The Pirates of Penzance essays

The Pirates of Penzance essays A new and original comic Opera by Messrs. W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, entitled the "Pirates of Penzance, or Love and Duty. It is amazing how two dramatic writers have mastered the ability to amuse the public in such an original manner. This opera had its premiere on December 31, 1879, at the Fifth Avenue Theater in New York with Arthur Sullivan conducting. It opened on April 3, 1880, at the Opera Comique in London and ran for 363 performances. When one thinks of Pirates of Penzance many tend to immediately recollect the movie depicted from this play. Visions of Kevin Kline playing the Pirate King, Linda Ronstadt playing Mabel, Angela Lansbury as Ruth and George Rose plays the Major-General. The adaptation of this script was very true to Gilbert Although this play originated in 1879 the director did not seem to have any difficulty keeping the original historical plot and at the same time blending in a bit of modern themes and characteristics. Several words were added that weren't part of Gilbert's original script. It kept the adaptation novel and interesting. Complete with lessons of courage and honor this play demonstrates with humor the lengths one man will go to in order to fulfill his dutiful and unusually contracted obligation. In this case the participants were not quite as seasoned as those mentioned above. The play itself was quite clever and entertaining. Varying degrees of acting and vocal ability made for a very diverse cast. Meshing an 1879 play with Millennium type humor is no small feat. The scenes were concise; costumes were extremely original; and the cast was particularly enthusiastic. What imperfections may have occurred within the play was overshadowed by these above-mentioned strengths. Comedic plays tend to be quite challenging. The ability to m ...

James Meredith, Civil Rights, and the Ole Miss Riot

James Meredith, Civil Rights, and the Ole Miss Riot James Meredith is an African American political activist and Air Force veteran who rose to prominence during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement by becoming the first black student admitted to the previously segregated University of Mississippi (â€Å"Ole Miss†). The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the university to integrate the school, but Mississippi state police initially blocked Meredith’s entrance. After campus riots occurred, leaving two people dead, Meredith was allowed to enter the university under the protection of U.S. federal marshals and military troops. Though the events at Ole Miss forever entrenched him as a major civil rights figure, Meredith has expressed opposition to the concept of race-based civil rights. Fast Facts: James Meredith Known For: First black student to enroll in the segregated University of Mississippi, an act that made him a major figure in the civil rights movement Born: June 25, 1933 in in Kosciusko, MississippiEducation: University of Mississippi, Columbia Law SchoolMajor Awards and Honors: Harvard Graduate School of Education â€Å"Medal for Education Impact† (2012) Early Life and Education James Meredith was born on June 25, 1933, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, to Roxie (Patterson) and Moses Meredith. He completed 11th grade at Attala County, Mississippi Training School, which was racially segregated under the states Jim Crow laws. In 1951, he finished high school at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. Days after graduating, Meredith joined the U.S. Air Force, serving from 1951 through 1960. After honorably separating from the Air Force, Meredith attended and excelled at traditionally black Jackson State College until 1962. He then decided to apply to the strictly segregated University of Mississippi, stating at the time, â€Å"I am familiar with the probable difficulties involved in such a move as I am undertaking and I am fully prepared to pursue it all the way to a degree from the University of Mississippi.† Denied Admission Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address, Meredith’s stated goal in applying to Ole Miss was to persuade the Kennedy administration to enforce civil rights for African Americans. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic 1954 ruling in the civil rights case of Brown v. Board of Education that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional, the university persisted in admitting white students only. After being denied admission twice, Meredith filed suit in U.S. District Court with the support of Medgar Evers, who was then head of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP. The suit alleged that the university had rejected him solely because of he was African American. After several hearings and appeals, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Meredith had a constitutional right to be admitted to the state-supported university. Mississippi immediately appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Ole Miss Riot On September 10, 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that the University of Mississippi had to admit African American students. In clear defiance of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Mississippi governor Ross Barnett, on September 26, ordered state police to prevent Meredith from setting foot on the school’s campus. â€Å"No school will be integrated in Mississippi while I am your governor,† he proclaimed. Students hoist a Confederate flag into the air during Ole Miss riot. Bettmann Archive / Getty Images On the evening of September 30, riots on the University of Mississippi campus erupted over Meredith’s enrollment. During the overnight violence, two people died from gunshot wounds, and white protestors pelted federal marshals with bricks and small arms fire. Several cars were set on fire and university property was severely damaged. By sunrise on October 1, 1962, federal troops had regained control of the campus, and escorted by armed federal marshals, James Meredith became the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi. Integration at the University of Mississippi Though he suffered constant harassment and rejection by fellow students, he persisted, and went on to graduate with a degree in political science on August 18, 1963. Today, Meredith’s admission is considered one of the pivotal moments in the American Civil Rights Movement.   In 2002, Meredith spoke of his efforts to integrate Ole Miss. â€Å"I was engaged in a war. I considered myself engaged in a war from Day One,† he said in an interview with CNN. â€Å"And my objective was to force the federal government- the Kennedy administration at that time- into a position where they would have to use the United States military force to enforce my rights as a citizen.† March Against Fear, 1966 On June 6, 1966, Meredith began a one-man, 220-mile â€Å"March Against Fear† from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi. Meredith told reporters that his intent was â€Å"to challenge the all-pervasive overriding fear† that black Mississippians still felt when trying to register to vote, even after the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Asking only individual black citizens to join him, Meredith publicly rejected the involvement of the major civil rights organizations. Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images However, when Meredith was shot and wounded by a white gunman on the second day of the journey leaders and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) all joined the march. Meredith recovered and rejoined the march just before some 15,000 marchers entered Jackson on June 26. During the trek, more than 4,000 black Mississippians registered to vote. Today, Mississippi has one of the nation’s highest rates of black voter registration and voting. Highlights of the historic three-week march were famously recorded by SCLC’s photographer Bob Fitch. Fitch’s historic images include the voter registration of 106-year-old, born-in-slavery El Fondren, and black activist Stokely Carmichael’s defiant and captivating call for black power. Meredith’s Political Views Perhaps surprisingly, Meredith never wanted to be identified as part of the Civil Rights Movement and expressed disdain for the concept of racially-based civil rights. As a lifelong moderate Republican, Meredith felt he was fighting for the same constitutional rights of all American citizen, regardless of their race. Of civil rights, he once stated, â€Å"Nothing could be more insulting to me than the concept of civil rights. It means perpetual second-class citizenship for me and my kind.† Of his 1966 â€Å"March Against Fear,† Meredith recalled, â€Å"I got shot, and that allowed the movement protest thing to take over then and do their thing.† In 1967, Meredith supported avowed segregationist Ross Barnett in his failed run for reelection as governor of Mississippi, and in 1991, he backed former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke in his close but unsuccessful race for governor of Louisiana. Family Life Meredith married his first wife, Mary June Wiggins, in 1956. They lived in Gary, Indiana and had three sons: James, John and Joseph Howard Meredith. Mary June died in 1979. In 1982, Meredith married Judy Alsobrooks in Jackson, Mississippi. They have one daughter together, Jessica Howard Meredith. After graduating from Ole Miss, Meredith continued his education in political science, at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Returning to the U.S. in 1965, he went on to earn a law degree from Columbia University in 1968.   When his third son, Joseph, graduated at the top of his class from the University of Mississippi in 2002, after having also earned a degree from Harvard University, James Meredith stated, â€Å"I think theres no better proof that white supremacy was wrong than not only to have my son graduate but to graduate as the most outstanding graduate of the school. That, I think, vindicates my whole life.† Sources Donovan, Kelley Anne (2002). â€Å"James Meredith and the Integration of Ole Miss.† Chrestomathy: Annual Review of Undergraduate Research at the College of Charleston.†Mississippi and Meredith remember CNN (October 1, 2002)..† June 1966: Meredith Marchâ€Å"SNCC Digital GatewaySigner, Rachel. â€Å".†On the civil rights trail with Bob Fitch Waging Non-Violence (March 21, 2012).Waxman, Olivia B. â€Å"James Meredith on What Todays Activism Is Missing.† Time Magazine (June 6, 2016)

