Saturday, December 28, 2019

Reducing Humans Impact on Global Climate Change - 988 Words

Discuss the possible options of reducing the impact of human activity on global climate change. Both the cause and victim of climate change is human. There are a lot of current and potential threats, which are the consequences of climate change: the rising of sea level, loss of third of flora and fauna, droughts and famine. (McMullen, 2009) On the other side of the cycle, even climate change is considered as natural disaster, human activities encourage the deterioration of climate change. For example, burning fossil fuels produces billions tones of CO2, one of the greenhouse gases that contribute global warming. Global warming directly serves as an evidence of climate change. Climate change is not just about environmental issue; it is complex disaster which start of threats, causing serious political risks and security risk. Even climate change is not direct to cause a conflict, it has a potential risk to destabilize states, dispose population or even collapse the regimes. (Chalecki) As the human economic activities increase CO2 emission, it will at least bring to the regional environmental change. Environmental changes will change the agricultural output, which is the consequence of food shortage. Further, the famine is the motive to political disputes, ethnic tension and civil disputes. In subsequent years, this trend will continue to grow. In order to tackle with the problem of increasing of badly influence of human activities on changing of the climate there existShow MoreRelatedClimate Changes And Climate Change1016 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Climate change is a reality that is happening now, and that we can see its impact across the world† (Haddrill, 2014) Climate change is the changes in the pattern of the climate due to natural and human activities that has been used inappropriately. Climate is defined as the â€Å"average weather† (Calow, 1998) for a particular region. Climate change is the human activities that affect Earth’s climate by using the human activities inappropriately that leads to the warming of the Earth. Ther e are varietyRead More Global Warming Essay example953 Words   |  4 PagesGlobal Warming Global warming is an increase in the earths temperature due to fossil fuels, industry, and agricultural processes caused by human, natural, and other gas emissions. (Melissa Phillips). This results in an increased emission of greenhouse gases. (Caroline Quatman). Short-wave solar radiation sinks into the Earths atmosphere and warms its surface; while longwave infrared radiation emitted by earths surface is absorbed, and then re-emitted by trace gases. (Brent C. Willhoite) Read MoreIs Global Warming Due to Human Actions? Can the Human Race Take Action to Stop Global Warming?1529 Words   |  7 PagesNovember 19, 2012 Outline Is global warming due to human actions? Can the human race take action to stop global warming? Introduction Thesis Statement: Yes, human actions are definitely a factor in global warming. The fact that there have been natural cycles of climate change since earths formation, in past and recent centuries humans have influenced global climate change through the emission of greenhouse gases. The actions that humans should take to stop global warming are to reduce the greenhouseRead MoreThe Climate Disaster Is Inevitable Or Not?896 Words   |  4 PagesThe climate disaster is the social construction that world population have been embedded this idea through one generation to another generation in society. Actually, it seems like the long-lasting issue for not only regional level but also global level. Several studies might have demonstrated the causes and significant impacts of climate crisis. It is still popular argument in society, whether the climate disaster is currently inevitable or not. If it already occurred, what are the main factors?Read MoreGlobal Climate Change And The Global Environment1963 Words   |  8 Pagessituation of global environmental security, it seems that the rate of destruction to the world’s environment by humans is increasing and the damage is faster than it can be recovered (Fiona Harvey, 2016). There are many factors which play a fundamental role in destroying the global environment. The most visible one is the human’s incorrect activity that resulted in climate change which can be viewed as an enormous threat to environmental security. It is believed that the current local and global climaticRead MoreGlobal Warming Is Representative By Human Activities943 Words   |  4 PagesNowadays climate change is happening in our planet and has became a global issue. As a result, we are suffering more serious damage from the climate change including flooding,hurricane,Tsunami and so on. In my own opinion, even it might be late but we still have chance to improve those consequences and save our life by acting now. This essay would like to point out so me reasons of climate change, briefly analyse how it will effect to our life and gives some solutions we can do. There are severalRead MoreThe City Of Phoenix991 Words   |  4 Pagesof climatic change. Phoenix having a very large population. This is purely a clear indication that there are so many human activities that take place in the city Transportation in this city must comprise of many vehicles meaning that there is so much gas that emitted to the air by the vehicles hence the climate change. The congestion in the city also leaves it vulnerable to climate change. Also, phoenix have many industries, the industries will release many toxic gases to hurt human’s body and letRead MoreClimate Change And Its Effects On Humans1733 Words   |  7 PagesClimate Change Earth is the only known habitable planet to support life. Over 6 billion humans and billions of other living things depend on the earth’s climate to survive. However, since the past century things start to change due to human activity as well as natural occurrences. The unpredicted weather conditions, wild fires and earth quakes have killed and displaced thousands of humans and animals, and wiped out few species from the face of the earth. Some animals and plants are facing the sameRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects Essay1774 Words   |  8 PagesGlobal warming has been affecting the Earth temperature for many years, caused mainly by greenhouse gases emissions from burning fuel that is used for generating power, operating vehicles, running factories and other industrial activities, all of which are human-caused and controlled, however one cannot simply live without. All of this has endangered the environment, including a tremendous rise in Earth temperature, many specie s becoming extinct, arctic ice melting on a rapid pace, sea levels risingRead MoreA Brief Note On Environmental Impacts Of Fracking1349 Words   |  6 PagesEnvironmental Impacts of Fracking In 2011, a report released by the International Energy Agency claims the world is entering the â€Å"Golden Age of Gas.† The report shows that, with the increasing projects of fracking, gas use will escalate 50 percent and replace coal to become the second largest fuel by the year of 2035 (IEA). Correspondingly, one study illustrates the increased practice of fracking has brought $ 74 billion economic gain per year since 2007 (Dews). Also, one oil company claims that

Friday, December 20, 2019

Causes of the Civil War - 951 Words

CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR In 1860, the world s greatest nation was locked in Civil War. The war divided the country between the North and South. There were many factors that caused this war, but the main ones were the different interpretations of the Constitution by the North and South, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the arrival of Lincoln in office. These factors were very crucial in the bringing upon of the destruction of the Union. They caused immediate war. In 1791, the tenth amendment was added to the Constitution. The tenth amendment states that The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. (Bailey 16) This†¦show more content†¦Some even called him an abolitionist. Stephan A. Douglas, one of the other runners for the presidency said in a speech about Lincoln ... Mr. Lincoln invites, by his proposition, a war of sections, a war between Illinois and Kentucky, a war between the free States and the slave states, a war between the North and South (Stampp, 80) Douglas believed Lincoln would cause war if he was elected because of his position in slavery. Lincoln, was elected president, but didn t receive much popularvotes. Almost all his votes came from the North. In winning the North, the railsplitter had split off the South. (Bailey, 435) Sectionalism could be seen with the votes given to each candidate from the states. Four days after Lincoln was elected, South Carolina called a special election in which they decided to secede from the Union. Ten more states followed South Carolina. Civil War began soon, lasting five years of bloodshed. The Civil War was caused by many reasons. The factors that were most responsible in causing the Civil War were the different views of the Constitution among the North and South, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the arrival of Lincoln as president. They caused immense destruction throughout the nation. If these factors were prevented, the United States could have been preserved and civil war could have never occurred. Works Cited Bailey, Thomas A., and Kennedy, David M. The American Pageant. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath and Company, 1994.Show MoreRelatedThe Causes Of The Civil War1016 Words   |  5 Pages In 1861, a Civil War broke out in the United States when the South declared their independence from the Union.  There is a great amount of reasons that people can argue how the Civil War was started. However, what most people don’t understand, is that most of the events leading up to the Civil War were related to slavery.  Slavery was the core of the North and South’s conflict, which led to a very vicious feud.   The immediate cause of the war was slavery. Southern states, including the 11 statesRead MoreThe Causes Of The Civil War1409 Words   |  6 PagesThe causes of the Civil War were complex and have been controversial since the country began. Some causes include; states’ rights, economics, and slavery. The most recognizable and popular cause is slavery. The freeing of the slaves was an important moral issue at the time and one of the greatest causes of the civil war. It was only by carefully avoiding the moral issue involved in slavery that Northerners and Southerners could meet on any common ground. (Goldston, 79). The time came in which ourRead MoreThe Cause of the Civil War800 Words   |  4 Pages The Cause of the Civil War Generally, it is thought to be the South’s fault for causing the Civil War. Contrary to popular belief, the Civil War was mainly provoked by the North; through using the federal government to overtake the South, removing slavery which would destroy Southern economy, and creating the moral issue of slavery. The North was the primary reason for the start of a war that ripped our country apart. The North had full control over the federal government and used that to suppressRead MoreCivil War Causes1382 Words   |  6 Pages Causes of the Civil War John Brown’s Raid vs. Industrial Revolution John Brown’s Raid was a more influential cause to the civil war than the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution caused incompability between the North and the South. The North relied on wage laborers with the new machine age economy while the South relied heavily on slaves. So, the North did not need slaves for their economyRead MoreCauses Of The Civil War1740 Words   |  7 PagesThe Civil War was not an event that erupted overnight or something that no one had seen coming. It was a result of long stemming conflicts. â€Å"The road to civil war was complex and multi-faceted† (Wells, 1). These conflicts kept creating a divide amongst the states in the nation. The divide finally became so great, that the United States split into the Confederacy (South) and the Union (North), and fighting erupted. â€Å" â€Å"The Civil War,† Randall Jimerson observes, â€Å"became a total war involving the entireRead MoreThe Causes Of The Civil War1238 Words   |à ‚  5 PagesGalindo Mr. Scheet AP U.S History 5 November 2017 Unit 4 Essay The initial causes of the Civil War have been previously discussed and analyzed by historians, but have remained one of the most controversial debates, due to its numerous causes that created the most devastating war in American history. The country had been avoiding the disputes that would later become the causes of the civil war for decades. The Mexican War is proof that the issue of slavery was put on hold by President James K. PolkRead MoreCause of the Civil War1296 Words   |  6 PagesHistory 11 12/17/2006 The root causes and precipitating events that led to the Civil War (1861-1865) The Civil War between northern and southern states was a consequence of contradictions of two social systems inside the country. At the basis of these contradictions was a question of slavery, completely determining economic and political interests of South. North strived to enforce Federal government power to protect their own economic stability. As a result the South wanted a separationRead MoreCauses of the Civil War1489 Words   |  6 PagesThe Causes Of The Civil War The Political War The North and South fought over politics, mainly the idea of slavery. Basically the South wanted and needed it and the North did not want it at all. The South was going to do anything they could to keep it. This was the issue that overshadowed all others. At this time the labor force in the South had about 4 million slaves. These slaves were very valuable to the slaveholding planter class. They were a huge investment to Southerners and if taken awayRead MoreThe Causes Of Civil War2004 Words   |  9 PagesGà ¶ksel What are the causes of Civil War? Do ethnic determinants play an important role? Why are certain parts of Africa characterized by ethnic conflict while other parts remain relatively calm? The conventional understanding on the causes of civil war especially within African countries, to a considerable degree, has being predominantly characterized to draw its root on ethnic divergences. However, such premise appear extremely difficult to be true, owing to the fact that civil war is a complex actionRead MoreThe Cause Of The Civil War Essay1940 Words   |  8 PagesKelah Lehart Mr. Henkel American History I October 14, 2016 The Causes of the Civil War The American Civil War divided the nation because there were tensions between the North, non-slavery states, and the South that focused on the expansion of slavery. The South believed that Abraham Lincoln planned to eliminate slavery which would destroy the growth of cotton. Eleven southern states then seceded from the Union, and became known as the Confederate States of America. When Abraham Lincoln was elected

