AstraZeneca Financing Analysis The WritePass Journal

AstraZeneca Financing Analysis Introduction AstraZeneca Financing Analysis ). Based on AstraZeneca’s figures, it has a gearing of 58%, as calculated in the table below: Long Term Liabilities $13.606 billion Total Equity $23.472 billion Gearing % 58% Long-term liabilities have been utilized in this calculation, as a bulk of the organisation’s short term liabilities are in the form of trade and other receivables, which are not necessarily considered financing options (Investopedia, 2012). According to Brigham and Ehrhardt (2010), an optimum gearing percentage is 50%, and companies with a higher percentage are usually regarded as â€Å"being aggressive in their long term financing†. AstraZeneca is 58% leveraged, so it can be assumed that the organization is using debt aggressively to finance its operations. Based on the charts below, it can be seen that AstraZeneca’s financing options has changed considerably over the past 7 years. The use of long-term debt as a source of financing has increased exponentially from $2.621 billion in 2003 to a high of $17 billion 2007, and most recently been on the decline to $13 billion. Total equity has also rise over the same period but not as high as long term debt. The financing options have been determined by calculating the leveraging percentage for each of the financial years from 2003 to 2011. The leveraging percentage for AstraZeneca has increased in line with the use of debt financing, and this has risen from 19.77% in 2003 to 58% in 2011. The results show that AstraZeneca is increasingly relying on debt as a form of financing, and is riskier for investors seeking to invest. However it has taken steps over the past 5 years to reduce its exposure to debt financing. This could be as a result of the financial crisis. The level of risk that could be attributable to this percentage can only be determined by assessing its leverage (and other financial ratios) against that of competitors in the industry to ascertain whether it is of an optimal standard or not. Overall, AstraZeneca seems to be increasingly financed by debt and this has risen over the past 7 years. References AstraZeneca (2012) Annual Reports, www.astrazeneca.com, accessed: 07/05/2012 Brigham, E. F., and Ehrhardt, M. C. (2010) Financial Management Theory and Practice, Cengage Learning, 1184pp Investopedia (2012) Leveraging Ratio, www.investopedia.com, accessed: 07/05/2012

How to Conjugate Réveiller (to Wake up) in French

How to Conjugate Rà ©veiller (to Wake up) in French In French, the verb  rà ©veiller  means to wake up or to awaken. You can remember it by thinking of the reveille of a bugle waking soldiers up in the morning. When you want to say things like I woke up or he is waking, youll need to know how to conjugate the verb. A quick lesson will show you how thats done. The Basic Conjugations of  Rà ©veiller Some French verbs are simpler to conjugate than others and rà ©veiller falls into the easier category. Thats because it is a regular -er verb, meaning it follows the most common conjugation rules found in the language. If youve studied similar words, you should be a little more comfortable memorizing this one. As with all conjugations, we must first identify the verb stem:  reveill-. To this, a variety of infinitive endings are added to create the various conjugations. All you have to do to learn these endings is look for the subject pronoun and the proper tense in the chart. For instance, I am waking up is  je rà ©veille  and we woke up is  nous rà ©veillions. You can make these easier to remember by practicing them every morning when you wake up. Present Future Imperfect je rveille rveillerai rveillais tu rveilles rveilleras rveillais il rveille rveillera rveillait nous rveillons rveillerons rveillions vous rveillez rveillerez rveilliez ils rveillent rveilleront rveillaient The Present Participle of  Rà ©veiller As with most French verbs, an -ant ending is added to the verb stem to create the present participle. For rà ©veiller, that forms the word rà ©veillant. Rà ©veiller  in the Compound Past Tense A  common way to express the past tense in French is the compound known as the  passà © composà ©. To form this, youll need the  auxiliary verb  avoir  as well as the  past participle  rà ©veillà ©. It comes together quickly: I woke up is  jai rà ©veillà ©Ã‚  and we woke up is  nous avons rà ©veillà ©. Notice how  avoir  was conjugated into the present tense according to the subject. Also, the past participle doesnt change, but it does take over the job of indicating that the act has already happened. More Simple Conjugations of  Rà ©veiller At times, you may need a few more simple forms of  rà ©veiller. The subjunctive, for example, implies some uncertainty to the action while the conditional says someone will wake up only if something else happens (the alarm goes off, perhaps). The passà © simple  and  the imperfect subjunctive are used less frequently but are good to know nonetheless. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je rveille rveillerais rveillai rveillasse tu rveilles rveillerais rveillas rveillasses il rveille rveillerait rveilla rveillt nous rveillions rveillerions rveillmes rveillassions vous rveilliez rveilleriez rveilltes rveillassiez ils rveillent rveilleraient rveillrent rveillassent The imperative verb mood is very useful with a verb like  rà ©veiller. It allows you to quickly command someone to Wake up! When using it, skip the subject pronoun and simply say, Rà ©veille  ! Imperative (tu) rveille (nous) rveillons (vous) rveillez

Palmistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Palmistry - Essay Example Notable people such as Paracelsus (1493-1541) and Fludd (1574-1637) brought respectability to palmistry through their writings. Later Dr. Carl Carus, physician to the king of Saxony in the 19th century matched palms to personality. Advances in genetics, psychology and forensics have propelled palmistry into the modern age. In 1901 Scotland yard adopted the technique of fingerprinting in criminal investigation and identification. Medical researchers studying skin patterns (dermatoglyphics), have discovered a correspondence between genetic abnormalities and unusual markings in the hand (Paralumun, ). Today, palmistry is recognized in every corner of the world. Do you like uncertainty Most people would definitely answer "NO." Every one of us, I believe, would like the feeling of security. Whether it be the amount of money that you have in your bank account, the job you have at present, the cozy place that you live in or the plans you have set to achieve your goal-anything or anyone that you think would provide you "a happy ever after." You will look for alternatives if you think that your choice in a given situation would do more harm than good. You may evaluate your previous actions, see what you have done that might have caused or will cause the predicaments, and identify corrective measures. You may even consult other people whom you think could provide you with answers in an instant. There are personal characteristics that, to some extent, will prompt you from choosing a particular action though. It does not apply that if an action (like choosing a particular job, people that you would be attracted to and vice versa, moods that you would have at a particular instance) is universally accepted will also work for you. Some says it is in the genes; others, like palmists, believe that the answers are in the palms of your hands. The purpose of this speech is twofold. First, to present a brief account on the origin of palmistry, some important factors considered in palm reading, and how these supposedly affect your personality and your future. Second, to present a better alternative to palmistry. To understand the process of palmistry one should have an open mind to life what ifs and that everything is for the unknown reason. Sometime we have to ask ourselves, "What is life all about" Journey Into Palmistry 4 A palmistry reader can interpret aspects of a persons' life by reading the lines of his palms. Palmistry begins with the obvious and proceeds, by innumerable intricate steps of

Second Amendment to Reduce Gun Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Second Amendment to Reduce Gun Violence - Essay Example This means that although this right is regulated, people still have a right to have a gun. Policies at the federal, local and state levels have attempted to address gun violence through a variety of ways, including restricting firearm purchases by youths, setting waiting periods for firearm purchases, enforcing of laws and community policing strategies, strict penalties for gun law offenders, education programs on gun safety for parents and children and community-outreach programs. Federal legislation also aims to prevent the sale of weapons deliberately to criminals domestically and people involved in uprisings abroad through prohibition of ATF. The legislation also prevents the local law enforcement from accessing digital databases for identification purposes of weaponry sale places for weapons recovered at the scenes of crime. The second amendment should not be revised since it protects the people from despotism from their own government or invasion. The amendment removes the powe r of the government to regulate firearms and also prevents the president or whoever is in charge of authority from restricting the freedom of the people of the United States in case a martial law was declared. The second amendment also emphasizes that citizens have to possess enough arms and ammunitions in order to maintain a status of independence from any authority that might attempt to abuse them including their own government. The second amendment gives private citizens the right to have knives, swords, pistols, rifles or anything else they want to defend themselves from others or the government. The second amendment does not have the constitutional authority to work against the wants of... Second Amendment to Reduce Gun Violence Gun violence is one of the leading causes of premature deaths in the United States because young victims are usually involved. Gun violence in the United States is highly extraordinary, and the homicide rate in the country is seven times higher than the combined homicide rate of 22 other high-income countries. There is a high prevalence of gun ownership in the country and less restrictive gun laws that are crucial contributions to the rates of violence as a result of crime in America compared to other countries with the same revenue levels with it. The American government is caught up in the firearm issue. Millions of American citizens own guns and use them responsibly but a few thousand gun owners on a yearly basis do not. There are huge economic costs associated with gun violence in the U.S because violent crime reduces tax revenues that local governments require to cater for the broad range of citizen needs. In order to reduce gun violence without revising the second amendment, new legislation and regulations that preserve the basic freedoms contained in the Bill of Rights must be made. The legislation must hold the view point that the privilege to possess weapons is only for life, property and liberty protection than any other selfish means. To be even, technology should be adapted to improve response times and stop intruders of any kind since regulating firearms alone cannot keep schools, streets and the public safe.