Total Quality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Total Quality Management - Essay Example In quality improvement teams, employees from the same department, division, or team of the organisation brainstorm to identify a list of problems to resolve. The advantage of this approach is that the employees characteristically have the best view of their work environment and associated problems and can develop ideas to improve efficiency and effectiveness. The drawback to this is that the problems chosen by the group may or may not contribute to the Axact Inc. overall goals. Axact Inc. with a focused success paradigm can multiply the return on its investment for its quality efforts over an organisation without a clear vision. With the myriad of problems any given group can identify, it is important that resources be allocated for problem solving that can contribute positively to the successful implementation of Axact Inc. strategy. Based on such considerations, it is evident that the need for specific criteria and models to verify the quality fit between the Axact Inc. and the business atmosphere in that it operates, and to effectively and efficiently manages the relationships among the actors within the network. Such relationships, in fact, are characterised by many-to-many connections instead of more traditional one-to-one. For that reason, a deep revision of current managerial techniques is dramatically requested. Regardless of huge number of works on this subject, (Harland et al., 2001; Lamming et al., 2000), reliable criteria for the analysis and the evaluation of Axact Inc. networks, based on the relationships among economic actors interconnected through Internet, are not yet available. Accordingly, managers usually operate according to empirical methodologies that often do not assure optimal quality performances. In order to contribute towards the solution of such a problem, preliminarily examined facto rs that mostly affect the Axact Inc. quality performances. It may be assumed that effectiveness and efficiency of Axact Inc. depend on the coherence between the characteristics of the atmosphere in that the embedded actors operate and the way in that relationships among embedded actors are managed. The management of such relationships, consecutively, is based on the following three factors (Cucchiella et al., 2002): The structures adopted to organise the relationships among the actors of the network (Axact Inc. organisational structures). The criteria adopted to manage such relationships (managerial criteria); and The activities to be done for coordinating the relationships (critical activities). With respect to the Axact Inc. organisational structures, Tapscott et al. (2000) define five types of b-web adopted to manage relationships among embedded actors based on the level of product-service value integration (high vs. low) and control type: Agora, Aggregation, Value chain, Alliance, and Distributive network. According to Nkkentved (2000), the managerial criteria may be instead, defined on the basis of two variables, the market fragmentation and the product/process complexity. Consequently, six types of criteria may be identified: Auction house; Independent trading exchanges; Vendor trading

Financial Management case study 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial Management case study 1 - Essay Example The inflation component preserves the purchasing power of money (Ross, Westerfield, & Jaffe, 2005). Based on economic reports, a 2.5% inflation rate over the next 5 years would sufficiently account for inflation. The second component of the interest rate is the credit risk. The interest rate offered to customers with poor credit worthiness is higher to compensate for the higher risk of lending to them (Weston, Besley, & Brigham, 1996). Based on the credit rate range established by the credit department, the best customer would be assigned a 1% credit rate. The last component of the interest rate is the profit component. This component is the profit from financing activities of XYZ. Since Shanghai Winters is one of the best customers, this component is not applicable to it. Notice that this interest rate is higher than the 8.0% going rate on a $70,000 five-year note receivable. The higher rate is to compensate for the credit risk of extending credit to such a customer. Also built inside the 8.0% is the profit component, which has not been charged to the best customers.

