in 1812. Embargo policies of Jefferson and Madison British impressment of American seamen Settlers’ conflicts with Native Americans Expansionist goals of the war hawks 6. Compare and contrast the political and economic views of the Hamiltonian Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans. When, why and how did the differences between the two parties blur? 7. Evaluate the relative importance of domestic and foreign affairs in shaping American politics in the 1790s. 8. Since the treaty of Ghent addressed none of the issues for which the United States had fought, the War of 1812 has no positive consequences for the American nation. Assess the validity of this statement 9. To what extent was the Election of l800 aptly named the Revolution of l800? Respond with reference to 2 of the following areas Economics

Importance Of FDI In Developing Malaysian Economic Growth

Importance Of FDI In Developing Malaysian Economic Growth The federation of Malaysia was formed in 1963, initially consisting of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. Due to internal political reasons, Singapore was asked to leave the federation in 1965 to become an independent state. Malaysia is separated into two regions namely the West and East Malaysia by the South China Sea. Malaysia is blessed with an abundance of natural resources such as gas, coal, petroleum and the humid tropical climate creates a great condition for plant growth such as palm oil and rubber. These raw materials are what contribute to the economy. Before the 1970s, Malaysia was previously a raw material producing economy that produced rubber, tin, etc that exported to the industrialised countries. Much later, petroleum and palm oil were also one of the raw materials being exported. However, since the 1970s a change has been noted in the development of the economy of being a more export-oriented manufacturing industry that produced textile, rubber products, electric and electronic goods etc. The government realised to increase GDP growth, the country had to shift from an export-oriented raw material producing economy into an export-oriented manufacturing economy. Not only will employment rise, but it will also benefit GDP growth and economic welfare. Importance of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) FDI is defined as a company from one country making a physical investment into building a factory in another country. In other words, it is the establishment of a company by a foreign investor. To invest in Malaysia, it is required that 10% of the total equity in a resident company be held by the foreign investor. Generally there are two types of FDIs; outward-bound FDI and inward-bound FDI. An outward-bound FDI is when local capital is invested in foreign resources while an inward-bound FDI, the opposite of an outward-bound FDI is when foreign capital is invested in local resources. FDI is an important and effective way to stir up the economy as it is a major catalyst to development. This is because with the setting up of companies and factories, employment will rise. With foreign money being pumped into the economy to pay of wages and salaries to the employees, a multiplier effect will create an injection of several times that will cause a huge influx of foreign money. As more foreign money is being pumped into the local economy (assuming there are no outflows of money) GDP growth will soar that goes hand in hand with vision 2020 where Malaysia will achieve a developed nation status with a constant 8% growth rate every year. This will in turn, bring confidence into the economy, further generating more FDIs. As the economy is doing well, development will naturally take place to improve the quality of life. Furthermore, the acquisition of knowledge for the transfer of technology is a tremendous advantage for the country. As companies and factories are being set up, heavy machineries and sophisticated technology are being passed on to the local employees to operate the business. In order to work the technology, the local employees will then have to go for training. Thus the passing on down of knowledge and technology to the country is an integral part for developing countries to further improve itself on a global scale. Suitable Industries and Businesses Foreign Investors from China can consider venturing into the renewable energy sector. This is because, Malaysia have an ample supply of raw material and land availability for such investments. Furthermore, a company from the Hong Kong called Sun Bear Solar Ltd. has made the first move to venture into the renewable energy industry in Malaysia. This is a stepping stone for future FDI from China into this sector. Foreign investors from India can consider venturing into the IT industry of Malaysia. This is because Malaysia is fully equipped with high speed internet due to Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and thus this can facilitate with the FDI when they invest and set up companies in Malaysia. Foreign investors from the Middle East can consider venturing into the oil and gas industry. The Middle East is rich with an abundance of oil and gas and so is Malaysia. Investors from there have a high expertise in the field and thus, are suitable in venturing into this sector. It is highly recommended that the Middle East investors invest into the oil and gas industry to further enlarge the scale of production and thus earning billions to stimulate the economy. Strengths The political status in Malaysia isnt a huge concern to foreign investors as it is considered stable compared to neighbouring countries like Thailand. In Thailand, where street protests have escalated in recent years have kept foreign investors pending on their investment into the country due to national security. The political instability and unrest has caused a huge deterrence for the countrys FDI and thus, alternatives have been considered. Malaysia, south of Thailand is an option for the disturbed political atmosphere. With a stable political status in Malaysia, foreign investors can and will benefit from their investments into Malaysia. A strategic location between the East and the West, Malaysia is in the epicentre of the ASEAN countries. Investors from the Middle East, India and China will find that Malaysia is the gateway to the ASEAN market that is some 558.2 million people. Malaysia boasting a population of only 28 million will be the focal point of foreign investors as they can easily distribute their products to the neighbouring countries. Natural resources in Malaysia are in abundance. Natural gas, oil, petroleum and coal have been found along the coastal waters of the country. As such, Malaysia has kept a competitive edge to neighbouring countries as the price of fuel is remarkably lower than other ASEAN countries. This is an effective cost minimiser. Furthermore, raw materials such as rubber and palm oil are also found in abundance in the country. For those foreign investors who are planning to invest in these sectors will benefit as they will save on transportation cost as they can produce the industrialised goods in Malaysia rather than importing raw materials to their countries to produce the respective goods. Malaysia is a multicultural country where three main races namely the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians live harmoniously together. This has proven to be an advantage to foreign investors from China and India as they will have no problem communicating with the local employees as they can speak in the same language or dialect. This is definitely a strength compared to other ASEAN countries such as Thailand whose locals speak mostly Thai and the Indonesians, Bahasa Indonesia. Although instructions can be conferred through a medium, it is at the foreign investors best interest that they communicate directly with their employees. The labour market in Malaysia is fairly educated with a literacy rate of 87.4% (estimated by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, July 2002). With a higher literacy rate compared to other ASEAN countries such as Laos 76%, gives Malaysia the advantage of attracting FDI. Foreign investors will find it easier to communicate and to train the local employees to fit the demands of the job and thus, minimising the cost of training. Technology and transportation in Malaysia is considered better than many neighbouring countries. With proper tar roads and internationally-recognised ports, imports and exports can be done easily without having to worry about the lack of infrastructure. This will ensure FDI to invest in Malaysia as they will not have to worry or invest extra security towards their transportation of their goods. Furthermore with Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), a high speed internet connection, FDI will be ensured that work in the resident country will not be restricted by communication troubles. Challenges One of the main challenges of attracting FDI to Malaysia is the Islamic image of the country. With the recent attacks on churches over the use of the word Allah by Christians in publications has deterred foreign investors from investing in Malaysia. Concerns are being raised by foreign investors as they fear a religious conflict would turn deadly.This is not a healthy thing for perceptions of Malaysia, Nicholas Jeffreys, president of the American Chambers of Commerce in Malaysia, told a business conference. As mentioned, the political status in Malaysia is considered stable compared to other ASEAN countries. However so, the recent formation of opposition party Pakatan Rakyat consisting of DAP, PAS and KEADILAN have proved to be a problem to the economy of Malaysia. During the recent general election, the opposition party garnered five states that were previously held by the main political party, Barisan Nasional. Politically shaken, both parties have been on each others throat, fighting for