Tips About Writing About Yourself Essay Example for Free

Tips About Writing About Yourself Essay First you should gather all of your ideas.Writing is a process that involves at least four distinct steps: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. It is known as a recursive process. While you are revising, you might have to return to the prewriting step to develop and expand your ideas. Prewriting is anything you do before you write a draft of your document. It includes thinking, taking notes, talking to others, brainstorming, outlining, and gathering information Although prewriting is the first activity you engage in, generating ideas is an activity that occurs throughout the writing process. Drafting Drafting occurs when you put your ideas into sentences and paragraphs. Here you concentrate upon explaining and supporting your ideas fully. Here you also begin to connect your ideas. Regardless of how much thinking and planning you do, the process of putting your ideas in words changes them; often the very words you select evoke additional ideas or implications. Dont pay attention to such things as spelling at this stage. This draft tends to be writer-centered: it is you telling yourself what you know and think about the topic. Revising Revision is the key to effective documents. Here you think more deeply about your readers needs and expectations. The document becomes reader-centered. How much support will each idea need to convince your readers? Which terms should be defined for these particular readers? Is your organization effective? Do readers need to know X before they can understand Y? At this stage you also refine your prose, making each sentence as concise and accurate as possible. Make connections between ideas explicit and clear. Editing Check for such things as grammar, mechanics, and spelling. The last thing you should do before printing your document is to spell check it. Dont edit your writing until the other steps in the writing process are complete.

Chemistry of PNA Peptide Nucleic Acid Essay -- Biology Polymer Medical

Abstract For this report I chose to study PNA, or peptide nucleic acid, a biological polymer that was related to the biomedical field of research. I was very interested in this synthesized molecule because of its inimitable and remarkable properties, comparatively to other nucleic acids such as the more commonly known DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, and RNA, or ribonucleic acid. I also wanted to understand its uses and possible uses in everyday life. My main goal was to learn about the structure, significance, and clinical applications of PNA. Essay Imagine being able to solve problems such as cancer by just a few molecules. Think of all of the lives that would be saved by this miracle molecule. Well, there may be such a thing, and that too a polymer that is similar to DNA. This wonder-molecule is called peptide nucleic acid, or PNA. PNAs can bind with high specificity to a selected target in a gene sequence, so this makes them very significant, especially in the medicinal and biotechnological perspectives. However, before learning how PNA is useful in that way, it is crucial to learn about its properties and their meaning. Peptide nucleic acid is a very special polymer that is unique in its characteristics, functions, and use in the modern world. 3 Although PNA may not be a common household word, it is quite familiar to molecular scientists all over the world. It is a potent structural mimic of DNA with a pseudopeptide backbone. This is clearly shown by the image on the left, as the central composition of both nucleic acids are relatively analogous. The phosphodiester backbone of DNA is replaced in PNA by a 2- aminoethyl-glycine linkage. The structure of the molecule itself is a glycine molecule with .. ...nant Melanoma. 27 Oct. 2006. 29 July 2008 . [5]: Mondhe, Madhav. Figure 2. Chemical Structure of PNA & DNA. [PNA binding to DNA]. Digital image. Madhav Mondhe. 24 Oct. 2007. 29 July 2008 . Pellestor, Franck. PRINS and PNA Technologies in Chromosomal Investigation. New York: Nova Science, Incorporated, 2006. [4]: Vocke, Eric, Everardo Macias, and Virginia Evans. PNA Triplex Ball and Stick. Digital image. DNA Triplexes. 29 July 2008 gcntrl.html#location>. [3]: Vocke, Eric, Everardo Macias, and Virginia Evans. PNA Triplex Black and White. Digital image. DNA Triplexes. 29 July 2008 gcntrl.html#location>.