Cuba and China Essay Example for Free

Cuba and China Essay Democracy, or the power of people, is rather old form of rule. While the word â€Å"democracy† originated in the Ancient Greece in 5th century BC, this form of rule had existed even before this, found in ancient India republics before 6th century BC. However, it was the city-state of Athens in the Ancient Greece that presented this word in the sense which resembles, in some features, the modern vision of democracy. In Athens, people had the right to vote, to take the most important decisions, influencing the political situation of their state. Of course, not all the population could vote – women and children could not vote as well as disabled people. In fact, only one forth or one sixth of the citizens of Athens could vote and participate in a political life of their state. However, it was the first form of democracy and it had many aspects in common with today’s notion of democracy. For example, all the citizens of Athens, poor or rich, powerful or powerless, had the right to vote, they were equal in this right. The democracy, in the form in which it existed in Athens and in the Ancient Greece, was not preserved until our time. Moreover, great changes took place in Europe in 18-19th centuries, in the form of revolutions. The right to vote and to participate in the political life of a state directly is not the main factor characterizing democracy in the modern world. Democracy in the modern sense includes such basic postulates as the basic freedoms: of speech, of expression, of the press, of association et cetera. The democracy in the western world is much more associated with the notion of free market and free trade. However, these preconditions are not exactly true for some countries, for example for China, where free market and free trade can coexist with the lack of democracy, where there are no basic freedoms (for example, the freedom of association – the assembly of Falun Gong in China was violently dispersed by police and banished for practicing in China). Cuba which has made some steps toward the free market economy, opening some part of its economy for the US dollars, does allow the internationally recognized organization of the Red Cross to its prisons, where political prisoners are kept in big numbers. The rule of Communist Party as the only party in the country is observed both in Cuba and in China. And this excludes another characteristic feature of democracy – pluralism, the possibility of many political parties to take part in the political life of the state. Before we proceed to explain the lack of democracy in Cuba and China, it is necessary to understand what democracy means and why China and Cuba should become democratic. In the twentieth century, democracy has gained such popularity that most world rulers describe their rule as democratic. However, most countries were not democratic, and some even became totalitarian. Generally speaking, the term â€Å"democracy† is misused in two ways. First, democracy is expanded into a laundry list that contains almost all kinds of good things. Second, democracy is modified by adding an adjective to the term. Since Western bourgeois democracy is the prototype of modern democracy, modifications are made along two lines. Either rulers characterize their systems not as bourgeois democracies, but as â€Å"people’s democracies,† â€Å"proletarian democracies,† or â€Å"socialist democracies,† or they emphasize local characteristics of their system, such as â€Å"Burmese type of democracy† or â€Å"African type of democracy. † What is democracy? Etymologically, the term means rule by the people. Democracy originated in Athens more than 2,500 years ago, when Cleisthenes allowed all citizens of Attica to preside over the affairs of the city. Athenian democracy took the form of direct democracy. Citizens, which excluded women, slaves, and resident aliens, participated directly in making laws. Moreover, regardless of their properties and talents, rulers were selected not by ballot but by lot. Not surprisingly, virtually all famous Greek scholars were no fans of democracy, regarding tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy as corrupt forms of government. Democracy includes two forms: popular sovereignty and individual liberty. This paper defines democracy in terms of political freedom, which involves both positive and negative aspects. Positive freedom refers to a situation in which people have the ability to participate in government; negative freedom means a situation in which people are free from arbitrary interference from government. Modern democracy adheres to the dual principles of popular sovereignty and individual liberty, but has its own distinctive features. Ideal as the principle of popular sovereignty may be, it is technically impossible to let the people in a nation-state decide everything. As a result, modern democracies are representative, not participatory (or direct). The principle of popular sovereignty in modern times hinges on two major mechanisms: the separation of powers and the competitive election. While the ruled choose their rulers during an election, rulers are mutually checked and balanced before and after the election. In determining the nature of a particular political system, the competitive election is more important than the separation of powers. A division of labor is employed in any government, particularly a modern one. Despite the importance of liberalism for modern democracy, popular sovereignty precedes individual liberty. Popular sovereignty talks about the purpose of government; individual liberty comprises the notion of government. The term that means â€Å"people† has undergone great changes in terms of class, education, gender, race, and age. Besides, individual liberty is historically and culturally specific. In the twentieth century, democracy and totalitarianism are regarded as two ends of the political spectrum. To put it in terms of ideal types, a government respecting both popular sovereignty and individual liberty is democratic; a government violating them is totalitarian. Falling somewhere in between, most systems are neither democratic nor totalitarian in the strictest sense of the terms. Some may respect popular sovereignty but violate individual liberty; others may violate popular sovereignty but respect individual liberty. Today’s Islamic Republic of Iran and eighteenth-century Britain are cited as respective examples of these two types. Throughout human history, not many regimes have ever been totalitarian and most have been authoritarian. Compared with totalitarian regimes, authoritarian regimes are less willing and less able to damage people’s rights and interests. The United States of America when compared to China or Cuba, presents the example of â€Å"democratic† democracy towards which China or Cuba should strive. Because now, when we took a closer look at the notion of democracy in the modern world, we are going to analyze the kind of democratic situation and democratic changes that took place in two of the most controversial countries in the world: China and Cuba. To reach conclusions as to the qualitative aspects of Cuban politics in the post-transition era, we will examine aspects of political culture as they relate to the formation and practices of civil society in democracy. From this angle one can interpret some key dimensions of politics in particular settings. Transition to democracy (and its consolidation) depends on a multiplicity of factors, including elite decisions, institutional arrangements, pacts between competing social actors, a constitution and organizations typical of liberal democracies, a favorable moment in world history, supportive international structures, and a measure of good luck. Political and economic factors also impinge on the likelihood of democratic transitions and survival. But political and economic factors determine neither transition to democracy nor democratic stability. The impact of the economy on democracy is not automatic, unidirectional, or necessarily predictable. According to Mattiace and Camp (1996), democracy is the product of multiple causes working together. In contexts where the system confronts unresolved foundational issues and consensus is elusive – on such matters as how the political community is defined, who has authority, what the rules of the game are – political questions become an affair of the heart, lending themselves less to compromise and pragmatism. As a result, democracy tends to be endangered, particularly in places where institutional democratic norms are weak and personalism is high. This is likely to occur in Cuba after Fidel Castro (as it has before and during the socialist years). Though democracy will be established in Cuba sometime in the future, Cuban democracy will not conform to normative models of liberal democracy. Democracy in the way it is in Cuba will be characterized by features of incivility in civil society. The democracy that is most likely to emerge on the island will be far from perfect, will share striking continuities with the past, and will dash the hopes of many who dream of democracy. The cynicism about democracy also has a long genealogy in Cuban intellectual history. As far back as the nineteenth century cultural pessimists on the island have remarked on the frustration that has followed modern projects of independence, nationalism, republicanism, and democracy. Democratic aspirations have a long history on the island, as long as the trajectory of their frustration. The notion is not as alien to Cuban soil as many believe (Dealy, 1996)