power. The political unrest in Malaysia has kept investors pending about investing in Malaysia as it is difficult to get both state and federal government to accommodate at the same time. In recent months, Malaysias currency has been steadily rising against the US dollar, Euro and the British Sterling. It is important to note that a strong currency is not what foreign investors want as more money will have to be forked out to buy Malaysias currency. Furthermore, a strong currency will mean labour cost will increase. This will be a setback for the economy as foreign investors will want to choose other ASEAN countries of lower currency for a lower labour cost such as Vietnam or Cambodia. A drop in GDP rate over the last few years is another reason why foreign investors are still pending with their investment into Malaysia. With a fall in growth rate, the economy will contract and thus, foreign investors will not be able to expand their business fully and this will deter foreigners from investing into Malaysia. Corporate taxation on profit has a huge impact on foreign investors wanting to invest into countries. Among ASEAN countries, Malaysia does not have the lowest corporate taxation rates and thus foreign investors may think twice about investing into Malaysia. Heavy competition from other ASEAN countries is also another deterrent for investors to invest in Malaysia. This is because, other neighbouring countries may lower corporate taxation rate in order to accommodate with the increasing FDIs. Furthermore, the other countries may design or propose better government policies to attract FDI into their respective countries. Vietnam, known as the second China has shown a remarkable performance in attracting FDI and is one of the fastest growing economies of the world, behind China. Thus, with a reputation of that, Malaysia will have to work harder to garner more support and FDI. Recommendations It is impossible to avoid the world to know about Malaysias image of being an Islamic country. However so, precautionary methods can be done to enhance the peaceful and harmonious relations in the country. Advertisement on a global scale to promote Malaysia as a symbol of racial and religion unity can improve Malaysias image. Political instability in Malaysia may not be a major issue; however, it is still a pressing matter that the federal government and the opposition are at constant loggerheads. Disagreement is bound to stir up situations hence; agreements must be made in order to ease the tension. The federal government and the opposition will have to come to an agreement to provide the best facilities and services to current and potential foreign investors. With both parties working hand in hand, foreign investors will have the confidence to want to invest in Malaysia. A strong currency deters investors from investing into Malaysia as total costs will increase. In order to remain competitive, Malaysia can and may revoke back to the pegged exchange rate against the USD where economy uncertainty can be abolished as investors will be certain that their current expenses will not increase or decrease readily. A falling GDP due to the recent economic recession is not something the government can change overnight. However, the government can encourage spending by lowering interest rates. This will cause a multiplier effect and stimulate the economy. Investors will then see a growth in GDP rate and invest in Malaysia. With public confidence, this will become a whole cycle. Heavy competition from other countries is due to attractive and lucrative deals made by the government to attract FDI. The Malaysia government can do the same by introducing attractive deals, low corporation tax, etc to attract FDI. Conclusion FDI is an important and effective way to stir up the economy as it is a major catalyst to development. There are many pros and cons to investing in Malaysia, pros being, political stability, strategic location, an abundance of natural resources and raw materials, a multicultural country, a high quality workforce, good transportation, while cons being, political instability, Islamic image, high currency, high corporate taxation and heavy competition. However so, recommendations have been made to minimize the challenges faced by foreign investors. Invest in Malaysia, and it shall invest in you.

The Dangers of Ritalin :: Argumentative Health ADD Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The parents of six year old James Patrick Smith receive a phone call from the school guidance counselor informing them of their child's recent hyperactive behavior. After a short conference, the guidance counselor suggests to the parents a solution for young James' problem; as a result, the family visits their family doctor and the doctor diagnoses James with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) during a one hour appointment. To remedy the disorder, the doctor prescribes the "savior drug" for ADD patients; children are almost always fed the drug Ritalin, a prescription medicine that packs a strong euphoric punch (Machan 151). The preceding hypothetical situation commonly occurs in the United States at a growing rate which may be too fast for the nation to contain. The over-prescription of the drug Ritalin to correct ADD produces many negative side effects upon patients and society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the vast market of prescription drugs, Ritalin, one of the most highly used drugs, also carries with it some of the greatest medical drawbacks. ADD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) stands tall as America's number one psychiatric disorder (Hancock 52). Estimates suggest that more than two million children live with the disorder; in addition, according to Dr. Daniel Safer of Johns Hopkins University, over 1.3 million regularly consume Ritalin for treatment of ADD (Hancock 52). Ritalin appears to be a popular choice for doctors, but the daily effects of the drug, which family physicians do not see, creates questions as to how well the drug actually works. Scientifically know as methylphenidate, Ritalin stimulates the central nervous system with similarities to amphetamines in the nature and extent of its effects; furthermore, it supposedly activates the brain stem arousal system and the cerebral cortex (Bailey 3). The key factor remains that doctors and researchers are not sure of what precisely occurs when Ritalin invades the human body. Hancock notes that no definite long-term studies exist to assure parents that Ritalin does not cause more or less havoc in their child, nor does any disease accompany prolonged usage (52). Testing results released by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in February 1996, show a study of mice in which a rare form of liver cancer arose as a result of Ritalin; however, the FDA still regards Ritalin as "safe and effective" (Hancock 56). Offering almost as many side effects as the number of people who take the drug, Ritalin alters many different aspects of the body. Just a few symptoms cited by Bailey include: nervousness, insomnia, loss of appetite, dizziness, heart palpitations, headaches, extreme weight loss, skin rashes, possible psychotic episodes, and severe withdrawals (3).

Free Oedipus the King Essays: Missing Fathers :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus the King - Missing Fathers    Though they appear briefly or not at all in Oedipus the King, Oedipus' father figures play very important roles in Oedipus' life. Laius, Polybus, and the shepherds may be considered Oedipus' father figures. Each of these characters could have kept Oedipus from facing his horrible fate by doing something a little bit differently.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Though mentioned several times throughout the play, but being absent from the stage, Laius, Oedipus' biological father, started things off on a bad note with his decision to leave it to another person to kill Oedipus. If Laius were to kill Oedipus himself, nothing would have happened. Another option for Laius would have been to imprison Oedipus and throw away the key, thereby keeping Oedipus alive and knowledgeable who his father is but harmless to do anything. Either way things wouldn't have been too enjoyable for Oedipus, but surely better than what eventually happened.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Appearing for a short and influential part in the play but mentioned little otherwise, the shepherd did not make things any better for Oedipus and his future. If the shepherd had done what he was commanded to do, kill Oedipus, everything would have turned out for the better for all parties involved. Instead of killing Oedipus, the shepherd felt sorry for him and gave him to a Corinthian shepherd from Corinth who, not knowing what the baby's fate was, gave him to King Polybus. This would later turn against Oedipus because of his ignorance of who his real parents are.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Briefly mentioned and never seen, the most influential of Oedipus' father figures, Polybus could be seen as guilty or innocent when it comes to his part in dealing with Oedipus' fate. On the guilty side, Polybus lied to Oedipus telling him that he was his real father, causing Oedipus to run away and eventually run into his fate. At this time Oedipus was old enough to deal with the truth. On the innocent side, you could say that Polybus was totally ignorant and had no idea of why Oedipus was asking him this question. Being childless also caused Polybus to lie to Oedipus thinking that if Oedipus found out that Polybus wasn't his real father that he might loose interest in his family and search for his biological family. On the other hand if Oedipus had told Polybus what had been predicted about himself, Polybus would have told him right away that he wasn't his father and that Laius was his true father.