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Phineas Gage free essay sample

Since, Phinaes life the research has been able to uncover the many miracles on how his life changed on that fatal day which changed his life forever. Phineas Gage The forebrain plays a significant part in cognitive functions. It is also the anterior and largest portion of the brain. The forebrain includes the central hemispheres, that includes the limbic system, thalamus, hypothalamus and the callosum. Each of the hemispheres are divided into four lobes. Frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal are the four lobes. The forebrain controls cognitive functioning.The cognitive functions are: sensory and motor function, temperature regulating, reproductive, eating, sleeping, and displays emotions. In 1848 an unforeseen accident happen when Phineas Gage was preparing an explosive hole that required the use of a tamping iron. The tamper iron hit the rock causing a spark to ignited the explosive power and sent the tamper iron though the cheek bone on the left side and exited through the top of the head and into the air landing 30 feet away. We will write a custom essay sample on Phineas Gage or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page How might this affect his cognitive functioning? Phineas GagePhineas Gage would not know till months and years later what damage was done to his brain and how it would affect his cognitive functioning. John Martin Harlow was the attending physician that cleaned Gages wounds by removing small bone fragments and replaced the large fragments of the skull that remained but where displaced. He covered the wound by placing straps on Gages head and a wet compress on the opening. The wound was left open to drain. A few days later Gages brain became infected and Maslow drained pus from the abscess under the scalp. Haslow, described the iron as entering the cranium, passing through the anterior left lob of the cerebrum, and exited in the medial line, at the junction of the coronal and sagittal sutures, lacerating the longitudinal sinus, fracturing the parietal and frontal bones extensively, breaking up portions of the brain, and protruding the globe of the left eye from its socket (Scienceblogs. com,MO,2007). By January 1849 everyone could see a change in Phineas behavior. Friends where stating that he was not the Phineas that they had known in the past.His injury had changed him to be irreverent, indulging at times in gross profanity, impatient, would not except advise, could not follow through on plans. With this happening he could not have his job back on the railroad construction crew. Cognitive changes in Phineas Gage With the injury Gage had with the iron precising and going through the brain there had to be some cognitive change in the areas that Haslow described. These areas of the brain that would be affected would be the cerebral cortex lobes that are the frontal lobe that is involved with decision-making, problem solving, and planning.The parietal lobe that receives and processes sensory information and the temporal lobe that is involved with emotional responses, memory, and speech. Also effected would parts of the limbic system structure to include the amygdala which involves emotional responses and memory, along with the substantia nigra that helps to control voluntary movement and regulates mood(brianexplorer. org/forebrain). Conclusion The study of the human brain has come so far since the accident that happen at the railroad site in 1848 with Phineas Gage.Studies have shown how the different parts of the brain is divided and how each part works in different ways as far as cognitive functioning. Parts of the cerebral cortex lobes: controls vision, color, emotions, memory and speech. While parts of the limbic system is also involved with emotional responses sensory input concerning emotions, and memory. the part of the brain that was damaged also produced epilepsy where there was an abnormal bust of electrical signals that interrupts the normal electrical brain functions.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Ubuntu Technologies Plc