Essay --

Another reason why sugar harms the body is that a calcium deficiency leads to osteoporosis. Sugar will steal calcium from the blood stream; however, if there is not enough calcium in the blood stream, the sugar will then pull vital calcium from the bones. The calcium taken directly from the bones causes them to be weak and fragile, which unmistakeably leads to osteoporosis (((APPLETON, 23))). Osteoporosis is a bone disease that plagues many Americans. The best way to counteract osteoporosis is to drop sugar from the diet completely. Americans on average do not have a proper calcium-phosphorus ratio and sugar simply creates more havoc for the human body. Because of an imbalance of nutrients, important enzymes of the human body are disrupted. The human body is full of small chemical reactions called enzymes. These enzymes enable cells to function properly and efficiently. One important role of enzymes is that of metabolism. Metabolism is a digestive process that relies on properly functioning enzymes. The enzymes that control metabolism need a proper balance of nutrients in order to function properly. However, the enemy, sugar, once again causes harm. Sugar negates these nutrients, leaving the enzymes weak and ineffective. An increased amount of sugar in the body decreases the effectiveness of enzymes, therefore decreasing metabolism. A decrease in metabolism causes food to be digested and absorbed at a slower rate. A weak metabolism leaves the human weak as well. The enzymes that are responsible for metabolism are negatively affected by sugar. Due to a slowed metabolism, allergies can result if food is not properly digested. The enzymes in the small intestine are greatly affected by sugar. Sugar makes the digestion process slow... ...foreign invader. Common autoimmune diseases are Rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type one diabetes, and hyperthyroidism, to name a few (((CAMPBELL, PG 184))). These diseases distress all to many Americans because they appear because of an overload of sugar. The endocrine gland is greatly inhibited by the increase in sugar. The body regulates the affect of sugar on different minerals by the endocrine system. It is an automatic process that occurs in the body be specialized organs, or glands. Processes such as respiration, heartbeat, digestion and elimination of food, body temperature, and balanced body chemistry rely on properly functioning endocrine glands (((APPLETON, PG. 27))). Without these automatic processes occurring properly, the human body will decay rapidly. Sugar greatly inhibits the endocrine gland, which in turn annihilates the human body.