Fitzgerald at Princeton Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

Fitzgerald at Princeton While he was a student at the Newman School, called St. Regis in This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald became enamored with Princeton. He attended the first Harvard-Princeton game since 1896 on November 4, 1911 and Princeton won 8-6 on a blocked kick that was returned for a touchdown (Tate, 199). His aunt offered to pay for his education at Georgetown, but Fitzgerald wanted to go to Princeton. When his grandmother died in 1913, she left money that made Princeton available. Fitzgerald did not do well on the entrance exams though, so he had to travel to Princeton to re-take the tests and have a personal interview. Supposedly, Fitzgerald convinced the admissions office that it would be cruel to deny him on his birthday and he began at Princeton in the fall of 1913. Fitzgerald desired to play freshman football but his career was cut short. Depending on who you ask, he either wrenched his knee and was unable to play or was cut from the squad on the first day of practice (Tate, 200). With football out of the picture, he chose to participate in the Triangle Club, an original musical comedy group, and the Princeton Tiger, a humor magazine. Fitzgerald roomed off campus his freshman year because of insufficient dorm space. He took Latin, English, Physics, French, Personal Hygiene, and two math courses. He was critical of the English Department, saying that it made students lose interest in literature, but he educated himself by reading extensively outside of the class. In the spring of his freshman year, he wrote the book and lyrics to the Triangle Club’s Fie! Fie! Fi-Fi! which was to be performed that winter. Fitzgerald began his sophomore year by failing a make-... ...ald signed up for intensive military training, effectively ending his college career. He did not graduate with the class of 1917 but was included in the yearbook and received two votes for Most Brilliant, two for Handsomest, five for Prettiest, two for Thinks He Is The Best Dressed, eight for Thinks He Is The Biggest Politician, and six for Biggest Dramatist. Fitzgerald’s return for his senior year in the fall of 1917 was really only a waiting period and in November he was called to duty in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, leaving Princeton as a student forever. (Eble, .43). Bibliography Eble, Kenneth E. F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc, 1963. Tate, Mary Jo. F. Scott Fitzgerald A to Z. New York: Facts on File, Inc, 1998. http://www.capitalcentury.com/1920.html http://etc.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/fitzergald_francis_scott.html Fitzgerald at Princeton Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays Fitzgerald at Princeton While he was a student at the Newman School, called St. Regis in This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald became enamored with Princeton. He attended the first Harvard-Princeton game since 1896 on November 4, 1911 and Princeton won 8-6 on a blocked kick that was returned for a touchdown (Tate, 199). His aunt offered to pay for his education at Georgetown, but Fitzgerald wanted to go to Princeton. When his grandmother died in 1913, she left money that made Princeton available. Fitzgerald did not do well on the entrance exams though, so he had to travel to Princeton to re-take the tests and have a personal interview. Supposedly, Fitzgerald convinced the admissions office that it would be cruel to deny him on his birthday and he began at Princeton in the fall of 1913. Fitzgerald desired to play freshman football but his career was cut short. Depending on who you ask, he either wrenched his knee and was unable to play or was cut from the squad on the first day of practice (Tate, 200). With football out of the picture, he chose to participate in the Triangle Club, an original musical comedy group, and the Princeton Tiger, a humor magazine. Fitzgerald roomed off campus his freshman year because of insufficient dorm space. He took Latin, English, Physics, French, Personal Hygiene, and two math courses. He was critical of the English Department, saying that it made students lose interest in literature, but he educated himself by reading extensively outside of the class. In the spring of his freshman year, he wrote the book and lyrics to the Triangle Club’s Fie! Fie! Fi-Fi! which was to be performed that winter. Fitzgerald began his sophomore year by failing a make-... ...ald signed up for intensive military training, effectively ending his college career. He did not graduate with the class of 1917 but was included in the yearbook and received two votes for Most Brilliant, two for Handsomest, five for Prettiest, two for Thinks He Is The Best Dressed, eight for Thinks He Is The Biggest Politician, and six for Biggest Dramatist. Fitzgerald’s return for his senior year in the fall of 1917 was really only a waiting period and in November he was called to duty in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, leaving Princeton as a student forever. (Eble, .43). Bibliography Eble, Kenneth E. F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc, 1963. Tate, Mary Jo. F. Scott Fitzgerald A to Z. New York: Facts on File, Inc, 1998. http://www.capitalcentury.com/1920.html http://etc.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/fitzergald_francis_scott.html

Girl Number 20

The 19th century witnessed the beginning of queen Victoria’s reign, the industrial revolution, realism as literary movement and realistic novels among other. When we refer to realistic novels, we are not talking about novels being a â€Å"reality† but instead we refer to the creation of fictional stories and characters that are very much like real life people and situations. In other words, authors wrote their novels to critize social unfairness, poverty, struggles, health issues and so forth, as a way to reflect the â€Å"truth† just as it was, and it all was possible because their stories and characters were believable.Charles Dickens was one of the most influential writers of the time, his novel â€Å"Hard Times†, as the rest of his works, is vivid examples of what realistic novels would be like. He portrays his judgement towards society in a very comprehensible and even entertaining way, providing the reader an idea of the time and era he was living in . Furthermore, he lets readers identify with the situation and characters of the story, reflecting through the narrator his social perspectives of the time.Regarding the novel Hard Times, there are several issues and characters we could point out, such as progress, social limitations, poverty, development, educational patterns of the time, Mr. Bounderby, Mr. Gradgrind, Louisa, Tom, Cecilia Jupe (Sissy), Mr. Harthouse, Stephen Blackpool among others. However, the one we identified the most with, was â€Å"Girl Number 20† or Cecilia Jupe (Sissy). Through out the whole story, Dickens shows her as an innocent, unprotected an abandoned child, but at the same time she becomes one of the most important and influential characters of the story.In addition, the author redefines, in a way, the role women had at the time, by giving Sissy the power to be herself and the power to do whatever she thought was right. In order to present Cecilia Jupe as the heroine of the story, we will have t o consider her background, being it, the cornerstone of the principles she will use for the rest of her life. Having mentioned this, we will begin by referring to the way Dickens gave form to Sissy’s childhood. A motherless child, who was raised by her loving and strange father. Even though her ather was a sad and a depressed man, Sissy discovered how to please him by being more than a daughter, a caring friend; the author showed it in this quote: And you were his comfort through everything? ’She nodded, with the tears rolling down her face. ‘I hope so, and father said I was. It was because he grew so scared and trembling, and because he felt himself to be a poor, weak, ignorant, helpless man (those used to be his words), that he wanted me so much to know a great deal and be different from him. I used to read to him to cheer his courage, and he was very fond of that. p. 51) This is one of the reasons for us to give Sissy the heroical part in the story, though she made simple gestures, she made her father happy no matter what situation he was going through. It is easy to understand Sissy’s fairytale life, due to all the elements that surrounded her during her childhood: Her mother a dancer, her father a clown, her readings, most of them fantastic, but nourishing at the same time for both of them, here is one of the moments where she expressed her testimony: â€Å"Your mother? ’ ‘Father says she was quite a scholar. She died when I was born.She was;’ Sissy made the terrible communication nervously; ‘she was a dancer†¦ †Father’s a;’ Sissy whispered the awful word; ‘a clown. ’ ‘To make the people laugh? ’ said Louisa, with a nod of intelligence. ‘Yes. But they wouldn’t laugh sometimes, and then father cried†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  I used to read to him to cheer his courage, and he was very fond of that. They were wrong books- I am never to speak of th em here- but