Cultural Diversity Is A Good Or A Bad Thing - 2326 Words

This researcher paper investigates if cultural diversity is a good or a bad thing in the workplace environment? At first, I am going to present my topic, by explaining the topic and giving the advantage and disadvantage of the topic. Second, I am going to summarize my sources. Third, I am going to present the point of view of two people that are in disaccord among the subject. In conclusion, by assimilating workers from culturally diverse backgrounds in their workforce, companies become much stronger. By integrating employees who have the same value system as the country where the company operates, it acquires knowledge and innovations it needs to be successful. Cultural diversity is an asset for companies Introduction â€Å"Cultural diversity is when differences in races, ethnicities, languages, nationalities, religion, and sexual orientation are represented within a community. A community is said to be culturally diverse if its residents include members of different groups. The community can be a country, region or city. Cultural diversity has become a big issue when is applied to the workplace† (Amado, 2015). Is cultural diversity a good or a bad thing in the workplace environment? By internationalizing a company, the company is confronted with different values and behaviors. Every culture has different expectations; the company needs to have the customary skills that will enable it to better understand the market. By integrating employees who have the sameShow MoreRelatedCultural Identity Reflection Paper1591 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Cultural Identity Reflection Paper Who I am; my beliefs, values, morals, and views on diversity are shaped based upon my upbringing, the values within society, and the norms adopted by our culture. However, I can’t only thank these sources for whom I am; my own personal experiences and feelings have had a huge impact on my cultural views. My biases; I am aware of them (good), but they exist, and to some may seem bad. I want to take you on a journey inside my path to cultural identity. I thinkRead MoreDiversity And Discrimination In The Workplace1518 Words   |  7 PagesDiversity and Discrimination in the Workplace Diversity and discrimination are taken to have the same meaning to most people but this is not the case. Diversity is more in differ of certain things such as ideas and beliefs while discrimination is more in differ of things such as race, age, and gender. Yes, both are in differ of something but what is important to understand is that they are in differ of a variety of things. Yet it is sad but these qualities happen each and every day in the workplaceRead MoreWhat Makes Me Who I Am?851 Words   |  4 Pagespie graph in figure 2.1 of Ferdman (1995), I attempted to put my life in percentages basing them on what I felt I thought was most important. I immediately began to recognize who I am is a mixture of many things and from each I have built my perspective on life. I was well aware of my cultural affiliations and groups who I pertain to prior to this activity, but I was not aware of the input each has had on my life. As I created figure 2.1, I asked myself what about me is in my opinion the biggestRead MoreCultural Diversity and Diets1311 Words   |  6 PagesCultural Diversity and Diet Jacqueline Jones Week 2 Principles of Sociology Mitchell Swatez Different cultures around the world have their own types of customs that they are used to having. There are many types of diets that different cultures are used to having that unlike those of what we are used to here in the United States. In many cultures people eat toasted ants, frog legs, puppies, kittens, or raw monkey brains. I could never find myself eating none of the above, but this is naturalRead MoreDoes Ethnic Diversity Portend the Disuniting of America? Essay example1213 Words   |  5 PagesDoes Ethnic Diversity Portend the Disuniting of America? Whether or not â€Å"The First Universal Nation† of Ben Wattenberg (Buchanan 466) fixes its meaning? Despite it is in law, not all people have the same point-of -view about it in practice. George M. Fredrickson’s â€Å"Models of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective† and Patrick J. Buchanan’s â€Å"Deconstructing America† essays are typical exemplars. Fredrickson and Buchanan are famous politicians. â€Å"Race in US† is one of popular topicsRead MoreRacism And Racism859 Words   |  4 Pagesdoesn’t want to see how racist the world is, even though you can see racism through media, people killing people, and the criminal justice systems. The media has a great impact on the people, because they only broadcast news that gives fears and show how bad people of color and blacks are, and hardly reporting crimes that white people have committed. Definition Racism is the discrimination of people who are a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior, for example whites believeRead MoreIs Immigration A Problem?900 Words   |  4 PagesThere are some bad effects like greater poverty and education costs, but the good certainly outweighs the bad. There are many good outcomes from immigrants, but the top five are: economic gain, increase in cultural diversity, increase in the standard of living in the part of immigrant, a younger workforce, and skilled workers in need sectors. People say that immigrants take all our jobs and leave us with nothing, but in reality immigrants take the job that Americans feel they are too good to do. ForRead MoreDiversity in the Workpalce721 Words   |  3 PagesRunning Head: DIVERSITY, IN OUR Diversity in Our World, Good or Bad Renee Richardson Employee/Employer Relations Professor Bagwell December 3, 2008 Abstract Diversity is a wider concept than just ethnicity, race and gender. Other unique characteristics such as age, culture, style, education, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation also contribute to diversity. Promoting workforce diversity is difficultRead MoreThe Impact Of Diversity On The Workplace1609 Words   |  7 Pages3.2. Positive impacts The diversity has always been a concern for businesses and governments because the minority can feel sometimes left out and excluded for the employment sector. Therefore it has always been a priority for any government. They want to prove that they have been elected and are representing the entire population not just a group of people. Also businesses want to send a good image to their customers that they care about everyone even the minority. First of all, Kirton and GreeneRead MoreUnderstanding Of The Four Areas Of Cultural Intelligence1309 Words   |  6 PagesThe following paper will discuss the author’s understanding of the four areas of cultural intelligence (CQ): drive, knowledge, strategy and action. It will further describe how CQ specifically affects the author, their personal CQ knowledge and information that could increase this knowledge. Drive The drive capability of CQ is also considered motivation. It is a person’s â€Å"interests and confidence in functioning effectively in culturally diverse settings† (Livermore, 2011, p. 6). There are three

Night Vision Technology Free Essays

NIGHT VISION TECHNOLOGY 1) Introduction 2) Definition 3) Types of Night Vision Technology 4) Night Vision Devices 5) Generation 6) Application INTRODUCTION Night vision technology is basically allows us to saw in night. It is originally developed for military use. All humans have very poor night vision as compare to other animals. We will write a custom essay sample on Night Vision Technology or any similar topic only for you Order Now With the poor night vision we cannot see a person standing over so far away (many miles) on a deep dark cloudy night. It is first time invented for military purpose to see the enemy in deep dark and target them easily. The german army gave the idea of night vision and from that time it is fastly develops so strong. They gave the idea in 1935 and start working on it so fastly to cover all battle condition in night time. Then they develop night vision items in their rifles and in other necessary materials of battle field. From there this technology is grown up and all other countries also make sure to use this technology and also to modify this according to their need. These all equipment are use in camera (either simple or in gun front) for the purpose of hunting at night time and in battle affected areas. But they are so advance technology made up of. Then with the help of this equipment they are visible clearly in front of human eyes as in full light to saw it clearly. Today also in houses security and high alert situation these technology is used in vast for the purpose of safety. DEFINITION The definition of night vision technology is basically the detail of its work that how this technology work and what is this in real word. Every one defines it in their own word of experiences, but in my opinion its definition is not its word of expression but its definition is expressed as:†Night vision technology is basically the ability to see things in dark night condition. (Whether by biological or technological mean).Night vision is the combination of two approaches. TYPES OF NIGHT VISION TECHNOLOGY There are two types of night vision technology: 1) Biological Night VisionSome animal like cat and deep sea animal can see in night because they are tissue present in their eye which is called tiputem lucidum. Which is present on the back side of retina? But this layer is not present in human eyes, thus they cannot able to see in night. They need to use some material to saw in night. RODOPOSIN is use for night see. This is a chemical. With help of this chemical human can see for few hours in dark and deep night. Biological is even God gifted senses in humans and animals, by which they saw things in night. These senses are used for night vision. Commonly green eyes of human have the ability to see in night and even in dark night. These all are the naturally created senses in humans and animal eyes. 2) Technical Night VisionTechnical night vision is working in two different ways.In this type of vision many lens are used to achieve pictures in night time. All the material use for this is released specific type of electron which is felt on the picture and they capture the same picture and show on the front of human eyes. Then they saw easily all the things in dark night. As same in the war situation the advance developed material for night vision is used to see the enemy easily in night and mountain dark then with the help of this advance technology they hit the enemy on exact target. Simply technical vision technology is those devices include in which advance technique is used to able one to see in night time in deep dark. Night Vision DevicesNight vision devices are called observation equipment. They observe and detect the pictures and other things in dark night. It is also some time known as night vision goggles. It does works as: the light from night vision excrete and felt on the targeted area this particle is made up of photons which includes all the colors. Then they reflect back and entered in the lens and the whole area is seen to be visible in dark, but it is so sensitive case. Its the same as we see in the games which is made in night scenes. There the whole environment is dark but we clearly saw the targeted area of enemies.All devices which are uses in night vision is shown below: these all devices is used in night time. GENERATIONS 1) 0 GENERATION: The early generation was establishing in (1950-1955) which is not in complete vast Form. 2) 1st GENERATION: In the first generation tubes are used in the equipment in series. They work so will. They also work so perfect than 2nd and 3rd generation. But one defect is present in this generation that the image is show clear at the center but it can distort at all its adages. This heaviest and largest one of first three generation, later is modified and the name has change in other generation. 3) 2ndGENERATION: This generation was made in (1970-1972).A high micro channel plate is used in it. And it is also called high electron multiplier. They also magnify the image in clear form. Its magnifier and resolution is under well developed technology. These channels are built from millions of microscopic hollow glass, and each glass is of 0.0125 in diameter. Sensitive lenses are used in it; they detected the images by its sensitive wavelength. 4) 3rd GENERATION: the previous generations are made advanced and name as 3rd generation. The advancement take place in (1971-1978).the photocathode rays is used in it as an ion barrier. Then they detect images from far distances clear in dark night. It is much better than firstly built generations but not perfect because further development take place fastly in very day life in advance technology world. 5) 4th GENERATION: The American army made advance the 3rd generation with highly developed photocathode lenses and rays and made sure the work of these devices to detect all images in deep dark night clear at center and all of its edges. The ion barrier is also removed which is used in 3rd generation for the purpose to finish the background noise. The switch on and off system made sure rapidly. This generation is used all over the world because it is well developed equipment at all. Higher magnifying lenses are used in it. They are full of all needed and advanced technology materials. APPLICATION The main purpose of night vision technology is to detect enemy target in dark night. Security officers, police officers and also investigating officers use night vision technology broadly according to their need. They trace their position and places in dark night and then perform action on it. Application of night vision is as under below: I. For hunting purposes II. For military purposes III. For security purposes IV. For law enforcement V. For entertainment VI. For navigation purposes VII. For hidden object detection VIII. For surveillance IX. For wildlife observation X. And for automatic brightness control purposes. How to cite Night Vision Technology, Papers

