Thursday, October 31, 2019

School finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

School finance - Essay Example Financial resources are required in order to run schools. Funding for education varies from state to state as well as district to district. The state has an obligation to fund education and this is mainly done through taxes. On the local level, the districts also have a duty to fund education and the funds are drawn from the taxpayer’s money. There are various obstacles that impact on the funding of education. For instance, the 2007 Global Financial Crisis negatively impacted on the funding of education in different states in the US. There have also been challenges in funding education such as the aspect of equity among different states. Some states are wealthier than others and this has drawn the ire of other people who have filed lawsuits to have this anomaly corrected. There are also challenges faced at the district level in terms of funding of education. While an effort is made to get more money for schools, there are other challenges that are encountered. These are related to how the money is spent in schools in an equitable way. Some money is spent on teacher incentives but this has also raised some eyebrows as a result of the fact that funding meant for education should be used as such. These extra costs have resulted in debts being incurred which pose challenges on managing budgets meant for education. Therefore, concerted efforts should be made by the Legislature to come up with holistic measures that can be implemented in order to ensure that money meant for education is used for that purpose.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Enron-The Smartest Guys in the Room paper Essay Example for Free

Enron-The Smartest Guys in the Room paper Essay Answer the following questions based on the film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005). 1. (a) Describe the ownership structure at Enron. (b) How did the ownership structure contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) When Enron became a publicly traded company, the employees and executives had more incentive to manipulate earnings and financials. With the shift in structure, there were more external stakeholders to satisfy, which caused the company to focus on short-term results, rather than long-term interests. The company went as far as to trade all sorts of things, including weather and broadband, in order to gain support from investors. Enron got a lot of that support. Investment banks put about $25 million each into the company. With high stakes and image on the line, Enron manipulated earnings to drive stock prices up through mark-to-market accounting to please its stakeholders. 2.(a) Describe the following three leaders: Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow. (b) How did EACH leader contribute to the scandal? (20 points) Ken Lay was a very ambitious man. He was the son of a poor Baptist preacher. Because of Lay’s humble roots, Lay worked several jobs as a kid. He always dreamed about being a businessman one day and making huge wealth for himself. Lay believed he could have a better life with more wealth. He also believed in government deregulation. Lay had a PhD in economics. He aggressively pushed for deregulation of energy markets in Washington. His goal was to liberate businessmen from government’s hold. He took advantage of government letting energy prices float with the market, and started Enron Corporation through a few mergers. Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of Enron, was said to be â€Å"incandescently brilliant† by many at Enron. In reality, he was a risky, danger-seeking gambler. Skilling had a Darwinian view and strongly beli eved in the idea of â€Å"survival of the fittest†. He implemented a group called the Performance Review Committee. The committee was involved in the â€Å"rank and yank† system, in which the bottom 15 percent of the company got fired each year. This ultimately led to numerous unethical actions and turning a blind eye to fraud because of employees’ determination for job  security. Skilling was a former nerd, and went on to change himself. He was very admired at Enron. When he got Lasik surgery, everyone else did too. Skilling was responsible for making energy into a tradable entity and for his advocacy of mark-to-market accounting, which was the main tool for Enron’s earnings manipulation. Fastow was a very greedy man. He served as CFO of Enron. He was responsible for running numerous companies that partnered with Enron. He mainly worked to cover up the financial fantasy land that Lay and Skilling had created. He was hired before age 30 by Skilling to join Enron. He always idolized Skilling and wanted to please him. He ended up hiding about $30 billion in debt through his companies. In addition, he skimmed off many of the deals he made, using Enron stocks as collateral. Fastow did not have a strong moral compass, and would play to the greed of the investment banks. He would offer investment banks accounts for their silence. One analyst, John Olsen, star ted to question the firm, and weeks later, was fired by the investment bank because Fastow paid off the bank with big Enron accounts. 3.(a) Describe the organizational culture at Enron. (b) How did the organizational culture contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) The culture at Enron was very cut-throat and filled with greed. Money drove the company and its employees. In fact, even the elevators had displays of the stock prices. The company was overtaken by hubris as well. Everyone was on the bandwagon—the accounting firm, investors, executives, and employees. The entire company thought it was changing the world. Everyone was blinded by arrogance, greed, and money. Enron was always portrayed as a super power in the market. It was said that is someone wanted to be part of the market, they had to go through Enron. In addition, many employees, including Skilling, were former nerds and had something to prove. There was a very macho culture at Enron. Skilling would organize dangerous, macho trips for employees and big clients. The stories from these adventures became legend. One man almost died from a flipp ed Jeep. Stories like that were legendary in the office. The culture ultimately led Enron to scandal because of the ideas it had put into people’s heads—that money drove everything and cash was king. 4.