Thursday, August 27, 2020

Alvin Ailey History Leading Up to ‘Cry’

Alvin Ailey †‘Cry’ Give a sequential record of Ailey’s foundation, preparing and impacts up to the time he made ‘Cry’. Examine how this may have educated the story regarding the move in the work ‘Cry’ Alvin Ailey utilized his way of life and endless beloved recollections to base his movement. His experience, preparing and impacts have educated and affected the account of his work ‘Cry. The idea of cry was concocted by Alvin Ailey. ‘Cry’ took its motivation and boost from the affliction and difficulty looked by African American Women.It depicts a lady managing bondage, difficulty and isolation, who beats exceptional circumstances and setbacks, and ascends to triumph. Alvin Ailey Jr. was conceived on the fifth of January, 1931 to Lula Elizabeth Ailey, in Rogers, Texas. His encounters of life being raised in the rustic South would later motivate a portion of his most prominent works. Ailey was a lone youngster, and hi s dad left the family when Ailey was the unimportant age of 1. Ailey soon later moved to Navasota, Texas with his mom. â€Å"There was the white school up on the slope, and the Black Baptist Church† said Ailey in a Times interview.Ailey experienced childhood in this world feeling like an untouchable. In 1942 he moved to Los Angeles, where he was acquainted with move by exhibitions by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. It was as of now that Ailey got intrigued by sports and alongside this joined his secondary schools gymnastic and football crews. He additionally started taking tap exercises as he had a solid profound respect for Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Ailey’s energy for move additionally developed when he visited an advanced move school which was controlled by Lester Horton at the time.This move school was the primary organization to acknowledge artists all things considered. He went to Lester Horton’s move school for on e year before leaving. As Ailey had quite recently as of late moved on from secondary school in 1948 he went onto to go to the University of California where he contemplated dialects. Be that as it may, in 1949, Horton offered Ailey a grant, which he acknowledged, and it became taking effect right now. Ailey proceeded at the Company for once more, one year, before this time leaving to go to San Francisco State College. With Ailey voyaging a decent measure it gave him little association and an absence of having a place which sometime down the road would ontribute to the adoration and commitment he had towards his mom as she was the main genuine association he had. Nearby this Ailey grew up with a solid feeling of his African American Culture. While Ailey was living in San Francisco he started to move in different night-clubs as a wellspring of cash. Soon later, by and by, Ailey came back to Los Angeles so as to finish his move preparing with Lester Horton. It was in 1953 that Ailey d ared to New York nearby Horton and the organization to perform. During this outing to New York Lester Horton had an abrupt passing, leaving Ailey as Director of the Company.From here Ailey followed Horton’s method and style himself as it altogether affected on his move class, and he, himself created 2 works. Tragically, for Ailey these pieces got next to no acclaim and poor audits which brought about the troupe going separate ways. Notwithstanding this minor mishap, Ailey’s vocation really started to bloom and he effectively proceeded onward in the move business. Ailey was thrown for various creations both on and off Broadway! Among these were the preferences off: Sing, Man, Sing; Jamaica; Carefree tree; and Call me by my privilege name.In 1958 Ailey and another choreographer set out to select artists which would play out a few shows all through New York City. These new and present day works got effective audits and high measures of applause, which drove Ailey to plan many shows for the attempts to be seen. Ailey’s first significant work â€Å"Blues Suite† enlivened by blues music was performed at these presentations. It was during this time, his now most getting a handle on piece â€Å"Revelations† was made and enlivened on the stage. â€Å"Revelations† was joined by the gripping music of Duke Ellington.It was this work presented the African American Religious Life to the United States, and pulled the crowd in leaving them needing more. It was starting now and into the foreseeable future that Alvin Ailey understood the effect he had on crowds through the African American setting, and he further utilized this for his potential benefits to communicate the difficulties that individuals of this culture looked through move and craftsmanship. In 1958 Alvin Ailey built up his own organization, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, to do his vision of an organization committed to motivating the American current move legacy and safeguarding the style and customs of the African-American culture.A short one year after its creation the organization turned into the inhabitant move theater at the Clarke Center for Performing Arts in New York City. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was fortunate enough to house the main African American Soloist being Judith Jamison. Not exclusively was Judith Jamison a piece of the organization, Ailey likewise utilized Asian and white artists, making his organization enormously socially differing. It during the mid-1960’s when Ailey authoritatively surrendered move, because of individual issues.Although as of late after this, Ailey nearby his organization migrated to Brooklyn, New York. From here on the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater proceeded to be one of the most famous move troupes, visiting universally. It was on May fourth, 1971 at the New York City Center, where Ailey’s signature work ‘Cry’ was first performed. Ailey devoted this piece to â⠂¬Å"all dark ladies everywhereâ€especially our moms. † Alvin Ailey arranged his critical solo ‘Cry’ as a birthday present for his decent mother, and arranged the move on his key artist, Judith Jamison.Jamison exhibited Ailey’s mother’s battles just as all other African American woman’s battles at the hour of subjection as they battled for opportunity. Mrs. Cooper (Alvin Ailey's mom) and Ms. Jamison are considered as the model of an Ailey lady. The job in ‘Cry’ has been given to all the Principal Dancers in the organization being educated from the first soloist, Judith Jamison. In her self-portrayal, Jamison composed â€Å"Exactly where the lady is experiencing the expressive dance's three areas was never disclosed to me by Alvin.In my translation, she spoke to those ladies before her who originated from the difficulties of servitude, through the torment of losing friends and family, through beating exceptional discourageme nts and tribulations. Coming out of a ton of hurt and inconvenience, she has discovered her direction and triumphed. † The piece ‘Cry’ without a doubt so delineates these changed ages of African American ladies. The work starts with the disentangling of a long white material that is exemplified during the work and takes on numerous figures; from a cleaning fabric which delineates the subjugation the ladies looked to a physical hindrance on the floor forestalling escape.Ailey said â€Å"I am attempting to communicate something that I feel about individuals, life, the human soul, the magnificence of things. † This three female performance, takes the crowd on an excursion of harsh misery, merciless difficulty and merry happiness. It is through these variables that we can see the story of the work cry Ultimately, Ailey unequivocally utilized subjects and ideas that he encountered from his past preparing, impacts and foundation information, to make and arrange h is most eminent work ‘Cry’

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Fashion Theory

It's a Jungle Out There he put together his plan work with respect to the Thomson gazelle, found in East Africa. The assortment utilized numerous creature skins, and included this earthy colored hide Jacket with horns distending from the shoulders. Macaque utilized this to represent the connection among creatures and people. With this Jacket Macaque utilizes the horns as a signifier meaning force, opportunity just as endurance Using this on female models connoted force and quality accordingly giving them strengthening, which was one of his signifier.With use of the savage cosmetics methods, the female structure seems considerable and strong. The imagery of the horns utilized recommends power and the capacity to protect them selves Just as the Gazelle's do with predators and when seeking, while the calfskin imageries flexibility. Macaque deliberately puts the horns on the shoulders of the Jacket, making a more extensive outline on the female shaping a gender ambiguous profile. This at that point connects to the cliché social structure, in which guys dominate.The misrepresented shoulders appear to imagery the appendages of the gazelle strengthening the minimalists eaters inside the plan of the piece of clothing shaping the start of the human-creature mixture. Macaque accepted that like a Gazelle, people are bound throughout everyday life and are bound to bite the dust on account of their predators. Much the same as a gazelle will be pursued and pulverized, a human will be overlooked and lost in the event that they don't battle for their endurance is society and keep on being commented and recognized. Ironicly despite the fact that creatures are generally observed as a substandard presence in rank to people, Macaque utilizes them to depict quality and power.Here the jobs are turned around and unmans are depending on these mammoths to speak to their ennoblement connoting a trade of intensity. Having said this, Macaque, with the creature imagery, meant opportunity. An opportunity of articulation and way of life as a person, as connected to accommodating. Suzan Hens Macaque anyway was by all account not the only planner to utilized horns as symbolism and images inside his assortment to speak to society through design. South African conceived creator Suzan Haynes additionally utilized this imagery in her recently opened store in Mellower Arch.Suzan confesses to social event her persuasions from her movements and introduction to the characteristic. Haynes supplanted the leaders of her mannequin's in her Mellower curve store with those of reindeer's. Her goal of this was to make a dream inside her store. The signifier distinguished is a female structure with a reindeer head accordingly making the â€Å"hybrid†. This means the dream that Suzan plans to make. The female structure is situated in such a way in which to introduce a refined beneficiary of elegance to the mannequin. This shy position is Juxtaposed by the utilization of the reinde er head. This connotes crude creature instinct.The creature nature in this unique circumstance (Store setting) is erectly identified with the fleshly want corresponding to utilization. It connotes that buyers ought to have the option to surrender to this longing for style as a creature would towards their sense. This picture accentuates human limitation contradicted to creature motivation. This associates with Roland washes semiotic hypothesis that connects to stories and fantasy. He contended that there is a plan behind correspondence and that motivation is belief system. The possibility that the fantasy is a distortion and has to do with concealing something and what is truly going on. Lifeless and vitalize models and creatures