My True Identity Essay Example For Students

My True Identity Essay It’s funny how everybody considers honesty a virtue, yet no one wants to hear the truth. The same can be said about the identities hiding behind masks that only symbolize sugarcoated lies. The only justification for these identities would be that it conceals them from their lack of self-confidence. It prevents others to see the authenticity of each and every face behind a lie. No one wants to be called egotistical or conceited because they are not considered desired traits. John Lennon once said, â€Å"If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that I believe in what I do, and I’ll say it. † He proves to us that although some individuals are strong enough to be and say exactly who they are, others are too weak to conquer the fear of not being accepted by others. Despite fifteen years of taking into account everyone else’s perspective of me, I still can’t explain to myself the reasons as to why I feel that any opinion should matter. So then the question is, what is it about the judgement of others that is so important, that we feel a need to cloak who we truly are? Being â€Å"odd† means not fitting in or having different characteristics than everyone else’s view of â€Å"normal. † As a result, I put on a mask that resembles those who are seen as â€Å"normal† to blend in with the crowd. In a sense, normality is just a paved road: it’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it. The idea of normal is just the thought of doing what a large portion of the community is doing, but how can you be your own person if you are just like everybody else? People want to fit in with the crowd and be seen as normal so that they are not called weird. Imagine being singled out in the center of a room with the spotlight on top and a crowd of kids, teenagers, adults, and everyone you know standing five feet around surrounding you staring, pointing, snickering, laughing at you; It’s a petrifying feeling that makes some of us take an easy way out to end it permanently. The need to please someone’s judgement can consume us until our last breath and it ends up controlling a large portion of who we are. It prevents us from the people we want to be and stops us from going to where we want to go. The necessity to please can drive us to do unspeakable things. For example, Jack Merridew, a young boy from the book Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, took drastic measures in order to make sure that he was seen as the person he wanted everyone else to think of him as. He cared too much about the fact that if he was not chief for the rest of the boys stranded on the island, then everyone would see him as just another one of the kids. Therefore his significance in the story would dwindle and diminish. He wanted the boys to see him as the leader that everyone could look up to as well as fear. In order to gain this ranking, he did what was expected and wanted from him. He gave the boys a savage excitement of the slaughtering of a life. At first, it was to supply them with sustenance, but then it became a hobby that eventually lead them to end the life of one of their own. Jack was then blinded by the acceptance of the boys to realize that their opinion of him had changed him from whom he simply wanted to be. .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 , .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 .postImageUrl , .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 , .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244:hover , .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244:visited , .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244:active { border:0!important; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 { 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; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244:active , .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 .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; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244 .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ubbafc37120afc444ed6c7e96349f6244:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Karma Essay SummaryA leader, not a violent figurehead. In the movie Grease, directed by Randal Kleiser, Danny Zuko, the head of the popular biker boys, tries to maintain his reputation just to meet his friends’ and the rest of the school’s expectations of him, but disappoints the girl of his dreams in the process. The man he had been with Sandy Olssen had no worries or concerns about being seen as something that was considered â€Å"uncool. † He did not have a reputation to uphold because he was not surrounded by people whose judgement meant his permanent label. Later on, he realizes his mistake and that the only judgement that should matter is his own and how that affects his happiness. Seeing that the women of his dreams only loved him for him and not the charade he played in front of his peers caused him to see the error of his ways. He stopped pretending to be a womanizer. He stopped acting like he was a selfish macho. He no longer cared about whether or not his reputation was cool or uncool. He became conscious of the fact that his happiness did not come from the judgment of others, but of what he thought of himself. When we act as something we are not, that reputation starts to take control of us until we feel that it is a true part of who we are. The only reason we act as something we’re not is to please those who surround us. When I was younger, I let myself be someone I didn’t want to be simply because I felt that if I truly acted like who I was, I would be labeled as weird and different. I would either be seen as the class clown, the person you didn’t want to talk to, or the person you absolutely wanted to be friends with, but I didn’t dare to take the risk to find out. As a result, I became a person in the background. Someone who was needed, but not important. I let that reputation take hold of me and define who I was in front of everyone I made contact with. Each class defined what I was like because of the people who surrounded me, but the problem was that it gave people an image of the kind of person they thought I was. Every person is different and unique, therefore my personality felt a need to alter with each encounter I had with another human being. I found myself trying to accommodate to their likings so that I was not seen as an outsider. A few years later, I realized that by caring about the judgements of others, I also ruined that part of my life. After completing my eighth grade year, I changed schools and entered a brand new environment where people did not yet have any kind of image of me. It allowed me to make a fresh start and to reflect upon my previous years of taking into account the opinions of people who were just like me. I was finally able to see clear enough to know that a lot of people have the same problem that I had and still struggle with today. So in reality, the judgement of others can blind us from seeing the type of people we really want to be. It prevents us because we fear the thought of being labeled something out of the ordinary even though we still want to be normal. So then why pretend to be something we are not if someone else’s opinion is just as good as our own about others? No matter what, the masks will still be worn even though the identity behind it can see clearly about who they are. In truth, no one is normal. I am not normal. I don’t want to be. I don’t want to pretend to be anymore. I am me.