(a) Describe the performance management/reward system at Enron. (b) How did the performance   management/reward system contribute to the Enron scandal? (20 points) The reward systems were big. The executives and employees were all fans of the â€Å"pump and dump† system in which the employees drove the stock prices up, and would them sell the stocks off. The company was consumed by stock prices, as stocks were a large part of the compensation structure at Enron. Even the elevators had stock prices posted, so people could be reminded daily that there was more money to be made. The cash bonuses were extravagant too. In fact, a 25-year-old made a $5 million bonus. Executives were given multi million dollar bonuses. In addition, to prevent anyone from raising any flags, Enron played on the greed of the outside accounting firm, Arthur Anderson, as well as law firms. In fact, in 2001, Arthur Anderson got $1 million a week to keep things quiet and go along with everything. The la w firm was paid off handsomely as well. Analysts at investment banks would never really look into things because of greed as well. Because of all the bonuses, outsiders turned a blind eye, as did employees, which ultimately gave way to the scandal that ensued. 5.(a) Describe the regulatory/oversight weaknesses for Enron. (b) How did the regulatory/oversight weaknesses contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) Enron sought to take advantage of the low level of government regulation and the hyper capitalism created by the reigning consumer culture of the time. The company was run by a group of intelligent individuals who recognized they could take advantage of the government failure of low regulation. Early on while working for Enron, Lay founded many friends within Congress, including the friendship of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. The government helped in pork barrel legislation for the company, granting it even more power. In addition, Bush senior helped secure millions of subsidies for Enron and helped promote Ken Lay as ambassador of deregulation at large. In addition, even energy-specific regulators turned a blind eye. Pat Wood, chair of FERC, was recommended by Lay as chair, and would work with Enron in lack of government in tervention. Even the power plants in California were working with Enron at one point. Enron could call someone at a power plant and cause rolling blackouts in parts of California,  driving energy prices up. With support from the government and very low regulation and intervention, Enron had a clean path to scandal. 6.Describe three (3) specific ways, which are directly related to the above factors, that Enron-like scandals could be prevented in the future. (15 points) 1. Publically-traded companies should have a strong board of directors that oversees the company and does not have investment in the company. Greed drove Enron to do what it did, but a board of directors who has no stake in the company would be more objective and ethical in decision-making for the company. 2. There should be less compensation tied to stock performance, as that was a large incentive for fraud at Enron. People’s earnings were tied too closely to stock. 3. Analysts should be help more responsible for their actions. The investment banks they worked for got sued, but who’s to say the analysts who turned a blind eye ever got punished? They made the banks lots of money, so they probably kept their jobs and got a slap on the wrist. More consequence in the public eye would deter these actions in the future.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Bargaining Power Of Buyer

The Bargaining Power Of Buyer Fraser Neave holding Bhd. was incorporated at year 1883 when founders John Fraser and David Chalmers Neave formed a company named Singapore Straits Aerated Water Company in Singapore. Few years later, FN was consolidated and enter the food beverage industry. FN has its own vision to become the leading total beverage company in Malaysia and the region and their mission is to be a world-class multinational enterprise providing superior returns to their shareholders, excellent value for their customers and a rewarding career for their employees. FN Company is one of the Malaysia well known beverage company which the famous product is the isotonic drinks 100plus launched at year 1984. FN produce wide range of beverage that can be classified as soft drinks, dairies, non-carbonated beverages as well as separate business property. They were launching the sweetened condensed filled milk in year 1973, and the acquisition of Nestlà ©s canned milk business in Thailand and Malaysia in year 2007. Other than that FN high quality canned milk was also gain excellent reputation in Malaysia. This product is largely use as beverage mixers in coffee, tea and chocolate drinks and now canned milk has successfully to export this product to more than 20 countries around the world. In addition, the halal certification offers strong reassurance to Muslim customers in the growing Halal markets in the Middle East and Africa. FN Company was awarded The Readers Digest Trusted Brand from year 2005 to 2008, Media Magazine Top 1000 Asian Brands 2007 and so on. It proves that their customer was confident when using their products since they are concern about their health and safety quality. FN Company was continuously improve their quality and brands to challenges the marketplace and to become the leader. FN Company is also well-known company that caring about the social environment and working environment. They implemented and executed various environmental stewardship and launched numerous recycling campaigns in schools to inculcate good environmental habits among young people and thus, create awareness on the importance of recycling. FN Company also set-up a RM1.2 million funds named Chairmans Award to promote educational excellence and to recognize high-achievers among children of FN Groups employees. FN Company has achieved a safety record of zero accident (no loss time accident) accumulated from 1 February 2007 to 21 September 2009 with a total 962 days or 2.3 million working hours. In terms of its environmental compliance incident and achieved zero environmental compliance status. FN Company has three main businesses which are soft drinks, dairy products and property. Soft Drink FN Beverages Marketing Sdn Bhd represent Malaysias largest soft drinks manufacturer and distributor. There are four manufacturing plants nationwide, including its state of the art facility at its headquarters in Shah Alam, Selangor. Their products are 100PLUS, FN Fun Flavours, FN Originals, SEASONS, Ice Mountain and Fruit Tree. The company started operations in 1936 when FN Ltd obtained the franchise of Coca-Cola in Singapore and Malaysia. After that FN Coca-Cola (M) Sdn Bhd (FNCC) was born and license agreement would end in September 2011, the company renamed as FNBM. In Malaysia, 100PLUS is a outstanding local success story, cover 90 percent share of the isotonic drinks market and also the No.1 ready to drink (RTD) brand in Malaysia. For non-carbonated portfolio, SEASONS is currently No.2 in Asian drinks category while Fruit Tree continue to grow within the juice segment. The soft drinks division perform well during the festive periods and continue to pursue world class excellence in distribution so that the products are readily available with focus on market execution. Over the years, FNBM has used few strategic measures that emphasize on