Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Women in the Civil War Essay Example for Free

Ladies in the Civil War Essay During the common war, the commitments made by ladies both in the north and the south, however fairly unheralded, were in any case huge. Actually numerous ladies were not placated with only supporting the war endeavors from the home front. Many them were really with their militaries in the battlefronts. Many were filling in as field medical caretakers while others were universally useful associates. At the point when the fighters needed to walk for quite a long time, they, as well, walked with them, living in camps and eating armed force apportions. They additionally persevered through the warmth, downpour, mud, and snow borne by the fighters, secured by the equivalent inadequate safe house and deficient dress. As shots flew and guns thundered, a portion of these ladies were entirely the combat zones assuming the job of â€Å"medics. † They were regularly trapped in the crossfire, racing to help injured troopers, similarly jeopardizing their lives all the while. (Lobby, n. d. ) Stories had been going around about a portion of these ladies. One attendant was referenced †Augusta Foster who originated from Maine. She tumbled off her pony when it was shot, missing her by inches. That close to miss, notwithstanding, didn't startle her. She went on with her obligations as though nothing had occurred. One of the most discussed medical caretakers was Anna Etheridge, who was an insignificant â€Å"Daughter of the Regiment† in Washington, D. C. at the point when the war began in April 1861. (A â€Å"Daughter of the Regiment† was just expected to rouse warriors doing battle. Wearing extravagant uniform total with beautiful plumes and a cap, she would be with other ladies like her, driving the processions which introduced and paid tribute to the warriors before they were sent off to the battlefronts). At the point when the war began getting truly bleeding and updates on several fighters kicking injured and murdered off sifting back to Washington, D. C. , Anna was one of the numerous individuals from the â€Å"Daughter of the Regiment† who got lost. They chose to really â€Å"go to the front† and do their offer. â€Å"Gentle Annie,† as she came to be known, walked from Michigan with the second Infantry â€Å"and was enduring an onslaught on a few events. † Her endeavors were perceived in 1864 with the Kearny Cross, an honor given for courage in real life. The Confederacy had a lot of bold medical attendants. Lucy Ann Cox was one of them. Lucy began as a â€Å"vivandiere† (a lady who goes with the military basically to offer things to troopers). She, in any case, later turned into a field nurture for Company An of the Confederate Army’s thirteenth Virginia Infantry which fell under the order of General Lee, where her better half had a place. She walked with the gathering during the multiple times that Lee attacked the North. She was given full military distinctions when she was covered after the war. (Lobby, n. d. ) Another fascinating lady with regards to the Confederacy was Mrs. Juliet Opie Hopkins from Alabama. As indicated by data got from a scrapbook arranged by a specific Captain J. C. Featherston and remembered for the papers of the Irvine, Saunders, Davis, and Watts families, when the war began Mrs. Hopkins sold her properties in â€Å"New York, Virginia, and Alabama† and gave the returns to the Confederacy to set up medical clinics for their officers. A short time later, she elected to go about as the central lady in the emergency clinic in Richmond. Records had it that she, herself, even endured gunfire wounds multiple times when she by and by went to the war zone. She was dedicated â€Å"Florence Nightingale of the South† for her endeavors and her image showed up on the cash of the Confederate government imprinted in Alabama. (As refered to in Hearts at Home: War Work, n. d. ) Working with the injured in emergency clinics was one of the manners in which where ladies exhibited their energy. They put forth a valiant effort to keep the confidence of their troopers alive through their nursing fill in as well as by holding a wide range of occasions, for example, suppers where they would engage the injured. (From the journal of Louisa H. A. Minor, as refered to in Hearts at Home: War Work, n. d. ) However, despite the fact that they were working at the home front, their work was not without threats. Take for example the report imprinted in the March 14, 1864 issue of the Daily Richmond Examiner about a March 13, 1863 secretive blast in a research facility in Brown’s Island. That episode left 35 ladies executed and 31 harmed. A significant number of the casualties were accounted for to have been scorched â€Å"beyond acknowledgment. † (Hearts at Home: War Work, n. d. ) Some of the ladies in the North just as in the South assisted with the war endeavors in the home fronts sewing socks for their troopers, manufacturing gauzes for their injured, sewing shirts, and going to some different supplies required in the battlefronts. Some even fabricated little arms and the ammo that went with them. In Fayetteville, a weapons store oversaw by ladies had the option to turn out about â€Å"900,000 rounds of little arms weapons in 1864† before it was devastated. Associations like the â€Å"Sick Soldier’s Relief Society and the Soldier’s Aid Society† were composed by ladies to offer any assistance they could. (Ladies of the American Civil War, n. d. )

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Surprise! Youre Always on a Job Interview!

Shock! Youre Always on a Job Interview! As indicated by Nance Rosen over at The Personal Branding Blog, 85% of recruiting comes down to character and mentality and as meager as 15% may be reliant on aptitude, since you can be prepared to do for all intents and purposes anything at work. One approach to get ready for a prospective employee meeting is envisioning you’re being talked with constantly. I don’t mean when you’re at home or with family or in the shower (in spite of the fact that I do rehearse my talking spiel in the shower regularly, to my husband’s bemusement), however in the event that you’re working in a field where you connect with the general population, remember that any individual you interface with could some time or another be on the opposite finish of a vocation posting.Employers need great individuals who are submitted and occupied with whatever activity they’ve found for themselves. The sorts of individuals who settle on recruiting choices are assessing each sa les rep, client assistance rep, secretary, VP, deals executive, and barista they experience on the off chance that you consider your cooperations in a purposeful, conscious way, you have many opportunities to establish an extraordinary connection each day.We all have lousy days obviously, when we don’t want to converse with anybody and putting on an open face feels too hard to even think about enduring. Be that as it may, the more regularly you fire up for an undetectable meeting, the more natural the procedure will be when it’s time to really get ready. From looking to being liberal with your time and mastery, everything has a method of paying itself forward to your next huge chance.