Lord Of The Flies Human Nature Essay free essay sample

Lord Of The Fliess: Human Nature Essay, Research Paper Lord of The Fliess: Human Nature # 8220 ; We are all liquidators and cocottes # 8211 ; no affair to what civilization, society, category, state one belongs, no affair how normal, moral, or mature, one takes oneself to be. # 8221 ; R. D. Laing British head-shrinker. R.D. Laing evidently dorsums up William Golding # 8217 ; s point of position that human nature is evil. Human nature is straight affected by the environment ; and is invariably altering due to the experiences of the person. Oscar Wilde one time said # 8220 ; The lone thing that one truly knows about human nature is that it changes. Change is the 1 quality we can predicate from it. The systems that fail are those who rely on the permanence of human nature, and non on its growing and development. The mistake of Louis XIV was that he thought human nature would ever be the same. The consequence of his mistake was the Gallic Revolution. We will write a custom essay sample on Lord Of The Flies Human Nature Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It was an admirable result. # 8221 ; Human nature depends upon the environment in which they are immersed. The thought that kids, non worlds in general, are swayed by the thoughts and actions of their parental figures is besides a cardinal thought of the book, # 8220 ; The Lord of the Flies # 8221 ; by William Golding. Because of the war in England where the male childs were from their homo experience was one of war. If there was no war traveling on in England at the clip they were evacuated from England, there would # 8217 ; ve been no deceases, no Lord of the Fliess, and surely no animal. Because if they had came with a good human nature so how would at that place hold been a animal which Golding classified as the basic evil inside all of us. Another thing that ties in with this that kids try to transcript what they see grownups do so if a kid sees an grownup smoke up or imbibe so he may believe that it is all right or it is right because their parents do it. As George Orwell one time said # 8220 ; Part of the ground for the ugliness of grownups, in a kid # 8217 ; s eyes, is that the kid is normally looking upwards, and the grownups are seldom looking down. Yet no affair what they will ever adore, look up to and love their parents. # 8221 ; But as was merely said sometimes that can be a bad thing. So what must we make? Well for starting motors why non seek to learn our kids better and attempt at all costs to put good illustrations for our kids so that our society will hopefully be salvaged from the God forsaken wrath of immorality. Children who # 8217 ; s parents smoke have a 40 % higher opportunity of smoking than kids who # 8217 ; s parents don # 8217 ; t smoke.1 Opportunities are it is a mix of two things, foremost the fact that they think that it is okay for them to make it since their parents do it, the second is because of the nicotine dependence could be passed on from grownups to their progeny. Now of class there are exclusions to the thesis like childs who smoke because their parents wear # 8217 ; T, but that is normally a little percentile of the population. Most kids will non make it as a rebellious act merely because they see their parents making it so therefor it is all right. Now as was stated briefly antecedently childs will a batch of the clip make what their parents do because they look up to them so why wouldn # 8217 ; t they copy what the grownups are making. So why can # 8217 ; t we merely halt wholly because we have a lazy society who culls change so this may take a batch longer than would be hoped for. # 8220 ; The lone thing that one truly knows about human nature is that it alterations. Change is the one quality we can predicate from it. The systems that fail are those who rely on the permanence of human nature, and non on its growing and development. The mistake of Louis XIV was that he thought human nature would ever be the same. The consequence of his mistake was the Gallic Revolution. It was an admirable result. # 8221 ; So with this in head why do people still rely on homo nature to stay the same when it has been proven that human nature is invariably altering. That is why our state has non late had a rebellion because our sires had plenty insight to cognize that things would non be the same 200 old ages from so. This thought was shown throughout the book by the childs altering their heads and revolting. First all the kids agreed that regulations were needed to maintain order amongst themselves. Then when they felt the drilling and unpleasant side of work and regulations they changed their human nature to that of a shirker or a individual who doesn # 8217 ; t follow society # 8217 ; s regulations and doesn # 8217 ; t effort to strive for excellence. Besides after voting Ralph the president, people still subsequently agreed and followed Jack. So fundamentally al that can be gathered by this information is that neer trust on human nature to stay the same. In decision, although it may no work due to the changeless changing of human nature, we must seek non to put bad illustrations for younger 1s who look up to us, and besides seek to give our kids the best life we can supply for them and learn them right from incorrect and learn them the right ethical motives. Basically, we should merely seek to make the best parenting occupation we can make and trust the information and things you taught him or her will assist them through life.

Cheasapeake vs. New England essays

Cheasapeake vs. New England essays New England and Chesapeake colonies became different because of three main reasons: climate, economical aim, and religion. In spite both of the regions being founded by the same people, Europeans, these areas became vastly differential based upon those three factors. The central difference was why people came to this land, the other factors developed afterwards from it. The regions grew so incredibly different; it was as if they were their own two different societies, having no link to each other. The climate of the Chesapeake region was usually hot and humid. This area also has more people than New England, and with this weather, the transfer of diseases happens at an astonishing rate. Indentured-servants, among others, were dying at such a high rate, that by the mid seventeenth century, a little less than half of the indentured-servants had died before seven years of being in the Chesapeake. The climate of New England on the other hand was cooler and the work wasnt as back-breaking. Diseases didnt spread like wild fire and also material profits werent on the top priority list for them. At one point, New Englanders were said to live a third longer than a Chesapeakens. New Englanders came here solely to be free of the persecution or just to have their won freedom of religion, because of whatever they were being faced with in Europe. They didnt come here in search of material possessions, namely money. Even though, New Englanders made money, it was by no means their main aim; it was the aim of the Chesapeakens. New Englanders didnt have such enormous farms as Chesapeakens; they called their large-scale farms, plantations. The Chesapeake region was over run with everyone trying to make huge profits in the tobacco business, in which they did. Whereas New England had no interest in the economical field, they just wanted a land to which they could accustom to and make only the c...

Colleges With the Lowest ACT Scores, Ranked

Colleges With the Lowest ACT Scores, Ranked SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The college application process can be stressful, but don't worry, if you hopeto attend a four-year universityand havea low ACTscore, there is quite possiblya collegefor you! In this article, I list the universitieswith the lowest 25th percentile ACTscores for their admitted students. The 25th percentile ACTscore signifiesthat 25% of admitted applicantsto the school received an ACT scoreat or below that number. The 75th percentileACTscore signifiesthat 75% ofadmitted applicantsto the school received an ACT scoreat or below that score (25% scored higher).I will also explainwhy you shouldn’t always judge the colleges by their low 25th/75th percentile ACT. Schools Listed in Ascending Order of 25th/75th Percentile with Admission Rate I compiled this comprehensive list through online research. I chose to organize the schoolsin ascending order by 25th percentile score (rather than the 75th percentile score) so you could see the lowest ACT scores allowed for admission to these universities: School Name 25th Percentile ACT Score 75th Percentile ACT Score Admission Rate Rust College 13 14 9% Shaw University 13 16 61% Livingstone College 13 16 72% Saint Augustines College 13 17 67% Huston-Tillotson University 13 17 46% Virginia Union University 13 17 83% Jarvis Christian College 13 18 100% Paul Quinn College 13 18 99% Cheyney University of Pennsylvania 14 16 88% Lane College 14 17 33% Chowan University 14 18 58% Paine College 14 18 44% Marygrove College 14 19 42% Johnson C.Smith University 15 19 37% Texas Southern University 15 19 45% Cal State Dominguez Hills 15 19 80% Alabama State University 15 20 54% Cal State Los Angeles 15 20 62% Mid-Atlantic Christian University 15 20 Unknown Ferrum College 15 20 74% Southern Vermont College 15 21 75% Why Are Their 25th/75th Percentiles So Low? Should You Be Concerned? There are several possibilities as to why these colleges have lower ACT score averages than other schools.A lot of the universities in this article are specialized colleges offering specific degree programs or a religious education. As such, these colleges may weight other application components more heavily than the ACT score such as artistic talent or religious involvement. For example, Mid-Atlantic Christian University says,"Student candidates who deeply desire an education from a Christian world view; yet who may not meet all of the criteria as outlined above may be admitted to the University in a provisional status and are encouraged to apply." Additionally, several of the universities above have a large difference between the 25th and 75th percentile score (some with a more than 6 point difference).Applicants whose scores were at or below the 25th percentile may have uniques reasons for being admitted such as being the child of a significant donor, a legacy, an athlete, or an exceptional talent (such as a world-renowned opera singer). However, another reason these schools accept applicants with low scores could bedue to theirhigh admission rates; these colleges need to accept morestudents to fill up theirfreshman class. A few of the abovecollegesacceptnearlyevery applicantand, therefore,will have a larger score range. You should not necessarily be concerned by a school’s low 25th/75th percentile.A low ACT average may simply suggest, as I noted above, that the college is choosing to admit students for other reasons. Many universities are no longer even asking for a standardized test score with your application. This does not mean that you should not consider attending one of these schools. All it means is that the admissions offices no longer consider standardized tests to be a good representation of your higher education potential. That being said, many of the universities listed aboveare not known for their stellar academics. If you're looking for an intellectual challenge, these probably are not the schools for you. Unfortunately, there are colleges thatonlyexist to make money, and their alumniend up with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. For-profit schools are typicallythe worst offenders, but some non-profit universities also have a lower quality of education and leave their alumni with few job optionsafter graduation. Make sure to choose your college carefully. When choosing where to apply, you should not necessarily take into account their ACT average, but rather you should ask yourself whether that school is right for you: What majors does it offer? Where is it located? Will I get financial aid? For help deciding where to apply to college,check out our guide to finding the right school for you. What’s next? Check out our other articles for help with the college application process: Cheap Out of State Colleges: Top 25 Most Affordable The 37 Most Expensive Colleges in the United States Do Colleges Use Weighted or Unweighted GPA? Should I Go to a Big or Small College? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Dora Seigel About the Author As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. 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Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Religion - Essay Example These religions command people to show kindness to fellow human beings as well as to animals. MORALS, PERFECTION – The followers of the three East Asian religions, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto, concentrate mainly on being a perfect human being and upholding moral behavior. Each of these has a humanist philosophy. MONOTHEISM, BOOK – The common features of the religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are that both believe in one God and both are religions of the book. The latter means that a book was sent to the people of all these religions through their prophets. Generally speaking, with time people are only becoming lesser and lesser interested in religion. The number of atheists is increasing. People are getting further from religion and there may be several reasons behind this phenomenon. Man is always attracted to shiny, happy and fun aspects of life. Many religions are not all about fun. They are about being kind to the fellow human beings, helping others eve n if you have to go out of your way, and being honest no matter what. Not everyone happily complies with these rules. For instance, many feel that they could be much more successful in life if they don’t follow the humanity rules; they don’t work honestly to earn; they cheat on their customers to see their personal profit; they indulge in illegal work such as smuggling and money laundering. The list is endless. But that is not to say, however, that good people are no longer there today. There still are several good people out there who prefer to be honest over being rich illegally. They treat others nicely and take care of the animals too. They have moral values which they hold on to and uphold. However, one important thing to consider is that we cannot really relate religion to being good or bad. Nowadays there is more to being spiritual than being religious. There are good Christians, Jews, Muslims, etc., and bad too. So we cannot really say that being religious mean s being good. A person may be ritualistically following a religion without really putting any meaning to it. He may have been brought up in such an environment while his perceptions might be different. There are good and bad atheists too around the world. Coming back to the original discussion, after a century religion would still be there but it would have few followers, and even less of the really true followers. Also, from research it has been concluded that the less religious countries are happier and also have lower crime rates. With the progress of science and technology the people have been more depending on it and leaving religion in the air. It is said that science has been debunking several religious claims. If this is how it goes on and if people consider science to be more reliable – what with all the logical and valid reasons laid down – it is inevitable that more and more people would look up to science and consider religion as unimportant. It is vital to note, however, that though science can take us till the moon, going to heaven is another thing all together, and only religion is what will get us there. Even in today’s world we see there are so many religious conflicts all over the world – some places more than the other, but they are there. People have become intolerant of each other; if someone’s views do not match theirs, they are wrong. This is the general perception. Of course, not everyone acts this way but those who do are enough to bring about violence and conflict as we have seen. We have heard about religious institutions being bombed and attacked and we have heard of people being persecuted because of their chosen religion. This is not limited to a single religion; conflicts exist in every religion. Churches as well as mosques are attacked;