Question: ExplainUbuntu Technologies Plc. Answer: Introduction Ubuntu Technologies Plc is a Midlands based organization, operating for the past 20 years. The company has specialized in manufacturing a special type of versatile motor engine part. Initially, Ross-Royce engines used this part. However, over the years the client base of Ubuntu enhanced and it included large automakers such as Toyota, Ford, Honda and Mercedes. Formerly, the business activities of Ubuntu Technologies Plc were limited to United Kingdom and some other parts of Europe. Presently, the market of Ubuntu has expanded in various parts of India, China, Japan and North America. In the past decade the sales of Ubuntu outside the European market has been increasing while it is declining in the European market. In the post global financial crisis era, the company has encountered difficult situation. Actually, the entire, motor manufacturing industry has suffered in that period. The impact of global financial crisis was severe in the USA, EU and UK. The traditional market of the co mpany automatically declined and Ubuntu faced major challenges. Consequently, the company has focused on exploring the emerging markets of Asia. However, the company do not have adequate knowledge regarding the Asian markets. Additionally, it has been observed that the emerging markets are highly competitive and penetrating those markets will require effective strategies and adequate knowledge. Due to increased competition and some other factors the company has encountered a loss in the last financial year. In this situation, the board members of the company are very much concerned about the future prospect and they have been looking for various options. It has been observed that a board of director of Ubuntu arranged a meeting for exploring the possibility of acquiring the outright of the organization. Though some board of directors are willing to sell off the company the managing director is hopeful about the long term prosperity of the company (Klemstine and Maher, 2014). The man aging direction of the organization has been preparing to represent some strategies that would help in reviving the financial position of the company. This paper will focus on analyzing the financial position of the company along with estimating the value of the organization. Analysis of the Performance and Financial Position Ubuntu Technologies have been encountering some issues and it is important to analyze its performance and present financial position for making rational decision. Financial performance analysis focuses on considering the financial information of the company and analyzes its performance over the past few years. Analysis of the financial performance provides an insight to the major weaknesses as well as strengths of the company. The results of the financial performance analysis will identify the weakness of the organization and the company can focus on overcoming those issues in order to maximize the performance of the company. On the other hand, the major strengths of the company can be recognized which will be helpful in maintaining the position of the company. In order to analyze the financial performance, ratio analysis can be used for analyzing various performance aspects of Ubuntu. This analysis will be helpful for the board of directors of the company for making rational decisio n on the basis of past performance analysis. This section will include ratio analysis for analyzing the financial performance of the firm over the last three years. Ratio Analysis Ratio analysis is a useful tool for analyzing the financial performance of an organization. It considers the important and relevant financial information of the company in order to calculate some financial performance indicators (Oliver and Horngren, 2010). Financial statements such as balance sheet, income statement and balance sheet are considered for gathering relevant information which will be used in order to calculate various performance indicators or financial ratios. This effective too has been extensively considered by various organizations in order to analyze the financial performance of the company. Ratios are considered by the internal as well as external users of the companies for making decision (Epstein and Lee, 2014). Different type of ratios such as profitability ratio, efficiency ratio, liquidity ratio etc helps in getting an insight regarding organizational performance (Garrison, Noreen and Brewer, 2010). Profitability ratio gives an overview of the potential of th e organization in making profits in relation to revenue. On the other hand, liquidity ratios estimate the short term cash position of the business firm. Efficiency ratio helps in understanding the efficiency level of the organizational activities. Investors ratios are largely considered by the investors in order to assess the return on investment in this organization. In this section, important financial ratios of Ubuntu Technologies Plc have been calculated for three consecutive years 2012, 2013 and 2014. Profitability Ratio Profitability ratios help in estimation of the profit generation capacity of the company. Gross profit margin is calculated for indicating how much money is available to the company after deducting the cost of goods sold (Klemstine and Maher, 2014). There are two important profitability ratios that will be calculated in this section: gross profit margin and net profit margin. Gross profit margin estimates the ratio of the revenue to the amount left after considering the cost of goods sold. From the following table, it can be found that the gross profit margin of the company has declined over the past 3 years. It can be found that the cost of goods sold is increasing but the revenue is not increasing in the same proportion (Oliver and Horngren, 2010). It does not have a positive indication for the financial health of the organization. It can be stated that the marketing strategies have not been effective in enhancing the revenue of the organization. On the other hand, net profit margi n is calculated after considering the total expenditure of the company (Horngren, Harrison and Oliver, 2009). It is calculated by the ratio of revenue of that organization for that financial year to the amount left after costing all the expenses of that firm (Peterson Drake and Fabozzi, 2006). In case of Ubuntu, the net profit margin of the company has been found to be negative in 2014. It started declining since 2012 and in 2014, the company encountered loss of 3.87%. It does not indicate a favourable financial position of the company (Garrison, Noreen and Brewer, 2010). The expenditures of the company have increased significantly. However, the sales revenue has not increased in the same proportion. Hence, it can be clearly implied that Ubuntu Technologies have not been able to generate consistent profit over the three financial years (Kieso, Weygandt and Warfield, 2012). (*values are in millions) 2014 2013 2012 Profitability Ratio Gross Profit 115.00 125.00 135.00 Revenue 630.00 610.00 580.00 Gross Profit Margin 18.25% 20.49% 23.28% Net Profit - 24.40 5.00 12.00 Revenue 630.00 610.00 580.00 Net Profit Margin -3.87% 0.82% 2.07% (Source: (Peterson Drake and Fabozzi, 2006)) Liquidity Ratio Liquidity ratios are very important for understanding the short term liquidity of the firm (Seal, Garrison and Noreen, 2009). It basically focuses on estimating the cash position of the company in order to meet the obligation that is short term (Wernz, 2014). Liquidity ratio helps in assessing whether the company has adequate potential to conduct its day to day operational activities. Current ratio and quick ratio are considered to be two important ratios for evaluating the solvency of an organization. Liquidity ratios consider the short term assets and short term liabilities form the balance sheet in order to determine the short term cash position of that business firm. Current ratio is the proportion of short terms assets and short term liabilities of the company. If the ratio is greater than 1, it indicates the company has potential to meet the short term obligations with the aid of its current assets. In contrast, if the current ratio is less than 1, it implies the business firm does not have adequate current asset for meeting the short term liabilities of the firm. The company needs to arrange short term assets such as cash, bank balance, inventory, and accounts receivable for maintain moderate level of current asset which can be sufficient for meeting the requirement of the company. The liquidity position of Ubuntu has declined over the period and in 2014 the current ratio is less than 1. In 2012, current ratio was 1.15 which indicates the company had adequate current asset that helps in meeting the short term obligation of the company. However, the current ratio declined in the consecutive two financial years: 2013 and 2014. It indicates an un favourable position for the company. Quick ratio is another important liquidity ratio that helps in estimating the short term cash position of the organization. Quick ratio does not consider inventories as current asset as it cannot be converted to cash quickly (Kieso, Weygandt and Warfield, 2012). The quick ratio of Ubuntu has declined over the three years and it is very poor in 2014. It means the company has been struggling to meet its short term liabilities in the past three financial years. Moreover, it can be implied that the inventory of the company is significantly high and when it is not considered in the current asset, the liquidity ratio declined sharply. 2014 2013 2012 Liquidity Ratio Current Asset 278.30 225.00 230.00 Current Liabilities 349.30 239.00 200.00 Current Ratio 0.80 0.94 1.15 Current Assets 278.30 225.00 230.00 Inventories 120.00 100.00 110.00 Current Liabilities 349.30 239.00 200.00 Quick Ratio 0.45 0.52 0.60 Efficiency Ratio Efficiency ratios are calculated in order to assess the efficiency level of the organizational activities in terms of inventory conversion, utilization of assets etc (Cummins and Weiss, 2013). The efficiency ratios are determined in terms of the asset turnover ratio and the inventory turnover ratio. The asset turnover ratio determines the ability of the company to use the assets in an efficient manner for generating revenue. This section will focus on discussing two major efficiency ratios: inventory turnover ratio and asset turnover ratio for 2012, 2013 and 2014. Asset turnover ratio is calculated for estimating the capacity of the company in utilizing its assets for generating revenue (Kieso, Weygandt and Warfield, 2012). It has been found that the asset turnover ratio is less than 1. It clearly indicates that the company has been unable to utilize its assets effectively. On the other hand, inventory turnover ratio indicates the time taken for converting its inventory into sales (P eterson Drake and Fabozzi, 2006). If the inventory turnover ratio is high it implies that it takes greater time to convert its inventory into sales and the chance of obsolesce increases (Drury, 2012). It has been found that the inventory turnover ratio was highest in 2012 and then it decreased in 2013. Again in 2014, it has increased which is not favourable for the company (Horngren, Harrison and Oliver, 2009). It is seen that in the year 2012, the revenue of the company was 580 millions. The total asset of the company comprising of the current assets and the tangible assets is 730 million dollars. The asset turnover ratio for 2012 is 0.79. The revenue of the company for 2013 is 610 million dollars and the total assets have been 825 million. In the year 2014, the revenue of the company is 630 million and the total assets of the company are 957 million. The ratio for the year is 0.66. It is seen that the investment of the company in the total assets has been increasing from the year 2012 to the year 2014. The increase in investment in total assets of the company for the year 2014 has been 31%. This has resulted in the increase in the revenue of the company. The revenue of the company has increased from 2012 to 2013 is 30 million and the increase in the revenue from the year 2013 to 2014 is 20 million. There has been 8% increase in the total revenue of the company. This has resulted in the v ariation of the ratio from 2012 to 2014 as it is seen below. Similar change in noticed in the inventory turnover ratio as the inventory of the company has been increasing in the year 2014. The cost of sales for the year 2014 has increased by 2012 to 2014 by 13%. But the increase in number of days is not favourable for the business. The company must reduce its inventory amount and use it efficiently. 2014 2013 2012 Efficiency Ratio Revenue 630.00 610.00 580.00 Total Asset 957.30 825.00 730.00 Asset Turnover 0.66 0.74 0.79 Inventories 120.00 100.00 110.00 Cost of Sales 515.00 485.00 445.00 Inventory Turnover ratio (days) 85.05 75.26 90.22 Capital Structure Ratio Capital structure plays a crucial role in analyzing the risk associated with the business operations (Peterson Drake and Fabozzi, 2006). Gearing ratio and interest coverage ratio are the important ratio that will help in analyzing vulnerability relating to debt and equity. Gearing ratio helps in estimating the ratio between debt and equity of the firm (Kieso, Weygandt and Warfield, 2012). Higher amount of debt indicates greater level of risk (Seal, Garrison and Noreen, 2009). In case of Ubuntu, gearing ratio has been estimated to be greater than 1 in 2014. Debt was significantly low in 2012 and in 2014 it had exceeded the equity. The company has become more leveraged and the risk has increased (Horngren, Harrison and Oliver, 2009). Interest coverage ratio indicates the ability of the company to meet liability associated with debt (Zhu, 2009). In 2012, the interest coverage ratio of Ubuntu indicated that the company had significant potential to pay off its liability (Kieso, Weygandt a nd Warfield, 2012). However, in 2014, the company encountered loss and does not have the capability to pay interest against the borrowings. Hence, it can be stated the financial position of Ubuntu is not good in 2014 and it has deteriorated over the three years period. The capital structure ratio shows the percentage of equity and debt of the company. It is favourable for the business to have a low debt than equity. The financial risk of the company reduces. But in the present situation it is seen that the amount of debt capital of the company is increasing rapidly. The debt capital of the company has increased by 100% in the year 2014 from the year 2012. However the equity capital is same. This is risky for the company during financial turmoil. Thus it is favourable of the company to lower the debt capital so that the burden of the company is reduced in times of financial turmoil. The interest coverage ratio shows that ability of the company to pay its interest with the profit. The interest expense of the company has been increasing from the year 2012 to the year 2014. The company has suffered from huge loss in the year 2014. Thus the company will not be able to repay its interest expense within the profit. The financial risk of the company will i ncrease in near future. Thus in such a financial turmoil, the increase in debt burden of the company will pose serious threat for the company in future. 2014 2013 2012 Capital Structure Ratio Debt Capital 345.00 230.00 145.00 Total Equity 310.00 310.00 310.00 Gearing Ratio 1.112903226 0.741935484 0.467742 Profit before interest and tax - 11.40 18.00 25.00 Interest Expenses 12.00 10.00 8.00 Interest Coverage Ratio -0.95 1.8 3.125 Value of the Organization If the anticipation of the managing director is considered to be true, i.e. introduction of a new approach will help in saving cost of 25 million, in calculating the value of the firm, profit and loss can be ignored. Adjusted book value method or cost approach can be adopted for estimating the value of the organization. First of all, the balance sheet must be considered to assess the value of the assets. The assets will include both current and non-current assets. Cash, accounts receivable, inventories, non-operating assets, fixed assets (tangible) and intangible assets must be considered for calculating the total assets of the organization. Current assets are already in book value and hence, adjustments are not required. In order to calculate goodwill, the company can be adopting excess earnings method. Therefore, liabilities and equities need to be calculated by considering long term date, deferred tax, contingent liability and stockholders equity (Williams and Naumann, 2011). The refore, net assets can be calculated by subtracting liabilities from assets. The value of the company can be understood from the above ratio analysis of the financial statements of the company. The ratio analysis clearly shows that in the last three financial years the liquidity ratios have decreased which shows the companys failure in paying away its suppliers and also there is lack of liquid assets which could be easily transferable to cost. The liquidity position of this company is not at all good due to which it is unable to meet its short term obligations and resulted in mistrust among its investors. The profitability position of this company also showing a steady falls, where the net profit has gone to negative which means that the company has made a net loss in the year 2014. The investors and shareholders of the company will lose interest on this company and the owners are opting to sell it away to recover the loss. The capital structure of the company is also not at all good; with the source of capital shifting more from equity capital to long term d ebt capital is a clear indication of huge leverage the company is bearing at present. The efficiency ratios are also deteriorating which shows the lack of efficiency on the part of the company in making use of its assets and liabilities. This determines the value of the company which for Ubuntu Technologies PLC is clearly showing negative results. The value of the organization acts as a base for the organization to take important strategic decisions. It helps in decision making and all the future objectives of the organization are set based on it. The study of the financial situation of the company at present supports the decision of the Board of Directors that it is better to sell the organization. Even if the new approach can decrease the cost of production but the capital structure and the liquidity position cannot be changed with a cost control approach. The value statement of the company shows the financial problem it is facing and despite showing good growth in the initial years it has fell miserably. The value of the organization can only be changed with a strict approach on the part of the management. So, comparing the current position of the company and understanding the approach of the managing directors selling the company is the only way to revive the value of the organization. Conclusion This paper has demonstrated that the Ubuntu Technologies Plc has not been performing well and the financial position of the company has deteriorated over the last three years period. Ratio analysis of the firm has demonstrated that the company has not been able to earn significant revenue by utilizing its assets properly. The inventory turnover ratio is high and it can be concluded that the efficiency of the company has been significantly poor. Additionally, the company had encountered loss in 2014 which has created a doubt among the shareholders. Liquidity ratios such as current ratio and quick ratio are estimated to be lower than 1 which clearly indicated that the company does not have enough potential to meet the short term obligations. Moreover, the gearing ratio demonstrated the proportion of debt has exceeded equity capital which has enhanced the level of risk. As the directors are planning to sell off the company, the estimated value of the business can be calculated by the ab ove stated method. The ratio analysis of the financial statements of Ubuntu Technologies PLC for the last three years clearly indicates its declining financial condition. We have made use of several accounting ratios to understand it better. The ratio analysis covers the income statements, balance sheet and the cash flow statements of the company. The ratio analysis supports the decision of the Board of Directors, so even though the effort of the managing director to revive the company with a new cost control approach is appreciated but it is not enough to recover the company from its poor financial condition. So, we can conclude the financial study of Ubuntu Technologies PLC. References Braun, K., Tietz, W. and Harrison, W. (2010).Managerial accounting. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Cummins, J. and Weiss, M. (2013). Analyzing Firm Performance in the Insurance Industry Using Frontier Efficiency and Productivity Methods.SSRN Journal. Drury, C. (2012).Management and cost accounting. Andover: Cengage Learning. Epstein, M. and Lee, J. (2014).Advances in Management Accounting. Bradford: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Garrison, R., Noreen, E. and Brewer, P. (2010).Managerial accounting. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Horngren, C., Harrison, W. and Oliver, M. (2009).Accounting. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Horngren, C., Harrison, W. and Oliver, M. (2012).Accounting. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall. Kieso, D., Weygandt, J. and Warfield, T. (2012).Intermediate accounting. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Klemstine, C. and Maher, M. (2014).Management accounting research. London: Routledge. Oliver, M. and Horngren, C. (2010).Managerial accounting. Boston: Prentice Hall. Peterson Drake, P. and Fabozzi, F. (2006).Analysis of financial statements. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Seal, W., Garrison, R. and Noreen, E. (2009).Management accounting. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. Wernz, J. (2014).Bank management and control. Heidelberg: Springer. Williams, P. and Naumann, E. (2011). Customer satisfaction and business performance: a firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ level analysis.Journal of Services Marketing, 25(1), pp.20-32. Zhu, J. (2009).Quantitative Models for Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking. New York: Springer.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Texas Politics In The Early 20Th Century Essays - Texas, Old Right