Friday, August 14, 2020

Summer Reflections 2010 Post #5 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Summer Reflections 2010 Post #5 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog John Hughes just graduated from SIPA and during his second year of study worked in our office.   He is spending the better part of the summer in the office to assist with projects and help fill in for a staff member on maternity leave.   John is set up for a job in Washington, D.C. and will be moving there in August (our second largest alumni network in the world is in D.C if you were interested). I asked John to reflect a bit on his experience as a SIPA student and contribute to the blog over the summer.   This is his fifth entry. ___________________________ I was asked a couple of days ago by a prospective student on the phone how many hours I put in during a typical week at SIPA.     I responded to him that though it was hard to define a “typical” week at SIPA, on average I put in about 50-60 hours a week towards SIPA-related activities.   To be clear, I did not spend 50-60 hours a week on academics.   Though studying was certainly an integral part of my daily graduate school existence, the experience was far more diverse than this.   In this post I’ll try to paint a picture of how those hours were broken down. SIPA classes usually meet once a week for two hours.   There are many exceptions to this, however:   The year-long econ first-year sequence meets twice a week for 1 ½ hours each time, as do a few other quantitatively-heavy courses like corporate finance.   Language courses, if you choose or are required to take them, meet 3-4 days a week for 1 ½ hours or so depending on the language, how hard it is to learn that language, and whether the class is an intensive module or not.   These language courses are usually offered through Columbia College, though SIPA has a few of its own courses as well. Some courses have what we call Recitations (again, usually quantitatively-heavy ones), which are optional review classes held once a week for two hours (typically on Friday) and led by second-year students who did well in the class.   Though these are not required it is very common for students to attend them, especially for difficult classes like econ.   Some actually are required, such as the labs for the required stats class.   Finally, the first year Conceptual Foundations (MIA) or Politics of Policy-making (MPA) classes have, in addition to lecture, a recitation once a week led by a PhD Columbia fellow that is mandatory.   This overview does not take into account courses taken at other graduate schools at Columbia, which may meet more or less often than SIPA courses, though usually also meet once a week.   All in all, I’d say SIPA students spend about 15 hours in class/recitations. These hours only represent actual class time, however, and do not take into account studying.   This studying generally falls into two categories:   Self-study and group work.   I probably spent 15 hours in a normal week reading/writing etc., and an additional 5 hours on group work.   Group work, though less time-consuming, was also more difficult to coordinate with others to find a good time to meet.   It could also very easily take up much more time depending on the project.   There were some weeks where I spent 20 hours on one group project.   I know people who spent much more time doing homework and group work, and others who spent less.   This is also only an average.   Some weeks, especially those couple just after mid-terms and finals, I did very little work.   Other weeks, in the week leading up to mid-terms and finals and during those periods I seemed to do nothing but study. The third thing I spent time on each week was on professional-related activities.   The time I spent on such activities varied, depending on the week, though I spent at least 5 hours and usually more like 10+ on this.   I logged these hours in a variety of ways:   I spent a good bit of time networking with alumni, sending out initial e-mails of introduction, conducting informational interviews in person or over the phone, and meeting alumni at various networking events. Depending on the season, I also spent time attending company/government agency presentations on campus.   Most of these occur in September and October for the private sector and early in the second semester for the public and non-profit sectors.   There was about a month at the beginning of both Falls that I attended at least a couple recruiting events a week, though at other times of the year my efforts were more self-driven (contacting alumni as described above).   I also attended talks and other networking events offered by associations in New York outside of SIPA and Columbia from time to time, though these were rather sporadic.   I did not spend that much time actually applying for jobs and internships.   I certainly checked SIPALink, our on-line jobs database, regularly, and applied to some jobs and internships that appealed to me.   However, this was never more than 2-3 hours a week as I felt that my time was better served networking unless I saw a job on there that I was real ly excited about. Each week at SIPA I tried to attend at least one speaker or other similar event on campus.   Though I certainly didn’t succeed every single week, I managed to do this most weeks and even go to more than one quite often.   These events ranged from guest lectures from people in numerous fields to student group cultural nights.   The events often came with food, and were a great way for a busy graduate student to take his mind off studying and get a quick, free meal. Finally, I spent time socializing at SIPA.   As a married student, I did not spend nearly as much time as some friends of mine socializing with other SIPA students.   Nevertheless, I did make it to most of the bigger parties and a few smaller ones as well, and spent a lot of time just hanging out with friends I met at SIPA.   Almost every week (or at least every other week) the student association sponsors parties of all sorts, ranging from clubs rented out downtown to smaller parties on the 6th floor at school.   Each student group also hosts parties, and groups of students go out and do stuff in New York together all the time.   If you wanted to, it would be possible to find something social to do with other SIPA students every night, though this might not be good for the academics or the wallet. When I add all of these things up, I come up with my number of 50-60 hours a week.   It is definitely possible to spend less time doing something SIPA-related (other than academics nothing else is required), and it’s also possible to spend a lot more time than I did at SIPA.   I know people who seemed to be at school everyday from 9-9, not just in class and studying but often just hanging out on the 4th or 6th floor with whoever else was around and attending as many lectures/events as possible.   I know others who I had a class with, but who had a completely separate life outside of SIPA and liked it that way.       Regardless of what you choose to do, I guess my point is that the choice is yours to make.   All of you will get a top-notch education, and for those of you who choose to get more than just an education out of the school you will certainly have opportunities. I can say, definitely, that I never felt like I didn’t have time to simply enjoy New York and/or just hang out with my wife, except during mid-terms and finals.   Those periods are rightly tough and do require you to study a lot.   At other times, however, you are able (and I encourage you) to get out of school and go explore this wonderful, crazy city and all it has to offer.   I think you’ll find that time away from school, even for only a few hours, puts graduate life in perspective.   It makes you both realize how great you have it to be a student again and, at the same time, reminds you to not get too stressed about school.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

China - The Epicenter of Overpopulation Essay example

China - The Epicenter of Overpopulation In 1999 the world population reached six billion. Roughly 200,000 lives have been added each day since then, about one small city a week. This population boom however, is not evenly distributed throughout the globe. In fact, many countries in Europe have experienced negative population growth in the last ten years. It is the developing nations of our world that are most responsible for the exponential increase the world has begun to experience. The busy-bodied human mind has rushed and hurried to find tech-fixs to sustain our ever growing population. The population should have hit a glass ceiling a few billion people ago, many argue that it has explaining the 1-2 billion people dying of†¦show more content†¦The population was further pushed when communist party leader Mao Zedong encouraged everyone to have as many children as possible. At this time, China was relatively weak and did not have much equipment in their military force, but Mao assured them that in the case of a p ossible war with Japan (which never happened) they would have numbers. In 1979 leader Deng Xiaoping recognized the disaster that Chinas population had become and implemented the one child policy. The one child policy in China stated that each couple would be allowed to have one child. The intention was that the birth rate would be immediately lowered and the population growth would slow. Cadres were spread throughout the country to regulate birth rates in the many rural villages and throughout the cities. There were exceptions to the policy; if the first born child of a couple was a girl, they were allowed to try for a boy. Additionally if two people remarried and had children from previous marriages they were allowed to have another child. In 93 China reported to the world that they had met their 10 year population quota. This shocked the world and investigations began on how the PRC could regulate population growth to the extent that they did. Slowly truths emerged about the alarming rates of abortion and sterilization. Today, abortion and sterilization are not as nearly wide spread and infanticide is relatively low.Show MoreRelatedCapitalism And The Need For Rebellion And Protest1731 Words   |  7 Pagescreate a profit, to do so they had to focus on â€Å"events that influenced day-to-day business and how the pursuit of profit affected people worldwide (Robbins 68). Up until this point Europe was the epicenter of global importance, with the expansion of international trade the importance shifted to China. Once the trade opportunities were becoming less profitable the only option was to continue with the discovery of the New World. With the New World and stronger emphasis was placed on colonies, EuropeanRead MoreThe Legacy Of The Railroad3488 Words   |  14 Pagesthe Railroad: As early as 1850, Chinese American immigrants began to arrive on the California shores . Rumors of the Gum Sham, the Mountain of Gold legend that stemmed from the 1850 California Gold Rush, reached the Canton province of China. Poverty and overpopulation in the Canton province led to the willing migration of these working class laborers. When these workers arrived, they were originally hired as indentured servants of sorts, taking five-year â€Å"stints† in the mines. After their contractRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesâ€Å"nuclear politics,† which encompasses both state initiatives and popular dissent, in former but diminished national great powers such as France and Great Britain and in emerging and aspiring high-tech states of very different sorts in Israel, India, and China. Equally impressive in terms of the global range of questions they include, Hecht and Edwards look at the impact of the nuclear nations’ quest for viable, stable sources of uranium and sites for testing nuclear devices in locales as disparate as

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Current Rate Of Growth Minorities - 1178 Words

Data from the 2010 census has shown that collections of people normally grouped as minorities are now the majority in many local markets and even states. The U.S. state Department has revealed that at the current rate of growth minorities will be the majority by 2042. These results are probably a surprise to no one. From popular music to television, media is now rife with diversity. Racism is now an outdated term and ideology. USA has become one big melting pot of cultures and this effects all industries, especially health. Sanner, Baldwin, Cannella, Charles, Parker (2010) suggest that while America is, itself, becoming more diverse the Nursing field is not. Nurses of Caucasian descent continue to dwarf other racial ethnicities within†¦show more content†¦Some professionals have even attacked the use of the word â€Å"cultural competency† in the medical field. According to Jane Delgado , of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health in Washington, D.C. â€Å" Comp etent† means you think you understand. â€Å"Proficiency† means you value the cultures. It’s the difference between being a short-order cook and being a chef. If you’re competent, you know your stuff, but application is what proficiency is about â€Å" The definition of culture is one that takes on many meanings . According to Dictionary.com Culture is â€Å" the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.† But is this definition enough to describe a word as diverse as culture. Culture is something that defines people as a whole at times. From their music and language to their fashion and religion. Culture is a phenomena that encompasses all these aspects. Roberts (2009) notes that culture is dynamic rather than static. Huge events can shape a culture drastically within a few months even. For example, the 2010 Haiti earthquake shook the culture from its foundation. The capital itself is still in ruins and the social and economic situation is as worse as it has ever been. Yet because of this Haitians have been forced to being cleaning up their own neighborhoods and open up their own schools. This has bonded together those who once would have never known each other. In the medical field all these tangibles have to be addressed with patients. A

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Science Periodic Table Essay Free Essays