Friday, August 21, 2020

Every Child Is Like All Other Children, Like Some Other Children And

Every Child Is Like All Other Children, Like Some Other Children And Every Child Is Like All Other Children, Like Some Other Children And Like No Other Children â€" Essay Example > Developmental disorders involve any condition that occur at some age in the development of a child and leads to delay of development of one or various psychological functions of a child such as a language and communication skills. Developmental disorders involve both physical and psychological disorders. They are impairment in normal development in cognitive or motor skills which are usually have no cure and are expected to continue indefinitely (Searight, 2001). Causes of scientific disorders is scientifically based on various theories where some of the major variations is whether not the environment the child’s normal development, or there are predetermined abnormalities. Normal development of developmental disorders occurs due to contributions from contribution of both genetics and environment where the variation is the belief of the role of ever factor in normal development. As a result, this affects hoe such abnormalities are caused. One of such theories that underpin envir onmental causes of developmental disorders involves early childhood stress such as theorizing cause of developmental disorders by traumatizing by early childhood. Other theories even stress that accumulation of small stresses can accumulate leading to developmental difficulties as a result of behavioural, social, or emotional disorders in children (Neef, 2001). The central issue considered in diagnosis of developmental disorders is provision of a coordinated, timely, economical, equitable and accurate diagnosis. Well diagnosed developmental disorders facilitates timely entry towards an appropriate treatment, enable the members of the family to have a clear understanding of the developmental challenges associated with their child in order to adapt to the demands of the needs of the child, and opens opportunities for counselling and control of increased risks in the child and subsequent generation (Mandell et al. , 2002). This essay discusses and evaluates issues that surround the e ffective diagnosis of developmental disorders in early childhood by considering three cases: ever child is like no other children; is like some other children; and is like all other children. It also examines the challenges of achievement of an effective diagnosis of developmental disorders. Although there is consensus on professionals in regard to what leads to best practices for comprehensive conduction of diagnostic assessments, there are several challenges associated with diagnosis of developmental disorders. Diagnosis of developmental disorders is usually challenging due to complexity associated to their some common effects such as relationship to the people around as well as the way a child may be communicating. In addition they syndromes associated with such various developmental disorders such as autism may be related to a wide range of subgroups making it even more complicated to diagnose (Pinto-Martin et al, 2005). Many children may be having a mixture of various features by at last; they may not fit neatly into any syndrome. As a result, the whole spectrum is usually defined in terms of presence of impairments which affect social imagination, social interaction, and social communication, referred to as triad of impairments. Such impairments are associated with repetitive range of activities (Silka, Hauser, 1997). In addition, there are also a range of other problems which are associated with the triad making diagnosis more complex. This leads to challenges of trying to settle at impairments that may be regarded as basic as the defining criteria for certain disorder. Diagnosis of developmental disorders can also be challenging given that individuals who are identified as experiencing a certain disorders behave very differently. This is due to extension of various features such as intellectual capability from severe disability in learning to normal or even going further to the levels above intellect. In a similar way others skills have such a wide variety of variation. Fr instance, linguistic skills of a child with a developmental disorder may range from the children who are mute to those who might display grammatically correct speech, but in a complex way (Sand et al. , 2005).

Monday, May 25, 2020

The Documentary Whale Rider By Witi Ihimaera - 962 Words

Nikki Caro Whale Rider Speech Hello Year 8, my name is Nikki Caro and today I am going to talk to you about the film Whale Rider. I directed Whale Rider in 2002. I did not write the plot by I was adapting he book ‘Whale Rider’ written by Witi Ihimaera. When I was directing the film I wanted to keep the traditional Maori culture as a main feature of the film and also represent the changes to the culture through generational differences. Today I will be talking to you about how I used filmic techniques to represent the strong sense of Maori culture and to show the generational differences between the Maori elders and the modern world. I will show the use of filmic techniques through two short film extracts from Whale Rider The ancient†¦show more content†¦I then showed Nanny Flowers talking to Koro saying ‘No good to you, you reckon?’, Koro then shh’s her. This scene shows how Nanny flowers sees Pai potential and how she can adapt to the modern world of women’s leadership. This is the first time we can see the changing cultural traditions in this clip. When the children are performing, we can see how they have less respect for the culture by mucking up and not concentrating. I showed this disrespect by doing a full length shot on all the kids and then zooming in on Pai’s face showing her in shock. I also added in a scene showing the community laughing. This scene shows how the whole community isn’t committed to their culture. Pai is the only child who doesn’t find this disrespect funny. This scene shows how Pai is fully committed to her culture and the generational differences between the elders and the new generation. The new generation in the film do care about their culture which is the complete opposite to the elder generations who show full respect to their ancestors. When Pai’s father, Porourangi arrives, the mise-en-scene of their surroundings is important because it connects them with their culture. Their surroundings include carvings and cultures of their ancestors and their ‘Gods’. In the second film extract, I started the scene by doing an establishing shot on the whale rider, Paikea and then on the ocean and then finally on Pai

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Animal Testing For Cosmetics Essay - 1886 Words

Animal Testing (Cosmetics and Medicine) Animal testing for cosmetics and medicine should be banned. Everyday thousands of animals are being tortured for science. The experiments that are performed on these poor animals are very inhumane. Scientists have a choice to make, they can choose to use animals and torture them or they can use alternatives like artificial skin from humans and/or animals to see how they react. For example, In â€Å"The 5 Worst Animal Experiments Happening Right Now† the author states, â€Å"Every year, more than 100,000 primates are experimented on in the United States. Monkeys in labs are subjected to painful, invasive, and irrelevant experiments. They’re starved and restrained, and they’re infected with diseases and pumped†¦show more content†¦Thus meaning that after the animals (in this case rabbits) have been severely burned, the scientists are not required to provide pain relievers. They say that the pain relievers defeat the purpose of testing, but if that’s the case, then the animals can at least be given pain relievers after they record the side effects. â€Å"Animals in the highest-dose groups often endure severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, convulsions, seizures, paralysis, or bleeding from the nose, mouth, or genitals before they ultimately die or are killed.† When animals aren’t given any type of pain reliever the animals suffer, they suffer from a variety of side effects. Side effects vary from extreme pain to hardly any pain at all. Highest- dosed animals have common side effects of abdominal pain, diarrhea, seizures and in some cases paralysis. Lastly, when animals undergo treatment that inflicts severe pain, scientists should be required to provide pain relievers. I’m sure that when they get headaches or have surgery, they use some type of pain reliever, animals have feelings and emotions like we do except they can’t express themselves the way we can. Animals f eel things, see thing, and experience things they will never forget. In the article â€Å"History of Protests Against Animal Tests.† the author says that â€Å"They citeShow MoreRelatedAnimal Testing in Cosmetics Essay1033 Words   |  5 Pageshousehold items such as lotions, shampoos and cosmetics aren’t very expensive and are within reach for the public, yet the public is not knowledgeable of the fact that the products that they use everyday are put through a series of tests which involve the use of harmless animals. Several large commercial companies do not make products for animals; they decide that using these harmless creatures for the testing of their products, could be cause to be harmful to animals still go forward with these types ofRead More Cosmetic Testing on Animal Essay702 Words   |  3 Pages Cosmetic Testing on Animals Every year, millions of animals suffer and die in painful tests to determine the safety of cosmetics. Substances such as eye shadow and soap are tested on rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, and other animals, despite the fact that the test results don’t help prevent or treat human illness or injury. Cosmetics are not required to be tested on animals and since non-animal alternatives exist, it’s hard to understand why some companies still continue to conduct theseRead MoreEssay on Cosmetics Testing on Animals, Is It Necessary?547 Words   |  3 PagesWhy should animals have to die, just for humans to have cosmetics? It is understandable if you want to cover up a scar on your face, but to just wear makeup because you think you need it, or because you feel like you cannot live without it, is ridiculous. Animals should not be dyeing for our insecurities on how we look, or on how society judges us. If society sees someone who is not Barbie or Ken perfect they judge us, so we put makeup on, it is not right for society to do that. Because of theirRead MoreCosmetic Testing with Animals is Cruel Essay1302 Words   |  6 PagesCruelty of Cosmetic Testing on Animals    Each year, thousands of animals are brutally tortured in laboratories, in the name of cosmetic research. A movement to ban animal testing for cosmetic purposes has been gaining popularity, with many companies hopping on the bandwagon against this research. New alternatives have been developed to eliminate the necessity to test on animals. This is only a small beginning of what is necessary to end these immoral acts. Animal testing in cosmetics is uselessRead MoreThe Evils of Cosmetic Animal Testing Essay2159 Words   |  9 PagesA lot of people buy cosmetic products being ignorant to the fact that, that one product has killed a lot of animals. How would you like being sprayed with poisonous liquids, taking poisonous eye drops?, or being fed toxic substances? Cosmetic factories have been doing these inhumane things and more to innocent animals for years. According to PETA, every year, millions of animals are poisoned and killed in barbaric tests that were crudely developed as long ago as the 1920s to evaluate the toxicityRead MoreAnimal Testing And The Cosmetic Industry994 Words   |  4 Pages Synthesis paper In this paper there are three main topics that are going to be covered. They are alternatives to animal testing, animal testing in cosmetics, and the news in the cosmetic industry related to animal testing. For this paper there were four sources that were evaluated. All of them had a few things in common and through that it was easy to link them together through three different subtopics that will be evaluated later in this paper. The first source that I will be using is â€Å"The ScienceRead MoreSave Animals. Say No to Animal Testing!1390 Words   |  6 PagesArgumentative essay: Save animals. Say no to animal testing! Nowadays, it is a well-known fact that many companies test their products like cosmetics and medicines with animals before production to check their products ’safety and quality. A huge amount of animals are used in research purpose every year. Is it right for human beings to sacrifice millions of animals for testing purpose? Should animal testing be banned? Animal testing is a controversial issue and there is a heated debated about prosRead MoreAnimal Testing And Its Morality1283 Words   |  6 PagesARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY Every year in the United States of America more than 100 million helpless animals will suffer and die from malicious chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics tests. Rabbits, Cats, birds, reptiles and amphibians are not covered by the minimal protections of the Animal Welfare Act, so they go unnoticed towards the millions of sufferers. Millions of rodents, birds, rabbits, primates, felines, canines, and other types of animals are locked inside barren cages in laboratories acrossRead MoreAnimal Experimentation, Ethics, And Ethics1703 Words   |  7 Pages Animal experimentation and Ethics -Tseten dolkar The practice of experimentation on live animals as known as vivisection is prevalent since the old roman days. In the name of Science, Animals are being mistreated, exploited and murdered worldwide. Animal are usedRead MorePersuasive essay against animal testing764 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Persuasive Essay against Animal Testing Abraham Lincoln once said, â€Å"I am in favour of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being.†Ã‚  I couldn’t agree more with this statement as I do not believe that animal testing is right and I am totally against it. One of the main reasons I am against animal testing is the fact that the animals don’t have a choice and are being forced to be tested, which can lead to them getting seriously ill or dying as a cause of the

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Human Rights Act 1998 - 1790 Words