Luxury Brand Engagement Research Write Up Essay

Brand Management is a function of marketing that uses techniques to increase the perceived value of a product line or brand over time. Effective brand management enables the price of products to go up and builds loyal customers through positive brand associations and images or a strong awareness of the brand. Developing a strategic plan to maintain brand equity or gain brand value requires a comprehensive understanding of the brand, its target market and the company’s overall vision. Brand engagement is a term loosely used to describe the process of forming an attachment (emotional and rational) between a person and a brand. It comprises one aspect of brand management. What makes the topic complex is that brand engagement is partly created by institutions and organizations, but is equally created by the perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours of those with whom these institutions and organizations are communicating or engaging with. Brand engagement between a brand and its consumers/potential consumers is a key objective of a brand marketing effort. In general, the ways a brand connects to its consumer is via a range of â€Å"touch points† — that is, a sequence or list of potential ways the brand makes contact with the individual. Examples include retail environments, advertising, word of mouth, online, and the product/service itself. It can be broadly classified into two areas- Internal and external. Internal refers to the company’s employees, franchisees, etc while external refers to the end consumers. All the consumer behavioural factors like attitudes, beliefs, society, culture and trends are studied and form an interesting part of the study unlike many other areas of research. All these factors are psychological yet emotional and drive consumer behaviour towards brands ultimately leading to sales and higher revenues. Getting there requires convincing less conscious consumers that they can have their cake and eat it too (drive positive change and indulge their needs), and teaching them to choice-edit for the most personal, planetary and societal impact. Customer involvement starts from the personal basic perspectives of goals, values, and self-awareness. Depending on the relevance of these to individuals, they are reflected in decision-making behaviours. Different product attributes cause different degrees of involvement in consumer minds. These differences of involvement result in differences when consumers make purchase decisions. Therefore, when consumers perform consuming behaviours, the extent of their involvement affects purchase intention and this is only reflected when a deeper understanding of their psychological and emotional factors is attained. It relates at an emotional level and ensures long term sustainability, revenue and growth for the brand. One of the most significant sectors where brand management plays an even more important role is Luxury. Luxury as a concept is defined within the scope of socio-psychology as a result of its connection to a culture, state of being and lifestyle, whether it is personal or collective. When linked to brands, it is characterised by a recognisable style, strong identity, high awareness, and enhanced emotional and symbolic associations. It evokes uniqueness and exclusivity, and is interpreted in products through high quality, controlled distribution and premium pricing. These core factors have led to the development of a $180 billion global industry with an uninterrupted growth for over two decades. These elements have also led to the summarisation of luxury as a ‘dream’, leading to justifiable curiosity and interest. Luxury good manufacturers offer high quality products at higher prices. At times, the quality of the actual product may not actually be very different from the low cost one, however, the brand value attached to it is high. It is for this reason that the branded product still sells at a higher price. The customer, though buys the product, actually pays for the brand. He pays for the emotional/ psychological/ physiological need that he has been able to satiate through this purchase. Also, it is worth noting that building a luxury brand can be a very tough task. It has to have the right value of consumer behavioural/ attitudinal compatibility mix for it to achieve its purpose owing to the high costs. Brand Managers for luxury products cannot over advertise their product (devalues the image) and not under advertise their product (loss in enquiries/ revenue). This interesting amalgamation of business drivers and human behaviour forms a motivating and challenging topic for research studies. Brand value measures the economic asset value of a company or product brand. It details how much of the company’s operating income and free cash flow is derived from the brand, the influence of the brand within each consumer purchase decision driver, and the associated brand risks. By linking the brand to the economics of the business at a detailed level, brand value opens the door to a number of useful applications like proving that branding offers real value, justify a proposed marketing budget, align the commercial organization, evaluate acquisition opportunities, optimal royalty rate, optimize the brand relationship to best tell the brand story, focus investments, drive higher prices, leverage brand value to lower taxes, reduce turnover and quantify the damage. It is very intriguing when we look at the financial output of the brands, grouping the companies into two categories of highly and least engaged in brand engagement. The companies who were highly engaged grew on an average of 18% in revenues over the last 12 months, compared to the least engaged companies who on average saw a decline of 6% in revenue during the same period. The same holds true for two other financial metrics, gross margin and net profit. Interbrand was recently involved in brand valuation with respect to business and the approach used is as follows:Snapshots of couple of models or indexed used has by different organizations to measure brand engagement has given under the research design section. Consumer buying behavior has changed a tremendously over the last decade and below is the Worldwide Personal Luxury Goods Market Trend (this has been discussed in detail in the industry literature review at the end) to illustrate the fact:Third year in a row of double-digit growth for the personal luxury goods market: over the 200â‚ ¬B threshold! There are various challenges that brands face over the course of their engagement tactics. The brand’s core thought or value should be in sync with the target audience. If it’s not, then there is no engagement at an emotional level. For a consumer to be engaged with the brand, he has to continuously be bombarded with the brand’s advertising or communication through various mediums. This process is very costly to the organisation as it involves various media channels and every channel (print, digital, TV, etc) has its own rate structure. The competition in every industry has further caused problems for any brand to create its importance. The consumer mind space is cluttered with messages from different brands making it even more difficult for a particular brand to register itself. Even if a consumer gets engaged, there’s no specific tool to measure the impact of the engagement on the final sales/ profits of the brand. The huge costs therefore become difficult to justify. Competition is fierce in developed economies and consumers are bombarded with offers, many of which are very similar. In such a setting, differentiation is vital and academic research has revealed that brands can build sustainable competitive advantage by increasing customer loyalty and fostering personal recommendation. However, to achieve such a sustainable competitive advantage, brands need to go beyond their traditional focus on communication and advertising and become the key to integrated client experience management. In such a scenario, it becomes even more important to build a brand that is strong in its values. It involves designing campaigns to generate intention to purchase and top of the mind awareness, various metrics to measure the effectiveness of brand campaigns, retuning parameters, redesigning the campaign and measuring the metrics again till the time the campaign reaches its desired GRPs (gross rating points). A very interesting real life example of how a brand faces a situation when it’s present engagement measures don’t work and it has to continuously make new efforts to ensure engagement with consumers is illustrated in a research paper titled ‘Luxury Brand Exclusivity Strategies’ which can be visited through this link – URL: http://dx. oi. org/10. 5430/jbar. v1n1p106. It examines how luxury fashion brands renew themselves in order to balance the exclusivity that is associated with luxury goods and with profit maximization. Using consumers’ demand theory it is shown how luxury fashion brands go through different phases to renew the perce ption of exclusivity.

Interactive Learning Approach Essay

Complicated new computer system. The complicated system poses a couple of problems for the auditors. First, the auditors may have difficulty getting the information they need from the system, and a question arises regarding auditability. Second, inadequate controls over the new system may increase the amount of substantive testing required. Client hesitant to allow new auditor to speak with previous auditor. Anytime a client is hesitant or unwilling to allow new auditors to communicate with the previous auditor, a red flag should be raised in the mind of the successor auditor, and a careful examination of the issue, including consideration of management integrity, should ensue. Illegal gambling incident. This is a matter of concern because it raises the management integrity issue. What the V.P. of finance did was definitely wrong, but the impact on the overall integrity of management is a matter of judgment. This issue can be debated among the students. Some will come down on one side saying that if a key member of management is dishonest in one thing, he is likely to be dishonest in others. Other students will argue that the incident has little to do with the business and its management, especially since there are no other known incidents. At a minimum, this incident creates an opportunity to raise and discuss the central role of management integrity in the client acceptance decision. Initial public offering. Ocean has plans to go public and aggressively expand into the national market. If successful, these plans will make Ocean a more attractive client for Barnes and Fischer, but they also serve to increase the auditor’s business risk (increased reliance on the statements, increased litigation risk, etc.) and should be considered. Management’s aggressiveness. There are some indications in the case that management is willing to manipulate the financial statements via year-end accruals and revenue recognition to achieve relatively low interest rates from creditors. This raises a potential management integrity issue, and should be heavily weighted in view of the fact that the upcoming IPO may give management even greater incentive to manipulate the financial statements. Relationship with predecessor auditor. This issue is left intentionally debatable in the case, but is certainly a concern that should be raised. The  relationship with the predecessor auditor has been negative, and this is cause for concern. On the other hand, the poor relations may be present because the auditor did not have a sound understanding of Ocean’s business and was not competent in helping Ocean with its new IT system. Personality issues can also play a role. Further, the apparent differences over the current year’s audit fee should be a concern to Barnes and Fischer from a business perspective. Students should also raise positive non-financial issues, such as the opportunity to expand into a new industry and the opportunity to provide significant consulting services relating to Ocean’s new IT system as well as to Ocean’s internal controls. The company has a relatively long and stable history in the small appliances industry. Further, Ocean is well positioned in the small appliances market. With its plans for going public and expanding nationally, the company may become an even larger and more attractive client. Some students will think the case represents a clear non-acceptance situation due to the negative factors listed above. The instructor can provide some perspective by pointing out that no prospective client comes without some concerns and problems. Ocean certainly presents some issues and concerns, but would likely be accepted by most auditing firms. (Two different partners from major firms commented in presenting this case to graduate auditing courses that the level of risk presented by Ocean Mfg. was fairly typical of many of the firm’s clients. In our experience, most students indicate that they would not accept Ocean Mfg. as a client. This case provides an opportunity for students to better understand the subjective issues and risks that auditors face in practice.).