we didn’t know there was any harm in them. ’ ‘And he liked them? ’ said Louisa, with her searching gaze on Sissy all this time. ‘O very much! They kept him, many times, from what did him real harm.And often and often of a night, he used to forget all his troubles in wondering whether the Sultan would let the lady go on with the story, or would have her head cut off before it was finished. † (Pp. 50-51) Nevertheless, all the elements shown above were used by Dickens as tools in order for us to understand even more Sissy’s personality and character, highlighting her creativity and optimism when facing difficult times. Dickens shows us that her creative, optimistic and attentive attitude was not only present when she was around her father but also through out the rest of her life, even so, most people did not see it as a rilliant attitude; instead they labeled her as an uneducated, an abstract and an unintelligent person. Howev er, the author uses this attitude to demonstrate that life is not only made out of facts but also of reality, logic and common sense. This situation is well illustrated in the following quote: ‘Girl number twenty,’ said the gentleman, smiling in the calm strength of knowledge. Sissy blushed, and stood up. ‘So you would carpet your room- or your husband’s room, if you were a grown woman, and had a husband- with representations of flowers, would you,’ said the gentleman. Why would you? ’ ‘If you please, sir, I am very fond of flowers,’ returned the girl. ‘And is that why you would put tables and chairs upon them, and have people walking over them with heavy boots? ’ ‘It wouldn’t hurt them, sir. They wouldn’t crush and wither if you please, sir.They would be the pictures of what was very pretty and pleasant, and I would fancy-’ ‘Ay, ay, ay! But you mustn’t fancy,’ cried the gentleman, quite elated by coming so happily to his point. ‘That’s it! You are never to fancy. ’ ‘You are not, Cecilia Jupe,’ Thomas Gradgrind solemnly repeated, ‘to do anything of that kind. ‘Fact, fact, fact! ’ said the gentleman. And ‘Fact, fact, fact! ’ repeated Thomas Gradgrind. ‘You are to be in all things regulated and governed,’ said the gentleman, ‘by fact. † (p. 10) Through this lines Dickens was trying to show how reasonable Sissy was in comparison to other characters, she knew that flowers were just an image that people could delight in and not just a simple definition. In addition, there is another important aspect of Sissy’s life which we find interesting to note: her social awareness. A good example to prove this is the following quote: â€Å"†¦ But today, for instance, Mr M’Choakumchild was explaining to us about Natural Prosperity. ’ ‘National, I think it must have been,’ observed Louisa. ‘Yes, it was. – But isn’t it the same? ’ she timidly asked. ‘You had better say, National, as he said so,’ returned Louisa, with her dry reserve. ‘National Prosperity. And he said, Now, this schoolroom is a Nation. And in this nation, there are fifty millions of money. Isn’t this a prosperous nation? Girl number twenty, isn’t this a prosperous nation, and a’n’t you in a thriving state? ’ ‘What did you say? ’ asked Louisa. ‘Miss Louisa, I said I didn’t know.I thought I couldn’t know whether it was a prosperous nation or not, and whether I was in a thriving state or not, unless I knew who had got the money, and whether any of it was mine. But that had nothing to do with it. It was not in the figures at all,’ said Sissy, wiping her eyes†¦. † (p. 48) Through this quote, Dickens gave us a fantastic explanat ion of his thoughts on the economy of the time through Sissy’s opinion; in other words, he was emphasizing his ideal economical pattern for society: everyone having an equal amount of richness in order to be a prosperous nation.One of the remarkable things about Sissy is that throughout the whole story, Dickens presents her as a unique girl with many exceptional traits, for instance, her loyalty and perseverance towards her father’s return, her compassion and attentive spirit towards the Gradgrind family, her respect for others’ opinions and the one thing that make her the heroine of the story: her outstanding personality. Nevertheless, there are several times when the author mentions that just like any human being, Sissy doubted herself and at the same time wished to be someone else (Louisa).Dickens expressed it clearly on this extract: ‘It would be a fine thing to be you, Miss Louisa! ’ she said, one night, when Louisa had endeavored to make her p erplexities for next day something clearer to her. ‘Do you think so? ’ ‘I should know so much, Miss Louisa. All that is difficult to me now, would be so easy then’†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ‘Have I always hated you so much? ’ ‘I hope not, for I have always loved you, and have always wished that you should know it. But you changed to me a little, shortly before you left home.Not that I wondered at it. You knew so much, and I knew so little, and it was so natural in many ways, going as you were among other friends, that I had nothing to complain of, and was not at all hurt. † (Pp. 48, 182-183) At the same time, letting aside her desires to be like someone else, Cecilia did not let such a thing bring her down, instead she stood up and defended her territory and her â€Å"own†, becoming courageous enough to confront and to send away Louisa’s suitor who stood against everything that was right.The following quote reflects it: ‘Mr Harthouse,’ returned Sissy, with a blending of gentleness and steadiness that quite defeated him, and with a simple confidence in his being bound to do what she required, that held him at a singular disadvantage, ‘the only reparation that remains with you, is to leave here immediately and finally. I am quite sure that you can mitigate in no other way the wrong and harm you have done.I am quite sure that it is the only compensation you have left it in your power to make. I do not say that it is much, or that it is enough; but it is something, and it is necessary. Therefore, though without any other authority than I have given you, and even without the knowledge of any other person than yourself and myself, I ask you to depart from this place tonight, under an obligation never to return to it. † (Pp. 188-189).Nonetheless, this was not the only an unselfish and brave act she performed; the previous action triggered the beginning of Sissy Jupe as the care-taker and th e protector of the Gradgrind family that even the father came to a place where he recognized Cecilia’s help, not only towards him but also towards his wife and son; he finally accepted the fact that without Sissy’s presence they would have succumbed. In the following quote Dickens proves that at last â€Å"Girl Number 20†, the least expected to have the solution to all of the Gradgrind’s problems, became the moral and the grand victor of the story after all. Sissy has effected it, father. ’ He raised his eyes to where she stood, like a good fairy in his house, and said in a tone of softened gratitude and grateful kindness, ‘It is always you, my child! † (p. 222) Lastly, as the story ends our heroine is all we expected her to be, starting by being a great and faithful daughter, a help in time of need for those who surrounded her, and last but not least a good wife, a happy mother and a wonderful friend to her â€Å"humbler fellow-creatu res†.But, happy Sissy’s happy children loving her; all children loving her; she, grown learned in childish lore; thinking no innocent and pretty fancy ever to be despised; trying hard to know her humbler fellow-creatures, and to beautify their lives of machinery and reality with those imaginative graces and delights, without which the heart of infancy will wither up, the sturdiest physical manhood will be morally stark death, and the plainest national prosperity figures can show, will be the Writing on the Wall,- she holding this course as part of no fantastic vow, or bond, or brotherhood, or sisterhood, or pledge, or covenant, or fancy dress, or fancy fair; but simply as a duty to be done,- did Louisa see these things of herself? † (p. 238) As a conclusion, we dare to say that Dickens was the realist novelist far excellence; throughout the whole novel he expressed his criticism in a very audible voice, illustrating his thoughts and opinions on several social conc erns of his time. Additionally, he created a story and characters that were believable due to their resemblance with the real world; he made the reader understand that he was not making the situations up, but he was showing real common life.Nevertheless, it seems as if Dickens broke the pattern with Cecilia Jupe, when giving her the heroic part of the story and at the same time made her as an example of genuineness, boldness and bravery, even when her humble background, her eccentric education and all those things made her the contrary of what a Victorian Lady should be like. All situations she went through were against the idea of her being the heroine of the story, but ironically, Dickens chose her as if taking her from another world and inserting her into Victorian times, in order to make his point clear, which was: the role of the woman in a society like his. References: Dickens, C. (1854). Hard Times. London, England: Editorial Matter.