its brand presence by invested in advertising and promotions, product availability and operational efficiency. In April 2010, FNBM was selected to become exclusive distributor of Red Bull energy drinks in Malaysia and has improved FNBMs beverage portfolio. Dairies Products Next business is dairy products. FN Dairies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has produced varity such as sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, pasteurised milk, UHT milk, juice and ice cream. FNs dairy business had a joint venture with Beautrice Foods of Chicago, USA in 1959 with the construction of Southeast Asias first sweetened condensed milk plant in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. The Carnation Company from US joined the partnership in 1965 to form Premier Milk as the manufacturing arm. The Group constantly seeks product innovation and invention, more products adding into portfolio and after that the Group had a successful journey into ice cream business. In 1989, the Group purchased the interests of Beatrice Foods and restructured its dairy operations under FN Dairies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. It was expanded further with the acquisition of Magnolia in 1995. In 1998, the Group started its pasteurised business. Today, FNs dairies division has a vision of being Malaysias leading dairy and food marketer with world class products, standards and capabilities forming part and parcel of its offerings. In 2011, FN Dairies (Malaysia) disposed off its entire ice cream business to FN Creameries (M) Sdn Bhd. Property About the property business, FN Properties is a business unit of Fraser Neave Holdings Berhad, the purpose is to unlock the value of land acquired and held by the company. The first property is the former FN factory land at Jalan Foss, has been developed into commercial spot called Fraser Business Park. The development follows the general direction of Fraser Neaves underlying philosophy of a socially responsible corporate citizen. Key value lies within the emphasis of continuously creating innovative designs and applications towards the development, giving its occupants a taste of the modern and the future alike. More is expected from future property launches as the unit break new ground with innovative design and product development that focus on feature that are particular to the FN brand name. In future, the property division will emphasize on changing existing Premier Milk plant into a landmark in Petaling Jaya. The redevelopment is estimated 5 to 8 years period. PEST Mission: To be a world-class multinational enterprise providing superior returns to our shareholders, excellent value for our customers and a rewarding career for our employees. Vision: To become the leading total beverage company in Malaysia and the region. Every company has their mission and vision statement served as overall purpose of business. The mission and vision statement above are set by FN. There are external environmental issues have or will affect FN to achieve their mission. These external environmental issues are being categorized according to PEST(EL) model. PEST(EL) model is to analyze the external environment issues of company. It categorized environment issues into political, economic, social, technological, ecological and legal influences. Economic Improving growth prospect of Malaysia, Thailand and the region brings more income to FN as is signals economy are in good condition and peoples are willing to spend hence will increase sales in that particular region. The growth prospects include rising of Malaysia GDP in year 2010 that is approximately 10% compare to 4.5% in 2009 that rise from some major factor of manufacturing industry production with a double digit growth of 16.9% in year 2010. ASEAN countries are growing quick in their economy thus putting FN a favourable factor in growing of profits. FN has built up positive consumer sentiment to their product. For example 100PLUS, isotonic drink that is specialized for sportsmen to retain the metabolism. It is a concept well-built that it is voted number 1 isotonic drinks in Malaysia since its introduction in 1983. That well-built positive sentiment brings others drinks of FN to be well marketable. It is the consumer sentiment to the products enhanced the profitability factor of FN towards other competitor thus is at an advantage in the market. Political Government had put initiative to boost spending of consumer with new economic model (NEM), with this model being pursue, Malaysia economic boost as consumer purchasing power increases and are advised to spend. FN will get benefit by provide goods to be sold to the market hence boosting sales. FN products are all Halal hence are entitled for Halal Hub Tax Incentive. The incentive offered had decreased FN some percentage of tax liability to the government. It made FN more profitable compare to those companies which does not qualified for the incentive. Government has taken back some incentive in year 2009, the withdrawal of subsidy of fuel and sugar has put an impact to FN as most of the FN core businesses needed large amount of sugar which is dairies and soft drink business. The withdrawal of sugar subsidy lower the overall profit of the FN although there is a large improve a sales but the profit doesnt show much improvement as the sugar cost increases. Withdrawals of fuel subsidy did also impact on FN as the cost of their internal and external distribution cost increases thus reduces profit. Technological In the beginning of 2011, FN introduced new product, Ice Mountain and it has faster share gain among bottler waters player which established 5% market share in Malaysia. FN launched new beverage Zesta across Malaysia in October 2011.Zesta has remarkably great tasting berry soda flavored soda. It contents the Guarana tropical berries that originate from Amazon, South America. In addition, Guarana tropical berries invigorate the body and mind. Zesta is an extension of our already large array of FN beverages, a beverage that was initiated to complement our existing range of FN brands, creating a transition vehicle for our growing band of consumers, said Dato Ng Jui Sia, CEO of Fraser Neave Holdings Bhd. FN believes that Zesta is the illustration of growing trends for beverage enhanced soda. (Zesta 2011) Environmental Sichuan Earthquake of May 2008 has caused the raw material cost increase and companys profit is affected. Natural disaster is beyond expectation and control of the company. Profit before interest and tax in 2008 grew only 5%. This environmental factor has affected company to achieve their mission. Natural disaster would serve as obstacle that FN provide superior returns to shareholders. Porters 5 forces Today, Fraser Neave Holdings Bhd (FN) has extended business at more than 20 countries worldwide and established itself as a regional player. So that, FN need use Porters five forces model to analysis and understanding the