The Periodic Table The periodic table has been updated all throughout history. Elements have been around us since the beginning of time. Elements, such as gold and silver, are examples of these elements that have been known for centuries. We will write a custom essay sample on Science Periodic Table Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now The periodic table allows us to see the elements in their families so we can understand what properties they have. It also allows us to see the atomic number, atomic mass, and the symbol of the element. The periodic table is a source of knowledge that is still being updated as of this day. That is why the periodic table is such a valuable resource. In ancient times, the elements gold and silver were discovered. Another element that was known at this time was copper. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle said that all elements were made out of these four â€Å"roots. † The philosopher, Plato, renamed the â€Å"four roots† earth, fire, water, and air. Although they introduced the concept of elements, they did nothing to advance the nature of the matter, which matter is made of. The age of enlightenment was a big adventure for the science world. Hennig Brand was the first person recorded to have discovered a new element. He was a German merchant who went bankrupt, while trying to discover the Philosopher’s Stone. The Philosopher’s stone was a mythical object that was supposed to turn inexpensive base metals into gold. He experimented with distilling human urine until he finally obtained a white substance which he named phosphorous in 1649. Brand did not go to the public with his discovery until another scientist named Robert Boyle rediscovered it and took it to the public. In 1661, Boyle defined an element has a substance that cannot be broken down by chemical means. Antoine Lavoisier developed the first chemistry textbook. This included the elements oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorous, mercury, zinc, and sulfur. Lavoisier’s descriptions of the elements only classified elements as metals or non-metals. Johann Dobereiner began to classify the elements in triads. These elements that belong to these triads had properties that were similar to each other. A few of these triads are as follows: 1. Chlorine, bromine, and iodine 2. Calcium, strontium, and barium 3. Sulfur, selenium, and tellurium 4. Lithium, sodium, and potassium. With all these triads, the atomic mass of the second element was almost exactly the average of the atomic weights of the first and third elements. By 1869, 69 elements had been discovered. Alexandre Chancourtois was the first to notice the periodicity of the elements. Similar elements seemed to occur at regular intervals when they were arranged by their atomic mass. He created an early version of the periodic table. He called it the telluric helix. When the elements were arranged on a cylinder by order of the increasing atomic mass, Chancourtois could tell that the elements with similar properties lined up vertically. He published this work in 1862, but there was little to go on. In 1865, John Newlands classified 56 elements that had been discovered previously into eleven groups based on similar physical properties. Newlands said that many pairs of similar elements existed differed by some multiple of eight in atomic number. Dimitri Mendeleev created the periodic table that we use today. He arranged the elements by their atomic mass and noticed that they lined up with the elements that had similar properties with each other. He also noticed that when they were arranged in this way, the valences lined up as well. When he published his table in 1869, it had many advantages. This table is more widely used in today’s time. The discovery of the periodic table is also the discoveries of the elements. As the elements were discovered, they were added to the periodic table. Since the beginning of time, more elements have been discovered. The most recent was ununpentium. It was discovered in 2011. As anyone can see the periodic table is continuing to grow and develop. It is a child of the elements. As each element is named, the periodic table grows. The periodic table will always be an ongoing process and the updating of it will never end. That is because new elements are discovered every day! How to cite Science Periodic Table Essay, Essay examples

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Analysis of REA Group - Free Samples - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theAnalysis of REA Group. Answer: Introduction REA group Ltd is one of the multinational digital advertising firms specialising in real estate development. The company advertises property as well as property-related on mobile application and websites in Europe, Asia and Australia. Its chief segment comprises of Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. REA Group operates commercial and residential property sites, realcommercial.com.au as well as realestate.com.au in Australia (Financial Times 2017). It operations are disruptive and innovative (REA Group 2016). On the other hand, the company independent auditor is Ernst Young Australia, which is responsible in auditing REA Group financial statements to ensure that they are presented in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards. According to their audit, the statements or reports of the company were compliant with set Act of 2001 including providing fair and true view of its financial position as at June 2016 and complying with relevant Corporations Regulations 2001 as well as Australian Accounting Standards (REA Group 2016). It share prices are up with around 1000% over the last ten years, with the most recent price as of 11th September 2017 being at $67.90, an increase of 0.67% from the previous day (Richardson 2017). Its dividend per share increased with around 11.66% to 0.91 (Financial Times 2017). Industry Situation and REA Group Plans The industry face stiff competition for the customers. Despite the stiff competition, in the industry, REA Group have continued to experience increased growth which is viewed as an abundant achievement based on the current market environment. In spite of the overall volume of the property listing recording flat rate in the year 2016, REA Group operation in Australia have seen around 17% growth in its revenue to approximate $555.2 million (REA Group 2016). To place REA Group on top of the map, the company future plans entail complementing its European operations by supporting its development of the new products (Financial Times 2017). It also plans to launch Spacely, the new listing site which would make it a bit easier for the Australians to look for the short-term commercial rentals and the co-working spaces which could meet their needs. REA Group is also planning to expand internationally by acquiring more online companies in order to increase in its revenue (Richardson 2017). Financial Statement Analysis As from Appendix 1 below, it is clear that the company net profit experienced a significant increase for the past three years. The increase is as a result of increase in its total sales and so forth. Furthermore, From Appendix 2 below, it is clear that the company had an attractive trend in its total liabilities, assets as well as total equity. In essence, for the last three years, it could be derived that total assets were all equal to total equity and total liabilities. This is evidence by the fact that total liabilities for 2014 was 21.39 and its total equity was 78.61% adding up to a total of 100% as the total assets margin. From the Appendix 3 below, it could be stated that REA Group was expanding in its investing activities. This is based on the fact that cash flow originating from the investing activities shows a tremendous increase over the past three years. Furthermore, from the analysis, it is evident that REA Groups key source of financing was from dividends paid to the shareholders. In addition, based on the above outcome, it is evident that the company cash decreased in 2015. Ratio analysis Ratios are crucial aspect in analysing financial performance of an organization in various sections of its operations. In addition, ratios are crucial in comparing companys financial performance within a given industry averages (Chen Shimerda 1981). In this case, profitability ratios, cash flow adequacy, Liquidity, market strength as well as long-term solvency ratios are used in analysing REA Group financial performances for the last three years starting from year 2014 to 2016. Working capital 2014 2015 2016 working capital 219.00 59.00 (10.00) As from above analysis, the company seems to enjoy relatively high working capital in 2014 as compared to 2015 and 2016. This shows that the company was efficient in the year 2014 and 2015 in comparison to the year 2016. Current ratio 2014 2015 2016 current ratio 3.17 1.59 0.96 From above results, it is clear that REA Group was experiencing smooth times in settling its short-terms debts using its most liquid assets. In essence, with relatively high current ratio, it could be stated that the company is at peace with making huge returns for its shareholders. Receivable turnover 2014 2015 2016 Receivable turnover 7.60 7.64 7.61 The outcome above, indicates that REA Group receivable turnover increased as from 7.60 to 7.64 and then to 7.61. This sign in the company shows that the company is efficient in collecting its credits. Average days sales uncollected 2014 2015 2016 Average days sales uncollected 0.14 0.13 0.14 As from the outcome above, it is clear that REA Group average days sales uncollected decreased and increased over time. This trend shows that the company would receive its cash from its sales in a short-term period. Profitability ratios: Profit margin 2014 2015 2016 Profit margin 34.26% 37.94% 37.77% Based on the above analysis, it is clear that profit margin for the company experienced an increasing and decreasing trend as from 34.26% to 37.94% and then to 37.77%. Asset Turnover 2014 2015 2016 Asset turnover 0.84 0.83 0.45 From the above analysis, it is evident that REA Group asset turnover decreased for the past three years. This means that for the last three years, the company management was not efficient enough. ROA 2014 2015 2016 ROA 28.88% 31.38% 17.08% From above analysis, REA Group seems to have experienced asymmetric trend in its ROA for the last three years. This is a clear picture that the firm has been able to efficiently use its assets to generate income. ROE 2014 2015 2016 ROE 36.74% 37.68% 35.42% As from the results above, it is evident that REA Group ROE increased in 2015 but in 2016 it experienced a slight decrease. Despite the decrease, the ROE for the past three years is relatively high meaning that the company was able to use its equity to generating income. Long term solvency ratios: Debt to equity 2014 2015 2016 debt to equity 0.27 0.20 1.07 From the above ratio, it is evident that for the past three years, REA Group debt to equity experienced a decreasing and increasing trend. This trend is a clear indication that the company is using too much debt or money from creditors in financing its operations instead of using its shareholders equity. Interest coverage 2014 2015 2016 Interest Coverage - - -41.98 In the above results, it could be indicated that for the last three years, the company has been experiencing some difficulties in settling its interest expenses using its EBIT. Cash flow adequacy Cash flow yield 2014 2015 2016 cash flow yield 1.22 0.91 0.87 As from the above results, it is clear that REA Group experience a decreasing trend in its cash flow yields. The decrease show that the company has been experiencing some hitches in generating cash from its present undertakings. Cash flows to sales 2014 2015 2016 cash flow to sales 0.58 0.14 0.19 Based on the outcomes, it could be stated for the past three years, REA Group cash flow to the sales decreased. This shows that the company has been experiencing some difficulties in turning its revenue or sales to cash. Cash flows to assets 2014 2015 2016 Cash flow to assets 0.49 0.12 0.09 From above outcomes, it could be indicated that REA Group cash flow to the assets decreased for the past three years. This indicates or displays that the firm has been experiencing some difficulties in turning its assets to cash.Free cash flow 2,014 2,015 2,016 Free cash flow 157.58 149.36 181.34 As from the above analysis or outcomes, it can be stated that REA Group free cash flow increased for the past three years. Market strength Ratios Price/earnings per share 2014 2015 2016 P/E 32.7% 32.5% 29.8% Based on the above outcomes, it is clear that REA Group P/E ratio experienced a decreasing trend for the last three years. Dividends yield 2014 2015 2016 Dividend yield 1.4 1.4 1.8 From the above outcomes, it could be stated that REA Group dividend yield experienced relative increase over the last three years. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that for the last three years REA Group was financially stable. This is evident by relatively high profitability ratios such as high and increasing trends in its ROE, asset turnover and ROA. Furthermore, with the fact that the company free cash flow increased over the past three years, it is evident that REA Group was financially stable and was efficient enough in maintaining its competitiveness in the market. In essence, based on the above analysis, I would consider REA Group as a strong performer and therefore, would prefer investing in its in future. REFERENCES Altman, EI 1968, Financial ratios, discriminant analysis and the prediction of corporate bankruptcy, The journal of finance,23(4), 589-609. Barnes, P 1987, The analysis and use of financial ratios: a review article,Journal of Business Finance Accounting,14(4), 449-461. Chen, KH Shimerda, TA 1981, An empirical analysis of useful financial ratios,Financial Management, 51-60. Financial Times 2017, Equities, REA Group Ltd ASX; Viewed at 11th September 2017 from; https://markets.ft.com/data/equities/tearsheet/financials?s=REA:ASX Higgins, RC 2012,Analysis for financial management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Lev, B Sunder, S 1979, Methodological issues in the use of financial ratios, Journal of Accounting and Economics,1(3), 187-210. REA Group 2016, REA Group Limited annual report 2016; Viewed at 11th September 2017 from; https://www.rea-group.com/annualreport/2016/files/assets/common/downloads/REA%20Group%20Limited%20Annual%20Report%202016.pdf Richardson, T 2017, Why the REA Group Limited share price just hit a record high: Viewed at 11th September 2017 from; https://www.fool.com.au/2017/07/21/why-the-rea-group-limited-share-price-just-hit-a-record-high/