Coming to America

Coming to America Narrative Essay College Writing I My name is Angela S. Baez, and you can call me Angela. I am from the Dominican Republic. In this essay I would like to tell you a story about my experience in coming to the USA. I was very happy when I found out my daughter and I received full residency status from the USA. We would be moving to New York City Sometimes, I felt nervous, because it was my first time to go to another country, which used a different language than my country. I also had to leave my family for a long time. However, I tried to keep strong and calm.I knew it was a good choice to move to the U. S. We departed from my hometown (Montecristi) to Santo Domingo on April 12, 1993 at 7:00 a. m. I went by and got there four hours later. In the airport, we went to the American Airlines counter and checked in for my daughter and me. We went through security. It was really empty because it was very early. After that we went to our gate. We walked around the airport and took a seat to wait for a while. I took my daughter to a cafeteria to eat some food and a soda. We were very early so we had time to walk. Two hours later, we went back to the gate to board the plane.I am sure that my daughter had no idea what was going on, and luckily she was a very quiet child, so I was not nervous. On the plane, I found our seats and sat down and buckled our seat belts. I had never been on a plane before. When I realized that in a few moment we were going to be on the air, I was nervous. But I had to look calm, for my daughter, and for everyone else. The pilot introduced himself and said that the flight from Santo Domingo to New York was going to take 4 hours. The flight attendants stood at the front of the isles and demonstrated the safety precautions as the plane began to get speed.I began to pray, because that’s what I do when I get nervous. When the plane took off, I was relieved, that nothing bad happened. Soon after that my daughter fell asleep. She was tired and cranky from being awake since so early in the morning. I could not fall asleep because I was still very nervous. Those had been the longest 4 hours of my life. When the plane finally landed in New York, I remember everyone cheering and clapping. We had made it to America. I looked through the window and saw a place completely different than what I had ever known. I immediately started to feel the chilly weather of New York.I had never experienced cold temperature, but I came prepared with a light jacket and sweater for my daughter and me. When we got off of the plane, it was a brand new experience for me. I was now in a country that I had never been to before, and where I did not know the language spoken. I was nervous that I would not be able to communicate with anyone. After going through customs, I found my husband. He hugged us cheerfully because he had not seen us in two years, since our daughter was born. He had moved to the United States in the 80’s in s earch for a better future, for better opportunities for his family.After he hugged us, he took us outside the airport to the car. It was really cold. The airport was about half an hour away from what was going to be our new home in the Bronx. I looked at the city through the window and did not like what I saw. The city. It looked brown and ugly, and the trees had no leaves yet. That April was especially cold for me. Moving to the United States was a difficult experience for me. At first I felt like I had no family. I only had my daughter and my husband. But things have changed for the better, and if I were not living here, I would not think that my family has a bright future waiting for it. Coming to America Coming to America Narrative Essay College Writing I My name is Angela S. Baez, and you can call me Angela. I am from the Dominican Republic. In this essay I would like to tell you a story about my experience in coming to the USA. I was very happy when I found out my daughter and I received full residency status from the USA. We would be moving to New York City Sometimes, I felt nervous, because it was my first time to go to another country, which used a different language than my country. I also had to leave my family for a long time. However, I tried to keep strong and calm.I knew it was a good choice to move to the U. S. We departed from my hometown (Montecristi) to Santo Domingo on April 12, 1993 at 7:00 a. m. I went by and got there four hours later. In the airport, we went to the American Airlines counter and checked in for my daughter and me. We went through security. It was really empty because it was very early. After that we went to our gate. We walked around the airport and took a seat to wait for a while. I took my daughter to a cafeteria to eat some food and a soda. We were very early so we had time to walk. Two hours later, we went back to the gate to board the plane.I am sure that my daughter had no idea what was going on, and luckily she was a very quiet child, so I was not nervous. On the plane, I found our seats and sat down and buckled our seat belts. I had never been on a plane before. When I realized that in a few moment we were going to be on the air, I was nervous. But I had to look calm, for my daughter, and for everyone else. The pilot introduced himself and said that the flight from Santo Domingo to New York was going to take 4 hours. The flight attendants stood at the front of the isles and demonstrated the safety precautions as the plane began to get speed.I began to pray, because that’s what I do when I get nervous. When the plane took off, I was relieved, that nothing bad happened. Soon after that my daughter fell asleep. She was tired and cranky from being awake since so early in the morning. I could not fall asleep because I was still very nervous. Those had been the longest 4 hours of my life. When the plane finally landed in New York, I remember everyone cheering and clapping. We had made it to America. I looked through the window and saw a place completely different than what I had ever known. I immediately started to feel the chilly weather of New York.I had never experienced cold temperature, but I came prepared with a light jacket and sweater for my daughter and me. When we got off of the plane, it was a brand new experience for me. I was now in a country that I had never been to before, and where I did not know the language spoken. I was nervous that I would not be able to communicate with anyone. After going through customs, I found my husband. He hugged us cheerfully because he had not seen us in two years, since our daughter was born. He had moved to the United States in the 80’s in s earch for a better future, for better opportunities for his family.After he hugged us, he took us outside the airport to the car. It was really cold. The airport was about half an hour away from what was going to be our new home in the Bronx. I looked at the city through the window and did not like what I saw. The city. It looked brown and ugly, and the trees had no leaves yet. That April was especially cold for me. Moving to the United States was a difficult experience for me. At first I felt like I had no family. I only had my daughter and my husband. But things have changed for the better, and if I were not living here, I would not think that my family has a bright future waiting for it.