nature of the competitive environment. FN has a lot of benefits from using Porters five forces model. They can ensure that management considers a wide range of potential impacts when devising strategy. They allow the division of the work in environmental analysis and make decision in time. In addition, Porters five forces also help to develop effective strategies to raise FN profitability, power, and competitive position in an industry. Porters five forces is divided into threat of entry, intensity of competitive rivalry, threat of substitute product, bargaining power of buyer and bargaining power of suppliers. Threat of entry Threat of entry is new entrants into market will bring extra capacity and intensify competition. The strength of the threat from new entrants will depend upon the strength of the barriers to entry and the likely response of existing competition to a new entrant. FN produce two new soft drink FN Clearly Citrus and Zesta were launched in soft drink market at year 2011. Zesta and FN Clearly Citrus are getting customer support and the new produces also have a higher demand from the buyer. Zesta sales would create other competitor have entered the soda market, it will be posted a threat for the FN affect the market sales. Therefore, FN should defensively competitor who are entered the soda market to creating barriers that new entrants to the market find difficult to overcome. This can ensure the Zesta sales would not affect and ensure the maximize shareholders wealth. FN able to occupy in the Malaysia soda market a very important role. Bargaining power of supplier Bargaining power of suppliers definition with the stronger power of suppliers in an industry the more difficult it is for firms within that sector to make a profit. It is because suppliers can determine the terms and conditions on which business is conducted. Most of the products are contented sugar, sugar is essential for production. Malaysian Government has removed sugar subsidies on selective basis and subsidy for Dairies Malaysia was removed. Increased of sugar cost and global commodity cost forced price of Sweetened Condensed Milk increased by 25%. However, sugar subsidy was removed on selective basis which means FN can look for suppliers whose sugar subsidies werent removed. In addition, competitors will also search for new suppliers and it may not easy to reduce cost as low as before. Apart from that, FN may have to concern about any switching cost for current suppliers. Bargaining power of buyer Bargaining power of buyer sense of the powerful buyer can force price cuts and quality improvement. The government removed sugar subsidy, FN material cost increased and affected the product selling price increased. In 2011, Sweetened Condensed Milk has increased 25% of the price which cause the demand reduced. Revenue and profit was decline during the year. Buyers also have full information about the soft drink and dairy product market. They should know which company product cheaper, more health and best quality. FN need to retain the customer by improving product quality and introduce new product. Buyers always have different choice for their beverage and dairy product. Apart from that, same type of competitors product will be display nearby companys products. For example, Jusco will be placing same type of products together which allowed buyers to search easily. There is low switching cost for buyers. Beside, degree of product differentiation is low which customer may feel all bran ds are similar. This threat is more difficult to control, because FN management need to concentrate on changing buyers preference and also maximize the shareholders wealth. Threat of substitute product Porters 5 forces have indicated that the threat of substitute product is the other firms within the industry has offers similar product with similar benefits for the customer. This threat may affects the competitive environment of the company and influence our ability to achieve profitability. On FN Magnolia have offers Pasteurised Milk and Sterilised Milk. The range of the customers is children and adults. The Pasteurised Fresh Milk can be enjoyed chilled or warm, plain or mixed with other foods or beverages and they innovate into Lo-Fat Hi-Cal Milk provide less fat and more healthier of the Fresh Milk for our body. However, Marigold has offers HL Milk is low-fat milk No.1 in Malaysia. HL Milk has perfect balance of nutrients for everyone in the family and it consists high in calcium and protein, low in fat and lactose and fortified with 9 essential vitamins to supplement healthier lifestyle. Marigold HL Milk is first choice for the customers who are caring health conscious. FN should innovation their milk product provide more healthy to attract or retain consumer choices. Another competitor is Dutch Lady has provided a Dutch Lady Milk powder for satisfy customer needs who want mix it with other coffee or tea favour and it has a rich and creamy taste and allowed to dilute in hot or cold water easily. Furthermore, Dutch Lady also has provided different formulations to cater to children of different ages to promote their brain development and healthy growth. Therefore, most of the mother would choose Dutch Lady Milk products of their children rather than choose FN milk products. FN SEASONS offers soft drink products are leaders in countrys most comprehensive range of consumer, catering to every occasion. The Soya range provides protein nourishment while the Chrysanthemum and Grass Jelly provides healthier refreshment with less sugar let FN SEASONS become best quality and healthy drinks. However, they are having lesser favors for the customer choose. YEOS have more favors, such as Lychee drink, Sugarcane drink, Bandung Rose drink, coconut juice, soursop drink and guava drink for the customer to choice. Hence, consumers who are Sugarcane drink lover may change its option to YEOS products. Although there are many competitors for isotonic drink, 100Plus still able to gain over 88% of the market share. Company has done a lot promotion for 100Plus which the reason 100Plus is successfully gain more than half of the market share. (Annual Report 2010) Intensity of competitive rivalry Intensity of competitive rivalry among competitors in the industry strives to companies to gain competitive advantage over the rivals and drives the profit of the rivals firm to zero. The company can gains the competitive advantage by several ways, such as pricing policy, improving the products differentiation with other and exploiting relationships with suppliers. If can gain more competitive advantage over competitors can increase the profitability of the company. FN only provided soft drink products and dairy products, appears less competitive advantage compare with others. Nowadays, people more have health conscious when they buying products may choice to buy the products which consists more nutrition. In food and beverage industry also have many company