Texas Politics In The Early 20Th Century Conservative Texas In the book, The Establishment in Texas Politics, by George Norris Green, Mr. Green describes how, since 1939, fiscal and social conservatives have governed Texas. Anglo-Texas nationalism supported the idea of Texas independence from groups including the federal government as it pertains to laws overseeing business practices. From the traditionalistic-individualistic scheme of Texas politics emerged a philosophy of material self-interest above anything that might be considered fair to other groups within the borders of the state. To make matters worse (or better, depending on your own political persuasion) Texas at that time was a one-party system, and the powers that be relied on a consistently low level of voter participation and the powerful influence of special interest lobby groups. Interest groups sprang forth from the business landscape tilled by capitalist pioneers such as H.L. Hunt, Sid Richardson and Clint Murchison. These independent millionaires were concerned with preserving capital and enhancing shareholder value by reducing the interference by governmental socialists who sought to redistribute wealth though the use of social programs. These men, and many more like them, cared little about government and wanted no intervention in their economic affairs. Their attitudes were consistent with the popular values of the Jeffersonian Democrats of the nineteenth century: The less government the better, local control of what little government there was, and freedom from economic regulation, or laissez-faire. Three men, W. Lee O'Daniel, Coke Stevenson and Beauford Jester came to epitomize Texas conservatives during this period of Texas history. Each man, whether they knew it or not, practiced a type of pseudo laissez-faire that would later be known as Social-Darwinism; the belief that individuals who prosper and rise to the top of the socioeconomic ladder are worthy and deserve their riches, while those who sink to the bottom are unworthy and deserve their poverty. Social-Darwinist argue that people become rich and powerful because they are intelligent, energetic and self-disciplined, whereas those who become or remain poor do so because they are stupid, lazy or otherwise given to embrace certain destructive vices. Socio-economic status, thus, was thought to be a result of natural selection. Further, it was thought that as business flourished so would everyone flourish. As it has been stated, A rising tide lifts all boats. Wilbert Lee (Pappy) O'Daniel was born in Malta, Ohio on March 11 1890. O'Daniel was educated in public schools in Kansas, he later completed a two year curriculum at Salt City Business College in Hutchinson, Kansas, in 1908. Upon graduation he worked his way up as a stenographer, bookkeeper and sales manager of a flour milling company. He organized his own flour concern in 1935 in Fort Worth. He began a series of radio shows featuring the Light Crust Dough Boys. At the urging of his radio fans, O'Daniel ran for the govennorship of Texas in 1938. His entire platform consisted of the Ten Commandments, the virtues of his own Hillbilly Flour, tax cuts for business and the industrialization of Texas. Given O'Daniel's business background, his philosophy was that of no corporate taxes and he was of course, anti-labor. He instead offered up a tax plan, secretly written by manufacturing interest groups that amounted to a multiple sales tax (a regressive tax borne by people least able to pay). He also sought to attack labor unions by writing the O'Daniel Anti-Violence Act but the courts discarded most of the provisions. At this time, O'Daniel began replacing members of the University of Texas Regents in an attempt to limit academic freedom and to eliminate communists who he saw as behind the pro labor movement. One of the more interesting characters in Texas political history would have to be Coke Stevenson. Born in a log cabin in Mason county Texas, Coke started his business career early. As a teenager he hauled freight from Junction to Brady. He worked his way up from rancher, banker, lawyer and legislator. After he won the governorship Stevenson began to demonstrate his fiscal and socially conservative ideology. He had amassed lucrative oil lease income and he opposed any tax levied on it, he also opposed gas rationing Texas during the second World War, the obvious implication here was oil prices would increase with greater

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Why PrepScholar is Great for Busy Students

Why PrepScholar is Great for Busy Students SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you a busy student with no extra time for SAT prep, but know it’s important for your college apps? Check out PrepScholar’s unique program that automatically gives you the lessons and practice you need based on your performance. Lots of teenagers come home from school and spend the hours until dinner watching TV, YouTube videos, or on Facebook. Other students have already learned how much that time can be used for, and how important it is to use all their time to build an impressive rà ©sumà © for college. Still others are busy because of time limitations over which they have no control, like babysitting siblings or long bus rides every day. All of the busy students described here can take advantage of PrepScholar to fit efficient, flexible and interactive prep into their schedules. PrepScholar is Efficient Classroom courses and test prep books are organized by question typethe Student-Produced-Response Math questions, for instance, or the Improving Sentences Writing questions. But this doesn’t really get at the point of the test, because the skills being testedthe information you need to answer correctly every timearen’t related to the question type. Sure, there are skills that are tested more often in a certain question type, but that’s the entire extent of the relationship. Skill-Based Learning Our teaching system maximizes learning effectiveness by customizing your lessons by skill. If you’re great at functions but weak in solid geometry, we’re not going to make you do many functions questions so you can use that time to improve your understanding of the fundamentals of geometric formulas and relationships. It seems simple, but we’re the only company that breaks it down this way and personalizes the program to meet your individual needs. Student-Specific Levels In addition to tailoring the lessons to the skills you most need to improve, PrepScholar also adjusts to your increasing ability: there are 3 levels for each skill, and you are placed in one initially by our diagnostic test. If you place into the Mastery level of a particular skill, the only time you’ll be working on that skill is during the Practice Test (which is helpful in terms of understanding that skill’s frequency and presentation). Pinpoint Focus Students have different ways of understanding things, and so besides saving time, it’s actually important to your learning that you don’t waste time â€Å"learning† things you already knowit can be easy to get confused about a subject you thought you understood perfectly. Similarly, for skills in which your understanding has gaps, you train your mind through focused problems that let you zero in on the knowledge you’re missingand then get it! Skills by Priority One of the most unique aspects of PrepScholar is our understanding of tests’ inner workings: some skills are considered more important and thus are tested more frequently. Mastering these skills is key to the bulk of your score, and our program reflects this in the time spent learning and practicing each skill. The Best Choice Busy students know that unnecessary work can waste lots of time. PrepScholar avoids this entirely, in a way that other kinds of prep can’t. If you read a book, you have to skim every chapter to determine which you need to study. With practice tests, you spend literally hours doing problems you could do in your sleep, and in classroom courses you’re at the mercy of a random teacher and a group of random students’ questions. PrepScholar is a step above all that. PrepScholar Is Flexible The internet has changed the way most of us do many thingsshopping, reading, communicating with friends. But education has so far lagged behind commerce and social media, partially from an entrenched belief that physical teacher presence is an important part of the learning experience. But everyone is starting to believe that quality, creative education can and does happen through the internetand PrepScholar is one of the companies that uses that fact to benefit students. 24/7 One of the things people love about internet shopping is that it’s always available, even at times when every store in town is closed. PrepScholar has the same huge advantagepractice whenever you want, wherever you have internet access. There are no time or space restrictions on your learning. Like to study outside? Take your laptop. Like to study in the basement? Take your tablet. It’s as simple as that. A Full Year to Prep If you’re one of those busy students who knows he or she has to start projects early in order to get them done, PrepScholar is perfect for you. Most prep courses are designed to lead up to one test date, usually spread out over a couple of months. PrepScholar puts you in the driver’s seatstudy for as long as you like, until your Practice Test scores have reached your goal, and take the next test date available. It’s never too early to start prepping. Scheduling We know it can be hard to fit â€Å"optional† test prep into a slew of â€Å"mandatory† meetings, family events, extracurriculars and other appointments. Our program encourages you to set aside 5-10 hours a week for test prep and spend that time on the site doing lessons and Practice Quizzes. The program tracks the time you spend so you don’t have to. Our program is also set up to remind you when you’re not meeting your goals, and of the long-term benefit of sticking to your schedule. Interactivity: Retention Many studies have shown that interactivity enhances retention of material. When you retain more material per lesson, you get more benefit per lesson, saving you precious time and effort. Most online prep offers little in the way of interactivity; at PrepScholar, we know that doing problems yourself and questioning the lesson is essential to a complete learning experience. In addition to interactive lessons, PrepScholar students can ask questions about any of the quizzes on the site and get prompt, top quality instructor responses. Interactivity: Feedback We also offer interactivity in the form of extremely detailed feedback. Not only do you get precise information about your progress in various skills, but you also get feedback about time you’re spending on study and how your score is improving. All of this adds up to an engaging experience that makes test prep as fun as it can be. Want to know more about how to fit SAT prep into your busy schedule? Try our advice on how to early prepare.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Pricing Strategies and Sales Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pricing Strategies and Sales Analysis - Essay Example The village flower company employs many pricing strategies in order to achieve desirable revenue, which is an essential variable in the expansion of the company. The strategies used by this company to boost sales include comprehensive marketing and online-selling of its flowers. This aspect enables the company to access many customers from diverse backgrounds of culture, race, and beliefs. Consequently, the company’s flowers get an international recognition and much revenue. For instance, the access to big data has enabled the company to gather crucial information with regard to pricing trends in the two flower companies. Reich asserts that new methods of flower differentiation and diversification have been learned after the acquisition of bid sets of data from a global platform. Moreover, the management in The Chicago Company has learned new management strategies through the recent access to large volumes of data. The big information has culminated in the restructuring of org anizational structure for efficiency and effectiveness in The Chicago Company operations. According to Reich, the big data has led to the realization of new ways of achieving global customer satisfaction, continuous improvement and total quality management within the company. These principles are essential in the thriving of The Chicago Company. In the case of transportation of the flowers, there is the use of sensors on trucks in order to streamline the delivery of flowers through shipping. This contains the problem of stock-out cost.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Qualitative Evaluation Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Qualitative Evaluation Plan - Assignment Example The first factor that must be addressed is how much progress the patients who participated in the initiative have made. An analysis of the effectiveness of a community health worker intervention among African American and Latino adults with Type 2 diabetes was done in a controlled trial by Spencer, Rosaland, Kieffer, Sinco, Valerio, Palmisano & †¦ Hessler which determined that â€Å"participants in the intervention group had a mean HbA1c value of 8.6% at baseline, which improved to a value of 7.8% at six months, for an adjusted change of -0.8 percentage points† (2011). Through their particular study, they were able to see a noticeable change in the ability of those who participated in the initiative to be able to manage their diabetes more effectively. The next factor to consider in evaluating the effectiveness of a community outreach program for diabetes care in the community is the method used to collect data. Bielamowicz, Pope and Rice attempted a different form of community outreach program for those with Type 2 diabetes, which involved teaching the use of healthy cooking practices as related to controlling diabetes. They utilized an online data collection method to track their progress. Data collection was done prior to the start of the initiative, after the third lesson, and after the final, fourth lesson (2012). By using this method of data gathering, they were able to gain a more accurate image and portrayal of what was working and what was not, as well as the amount of progress made at each step. This form of data collection also allowed them to have a concrete set of data as the starting point to go off of. Another important factor to consider when evaluating the effectiveness of diabetes care in a particular community is the socioeconomic status of the community. Those in lower income communities are not as likely to have access to the same types of outreach programs that a traditional middle class