New Healthy Fruit Smoothie at Burger King Essay

If fast food is unhealthy and is believed to cause obesity, why is there still a fast food restaurant every few blocks? Perhaps because there are a lot of people who are still consuming fast food and backing its business, the fast food industry survives and appears to even increase. The fact that modern life is fast paced as well as the economy hasn’t fully recovered makes people prefer to work more consistent and eat faster. Needless to say, the competition among well-known brand names is getting more challenging, and advertising plays an important role in marketing and drawing consumers’ attentions. Knowing the only disadvantage of fast food is its unhealthiness, Burger King has recently introduced their healthy real fruit smoothie using David Beckham. By equating his charm, his famous credibility, and his physique, David Beckham endorses the new Burger King’s smoothie to not only women but also soccer fans and whoever seeks healthy choices at a fast food restaurant. Throughout the commercial, Burger King shows their true intentions: to visually attract the audience with their appealing and healthy smoothie, to interest them by using a celebrity along with the slogan â€Å"exciting things are happening at Burger King†, and to show part of the American culture through the story and the conversation. In the commercial, Burger King is attempting to refresh their reputation of being unhealthy and creates a visual appeal for their smoothie. By showing how the ripest strawberries are being cut and blend nicely, the commercial effectively forms a visual image of the drink and stimulates the audience’s curiosity to try it out. In addition, strawberry is definitely one of the most favorite flavors for kids while banana is a very healthy fruit. As a result, a mixing of those two fruits surely captures the attention of children and mothers who want to purchase a possibly healthier choice. As given on the Burger King’s website, the smoothie’s nutritional facts are acceptable, 200 calories and forty grams of sugar per twelve ounce serving (small size). Even though forty grams of sugar is a little bit too much for a 200 calorie drink, most of it comes from real fruits and plus, there isn’t any saturated fat or anything else. These definitely won’t kill you or make you fat compared to other sugary, creamy drinks. However, people often think that healthy food is boring and tasteless. By filming the ad expertly and convincingly with high definition, Burger King is able make the smoothie look realistically tasty and delicious. Its most visual appeal is when it was poured into the glass. The fluid looks amazingly delicious and well-blended. The color also appears to be reddish orange as it is well-balanced between strawberries and bananas. As Hirschberg mentioned in his â€Å"The Rhetoric of Advertising†, Burger King does create â€Å"the distinctive image for the product† in their commercial. The smoothie glass is shown closely on the half left of the image while other half is showing a bunch of fresh strawberries. They also blur the strawberries in the background to emphasize the prominence of the smoothie glass. This allows the audience to see its smooth viscosity closely and triggers their appetites as well as interests. Instead of illogically exploiting well-shaped models and athletes to promote unhealthy products like other franchises, Burger King utilizes David’s healthy and lean physique to indicate their product as a naturally healthy smoothie. Starting off with a spokesperson claiming â€Å"exciting things are happening at Burger King†, the setting of the commercial is refreshing, exciting, and appealing just like the smoothie itself. Surprisingly, the spokesperson’s tone isn’t too excited as expected. It is rather a normal, not-a-big-deal tone. It seems to imply that it is usual to have exciting things at Burger King, and in this case, it is David Beckham with the strawberry banana smoothie. Apparently, Burger King tries to persuade the audience that many celebrities do actually visit Burger King, and that they should come and eat at Burger King as well if they want to meet their idols. Using David Beckham to promote the smoothie is brilliant. Not only David Beckham is appealed to women, but also his classy fashion style is attracted the young adults, let alone his recognition as a professional soccer player. Additionally, like David, those kinds of frosty, sweet, and fruity smoothies have always been attracted to women rather than men. Furthermore, his healthy body makes the drink even healthier. Also, David has been recently promoting for the Sainsbury’s Active Kids as an ambassador. He has been on many posters and advertisements that encourage children to eat healthy and exercise. Burger King apparently knows what’s going on and has their commercial set. Through the conversation between David Beckham, the cashier, and the manager, the commercial creates an entertaining situation and shows part of the American culture. Humor is definitely one of the American cultures. Mostly everything we see on TV has entertaining and humorous elements. In the commercial, audience will be able entertained as soon as David orders his smoothie and mesmerizes the cashier. As the cashier is being fascinated by his charming radiance, David shifts into a luminous gentleman wearing a classy, black suit and reorders his smoothie in a very heavy English accent. The way David pronounces â€Å"strawberry banana smoothie† and the cashier’s daydreaming look are what make it worth a giggle. The music is also very antiquated. It sounds like one of those Western classic, love songs that appeared in â€Å"Gone with the Wind†. The commercial also exploits homosexual agenda by showing the male manager, after snapping his cashier out of David’s charm, is also stunned by David’s dazzle. Same sex attraction is just a daring joke as it either makes the audience impressed or offended. Nonetheless, whether it is offensive or not, the scene creates an emotional appeal and makes an impact on the audience as one of the advertising techniques Hirschberg has discussed, â€Å"They supply the unstated major premise that supplies a rationale to persuade an audience that a particular product will meet one or another of several different kinds of needs†. After all, the homosexual joke serves its purposes: to make impressions and to indirectly persuade that the strawberry banana smoothie is just irresistible for both sexes. It is not a surprise to see celebrities or well-known professional athletes appearing in a commercial nowadays. Using David Beckham to promote the new smoothie is a great move of Burger King. Burger King shows that fast food does not necessarily mean unhealthy. To get the word out about their changes, they have to pull out their biggest marketing campaign ever using a lot of well-known celebrities. So far, David Beckham as well as the new healthy smoothie menu is definitely the aces and the most success compared to other commercials. Its views jump over 20,000 in a matter of hours proving that it works. â€Å"With their latest initiatives, Burger King is showing commitment to areas that I’m passionate about, such as supporting charities, helping children and improving the healthier eating options. I am happy to help the brand launch its first smoothie platform, which is a great addition to any diet†, said David Beckham.