RIGHTS TO SAFE HAVEN The Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) was passed in 1998 and brought into action in 2000 so that each citizen has a testimony of rights for their safety. The HRA was accepted in british law in order to give better effects to the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and this is represented in S.1 of the HRA. Two effects of the HRA is the time given and the cost, as the citizen would had to take the case to Strasbourg court in France. ECHR was created because of the causes which occurred in the world war II, for example, the tolerance violence and gas chambers which was used to kill innocent citizens which to be specific is called as the Holocaust, so to prevent the abuse which the citizens received, the ECHR was brought†¦show more content†¦This essay will be advising and explaining remedies for Charlie, Sanya and The Rights to Safe Haven (RSF). By looking at the scenario, Charlie, Sanya and RSF can use HRA to encounter actions which was met by Bruddersfield police. This is s hown when the police infringed and violated many articles of HRA which caused serious harm to the pressure group. Charlie was in custody for 3 months with no grant of trial. For this situation, Charlie can state there has been a violated action towards her Human Rights. Particularly under Article 6(1) The Right to a Fair Trial suggests â€Å"...everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law.† The police have not obtained a fair trial upon Charlie as she has not been given the chance to assess court for a judicial proceeding even though 3 months have passed. On that account Charlie can argue she has not been â€Å"entitled to a fair and public hearing† as she has lost a big period of her time in custody which turns out being unfair. Adding to this argument, the grant of no trial surpassed the †reasonable time† limit as 3 months cannot be â€Å"reasonable† and clearly shows she has been in custody for some time. A trial is fair whe n the trial is given within the â€Å"reasonable time† but if not then

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Themes in Frankenstein free essay sample

Shelley uses multiple narrators, nested and frame narratives and an epistolary style to tell the story of Frankenstein. Cornment on the effect of these and why she may have done this. Mary Shellys novel Frankenstein was written In 1818. The author uses different types of techniques to create a variety of different narrators and points of views by using a form of epistolary. Frame narration Is also another great part of the novel that supports the complexity of layers In the book These help present the suspicion element, characters point of view, the similarity between the maln characters, and llow the reader to develop a personal oplnlon without the author resorting to the device of an omniscient narrator. The book starts with the letters from Robert Walton descrlblng his voyage to the North Pole and his slghtlng of an Ill man, who Walton later nurses back to health A man In wretched condition pg. We will write a custom essay sample on Themes in Frankenstein or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 1. After a recovery, the stranger, Victor Frankenstein, tells him the story ot his lite. The letters set up the novel and create suspicion due to the reader not knowing what the significance ot these letters is. However, Walton is the first ot the characters that tells his story, which gives the reader an advantage to conclude tor himselt about his opinion towards the different characters. This device. rame narrative, establishes a complex layer of stories, hence, the reader listens to Victors story, so does Walton, and Waltons sister to him. Throughout the story, Victor occasionally interrupts and addresses Walton directly, or when Walton signs the letters he is sending off to his sister, These are the first encounters with the different anguage devices that Mary Shelly uses to create more depth in addition to a different structure to other books. Moreover, the reader is compelled to give more attention to the book, in order to understand the plot, and have an own opinion about the different situations in the book Furthermore, the letters also display the similarity between Walton and Victor, since they both seek to discover and complete objectives for the worltf For example Walton describes how It will benefit the entire human race Inestimable benefit on all mankind to the last generation (pg. Walton) and Victor states that It will reveal the greatest power In the world pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation (pg. 49 Victor). The ambition to figure out the answer drives them both to their death and that of other Innocent lives, demonstrating how the pursuit to solve such mysteries, with desire and determination, can result differently than ones expectations. on the other hand the letters also surface the resemblance between other characters. Walton and the reation, Frankenstein, both present their loneliness and their wish to find a friend to share their stones. The Isolation and loneliness In the novel Is one ot the most significant themes, which are presented throughout the torm ot epistolary. In the opening ot the letters Walton expresses his lonesomeness l shall commit my feeling. I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me, whose eyes would reply to mine. You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend (Shelley 10). This is one of the first encounters with the theme, ut later on this suffering repeats itself with the creation, Frankenstein, When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was l, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned? Chap. 13 pg. 105 The most appropriate reason why Mary Shelly would come to such a structure, would be to show the similarity between a normal human and a creature, also known as a monster, and matching hopes of not resulting abandoned. Mary Shelly questions here if humans and monster share a similarity, and if the humans can also posses hese qualities of monsters. This insight to the emotions and perspectives of the characters, establishes an insight for the reader to their feelings and deeper thoughts, as well as a bond between the reader and character. Mary shelly motivates the reader to develop a personal opinion about these characters and the entire story and to Judge whether or no the creature is a monster or simply misunderstood. Frankenstein has a very creative structure that helps create a meaningful effect on the reader, and compelling story. This form of frame narration, multiple different erspectives, provides us with the opportunity to develop our own opinion towards the characters and their actions. Not only opinions are formed, but we also come to realize that creatures and humans, in this novel, share certain similarities. These can be interpreted that us humans have traits, similar to monsters, or the other way around. Overall, the novel has effects that cannot be established if the form of epistolary would have not been applied. This shows the complexity of layers in this novel and how the variety stimulates the story and provokes the reader.

Monday, April 6, 2020

To what extent is Act III Scene II pivotal to Hamlet Essay Thesis Example For Students

To what extent is Act III Scene II pivotal to Hamlet? Essay Thesis Hamlet-Year 10 Coursework I think that Act III scene ii is not pivotal to Hamlet, for three different reasons. Firstly why I think this is, the situation that Hamlet has with Claudius, after Claudius has killed his father. Secondly, the audiences and Claudius reaction to the mousetrap play, performed by the actors, in which Claudius kills Hamlets father. Finally the third reason is the treatment Hamlet gives towards Ophelia. Hamlet until this point has been very uncertain about what to do about the situation with Claudius. Hamlet has seen the Ghost of his father who explains that Claudius killed him, but Hamlet is unsure if he should believe what the Ghost has said, Act II Scene ii I know my course. The spirit that I have seen may be a Devil and the Devil hath power Tassume a pleasing shape. Once Hamlet has decided to believe the ghost he has two choices. Hamlets first choice, of which he is undecided, is if he should carry out the deed of killing Claudius, in revenge for his father, which he has promised that he would do, Act I Scene v Haste me to knowt that I with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love may sweep to my revenge. We will write a custom essay on To what extent is Act III Scene II pivotal to Hamlet? Thesis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Or Hamlets second choice is to get himself out of this situation completely and kill himself, Act III Scene I To be or not to be. Hamlet now needs proof that Claudius did kill his father, Act II Scene ii Ill have grounds more relative than this. The plays the thing, where in Ill cath the conscience of the King. Hamlet decides on the Mousetrap, a guilty reaction from Claudius, will allow Hamlet to kill Claudius. No reaction from Claudius will make Hamlet disbelieve the ghost and question his own sanity. I think that this reason is not pivotal, because although Hamlet has finally made his first positive action which is to kill Claudius, in revenge for his father Hamlet fails to do so. Hamlet has the perfect chance after the guilty reaction of Claudius during the play, Hamlet has a perfect chance to kill Claudius at the alter, but he fails to do the deed. Act III Scene iii, Ad might I do it pat now a is a praying and now all dot and so a goes to heaven. and A villain kills my father as for that, I his sole son do this same villain send him to heaven. This means that if Hamlet kills Claudius now, Claudius will be sent to heaven because he is forgiving his sins at the alter, Hamlet will then go to hell as the consequence if he does kill Claudius. As I explained before, the reaction of the audience towards the scene in the Mousetrap, play where Claudius kills Hamlets father. This is an opportunity for the audience to get a clear indication of Claudiuss guilt, as we only know what Hamlet knows. When we see Claudiuss reaction this means that we, the audience, know things that other characters do not. If Claudius makes a big reaction to the play, the audience will feel confident that Claudius is guilty. No reaction from Claudius will mean that the audience will begin to doubt the reliability of Hamlet, and Hamlet will have to prove his own sanity to himself. A small reaction from Claudius, will mean that the audience will still be unsure about what to believe, should they believe Hamlet or not. Again I feel that this is not pivotal because, although Claudius reacts to the play after the actor playing the King is murdered Claudius arises from his seat and leaves the room, Act III Scene ii Give me some light. .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 , .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 .postImageUrl , .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 , .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77:hover , .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77:visited , .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77:active { border:0!important; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77:active , .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77 .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u646d247759309e58ab2cb94524c68e77:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Polonius' Observations on Hamlet's Madness EssayAway. Also Claudius has now realized that Hamlet has been faking his madness the whole time. Claudius finds this out when Hamlet arrives back home from England, where he has been sent by Claudius to be killed, when Hamlet returns to find out that Ophelia has died. Hamlet makes a speech at the burial of Ophelia. I find this point also non-pivotal because although Claudius reacts to the play Hamlet is still unsure what Claudius is actually reacting to, Claudius could just be reacting to the death of his brother and the play itself, or he is reacting due to guilt that he has murdered his brother. Finally Hamlets treatment of Ophelia throughout the story. Hamlet has always loved Ophelia throughout the play, but when he has to fake his madness because he knows that he is being watched by Polonius, Ophelia returns the gifts to Hamlet that he had given her believing that Hamlet does not love her anymore. Then when it comes to the play where Hamlet finds out whether Claudius is guilty or not. Hamlet subjects Ophelia to a torrent of sexual innuendo Act II Scene ii: Hamlet: Lady, shall I lay upon your lap? Ophelia: No, my lord. Hamlet: I mean my head upon your lap? Ophelia: Ay, my lord. This is something that she shouldnt even be listening to, woman, in the Elizabethan era, should be chaste. The next time we see Ophelia she has gone mad. Again paradox I think that this non-pivotal. I think this because, Yes she may have gone mad due to the fact that herself and Hamlet are together for the last time at the play this may have made her go mad due to that her true love has left her, or that Hamlet may have influenced her to go mad when Hamlet was faking his madness. ut on the other hand, No she is not mad and she may have killed herself because of the grief of her fathers death at the hands of her beloved. As I said in the introduction I think that Act III Scene ii is non-pivotal to Hamlet, because although Hamlet has made first and only positive decision he has not done anything about it. Hamlets mind and dilemma throughout the play is muddled because he finds out that Claudius has killed his father but has done nothing in revenge for this. Hamlet also has trouble with Ophelia that he needs to sort out but he doesnt and then it is to late and Ophelia ends up dead.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Environmental Perils