Coffee in the Philippines Essay

This Euromonitor market report provides market trend and market growth analysis of the Coffee industry in Philippines. With this market report, you’ll be able to explore in detail the changing shape and potential of the industry. You will now be able to plan and build strategy on real industry data and projections. The Coffee in Philippines market research report includes: Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends Detailed segmentation of international and local products Historic volumes and values, company and brand market shares Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth Robust and transparent market research methodology, conducted in-country Our market research reports answer questions such as: What is the market size of Coffee in Philippines? What are the major brands in Philippines? How significant is vending in coffee distribution? How does the increasing nuber of speciality coffee shops impact retail sales of coffee? What are the future prospects for instant 2-in-1 coffee, 3-in-1 coffee and 4-in-1 coffee? How are coffee pods performing in Philippines? Why buy this report? Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions This industry report originates from Passport, our Hot Drinks market research database. Each report is delivered with the following components: Report: PDF and Word Market statistics: Excel workbook SAMPLE ANALYSIS TRENDS Instant coffee mixes continued to gain popularity in both off-trade and on-trade channels in 2010. Rising demand for these products was due to the ease in preparation with minimal time involved, which is highly valued by.

Good Night Motel Case

When making his decision, McGregor should consider seriously the negative consequences that his business will experience if he refuses Alward’s offer to fill the motel for the two weekend nights in October, at half the room rate. If McGregor refuses, during that weekend his motel will be at his usual capacity of less than quarter full. With the church group there, paying half the rate, it will be as if the motel were half-full! In addition, if he refuses, McGregor’s reputation in the community will suffer, and he will also lose all future business from Alward’s group and other church groups, at regular price.Consequently, Justin McGregor should accept Alward’s offer but under the following two conditions: one, guest service will be limited so that McGregor can lower his costs; two, this is a special one-time deal that will never happen again for Alward or anyone else. The quantitative factors involved dictate that McGregor should accept Alward’s off er for accommodations for his church group, at half the room rate, for Friday and Saturday, October 26 and 27.According to the facts of the case, pre-2008, from October 16 to May 14, the motel was rarely more than a quarter full at any time while post-2008, the motel’s occupancy rates fell 7 to 15 percent year round. In other words, if McGregor refuses Alward’s offer, during that weekend, the motel will be at its usual capacity of less than quarter full. However, with the church group there, paying half the rate, it will be as if the motel were half-full! Half-full is better than less than a quarter full, so logic dictates that McGregor must accept Alward’s offer.There will be more guests occupying all rooms at half the rate than if there were regular guests paying the regular price and filling fewer than a quarter of the motel’s rooms. However, this fact means that service costs and maintenance cost will be higher with Alward’s group than with reg ular customers. In other words, with the motel being at full capacity, McGregor’s maintenance and cleaning staff will be a lot busier than usual, servicing a motel at full capacity.Paying for the maintenance and cleaning of all rooms at the motel will further decrease the amount of money that McGregor will make from Alward’s group. In other words, in strict quantitative terms, Alward’s offer is a bad idea for McGregor. However, in the small resort community where the motel is located, quantitative factors are not everything. McGregor will suffer all sorts of negative consequences from church groups and other members of the community if he refuses Alward’s offer. Therefore, the prudent thing to do is to accept Alward’s offer with two conditions. The opportunity costIn fact, McGregor should accept Alward’s offer but under the following two conditions: one, guest service will be limited so that McGregor can lower his costs; two, this is a speci al one-time deal that will never happen again for Alward or anyone else. Considering that McGregor and his wife run the motel, which is their source of livelihood, these two conditions are reasonable. In addition, McGregor should make sure to ask Alward to impress upon his church group that the fact they are paying half the regular motel price means that the church group will receive half the regular service!This means that the church group guests must be clean and tidy, and they must not depend on the motel’s maintenance people. In theory, none of this should be a problem, especially with a group of church people, who are supposed to be kind, understanding, cooperative, and so on. In any case, the fact that the church group will stay for only two days means that they most likely won’t make huge messes, so McGregor will not have to pay his cleaning crew to repair. In addition, the church group guests will probably