has provide more diet product to satisfied the requirements of the different customers. Dutch Lady Low Fat Yoghurt is a healthy snack and it will enhance the absorption of nutrients, ensuring digestive system stays healthy. It contains Vitamin A, C and E, calcium and Active Live Cultures. In Addition, the Marigold have offer the Yogurt and cultured milk Vitagen which have consists nutrition products for the body. The Vitagen has billions of live probiotic cultures to helps maintain a healthy digestive system. Probiotic cultures in VITAGEN can withstand bile and acidic stomach juices and reach the intestines alive to fight harmful bacteria in the intestines. Furthermore, the Yoghurt contains live and active cultures help digestion and promote a healthy digestive system and calcium for the development of strong bones and teeth. Marigold also has offers Jelly is a great-tasting double-layered jelly that is filled with fresh fruits. Its cool and refreshing taste makes it great for everyone in the family and contains no preservatives and is a healthy alternative to fruits after a hearty meal. This makes Marigold become Malaysias first and only pasteurised Jelly. This all is key reasons that the consumer may change favors to this type of products. To gain competitive advantage, FN should provide more nutrition products for the customers have more choose. Porters national competitive advantage diamond Porters diamond model suggests that there are inherent reasons why some nations and industries within nations are more competitive than others on a global scale. The argument is that the national home base of an organisation provides organisations with specific factors which will potentially create competitive advantages on a global scale. (Michael Porter 1990) Porters diamond model consist of four conditions of national advantage which are factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries and firm strategy, structure and rivalry. Factor conditions Factor condition is about important elements that exist in a company which lead to national competitive advantage. It can be country specific or industry specific. FN Dairies had constructed plant in Pulau Indah costs RM350 million and will be completed within the second half of 2011. The new plant promotes cutting edge green technology which would have huge gains in water, energy and environmental conservation. With existence of this plant, FN Dairies could be on the top list of worlds largest producers of canned milk. (Annual Report 2011 pg 41) An increase in production line is an advantage of the company. FN had launched a new RM45 million polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monoblock production line which is the first in Asia Pacific. This able to done all the things in only one production line, for example blow bottles, fill and pack all carbonate soft drinks products. (Annual Report 2010 pg 32) FN has the latest innovation and technology that bring advantages to them. With this latest technology, FN can enhance its operations by continuing improve production lines. FN can produce more products in effective and efficient way. In addition, the new machineries increase as the production lines increases. The warehouse management system has implemented to make operation work run smoothly. Besides, the introduction of new sales forecasting tools helps in manufacturing, if sales forecast is low, the manufacturer will produce less stock. Supply chain act as an important role in a business. Without supply, production would not be carried out. Improvement in supply chain lead to high efficiency of production and logistic by upgrade the systems. FN introduce higher level of operational automation and inventory management to ensure the manufacturing process has no error. Besides, the product quality management has to make sure that the products are in acceptable quality and safety measures are enhanced in order the product would not harm people. Demand conditions Secondly, the demand conditions state that if the local market for a product is larger and more demanding at home than in foreign markets, local firms potentially put more emphasis on improvements than foreign companies. This will potentially increase the global competitiveness of local exporting companies. FN non-carbonated portfolio has slightly increased from 25.4 per cent to 28 per cent in soft drinks business. This represent there is a growing demand for drinks. During the year, FN included fruit teas and juices to its range of soft drinks, and launch new drink called Zesta recently catering consumers of this segment. The ability to innovate, differentiate and manufacture new product lines will bring advantages such as gain more market share. (Zesta 2011) FN Fruit Tree released five new flavours in bottle form which are orange, apple, lychee, blackcurrant and mango. As the demand increases, Fruit Tree has becoming one of the fastest growing categories in Malaysia. The new flavours are the extension to the Fruit Tree cans range and the research shows that consumer preference toward these flavours compared to other brand in the market. (Annual Report 2010 pg 36) FN Holding Berhad has built a new warehouse in Kuching which triple larger than previous warehouse capacity to improve the quality of service and make sure delivery to customers is on time. Furthermore, it utilised advanced warehousing technology such as high selective racking, super flat flooring and Very Narrow Aisleway (VNA) trucks. Related and supporting industries Thirdly, the related and supporting industries mean that when local supporting industries and suppliers are competitive, home country companies will potentially get more cost efficient and receive more innovative products. In February 2010, 100PLUS signed a partnership agreement with AirAsia Berhad, officially sell 100PLUS on AirAsia flights which depart from Malaysia. AirAsia Berhad is a Malaysia top airlines company, being a partner of AirAsia Berhad has a real competitive advantage for FN. This agreement is a big step for division to extend business offshore. Passenger dehydration happened frequently in air travel, with 100PLUS the passenger can get over the dehydration. Support from AirAsia is like an advertisement effect, whenever there is a flight, there is an appearance of 100PLUS. (Annual Report 2010 pg 038) Firm strategy, structure and rivalry Structure and management system can affect competitiveness. FN is running beverage and dairies business in addition to food business too. FN buy 23.08 per cent share in Cocoaland Holdings Berhad. Cocoaland is a major snack food manufacturer in Malaysia. FN is diversifying the business risk to various subsidiaries. FN develop the food business to supplement beverage and dairies business. As the Malaysia grow into high income economy country, the consumption of middle income will increase and food business will be benefited. GE model 3 portfolio business Property Dairy product Soft drink GE business matrix Industry Attractiveness- Economic Factor Business Strength- Brand Strength High Medium Low High Investment/ Growth Soft drinkSelective Growth Selectivity Medium Dairy productSelective Growth Selectivity Harvest/Divest Low Selectivity Property businessHarvest/Divest Harvest/Divest FNs business has divided into 3 portfolio and that are Soft Drinks, Dairy Products and Properties. First of all, we will use the environmental factor and brand strength as the industry attractiveness factors and business factors benchmark. Soft Drinks FNs core soft drinks business portfolio will be classified at the classes of selective growth. The company soft drinks 100plus and Zesta are popular in Malaysia and have helped the company in bringing certain level of stable income.100plus as the companys core product have promoting an active lifestyle and healthy living to consumer. Many events have been run to promote 100plus as it is isotonic drink of choice at major sporting events. 