Friday, March 27, 2020

Industrial Revolution - Positive Change free essay sample

The Industrial Revolution was a chain of events that transformed an agricultural society to an urbanized society. It first started in Britain, then began in Europe and North America, and then grew throughout the whole world. The Industrial Revolution was a good change that made a difference all over the world. It was a good change because of the Textile Industry, New Technology, and Big Business. The Textile Industry brought a very good change during the Industrial Revolution. This was when British merchants organized a cotton cloth industry at home instead of having it been imported from India. Many new devices were invented to produce cloth. These inventions grew faster and faster. James Hargreaves invented the Spinning Jenny in 1764, which spun many threads at once. Then, Richard Arkwright invented the water frame, which used water-power to speed up spinning even further. After these new inventions were invented, they had factories for the devices. We will write a custom essay sample on Industrial Revolution Positive Change or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This gave spinners, weavers, and many more people opportunities to get a job. They went to work every day to the factories that brought together workers, and machines to produce large quantities of goods. This was obviously a good change. Thus, the Textile Industry brought an amazing change for people during the Industrial Revolution. New Technology and Big Business brought excellent changes to the society during the Industrial revolution. The New Technology was when â€Å"new sources of energy, along with new materials, enable business owners to change the ways work was done† (Esler 198). Turnpikes, trains, ships, cars, and airplanes were invented. These are many means of transportation. It made shipping of goods and belonging much easier. If they bought their own cars, they can travel to near places whenever they want. Also, they could even travel to other countries for many important reasons. Big businesses brought profit to the businesses. It helped create a belief in America that anyone who worked hard is the key to success. This way, many people started becoming very successful financially. Therefore, New Technology and Big Business were a big and important part of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was a positive difference throughout the world because of the Textile Industry, New Technology, and Big Business. The Textile Industry helped produce cloth faster and easier. The New Technology brought many new transportation forms. The Big Business made businesses into massive corporations. These were excellent changes in the society. It made the world more urbanized and much easier to live in. If not for these new inventions made during the Industrial Revolution, the world would be much more different.

Friday, March 6, 2020

critically consider whether evidence justifies a distiction between STM and LTM essays

critically consider whether evidence justifies a distiction between STM and LTM essays Critically consider whether evidence justifies Memory is a working process that enables us to learn and benefit from past experience. There are three stages of process, registration, storage and retrieval. Some Psychologists have undertaken research to show there is a distinction between STM and LTM. Atkinson and Shiffrin introduced the Multi Store Model that supports the fact that the STM and the LTM are different. The LTM is a permanent store while the STM is only temporary. The Multi Store Model proposes that information must pass through the sensory store and the short term store before it can be transferred into the long term store and become part of a long term memory. Atkinson and Shiffrin propose to transfer information form the STm to the LTM rehearsal must be undertaken. The evidence that supports the Multi Store Model includes two component tasks, coding and braindamaged patients. Two component tasks involves asking subjects to remember a list of words and asking them to repeat them using free recall. In conclusion to the experiment it showed that subjects recall items form the end of the list first and get more of these right, this is known as the regency effect which is connected to recall from the STM. The experiment also showed that items form the start of the list are recalled quite well but not as well as those at the end of this list. This is known as the Primacy effect which is connected to recall from the LTM. However the experiment showed that the words in the middle of the list were those that the subjects remembered least of. Many Psychologists own experiments and theories support the Atkinson and Shiffrins idea of rehearsing, including Brown and Peterson who carried out an experiment giving subjects sets of three consonants to remember. They found that if the subjects were allowed to rehearse, the experiment was easy, ...

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

456 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

456 - Essay Example Roger’s extended family is mentioned several times in the story. Specifically, Roger talks about his aunt, grandma, and grandpa. The relationship between these people is close, especially the one between Roger and his aunt. When Roger runs away from home, his aunt welcomingly takes him in. a caretaking activity is seen through this. Moreover, Aunt Greta brings Roger up with the permission of his father. The relationship between Roger and his aunt is one based on solidarity. They understand one another’s way of life, thus living their lives in coherence. Aunt Greta treats Roger like a child of her own. She tries to bring him up in the best way she can. Even after running away from home and having been brought up by Aunt Greta, Roger has a close relationship with his dad. The family unit can be the simplest form possible, but it can also turn out to be the most sophisticated in the world. Different families observe different ways of life, but the common denominator is that each family is unique in its own way. The America society is held to have the most organized family unit. However, this assumption does not apply to all American families. As a matter of fact, it is outright possible to find a family unit outside America that outperforms the American context of family organization. In other words, it is relatively difficult to define organization in a generalized context. On the other hand, proving family solidarity and caretaking activities is easy and open. Roger’s nuclear and extended family relates in a manner that promotes their relational welfare. There is a sense of family responsibility across Roger, his mom, dad, aunt, grandpa, and grandma. In this respect, the uniqueness of the family setup lies in the lifestyle and activities involved in the day to day life of all the persons involved. Notably, it is hardly possible to come by family units that run the same way. Individual diversity within and without the

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

The cola market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The cola market - Essay Example As a new entrant in the market, Red Bull’s product for its new cola will only aim to cater and serve certain segments of the market. In order to know the market well, Red Bull has to segment its market carefully in order to assess which market segment should be chosen.The Red Bull brand has been associated with various lifestyles in the functional segment of the beverage market in the UK. Because of this existing association which is rooted from the lifestyle segment of the market, Red Bull’s new product can also use the lifestyle or psychographic segmentation for the cola market.According to Tom Duncan in his book â€Å"Principles of Advertising and IMC†, he defines psychographics as â€Å"measures that classify customers in terms of their attitudes, interests, and opinions as well as their lifestyle activities.† Since the Red Bull brand is positioned using the lifestyle segmentation of the market, the entry of its new product in the cola market can use t he lifestyle segmentation as well in order to make its product successful.The segment for the functional beverages has increased over the years due to the aging population of UK, as well as the shift to the more health-conscious products. With this, Red Bull has capitalized on the health-conscious segment of the market which looks for â€Å"regenerative and rejuvenating properties†.This strategic segment of the health-conscious group of consumers, according to Mad.co.uk (2008) will be entered by Red Bull with a â€Å"head to head on-trade† with Pepsico’s Pepsi Raw.