Deutsche Brauerei Essay

Deutsche Brauerei was founded in 1737 and has been in the Schweitzer family for 12 generations. The company produces quality beer and has won awards over the years and is owned entirely by 16 uncles, aunts and cousins. In 1998, Deutsche Brauerei expanded into Ukraine. Despite the Russian debt crisis, the popularity of Deutsche’s beer increased its sales greatly and within three years of launch, Ukrainian consumers accounted for 28% of Deutsche’s sales. Furthermore, most of the unit growth in sales during that time period was also contributed by Ukraine. In an attempt to market the beer even more aggressively, Lukas hired Oleg Pinchuk, a marketing guy who understood the Ukrainian markets and had previous experience of marketing beer for a major Ukrainian beer producer. In the following report, we aim to evaluate the past and prospective financial performance of the company, dividend policy and to critique its liberal credit and inventory policies. An appropriate compensation scheme will also be recommended. Adoption of a Compensation Scheme for Oleg Pinchuk It is our belief that Oleg Pinchuk does deserve an increase in his compensation package to provide incentive for him to stay and provide future results. His strategies for setting up infrastructure in the Ukraine have been fundamental to the company’s sales growth. We are also concerned that some of his current policies may not be profitable and are taking on too much risk as the economy shows signs of a recession. Also, we highly recommend that the design of the compensation package be changed as it currently creates a large agency problem. In 1998, Deutsche Brauerei employed Oleg Pinchuk as the Company’s Sales and Marketing Manager. Previously Pinchuk has worked for a major beer producer in the Ukraine giving him invaluable insight into the industry and environment. The main goals he was placed with was to market Deutsche Brauerei’s beer more aggressively while taking advantage of the large opportunities existing in Central and Eastern Europe. â€Å"Our beer almost sells itself; discount pricing and heavy advertising are unwarranted. The challenge is getting people to try it and getting into a distribution pipeline. † Pinchuk quoted. Initially in 1998, Ukraine had no beer distributors, presenting a large problem – the company had no means of distributing the product amongst ustomers. Distributors in the Ukraine had no capital and could not receive financing from banks to set up their business because they had no collateral, low profits, negative cash flows and were seen as a high risk. They were also not able to bear the credit terms that were currently implemented on the German distributors . This is where Pinchuk’s strategies have been essential for our expansion into the Ukraine. Pinchuk, on a small budget, managed to organise five distributors and set up warehouse arrangements. He relaxed the credit policy for the Ukraine distributors from 2% 10, net 40 to 2% 10, net 80 – essentially financing their business and making it possible for them to set up and operate. Carrying a substantial part of the distributor’s inventory also took pressure and costs away from the distributors while making it possible to respond rapidly to changes in demand. These strategies have increased customers in the Ukraine from 0 to 211, with even more expected in 2001. For Oleg’s strategies to be implemented, the business has required large working capital investments. Particularly in accounts receivable where days in receivables is nearly 90 days. We believe that Pinchuk’s analysis of the return on investment has been overstated because he hasn’t taken into account the investments in inventory and capital expenditure that would also be needed. Exhibit 3 shows our adjusted analysis of the return that the business is receiving after taking into account changes in inventories and capital expenditure. We assumed that 85% of changes in inventory and 90% in capital expenditure were attributed to investment in the Ukraine. These assumptions are explained in the exhibit. Our results still produce a high return of 42% in the year 2000 which is much higher than the cost of financing long-term debt at 6. 5%. Notably, these investments are risky and the company needs to compare the return to their risk adjusted cost of capital for the Ukraine and not the cost of financing the debt to see if it is worthwhile. Exhibit 4 gives a good analysis of how these policies have affected the business’ performance and situation. Although sales growth has been consistently large, operating profit margin has decreased overall since his strategies were implemented. Return on equity and net assets have increased and in the year 2000 were 10. 3% and 8. 4% respectively. This is a good result for the business and shows efficient management of assets. It seems that Pinchuk’s strategies were possibly harmful to the business by decreasing the profit margin and taking on a lot of risk. It is our belief that the credit policy should not be relaxed and could even be tightened to less than 80 days. Unfortunately, reducing risk by tightening the policy would be accompanied by a decrease in sales. Although Pinchuk’s strategies have been potentially damaging, we do believe that he deserves an increase in his salary for expanding the company despite facing difficult conditions. His current compensation package is a base salary of EUR40,000 plus an incentive payment of 0. 5 % of sales growth. The current compensation package provides Pinchuk with an incentive to pursue projects that are risky to the company like extending large credit to distributors who are unable to pay it back. This would increase sales, thus increasing his salary, but would have a negative effect on both profits and the company. His incentive payment needs to be aimed more at collection and profits rather than sales growth. Our recommendation is to increase his base salary to EUR50,000 and have his incentive payment tied to annual profits (0. 6% of the annual increase in profits). However, in our recommended financial plan for 2001, there is a projected net profit of EUR 2,712,000. This is a decrease in profits from the previous year and would imply that Pinchuk would receive no incentive payment for 2001. Hopefully this would motivate him to increase the following year’s profits by revising his marketing and collection strategies. Analysis of Dividend Declaration Traditionally, DB pays out 75% from earnings as dividends each year to shareholders. At the moment, the company has a cash shortage as it is holding high levels of inventory and is extremely relaxed in credit terms for their Ukrainian distributors. Paying out dividends at 75% would mean increasing debt in order for the company to fund their proposed investment in a new plant. This would add strain on the already huge short-term debt that they have taken on. The possibility of a financial downturn in 2001 adds to the uncertainty of an increase in profits as projected in the financial plan. Guaranteeing that the company will pay out EUR698,000 in dividends might be too risky. Rather than rely on more bank borrowings, Deutsche Brauerei should retain more earnings to cover their bank borrowings and to also finance their future investments and projects. In addition, should there be a financial crisis, the retained earnings would help to cushion the impact from the crisis. As most of the shareholders are older members of the Schweitzer family, and are retirees who depend on the dividend payout, reducing the dividend payout might cause some upset. However, paying out a dividend percentage of 75% is causing more harm to the company. By reducing this percentage to 60%, the company is able to retain 40% of their net profits for reinvestment and financing future projects. These retained earnings would also help ease the problem of their current cash shortage. Dividend Payout| 50%| 60%| 75%| | 2001| 2002| 2001| 2002| 2001| 2002| Net Income| 2712| 3439| 2712| 3439| 2712| 3439| Dividends| 1356| 1720| 1627| 2063| 2034| 2579| | | | | | |   | Retention of Earnings| 1356| 1720| 1085| 1376| 678| 860| The table above shows the changes in retained earnings according to the changes in dividend percentages – the higher the dividend payout, the lower the retained earnings. It is recommended that, in the first quarter of 2001, the company should pay out the same amount of dividends which the shareholders received in 2000 (EUR 546, 500). It should be explained that if the forecast for 2001 is correct, and there is no financial crisis, the shareholders can expect a larger dividend payout in the next quarter. From our recommended financial plan (i. e. net profit is EUR 2,712,000), paying out dividends of 60% would mean that the shareholders can expect to receive a payout of EUR 406,800 in the second quarter. Analysis of Deutsche Brauerei’s 2001 Financial Budget One of the main concerns for Deutsche Brauerei’s financial budget for 2001 is its heavy reliance on short-term debt financing. This is mainly due to operating strategies, policies, large sales growth, dividends and capital expenditure being financed through working capital. These have all attributed in draining the company’s cash and causing the business to finance the investment through working capital using short-term borrowing. The overall reliance on debt financing has stayed around 42% (debt/total capital ratio, Exhibit 4). The main borrowing used by Deutsche Brauerei has been short-term debt, so the company has incurred a large cash drain. Short-term debt requires fast repayments to be made and normally charge a higher interest rate than what is charged on long-term debts. Short-term bank borrowings have increased dramatically from 1997 to 2000 and are projected to increase further in 2001 and 2002 (Exhibit 1). As for long-term debt, it has been steadily decreasing since 1997, further showing Deutsche Brauerei’s heavy reliance on short-term debt as their main source of financing. The 80-day credit policy given to Ukraine distributors has resulted in large increases in sales and accounts receivables. Exhibit 4 shows a large growth rate in sales and receivables mainly from the Ukraine. In 1998, accounts receivable in the Ukraine were EUR 424,000 and by 2000 have dramatically increased to EUR 6,168,000. In comparison with Germany, the Ukraine accounts receivable has grown at an extremely large rate. This is mainly due to the fact that most of the new Ukrainian sales are on credit. The credit policy gives distributors 80 days to pay, but in reality, in 1999 and 2000, the days in receivables was 85. and 87. 