Passion, or something like it - Emphasis

Passion, or something like it Passion, or something like it It probably wont surprise you to find out that were pretty keen on the English language here at Emphasis. And we like to know that others are too. Fortunately, evidence of this is easy to find: look no further than the comments section at the bottom of just about any online article about our language. Take this Guardian blog about the growing use of the phrase right now: what follows is a veritable hotbed of debate and rancorous ravings on some uses of English people just love to hate. It seems many members of the public take deep and personal offence at everything from classic management speak (blue-sky thinking, window of opportunity) to misplaced reflexive pronouns (yourself for you; myself for me); from starting every sentence with look to peppering them too generously with like. And a fight might yet break out between the haters of Americanisms and the haters of haters of Americanisms. It may get pretty ugly sometimes, but they do say that the opposite of love is actually not hate, but indifference. And while passionate certainly isnt a word to use lightly, its safe to say there are obviously some ticks and traits of our language that get people pretty hot and bothered. This can only mean that they care. So show us you care too. Leave a comment here in our writing blog on any aspect of the language that raises your ire, your interest, or anything else.

John D. Rockefeller, Americas First Billionaire

John D. Rockefeller, America's First Billionaire John D. Rockefeller (July 8, 1839–May 23, 1937) was an astute businessman who became America’s first billionaire in 1916. In 1870, Rockefeller founded Standard Oil Company, which eventually became a domineering monopoly in the oil industry. Rockefeller’s leadership in Standard Oil brought him great wealth as well as controversy, as many opposed Rockefeller’s business practices. Standard Oil’s nearly complete monopoly of the industry was eventually brought to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 1911 that Rockefeller’s titanic trust should be dismantled. Though many disapproved of Rockefeller’s professional ethics, few could devalue his substantial philanthropic endeavors, which led to him to donate $540 million (more than $5 billion today) during his lifetime to humanitarian and charitable causes. Fast Facts: John D. Rockefeller Known For: Founder of Standard Oil and Americas first billionaireBorn: July 8, 1839 in Richford, New YorkParents: William â€Å"Big Bill† Rockefeller and Eliza (Davison) RockefellerDied: May 23, 1937 in Cleveland, OhioEducation: Folsom Mercantile CollegePublished Works: Random Reminiscences of Men and EventsSpouse: Laura Celestia â€Å"Cettie† SpelmanChildren: Elizabeth (Bessie), Alice (who died in infancy), Alta, Edith, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.Notable Quote: I was early taught to work as well as play, My life has been one long, happy holiday; Full of work and full of play- I dropped the worry on the way- and God was good to me every day. Early Years John Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York. He was the second of six children born to William â€Å"Big Bill† Rockefeller and Eliza (Davison) Rockefeller. William Rockefeller was a traveling salesman peddling his questionable wares across the country. As such, he was often absent from the home. John D. Rockefeller’s mother essentially raised the family on her own and managed their holdings, never knowing that her husband, under the name of Dr. William Levingston, had a second wife in New York. In 1853, â€Å"Big Bill† moved the Rockefeller family to Cleveland, Ohio, where Rockefeller attended Central High School. Rockefeller also joined the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church in Cleveland, of which he would remain a long-time active member. It was under his mother’s tutelage that the young John learned the value of religious devotion and charitable giving, virtues he practiced regularly throughout his life. In 1855, Rockefeller dropped out of high school to enter Folsom Mercantile College. After completing the business course in three months, 16-year-old Rockefeller secured a bookkeeping position with Hewitt Tuttle, a commission merchant and produce shipper. Early Years in Business It didn’t take long for John D. Rockefeller to develop a reputation as an astute businessman: hardworking, thorough, precise, composed, and adverse to risk-taking. Meticulous in every detail, especially with finances (he even kept detailed ledgers of his personal expenditures from the time he was 16), Rockefeller was able to save $1,000 in four years from his bookkeeping job. In 1859, Rockefeller added this money to a $1,000 loan from his father in order to invest in his own commission merchant partnership with Maurice B. Clark, a former Folsom Mercantile College classmate. Four years later, Rockefeller and Clark expanded into the regionally booming oil refinery business with a new partner, chemist Samuel Andrews, who had built a refinery but knew little about business and the transporting of goods. However, by 1865, the partners, which numbered five including Maurice Clark’s two brothers, were in disagreement about the management and direction of their business, so they agreed to sell the business to the highest bidder amongst them. The 25-year-old Rockefeller won it with a bid of $72,500 and, with Andrews as a partner, formed Rockefeller Andrews. In short order, Rockefeller studied the nascent oil business in earnest and became savvy in its dealings. Rockefeller’s company started small but soon merged with O.H. Payne, a large Cleveland refinery owner, and then with others as well. With his company growing, Rockefeller brought his brother (William) and Andrews’ brother (John) into the company. In 1866, Rockefeller noted that 70% of refined oil was being shipped to overseas markets. Rockefeller set up an office in New York City to cut out the middleman, a practice he would use repeatedly to cut expenses and increase profits. A year later, Henry M. Flagler joined the group and the company was renamed Rockefeller, Andrews, Flagler. As the business continued to succeed, the enterprise was incorporated as the Standard Oil Company on January 10, 1870, with John D. Rockefeller as its president. The Standard Oil Monopoly John D. Rockefeller and his partners in the Standard Oil Company were rich men, but they strove for even greater success. In 1871, Standard Oil, a few other large refineries, and major railroads secretly joined together in a holding company called the South Improvement Company (SIC). The SIC gave transportation discounts (â€Å"rebates†) to the large refineries that were part of their alliance but then charged the smaller, independent oil refineries more money (â€Å"drawbacks†) to shuttle their goods along the railroad. This was a blatant attempt to economically destroy those smaller refineries and it worked. In the end, many businesses succumbed to these aggressive practices; Rockefeller then bought out those competitors. As a result, Standard Oil obtained 20 Cleveland companies in one month in 1872. This event became known as â€Å"The Cleveland Massacre,† ending the competitive oil business in the city and claiming 25% of the country’s oil for Standard Oil Company. It also created a backlash of public contempt, with the media dubbing the organization â€Å"an octopus.