Environmental Perils Thomas Friedman, Al Gore, and Mindy Lubber offer analyses of the environmental perils we face at the beginning of the twenty-first century and propose some solutions. In this paper there is going to be comparing and contrasting each of these analyses and solutions that are offered by the three analysts.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental Perils specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Considering what is presented by Thomas Friedman, he promises that we should go green. He points out that thinking about how to live and work in a greener fashion – with cleaner electrons, greater energy and resource productivity, and an ethic of conservation, is being popularized and democratized (Friedman 290). According to him, at the present, this is â€Å"no longer an elite issue for those people who live in the West and East coasts or in the backyards of Vermont or Colorado† (Friedman 290). Friedman points out tha t â€Å"it is all about being green and every one is a winner† (Friedman 291). The farmers in the U.S are winners because they are going â€Å"green†. They get to grow ethanol and garner immense government subsidies for doing so even if it makes no real sense as a CO2 reduction strategy. More so, coal companies are going green and they are doing this through renaming themselves â€Å"energy companies† and stressing how sequestration of carbon dioxide will offer us â€Å"clean coal† (Friedman 291). He states that â€Å"in the green revolution we’re having in America today, everybody gets to play, everybody is a winner, nobody gets hurt, and no body has to do anything hard† (Friedman 291). It is pointed out that the most difficult facts are these â€Å"if we sum up the easy, cost-efficiency measures we should all embrace, the best we get is a slowing of the growth of environmental damage †¦ obsessing over recycling and installing a few s pecial light bulbs wont cant it† (Friedman 293).Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More We are supposed to be considering the basic change in our energy, transportation as well as agricultural systems instead of looking at the technological tweaking on the margins, and this implies changes and costs the present and future leaders tend to be afraid to discuss (Friedman 293). Another analyst who talks about the environmental perils is Al Gore. Al Gore who was the 45th Vice President of the United States of American as well as an environmental activist, was the winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace price and this was in recognition of his work â€Å"to build and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such† (Gore 301). In his speech that he presented in the Month of July 20 08, Al Gore called upon people to take the necessary measures to overcome the climate crisis and pointed out that electing President Obama in to office presented a hope of dealing with this problem effectively. According to Al Gore, the world authority on climate crisis, â€Å"the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, after two decades of detailed research and 4 unanimous reports, currently indicates that the evidence is â€Å"unequivocal†. To those people who are still tempted to engage in dismissing the increasingly urgent alarms from scientists all over the world, do not seriously consider the melting of the north polar ice cap and all of the other apocalyptic warning from the earth itself, and â€Å"who role their eyes at the very mention of this existential danger to the future of the human kind are supposed to wake up† (Gore 301). Al Gore, in the speech, raised awareness among people that they should care about the future generations by taking the appropria te measures to protect the future generations against the effects of the climate crisis. Al Gore mentioned that the bold steps that are supposed to be taken in order to deal with the climate crisis are similar steps that are supposed to be taken to deal with the problem of the economic crisis as well as the energy security crisis.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental Perils specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There is agreement among the economists that huge and quick investments in a job-intensive infrastructure initiative are the best way to revive the economy in a rapid and sustainable way. A large number of people as well agree that the American economy will fall behind in case the country goes on spending billions of dollars on foreign oil every year. In addition, national security experts in the two parties have come to agree that America faces a dangerous strategic vulnerability in case the world sudden ly loses access to the oil from the Middle East. Al Gore points out that the America’s Automobile industry should be helped to convert quickly to plug-in hybrids which can run on the renewable electricity which will be there as the rest of this plan comes to maturity. He points out that â€Å"in combination with the unified grid, a nationwide fleet of plug-in hybrids would also help to solve the problem of electricity storage†¦..with this sort of grid, cars could be charged during off-peak energy use hours; during peak hours, when fewer cars are on the road, they could contribute their electricity back in to the national grid† (Gore 303). Another measure that is proposed by Al Gore is that there should be embarking on nationwide attempts to retrofit buildings with improved insulation and energy efficient windows and lighting. About 40 percent of the CO2 emissions in the U.S originate from buildings and trying to prevent such pollution saves a lot of money for thos e who own homes and businesses. This measure is supposed to go hand in hand with the proposal in Congress to assist the American people who are overburdened by mortgages that are more than the value of their homes. Al Gore, in his speech, also proposes that the U.S has to be in the lead in regard to putting a price on carbon within the country, and should also take the lead in the global efforts to substitute the Kyoto treaty with a treaty that is more effective which caps global CO2 emissions and gives encouragement to countries to invest together in efficient ways to reduce global warming and pollution rapidly, through such ways as greatly reducing deforestation.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Indeed, as pointed out, â€Å"the best way, and possibly the only way, to secure a global agreement to safeguard the future is by re-establishing the U.S as the country with the moral and political authority to lead the world toward a solution† (Gore, 303). In his forecast, Al Gore points out that he has great hopes that Americans will have the courage to embrace the changes that are vital in saving the country’s economy, the earth, and eventually people themselves. Considering Mindy Lubber, she is a former Regional administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He has won international awards for her work on combating climate change. She delivered a speech in the month of October 2008 at a Deutsche Bank conference during the financial downturn that followed the subprime lending crisis. In the speech, she started by point the fact that we are about to leave behind an environment that is imperiled to the future generation. She pointed out that the m ajor problem that is facing the world is global climate change. She blames the society for presenting the claims that it is taking action to deal with the situation but in the actual sense, it is not doing something close to this. The dangers that climate change poses to the profitability of companies are very immense and â€Å"even if we weren’t the â€Å"good guys† who want to save the planet for the planet’s sake our children’s, we had better pay attention as business leaders whose enterprises are at risk† (Lubber 316). She went ahead to point out that people are aware that ignoring the subprime lending disaster led to a stunning financial collapse on Main Street and wall Street. If a similar mistake is made in regard to the climate, the very human survival is put in danger in addition to the capital markets. She draws a conclusion in this regard that it is now time to be attentive and cease to think of climate change as an â€Å"off-trade† balance sheet risk. This is a risk which is supposed to appear on the balance sheet. Since the unchecked carbon emissions will bring about great damage to this world, we have to commit now to â€Å"building long-term shareholder value and creating new high paying jobs that do not revolve around oil and coal† (Lubber 317). She further points out that the near collapse of the America’s economy has got people’s attention and therefore, as one pays attention, there is need to talk about people’s exposure to climate risk, as well as the opportunities which await those that lead on this critical issue. There is need to put in place policies concerning climate change. As an initial step, the government action is required. In order to limit the climate change impacts, there is need to reduce global warming pollution by a minimum of 25 percent by the year 2020 and by 80 percent by the year 2050. The only way through which this can be realized is by putting in p lace strong government policies that set the compulsory limits of CO2 emissions, which implies placing a price on carbon emissions. Thomas Friedman, Al Gore, and Mindy Lubber give comprehensive analyses of the environmental perils that the world is currently facing and well as the possible solutions to these. In their analyses, all of them talk about the issue of reducing the carbon emissions. However, as on one hand Friedman man puts emphasis on going green, Gore and Lubber concentrate on the issue of giving a relationship between economic development and climate change. They point out that climate change can bring in a great negative impact on a country’s economy or the financial position of a company. In general, there is need to take the necessary measures to protect the environment in order for the future generations to also benefit from it. Friedman, Thomas. â€Å"205 easy ways to save the earth†. Writing and reading across the curriculum. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. London: Longman Publishing, 2009. Gore, Al. â€Å"Climate for Change†. Writing and reading across the curriculum. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. London: Longman Publishing, 2009. Lubber, Mindy. â€Å"Balance sheets and the climate crisis†. Writing and reading across the curriculum. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. London: Longman Publishing, 2009.

Friday, February 21, 2020

How has the 2010 earthquake in Haiti affected the tourism in Haiti Research Paper

How has the 2010 earthquake in Haiti affected the tourism in Haiti - Research Paper Example In fact after WWII, Haiti was among the leading countries that had taken advantage of the international tourism that had aroused from the global economic restoration. This had created in Haiti an estimate of more than 60,000 direct and indirect jobs, contributed a 3.5% share to the country’s GDP, and earned an annual income of $50 million. (International Monetary Fund 34) According to Americas, during 1950s and ‘60s Haiti had been one of the strongest competitors in the tourism industry in the Caribbean (qtd. in Pawlowski 1). However, the development of tourism in Haiti has been historically lopsided and marred with many setbacks. Even during the most auspicious times, Haiti’s tourism has never attracted a significant portion of the total Antilles tourist market. Only Labadie on the northern coast has achieved consistent success, being the docking site of tourist cruises in the Caribbean (Lundahl 64). It was in Labadie where the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has bee n landing in Haiti for nearly 30 years, without informing tourists that it is actually part of Haiti, instead referring to it as an ‘island’ on Hispaniola (Lazar, par. 12-3; Pawlowski 2). ... ne Preval in 2004 has brought a slow yet better changes to Haiti, such as, a stabilizing Haiti’s political climate; a steadying economic growth since 2006 (Lies 43-4) with an improved annual growth rate from 1.8% (2005) to 2.4% (2009) (International Crisis Group 8); and positive prospects to Haiti’s tourism industry. In fact, before the earthquake a number of positive indicators show renewed interest for Haiti as a tourist destination in the Caribbean. For example, the Choice Hotels plans to establish two hotels in Jacmel, Southern Haiti; a second international airport in Cap-Haitien is to be built by Venezuela; and a positive review and promotion on Haiti as one of the most exciting travel destination is being plugged by Lonely Planet. (Pawlowski 1-2) Seeing tourism more from an economic perspective, which Pearce defined as â€Å"tourism’s ability to generate income, jobs and corporate profits, bring in foreign exchange, boost tax revenues, diversify the econom y and aid regional development,† (qtd in Pearce 4) despite its not yet so stable political climate and fragile security situation, Haiti’s tourism is getting its boost to improve the country’s poor economy. Then in one instant, a natural disaster had crumbled to the ground the small gains yet vital start to bounce back Haiti’s tourism, leaving Haiti in a far more dismal state. Earthquake in Haiti’s Tourism Even after the largest and most devastating earthquake that had ever hit Haiti on the 12th of January 2010, Haiti’s tourism is still widely seen to be the country’s key to economic recovery, citing northern Haiti, which fortunately was spared of the earthquake wreckage, as the country’s focus of tourism development (Smets, par. 8). With the earthquake having literally ruined Port-au-Prince