spend most of their time during the day at the church a nd go to the motel mostly to sleep.All these facts are only fair to McGregor, whose livelihood depends on that motel, at a time of a weak national economy. Being â€Å"a good man† (p. 3), Alward must surely understand all these facts. As a result, if I were McGregor, I would respectfully explain all these facts to Alward, appeal to his sense of fairness, and ask for his cooperation. The qualitative factors that McGregor should consider have to do with Grand Bend, which is a small resort community. Refusing to accommodate a church group would bring negative publicity to the Good Night Motel.As a result, McGregor will lose all future business (at regular prices) from Alward’s church group and most likely from other church groups, too. In fact, besides being a good man, Alward is â€Å"well respected in the community† (p. 3). This fact means that McGregor should do all he can to develop a good working relationship with Alward, who will bring more church groups in t he future. If Alward asks for the half-price rate again in the future, McGregor will be in a much better position to refuse.The community people will not be as critical then (in the future, if Alward asks for the half-price deal again) as if they will be if McGregor refuses Alward’s first request. In other words, the resort community is too small for McGregor to decide solely based on the numbers. Reputation is very important in such communities, especially when church people are concerned. They tend to travel and spread the news about which businesses are customer-centered and which are money-centered, to put the matter simply.In general, when making a decision, managers need to consider the opportunity cost, which according to our textbook â€Å"is the sacrifice of the best alternative for a given action. An (accounting) expense is a cost incurred to generate a revenue† (p. 24). Since this is a small town, and the church group will stay for only two days, the opportu nity cost will bring more customers for the future. In addition, managers must consider the marginal cost, which according to our textbook â€Å"is the cost of producing one more unit† (p.28).In terms of cleaning the pool, it will not have an effect since most of the time people will spend in the church, and the only time they will spend in the Good Night Motel is night time only for sleeping purposes. As a result, the only additional cost to accommodate the guess is the cleaning service of the rooms. In addition, McGregor must consider his fixed cost, which is a cost that does not change with an increase or decrease in the amount of goods or services produced.In the final analysis, the fact that Alward is a good man who enjoys the community’s respect and the fact that he works with churches (a central institution in small communities) mean that McGregor can’t afford to refuse to work with Alward. Even if McGregor breaks even, he should still accommodate the chu rch group. If he doesn’t accommodate it, he will suffer all sorts of negative consequences: loss of future business from church groups at regular price, bad publicity in a small resort community, and so on. In other words, the big picture (quantitative factors) is more important in this case. Good Night Motel Case When making his decision, McGregor should consider seriously the negative consequences that his business will experience if he refuses Alward’s offer to fill the motel for the two weekend nights in October, at half the room rate. If McGregor refuses, during that weekend his motel will be at his usual capacity of less than quarter full. With the church group there, paying half the rate, it will be as if the motel were half-full! In addition, if he refuses, McGregor’s reputation in the community will suffer, and he will also lose all future business from Alward’s group and other church groups, at regular price.Consequently, Justin McGregor should accept Alward’s offer but under the following two conditions: one, guest service will be limited so that McGregor can lower his costs; two, this is a special one-time deal that will never happen again for Alward or anyone else. The quantitative factors involved dictate that McGregor should accept Alward’s off er for accommodations for his church group, at half the room rate, for Friday and Saturday, October 26 and 27.According to the facts of the case, pre-2008, from October 16 to May 14, the motel was rarely more than a quarter full at any time while post-2008, the motel’s occupancy rates fell 7 to 15 percent year round. In other words, if McGregor refuses Alward’s offer, during that weekend, the motel will be at its usual capacity of less than quarter full. However, with the church group there, paying half the rate, it will be as if the motel were half-full! Half-full is better than less than a quarter full, so logic dictates that McGregor must accept Alward’s offer.There will be more guests occupying all rooms at half the rate than if there were regular guests paying the regular price and filling fewer than a quarter of the motel’s rooms. However, this fact means that service costs and maintenance cost will be higher with Alward’s group than with reg ular customers. In other words, with the motel being at full capacity, McGregor’s maintenance and cleaning staff will be a lot busier than usual, servicing a motel at full capacity.Paying for the maintenance and cleaning of all rooms at the motel will further