Monday, November 18, 2019

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

Dq - Essay Example r product differentiation) where the selling strategy is to distinguish their product from competing products or services on the basis of workmanship and design. In an oligopoly setting there a few sellers that sell a differentiated or standardized product where the decision of competitors affects the sale of a firm. Therefore, firms consider the strategies of competitors to determine its output and price (McConnell 2005 p.177). A start up company can expect profit when the business is able to cover the expenses including the start up costs. The sale of products should earn enough revenue to meet ongoing expenses associated with the operation of the business. A start up business entrepreneur must realize that a product sales amounting to $10,000 will not cover a monthly overhead expenses of $10,000 because the sales returns has a gross profit of only around $4000. A business reaches break even point when the sales revenue is equal to all business costs. The break even point can be calculated by identifying the fixed costs and variable costs. Fixed costs are expenses which do not change with changes in the volume of sales. For example, administrative salaries and rent remains the same and are expenses that must be met regularly irrespective of the volume of sales. These are usually known as overhead costs. Variable costs fluctuate with changes in the volume of sales. Variable expenses like shipping, purchasi ng inventory and manufacturing costs of a product has to be met for a start up company to make profit. Market structure and the distribution of income raise concerns about the formation of monopoly power where increased concentration of control moves into the hands of few monopolistic firms. Monopoly leads to decreased competition among firms and inefficient distribution of resources in the economy. Monopoly has an impact on the distribution of income. Research indicates that monopoly power reduces the income share of workers when compared to capitalists,

Friday, November 15, 2019

Qualities of the Effective Leader

Qualities of the Effective Leader Qualities of the Effective Leader In every form of community, there is always one person or a group of people who manages or handles the issues, known as a leader. And, in order to be leaders, those certain people have to earn the hearts of majority who belong to their communities. However, winning the hearts of people is not the only quality of the effective leader. For this, leaders must be an expert to manipulate the people’s mind, and there are four ways to master. First is to focus on the majority of the population. Second is to give an illusion to people in the name of hope that they may receive the helps from the government. Third is not to raise the expectation of people. Last is to shift the concerns of people which may lead to question the qualification of leaders. However, manipulating the minds of people doesn’t ensure that states will function properly. Therefore, the effective leader must learn how to govern people. And there are two ways that can guarantee leaders that their followers wou ld follow their words. One is â€Å"to be feared than to be loved†(Machiavelli, The Prince, Pg46). Other one is to â€Å"appear, upon seeing and hearing him, to be all mercy, all faithfulness, all integrity, all kindness, all religion†(Machiavelli, The Prince, Pg 49). However, if one really possesses these virtues, then one may be chained by one’s own virtue and moral to forget one’s duty that is to maintain the community. According to Durkheim, the mere fact that we are human made us create society, and people subordinate to society rationally. (Durkheim, Individualism). And, based on most people’s rationalism, a leader must have enough ability to earn the credits from the people. For one to be a leader, then it is obvious that one needs to know the way to be credibility and, for this, one needs to how to manipulate people’s minds and be favored by the majority of population since favoring minority of population can’t make a leader stay in the position for a long. If a leader dares to betray their hearts and favors minority of population, it would lead to the downfall of the leader. Luis XVI, for instance, removed from his throne in 1791 by French Revolution because he favored priests and aristocrats, who are minor, and forced the commoners whose population consists of 98% of contemporary France to pay more taxes. Therefore, an effective leader must favor the majority of people; o therwise, there would be conflicts between people and the leader, which would eventually lead to the tragic end of the leader. Throughout history, there have been no cases in which people rebel against leader when they have hope that their leader would do something good for them. Therefore, an effective leader needs to figure out the needs of people and lend a hand to them. So, the leader can earn respect; however, the support should not exceed the certain degree that may lead to increase in deficits of the country. If the leader fails to achieve this, not only people but also a whole nation would be in great confusion. As a result, it may lead to the collapse of the nation. Therefore, helping people can be known as virtuous but not effective. So, the effective leader who must be appeared as kind and generous should create an illusion which can balance the hope of people and the economy of the nation. So that, people may think they would also receive help and expect the mercy or generosity from the leader. Once, Lao Tzu said â€Å"When the master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists† (Lao Tzu. Tao-teaching, pg 24), but he also mentioned â€Å"there is a time for being in motion.† (Lao Tzu. Tao-teaching, pg 26) In other words, the best leader only takes action when he believes it is necessary. This is because if the leader continues to work for the welfare of people, people who have experienced better world would expect things to be better (Plato, Allegory of the Cave). In the end, the nation itself would be bankrupt, and people would blame on leaders for using taxes unnecessarily. So, the effective leader needs to manipulate the expectation of the people. However, unlike other qualities, this quality gives the direct effect on the reputation of the next leader. For example, Ashoka, the emperor of Mayura Empire, conquered the largest territory in Indian history, and later, promoted Buddhism to stabilize his empire; however, the golden age of Mayura Empire on ly stayed for his time because the successor was not able to meet the expectation of people who trust the successor to be like Ashoka to attack other countries in order to gain the wealth from other nations to decrease taxes and share his fortune. Then, the country started to decline and just sustained for a half century after golden age. Therefore, the effective leader needs to consider the successor; If the expectation of people and ability of leader are not in equilibrium state, this would result to the great confusion in the nation. Another quality that an effective leader must possess is that â€Å"a prince (leader) must be prudent enough to know how to escape the bad reputation of those vices that would lose the state for him, and must protect himself from those that will not lose it for him.†(Prince, Machiavelli) This clause shows that a leader must know how to escape criticism in order for one to stay in the power. Therefore, in order for him to achieve this, the effective leader needs to use media for shifting concerns of people. Current leaders make use of the media quite well that whenever there are some concerns against their reputations, the media begins to focus on crimes or scandal between celebrities to change people’s concerns. So, people would forget whatever mistakes they made. If a leader fails to achieve this, then people would recognize him as untrustworthy and who will try to follow his words? Therefore, there are high possibilities that people would underestimate the leader and dare to challenge the leader. So, the effective leader needs to possess this quality for him to lead the people. In addition, Machiavelli said â€Å"men in general judge more by their eyes than their hands; for everyone can see but few can feel. Everyone sees what you seem to be, few perceive what you are, and those few do not dare to contradict the opinion of the many who have the majesty of the state to defend them.† From this quote, we can lucidly figure out that people would not judge their leader through experience but through what they hear and see. Therefore, the leader must prioritize appearance, and this would make him lay the foundation of his good reputation. If the leader would be able to establish this foundation, then people in the society would trust he has a good nature even though some people could perceive the pretentiousness. Furthermore, Machiavelli said, â€Å"it is better to be feared than to be loved†. According to him, this is because â€Å"love is held together by a chain of obligation which, since men are a sorry lot, is broken on every occasion in which their own self-interest is concerned; but fear is held together by a dread of punishment which will never abandon you.† Although his view may seem cynical, his words are quite true. Men have a tendency to neglect the love and may make excuses them to gain what they want. However, fear is different. Fear chained people to inhibit their thoughts regarding desires to attain their interest. Moreover, fear can also increase the efficiency of productivity. Men are such creatures that require certain conditions such as deadline, pressure and tension to accomplish the task. So, fear may serve as one of these conditions. Therefore, fear ensures leaders that followers would not only do their task but also increase productivity. To conclude, the ability to make others fear is the qualities that the effective leader must possess. Lastly, virtue is not one of the qualities that the effective leader must have. For being virtuous, the leader would need to make virtuous decisions which may bring negative effects to the society which means the whole people belonging to that particular community would suffer from it because the leader tries to pursue ideal when one live in the reality. This is totally against the duty of the leader that is to lead the people. Therefore, virtuous shouldn’t include as one of the qualities since this may blind leaders to make an absurd decision rather an effective one which is more suitable for reality. In other words, the effective leader needs to distinguish the difference between ideal and real. In China, there was a king named as Yanggong from Song country during warning states period. According to history, he valued fairness. So, during the war, when the enemy invaded the country’s territory, he waited for the enemy to be prepared for a fair battle. So, in this batt le, his virtuous decision led to the defeat of his nation. Although people have very different perceptions about the effective leader, most people, in my opinion, believe that the effective leader is the one who leads the followers effectively, and, for that, leaders must understand both reality and the nature of people. Therefore, the qualities, mentioned above, must be considered as the basic qualities that leaders need to deal with people and reality for one to lead the group effectively even though there may be more qualities that the effective leader should possess. First is to manipulate the minds of people. Second is to be loved than to be feared. Third is to maintain a good reputation. Last is to distinguish reality and ideal. However, it may seem a hard task for one to have all these qualities. So, leader must appear to have all these qualities.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Autism Essays -- essays research papers

Diagnostic Summary Paper AUTISM Autism is a disorder that impairs the development of a person's capacity to interact with, communicate with, and also maintain regular "normal" bonds with the outside world. This disorder was described in 1943 by Leo Kanner, an American psychologist. Autism is considered one of the more common developmental disabilities, and appears before the age of three. It is known to be four or five times more common in males than in females. It most cited statistic is that autism occurs in 4.5 out of 10,000 live births. The estimate of children having autistic qualities is reported to be 15 to 20 out of 10,000. The gender statement noted before is not uncommon, since many developmental disabilities have a greater male to female ratio. Autistic characteristics are different from birth. Two more common characteristics that may be exhibited are the arching of the back while being held, to avoid contact, and also failing to anticipate being picked up (limpness in the body). Infants with autism are described as being either very passive, or very agitated. Sometimes during infancy there will be cases of head rocking, and or banging, against the crib, but this is not always the case. Approximately one-third of children develop normally until the ages of 1 1/2 to 3, and then the symptoms emerge, referred to as "regressive autism." During childhood, there is a commonality of the affected child insisting routine. The reasoning is that the chil...

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Bluewater Case Study Essay

* Was built on an old quarry – brownfield land. * Employs around 7000 people. * Good disabled access and a range of things to do for all people. * Bluewater makes sure it remains sustainable – it has high operational standards, water usage is measured and controlled, energy is reduced as much as possible, it has a lake and wildlife area to introduce biodiversity, community partnerships, as little chemical use as possible and green transport e.g. buses. Positives of Bluewater * Was built on an old quarry – brownfield land. * Employs around 7000 people. * Good disabled access and a range of things to do for all people. * Bluewater makes sure it remains sustainable – it has high operational standards, water usage is measured and controlled, energy is reduced as much as possible, it has a lake and wildlife area to introduce biodiversity, community partnerships, as little chemical use as possible and green transport e.g. buses. What does Bluewater have to offer? * Over 300 shops, * Over 50 restaurants to eat and drink in, * A cinema, * Boating and cycling facilities, * A mini sports stadium, * Places to cook, read, play on a computer, * Advice centres, * Homework help. What does Bluewater have to offer? * Over 300 shops, * Over 50 restaurants to eat and drink in, * A cinema, * Boating and cycling facilities, * A mini sports stadium, * Places to cook, read, play on a computer, * Advice centres, * Homework help. A bit about Bluewater * Bluewater is an out-of town regional shopping centre – (definition: a shopping centre containing over 50,000 square metres of gross retail area offering a wide range of comparison goods and services) * Bluewater is located in Greenhithe, Kent and is 17.8 miles east south east of London. A fifth of the UKs population are within an hour’s journey of Bluewater. * Bluewater has capacity for 13,000 cars, is close to the M25, has over 60 busloads arrive every hour and has train and coach links making transport links easy. * It is the largest out of town shopping centre in Europe- cost  £350m to build A bit about Bluewater * Bluewater is an out-of town regional shopping centre – (definition: a shopping centre containing over 50,000 square metres of gross retail area offering a wide range of comparison goods and services) * Bluewater is located in Greenhithe, Kent and is 17.8 miles east south east of London. A fifth of the UKs population are within an hour’s journey of Bluewater. * Bluewater has capacity for 13,000 cars, is close to the M25, has over 60 busloads arrive every hour and has train and coach links making transport links easy. * It is the largest out of town shopping centre in Europe- cost  £350m to build Negatives of Bluewater * Because of the amount of people travelling long distances to the site, congestion can be a problem, as well as noise and air pollution. * Although there are many bus links, they are not necessarily all over the country and access may be difficult for those who do not have cars. * Because many people from the area will chose to go to Bluewater rather than local CBDs, these areas begin to lose business and a lot of money. Negatives of Bluewater * Because of the amount of people travelling long distances to the site, congestion can be a problem, as well as noise and air pollution. * Although there are many bus links, they are not necessarily all over the country and access may be difficult for those who do not have cars. * Because many people from the area will chose to go to Bluewater rather than local CBDs, these areas begin to lose business and a lot of money.