Ten Commandments by God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ten Commandments by God - Essay Example Many religious convictions believe the Ten Commandments form the foundation of morality and ideal behaviour. It becomes not only vital for religious purposes, but also for guiding proper and legal values of the people (Hamilton, 2003). After critical analysis of the Ten Commandments, am still not sure about God’s existence and if given a choice will not follow the ten commands. My opinions may differ from those of Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, inventor, writer and most notably a Christian philosopher. In his arguments, known as ‘Pascal’s wager’, he explains that as finite creatures we will never be able to recognize if God exists. This leads to a situation whereby we must make a wager and come to a decision whether to believe or not to believe in God, more so since the choice is unavoidable (Hamilton, 2003). According to Pascal, if we bet on the existence of God and it turns out to be right, considering that we also decided to follow his commands a nd laws, then the reward will be an eternity of happiness. If it turns out to be a lie, then we will not have lost much, maybe just the indulgence in immoral behaviour. The other argument is that, if we wager against the existence of God, the consequence however positive, would be limited and extremely small compared to what would happen if in fact God existed and one gets condemned into infinite pain (Hamilton, 2003). Therefore, an individual has everything to gain and nothing or little to lose through belief in God. If one does not believe in God’s existence; he or she has nothing or little to gain but all to lose through not believing in him. Pascal deduces that it would be unwise not to wager for God’s existence. Though there is logic in Pascal’s reasoning and opinion, I belong to a different school of thought. Regarding the commandments, I believe there is much to be argued about them. Following some of these commands from beginning to end is objectionable and I will base my case on three commandments. To begin with, the fourth commandment states that ‘we should remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy’, and is mostly founded on the Jewish culture and history. Just to mention, a look at the number of people who currently refrain from all kinds of chores on Saturday, one may get discouraged, because there is practically none. Since this commandment does not provide room for interpretation, it translates to a situation that demands pardon from any work, especially the Sabbath day (Hamilton, 2003). Imagine of a situation whereby everyone refrained from their normal activities and duties, the consequences could be catastrophic at least. Say all the emergency services, police and the doctors downed their tools for the sake of obeying this commandment. What would happen? There would be massive damage and so many lives would be at risk. Therefore, observing this commandment would lead to serious consequences for everyone. The f ifth commandment states that â€Å"we should honour our father and mother†. This commandment ought to bring out the good aspects in children if used in a positive way. It is ought to strengthen family ties and also contribute in forming a society that is responsible and well structured in terms of morals. The main dilemma though comes about when trying to determine what honour means, and its application to certain aspects. Sometimes the children can have opinions that conflict with their parent’s due to what their parents impose on them. Sometimes obeying parents would mean prohibiting children from having freedom and emotional health, especially if the parents are insisting their children to follow certain relationships or activities that have negative results.

Value Creation and Value Capture in Corporate Governance Essay Example for Free

Value Creation and Value Capture in Corporate Governance Essay Abstract We have followed the value-based approach to investigate a major corporate governance reform affecting publically listed firms in China. The regulations required that, in each firm, the owners of non-tradable shares (block shareholders) negotiate with the owners of tradable shares (minority shareholders) to determine the compensation paid to the latter for allowing non-tradable shares to trade on the stock market. If such an agreement is not obtained, the firm is forbidden to use equity refinancing in the future. The present study emphasizes the joint effect of value creation and value capture in determining the level of compensation, and finds that firms that expect to generate higher returns from future investments but face greater constraints in seeking non-equity-based financing tend to issue higher levels of compensation. This joint effect is further moderated by factors related to investment returns and corporate governance. The empirical evidence lends strong support to theoretical predictions. This study has important implications for corporate governance in emerging markets, and the application of the value-based approach to corporate governance research in general. Keywords: Value-Based Approach, Corporate Governance, Liquidity Reform, Bargaining, China *Contact: Nan Jia, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Email: [emailprotected], Tel: 213-740-1045; Yongxiang Wang, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Email: [emailprotected], Tel: 213-740-7650. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Olivier Chatain, Gabriel Natividad, Victor Bennett, and Joanne Oxley for their helpful comments. 1. Introduction Value creation and value appropriation are central to the question of how economic actors cooperate in value-producing activities and then compete to divide the value created – a phenomenon that is fundamental to business strategy (MacDonald and Ryall, 2004; Gans, MacDonald, and Ryall, 2008; Chatain and Zemsky, 2011). To address this question, a rapidly growing body of research supports a value-based approach based on formal modeling (Brandenburger and Stuart, 1996, 2007; MacDonald and Ryall, 2004). The value-based approach has proven to be powerful tools for advancing our understanding of a wide range of topics in strategic management, such as market competition (MacDonald and Ryall, 2004; Gans et al., 2008), firms’ resource advantages (Lippman and Rumelt, 2003), buyer-supplier relationships (Chatain and Zemsky, 2007; Chatain, 2011; Jia, forthcoming), firms’ sustainable competitive advantages (Adner and Zemsky, 2006), social network positions (Ry all and Sorenson, 2007), and team organization (Bennett, 2012). What has escaped researchers’ attention so far is to employ the value-based approach to advance our understanding of corporate governance issues. As one of the most investigated field in strategic management, corporate governance research focuses on how various governance structures align the incentives of all types of stakeholders (Daily, Dalton, and Rajagopalan 2003; Walls, Berrone, and Phan, 2012). Although theoretically speaking, inherent to many corporate governance issues is the tension between value creation and value capture, as stakeholders design corporate governance arrangements essentially both to incentivize all parties to work hard to increase the overall firm value, and to assist their competition with other stakeholders regarding sharing the value created (e.g., Tirole, 2001, Jensen, 2001), most strategy research has given overwhelming attention to the latter effect of competing over value appropriation, often called â€Å"stakeholder opportunism† (v. We rder, 2011). In particular, the research of firm governance in emerging markets has predominantly placed opportunism and misappropriation of minority shareholders center-stage, and appropriately so, as rampant expropriation of minority shareholders generates inefficiencies and stalls economic growth (Morck, Stangeland, and Yeung, 2000; Morck, Wolfenzon, and Yeung, 2005). We believe, however, that stronger protection of minority shareholders also requires incorporating the value creation perspective, to more closely link corporate governance to obtaining cooperation of all shareholders in assisting firms’ business operation in the future, instead of treating the bargaining between stakeholders merely as a zero-sum game. The following example of a major corporate governance reform in China clearly shows how focusing on expropriation in a zero-sum game alone fails to reach the insights that can be achieved by the value-based approach. Prior to 2005, all firms listed in China’s stock ma rket had two types of shareholders: owners of tradable shares and owners of non-tradable shares. Both types of shareholders enjoy the same voting rights and the same cash flow rights. The only difference between these shareholders is embodied in their names: tradable shares can be traded freely on the stock market, while non-tradable shares cannot be traded on the stock market. Tradable shares are typically held by minority shareholders including individuals and institutional investors, and non-tradable shares are typically held by block shareholders, such as other business firms and the state. The 2005 reform was orchestrated by the CSRC (China Securities Regulatory Commission, China’s SEC-equivalent) to make all non-tradable shares tradable. In it, the CSRC stipulates that, for every firm, the non-tradable shareholders negotiate with the tradable shareholders to determine the compensation received by the latter (from the former1) in exchange for enabling non-tradable shares to trade on the stock market. The failure to reach such an agreement prohibits the firm from refinancing in the stock market. Absent the value creation perspective, viewing this ownership reform as the shareholders competing only to appropriate a larger share of a fixed â€Å"pie† makes it very difficult to explain why powerful, large shareholders are willing to compensate minority shareholders. 2 Moreover, students of corporate governance in emerging markets are well versed with how block shareholders expropriate minority shareholders, and thus may expect limited compensation paid to the latter. However, such explanations are incomplete. Through the lens of the value-based approach, we argue that the reform enables competition to create as well as to appropriate value. Reaching an agreement to reform the ownership structure increases a firm’s value in the future, as it provides the firm with access to equity refinancing to fund future investments. Therefore, non-tradable shareholders’ compensation for the minority shareholders in the reform should depend on their share of the firms’ expected returns from using equity refinancing to fund business operations in the future. We show that, the compensation for tradable shareholders (minority shareholders) include some of the value that non-tradable shareholders (block shareholders) expect to gain from the firm’s future investment, because the compensation reflects how much minority shareholders could hold up the block shareholders from creating more value through future investments. Using a formal model and then corroborating it with empirical evidence, we show that non-tradable shareholders are more willing to compensate tradable shareholders to reform the ownership when the firm is more effective in investments but face greater constraints with regard to alternative financing.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Nervous System Involvement :: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Medical Essays