† In April 1872, the SIC was disbanded per the Pennsylvania legislature but Standard Oil was already on its way to becoming a monopoly. A year later, Rockefeller expanded into New York and Pennsylvania with refineries, eventually controlling nearly half of the Pittsburgh oil business. The company continued to grow and consume independent refineries to the point that Standard Oil Company commanded 90% of America’s oil production by 1879. In January 1882, the Standard Oil Trust was formed with 40 separate corporations under its umbrella. To increase the financial gain from the business, Rockefeller eliminated middlemen like purchasing agents and wholesalers. He began manufacturing the barrels and cans needed to store the company’s oil.  Rockefeller also developed plants that produced petroleum byproducts like petroleum jelly, machine lubricants, chemical cleaners, and paraffin wax. Ultimately, the arms of the Standard Oil Trust eradicated the need for outsourcing entirely, which devastated existing industries in the process. Marriage and Children On September 8, 1864, John D. Rockefeller married the valedictorian of his high school class (though Rockefeller did not actually graduate). Laura Celestia â€Å"Cettie† Spelman, an assistant principal at the time of their marriage, was a college-educated daughter of a successful Cleveland businessman. Like her new husband, Cettie was also a devoted supporter of her church and like her parents, upheld the temperance and abolition movements. Rockefeller valued and often consulted his bright and independently-minded wife about business manners. Between 1866 and 1874, the couple had five children: Elizabeth (Bessie), Alice (who died in infancy), Alta, Edith, and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. With the family growing, Rockefeller bought a large house on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, which became known as â€Å"Millionaire’s Row.† By 1880, they also purchased a summer home overlooking Lake Erie; Forest Hill, as it was called, became a favorite home of the Rockefellers. Four years later, because Rockefeller was doing more business in New York City and did not like being away from his family, the Rockefellers acquired yet another house. His wife and children would travel each fall to the city and stay for the winter months in the family’s large brownstone on West 54th Street. Later in life after the children were grown and grandchildren came, the Rockefellers built a house in Pocantico Hills, New York, a few miles north of Manhattan. They celebrated their golden anniversary there but during the following spring in 1915, Laura â€Å"Cettie† Rockefeller passed away at age 75. Media and Legal Woes John D. Rockefeller’s name had first been associated with ruthless business practices with the Cleveland Massacre, but after a 19-part serial exposà © by Ida Tarbell titled History of Standard Oil Company, started appearing in McClure’s Magazine in November 1902, his public reputation was proclaimed to be one of greed and corruption. Tarbell’s skillful narrative exposed all elements of the oil giant’s efforts to squash competition and of Standard Oil’s overbearing domination of the industry. The installments were later published as a book of the same name and quickly became a bestseller. With this spotlight on its business practices, the Standard Oil Trust was attacked by state and federal courts as well as by the media. In 1890, the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed as the first federal antitrust legislation to limit monopolies. Sixteen years later, the U.S. attorney general during President Teddy Roosevelt’s administration filed two dozen antitrust actions against large corporations; chief among  them was Standard Oil. It took five years, but in 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s decision that ordered Standard Oil Trust to divest into 33 companies, which would function independently from each other. However, Rockefeller did not suffer. Because he was a major stockholder, his net worth grew exponentially with the dissolution and establishment of new business entities. Rockefeller as Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller was one of the wealthiest men in the world during his lifetime. Though a tycoon, he lived unpretentiously and kept a low social profile, rarely attending the theatre or other events typically attended by his peers. Since childhood, he had been trained to give to church and charity and Rockefeller had routinely done so. However, with a fortune believed to be worth more than a billion dollars after the dissolution of Standard Oil and a tarnished public image to rectify, John D. Rockefeller began to give away millions of dollars. In 1896, 57-year-old Rockefeller turned over the day-to-day leadership of Standard Oil, though he held the title of president until 1911, and began to focus on philanthropy. He had already contributed to the establishment of the University of Chicago in 1890, giving $35 million over the course of 20 years. While doing so, Rockefeller had acquired confidence in Rev. Frederick T. Gates, the director of the American Baptist Education Society, which established the university. With Gates as his investment manager and philanthropic adviser, John D. Rockefeller founded the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research (now Rockefeller University) in New York in 1901. Within their laboratories, causes, cures, and various manners of prevention of diseases were discovered, including the cure for meningitis and the identification of DNA as the central genetic matter. A year later, Rockefeller established the General Education Board. In its 63 years of operation, it distributed $325 million to American schools and colleges. In 1909, Rockefeller launched a public health program in the effort to prevent and cure hookworm, a serious health issue in the southern states, through the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission. In 1913, Rockefeller created the Rockefeller Foundation, with his son John Jr. as president and Gates as a trustee, to foster the well-being of men and women around the world. In its first year, Rockefeller donated $100 million to the foundation, which has provided assistance to medical research and education, public health initiatives, scientific advancements, social research, the arts, and other fields around the world. A decade later, the Rockefeller Foundation was the largest grant-making foundation in the world and its founder deemed the most generous philanthropist in U.S. history. Death Along with donating his fortune, John D. Rockefeller spent his last years enjoying his children, grandchildren, and his hobby of landscaping and gardening. He was also an avid golfer. Rockefeller hoped to live to be a centenarian but died two years before the occasion on May 23, 1937. He was laid to rest between his beloved wife and mother at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. Legacy Though many Americans scorned Rockefeller for making his Standard Oil fortune through unscrupulous business tactics, its profits aided the world. Through John D. Rockefeller’s philanthropic endeavors, the oil titan educated and saved an untold number of lives and aided medical and scientific advancement. Rockefeller also forever changed the landscape of American business. Sources â€Å"John D. Rockefeller: The Ultimate Oil Man.† John D. Rockefeller: The Ultimate Oil Man.â€Å"John D. Rockefeller.† Biography.com, AE Networks Television, 16 Jan. 2019.The Rockefeller Archive Center.