Friday, November 8, 2019

French Russian Revolution essays

French Russian Revolution essays In Europe between the two revolutions many changes occurred and new views were cultivated and later fostered. There is one significant view that was developed and that is the social and gender definitions. At the time when the French Revolution took place class analysis had not yet been developed. Thus the French believed the men were usually the leaders and spokesman, and the women played significant roles (although not in the spotlight, still very much participated in society). But between the two revolutions any sense of equal that had been support is now lost. The Russian Revolution was a male only event. The revolution was theorized, led and for men only. When women such as Rosa Luxembourg or Krupskaya tried to share their knowledge and gain entry into the event their fates were already determined. The womens ideas were abandoned if they were not disregarded completely. This is loss of equivalency is one reason I believe Russia turned to a communist government and the values upheld by the French the explanation of their tendency towards democracy. ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on Alienation According To Marx

What does one mean by alienation? Alienation is said to be the misperceived separation of essence from the object that it characterizes.1 In 1844 Karl Marx wrote and published The Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, better known as The Paris Manuscripts. This was Karl Marx’s first work, where he writes a study about alienation of workers. Alienation manifests itself in many different forms. Marx argues that; â€Å"One must understand, there are three types of alienation. The first type of alienation is alienation from oneself. The second type of alienation is alienation from his fellow human beings. The third type of alienation is alienation from the world as a whole. These three forms of alienation are interconnected.† This is the core of his approach to the problem of alienation. (Monthly Review, 2000, p.35) However, Alienation has also been associated with early theological writings to refer to the estrangement of a person from God as well.2 Therefore it is without question that Alienation can be extremely harmful as its principle action is to cause people to feel isolated and alone. The recognition of man as a â€Å"species† becomes important to the theory of Alienation, which is central to Marx’s work and vital in reiterating the human essence of man.3 Alienation for Marx was a consequence of the conditions within systems of mutual production, which caused man to lose his identity as a species being and fall into an alienated state through the production of capital.4 Subsequently, he became detached from his conscious life activity causing him to be detached from himself, from others and the product of his labor. Essentially man comes to lose all his traits that identify his recognition of himself as human, causing him to become de-humanized. In the Paris Manuscripts Marx identified four specific ways in which alienation pervades capitalist society. The product of labour: The worker is alienate... Free Essays on Alienation According To Marx Free Essays on Alienation According To Marx What does one mean by alienation? Alienation is said to be the misperceived separation of essence from the object that it characterizes.1 In 1844 Karl Marx wrote and published The Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, better known as The Paris Manuscripts. This was Karl Marx’s first work, where he writes a study about alienation of workers. Alienation manifests itself in many different forms. Marx argues that; â€Å"One must understand, there are three types of alienation. The first type of alienation is alienation from oneself. The second type of alienation is alienation from his fellow human beings. The third type of alienation is alienation from the world as a whole. These three forms of alienation are interconnected.† This is the core of his approach to the problem of alienation. (Monthly Review, 2000, p.35) However, Alienation has also been associated with early theological writings to refer to the estrangement of a person from God as well.2 Therefore it is without question that Alienation can be extremely harmful as its principle action is to cause people to feel isolated and alone. The recognition of man as a â€Å"species† becomes important to the theory of Alienation, which is central to Marx’s work and vital in reiterating the human essence of man.3 Alienation for Marx was a consequence of the conditions within systems of mutual production, which caused man to lose his identity as a species being and fall into an alienated state through the production of capital.4 Subsequently, he became detached from his conscious life activity causing him to be detached from himself, from others and the product of his labor. Essentially man comes to lose all his traits that identify his recognition of himself as human, causing him to become de-humanized. In the Paris Manuscripts Marx identified four specific ways in which alienation pervades capitalist society. The product of labour: The worker is alienate...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Hate speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hate speech - Essay Example Hate speech has far-reaching impacts on the dignity, sense of security and social status for victims which are the main reasons for developing laws. Examples of hate speech include pictures published in newspapers showing the lynching of an African child and intimate gay men. Both incidences had underlying intimidation on the two groups of people. Hate speech is a real issue experienced in the society today and there is the need to control it due to the undesirable consequences on the victims. The modern world comprises of wide interactions of people from different backgrounds due to globalization and development of the internet, news media and other social interaction networks. Moreover, there are increased gadgets used by people to interact with others worldwide such as computers and mobile phones. Through these media, people express their freedom of speech provided for in many countries and share their views on issues in life (Weber, 2014). Some views are interesting, well intended and promote peace as well as people’s happiness. However, other views expressed could be undesirable for a group of people or individuals. As a result, these views may trigger harsh responses and action of law. Undesirable views expressed towards an individual or a group of people that could potentially cause harm would be regarded as hat ed speech. This essay will describe the concept of hate speech and then illustrate it using an example from the news media. According to Weber (2014) there is no a common definition of hate speech acceptable in all societies and different countries have varying description for the content regarded as hate speech. Nevertheless, almost all countries recognize the presence of hate speech among the residents and have formulated laws to curb the practice. One of the used definitions used was developed by the

Friday, November 1, 2019

Marketing Strategy For Entering Chinese Market Essay

Marketing Strategy For Entering Chinese Market - Essay Example lower and middle classes as their target audience, the premium standard product would automatically appeal to the upper segment of the society to have such a fine product that can also make them feel different than the people using the Chinese products that are so common, cheap and also referring to the lower standard. China is entering almost in every market whether it is electricity goods or clothing, so the product that should be introduced must be very much competitive to the Chinese product so that the people who are not being served by the Chinese goods can be served on relatively higher prices but it would make them feel supreme, so the basic idea is to introduce something that is much similar to Chinese good but must be different on numerous basis, it would also disturb the Chinese market which seems to be relatively very stable right now. According to the normal observations the product that should be introduced is a VCD/DVD player, the basic reasons for introducing them is that people are already complaining about the big giants in the market and also the material made by China is just serving the core purpose that is a picture on Television, it does not include any tangible or augmented product in it, which means that there is absolutely no quality and guarantee for it. Target Groups As discussed earlier the target market should be people who are having relatively higher income than the most of the people in the society, this does not only include the people who are top class business executives but also people who are young, who are brand conscious and also who have the habit of having excellence in every part of life, this would be made quite visible to the people through our advertisement which would be clearly showing the excellence in the product. Promotional Mix The product as discussed earlier is catering the upper class of the society or people who are having desire to excel, so according to the plan we would have to go for advertising and sales promotion by eliminating personal selling and public relations from our promotional mix list, the idea of not using personal selling is that the product is very supreme and also the market is wide spread and the nature of product is however sensitive, so to keep the product in the higher position it would be unfair to use personal selling, while there is no need of public relations at this stage. The details of advertising and sales promotion are as follows. Advertising: The best thing in the advertising is to have an emotional appeal, perhaps by showing a superior quality picture and smooth sound effects than can make a person go into dreams, and also as the product is VCD/DVD player we would have to

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Wind Energy (Is wind energy really that cheap Is it effective Is it Research Paper

Wind Energy (Is wind energy really that cheap Is it effective Is it practical) - Research Paper Example Wind is also a form of solar energy, because winds are mainly produced because of the temperature irregularities in the atmosphere caused by the sun, the unevenness of the earth’s surface and its rotation. Then this energy is used to turn the turbines and produce electrical energy. Basically the wind turbines are used to convert this wind energy into mechanical energy, which is later on used to transform it into electrical energy via generators or alternators. If we go through a brief history of electricity generation from wind turbines, Denmark was the first one to do it, who was able to produce 5 to 25 kW by 1910. Then in around 1925, wind-electric plants ranging from around 200 W to 3 kW were commercially available in the American market, and then in that era, the largest wind turbine was made in 1941 by Palmer C. Putnam with a capacity of 1250 kW. It was a hybrid hydro-electric capacity, in which, wind was the main source of energy, but in the absence of wind, water could also be used to turn the turbines. ... y unlike conventional power plants, which usually use furnace oil, diesel and coal, emitting a lot of pollution, thus badly affecting the environment. In 1990, according to the US Energy Department, the production of electricity using wind energy reduces the production of about 2.4 billion pounds of carbon dioxide and around 14.9 billion pounds of other pollutants. The cost of wind energy is reduced up to much of the extent in last 10 years, but still, it requires higher initial investment as compared to fuel generators. But the main cost is the machinery cost, which is around the 80% of the total cost. Whereas the running cost is almost free as compared to other sources of generating energy. So if we examine the total overall initial and total cost of the wind systems with other fossil fuel systems, then the cost of wind systems is quite competitive with other systems because on one hand where it saves the running cost or reduces it to the minimal, it also saves the fossil fuels, wh ich are reducing in the earth’s crust day by day. Thus the energy produced from the wind also provides a soft edge against the increase in electric power prices as the prices of fossil fuels are increasing gradually. Another major issue, that we have to face while using wind as a power source is that wind is an intermittent source, for it is sometimes available at the required rate and sometimes it is not available. So it may or may not work, whenever electricity is needed, or at places where electricity is needed at every time. Though electrical energy produced by the wind mills can be stored in batteries, but wind itself cannot be stored anywhere to be available at the timing of electricity demands. And usually wind blows at faster rate in remote locations, which are usually far away