Monday, January 27, 2020

History About Car Rental Companies Marketing Essay

History About Car Rental Companies Marketing Essay The topic is about car rental companies, and it will be discussing on the reasons why do people rent cars, the economics of renting cars, and pinking up and returning processes of a car. Background In todays world hiring cars is not limited for daily activities, such as wedding, parties, tours, and even business e.g. Also people can rent car for short and long term period and there are many companies that offer opportunities for people who can not afford to buy a car as well as for those who need car for some period of time. There are many reasons why people hire cars; for example, people are looking to save money, and a lot of people rent cars because they dont want to put the same wear and tear on their own cars, which may or may not be able to endure the asperity for a long distance trip, for example, they dont want stains, rips, burn on the their car seats or even scratch on body of the car also they dont want damage they wheels. In addition, for some car renters size is an issue, people want to promote to something better or bigger because they are travelling with some group of people or looking to economize to something smaller that will be more petroleum efficient, also some times company meeting goes hand in hand with something people do as a company, for example, if member of staff or a business person wants to take a client out to lunch to a good restaurants and the last thing to sit in the car was a dog or it was messed up by kids, so in this situation you may be looking around for a car renta l companies to rent a car. Further more, people travel all the time flying from somewhere to their destinations or other places, but it doesnt mean that they take their personal cars to where ever they go, most of people when they travel to someplace if they plan to stay longer than a week the first thing they do when they get to their destination is to rent a car to go on with their occasions or tour. Some people rent cars for social occasions such as parties or special dates, also some people like to impress their dates with new sport cars or enjoy driving fancy luxury cars to an occasion. Moving is also one the reason people hire car, we all do it at some stage but may be we dont have enough things to move and people often want move their stuffs by them selves. Well, the good thing is that van and trucks hire is always available also vans have back lift to make easier for people move their stuffs. People rent cars to have fun and companies have provided a high performance vehicle for those people. Accident is reason for people to rent cars, some car insurance companies give customers an option to collect a free rental car if their cars have been sent to the shop after an accident or maintenance, so being without their main cars for days or weeks, they can continue with activities or trips with a rental car. We rent cars for purpose of our business travelling, people are very mobile work force these days no matter where customers are they have no problem to get there and meet with them, Car Rental is available from the airport on arrival. This is to ensure that the compilation time is quick; you get to your client, do the sale, and return to the airport and back home. Some times family and friends visit where we stay for long period of time and there is a need for a bigger vehicle to take them around the city, so you have to be looking around for car rental to get the car you want to use at that time such as bus, vans e.g. However, the increase in gas prices is high and affecting the economics at the car rental companies, prices of fancy and big luxury cars are dropping because people demand for compact models cars. Rental companies have been able to command important premiums SUVs, often up to twice the daily charges for sedan. Gas prices have now reached $3 a gallon, so people are increasingly ignoring the gas-guzzler. Also the demand has been high for smaller fuel-efficient cars, which is leading some rental agencies to raise prices. According to Edith MANCILLA he is the area manager Anaheim and Orange, Calif., branches of Dollar Rent A Car, says shes rented 40% fewer SUVs during the spring season than she did previously. Its caused her to drop the price of her standard SUVs $49, from an average of $64 last year, and raise the price of her compact cars, from $25.99 last year to about $34 now. Further more, sometimes companies offer people what they dont book or reserve for, for example, if person wa nts car that is fuel efficient for a trip and he or she gets there to pick up the car they booked for you often find out that what you booked for is not want the company gives you, a key of another car will be handed over to you for the same price which is unacceptable to people. Renting a car during the summer holidays can now cost more than the package deal. A Sunday mirror investigation shows. The Rental charges have surged, with prices in Spain almost 200 per cent more than they were two years ago. Industries expert expect price to rise high again this summer because of the shortage of cars. On the other hand rental companies cut fleet because of the world recession and price will be forced to go up. Additionally, the car rental and leasing firms around the world, which includes 5,000 companies with combined the annual revenue of about $40 billion. Such companies like Avis budget group, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hertz hertz  (hà »rts)  [for Heinrich R. Hertz], abbr. Hz, unit of frequency, equal to 1 cycle per second. The term is combined with metric prefixes to denote multiple units such as the kilohertz (1,000 Hz), megahertz (1,000,000 Hz), and gigahertz .. Click the link for more information., Ryder, these companies generated more than 80 percent of the revenue. Also these firms or companies rely extremely on the general state of the US economy because most customers are business or holiday travelers, whose numbers can quickly fall during an economic slowdown, while the Big industries have economies of scale in obtaining vehicles and customers. Also Small firms can compete effectively by offering greater services, alternative products, or lesser prices During my research I come across this issue that car rental industries have come up with a new creative way of taking more money or additional fees from innocent car rental customers. Lots of consumers are taking advantage of through a number of non-conventional surcharges in the form of fees they have already paid for, such as extra drivers fee, these extra hidden fees can make renting expensive to customers, and renters should take note of this new method of car rental companies. There are some few things that need to be considered when renting a car in a car rental company or industry, before renting or booking for a car, one should make sure that what the company is offering is comprehensive package. Renter may be tempted to go online car renting websites, which usually offer cheap price for car hire. Customer should keep in mind that the lowest rate might be exclusive for stealing protection, collision with damage and other local taxes, also customer should call the company in order to get detailed information on the car rental package. In addition, people should understand the fuel policies because fuel surcharges are the common additional fees that renters need to contend with. Some company rent out cars without fuel in it, and they require customers to fill it and use it for his or her trip and return the car empty fuel. The fuel usually cost higher than out side fuel station and price are available at customers care desk. However, when picking up a car let a member staff of the company checks if there is fuel in the car or not before taking the car; also the attainder gives you a copy of receipt in order to avoid more charge when the car is returned. Also booking early helps customers to get good and right size car, this will also allow the company to send reservation confirmation early to customers through email and it helps renters read the documentation carefully before going to pick up their rented cars. When picking up a car one should check for any damage on car and fuel level before leaving the rental place so as avoid any argument or problem when returning. There some things that often go wrong when people try to rent a car and unpleasant surprised at the outcome, some are common, for instance, when a person rent for a car and he or she shows up a little late you usually find out that the car has been given to some one else. In addition, people should be careful of the type of car they choose before hiring a car, also the car renters choose should work for them in terms of performance and cost. For example, when people want hire a car they should get a fuel sufficient model that is if they want to save money, which means a compact car will be great for people. On the other hand, in as much as renters want to spend less on fuel, they shouldnt agree on the performance of the car. For instance, there some people who may be going for hiking terrains, in this case a bigger car will be more effective than a compact fuel-efficient car. When it comes to transmission issues customer should find out if the car has a manual or automatic transmission, but most cars have both transmission. Automatic cars are more fuel-efficient than manual cars transmission, and today people demand for automatic cars more than manuals, some times you find out at car rental companies that all the automatic cars are booked. Customers look for amount of legroom available in a car, for example if you traveling with your friends or family, you will require for a spacious car, also if you renting to travel far away people in the car might need to stretch their legs often during the journey. In this case a spacious car will be great for you. People also look for a car with bigger trunk, for example, some cars have smaller trunk and drivers may want to travel with some luggage and is not possible for them because there is no enough space in the trunk to put the luggage. An executive car hiring is a booming business today, people hire executive cars for special purpose but not for traveling from point A to B. they hire these types of cars for pleasure to be the passengers of an executive car. Also it is a pleasure to drive the car and amaze the onlookers on the street. The rental agencies invest in their precious time and care to in creating an attractive rental fleet with greater cars, also their services marked by professionalism and care so that the people who are restoring to executive car hiring services are assured that their exact needs will be always attended and also at affordable price. Executive cars available on hire can be any possible model and company; car hire industries have high-end models of executive cars such as Mercedes, Bentley, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Land Rover Range Rover, Fiat, Toyota, Nissan, Aston Martin, Audi and BMW e.g. all the brands are always available at several companies. These executive cars tell about their exclusiv ity and status on their own and allow the renters traveling in it to get a feel of comfort and richness. There some tips of car hire that people need to consider and also to know about, but that is if you intend to rent a car. Whenever you want rent a car if your concern is fuel consumption, then you go for smallest available car, but if you have extra request such as GPS, kids seat, then you get ready to pay more, also to avoid more charges and pay for some services that you dont need, enquire before taking the car. Additionally, people may like to compare the prices of car hire; some companies offer renters a great deal. But people shouldnt forget to check online website so that they dont miss any online exclusive deal. On the other hand, customers need to understand the fine print agreement, which includes insurance coverage, terms and circumstance for liabilities. The agreement is always safeguards the interest of a company. In conclusion, people hire cars to go on with their daily activities such as businesses, vacation or holidays, tour, e.g. while gas price is high so customer are finding it difficult and expensive to rent luxury cars because of the gas problem. Also renters need to take note and keep update about what is happens during the booking and returning processes so as not to be charged more than you expected.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Essential Aspects of Communication Displayed Through Film Essay