The Artist in His Studio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Artist in His Studio - Essay Example Rembrandt painted in the Dutch Baroque School. He was born in Leiden, Holland in 1606 and died in Amsterdam in 1669. (Broos et al.) His parents were lower class and had no artistic background. He was one of 10 children. His father was a milliner and his mother worked in a bakery. (Broos et al.) They sent Rembrandt to a school to study Latin. In his life, he painted over 600 paintings, 300 etchings and 1400 drawings. ( He reached the height of his career in 1642 with the Night Watchman.(Broos et al.) He also had the emotional shock of losing his wife and not painting as much afterwards. North of Europe was free from the Church. They did not have the patronage system and were freer to paint what they chose. The Baroque school was interested in form and lines. They did not paint religious works as other countries did. Light and realism were important. The Artist in his Studio. 1626-1628 . It is written that it is oil on wood, oil on a panel or oil on canvas depending on the sources. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is listed as canvas and on wood according to different listings. The genre is in the interior of a room which looks empty. Rembrandt painted it when he was 20 years old. ... His studio is simple and poor but his clothes and the size of the canvas show that he is rich. On the table there is a small miniature portrait of Jesus There are also one bottle and two bowls. The shapes of the bowls, the artist the painters table and the palette are round in form. The exact description of the objects have been important as to explain Rembrandts study in line and texture. His study of lines, light and perspective becomes part of the traits of the Baroque School. Â  Rembrandt was a master at linear study. (Westermann) The perspective of this work is from the top left corner wall to the right. If the viewer really looks there is a second linear perspective from the artist up to the canvas. There are multiple 90Â ° angles: the corners of the floor, the table, the easel, the door, the panels of the parquet floor, the table top which we cannot see. the canvas, the shadows of the easel, the line going from the canvas to the painter etc.. There are fewer 45Â ° angles: t he easel, the line from the corner of the room to the center of the room, the line from the back of the easel to the artist, and the canvas. In addition, one can say, it is a study of straight lines. In addition there are the lines of the parquet floor, the door, the lines going up to the ceiling. Lines and angles were part of the Baroque School. The triangles of the painting differ in size as they create the effect of the room being small. The easel is largest piece in the room as the angle of the corner of the room doesn't finish into a triangle. He is holding his painting clothe (chamois) where it shows a right angle. His clothing shows an angle in the way his scarf is around his

Selling in Uk Principles and Aspects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Selling in Uk Principles and Aspects - Essay Example Whatever might be the channel to market, in UK commerce, purchasers have the right to return defective goods for full refund. Besides, if sale is done via direct selling channel, the consumer has cancellation right, irrespective of the goods being defective or not; these rights occur by the virtue of laws relating to relative channel. The UK consumer in direct selling industry has improved rights, if the seller is a part of Direct Selling Association. UK law concerned with direct selling also provides the direct retailer consumer protection rights to terminate the agreement at the start, or to stop it at any time on notice.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Consumers should get clear information about of the aspects involves in purchase before they decided to purchase anything. These include the seller’s name, the price of the product extra delivery charges and VAT.†¢ To cancel the order within seven days following the receipt of goods and to get back the money even if the consumer has to compe nsate for the return of goods. If the sellers realize later on that they can’t deliver within the time, they must inform the customers earlier to cancel the order or to get refund.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ To ensure safety from fraudulent activities when customers pay by credit or debit card which leads to breach payment for no fault of the customer, the card provider should refund all the money to the customers’ account. Unlike in High Street purchase the customer can complain to the Advertising Standards Authority. if anything is seen fraud in the site. The Distance Selling Regulations guard the customers from the deceitful use of customer’s payment card in purchase over internet. The customer’s account should be re-credited with full amount, if any debit is made by the fraudster. Q. 2) The role of Trading Standards in enforcing legislation in the UK The Trading Standards Institute in UK is a professional body, intended for trading with standard professionals working in public and private sectors. Trading Standards Services implement legislations in safeguarding