decrease the amount of money that McGregor will make from Alward’s group. In other words, in strict quantitative terms, Alward’s offer is a bad idea for McGregor. However, in the small resort community where the motel is located, quantitative factors are not everything. McGregor will suffer all sorts of negative consequences from church groups and other members of the community if he refuses Alward’s offer. Therefore, the prudent thing to do is to accept Alward’s offer with two conditions. The opportunity costIn fact, McGregor should accept Alward’s offer but under the following two conditions: one, guest service will be limited so that McGregor can lower his costs; two, this is a speci al one-time deal that will never happen again for Alward or anyone else. Considering that McGregor and his wife run the motel, which is their source of livelihood, these two conditions are reasonable. In addition, McGregor should make sure to ask Alward to impress upon his church group that the fact they are paying half the regular motel price means that the church group will receive half the regular service!This means that the church group guests must be clean and tidy, and they must not depend on the motel’s maintenance people. In theory, none of this should be a problem, especially with a group of church people, who are supposed to be kind, understanding, cooperative, and so on. In any case, the fact that the church group will stay for only two days means that they most likely won’t make huge messes, so McGregor will not have to pay his cleaning crew to repair. In addition, the church group guests will probably spend most of their time during the day at the church a nd go to the motel mostly to sleep.All these facts are only fair to McGregor, whose livelihood depends on that motel, at a time of a weak national economy. Being â€Å"a good man† (p. 3), Alward must surely understand all these facts. As a result, if I were McGregor, I would respectfully explain all these facts to Alward, appeal to his sense of fairness, and ask for his cooperation. The qualitative factors that McGregor should consider have to do with Grand Bend, which is a small resort community. Refusing to accommodate a church group would bring negative publicity to the Good Night Motel.As a result, McGregor will lose all future business (at regular prices) from Alward’s church group and most likely from other church groups, too. In fact, besides being a good man, Alward is â€Å"well respected in the community† (p. 3). This fact means that McGregor should do all he can to develop a good working relationship with Alward, who will bring more church groups in t he future. If Alward asks for the half-price rate again in the future, McGregor will be in a much better position to refuse.The community people will not be as critical then (in the future, if Alward asks for the half-price deal again) as if they will be if McGregor refuses Alward’s first request. In other words, the resort community is too small for McGregor to decide solely based on the numbers. Reputation is very important in such communities, especially when church people are concerned. They tend to travel and spread the news about which businesses are customer-centered and which are money-centered, to put the matter simply.In general, when making a decision, managers need to consider the opportunity cost, which according to our textbook â€Å"is the sacrifice of the best alternative for a given action. An (accounting) expense is a cost incurred to generate a revenue† (p. 24). Since this is a small town, and the church group will stay for only two days, the opportu nity cost will bring more customers for the future. In addition, managers must consider the marginal cost, which according to our textbook â€Å"is the cost of producing one more unit† (p.28).In terms of cleaning the pool, it will not have an effect since most of the time people will spend in the church, and the only time they will spend in the Good Night Motel is night time only for sleeping purposes. As a result, the only additional cost to accommodate the guess is the cleaning service of the rooms. In addition, McGregor must consider his fixed cost, which is a cost that does not change with an increase or decrease in the amount of goods or services produced.In the final analysis, the fact that Alward is a good man who enjoys the community’s respect and the fact that he works with churches (a central institution in small communities) mean that McGregor can’t afford to refuse to work with Alward. Even if McGregor breaks even, he should still accommodate the chu rch group. If he doesn’t accommodate it, he will suffer all sorts of negative consequences: loss of future business from church groups at regular price, bad publicity in a small resort community, and so on. In other words, the big picture (quantitative factors) is more important in this case. Addendum (Computations) 30 rooms 25% occupancy 8 rooms at $80$640 The rest 22 room at $40 per room22 rooms at $ 40$880 Total Revenue$1520 Additional cleaning Expense ( student Help)2 days 10 hour at $10/hour $200.00 Cleaning and laundry supply $12,070.00 Maintenance supply and expense $11,890.00 Utility including Internet $74,850.00 Total Variable cost per year $98,810.00 Per day $270.71 For two days $541.42 $541.42 Total additional variable cost $741.42 The revenue from the church guests is $880, and additional variable costs associated with accommodations is an extra $741.42.