100plus is present at top sports events such as Piala Malaysia Final 2011 100plus Tunku Abdul Razak Cup, KL Marathon 2011 and so on to continue building prestigious images of 100plus to consumers. Profit of division has been growing from year 2007 to 2011. However, sugar subsidy withdrawn by Malaysian Government has major impact on price of sugar. The division has lesser growth rate for year 2011. In addition, global commodity cost has increased which is unfavorable economic factor. Soft Drink division has very high brand strength but economic factors are not really favourable to the division. Dairy Products FNs dairy products will be classified at the classes of selectivity. Companys dairy products have included sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, pasteurised milk, UHT milk, juices and ice cream. Dairy Products also suffered from withdrawal of sugar subsidy and global commodity price increased in 2011. FNs dairy products business has classified at selectivity, with medium level of attractiveness and medium business strength on the dairy products. Although the product Milo is popular in Malaysia, Milo is not owned by FN, it was franchised. This product reduces business strength as it is not the only major player in the market. The dairy products will seem less attractive to the investors to consider investing because the deliberate of the milk market is very costly. In addition, the cost for hire workers and the cost to obtain technology for producing the dairy products are costly for subsequent production of dairy products. Moreover, the dairy products license also difficult to be approved by the government. New entrant will find difficult to entry, because the market has been controlled and played by a few major competitors. New entrant will find difficulty to enter to the market as these factors created entry barriers. Properties FNs property business had generated more revenue in year 2007 compared to the year 2006 by 6%. Revenue for the year 2008 had declined by 24% compare to year 2007. FNs property business has classified at selectivity with high level of attractiveness and low business strength. The company is more concentrated in the soft drink products and has no initiative to promote companys property to the public, not many people knows that FN has already entered into properties. FNs property business is non comparable with beverage business that seems to be so successful and FNs property business strength is low in this industry. The property business that has high profitability in the industry will attract more investors to invest. The government encourage removing of old building and build more new business park in order to bring in more prosperity to our country. Moreover, our property business is at growth stage because it is newly introduced into the industry, hence it does not have strong bus iness strength on the property business. Ratio analysis and Key performance Indicators Revenue of continuing operation continues to grow from 2009 to 2010 by 11.2% and 2010 to 2011 7.6%. In 2010, the revenue is able to grow better than 2011 due to improved economic conditions. Malaysia Government has introduced New Economic Model 2010 helps to boost spending in Malaysia. Profit before interest and tax growth rate also decline from 2010 to 2011, 31% to 14%. The result was affected because of particular division wasnt doing well in 2011. Soft Drink Soft Drink division has current ratio of 1.77 and 1.99 for year 2010 and 2011. It indicated improvement in managing assets and liabilities. The growth momentum of soft drink division has continued. The division has been doing well over the years. It contributes the largest profit to FN. In 2010, the soft drink division was able to generate revenue 21% more compared to last year. Soft drink was delivering higher volume especially during festive periods such as Chinese New Year. In addition, sales volume of 100Plus Seasons have grew more than 20% and reflected strong consumption and growing popularity of the brands. 100Plus generated over 88% of market share in isotonic category and Seasons generated 27% market share of Asian drink category. While Badminton competition Thomas Cup was around, 100PLUS Thomas Cup 1 Million Support Campaign was held for Malaysian to show their support for Malaysian badminton team. Apart from that, the division served as distributor of Red Bull energy drinks in Malaysia and commenced from 1 April 2010. Soft drink volume was able to benefit from Red Bull which contributed 2.2% helps to improve the divisions beverage portfolio. (Annual Report 2010) Soft drink division grew only 16% from 2010 to 2011. The growth rate is eroded due to the reason of Malaysian government has withdrawn the subsidy of sugar and fuel. Therefore, raw material cost has increased and causes the profit margin diminished. Coca-Cola business exits the FN in September 2011 which also the reason of profit margin diminished. However, 100Plus and Seasons still generated volume growth 10% and 14% to benefits the division. 100Plus and Seasons are the leading brands in the division and continue to enhance the divisions beverage portfolio. 100Plus was being promoted continuously as 100PLUS New Thematic Launch in July 2011. Beside, FN SEASONS Nourishing You Malaysia National Consumer Contest held between March and April 2011 to create consum

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Sigmund Freud :: essays research papers