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Machiavelli, Lao-Tzu and Carnegie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Machiavelli, Lao-Tzu and Carnegie - Essay Example Generally, when leaders need to make regular decisions that deal with the day to day running of the organization, they may choose to use democratic leadership to involve their subjects and other subordinates. Where there is the need for most executive and finance based decision to be made also, leaders may keep their cards close to their chest, exercising authoritative leadership. However, judging from the fact that some trend of leadership; not necessarily concerned about leadership style have produced more exemplary results of organizational success than others makes it possible to generally say that one concept of leadership is more effective and relevant than others. In this paper therefore, the works of Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu are compared to argue on which of the two authors offers a more proactive and relevant approach to modern leadership. Relevance and Effectiveness of advice in a Modern day Society To pass judgment on the advice on leadership that is most relevant and effec tive in a modern day society, it would be important to consider the kind of setting within which each of the two leaders gave out their advice and compare that to the kind of society we have today. Machiavelli wrote â€Å"The Prince† from a perspective of authoritarianism, where the prince is seen to be a superior, whose offenses to his subjects must be expected, but cannot be questioned. It is for instance stated specifically that â€Å"the prince cannot avoid giving offence to his new subjects, either in respect of the troops he quarters on them† (c. 3). Meanwhile in modern society, democratic practice is hailed in all facets of life, right from an individual level, to organizational level, then to state levels. On the other hand, â€Å"Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching† can be said to have been written in a state of general peace and calmness in the land. This notion is exemplified with a quote such as, â€Å"The good I meet with goodness; the bad I also meet w ith goodness. Thus I actualize goodness† (p. 121). Given the fact that modern society is currently backed by several pressure groups, international organizations and non-governmental organizations that champion the course of global peace and goodness as against war and violence, the advice given by Lao-Tzu on the need to embrace all with goodness can be said to be the most relevant and effective in a modern day society. There would be several justifications for pointing to Lao-Tzu’s advice on leadership as the most relevant and effective in modern day society. In the first place, most modern theories of leadership can be seen as directed towards the need for current leaders to raise the next generation of leaders right within their midst and in their presence. But to do this, it is important that followers will see diligence and trust in their leaders. It is for this reason Lao-Tzu states that â€Å"Not priding oneself on one’s worth forestalls the peopleâ€℠¢s envy. Not prizing treasures that are difficult to obtain keeps people from committing theft† (p. 98, line 18-20). That is to say that, leaders must see the need to create value in their followers rather than depending on the values of their worth and treasures. Meanwhile, when the advice of Machiavelli on the establishment of