Hawk Roosting Essay Example

Hawk Roosting Essay Example Hawk Roosting Essay Hawk Roosting Essay Essay Topic: poem Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men. Lord Acton. This is often true, especially when some of the most powerful rulers such as Hitler and Mussolini were bloodthirsty and merciless dictators. To many, Stalin was the epitome of a sadistic, power-hungry tyrant, in complete control. As it is often the powerless who want freedom, the world gets divided into the ones in power, the ones trying to gain power, and the ones rebelling against absolute power. Ted Hughes is a poet who uses animals to portray human emotions, such as greed and ambition. He personifies inanimate objects and emotions to bring across his message. In his poem Hawk Roosting, Hughes speaks in first person, the hawk as the speaker. His personal views, on many occasions clash with those of the hawk, which in my opinion is affective as it shows how the poet differs from his subject. In the first stanza, the poet very quickly takes us into the poem, by giving us an image of the hawk. It seems as though the speaker, the hawk, is indifferent about the readers presence as hes asleep. The hawk appears to be in control, as hes higher than anyone and anything else, I sit in the top of the wood. Also, he shows he feels hes invulnerable, and immortal, as if nothing can hurt him, with my eyes closed. The first stanza introduces the reader to the hawks attitude to life, explaining that he feels hes living his dream, and that his reality is as good as anybodys dream, inaction, no falsifying dream. : There is also a clear description of the physical appearance of the hawk, streamlined and sleek. The fact that the poet mentions the hawks head and feet, between my hooked head and my hooked feet, shows that the speaker, the hawk, sees himself as streamlined from the top to the bottom, and mentions the basic animal hunting tools, the claws and the beak. This suggests that although the hawk appears to have human emotions, the hawk itself, is merely an animal built for survival through hunting. The air of arrogance and control is already apparent, as the hawk, instead of sleeping like a ordinary animal, plans and perfects his kills; controlling sleep, therefore controlling nature, in sleep rehearsing perfect kills and eat. The fact that he refers to kills in plural, and eat in singular is unusual and suggests that he kills not only to survive, but sees it as an art; a skill to perfect and develop. In the second stanza, the reader is given an image of the hawks surroundings and environment. The poet highlights that the hawk is in control, through the description of the surroundings. Rather than describing what is there, Hughes describes the way the speaker, the hawk, sees everything, through the eyes of the hawk. By describing the advantages of the situation first, the poet starts off the stanza by putting the hawk in complete control of his surroundings, as if hes in harmony with nature, almost controlling it to his advantage, the convenience of the high trees! The fact that the hawk is on top of everything shows hes got an advantage above everything else, and also seems like hes looking down on everything as his property and belongings. This is also shown through the way he describes the elements; as if they were put there just for him, to his advantage, made the way he wants. Those advantages also help him hunt and survive, such as the airs buoyancy and the suns ray, the air helping him fly, and the sun blinding his victims. This feeling of possession is shown through the personification of the earth, the earths face upward for my inspection, as if the earths face, is staring up at it, in awe and inferiority; as if it is there for him to judge. After making the point about being on top of the wood in the first stanza, the poet then refers to how the hawk is sitting. As being on top of the wood is linked with being on top of the world, by saying that the hawk has his feet locked on the tree, the hawk is almost saying that he has his feet locked around the whole world My feet are locked upon the rough bark. This highlights how the hawk imagines himself to be in complete control of everything, the entire world. The next line accentuates the hawks perception of the world as being his, when he turns the tables, almost, on Mother Nature. It seems to the reader, as if in the hawks mind everything was pointless up until the moment in time when he was created. It appears as though, to the hawk, he is the perfect being, and has the right to control everything because it is all his and he were made to be in charge of everything. It took the whole of Creation/ to produce my foot, my each feather: / now I hold Creation in my foot. This sentence also gives the reader the impression that, in the hawks mind, the whole of creation exists because of him, and for him, and also as it apparently took so long for him to be made, he is perfect. The poet now begins to show how contradictory his own personal views are to the hawk. As we, the readers, by now have a clear image in our head of the power-corrupt hawk in our minds; Hughes now begins to subtly show us the hypocrisy in the hawks words. When the hawk is flying around what he thinks he owns, he seems to be judging it, which the reader might see as slightly futile, as even if he saw a flaw in his perfect world, he would not have the power to change it in reality, despite what he may think. Therefore the element of disillusion is already introduced through this line, as well as denial, as the hawk appears to be happy with everything, so as not to look powerless against Mother Nature Or I fly up, and revolve it all slowly. The hypocrisy is shown through the way the hawk gives the reader the impression that he needs no excuse to kill as he was born with the right, yet is appearing to be explaining why he chooses to kill what he wants I kill where I please it is all mine. This shows that although the hawk appears to be completely comfortable with his reasoning on the fact that he kills and needs no excuse, he gives us a reason anyway. If he saw no grains of truth in that maybe he does need a reason, he wouldnt have excused himself. Also, by giving us a reason for his way of life, he has completely undermined his whole basis for doing things the way he wants, as he is now telling us why he does things. The hawk then shows even more hypercriticism, as right after saying why he kills, hes saying that he needs no reason to kill, as if to cover up in case the reader feels the reason given is somehow unsatisfactory There is no sophistry in my body. It feels as though the hawk is trying to give us the impression that he kills just for the fun of it, and although to some extent this is probably true, it seems as though he slightly exaggerates this. This is shown through the way he appears to need no reason for pointless killings, but then gives us one, and then to say that he only kills simply to kill, My manners are tearing off heads, which would have been obvious without him pointing this out. The fact that he feels the need to point it out shows that to some extent he only acts this way to appear superior and all-powerful.