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Nervous System Involvement Upon concluding my neurobiology course, I spent some time reflecting on what I've learned about the nervous system and its functions. I thought about how much progress has been made in the last couple of decades alone in defining and understanding certain aspects of neuronal functions, and must admit that I am very impressed. However, there is still so much we don't know about this area, and nowhere has this notion proved more true than in my exploration of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. As will soon be clear, this disease is highly debilitating and can greatly lower the quality of an individual's life, yet to date there are no definite findings about the etiology of this illness. But even more importantly, this illness shows the importance of understanding and being able to assess the different workings of our nervous system and its complex nature. Unfortunately, the study of this same disease also shows the human inability to yet do so. So what is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or CFS? I would like to be able to explain exactly what CFS is, but true to the nature of what is known about this illness, there is no precise way to describe CFS. Rather, the disease is identified through a number of symptoms (both physical and psychological), including unexplained and persistent fatigue of new or definite onset, concurrent with short-term memory loss, sore throat, tender axillary lymph nodes, muscle pain and unrefreshing sleep, among a number of others, for a duration of at least six months. As is probably evident, the above symptoms, in addition to being signs of CFS, are also the same (or very similar) symptoms experienced in such diseases as Lymes disease and "the flu." There are symptoms that involve the Gastrointestinal Tract (GI), immunological-related symptoms, symptoms of psychiatric disease like depression, sexual malfunction, endocrine dysfunction-basically every system in the body. This is part of the reason why CFS is hard to detect, and is usually chosen as a diagnosis only at the exclusion of all other possible ailments. The other difficulty that lies with diagnosing CFS is that there is no way of measuring the level of a person's fatigue-there is no way for a physician to tell whether a patient complaining of fatigue is experiencing the type of fatigue associated with CFS or he/she is just extremely tired and overworked.

The Council for Exceptional Children

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is a professional organization that was established with the aim of improving educational outcomes for individuals with various exceptionalities and disabilities, and for the gifted.CEC functions as: an advocate in seeking for appropriate governmental policies and setting professional standards; a supporter for the underserved individuals with exceptionalities and for the professionals who are in need of resources for their professional practice; a provider of various programs, conventions and conferences for professional development; and a publisher of journals, newsletters, and other educational resources for administrators, teachers, students, parents, paraprofessionals, and support service providers (CEC, 2008). CEC WebsiteThe Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) website is filled with an array of information that will benefit special education professionals and parents who are involved in the care and education of exceptional individu als. At an initial glance, the website appears to be overwhelming for readers who may be technologically challenged or those who do not use the internet often. The headline news and information that is located at the center of the webpage may attract the attention of the readers who may not be familiar with CEC and those who may want to keep tract of the latest news.Using colorful shades of blocks to group related information together, e. g. CEC Communities, Teaching & Learning Center, CEC Smartbrief, CEC Events and Regional Workshops, makes it convenient for the readers to locate the topic that they need to search. In addition, having a search box is an added feature that researchers may use in getting any information related to special education, exceptional students and individuals with special needs. The inclusion of a multimedia player to enable the user to view a short segment of the â€Å"Yes I Can!† awards is not only inspiring but also informative for the parents and students with disabilities. For individuals who do not have a bachelor’s degree, the career center provides guidelines in finding degree programs in special education and the preparations needed to become a licensed special educator. For those who have earned a bachelor’s degree, the career center also provides options on how to obtain a license through the university programs such as graduate degrees or alternative programs. Some local districts may provide evaluation of the teachers’ school transcripts to determine their eligibility.For those who would like to earn a degree in special education, the CEC website is a one stop career information center with database, resources, and links on financial aids and educational grants given by various foundations. For the educators who would like to make a difference in the lives of people with special needs, the website offers information on how to write a resume and prepare a professional portfolio. It also provides tips on how to prepare for a job interview and makes the applicants aware about the crucial questions that may be asked in a job interview.Furthermore, the career center provides details regarding career paths related to special education that people may choose to specialize in, other than being a classroom teacher. Some career paths may include art therapist, educational audiologist, educational diagnostician, rehabilitation counselor, school psychologist, speech language pathologist, and therapeutic recreation specialist among others. Information on the occupational outlook and average salary of public school teachers taken from the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics may be viewed in the webpage.The CEC website is also an online job board for employers who are looking for qualified special educators and for the job seekers who are looking for new positions or opportunities to work as special education teachers. An in-depth look into the website would give the special education stud ents and educators a knowledge that CEC adheres to strict professional ethics and standard as it provides resources for the highly qualified requirements for special education teachers as set forth in the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).The comprehensive, easy to use resource will assist educators in determining the background special educators need to be deemed high qualified as it covers all aspects of the issue to make it easy for educators to understand the law, terminology, the requirements special educators must meet, and how IDEA and NCLB intersect.There are several research papers that can be downloaded and read online with regards to evidence-based practice, current issues, instructional strategies, CEC articles, topics related to professional practice, instruction and curriculum in subject areas such as arts, reading, language, math, writing, science, foreign language, physical education, speech and language, self-discrimin ation, and social skills.To keep abreast on the latest news, technology advancement, and topics related to special education, readers may subscribe to the CEC Smartbrief or to some CEC publications, e. g. Exceptional Children, Teaching Exceptional Children, CEC Today, Teaching Exceptional Children Plus (TEC Plus), and Life Centered Career Education (LCCE). There are online courses for continuing education, web seminars, and regional workshops for SPED practitioners.Special education professionals and students from different countries may join the CEC blog, interact and share information related to teaching strategies, classroom management, behavior modification, and individual educational program. Conclusion The Council for Exceptional Children website has a wealth of information for parents of children with exceptionalities, special education teachers, students and paraprofessionals.The website is filled with resources for individuals who intend to become special educators as well as practitioners who would like to enhance their knowledge and skills through the online professional development courses, web seminars, regional workshops or customize training. The blog offered by CEC is a site where special education teachers can share their expertise and contribute to improve the quality of life and education for persons with exceptionalities. Reference Council for Exceptional Children (2008). About CEC. Retrieved on June 20, 2008 from http://www. cec. sped. org/AM/Template. cfm? Section=About_CEC.