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

How the misrepresentation of war and conflict can lead to a false view of events

How the misrepresentation of war and conflict can lead to a false view of events Introduction In June 2009, it was announced that there would be an Inquiry looking into the Iraq War, and the United Kingdoms involvement within it (â€Å"About the Inquiry†, 2009). The Chilcot Inquiry aimed to cover the period between the summer of 2001 and the end July 2009, looking at not only the run-up to the conflict, but also the period during, and the outcomes after measures had been taken. Its aims were set to find out the legality and legitimacy of the conflict (Hirsch, 2009), and how it was presented to the public, prior to engagement. There has been much debate over whether what the public are presented with is as truthful as it states to be. Whether it be giving a cleaner depiction, with exaggerated sophistication, or â€Å"inflated claims† (Meacher, 2010, para. 2), such as the ‘weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, it can be debated that a fair representation is somewhat hard to find. The purpose of this dissertation is to look at how conflict can become misrepresented via the media. It aims to look at the various ways that the media communicate the conflict to the public, and how it poses itself as a watchdog, supposedly working as the publics eyes and ears, as well as giving them an outlet via which their ‘voice can be heard. Whilst one initially thinks of war as a brutal and life affecting situation, more recent war seems to leave most western citizens relatively untouched, and therefore, perhaps less informed. What little they may know tends to be gathered via television or print media, and tends to somewhat be taken quite literally as the ‘way it is. Chapter one brings together these ideas, and explores how the news present conflicts to its audiences. The dissertation then goes on to address the problematic representations that have occurred, and looks at how news can be manufactured for audiences, depicting situations in differing ways to how they are really occurring. It also looks at the idea of propaganda, and the negative and positive ways in which it can be used. This second chapter also addresses the Abu Ghraib situation, and how such a horrific situation can by-pass the media, and perhaps be covered-up. The media however, proved to play a positive role, informing the public of the situation, bringing them into the loop. Other elements which must be addressed is alternative representations. From documentary to video games, people now often use media which originates from conflict as a form of entertainment. Whether it be to inform themselves further, in the cause of documentaries, or to entertain and ‘participate, the media enables audiences to approach the idea of conflict from other angles. This is therefore why it is vital that such genres be addressed when looking at the representation of war and conflict. Chapter One: The Media; Our Eyes and Ears and Voice? When considering how most people get their news and current affairs information, most tend to trust and favour certain institutions. They trust these sources to deliver them accurate and truthful reports. Few people would question their favourite institutions ability to do so, or would question the validity of the ‘stories, consuming them as factual information, and would rarely think beyond it. As discussed by McChesney and Nichols, ideally, the media is supposed to â€Å"serve as a stern watchdog over those in power and those who want to be in power† (McChesney Nichols, 2002, p.24). This supports the idea that the media can be used to aid a countrys citizenship, helping those who do not have power to have a voice. Without the media, the public would find it hard to be heard, so they need to have the media on their side, likewise, the government must have the support of the media to influence the public (Katz, 2009, p.200). But whether the media really honours its role as ‘watchdog is questionable. When considering the media, particularly in relation to reporting conflict, it seems somewhat unlikely that a completely fair and accurate representation, to all audiences, could occur. The BBC, according to Aitken (2007, p.8), is thought of as one of the most trustworthy places that one can gather news and information. This could be due to a sense of ownership in which the UK public feel (via the license fee), or due to it being the most historically established. Either way, nationally, and internationally, it has become a trusted organisation. Zelizer and Allan even argue that, particularly post September 11, the BBC has become an organisation that the American public trust to deliver what they see as more extensive information. In comparison to US media representations, the BBC â€Å"provided a much more in depth approach, [] along with [a] ‘blunter attitude† (Zelizer Allan, 2002, p.12) . According to Aitken, (2007, p.2), the BBC does have a duty under its Royal Charter, in order to maintain the license fee, that it must not be biased or favour views. This may indicate why it is seen as a more trustworthy source of information. However, as questioned by Aitken, it may be seen as the BBC holds people and organisations to account, but â€Å"who holds the BBC to account?† (Aitken, 2007, p.2). Particularly, when as Aitken suggests (2007, p.20), the political opinion within the organisation would be formed by those working within it. As Navasky discusses, â€Å"journalism, the flow of news, information, and ideas, is the circulation system of our democracy, the way we find out whats what. It is based largely on journalism that we make up our national mind† (Navasky, 2002, p.xiii). The medias influence over the public is tremendous, especially as it may be the main influence over many of ones beliefs. It therefore shows that there is a sense that the media should be aware of its power, and should therefore be regulated in such a way that it does allow diversity of representations to occur. As Doyle asserts, it is vital that there is a number of â€Å"different and independent voices, and of differing political opinions and representations† (Doyle, 2002, p.11). However, as Aitken continues, journalists report using their own views, and may do so completely unintentionally. However, when many journalists within an organisation are of similar beliefs, it could be hard for them to realise they may be bia sed. This is an â€Å"institutional deformation, invisible to the people working there, unless you were one of a small minority who happen to take a different political view† (Aitken, 2007, p.20). When considering journalism of attachment, it is easy to see where one may be unable to stand neutrally. As it is a â€Å"journalism that cares as well as knows† (Bell, 1998, p.15), the journalist is increasingly likely to be more emotionally entwined with the story, and therefore may find it harder to stand in a non-biased position. As Ellis addresses (1998, p.167), moral responsibility often takes over when journalism becomes closer to the victims. Emotion is a powerful tool used by the media, it can help to draw in an audience, and get them following along. According to Boltanski (1999, p.5), there must be sufficient contact between the ‘victim and those who are ‘fortunate for one to be able to connect with the victim or ‘unfortunate.   Despite this though, as Boltanski (1999, p.27) states, the two groups actually mean nothing to one another. Therefore, it is believed that the emotional effect of such reporting is relatively short lived for the audience consuming. Bystander journalism however, seems to be the more idealistic approach that media organisations may favour, if wishing to be non-biased. This form of journalism is more concerned with factual elements of war. This is a less biased approach, as it tends to report an overall representation via factual elements. It allows audiences to walk away without feeling an attachment or moral obligation. Whilst audiences may tend to favour this form of reporting as more accurate, it can cause problems. According to Sanders, there is â€Å"a time to be passionate and a time to be dispassionate† (Sanders, 2005, p.43). As he continues, this approach to journalism allows a â€Å"more truthful depiction of the horrors of war† (Sanders, 2005, p.43). It may give a more accurate reading into the devastation (on paper), but how one interprets that information though is where the problems occur. If one is not given the chance to physically see the devastation, it is hard to really understand. Therefore, by dispassionately reporting, one may lack the emotional tie, and get a cleaner depiction of what is ‘intended to be communicated. Whilst one may feel they understand the situation, they are only being told facts, and whether they can really translate these into reality, is problematic. If one does not get the full picture, including the emotional and social impact that such a war may have over others, it is an unfair representation. Economical and statistical figures only tell so much, and do not communicate a reality. As Nichols and McChesney discuss, we â€Å"dont see the reality of war† (Nichols McChesney, 2005, p.v). Although this is in reference to the US press and public, it could be applied to any countries depiction, according to the countries own national belief, even if not to the same extent. â€Å"War is the most serious use of state power: organised, sanctioned violence† (Nichols McChesney, 2005, p.37). It is therefore a serious issue if one is not being given the chance to see the reality of a conflict, and the arguments behind it. It is all very to have a vague understanding behind a conflict, via information received from the media, but many audiences may take this information too literally. They may not look beyond the information offered, and may take the medias chosen narrative as a truthful and fair depiction, without questioning why the media has taken that particular angle. As discussed by Aitken, it is about â€Å"constructing ‘narratives which give the audience a coherent framework within which to judge current developments† (Aitken, 2007, p.17). But as Aitken continues, most people consume and trust one narrative, despite there being many other competing versions of the same situation, which may be a more accurate representation. Narratives give audiences a platform to work on, and a basis to which they can base their beliefs. If however, there are many competing versions a situation, as Aitken suggests (2007, p.17), this demonstrates the various views that a broadcaster may possess. It would be hard for a broadcaster to deny their biases, particularly when there are other similar reports of other viewpoints. No one can truly asses a situation fairly without viewing every angle of the situation, not only from the home governments wished depiction, but also from the ‘enemies depiction. This draws onto another point. Due to the technology of today, audiences are now able to access news instantly as situations are occurring. They are led to believe this gives them a bigger picture. It is also a good position for the public to be in, as they are therefore able to access the same information as others, and are less likely to be misled. This however can be problematic for controlling bodies, particularly in relation to conflict. â€Å"Leaders must be prepared to handle the rapid pace of global communication and to avoid serious policy mistakes deriving from global televisions demands for a fast and effective response† (Gilboa, 2005, p.24). They have little time for preparation, and therefore have to be somewhat careful in what they say, and aim to be somewhat vague, to give them the ability to be able to change their angle later if necessary. Videophones have also proven problematic for those reporting via the media. Whilst they can â€Å"empower journalists [], documenting the effects of battle while capturing a dramatic but information-rich account of war† (Livingstone, Bennett Robinson, 2005, p.34), they can display more than a chosen government may have wished audiences to witness. However, it must be recognised that even with such resources, reporters are often not actually at the ‘frontline, and are still some distance from the actual action, and therefore may only have the details which they may have been given by officials. It may also vary with the type of people which they are surrounded by, i.e. civilians or the military. Another issue to discuss when considering reporting a conflict is where the information reported has been obtained from. Reporters are often â€Å"given access to a steady and predictable supply of information that is typically provided by official government sources† (Livingstone, Bennett, Robinson, 2005, p.34). This therefore, shows that the information may not be directly from the source, even if we are led to believe so. It therefore may not be the full bulk of the situation, particularly when the government is the middle man, as it may wish to represent its own view. If the government is passing the information on, they are able to edit the information into a situation that compliments their desired standpoint. Why would one wish to humiliate or inflate problems for itself when it is unnecessary to do so? This therefore raises the question of whether we should be in fact more concerned by what we are not being shown, rather than what we are. This process of eliminating a nd censoring news via gatekeeping is a way of ensuring only ‘newsworthy subjects reach the public, whilst other things they deem unnecessary, do not. The reporting of the 1990-1991 Gulf War can demonstrate where a lack of information was relayed to the public. During the conflict, the public were given a cleaner depiction, and were under the impression that bombs dropped were precise and accurate. However, â€Å"after the war it was revealed that in fact only 7 per cent of bombs were ‘precision or laser-guided weapons† (Philo McLauglin, 1995, p.149). Throughout the conflict, there was an obsession around the sophisticated weapons that were being used, which could now be seen as somewhat misleading. As cited by Philo and McLauglin (from The Daily Mirror), â€Å"The world watch in awe yesterday as Stormin Norman played his ‘home video revealing how allied plans are using Star Wars technology to destroy vital Iraqi targets. Just like Luke Skywalker manoeuvring his fighter into the heart of Darth Vaders space complex, the US pilots zeroed into the very centre of Saddam Husseins Baghdad† (Philo McLauglin, 1 995, p. 149). Such an article would give a very unfair representation of the real effect, but this may not be clear to audiences until after the situation has taken place. Surely therefore, this misleading of the public could be seen as a form of propaganda? As Rosenfeld suggests (2007, p.70), it may be necessary to represent events in certain, perhaps biased ways, as this should encourage support and patriotism within the public. Today one may assume that due to our knowledge and understanding of propaganda, it is less likely to happen to us. But as a victim of propaganda, would you really realise you were being subjected to it? According to Edward Bernays, propaganda is seen as a vital tool for societies. â€Å"Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are together as a smooth functioning society† (Bernays, 2005, p.37). Essentially, propaganda is â€Å"the establishing of reciprocal understanding between an individual and a group† (Bernays, 2005, p.161). So if as Bernays suggest, propaganda is needed to obtain a joint understanding within a group, this may indicate why it may be used by governments to persuade t he public to join their beliefs, in order to get a desired outcome. This can show why, it is essential that certain representations be presented to the public, however inaccurate or biased they may be, to create an alliance of beliefs. This would also support the idea behind over-emphasising the sophistication of war and cleanliness, in order to maintain support. As you can see from this chapter, the media are there as our eyes and ears, feeding us information, but also serves, as a watchdog over government and other elite bodies. Also demonstrated is how the media have a great responsibility when reporting, due to their persuasiveness, and the fact that the public can be easily manipulated, and often follow and gather their national belief via what the media feeds them. It shows how ones understanding of a situation may differ depending on how it is reported. If reported using emotions, it may create a different perception to if it was reported factually, even if the factual representation, on paper, gives more information. This gives a good basis upon which to discuss why such reporting takes place, and how it may benefit those in power. It also raises the questions around what is not being shown to audiences, and what happens when the media or government are shown to have been untruthful. Chapter Two: Censorship, Deceit and Propaganda As discussed in Chapter One, it can be somewhat confusing to consider the various ways that the media can present particular views. As suggested previously, it is thought that they do so consciously, but other views suggest that it is often unintentional. Whilst aiming to appear open, they often present a marginal view of the information they themselves are aware of. It therefore must be questioned why such actions are implemented, rather than presenting as much as possible, and why particular views are manufactured for audiences. Ellis (1998, p.170) considers the lack of information reported about a conflict to be incredibly important. The national security of a country could be jeopardised if one were to report everything occurring, on both the front line, and the tactical decisions behind it. As Ellis continues, it is thought that the media coverage of the Vietnam War was partially to blame for the conflicts failure. It is thought that â€Å"television coverage critically sapped the support of the American public† (Ellis, 1998, p.170). As this was the first war that was able to be broadcast ‘live, the problems were unforeseen, and therefore led to a problematic position for the government. Whilst the government was saying one thing, images shown were undermining their words, subsequently making the government appear somewhat untrustworthy. This, therefore, would show that it is necessary that the media and its coverage of a conflict should be censored and paid close attention to, so that support is maintained by the public. But, if censorship is in such a way that it helps the audiences to form a chosen opinion, effectively, this could be seen as propaganda. As Bernays states, propaganda is â€Å"the conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses† (Bernays, 2005, p.37). But, also adds that it is important for democratic society, and without which, it would be hard for one to live harmoniously, especially if everyone was of differing opinions. Therefore, presenting a situation in a particular way should help society to form a joint understanding. For example, when thinking in relation to Iraq, the main reason for intervention was due to supposed ‘weapons of mass destruction. If the public understand the threat, they are more likely to consent. As demonstrated durin g the ‘Iraq Enquiry, when it was discovered that there were no weapons, the public support was threatened. It therefore is essential that the politicians defend what they have formerly said, just as Alistair Campbell has demonstrated, defending their statements as not misrepresentative (â€Å"Alastair Campbell defends†, 2010). As Bernays reiterates â€Å"We are governed, our minds moulded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of† (Bernays, 2005, p. 37). Therefore, whether it is government who we have chosen, the military, or other leaders that we have not, this would support the idea that our feelings about conflict are generally dictated to us. So, as it would appear, sometimes the restriction of coverage may take place when it is not entirely necessary. As Ellis addresses, during both the Falklands War in1982 and the Gulf War of 1991 â€Å"citizens were prevented from learning information which in a democratic society, they had a right to know† (Ellis, 1998, p.170). This seems particularly unfair, as citizens were unable to witness the real war that was being fought in their name, paid for by themselves. Since technology developed though, it would appear that censorship has become more necessary. As discussed in the previous chapter, videophones and correspondents worldwide enable audiences to access the action, at a much closer distance than previously (Livingstone, Bennett Robinson, 2005, p.34). This gives an impression to audiences that there is nowhere to hide, and they may believe what they are seeing is a fully representational true account, rather than the edited snippet that it really is. This kind of opinion, of knowing more, does not take into account that there are plenty of other journalists who are not as close to the action, or those who are closer to it, who may wish to protect the interests of those surrounding them. As previously stated, there is always fear that public support may be jeopardised, which is why on occasions there may be a haze over what is reality, as well as what is fabricated truth within the media. When one is able to ‘witness war from multiple angles, from multiple genres, and even witness it live, it creates public curiosity. Especially since problematic representations of previous conflicts have been reported, the public fight harder to know the truth, so they no longer have the wool pulled over their eyes. They want to ensure the war fought in their name is a war which they support. Particularly, when considering the fact that many nations are bound together as ‘one for the purpose of the media, forgetting the fact that there are many cultures, viewpoints and faiths with differing opinions. The public need the media to take on their role of ‘watchdog, and need it to marshal what is taking place beyond their vision on their behalf. The media, therefore, it seems has begun to honour this role more greatly. In 2004, the media brought us evidence of what is referred to as Abu Ghraib. It was revealed that some Iraqi detainees had been subjected to torture and other physical abuse. According to Miles, an Al-Jazeera cameraman, who was mistakenly arrested for a crime he did not commit, found out that â€Å"torture was still standard in Americas principle military detention centre in Iraq† (Miles, 2005, p.326). According to Miles, as the time of the accusations against the American military, â€Å"few in the West believed their stories at the time, probably because they were Arabs, perhaps because they worked for Al-Jazeera† (Miles, 2005, p.326). The US government and military repeatedly denied the accusations, â€Å"Donald Rumsfeld has described Al-Jazeera as ‘consistently lying, [and] accused the network of causing ‘great damage and harm in Iraq by continuously broadcasting wrong and inaccurate information, impairing what the coalition forces [were] trying to achi eve† (Miles, 2005, p.327). As Miles describes (2005, p.328), it was US officials that were angry, believing that such allegations would fuel Iraqi hatred against the West further. At the time, the officials may have not known of the occurrences, but it cannot be ruled out that they had no knowledge of it. This demonstrates an example whereby the American media were feeding the public with false information, whether it was intentional or not. If it was intentional though, it would have been in favour of government, who would obviously not want to be painted in a bad light. It was not until the New Yorker magazine published evidential pictures of the abuse that it was uncovered and believed, and finally admitted to be the truth (Miles, 2005, p.328). However, this is not where the only problem lies. Since then, it has been debated whether or not all of the images should be released for the public to view. One the one hand, it is believed that the images should be realised due to the fact that it was the American citizens own troops causing the offences, under the American name, whilst others believe it could potentially cause further harm. According to a report, â€Å"Obama said he believes release of the abuse photos would incite hatred against American troops† (Alberts, 2009, para. 4). This again brings up the subject of national security. Understandably the release of such images during a time of conflict could incite further hatred, but due to freedom of information, what right do officials really have to withhold them? Surely if one is to fully understand war, they must have the full picture, however horrific and problematic it may be. If the images are not fully released, is there a reason behind this other than prot ecting our conscience? What is being hidden? Could it be contributing to part of a ‘cover-up, with fear of something more sinister than what we already know being revealed? If therefore, officials had known about the situation (prior to it being confirmed), yet it had not made its way to mainstream media, this is misinforming the public, giving them a one sided ‘clean account of their position in the conflict. By never witnessing the faults of ones own government, one cannot really claim to know. Even by withholding the images, it does not allow the American and Western democratic public a clear view as to what is really occurring under their name. Particularly as it is ‘our men, who are normally painted as positively heroic, committing such horrific offences. This sort of behaviour by the media and government causes other problems too. Conspiracy theories to try and help explain other supposed reasonings behind war and decisions made by government begin to emerge. It helps give a new blame figure, and is perhaps fuelled by paranoia and suspicion (Knight, 2003, p. 20). As Knight asserts, conspiracy theory may put â€Å"forward the idea that sometimes people at the very centre of power might create (or perhaps just cynically promote) a popular outburst of demonology in order to further their own political schemes. This view is sometimes known as the elitist theory of moral panics, because it suggests that the elite deliberately fuel moral panics in order to legitimate repressive measures that would otherwise be unacceptable† (Knight, 2003, p.20). When the public begin to doubt their own government, feeling they are being fed propaganda, it is obvious they should want an explanation, so may turn to conspiracy theories as an alternative and comfort. For example, the documentary The Conspiracy Files (Rudkin, 2010, January 10) demonstrates how one may begin to become suspicious. It claims that a video of Benazir Bhutto talking after her first attempted murder was edited to exclude a statement she made about Osama Bin Laden. The version it claims the BBC presented cut out this section, for no apparent reason, so it is questionable as to why it was censored. A further example where the Western governments fear of what could be revealed via the media was demonstrated in October 2009 (Gray, 2009, October 25). Lance Corporal Joe Glenton was a soldier once serving in Afghanistan, who now faces a court martial and has been arrested. He claimed that he had â€Å"witnessed sights during his time in Afghanistan that forced him to question the morality of his role† (‘Soldier arrested, 2009, para. 8). Alike him, many other documentaries and interviews with ex-soldiers seem to unveil similar situations, where soldiers have a different picture of the war than the media have led the public to believe. The sanitization that takes place in the media is a view which soldiers alike Corporal Glenton would like to set straight. Glenton began to get the medias attention when he spoke at an anti-war demonstration that called for the British troops to be brought home. He claimed that many of the soldiers and demonstrators believed that it was not longer justifiable to have troops in the Middle East, and was trying to raise public awareness of this. This particular story came at a time when the public in both the UK and America were starting to doubt whether the war was really getting anywhere. Jeremy Corbyn MP is quoted as stating that the â€Å"war in Afghanistan had no clear war aims† (â€Å"Britons believe ‘Afghan war is failing†, 2009, para. 15). He also states that it is now â€Å"the time to change policy and bring the troops home to prevent Nato involving itself in a Vietnam style quagmire† (â€Å"Britons believe ‘Afghan war is failing†, 2009, para. 17). With such stories and statements emerging in the media, it does cause the public to question why the media and government would not present the ‘full picture. Especially when thinking about how the US media is less open about situations than the UK and other countries media (Zelizer Allan, 2002, p.2). Previously, it was easier for a government to deny that they knew about a situation, but technology has now taken this advantage away, making it impossible not to know. However, as Zelizer and Allan argue, the media may be used in such a way that it helps the public. â€Å"Journalism plays a key role in moving whole populations form trauma to recovery† (Zelizer Allan, 2002, p.2). It can therefore help to unite a nation, regardless of differing backgrounds, and help them to work together, particularly through traumatic times like conflict. With this view, it would seem that the US in particular may have needed such treatment. As the targeted nation in the 9/11 attacks, the y may have required more help than other nations to come to terms with the situation, as well as needing ‘encouragement in the right direction, and perhaps protection from the truth.. However, there is no doubt that this is a form of propaganda, as it does not demonstrate a clear communication of all the information one would need to make a fair judgement in order to make a justified opinion. This may demonstrate why the American citizens have trusted foreign institutions such as the BBC for increased information, as previously addressed The media also tend to emphasise violence and negative features of the enemy in order to justify the conflict in hand. Today, â€Å"terrorists have been given a voice† (Liebes Kampf, 2004, p.78). Since technology has greatened, other views, beyond just violence, have been represented. Interviews and arguments have been appearing in the media, with direct responses from the ‘enemy. Despite perhaps this being a positive thing, it can be used by government and the media to paint their own picture. They do not have to show everything, and can edit it as they desire, as previously discussed with the Bhutto footage. Another clear example is in the Joint Forces military publication. It has a dismissive attitude when discussing anything anti-American. It even addresses the problems of ‘foreign propaganda. It gives a sense of heroism, stating that via the American efforts in the war on terror, that they will â€Å"enable populations misinformed by censorship and other impediments to hear the truth† (Dailey Webb, 2006, p.46). It does not take into account the use of their own propa