Abstract In interpersonal communication, there are several variables that create a dialogue between two or more people. From the film Hitch, directed by Andy Tennant, the four main variables of interpersonal communication used are perception, nonverbal communication, certain aspects of relational development, and culture. All of these variables play a role in the film to create the relationships and communication that occur in the film. Some of the communication portrayed in the film Hitch is nonverbal between the various characters. Two main relationships develop throughout the film; these relationships are between characters, Hitch and Sara, Albert and Allegra. Culture shapes the way people are and how they choose their relationship partners, which is an essential point displayed in Hitch. The study of how perception plays a role in life is shown in this film by how people view others by their appearance, and nonverbal cues. Relational development is also shown throughout the film to displa y how relationships in the film begin to develop into lifelong bonds. Essential Aspects of Communication Displayed Through Film Introduction Life is a melting pot. It is filled with pieces from here and there, but in the end comes together as a whole collaboration. Our way of making life is through communication. Communication is a collaboration of verbal dialogue, as well as nonverbal cues. These items are essential to our communication, but the way in which they are interpreted depends on how one perceives it, which is dependent upon their culture. The 2005 film Hitch, displays prime examples of communication through relationships nudged by Alex Hitchens. Alex is â€Å"Hitch,† a professional matchmaker as one might say, whose job is to make unlikely interactions happen between two unlikely people. Through this tactic, he is able to bring together people who are right for one another, but who would never had met would it not have been for his intervention. Hitch, directed by Andy Tennant, uses nonverbal communication, perception, culture, and aspects of relational development to explore the way in which people dia logue, and the relationships that grow due to this communication. Perception The film Hitch, is filled with many aspects of interpersonal communication, one of them being perception. Perception is how we see others, interpret their dialogue, actions, etc. In this film, Albert is not noticed by his hopeful love interest, Allegra. Hitch believes that in order for Albert to be noticed by this beautiful woman, he must change the way he conducts himself, and the way Allegra perceives him. First, Hitch tries to help Albert gain a sense of self-esteem, in order for Allegra to notice him as a strong, outgoing, and successful man, rather than the shy and timid person he is. What Hitch wants his clients to experience a change in their â€Å"self-concept.† Alder (2012) describes self-concept as, â€Å"The relatively stable set of perceptions each individual holds on herself or himself † (G-11). Also stated in the text, â€Å"Children who have a low opinion of themselves are more likely to see themselves as victims of bullying, both in their classrooms and in cyberspace. The way we think and feel about ourselves strongly influences how we interpret others’ behavior (p. 119)†. Perhaps Albert had such a low sense of self-esteem that he truly believed women did not notice nor have an interest in him, when perhaps this belief could have been created due to his own sense of his self-concept. An early example of perception occurs when, early in the film, Sara is speaking with her friend Casey about the man she recently went on a date with. She says, â€Å"He was affectionate and sweet, and told me all of these affectionate things like how he can’t taste food and he wants three kids†¦ I never seen anyone get dressed so fast!† This is an example of how gender roles play an extremely important role in perception. According to Adler (2012), â€Å"†¦masculine males tend to see their interpersonal relationships as opportunities to win something. Feminine females typically see their interpersonal relationships as opportunities to be nurturing, to express their feelings and emotions† (p. 120). In this instance, Vance, the man involved, wa s not looking to commit to a relationship like Casey. She truly believed that since Vance was so kind and sweet, she would be able to open up to him as well, whereas he was only interested in a one-night stand. This moment is very pivotal,, as Casey and Sara believe because of this interaction, Hitch’s goal is to teach men how to â€Å"bed† women. Further on in the film, Sara uncovers the fact that her new love interest is in fact the infamous Hitch. When reacting to this discovery, Sara makes a snap judgment, which according to Webster Dictionary is â€Å"A judgment formed on the instant without deliberation.† She makes this kind of judgment in how she reacts to the fact that Hitch’s profession is supposedly teaching men how to â€Å"bed† women. Essentially, Sara ends the relationship, as well as contact between she and Hitch, without hearing Hitch’s side of the story. Snap judgments occur almost instantaneously, whether it is a first impression, or judgment relating to a situation where someone has self-disclosed information about themselves or others. Allegra as well tends to make these quick judgments, especially when she learns that Albert had been consulting with Hitch. She immediately assumes everything she fell in love with in him was just a marketing ploy of sorts, sold by a matchmaker. Making snap judgments can often lead to stereotyping the other person involved within the communication. Stereotyping is a subset of snap judgments, and is defined by Adler (2012) as â€Å"†¦exaggerated beliefs associated with a categorization system† (p.125). Sara takes part in stereotyping when she assumes all of Hitch’s clients, and Hitch himself are like Vance, the one-night-stand. Based on the information she has perceived, it would not be a stretch for her to make that particular judgment. If Sara had possessed the chance to meet Albert by this time, she would realize that not all of Hitch’s clients are as egotistical and narcissistic as Vance. At the same time, Albert is defying the stereotype of the normal â€Å"Hitch client† and wins Allegra over with his natural qualities, rather than the ones his matchmaker Hitch instructed him to have. Much of the communication Albert wins Allegra over with is nonverbal, especially due to the fact that he often stumbles over his words. Nonverbal Communication Hitch, begins with the statistic that, â€Å"60% of all human communication is nonverbal, body language, and 30% is your tone. This means that 90% of what you’re saying ain’t coming out of your mouth.† (Tennant, 2005). According to the Twelfth Edition of Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication, nonverbal communication is any message that is expressed through nonlinguistic methods (p. 177). Nonverbal communication shares just as much importance as verbal communication, if not more, in that through these messages people share their true feelings and responses to the world around them. Unlike verbal communication, nonverbal communication is often unconscious and continuous, meaning that it is likely uncontrollable. Before a response is spoken, before the response is even heard, one is already nonverbally communicating. Nonverbal messages arise in numerous forms, from the way one moves his/her body, to the way one dresses and even speaks. Nonverbal messages support many functions. They can be used to repeat the verbal message that was just spoken. Similarly, they can be used to substitute for the verbal messages. For example, instead of saying yes one could nod. These cues and gestures are called emblems, which are nonverbal behaviors, which can be directly translated into words or phrases (A. Cordova, November 14, 2012). Nonverbal communication can either complement or contradict the verbal message. In complementing the message, the nonverbal communication not only adds to the message, but reinforces it. Messages may be contradictory when a person says one thing but really means another nonverbally. Nonverbal behaviors can also accent, emphasize, or draw attention to or away from a verbal message. Lastly, nonverbal communication can be used to control and regulate the flow of conversation, as well as start and end interactions (A. Cordova, November 14, 2012). The opening scene of Hitch, summarizes many of the ways that nonverbal communication plays a major role in everyday lives. This movie combined with Alex â€Å"Hitch† Hitchens, addresses how nonverbal communication is important in communication, especially with women, in the formation and enhancing of relationships. For example, Hitch points out that women often say verbally things that they really don’t mean: â€Å"This is a really bad time for me,† â€Å"I just need some space,† â€Å"I’m really into my career right now,† etc. (Tennant, 2005). Even though women say things like this, they may mean something entirely different. Hitch speaks of how sometimes women don’t know what they want until they see it. This is the part where nonverbal communication comes into play for men. In the very first scene, a woman’s dog rushes out of her hands and out of an elevator, only to be â€Å"saved† by the admiring man who hired Hitch, who in turn orchestrated the whole thing. The woman who lost her dog had presumably never met or spoken to the man who rescued her dog. Even though the woman had never verbally communicated with this man, she was extremely relieved, grateful, and impressed when she saw him defend her dog in the middle of the street. Without saying a single word, the man was able to improve his romantic chances with this woman greatly. The dog-rescue scene exemplifies the power of nonverbal communication. The majority of communication is nonverbal, thus Hitch emphasizes the importance of this aspect of communication. The simple action this man performs of rescuing the dog, communicates a great amount about his personality; he is able to show that he is caring and nurturing. While he doesn’t need to explicitly tell her, â€Å"Hi. I am a kind and thoughtful person. Are you interested?† she is able to infer his personality from his nonverbal way of communicating. Note the man’s tone when he returns the dog: his nurturing tone reassures her that everything is alright, as well as the fact that he brave and kind. One key aspect of nonverbal communication is paralanguage. Paralanguage is how a statement is spoken, which includes tone, pitch, emphasis, pronunciation, and rate. This man’s use of paralanguage allows him to portray his personality without having to explicitly tell the woman about himself and his traits. Further along in the movie, Hitch goes to meet up with a new client who is in need of desperate help from the â€Å"love doctor.† His name is Albert Brennaman and he was hopelessly and irrevocably in love with Allegra Cole. During this scene, Hitch observes Albert from afar to get a sense of what kind of guy he is. Albert is sitting on stairs eating and in a matter of seconds he manages to spill mustard on his slacks. He then goes on to pouring soda on a napkin and trying to remove the stain, only to end up accidentally kicking over his soda and ruining his whole lunch. Hitch is meanwhile still observing Albert. From Albert’s nonverbal communication portrayed in this scene, Hitch assumes that Albert is clumsy and doesn’t really have a clue. Although Albert was not trying to convey a message through his actions, he most certainly did. There are three types of nonverbal communication the Albert portrayed in this scene. Firstly, he was using kinesis. Kinesis is a ty pe of nonverbal communication that involves the body. Body orientation, eye contact, and posture are all examples of kinesis. Secondly, he nonverbally communicates through his physical characteristics: attire, groomed facial hair, glasses, etc. Lastly, he communicates through his personal environment (A. Cardova, November 14, 2012). Albert shows territoriality, because although that area on the stairs is public property he still in a sense claims the space as his own. Looking at how he kept that environment for that particular scene gives insight into how he may keep his home and or office space. His area on the stairs, after a parade of accidents ended up looking butchered and a hot mess (Tennant, 2005). From these cues Hitch can conclude that this man needs his professional help as a love coach, but also maybe as a life coach. Nonverbal communication truly comes alive in the next scene of the movie, where Hitch is at a local bar admiring his future love interest, Sara Melas. In this scene, Hitch speaks to the bartender, who informs him about Sara’s normal bar habits. She drinks a dirty martini, which is odd because she usually gets a beer. Hitch determines that she must have had a tough week and a beer just wasn’t going to do the trick. As the scene plays out, he ends up pretending to be Sara’s significant other in order to get rid of another admiring contender. He then continues to engage in conversation with her and begins listing out all the nonverbal signals she is giving. Hitch says, â€Å"†¦you’re sending all the right signals: no earrings, heels under two inches, your hair is pulled back, you’re wearing reading glasses with no book, and drinking a grey goose martini†¦ and if that wasn’t clear enough there’s always the f–k off that you’ve got stamped on your forehead.