Monday, October 28, 2019

Kuala Lumpur Essay Example for Free

Kuala Lumpur Essay Since I was in the primary school I always be the shy one. Not knowing what I realy want, and I always live behind the shadow of my big sister. She is the star of the school and I was always ‘Amira’s lile brother’. When she le$ for the secondary school, all the teachers turned to me, expecng me to be the replacement of her but I always thought that I could never (ll those expectaon and I always failed them. A$er all, I was red of living under her shadow. Everyone expecng me to be as good as her in everything. To put it bluntly, I am a lost cause, unl on my 2nd year of high school when I learn that beauful form of art called ‘Dance’. For some people, they always said dancing got no future in it. But, for me it is my life, In 2009, my friends and I has form a dance crew called Huru Hara Crew. At (rst, it’s real hard for us because we never get any support from our family, teachers, and our schoolmate. The hardest part of it is when we joined any compeon, we always lost because of we lack of experience. A$er two years dancing without we had never won any compeon for almost 2years, any silverware, we decided to audion for Showdown 2011. We never passed the audion and almost think to give up our dream. But, the judges word (re us up to be a beer dancer. A month a$er that, we’ve audion for â€Å"Digi Live Sekolahku Berbakat†. For the (rst me, we had pass the audion and got the best four group in Perak region. A$er that, we had been called to be a backup dancer for Zenny Salehuddin for her song Kau Kau. The best part of our success is when we won Disney’s My School Rock dance compeon for two consecuve year. We also won many compeon a$er Digi Live. It changed the percepon of everyone once bashed us. From that day, dance is not just a hobby for us, it’s our LIFE. A$er we taking our SPM examinaon, we had been awarded to be a part of Digi Tour around Malaysia. But, all the lovely part of it had turned to an end when most of us had go to further study. When I was o:ered by KPTM Kl, I had to be pated with my crewmate. I have never felt so lost. We are o:ered by di:erent colleges in di:erent state, it’s really hard me for us to give our commitment for our crew. So I decided to create a new dance crew in my colleges and recruited some of the students. With all experience I had, the crew has been a success. We had won several compeon such as Mos ;ashmob compeon, Karnival Kecergasan Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and we also represenng Kuala Lumpur for compeng in the Naonal Level of Karnival Kecergasan. Hopefully I can get a new experience since I have transfer to KPTM Ipoh to take care of my mother.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Macbeth Tragedy :: essays research papers

Shakespeare may have written Macbeth two hundred years ago with a fine tipped feather pen to make a living. However, his intentions have been drastically blown out of the realm of classic drama. Critics come up with new wonders all the time questioning the true tragedy of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Was it a Tragedy or not? Who’s to answer the question except Shakespeare himself who due to the human life expectancy of eighty years cannot clarify it. We can only base our opinion on the great Aristotle’s definition of Tragedy. He basically said that you must feel pity for the hero to make his death tragic in this context of Tragedy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I can completely understand where some people could see Macbeth as a tragedy and argue the exact opposite of me. Macbeth started out as a pretty nice guy and seemed to have everyone on his side. He had a great wife who loved him very much and a beautiful home, what more could a guy ask for. He was brave, strong and handsome. He was also part of the one of strongest nations in that part of the world at that time. His taunting ambition and gullibility had a terrible effect on his action. His loving wife, whom he trusted and cared for very much had something to do with the murder of too. His wife had a heavy hand on his thoughts and could manipulate him with ungodly ease. She tested Macbeths manhood and determination by questioning his integrity, and as all men know that is almost impossible to negate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then there was the witches, whose ability to fool with the minds of men almost killed the king themselves. Macbeth was gullible and those witches took advantage of that weakness quite well. They told him exactly what was needed to drive him right into action. The combination of the witches, Lady Macbeth and his blinding ambition was obviously enough to make him kill not only his majesty but also his friend. Those are all good points and like I said I understand why some people could feel bad for him and call the play a tragedy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Well I don’t. How could I feel bad for someone who completely dictated his fate? I could care less how gullible or ambitious he was and quite frankly I think his death was a relief. At least since he died he couldn’t commit any more bloodshed or crush any more people’s lives.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 21