Monday, January 20, 2020

Social Structure and Its Effect On Our Lives Essay -- Sociology Cause

Social Structure and Its Effect On Our Lives Social structures are constraints that affect the lives of both the affluent and the indigent members of society.   Each society has its own set of social arrangements for example; class, gender and ethnicity are all constraints that each society has to deal with in one way or another.   One of the most fundamental of the social structures would be class.   Class structure is found in all societies and is the key source of economical inequality.   Members of different class groups start their lives with unequal opportunities.   This means that when someone is born into a poor household    they will undoubtedly remain in the same economical situation they began in.   Gender is another important issue when regarding structures.   For years women have struggled to be accepted into the workforce and although there have been many improvements on the treatment of female employees there is still a long way to go to reach equal opportunities.   Ethnicity has a strong bearin g on what we can achieve in life by greatly affecting our place in the labour market.   Although Australia is a multicultural society life chances for Australia's own migrants are still less than adequate when it comes to being treated fairly in the workforce. Social structure is created by the distribution of wealth, power and prestige.   The social structure consists of taken for granted beliefs about the world and both constrain and regulate human actions.   The social structure consists of substructures such as class, gender and ethnicity.   These groups are formed within society; each group shares common attitudes, values, social norms, lifestyle and material goods.   People within society stay within the guidelines of the soc... ...s and Gender in Australia, George Allen & Unwin, Noth Sydney. Broom, D., 1988, `Gender and Health', in Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology, ed.J. Germov, Oxford University Press, Melbourne. Cohen, Y. A., 1961, Social Structure and Personality. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York. Graetz, B. & McAllister, I. 1994, Dimensions of Australian Society, 2nd edn, Macmillan Education, South Melbourne. Jones, F.L., 1993, `Unlucky Australians: Labour market outcomes among Aboriginal Australians', Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 16, no. 3. McGregor, C., 1989, `Class', in Four Dimensional Social Space, eds T. Jatenburg & P.D'Alton, Harper & Row, Sydney Wesolowski, W., 1979, Classes, Strata and Power. Routledge and Kegan Paul, London Van Krieken, R., et al. 2000, Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, 2nd edn, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Analytical review of the financial position and reporting