Caroline Herschel (Astronomer and Mathematician)

Caroline Herschel (Astronomer and Mathematician) Dates: March 16, 1750 - January 9, 1848 Known for: first woman to discover a comet; helping discover the planet UranusOccupation: Mathematician, astronomerAlso known as: Caroline Lucretia Herschel Background, Family: Father: Isaac Herschel, court musician and amateur astronomerSiblings included: William Herschel, musician and astronomer Education: educated at home in Germany; studied music in England; taught mathematics and astronomy by her brother, William About Caroline Herschel: Born in Hanover, Germany, Caroline Herschel gave up on getting married after a bout with typhus left her growth stunted seriously. She was well-educated beyond traditional womens work, and trained as a singer, but she choose to move to England to join her brother, William Herschel, then an orchestra leader with a hobby in astronomy. In England Caroline Herschel began assisting William with his astronomical work, while she trained to become a professional singer, and began to appear as a soloist. She also learned mathematics from William, and began helping him with his astronomy work, including grinding and polishing mirrors, and copying his records. Her brother William discovered the planet Uranus, and credited Caroline for her help in this discovery. After this discovery, King George III appointed William as court astronomer, with a paid stipend. Caroline Herschel abandoned her singing career for astronomy. She helped her brother with calculations and paperwork, and also made her own observations. Caroline Herschel discovered new nebulae in 1783: Andromeda and Cetus and later that year, 14 more nebulae. With a new telescope, a gift from her brother, she then discovered a comet, making her the first woman known to have done so. She went on to discover seven more comets. King George III heard of her discoveries and added a stipend of 50 pounds annually, paid to Caroline. She thus became the first woman in England with a paid government appointment. William married in 1788, and though Caroline at first was skeptical of having a place in the new home, she and her sister-in-law became friends, and Caroline had more time for astronomy with another woman in the house to do the domestic chores. She later published her own work cataloguing stars and nebulae. She indexed and organized a catalogue by John Flamsteed, and she worked with John Herschel, Williams son, to publish a catalog of nebulae. After Willliams death in 1822, Caroline had to return to Germany, where she continued writing. She was recognized for her contributions by the King of Prussia when she was 96, and Caroline Herschel died at 97. Caroline Herschel was, along with Mary Somerville, appointed to honorary membership in the Royal Society in 1835, the first women to be so honored. Places: Germany, England Organizations: Royal Society

Knowledge Management and Organisation Learning Essay

Knowledge Management and Organisation Learning - Essay Example Modern business history lists a number of instances when knowledge-centred management has helped create competitive advantage of organisations and even countries formerly limited in financial and other resources. For Microsoft, Dell, IBM (which is believed to be one of the founders of the paradigm), Compaq, British Airways, Ryan Air and other major organisations knowledge management has become the cornerstone of success. The same is true for such countries as South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong which rely on the national knowledge economy. Over the last two decades, organizations have often been described in terms of knowledge and learning with the help of such concepts as "learning organisation", "intellectual capital", "people-centred approach" or "knowledge based management". Cakar and Bititci (2001) perfectly summarise this trend in the following statement: "1980s were all about automation. In the manufacturing industry FMS, FAS, Robots, AGV'S etc. were commonplace. The 1990s have been about people, this is evident in the development of concepts throughout the 90's focusing on delegation, involvement, ownership cross functional teamwork, self managed works teams and so on The needs of modern business emphasize the role and importance of people and knowledge" (p.2). Also the idea of knowledge management appeared requested in 1990s the concept itself dates back early 1960s. Its advent is associated with classic works of Peter Drucker w. Drucker found out that on 1960s, He called this new era an informational one (Drucker, 1994). The ideas of Peter Drucker (1994), whom was the first to use term 'knowledge worker', became widely recognised in 1980s when a number of followers supported his idea that investments in human resources were increasingly becoming more cost-efficient than investments in machines. In 1986, European knowledge management pioneer Karl-Erik Sveiby described the concept of a "know-how company" (Doz, Santos & Williamson, 2001), and in 1991 the ideas of knowledge management were reconsidered by Ikujiro Nonako whom presented the idea of "knowledge-creating company". The 1996 could be considered the turning point in history of knowledge management: the influence of this paradigm became overwhelming in absolute majority of the developed countries (Skyrme, 2002). The ideas and concepts related to knowledge managements were successfully applied in the oil, pharmaceutical, high technology, financial, and other industries. Main Body Knowledge management is a new form of management which helps organizational adaptation, survival and competence in face of increasingly discontinuous environmental change. This broader perspective incorporates the processes of knowledge use, knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer and knowledge renewal (Malhotra, 1998). Therefore, knowledge management is commonly defined as "the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and its associated processes of creating, gathering, organizing, diffusion, use and exploitation, in pursuit of