1 respectively. The fact that it is taking such long periods of time to receive cash from sales is forcing Deutsche Brauerei to finance working capital in other ways such as short-term borrowing. The company also holds a large amount of inventory for the Ukraine distributors. This requires extra investment in inventory and that this inventory is held for longer . This results in it taking even longer to receive cash from our investment, thus increasing the already stretched cash conversion cycle. Exhibit 1C shows that Deutsche Brauerei’s inventories have been steady right up until 1999 and have approximately doubled. The large dividend payout ratio has also resulted in the increased use of short term financing. Although the business has substantial profits to pay out these dividends, the cash is already tied up and these payouts have required more short term financing. The business’ 25% plough back ratio is not sufficient for reinvestment, requiring even more future borrowing to pay for capital expenditure. Capital expenditure of EUR 7 million has been forecasted for both 2001 and 2002, requiring even more short-term borrowing. To prevent large cash drainage in the upcoming years, Deutsche Brauerei needs to re-evaluate their debt financing choices. Long-term debt should be considered as an alternative to short term debt. Not only will this decrease the strain on the company’s cash, it will also allow for the investment in a new plant and equipment for 2001 because of the availability of funds. Long term debt can also be used in 2002 as a source of financing for the proposed new warehouse. Since the cost of the warehouse is considerably high (EUR 6. 8 million), it would be unwise to finance it using short term debt, thus, long term debt would be the appropriate choice. Proposed Amendments to 2001 Financial Budget: To produce more accurate predictions for the coming year, there are some amendments that need to be made to Pinchuk’s forecasts and assumptions. Firstly, in Pinchuk’s financial plan, sales growth in Germany and Ukraine were projected to be 3% and 45% respectively. Germany’s growth is believed to be a fair representation but the predicted sales growth for the Ukraine seems to be overestimated. New projects initially have large growths per year but they also decrease rapidly. In 1999, actual sales growth for the Ukraine was 312% but in 2001, Ukraine’s actual sales growth was 47%. Therefore, for the year 2001, it is believed that sales growth should decrease to a figure considerably less than 45%, for example, 30%. Also, the operating margins seem to be optimistically high at 7%. An average of the operating profit margin from the past 4 years is 6. 88%. This is possibly still too high in comparison to Germany and Ukraine’s operating margins of 6. 10% in 2000. Our recommendation is to use 6. 1% again for 2001 because you would not expect operating profit margin to increase if the predicted global recession occurs. We have also changed the dividend payout policy to a recommended 60% as explained earlier in the dividend declaration section. Increasing the credit policy in the Ukraine to 90 days could be seen as a very risky strategy to pursue especially with the current signs of a global financial crisis. Sales would increase in terms of accounts receivable but the company already stands to lose a lot of money if distributors start to default. A financial crisis would cripple the distributors in the Ukraine and they would be forced to default their accounts. It is suggested that the policy should be left at 80 days to prevent that potential loss. It is also suggested that allowance for doubtful debts should be increased from 2% to 6% to account for the potential recession. As mentioned earlier, it would be wise to tighten the policy rather than let it increase to 90 days in 2001. A sensitivity analysis on allowance and net profit was undertaken in Exhibit 2C, the purpose of this analysis is to determine how net profit would change given our assumption for the allowance of doubtful debt. Pinchuk assumed in his projections that the allowance percentage for the year 2001 is going to be 2%. However, it is believed that this is a considerably low percentage and should be increased to 6% to account for the potential recession as mentioned above. Our sensitivity analysis yielded the following results, in 2001 – if the allowance percentage is set at 2%, then net profit would be EUR 3,083,000. On the contrary, if the allowance is set at 6%, net profit will decrease to EUR 2,712,000. We believe that this decrease will account for the potential recession that may strike in 2001. The company is also advised to take on some long-term borrowing as well as reducing their investment in working capital. This will reduce the reliance on short-term borrowing. It is believed that the firm should get a long-term loan of EUR 14 million because under our assumptions, it would reduce short term borrowings to EUR880,000 which is significantly less than the firms forecasted cash of EUR12 million. This would get rid of the firm’s short-term borrowing reliance and greatly enhance the firms liquidity. Exhibit 2D shows a sensitivity analysis of the effect of changing the quantity of long-term debt and the effect dividend policy has on short-term borrowing required in 2001. Keeping the current dividend policy of 75% and under the assumption the firm borrowed EUR 14 million, short-term borrowing would be EUR 1,292,000. Reducing the payout to our recommended ratio of 60% would reduce short-term borrowing to EUR 881,000. Reducing the ratio to below 30% would eliminate the need for short-term borrowing in 2001. Though due to the large quantities of cash the firm has, eliminating short-term debt completely is redundant. Exhibit 1A shows our forecast of Deutsche Brauerei’s income and balance sheet for 2001. We believe that net income for 2001 will be just over EUR 2,712,000 which is about EUR 1 million less than Pinchuk’s forecast. We have incorporated all our suggestions of policy changes including a long-term loan which will help finance the planned capital expenditure for 2001 as well as fix the current cash problem. Recommendations for Deutsche Brauerei Firstly, in regards to a compensation scheme for Oleg Pinchuk, it is recommended that his base salary of EUR 40,000 to EUR 50,000. Also, instead of having his incentive payment be 0. % of sales growth, it is suggested that the incentive payment be 0. 6% of annual growth in profits. This implies that Pinchuk might need to reconsider his marketing and collection strategies. However, it is believed that this would give him the motivation to increase profits every year and this is beneficial to both him and the company. After our analysis on dividend payouts, it is recommended that the company reduce the dividend payout ratio from 75% to 60%. This would enable the company to retain more earnings for future investments and also to cover their short-term borrowings. This also improves their current cash shortage situation. Lastly, it is recommended that several changes be made to Pinchuk’s proposed financial budget for 2001. Instead of a predicted growth rate of 45% for sales in the Ukraine, it is recommended that a more conservative figure of 30% is used. Also, instead of using an operating margin of 7% for both Germany and Ukraine, an operating margin of 6. 10% should be adopted for 2001. In addition, instead of relaxing credit terms from 80 days to 90 days, the company should keep it at 80 days and aim to reduce that in the future. It is also advised that the company take on a long-term loan of EUR 14 million for the building of the warehouse. Lastly, it is recommended that the allowance for doubtful debts be increased from 2% to 6%. These proposed changes take into account the possible recession that may take place in the coming year. Overall, Deutsche Brauerei has been successful in its expansion into the Ukrainian market despite difficult conditions. With slight changes to their current strategies, the company has the potential to achieve even greater success.