Jack Davis Essay

Jack Davis’s poems present a passionate voice for the indigenous people; it explores such issues as the identity problems, the wider sense of loss in Aboriginal cultures and the clash of Aboriginal and White law. This can be seen in the poems â€Å"Desolation† and â€Å"The First Born†. Both of the poems clearly emphasises the plight of the Aboriginals in today’s society. Through the first poem â€Å"Desolation†, the title already hints the poor situation they are in, with complete no recognition; they are devastating, isolated and miserable. By using first person in the Aboriginals voice, the poem is full of anger towards the whites who invaded their homes and ruined their balance with the land. â€Å"You have turned our land into a desolate place.† This was the first sentence of the poem, it is directly addressing to the reader suggesting the â€Å"white† people, this emphasises their enmity for losing their â€Å"mother† land which they have been living on for more than 40,000 years. In this piece, Davis also expressed their true conditions, feelings and emotional thoughts due to the whites’ invasion. â€Å"What are we? Where are we?† The voice is confused, helpless; they are not recognized, they are forced to live in a new way, in the white’s way, which is a torment for them to adapt and accept. â€Å"We are tired of the benches, our beds in the park. We welcome the sundown and heralds the dark.† It is suggesting they are homeless, they have not just lost their tribal life, land and rights, they do not even own a shelter for themselves, their way of living and culture have been complete wiped out by the whites, no longer have freedom, so disappointed to the society that they have no hope for tomorrow. Davis wrote this poem in the Aboriginal people’s voice, they are angry for what they are suffering, but they are also standing up for themselves, a better life and their justice, rights and recognition. The second poem â€Å"The First Born† also emphasises the poor situation the Aboriginals are in. Just like the first poem, it is also written in first person, but in a different angle, the â€Å"mother† land’s perspective. It uses lots of emotive language and negative words to present the enmity and hatred towards the whites â€Å"you whom I bore after†, whereas the first poem stated out their situation and true thoughts to emphasis the point. This poem used personification to show the inseparable connection between the Aboriginal people and their land as a mother and her child, â€Å"They were formed of my dust†, the passion towards the land is clearly

50 Latin Phrases You Should Know

50 Latin Phrases You Should Know 50 Latin Phrases You Should Know 50 Latin Phrases You Should Know By Mark Nichol Latin expressions are often adopted into English, often with an extended or figurative meaning. Here are fifty of the most common phrases, followed by their literal translation in Latin and the meaning in English (omitted when the meaning follows the literal translation). 1. a posteriori (from the latter): based on experience 2. a priori (from the earlier): independent of experience 3. ad hoc (for this): said of something created or formed for a special case 4. ad infinitum (to infinity): something that keeps going forever 5. alea jacta est (the die is cast): said when a plot is set into motion 6. ars longa, vita brevis (art is long, life is short) 7. casus belli: (cause of war): where the blame lies 8. caveat emptor (let the buyer beware): a reference to the principle that a customer is responsible for making sure that a product is in good working order 9. compos mentis (of healthy mind): sane 10. ex cathedra (from the chair): with the full authority of office (often used in reference to the Catholic pope’s infallibility, but also employed in other contexts) 11. ex post facto (after the fact): realized with hindsight 12. de facto (from fact): something that happens in practice but is not necessarily established by law 13. de jure (from law): the contrary of de facto; something established by law 14. dies irae (day of judgment) 15. dramatis personae (persons of the drama): refers to a list of actors, or to the principal participants of an event or in a group 16. genius loci (guardian spirit): the character of a place 17. honoris causa (for the sake of the honor): an honorary degree 18. horribile dictu (horrible to say) 19. in extremis (in the farthest reaches): in a difficult situation, or at the point of death 20. in flagrante delicto (in the burning crime): caught in the act 21. in medias res (into the middle of things): in the midst of action (said of the opening of a story or account) 22. in situ (in that place): in its original place 23. in toto (as a whole) 24. ipso facto (by the very fact): because of that fact 25. inter alia (among other things) 26. mea culpa (I am responsible): forgive me 27. memento mori (remember that you must die): a reminder of mortality 28. mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body) 29. mirabile dictu (amazing to say) 30. modus operandi (method of operating): way of working (also MO) 31. ne plus ultra (none more beyond): without equal, the greatest degree 32. non sequitur (it does not follow): said of something that does not logically relate to what came before 33. nota bene (note well): take note (also NB) 34. o tempora o mores (oh, the times, oh, the morals): said in criticism of behavior 35. omnia vincit amor (love conquers all) 36. panem et circenses (bread and circuses): said of things offered to the masses to distract them from what they should attend to for their own benefit 37. per se (by itself) 38. post hoc ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore because of this): effect follows cause 39. prima facie (at first look): based on the first impression, or accepted as correct until proved otherwise 40. primus inter pares (first among equals) 41. pro forma (for form): for the sake of appearances or form 42. quid pro quo (this for that): something given in exchange for something else (hence quid, the nickname for the pound in UK currency) 43. quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who watches the watchers?): who shall protect us against those who (supposedly) protect us? 44. sic transit gloria mundi (thus passes the glory of the world): fame is fleeting in this world 45. sine qua non (without which thing . . . not): said of something indispensable 46. sub rosa (under the rose): happening or done in secret 47. sui generis (in its own class): unique 48. tabula rasa (scraped tablet): blank slate (the concept of the human mind before it receives impressions from experience) 49. tempus fugit (time flies) 50. terra firma (solid ground): often used figuratively to refer to certainty 51. vox populi (voice of the people) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?Acronym vs. InitialismRite, Write, Right, Wright

Analyse the star persona

Analyse the star persona FILM AND TV STUDIES WORK PROGRAMME ESSAY QUESTIONS 1. Analyse the star persona of any actor of your choosing. What traits connotations and values does that star persona embody and to what extent does he or she bring the same traits, connotations and values to each role? You should answer with close reference to at least THREE films. In this essay I am going to analyse the star persona of one of Bollywood most successful actor, Shahrukh Khan, also known as SRK. Shahrukh Khan has made over fifty movies over the years; starting from 1992 he made his debut film Deewana (1992) which gave him box office hit. This gave him the most successful launch of his career in the Bollywood film industry. His role in the film gave achieved him Filmfare for the best Debut Award. There are three films of Shahrukh Khan that I am going to use close reference to, they are, KKHH (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Something Happens 1998), K3G (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes Sadness 2001) and (Chak De! India Come On India 2007). The reason I chose these movies as these movies are very well known for big the success of his acting part in these movies. KKHH is a story of a simple stylish, sensuous and ambrosial love triangle story. Rahul (Shahrukh Khan) the tomboy Anjali (Kajol). They are both students at St Xavier’s College. They are the best of friends. One day Tina, (Rani Mukerji), the principals daughter enrols the college. She is from London and is very beautiful, feminine and sophisticated and the opposite of Anjali. Rahul falls for her as they meet for the first time. Anjali then realises that she has feeling for Rahul and did not realise the careless comment on his part that she had heard, which equated love with friendship. This causes the love triangle to unfold. When one day Rahul confesses his love for Tina to Anjali, Anjali leaves the college, to forge the heartbreak that has caused her. Tina and Rahul marry and have a daughter whom they name Anjali. Tina di es after childbirth but has written a series of eight letters. On Anjali birthday she asks about where her name has come from. Rahul daughter Anjali believes that the older Anjali can make her father happy again and decided to help him reclaim his lost love. Rahul then meets Anjali again at a camp where Rahul daughter has enrolled, where her namesake is the counsellor. The namesake discoverers without the knowledge of the girl, the truth of her new charges of parentage. Rahul finds the old feelings reviving. But Anjali has bowed to her family’s wishes and is engaged to another man. Complications ensue, but all ends well as Anjali fiancà © steps aside to let the fated couple marry at last. Richard Dyer in his book says â€Å"A star image is made out of media texts that can be grouped together as promotion, publicity, films and commentaries/criticism†. SRK falls directed into all these mentioned. Promotion is one big main thing is what makes SRK. Although he is worldwid e famous primarily to the South Asian ethnicity around the world, most of the promotion is spread over India itself.