† (Tennant, 2005). All of these are examples of communicating nonverbally through kinesis, body language, and physical characteristics. Nonverbal communication exists throughout the entirety of the film, but to catch and understand how it affects the development of the relationships, one must pay close attention. Relationship Development Two main relationships develop throughout the film Hitch. These relationships include characters, Albert and Allegra, and Hitch and Sara. Hitch and Sara’s relationship begins to develop from the first time they speak with one another in a bar. This interaction is part of the â€Å"coming together† part of Mark L. Knapp’s â€Å"Stages of Relationship Development† Model. This part of the model includes the initiating process, experimenting process, intensifying process, integrating process, and the bonding process. Hitch walking over to Sara in the bar and initiating a conversation is an example of the initiation process. This process is shown when one shows that they are interested in another and make them feel valued and worth one’s time. Once an individual initiates conversation in the model, the interaction progresses to the experimenting stage. When people try to find something in common between both, creating small talk and getting to know each other, they are interacting within the experimenting stage. Hitch and Sara converse in this way at the bar, but it occurs again when Hitch reaches Sara at her work through a walkie-talkie to ask her on a date for the upcoming Saturday. This stunt he pulls shows Sara his personality and creativity. The intensifying stage in Sara and Hitch’s relationship occurs on their first date. Hitch believes he is already in love with her, and knows there is something special about their relationship. In the intensifying stage, people who are beginning to be a dating couple often move into the stage by spending more time together, going on more dates, and sometimes even saying â€Å"I love you† to each other. While Hitch and Sara are on their first date, they make plans to go on a second date, which is part of the intensifying stage. They continue going on dates during this section of the film and keep spending more and more time together. They then consider themselves an official couple after this stage, and enter into the integrating stage of Knapp’s model. During this stage, the couple begins to define themselves as one to others, and begin to make future plans involving one another. The bonding stage goes coherently with the integrating stage because the couple uses gestures in public to display that they are in a relationship. These gestures include, holding hands, public display of affection, and walking side-by-side sharing each other’s company. Once Hitch and Sara’s relationship progresses, they display public affection everywhere they go. In the film, Hitch is seen kissing Sara goodbye before she left for work, which is an example of the bonding stage of Mark Knapp’s Relationship Development Model. The final stage of the Relationship Development Model seen the relationship between Hitch and Sara is shown through the words â€Å"I love you† said to each other at the end of the film. This is a smooth continuation of all of the previous stages of the model because in order to get to their current stage of relationship where they feel so deeply about one another, they had to go through all of the previous stages. The relationship between characters Albert and Allegra occurs differently than the relationship between Hitch and Sara. Albert is a financial consultant for Allegra, a famous celebrity. The concept of complementarity plays a big role in their relationship. Complementarity is displayed when the well-known idea that opposites attract, comes true, and two people find what they hope for in a relationship through the other’s differences. By Albert just being a typical financial consultant and Allegra being a famous celebrity, society did not expect that this would ever be a compatible union. Allegra describes Albert as sweet, charming, and not like all other men, while Albert describes Allegra as the girl of his dreams, his angel, and the lady he would die for and cannot live without. By the two having these similar feelings regarding each other, a connection is made in the way they feel about one another. Through this, they are both able to find reward through their growing relationship. Similarity is found within a developing relationship when two people have similar interests and goals. Rewards in a relationship are defined by the exchange theory. According to the Twelfth Edition of Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication, the exchange theory is defined as the way â€Å"we often seek out people who can give us rewards that are greater than or equal to the cost we encounter in dealing with them† (p.283). In this case, Albert finds Allegra’s personality charming, and feels that she would be a good match for him if she would only pay attention to him. Allegra pays attention to Albert because she knows that he is not like the other men she has previously dated. She finds a sense of security from Albert because she can trust him to love her alone, unlike any of the other men she has dated. In the conclusion of the film, Albert and Allegra get married, which is proof for the bonding and integrating stages of Mark Knapp’s relationship development model. The way in which these relationships are developed is unique to them, and is greatly influenced by their cultures. Culture Merriam-Webster defines culture as, †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time.† Culture is something that is universal in nature, but is unique to every group of people. It is something that makes us as people of the world similar, and drastically different. Hitch looks at culture from a few different perspectives, one being from a familial stance, and the other relating to culture. Culture from a familial perspective deals with the dynamics of a family and how it is run. We are given small glimpses of families throughout Hitch, and for the most part, the culture seems to lean towards an individualistic culture. An individualistic culture is one that Adler (2012) would describe as a group of people who â€Å"†¦view their primary responsibility as helping themselves† (p. 38). People involved in an individualistic culture are very focused on the individual, and their needs in or der to further themselves in the world. A collectivistic culture is a type of culture that differs from this in that Adler (2012) speaks of as cultures that â€Å"feel loyalties and obligations to an in-group: one’s extended family, community, or even organization one works for† (p. 38). In Hitch, one of the more prominent characters Sara Melas, describes to Alex Hitchens an incident with her sister. By the way Sara speaks of her sister, Alex is able to figure out that she is speaking of her younger sister, due to the tone in her voice, and the phrasing she is using. Sara’s sister was involved in a near-death experience, and she explains how deeply impactful this experience was and how it has shaped how she lives. She cares very deeply for her younger sister and experiences intense pain and protectiveness when something negative happens. In this way, it seems that Sara is part of a larger collectivistic culture, due to the protectiveness and intense care she shows for her family. In the film, her life is mainly individualistic, but does indeed carry strong undertones of a collectivistic culture. Culture greatly deals with family and how one was raised, but it also heavily impacts individual relationships and how people interact within these connections. Cultures go about relationships and dating in drastically different ways. In some countries, couples are part of an arranged marriage, in other countries, the courting process is very formal, while in others, such as the one in Hitch, the relationship process is rather casual. Alex Hitchens works to bring couples together who wouldn’t normally be interested in one another, so perhaps one could label this as pairing a person from an in-group, with a person from an out-group. An in-group is a group where we find ourselves being able to identify with its members, whereas an out-group is a grouping of people with whom we would often label as different than us. In Hitch, the characters all deal with a great amount of power distance, which according to Adler (2012) is â€Å"†¦the degree to which members of a society accept an unequal distribution of power† (p. 39). The odd pairings Hitchens is able to bring together, often possess a higher degree of power distance. For example, Allegra and Albert, two people who no one ever thought could be together due to the extreme differences in their day to day lives and culture, were able to be together because the amount of power distance they saw in their relationships was minimal compared to what the outside world saw. The culture of New York deals with dating in a much more casual and open fashion. The thought that women are always looking for someone to be with, even if they say they’re not looking is extremely stressed. This shows aspects of an individualistic culture, due to the fact that the focus of life is greatly on oneself and the furthering of one’s life. Hitch displays many examples of culture weaved into normal, everyday life, both positive and negative. Conclusion The relationships that come together throughout Hitch, are wholly dependent upon communication. Their union is built upon a foundation of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, which is perceived in certain ways, and influenced by culture. The verbal communication is brought through spoken dialogue between people. Nonverbal communication is shown through body language and nonverbal cues, and as seen previously, makes up 60% of communication. Perception of verbal and nonverbal communication is pivotal, due to the fact that it is dependent upon the individual and how they understand something to be. Lastly, culture ties all of these aspects together, because it is due to the culture in which one is raised and the world in which they live in that they understand and interpret life. Hitch is a prime example of these aspects of communication because it brings together many of the important pieces of communication in a way that is easily relatable and understandable to the common person . References Adler, R. B., Rosenfeld, L. B., & Proctor II, R. R. (2012). Twelfth edition of interplay: the process of interpersonal communication. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Cardova A., (November 14, 2012) Nonverbal Communication. Interpersonal Communications. Lecture conducted from Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. Dictionary and Thesaurus – Merriam-Webster Online. (2012). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 11/20/2012 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/ Tennant, A. (Director). Lassiter, J., Smith, W., Zee, T. (Producers). (2005). Hitch [Motion Picture] United States: Columbia Pictures