This is what the University of Bradford policy on academic integrity says about plagiarism: â€Å"A dissertation, thesis, essay, project or any other work which is not undertaken in an examination room under supervision but which is submitted by a student for formal assessment must be written by the student and in the student's own words, except for quotations from published and unpublished source, which shall be clearly indicated and acknowledged as such†¦ † If you copy work for assessment, it defeats the whole purpose of the exercise.When work that you have copied is marked it is not your progress that is being evaluated but that of somebody else. And if it is someone else's work, the feedback you receive will not help you improve your own potential. Plagiarism is an issue that the University of Bradford takes very seriously and is treated as a form of Academic Misconduct (or cheating). There are four main forms of plagiarism: 1. Copying or using another person's work, including the work of another student (with or without their consent), and claiming or pretending it to be your own; 2.Presenting arguments that use a blend of your own and the directly copied words of the original author, with or without acknowledging the source; 3. Paraphrasing another person's work, but not giving due acknowledgement to the original writer or organization publishing the writing, including work on Internet sites; 4. Colluding with other students and submitting identical or near identical work. However it is very important that you are aware of Self-plagiarism. This is described in a document called â€Å"What is Academic Misconduct† which is available on the Legal and Governance website.You must not submit the same assignment, or the any part of that assignment, as the assessment for two modules, nor should you â€Å"cut and paste† large sections of work from one submission into another. You can refer to your own work (whether vomited for another mod ule or published elsewhere) but you must acknowledge this by citing the original work, Just like any other source that shapes your own work. How to avoid plagiarism: Applying, analyzing, criticizing or quoting other people's work is expected of you and is perfectly acceptable providing you always: 1.Attempt to summarize or restate in your own words another person's work, and give acknowledgement to that person. This is usually done by citing your sources in the text of the assignment and presenting a list of references at the back ; or 2. By always using quotation marks (or indenting lengthy quotations in your text) to distinguish between the actual words of the writer and your own words. Once again, you would cite all these sources in the text straight after the quote and present full details of these in your list of references.Using Turning: You must be very careful to ensure that your submission is free from Plagiarism before you submit it. All submissions are made electronically via Turning which is a piece of software that is able to identify â€Å"non-original† content within a submission. When you submit your work it is matched to previously submitted work both at the University of Bradford, on the web and work submitted to other Universities across the world. You will be presented with an Originality Report which will highlight any non-original content in your work.You are permitted to submit a draft version of your work to Turning before the final submission deadline. This will allow you to see the Originality Report for the draft and to address any issues that the report identifies. The report can take a few hours to generate, so give yourself sufficient time to receive and examine the report and to be able to work on your submission as necessary before the deadline passes. It is essential that you understand what is expected and how plagiarism can be avoided.The university provides a great deal of resources to help students understand their r esponsibilities. Information about these services is available at the LASS workshop site. If there are any specific issues relating to plagiarism and or Turning please contact the relevant Module Leader or your Personal Academic Tutor. Executive summary The purpose of this report is to prepare an analytical review of the financial position of BP Billion, using the ratio analysis as a financial instrument.This review is Sistine to the stakeholders (investors), based on the latest available annual financial statement, to identify and reconcile the group's profit position and identify trends in the business performance. The company's performance is analyzed more deeply using ratio analysis. In addition, we will compare the group main indicators with the respective figures of close competitors such as ROI Tint, Vale S. A. And Alcoa Inc. As well as Mining Industry and Energy Sector average coefficients (Scimitars 2014).Background Information BP Billion was set up in 2001 as a result of a Dual Listed Company (DEL) merger twine Broken Hill Proprietary Company known as BP Limited, an Australian-listed company, and Billion Pl, a I-J-Existed company (BP Billion 2013). Although the companies have preserved their separate ownership structures both are run by the almost identical committees of directors and one managing body. It is a leading global resource company and its major business units are: Copper; Iron Ore; Manganese and Nickel; Coal; and Aluminum, Petroleum and Potash.The aim of the group is to provide long-term shareholder value through the development, acquisition and marketing of natural resources. Despite the continuing recession the group has continued to retain its market position with capitalization US $147 billion at 30 June 2013, revenue US $66 billion and net profit US $11 billion for 2013 financial year and there are now 128 thousand employees and contractors working in 140 subdivisions in 26 countries (BP Billion 2013). This year the group announced t he appointment of Andrew Mackenzie as CEO who replaced Marcus Slippers.The company being a participant of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (2014) conducts the corporate procedures and policies in concordance with hose principles to provide security for its operations. The recent study suggested that the 90 fossil fuel marketers (Goldenberg 2013) are in charge of two-thirds of the greenhouse gas emissions produced in the industrial age and BP is in this list. According to the management's statement Just the tenth of the emissions are from direct operations, while the rest are from outsourced goods (Hannah 2013).In 2011 BP Billion initiated with University College London the foundation of two energy institutions aimed at teaching and research of sustainable use of the environment and resources (CUL 2011). Basis of preparation The financial information for the year ended 30 June 2013 has been prepared on a going concern basis in accordance with Australian Accountin g Standards that is an Australian equivalent of International Financial Reporting Standards (FIRS) and FIRS and their interpretations as adopted by European Union effective as the reporting date.The principles of accounting for DEL merger were adopted under I-J and Australian Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAP) and the consolidated financial statement is compiled as follows: Assets and liabilities of the BP Billion PL and BP Billion Limited Group were consolidated at the date of the merger at their book value; Results for the period ended 30 June 2013 comprise the consolidated data of the both entities.A number of new standards and interpretations have not yet entered into force, and their demands are not taken into account in preparing the consolidated financial statements: FIRS 11 Ð’Â «Joint ArrangementsÐ’Â » modifications were not applied but will have an impact on financial years commencing from 1 July 2013. The company will recognize its share on a single line in entities where it does not meet with the revised definition of Joint control. AFRICA 20 Ð’Â «Striping Costs in the Production Phase of a Surface MineÐ’Â » modifies the policies for production striping and applies to annual periods starting on 1 January 2013.The company disclosed the effect of adjustments at the transitional date of 1 July 2011. Ratio Analysis External factors and trends affecting to the group's financial outcomes The major external trends and factors have had a considerable impact on the company financial position and ratios and the next section disclosures them. Commodity prices. Metal commodity prices were decreased in comparison with the previous year as a result of apply growing faster than demand. For instance the average price of Iron Ore decreased 16% from IIS$1 51 /DMS to IIS$127/DMS, Aluminum decreased from IIS$334/ DMS to US$327/DMS according to the Note 3. . 1 of the Financial Statement (BP Billion 2013). Metal products share in aggregate reven ues exceeded 63% whereas crude oil and gas totaled 20%. Metallurgical coal price decreased 31% from IIS$239/t to IIS$1 59/t mostly driven by low growth rates of global pig iron production. Conversely energy commodities' price were affected positively namely crude oil price increased by 8% driven by Chinese demand growth in the first half of the year followed by moderate improvements in macroeconomics in the United States later. In whole the price effect reduced underlying BIT by IIS$8. Billion but partially offset by increased sales volumes. Exchange rate. Other substantial risk influencing profitability ratio is exchange rate as majority of sales are denominated in US dollars as well as this currency plays major part in the group financial activities. Operating costs are primordially influenced by changes in local currencies such as South African rand, Chilean peso and Australian dollar. Overall the Australian dollar, Brazilian real and South African rand ended the financial year w eaker against the US dollar, while the Chilean peso strengthened.Product demand and supply. Global demand and supply for the products is a crucial factor of market prices, and fluctuations in commodity supply and demand influence the group performances, including asset values and cash flow. The company forecast relatively balanced growth over the long term as large developed economies, such as the US, grow despite fiscal challenges and China also shows the development of its economy. Operating costs. As the product prices are regulated by the global commodity markets controlling production costs is a key task of the management.The company could reduce external services by IIS$2 billion and third party purchases by IIS$O. 7 billion, government royalties by IIS$O. 4 billion and exploration and evaluation expenses by IIS$O. 6 billion. But these reductions were offset by higher impairment charges of IIS$I . 9 billion, additional depreciation charges of IIS$O. 5 billion, decrease in fore ign exchange incomes of IIS$O. 2 billion as it was shown in Note 3. 4. 4 of the annual report (BP Billion 2013). Capital and exploration expenditures.This item increased almost 77% in the previous 2012 year from IIS$13 billion in 2011 to IIS$23 billion. It related to investments in project pipeline, especially in Petroleum, Iron Ore and Coal divisions. The management concentrated on monitoring capital and exploration expenses in the reporting year and it reduced by IIS$O. 7 billion. Interest rates. The company financial performances are sensitive to alterations of interest rates as the majority of company borrowings are based on floating interest rates (see the Note 29 of the financial statement).Based on the net debt position as at 30 June 2013, taking into account interest rate swaps, cross currency interest rate swaps and captions, it is estimated that a one percentage point increase in the US LABOR interest rate will decrease the company's equity and profit after taxation by US $136 million. Profitability ratio In this year Return of capital fell by 26% as against 2012 year and equaled 17% (see Appendix 3). Firstly, it associates with the reduction of Gross profit by 19% or almost IIS$4. Billion as the income fell by 9% (see Appendix 1), namely Coal unit's revenue reduced by IIS$2. Billion, Iron Ore income by IIS$2. 4 billion (see the section Ð’Â «Commodity pricesÐ’Â »). In any case it should be noted that this figure is considerably high than the close competitors' results: Vale S. E. (2014) showed 14%, ROI Tint (2014) 5% (see Appendix 3). The details of calculations are given in the Appendix 4. Gross profit margin ratio equaled 29% although that is less by 11% as compared to 2012 (see Appendix 3).This can be explained by disproportionate decrease of production costs by 4% billion (see the section Ð’Â «operating costsÐ’Â ») with respect to revenues (see the section Ð’Â «Commodity pricesÐ’Â »). But it corresponds with the respective average ratio of Metal Mining Industry (Scimitars 2014). Vale S. E. ‘s figure exceeded with 30% Gross margin (see Appendix 2) but its Net profit margin totaled Just 1% due to extremely high interest expenses (see Appendix 2) whereas BP Billion demonstrated consistent performances with 17% Net profit margin.Net profit margin for 2013 totaled 17% as against 22% for previous year chiefly due to decrease of the amount of Gross profit (see the previous paragraph) and increase of financial expenses by 60% (see the section Ð’Â «lintiest ratesÐ’Â »). In spite of this the company's result is outstanding in comparison with the industry index (2%) as well as immediate rivals (ROI Tint – 2%, Vale S. A. – 1%). Efficiency ratios Asset turnover ratio of the last year decreased by 17% and totaled 0. 6.This is due to the fact that the amount of total assets were increased as additional construction expenses were capitalized to the sum of IIS$20 billion, and decrease of t otal revenue of the group for reasons described earlier (see the section Ð’Â «Commodity pricesÐ’Â »). At the same time the group continues to use its assets efficiently in comparison with lose rivals 0. 5 for ROI Tint (2014) and Vale (2014) 0. 4 (see Appendix 3) as well as the average industry figure (0. 4). The details of calculations are given in the Appendix 5.With respect to Receivable turnover ratio it has not been changed and equaled 9 that is in the middle of ROI Tint and Vale's coefficients (10 and 7 respectively). The decrease in Trade and other receivables correlated with the same trend in the revenues of the last two years (see the section Ð’Â «Commodity pricesÐ’Â »). Interestingly, the industry average ratio did reach 12 (see Appendix 3). Inventory turnover has slightly en decreased by 6% and totaled 11 that is twice better than industry figure (5) and close rivals (8 and 10 respectively).The number of employees increased by 7% and totaled almost 50 thous and. It together with the revenue reduction resulted to Revenue per Employee ratio that decreased by 14% and equaled IIS$I ,332 thousand per employee. At the same time this performance significantly exceeded the industry average ratio (IIS$486 thousand) as well as close competitors (ROI Tint with IIS$775 thousand and Vale S. E. With IIS$583 thousand). It can be explained by diversified cuisines structure of the group as the average Energy sector Revenue per Employee totals US$1,896 thousand at the same period of time (see Appendix 3).Liquidity ratio The current ratio totals 1 that indicates that the group has enough short-term assets to cover its short-term debt. It is advisable to improve this performance further (0. 9 for previous 2012 year) as for instance the industry (1. 9) and major market players (ROI Tint 1. 4, Vale S. E. 2. 5) demonstrated better short-term financial health. The details of calculations are given in the Appendix 6. Quick ratio also remains worse Han competit ors. But it corresponded with the industry average figure 0. 6 and seemed enough (see Appendix 3).Financial gearing The Gearing ratio has slightly been changed and totaled 39% and it indicates relatively prudent attitude of the management and low degree of creditor's funds (see Appendix 1). For example the same coefficient for both of close rivals' equaled 44% whereas the industry average figure exceeded 150%. The details of calculations are given in the Appendix 7. The performance of interest cover ratio was felt by 56% due to impact of interest rates (see the section Ð’Â «lintiest ratesÐ’Â »). Even so it showed due to low gearing and high gross profit of the group (see the respective analyses).Investment ratio Price per earning for 2013 equaled as 12 and became worse as against 8. 8 for previous period. It associates with the reduction of earning per share by almost 30% (see Appendix 1). But dividend yield with 8% is positive as compared to rivals (ROI Tint 4%, Vale S. E. 1%) and average industry ratio (2%). Conclusion Based on the review above we can see that BP Billion is a highly profitable company that provided consistently strong operating performance during the analyzed period of time. The total dividend for 2013 was increased by 4% to IIS$116 cents per share (BP Billion 2013).The low gearing ratio in comparison with rivals indicates the group's financial strength and invulnerability to downturns in the business cycle that is important particularly in the last years. The high efficiency ratios witnessed how well the group used its assets and liabilities internally relative to the others. Also we saw its importance because an improvement in these ratios translated to improved profitability. Though the current ratio is relatively lower than he industry average likely the group will not experience any difficulty meeting current obligations.