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

Sustainability - Essay Example ..7 SUSTAINABILITY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.8 REFERENCES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 FIGURE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦PAGE # Fig 1†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.6 INTRODUCTION:- There are extensive pressures on the nations to meet the water demands according ly because of international conflicts, economic crisis, poverty, and water availability etc. PCA states that only 0.3 percent of total water is can be used for drinking purposes (PCA, 2005).Global issues stated from the report that 1.1 billion people in developing countries having inadequate access to water (Global issues, 2010). Not only a management that is expert in the level is required but along with it there is a need to use alternatives water resources for the future water use that is affordable and even if it is not, then external funding for the transfer of the water is required. It tells us that sea water can be used in the developing countries for the different water use requirements. Although the water treatment for the sea water is not an easy task, but still it can be used as an alternative water source. Still the transferring of sea water to different parts of the developing countries could be costly, and extensive water supply engineering is required and a need to ma nage these water storage and transport facilities is a matter of cost and debate. National geographic society states that if water source is not within one kilometer range then per capita consumption drops to 5 liters/person (National Geographic News, 2003). The sea water hence could be used as a water resource in the developing countries, but along with this intervention, the need to recycle the sea water must also be taken into consideration. Specially for domestic purposes it could be used as a good alternatives source, but for drinking it depends on the area and geography, that either other clean drinking water resources are present in the country or not. The sea water could be used after the treatments such as distillation, electrolysis, and reverse osmosis. The countries such as Pakistan, Africa, India, Srilanka, Nepal, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Kenya, South Africa are the countries that are exposed with the sea water and these nations has from little to extensive problems of wate r scarcity or water quality. There is a need to design the treatment plants for sea water purification, the water transport facility, water supply engineering to closely related areas, and the reservoirs for containment. Houston news states that non-profit organization brings ways to solve the problems of third world countries (Houston News, 2011). Also Life Science states that 15000 desalination plants are there in the world working and more with cheaper costs are estimated (Life science, 2011). SPECIFICATION:- These are the stated initial design specifications that are important for the project to be implemented. Rough design requirements for the

The fourth amendment and NYPD Surveillance Essay

The fourth amendment and NYPD Surveillance - Essay Example Surveillance has also included such activities as monitoring websites frequented by Muslim students. A reason used by the NYPD has included permeation of Muslim communities in New York by extremist Muslims. The premise of this paper is to study the various facets of this surveillance, its benefits, and its criticisms and counter criticisms. In addition, this paper also discusses whether NYPD Surveillance has failed to uphold the U.S. constitution, particularly the fourth amendment. Since terrorists attacked New York on September 11th of 2001, the most aggressive intelligence agency, at least domestically, has been the NYPD (Tutt, 2012). The Demographics unit, a secret unit formed by the NYPD, has sent officers in ordinary clothes, mostly of Arab descent, into Muslim populated neighbourhoods to catalogue Muslim congregations in grocery stores, restaurants, travel agencies & also to photograph their places of worship. These officers acted via spying on businesses, eavesdropping on conv ersations, all the while filing reports daily on the various ethnic backgrounds of clientele, owners, and whatever they happened to overhear (Tutt, 2012). This program was based on no criminal activity neither did it stop at the boundaries of New York City. The goal revolved around the complete comprehension of communities professing Islam in New York, as well as around it. Their aim was to identify problematic areas explicitly, while working to prevent any further attacks. Student organizations formed by Muslims were not spared either, including their prayer groups. Names of professors and students were included by the officers in their files, even where no criminal allegations could be defined. Those allies of Islam who had supported mayor Bloomberg in denouncing of terrorism were themselves also victims of this NYPD monitoring (Tutt, 2012). Muslims who changed names to sound more American, or took on names that sounded more Arabic, were catalogued in the secret police files. Lice nse plate numbers at mosques were photographed and recorded, with their occupants pictured and filmed as they arrived for worship. Inside the mosques, undercover officials and informants aided the police in building files on sermons, even those that were irrelevant and innocuous (Tutt, 2012). The surveillance was kept under wraps for a long while, aided in no small part by the secrecy surrounding the unit. This secrecy was crucial for the uninterrupted work carried out by the NYPD. The â€Å"scandal† only came to light through the exposes printed by the associated press, which shocked the Muslim community, not only in New York, but also around the country & the world. There was an outpouring of anger, with hundreds of protesters gathering outside Fordham Law School to protest a speech by the commissioner of police, Raymond Kelly, where he was defending the controversial operation (Press, A, 2012). Numerous articles in various news papers also criticized the NYPD for what they called new age racism. Criticism of the NYPD surveillance has been savage and unrelenting. The white paper, authored by the NYPD, titled Radicalization in the West: the Home Grown Threat, was recently exposed and has been especially ravaged by columnists (Tutt, 2012). Some of its criticism has to do with perceived myths that are believed to have constituted the basis for the entire counter-terrorism philosophy, which

Formal report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Formal report - Assignment Example This paper will give an overview of what social networking is about, what it is used for and will endeavor to give examples of companies and their social networking strategies. A social networking plan and recommendations will also be given specifically for Stone Shine, a stone cleaner product that the company, Deb Richey Co. launched online. A social network service is defined as â€Å"the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small rural communities or a neighborhood subdivision† (Social, 2011). While the networking can be done physically such as in a workplace, or at school, social networking is most popular online. This is because the internet has transcended physical barriers and has made it possible for millions of people from all over the world to come together for a shared interest. Connecting is no longer impeded by the inability to physically come together. Social networking websites function like an online community of internet users (Social, 2011). Members communicate by email, forum posts, blogs, comments and instant messages. These are all features that can be made available by the varied social network sites. By becoming a member, these sites give every individual the chance to create his/her own profile. Having a personal profile lets members put personal information and define their personal interests, this is what sets social networking platforms apart from offline ones. There is ease of access to member information that makes it accessible to other members, making it easier for people to interact. The networking part also does not have to happen in real-time. This takes away the pressure of having to interact within a time frame, as with personal meetings, or whether to even react at all. Because there is this absence of pressure to connect plus the ease of access, social networking is a very enjoyable activity for lots of peo ple. Coupled with the fact that man is a social