Sigmund Freud When I was 10th grade in Korea, I took a psychology lecture for the first time in the academy. That time, I was come into some psychologists and lots of theories about psychology. At the beginning, it was very strange and difficult to learn. But as time passed by, I had more interests about the psychology especially Sigmund Freud, who was a very intelligent psychoanalyst. Sigmund Freud has many theories on how people develop. His most influential theory to the development of the human mind was his five psychosexual stages. Freud's belief was that children were done developing after they finished going through puberty. The stages started with infants describing this as the oral stage, or the sucking stage. The anal stage deals with the one and two year olds. This age group is starting to potty train. After this stage the three through five year olds go through the phallic stage. The child focuses on the genitals, as they discover it is enjoyable. Freud's fourth stage is the latency stage, including children six to twelve years. This is when their sexual interests are put on the back burn. The last stage is the genital stage. Children going through puberty have a time of sexual reawakening. Other theorists criticized him by saying that there was more to development than sex. They also said a person does not stop developing after they turn eighteen. Freud did develop another theory that many author's have described in their literary works which included the Id, Ego, and Superego. The Id, Ego, and Superego dealt with how the mind worked conscientiously and unconsciensously. It also described the behavior of the human body and why we do the things we do. Freud's behavior theory begins with the subject of the Id. The Id part of your brain is what you are born with. All babies are influenced by the Id. They live in an all unconscious world. Little do they know what it right or wrong. In an adult this is the pleasure seeker of the person's behavior. Your instincts are what you act on and sometimes this may show the bad side of the person. The next part of Sigmund Freud's behavior theory is the Ego. The ego is the balance between the Id and the Superego. This part of the brain is the reality check. The Ego helps you deal with the outside

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Response to an Example of Communication Essay

Based on the true story of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who take in a homeless teenage African-American boy named Michael. Michael has no idea who his father is and his mother is a drug addict. Michael hasn’t had a proper education and few skills to help him learn. Leigh Anne takes charge however, ensuring that the Michael has every opportunity to succeed. When he expresses an interest in football, she goes out of her way to help him, including giving the coach a few ideas on how best to use Michael’s skills. They not only provide him with a loving home, but hire a tutor to help him improve his grades to the point where he would qualify for an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship. Michael Oher is just 17 years old an extremely large physically growing up in in Memphis. He no longer lives with his drug addicted mother, but is in foster care, when he isn’t running away to sleep wherever else he can find. Out of circumstances including Coach Cotton’s belief that he would be an asset to the school’s football program based solely on his size and seeing him move, Michael is accepted into Wingate Christian School which is an exclusive private school, despite his disappointing 0. 6 GPA. After Michael starts attending classes at Wingate, most of his teachers believe he is unteachable, except his science teacher, Mrs Boswell, who begins to understand that he learns in a different way. Believing he is indeed homeless, rich white woman Leigh Anne Tuohy the mother of Wingate students, Collins Tuohy and S. J. Tuohy, and wife to Sean Tuohy, who is a franchise owner of several Taco Bells, she invites Michael to stay in the Tuohy’s home for the night. But that one night slowly extends itself as the Tuohy family grow to care for Michael as he does for them. Part of that emotional investment for Leigh Anne is fully understanding Michael as a person so that he can fulfil his potential as a human being, which includes giving him opportunities such as what Coach Cotton initially saw in Michael as a potential left tackle in football. Some problems include Michael’s poor academic standing which may stop him from participating in extracurricular activities at the school, his learning disability which may extend to other aspects of his life beyond his schooling, whether he actually can play football, and authorities questioning Leigh Anne and all the Tuohy’s motivations in inviting Michael into their home and family. Michael eventually gets his grades, with help from the tutor and is allowed to participate in training for the football team. As Michael starts to train with the football team he starts to learn the game of football, he first training session doesn’t go as planned. As Leigh Anne is watching Michael she sees him struggling to pick up the game, so she decides to go over and have a talk to him. She explains to Michael that the football team is like the Tuohy family and that you would do anything to protect them, the whole team is stunned watching Leigh Anne give this talk. Michael then starts to show signs of his potential as to the coach’s delight. This scene in the movie shows how much Michael has grown to love the Tuohy and that he would do anything to protect them, Leigh Anne plays a big part in Michaels life and this is just another thing she has done to help him succeed. The In the film there are many different techniques in terms of camera angles and camera shots. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different aspects of settings and themes. Camera angles are used to position the viewer so they can understand the relationship between characters. The mid shot is used at the start of the film as they show Michael walking down a path in his neighbourhood. There are children among him having fun playing, whilst Michael is walking with a sad facial expression. This sets the mood for the viewer getting them emotionally attached straight away. There is a close up shot of Michael when he is informed of his father’s death, the mood is very sad and so is the expression on Michaels face, but throughout the whole movie Michael doesn’t show much emotion besides having a sad facial expression. You can tell the mood has changed because of the music as well, the camera slowly moves towards Michael’s face giving the audience sense of sadness making them emotional as well.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Critical Analysis of CSR Essays