â€Å"It actually makes a horrible kind of sense,† Meredith said. They were in Isobel's family room, waiting for Dr. Alpert. Meredith was at a beautiful desk made of some black wood ornamented with designs in gilt, working at a computer that had been left on. â€Å"The Salem girls accused people of hurting them – witches, of course. They said they were pinching them and  ¡Ã‚ ®pricking them with pins.'† â€Å"Like Isobel blaming us,† Bonnie said, nodding. â€Å"And they had seizures and contorted their bodies into  ¡Ã‚ ®impossible positions.'† â€Å"Caroline looked as if she were having seizures in Stefan's room,† said Bonnie. â€Å"And if crawling like a lizard isn't contorting your body into an impossible position†¦here, I'll try it.† She got down on the Saitous' floor and tried to stick her elbows and knees out the way Caroline had. She couldn't do it. â€Å"See?† â€Å"Oh, my God!† It was Jim at the doorway of the kitchen, holding – almost dropping – a tray of food. The smell of miso soup was sharp in the air, and Bonnie wasn't sure if it made her feel hungry or if she was too sick to ever be hungry again. â€Å"It's okay,† she told him hastily, standing up. â€Å"I was just†¦trying something out.† Meredith stood up too. â€Å"Is that for Isobel?† â€Å"No, it's for Obaasan – I mean Isa-chan's grandma – Grandma Saitou – â€Å" â€Å"I told you to call everybody whatever comes out naturally. Obaasan is fine, just like Isa-chan,† Meredith said softly and firmly to him. Jim relaxed a hair. â€Å"I tried to get Isa-chan to eat, but she just throws the trays at the wall. She says that she can't eat; that somebody's choking her.† Meredith glanced significantly at Bonnie. Then she turned back to Jim. â€Å"Why don't you let me take it? You've been through a lot. Where is she?† â€Å"Upstairs, second door on the left. If – if she says anything weird, just ignore it.† â€Å"All right. Stay near Bonnie.† â€Å"Oh, no,† Bonnie said hastily. â€Å"Bonnie is going with.† She didn't know if it was for her own protection or Meredith's, but she was going to stick like glue. Upstairs, Meredith turned the hall light on carefully with her elbow. Then they found the second door on the left, which turned out to have a doll-like old lady in it. She was in the exact center of the room, lying on the exact center of a futon. She sat up and smiled when they came in. The smile turned a wrinkled face almost into the face of a happy child. â€Å"Megumi-chan, Beniko-chan, you came to see me!† she exclaimed, bowing where she sat. â€Å"Yes,† Meredith said carefully. She put the tray down beside the old lady. â€Å"We came to see you – Ms. Saitou.† â€Å"Don't play games with me! It's Inari-chan! Or are you mad at me?† â€Å"All thesechans . I thought ;;Chan' was a Chinese name. Isn't Isobel Japanese?† whispered Bonnie from behind Meredith. One thing, the doll-like old woman was not, was deaf. She burst into laughter, bringing up both hands to cover her mouth girlishly. â€Å"Oh, don't tease me before I eat.Itadakimasu! † She picked up the bowl of miso soup and began to drink it. â€Å"I thinkchan is something you put at the end of someone's name when you're friends, the way Jimmy was sayingIsa-chan ,† Meredith said aloud. â€Å"AndEeta-daki-mass-u is something you say when you start eating. And that'sall I know.† Part of Bonnie's mind noted that the â€Å"friends† Grandma Saitou had just happened to have names starting withM andB . Another part was calculating where this room was with relation to the rooms below it, Isobel's room in particular. It was directly above it. The tiny old woman had stopped eating and was watching her intently. â€Å"No, no, you're not Beniko-chan and Megumi-chan. I know it. But they do visit me sometimes, and so does my dear Nobuhiro. Other things do, too, unpleasant things, but I was raised a shrine maiden – I know how to take care ofthem .† A brief look of knowing satisfaction passed over the innocent old face. â€Å"This house is possessed, you know.† She added,†Kore ni wa kitsune ga karande isou da ne.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Ms. Saitou – what was that?† Meredith asked. â€Å"I said, there's a kitsune involved in this somehow.† â€Å"A kit-su-nay?† Meredith repeated, quiz-zically. â€Å"A fox, silly girl,† the old woman said cheerfully. â€Å"They can turn into anything they like, don't you know? Even humans. Why, one could turn intoyou and your best friend wouldn't know the difference.† â€Å"So – a sort of were-fox, then?† Meredith asked, but Grandma Saitou was rocking back and forth now, her gaze on the wall behind Bonnie. â€Å"We used to play a circle game,† she said. â€Å"All of us in a circle and one in the middle, blindfolded. And we would sing a song.Ushiro no shounen daare? Who is standing behind you? I taught it to my children, but I made up a little song in English to go with it.† And she sang, in the voice of the very old or the very young, with her eyes fixed innocently on Bonnie all the while. â€Å"Fox and turtle Had a race. Who's that far behind you? Whoever came in Second place Who's that near behind you? Would make a nice meal For the winner. Who's that close behind you? Lovely turtle soup For dinner! Who's that right behind you?† Bonnie felt hot breath on her neck. Gasping, she whirled around – and screamed. Andscreamed . Isobel was there, dripping blood onto the mats that covered the floor. She had somehow managed to get past Jim and to sneak into the dim upstairs room without anyone seeing or hearing her. Now she stood there like some distorted goddess of piercing, or the hideous embodiment of every piercer's nightmare. She was wearing only a pair of very brief bikini bottoms. Otherwise she was naked except for the blood and the different kinds of hoops and studs and needles she had put through the holes. She had pierced every area Bonnie had ever heard that youcould pierce, and a few that Bonnie hadn't dreamed of. And every hole was crooked and bleeding. Her breath was warm and fetid and nauseating – like rotten eggs. Isobel flicked her pink tongue. It wasn't pierced. It was worse. With some kind of instrument she had cut the long muscle in two so that it was forked like a snake's. The forked, pink thing licked Bonnie's forehead. Bonnie fainted. Matt drove slowly down the almost invisible lane. There was no street sign to identify it, he noticed. They went up a little hill and then down sharply into a small clearing. â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®Keep away from faerie circles,'† Elena said softly, as if she were quoting. â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®And old oaks†¦'† â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"Stop the car.† When he did, Elena stood in the center of the clearing. â€Å"Don't you think it has a faerie sort of feeling?† â€Å"I don't know. Where'd the red thing go?† â€Å"In here somewhere. I saw it!† â€Å"Me, too – and did you see how it was bigger than a fox?† â€Å"Yes, but not as big as a wolf.† Matt let out a sigh of relief. â€Å"Bonnie just won't believe me. And you saw how quickly it moved – â€Å" â€Å"Too quickly to be something natural.† â€Å"You're saying we didn't really see anything?† Matt said almost fiercely. â€Å"I'm saying we saw somethingsuper natural. Like the bug that attacked you. Like the trees, for that matter. Something that doesn't follow the laws of this world.† But search as they would, they couldn't find the animal. The bushes and shrubs between the trees reached from the ground up in a dense circle. But there was no evidence of a hole or a hide or a break in the dense thicket. And the sun was sliding down in the sky. The clearing was beautiful, but there was nothing of interest to them. Matt had just turned to say so to Elena when he saw her stand up quickly, in alarm. â€Å"What's – ?† He followed her gaze and stopped. A yellow Ferrari blocked the way back to the road. They hadn't passed a yellow Ferrari on their way in. There was only room for one car on the one-lane road. Yet there the Ferrari stood. Branches broke behind Matt. He whirled. â€Å"Damon!† â€Å"Whom were you expecting?† The wraparound Ray-Bans concealed Damon's eyes completely. â€Å"We weren't expectinganyone ,† Matt said aggressively. â€Å"We just turned in here.† The last time he'd seen Damon, when Damon had been banished like a whipped dog from Stefan's room, he'd wanted to punch Damon in the mouth very much, Elena knew. She could feel that he wanted it again now. But Damon wasn't the same as he'd been when he'd left that room. Elena could see danger rising off him like heat waves. â€Å"Oh, Isee . This is – yourprivate area for – privateexplorations,† Damon translated, and there was a note of complicity in his voice that Elena disliked. â€Å"No!† Matt snarled. Elena realized she was going to have to keep him under control. It was dangerous to antagonize Damon in this mood. â€Å"How can you even say that?† Matt went on. â€Å"Elena belongs to Stefan.† â€Å"Well – we belong to each other,† Elena temporized. â€Å"Of course you do,† said Damon. â€Å"One body, one heart, one soul.† For a moment there was something there – an expression inside the Ray-Bans, she thought, that was murderous. Instantly, though, Damon's tone changed to an expressionless murmur. â€Å"But then, why areyou two here?† His head, turning to follow Matt's movement, moved like a predator tracking prey. There was something more disquieting than usual about his attitude. â€Å"We saw something red,† Matt said before Elena could stop him. â€Å"Something like what I saw when I had that accident.† Prickles were now running up and down Elena's arms. Somehow she wished Matt hadn't said that. In this dim, quiet clearing in the evergreen grove, she was suddenly very much afraid. Stretching her new senses to their utmost – until she could feel them distending like a gossamer garment pushed thin all around her, she felt the wrongness there, too, and felt it pass out of the reach of her mind. At the same time she felt birds go quiet all that long distance away. What was most disturbing was to turn just then, just as the birdsong stopped, and find Damon turning at the same instant to look at her. The sunglasses kept her from knowing what he was thinking. The rest of his face was a mask. Stefan, she thought helplessly, longingly. How could he have left her – with this? With no warning, no idea of his destination, no way of ever contacting him again†¦It might have made sense to him, with his desperate desire not to make her into something he loathed in himself. But to leave her with Damon in this mood, and all of her previous powers gone – Your own fault, she thought, cutting short the flood of self-pity. You were the one who harped on brotherhood. You were the one who convinced him Damon was to be trusted. Now you deal with the consequences. â€Å"Damon,† she said, â€Å"I've been looking foryou . I wanted to ask you – about Stefan. You do know that he's left me.† â€Å"Of course. I believe the saying goes, for your own good. He left me to be your bodyguard.† â€Å"Then you saw him two nights ago?† â€Å"Of course.† And – of course – you didn't try to stop him. Things couldn't have turned out better for you, Elena thought. She had never wished more for the abilities she'd had as a spirit, not even when she'd realized Stefan was really gone and beyond her all-too-human reach. â€Å"Well, I'm not just letting him leave me,† she said flatly, â€Å"for my own good or for any other reason. I'm going to follow him – but first I need to know where he might have gone.† â€Å"You're askingme ?† â€Å"Yes. Please. Damon, I have to find him. I need him. I – † She was starting to choke up, and she had to be stern with herself. But just then she realized that Matt was whispering very softly to her. â€Å"Elena, stop. I think we're just making him mad. Look at the sky.† Elena felt it herself. The circle of trees seemed to be leaning in all around them, darker than before, menacing. Elena tilted her chin slowly, looking up. Directly above them, gray clouds were pooling, piling in on themselves, cirrus overwhelmed by cumulus, turning to thunderheads – centered exactly over the spot where they stood. On the ground, small whirlwinds began to form, lifting handfuls of pine needles and fresh green summer leaves off saplings. She had never seen anything like it before, and it filled the clearing with a sweet but sensuous smell, redolent of exotic oils and long, dark winter nights. Looking at Damon, then, as the whirlwinds lifted higher and the sweet scent encircled her, resinous and aromatic, closing in until she knew it was soaking into her clothes and being impressed into her very flesh, she knew she had overstepped herself. She couldn't protect Matt. Stefan told me to trust Damon in his note in my diary. Stefan knows more about him than I do, she thought desperately. But we both know what Damon wants, ultimately. What he's always wanted. Me. My blood†¦ â€Å"Damon,† she began softly – and broke off. Without looking at her, he held out a hand with the palm toward her. Wait. â€Å"There's something I have to do,† he murmured. He bent down, every movement as unconsciously and economically graceful as a panther's, and picked up a small broken branch of what looked like ordinary Virginia pine. He waved it slightly, appraisingly, hefting it in his hand as if to feel weight and balance. It looked more like a fan than a branch. Elena was now looking at Matt, trying with her eyes to tell him all the things she was feeling, foremost of which was that she was sorry: sorry that she had gotten him into this; sorry that she'd ever cared for him; sorry that she'd kept him bound into a group of friends who were so intimately intertwined with the supernatural. Now I know a little bit of what Bonnie must have felt this last year, she thought, being able to see and predict things without having the slightest power to stop them. Matt, jerking his head, was already moving stealthily toward the trees. No, Matt.No .No! He didn't understand. Neither did she, except to feel that the trees were only keeping their distance because of Damon's presence here. If she and Matt were to venture into the forest; if they left the clearing or even stayed in it too long†¦Matt could see the fear on her face, and his own face reflected grim understanding. They were trapped. Unless – â€Å"Too late,† Damon said sharply. â€Å"I told you, there's something I have to do.† He had apparently found the stick he was looking for. Now he raised it, shook it slightly, and brought it down in a single motion; slashing sideways as he did. And Matt convulsed in agony. It was a kind of pain he had never dreamed of before: pain that seemed to come frominside himself, but from everywhere, every organ in his body, every muscle, every nerve, every bone, releasing a different type of pain. His muscles ached and cramped as if they were strained to their ultimate flexion, but were being forced to flex farther still. Inside, his organs were on fire. Knives were at work in his belly. His bones felt the way his arm had when he had shattered it once, when he was nine years old and a car had broadsided his dad's. And his nerves – if there was a switch on nerves that could be set from â€Å"pleasure† to â€Å"pain† – his had been set to â€Å"anguish.† The touch of clothes on his skin was unbearable. The currents of air passing were agony. He endured fifteen seconds of it and passed out. â€Å"Matt!† For her part, Elena had been frozen, her muscles locked, unable to move for what seemed like forever. Suddenly released, she ran to Matt, pulled him up into her lap, stared into his face. Then she looked up. â€Å"Damon,why ? Why?† Suddenly she realized that although Matt wasn't conscious, he was still writhing in pain. She had to keep herself from screaming the words, to only speak forcefully. â€Å"Why are youdoing this? Damon!Stop it .† She stared up at the young man dressed all in black: black jeans with a black belt, black boots, black leather jacket, black hair, and those damned Ray-Bans. â€Å"I told you,† Damon said casually. â€Å"It's something I need to do. To watch. Painful death.† â€Å"Death!†Elena stared at Damon in disbelief. And then she began gathering all her Power, in a way that had been so easy and instinctual just days ago while she had been mute and not subject to gravity, and that was so difficult and so foreign right now. With determination, she said, â€Å"If you don't let him go – now – I'll hit you with everything I've got.† He laughed. She'd never seen Damon really laugh before, not like this. â€Å"And you expect that I'll even notice your tiny Power?† â€Å"Notthat tiny.† Elena weighed it grimly. It was no more than the intrinsic Power of any human being – the Power that vampires took from humans along with the blood they drank – but since becoming a spirit, she knew how to use it. How to attack with it. â€Å"I think you'll feel it, Damon. Let him go – NOW!† â€Å"Why do people always assume that volume will succeed when logic won't?† Damon murmured. Elena let him have it. Or at least she prepared to. She took the deep breath necessary, held her inner self still, and imagined herself holding a ball of white fire, and then – Matt was on his feet. He looked as if he'd beendragged to his feet and was being held there like a puppet, and his eyes were involuntarily watering, but it was better than Matt writhing on the ground. â€Å"You owe me,† Damon said to Elena casually. â€Å"I'll collect later.† To Matt he said, in the tones of a fond uncle, with one of those instantaneous smiles that you could never be quite sure you saw, â€Å"Lucky for me that you're a hardy specimen, isn't it?† â€Å"Damon.† Elena had seen Damon in hislet's-play-with-weaker-creatures mood, and it was the one she liked least. But there was something off today; something she couldn't understand. â€Å"Let's get down to it,† she said, while the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck rose again. â€Å"What do youreally want?† But he didn't give the answer she expected. â€Å"I was officially appointed as your caretaker. I'm officially taking care of you. And for one thing, I don't think you should be without my protection and companionship while my little brother is gone.† â€Å"I can handle myself,† Elena said flatly, waving a hand so they could get down to the real issue. â€Å"You're a very pretty girl. Dangerous and† – flash smile – â€Å"unsavory elements could be after you. I insist you have a bodyguard.† â€Å"Damon, right now the thing I need most is to be protected fromyou . You know that. What is this really about?† The clearing was†¦pulsing. Almost as if it were something organic, breathing. Elena had the feeling that beneath her feet – beneath Meredith's old, rugged hiking boots – the ground was moving slightly, like a great sleeping animal, and the trees were like a beating heart. For what? The forest? There was more dead wood than live here. And she could swear that she knew Damon well enough to know that he didn't like trees or woods. It was at times like this that Elena wished she still had wings. Wings and the knowledge – the hand motions, the Words of White Power, the white fire inside her that would allow her to know the truth without trying to figure it out, or to simply blast annoyances back to Stonehenge. It seemed that all she'd been left with was being a greater temptation to vampires than ever, and her wits. Wits had worked up until now. Maybe if she didn't let Damon know how afraid she was, she could win a stay of execution for them. â€Å"Damon, I thank you for being concerned about me. Now would you mind leaving Matt and me for a moment so that I can tell if he's still breathing?† From inside the Ray-Bans, she thought she could discern a single flash of red. â€Å"Somehow I thought you might say that,† Damon said. â€Å"And, of course, it's your right to have consolation after being so treacherously abandoned. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, for example.† Elena wanted to swear. Carefully, she answered, â€Å"Damon, if Stefan appointed you as my bodyguard, then he hardly  ¡Ã‚ ®treacherously abandoned' me, did he? You can't have it both – â€Å" â€Å"Just indulge me in one thing, all right?† Damon said in the voice of one whose next words are going to beBe careful orDon't do anything I wouldn't do . There was silence. The dust devils had stopped whirling. The smell of sun-warmed pine needles and pine resin in this dim place was making her languid, dizzy. The ground was warm, too, and the pine needles were all aligned, as if the slumbering animal had pine needles for fur. Elena watched dust motes turn and sparkle like opals in the golden sunlight. She knew she wasn't at her best right now; not her sharpest. Finally, when she was sure her voice would be steady, she asked, â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"A kiss.†