Tesco Versus Sainsbury Financial Performance Analysis Finance Essay

Tesco Versus Sainsbury Financial Performance Analysis Finance Essay Food retailing has traditionally been highly competitive with significant pressure on margins and cost control. The UK retailers like Tesco, MS, Sainsburys, Asda faced further challenges when the consumer confidence index surged due to the financial crisis and job losses. Still, food retailers seemed to have found successful anti-crisis policies when compared to the performance of their high-street competitors (Brand Republic, February 2009). The report hereto would investigate and compare the financial performance of two of the largest UK food retailers J Sainsbury plc and Tesco plc. The scope of the analysis would be the three latest financial years 2007-2009. The main analytical technique would be ratio analysis looking at companies profitability, performance and financial stability. Latest share information would also be examined briefly. The report would start with a short introduction of both businesses, proceed to a comparison between them based on certain ratios or indicators and end with a conclusion identifying which business performed better in the last three years. Tesco plc Company Profile Tesco plc is a UK-based retail business being number one in its home market and the third worlds largest retailer in terms of revenue after Wal Mart and Carrefour (Tesco, 2010). The company was established by Jack Cohen in 1919 in East London as a grocery selling stall. He expanded the business and in 1947 Tesco plc was floated on the London Stock Exchange (Tesco, 2010). At present Tesco has operations across varied retail segments and in about 15 international locations including Europe, US and Asia (Tesco, 2010). As per latest company data Tesco has a portfolio of 2Â  306 stores in the UK and its UK market share reached 30,7% in 2009 (The Guardian, Nov 2009). Tesco has further 2Â  400 stores internationally (Tesco, 2010). The corporate strategy of business and geography diversification of Tesco was initiated in mid 1990s with the aim of broadening the business scope in order to deliver strong sustainable long-term growth. Currently, the business includes also financial services and the Tesco mobile since 2003. Currently, Tesco plc has a market capitalization in excess of GBP 33b and employs about 440Â  000 people. Terry Leahy was appointed for a CEO in 1997 (Tesco, 2010). J Sainsbury plc Company Profile J Sainsbury plc is the corporate entity of the food retail chain Sainsburys. The company is UK-based and is currently the third largest supermarket chain in the UK with an estimated market share of approximately 16.3% (Sainsburys, 2010). Sainsburys was initially founded in 1869 as a family business by John James Sainsbury and his wife Mary Ann. The business expanded quickly and became the largest grocery retailer in 1922 (Sainsburys, 2010). It kept its leadership position up until the mid 1990 when due to internal problems and loss of focus it was replaced by Tesco and Asda (becoming second largest retailer in 2003, The Telegraph, June 2009). Presently, as per latest company information, Sainsburys consists of a chain of 525 supermarkets, 303 convenience stores, a Real Estate Division managing some of the store properties and a Financial Services Division (Sainsburys Bank, offering insurance, credit cards, loans, etc.). The company employs about 150Â  000 employees (Sainsburys, 2010). The business serves over 18.5 million customers a week, as the product range already includes clothing and home furnishing lines. Online shopping and delivery is also available to the Sainsburys customers. With respect to ownership and management, J Sainsbury plc is publicly traded company listed on the London Stock Exchange and ranks into the FTSE 100 index. The Sainsbury family has approximately 15% interest in the company. Justing King with a number of top management position in the UK retail industry was appointed for CEO of J Sainsbury plc. David Tylor is the chairman of the board. (Sainsburys, 2010) Tesco plc and J Sainsbury Financial analysis The section would present the financial analysis of both Tesco and Sainsburys. The analysis will be based on the calculation of a number of ratios measuring profitability, efficiency, financial standing and investment opportunities. As discussed by Berk and DeMarzo (2007), ratio analysis is most powerful when the results for a given company are compared with the ones of a close competitor, the industry average or to the historical trend for the same company. Thus, the analysis would cover a period of three years 2007-2009 and would contrast the performance of both companies which are considered to be a very close business match. Both companies performance would be benchmarked to the industry average indicators where appropriate. The calculations are based on financial information available in the company annual reports. Profitability analysis As discussed by Atrill (2002), profitability measures (ratios) show how a company uses its resources. Profit margins show how much the business is able to retain in excess to the cost of its operations. Return ratios, on the other hand, indicate if it is able to generate enough return for the capital supplier. Return on capital employed (ROCE) represents the overall return on the all capital employed (equity and debt) in the business. As discussed in the business valuation literature (Palepu, 2004), there is empirical evidence that ROCE is affected by market forces and mean reverts in long-term and for mature companies. The level of mean-reversion is towards the long-term weighted-average cost of capital (WACC) of about 8-10%, suggesting elimination of abnormal profits over long periods of the business life. Looking at the ROCE of both companies, Tesco fits in the expectations with its measure declining from 13% in 2007 to 9% in 2009. On the contrary, Sainsburys operates substantially below the average at 4-5% ROCE over the period. It is further alarming that Sainsburys ratio is on decreasing trend in 2009. It should be kept in mind that the ratios may be affected by the accounting practices, as the so-called dirty-surplus items are usually put in the equity section of the balance sheet. F urther, the ROCE itself does not give information where the performance comes from. So, decomposition of the ratio is needed (ROCE = RNOA+FLEV EFFECT) Return on net operation assets (RNOA) behaves similarly to ROCE, as in long-term RNOA levels of old companies have proven to mean revert to average levels between 8 and 15%, as companies with lower RNOA levels tend to increase and visa versa (Palepu, 2004). In the particular case, we can see that Tesco again generates higher return of about 8-5% compared to 3% for Sainsburys over the three year period. It can also be noted that the Sainburys RNOA is stable over the period while the one of Tesco decreases almost 50%. A possible reason may be disproportionate addition of assets compared to the sales growth. Investigating this further, we see that Tescos sales grew by 10% and 13% in 2008 and 2009 respectively, while its total assets grew by 22% and 53% for the same period. Sainsburys shows a more proportionate behavior of growth with sales increasing 3% and 5% in 2008 and 2009 and total assets growing by 5% and -1% over the same period. The 5% sales growth in 2009 is even more impressiv e when noted that it is achieved by the same asset base as in 2008. Still, for a better understanding of the profitability drivers, RNOA can be further decomposed to the expression NOPAT margin*asset turnover. Looking at the profit margins of both businesses, expectedly their margins are low due to the saturation of the industry. Tescos gross profit margin (GPM) has been stable at about 7,5%, while the one of Sainsburys decreased from 6,8% in 2007 to 5,5% in 2009. Still, both companies operate at substantially higher margins than the industry average of 2,2% (Reuters). The further vertical analysis of the income statements shows that the decrease in Tescos GPM translates into decreasing operating profit margin as well (from 6,2% to 5,9%), while Sainsburys actually achieved a stable increase in the OPM of 0,6% over the three years period. Sainsburys performance suggests management involvement in operational efficiency and cost control trying to improve the bottom line. However, the after tax profit margin of Sainsburys actually decreased with 0,4% to 1,5% in 2009. Tesco NOPAT margin also decreased over the period, but is materially higher being 4% in 2009. As suggested by Palepu (2004), mat ure industries with high level of competition are normally expected to compensate low margins with high turnover. The asset turnover ratio (ATO) is an efficiency measure rather than profitability one. However, it would be considered here as it has direct effect on the overall ROCE. The ATO ratio shows how effectively the assets of the company are used to generate sales (Berk and DeMarzo, 2007). Empirical evidence shows that it tends to stay constant over time except when some new technology is introduced and efficiency of operations is improved (Palepu, 2004). Retail industry is not technology-intensive and substantial changes in ATO are not expected to occur over short periods as the scope of the analysis hereto. Still, Tescos ATO decreased notably from 1,72 in 2007 to 1,18 in 2009. The anomaly can be explained with the aggressive growth in assets (22% and 53% in 2008 and 2009 respectively) which did not translate into the same level of sales growth. On the contrary, Sainsburys ATO improved slightly from 1,78 in 2007 to 1,88 in 2009 being again an evidence of tight efficiency control and focus. Sainsburys definitely compensate lower profitability with much higher efficiency of operations. Both companies operate at ATOs higher than the industry average of 0,26 (Reuters). Efficiency measures working capital management Working capital management and its components are further indication of a company operational efficiency. As explained by Weetman (2003), the working capital cycle presents the proportion of the operating activities that need to be covered with long-term financing. Thereby, the longer the cycle, the greater the need to employ long-term debt in operations rather than in investment activities. The inventory turnover in days for both Tesco and Sainsburys is 16-18 days and 13-14 days respectively. The period is quite short, even though it is in line with the expectations for the retail industry. Still, Sainsburys perform slightly better in terms of inventory management. Sainsburys seems to have also better receivables collection management with its days receivables being below a day opposed to Tescos days receivables of 1,85 days in 2009. The measure increased slightly (with 0,5 days) for both companies over the three years. Still, a good explanation of the trend may be the increased number of card payments and online shopping volume over the years. In terms of negotiating credit from suppliers (days payables) both companies pay settle payables within 35-36 days on average in 2009. However, the measure has been increasing for Tesco (from 32 days in 2007), while decreasing for Sainsburys (from 39 days in 2007). Being times bigger, Tesco would be expected to have better negotiation power over its suppliers, however Sainsburys also managed to stay competitive in this respect. Overall, calculating the total length of the working capital cycle for both, we obtain negative numbers due to the short inventory and receivables cycles and the long credit lines with suppliers. The result suggests that Tesco and Sainsburys have healthy short-term financial management and they actually utilize suppliers financial resources. Solvency and liquidity analysis As indicated by Atrill (2002), solvency and liquidity ratios indicate the ability of a business to cover its current liabilities, as well as its long-term financial health and stability. In short-run ability to cover debt-servicing payments, as well as other trade claims, is vital, while the capital structure and the debt burden on the total assets is more important in long-run. Tesco has healthy current ratio close to 6 in 2009 (about 3 in 2007-2008) and a quick ratio strictly above 1 for the whole period. However, Sainsburys financial position is quite different. Both ratios are below 1 and have been following a decreasing trend over the three years period. Food retailing is high turnover industry and definitely is not considered to be among the high volatility ones. Thus, current and quick ratios below one are normal. Still, Sainsburys ratios are materially lower even than the industry average (Sainsburys quick ration was 0,31 in 2009 compared to 0,82 for the industry). Still, it is positive that the company has healthy interest coverage which appears negative due to interest income being more than interest expenses. Tesco also has good interest coverage of 8 in 2009 (decreasing from 12 in 2007). In terms of solvency, as expected from the industry context, both companies have relatively high debt levels at about 50% of equity. The levels are twice the industry average of 24% (Reuters). Tesco loaded on debt aggressively in 2009 with its financial leverage reaching 50% in order to finance expansion. Still, this is not considered as a serious threat given the good performance and short-term financial stability indicators. Share price analysis Tescos share price has been fluctuating over the past 3 years between 300p and 470p. It currently trades at about 445p a share and has been increasing since April last year from its low at 300p per share. Sainsburys share price seemed to be a bit less volatile in short-term, even though it traded in the range of 280 600p over the 3 years period. The price went through a few significant drops and adjusted to an annual average of 330p for the last year. In terms of multiples, both Tesco and Sainsburys trade at P/E ratios close to 16 indicating high confidence of investors in the future growth of the businesses. Still, Tesco trades at a bit better P/B of 2,60 compared to Sainsburys P/B of 1,44 (Reuters). Generally, both P/B ratios are low, still it needs to be accounted that the industry is very competitive and mature. Analysts seem to be more confident in Tescos performance (Bar Cap Wealth Management), with Tesco being a buy and Sainsburys being hold as at the last recommendations available (Reuters). Conclusion Financial analysis and ratio analysis in particular are only one of the tools that a potential investor may and should use. The analysis is mostly based on accounting information (companys annual reports) that due to accounting practices may not fully reflect the market value of a company. Furthermore, the analysis examines the past performance of a company and it may be a point considering its future abilities, but it is in no way decisive. Past cannot be used as a determinant of the future. Applied to Tesco and Sainsburys, the tool revealed useful baseline for further study of the companies. Tesco can definitely be seen as a leader in growth and profit margins. However, it performed relatively poor in terms of efficiency compared to Sainsburys. Still, as both companys report annual accounts early in the year, the information analyzed failed to account for the later fast growth in like-for-like sales of Sainsburys at 7,8% compared to 4,3% of Tesco (The Telegraph, June 2009) and the announcement of aggressive expansion plans. Still, assuming the markets have reacted efficiently, the information should be captured in the current share prices of companies.