Friday, January 10, 2020

Humanism and the Renaissance Essay

Founded on the ideals of Italian scholar and poet Francesco Petrarca during the late fourteenth century, Renaissance humanism centered itself on humanity’s potential for achievement. Although God is credited for creating the universe, human beings are the ones credited for developing and sustaining it. The shift was away from understanding the world through faith and towards a broader intellectual and scientific understanding of it. A humanist, in this context, was simply a teacher whose curriculum focused on the liberal arts. By the mid-fifteenth century, this curriculum evolved to include rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history and moral philosophy (or ethics). Together these individual disciplines comprised the core of humanistic studies. But the ideas introduced were not altogether new. Humanists relied on primary sources such as the classical literature of Greece and Rome. What is remarkable, however, are the great lengths to which the movement sought to recover and reintroduce old ideas to the present times. It is remarkable when considering that after the fall of Rome in the fifth century much of the texts housing ideas central to humanistic thought were virtually lost or buried in obscurity. Ancient ideas within these classical texts were considered crucial because humanists considered the ancient world the pinnacle of human achievement and thought its human accomplishments should serve as the model for contemporary Europe. After the fall of Rome, human progress and achievement slowed to a trickle. Western civilization became mired in a period of cultural decline that the Renaissance mind considered a â€Å"dark age† in human history. The only way out was a return to the ideas propelling the ancient world forward. It was, in essence, a trip back to the future. Humanism profoundly affected the artistic community and how artists themselves were perceived. The medieval mind viewed artists as humble servants whose talent and ability were meant to honor God. This is evident in the work of medieval artists adorning churches and cathedrals. Renaissance artists, in contrast, were trained intellectuals – well versed in the classics and mathematical principles. And the art that they created reflected this newfound perspective. The Renaissance also gave birth to a new class in the social order – the merchant class which closely resembles what we now refer to as the middle class. And this merchant class had the means to commission an artist’s services. This dramatically expanded the sources of patronage (i. e. financial support) as well as the themes an artist could consider. No longer was patronage a luxury only the aristocracy could afford. And no longer were commissions relegated primarily to religious considerations. Enlightened citizens with the means to afford it considered artistic patronage an important activity. And with expanded participation, new kinds of art were introduced into the Renaissance landscape. Aristocratic patrons often commissioned portraits. But much of the art commissioned at the time was at the patronage of the merchant class. This art was primarily secular in nature – including mythological subject matter – and adorned the halls and rooms of town homes and country villas. Citizens such as Cosimo de’ Medici were civic minded and supported notable worthwhile causes. De’ Medici supported libraries, for example. He also had a fondness for the work of the artist Donatello and an interest in merging Plato’s ideals with Christian philosophy in an effort to demonstrate how life’s spiritual aspects can overcome physical limitations (leading to a revival of Neo-Platonism). Cosimo’s grandson – Lorenzo the Magnificent – was an avid art collector and benefactor to a young Michelangelo. This underscored the benefit of associating intellectual pursuits with the resources to pursue them. It cast a wide social net along with establishing a thriving market place for creativity. One work of art that embodies the ideal of the Early Italian Renaissance is Donatello’s â€Å"Penitent Magdalene. † The work was commissioned between the late 1430s and 1450s. It is a life-size polychromed wood sculpture. The contrapposto positioning (one leg bearing weight with the other relaxed) is a reference to classic Greek style. The work presents Mary Magdalene as a sympathetic figure who has paid her dues in life. It is an emotionally moving piece. Once a prostitute, Mary evolved to become one of Jesus Christ’s most devout followers and trusted confidants. She was the first person to whom Jesus appeared after the Crucifixion. Afterwards, however, she lived her life in perpetual penance and self-imposed suffering to atone for the sins in life she committed. The sculpture presents Mary as old and frail with few hints of her long lost and forgotten beauty. What does remain to remind us that this was once a strong and beautiful presence to behold is a refined bone structure, the contrapposto pose and long hair. But the trembling hands raised as if in prayer and tattered dress convey that this woman has suffered long enough. She is deserving of forgiveness and compassion. This is the work of an artist well versed not only in the spiritual origin of this woman’s story, but our own sense of humanity and what we may aspire to.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Joseph O Neil The Greatest American Playwright

Before the 1940’s decade, the public was restricted from any â€Å"abnormalities† displayed in any form of entertainment. At the time it was considered inappropriate to broadcast married couples sleeping in the same bed as each other, as if it implied anything more than the simplicity of sharing a moment with a loved one.It can be assumed that if an act as innocent as that was prohibited, than more intense doing’s were completely unspoken of. A major topic that was strongly avoided was anything relating to homosexuality. The subject seemed almost nonexistent in an attempt to impact people to believe they could only be straight.Although many knew otherwise, the media refused to be held responsible for exposing these behaviors as God wanted them†¦show more content†¦(3) His most popular work is perhaps â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire† because it dealt with sexuality and psychology that had never been spoken of before in American Culture. â€Å"A Str eetcar Named Desire† came out in the year 1947 and completely surprised the audience that read it.The book included every act of defiance in media that can be possible.The play is about a women name Blanche Dubois who has just lost everything, her home, her family, her money, her job and her husband. She then decides to move in with her sister Stella who left the family and married a controlling, and aggressive man, Stanley. The couple have a very strong sexual desire for each other which so begins Williams first strike against â€Å"society rules†. Stanley and Blanche don’t seem to quite get along however there are many controversial discussions on whether or not they were actually flirting with one another. Meanwhile Blanche begins to date one of Stanley’s close friend Mitch, who she grows very fond of; Blanche begins to admit personal secrets to him including the death of her husband which throughout the novel it is a very sensitive topic for her to di scuss. This part of the play is perhaps the most unforgiving scene Tennessee Williams could have written. A majority of the play