Critical Analysis of CSR Essays Critical Analysis of CSR Essay Critical Analysis of CSR Essay Research in management and organization studies on Corporate Social Responsibility (CARS) suggests that even though a large number of issues are addressed from child labor to environment degradation. The orthodox research on CARS plays within quite narrow parameters and that too from the perspective of economically advanced countries. The body of knowledge available on the subject suggests that until recently very little was said regarding CARS processes and projects in the third world countries or emerging markets. This is bizarre as well as perplexing since it is in the third world that the power buses of industrial capitalism is most nakedly and routinely apparent. It also happens to be the place where most the interventions in CARS occur on behalf of western corporations. Lack of emphasis on CARS in Pakistan as is the case with third world Is In line, with the dearth of relevance of the wests authoritative CARS discourse to those most affected In the region. Every time CARS issues pertaining to emerging markets or Third World Countries are addressed, they are seen through the ideological and theoretical lens of the West and tend to address the sensibilities of western audiences as per their standards. If the literature on CARS is aimed at clearly aspiring the issues pertaining to the developing countries, then It needs to engage properly with the Third World where prevalent Issues are unlikely to change. If one looks at some of the major CARS initiatives in Pakistan , it can safely concluded that informal institutions also play a very pivotal role in determining the kind of CARS the multi-nationals intent to undertake. Telethon Pakistan , a Norwegian telecoms company that had nothing to do with education sector chose to open schools in remote areas of Pakistan in order to promote education. The general perception amongst the masses saw it as a way of bribing the local population of the village that was initially hostile towards Telethons entry in their region . This was following a massive campaign to boycott Norwegian and Danish products after the famous incident of 2005 , where the local newspapers of the respective countries apparently published caricatures in the name of Freedom of Speech , offending Muslim population across the world . There were incidents where Telethons communication towers were taken down by the locals in the remote under-developed areas near the border. The boycott followed by vandalism to the property hampered Telethons progress . Telethons effort clearly paid off since it did manage to win hearts and minds of the local population eventually. Let did something that government had failed to do until now. They were able to build and sustain schools in those remote border areas where government initially failed to reach out to. These sponsored school were equipped with all the necessities that the local government schools lacked. They even trained the local staff for the school which opened up Job opportunities as well. Another CARS initiate by Telethon called Escapism won Best Mobile Money and Best Service for Women Awards in February 2014 in Barcelona at 19th annual mobile global awards . The first and largest branches banking service in Pakistan was announced winner in the following two categories: Best Mobile Money Service and Best Mobile Service for Women in Emerging Markets. The initiative was meant to provide financial inclusion to the unbaked population of Pakistan. Telethon made use of innovative products and strong distribution channels in combination with a high performing team to achieve this feat. It can be concluded that both CARS initiatives were influenced by the on ground situation in the country and informal institutions played its role Just like it has already been playing in media advertising for a longer time. Although there is extensive literature dedicated to development of theories explaining CARS, it still remains a poorly defined phenomenon. Obviously, CARS is an inevitable stage of development of a liberal market economy: CARS strategy incorporated into corporate governance can positively influence a share price or, in case of failures in implementation of CARS practices (we all remember BP oil spill in 010), this influence can be almost fatal; CARS activity can strengthen a brand perception or destroy it forever etc. In other words, the more sensitive, demanding and educated a particular market, society or government is, the higher the chance that CARS programs are developed, implemented and monitored. CHILD LABOR FIASCO Soccer or football is the most popular sport in the world. And for many, this means to 85 per cent of the total world demand for high-quality hand-stitched inflatable balls. The factories of Shallot supply 40 million footballs a year, and that number rises o 60 million in European Championship or World Cup years. According to legend, the success story of Shallot as world capital of football production started with a man who repaired a leather ball for British colonial military officers about a century ago, and then began making his own balls. He was called Seed Sahibs, and the city has named a street after him Soccer ball production has a long history and it currently happens to be responsible for approximately 60 to 70 percent of the worlds hand stitched soccer ball production with leading international brands (I. E. Nikkei and Aids) sourcing almost exclusively from there. The city of Shallot in Pakistan produces as many as 60 million hand-stitched footballs in a World Cup year employing over 1 lack workers across hundreds of manufacturers. The sector has been under the scrutiny of intense western based CARS initiatives since 1995 when child labor was exposed. The firms ran out of new workers since child labor was abolished. Western buyers may have had a clear conscience, but the children of Shallot began toiling in the local brickworks instead. Before Child labor became an issue the balls were sent to villages where families including children stitched the alls and sent them back to the subcontractors who in turn exported it to their western brand. Many of the Shallot soccer ball manufacturers felt their industry was placed in jeopardy by them being forced to give abandon child labor. They interpreted the media campaign and the intervention as acts of politico-economic imperialism designed by malevolent Western entities to undermine Pakistanis sovereignty and economic reputation through sensationalistic and fabricating evidence of human rights abuses in its industry. l This interpretation is reflected in the following headline typical for the time: Western Propaganda against Child Labor doing Great Harm to Economy (Mali, 1996: 4). This conspiracy reading was also expressed in interviews given by prominent Shallot soccer ball manufacturers as illustrated in this quote from a senior director of one large business: We have seen fake pictures of tiny children stitching footballs .. They were staged to depict the horrors of child labor and they were deliberately planted to give Pakistan a bad name (Mir, 1996). 2 It was a view not Just held by the local business elite, but also by other employees as the following quote from a firm manager demonstrates: Why are corporate social standards coming in? They [the West] are bonding us. They are hiring our businesses to keep [us] in their command. All bad things are reserved for us to make and then [we hear] abuse [from the West]. All materials, dirty work, sent to us. When we do it, [they] use international law and say we are damaging environment and fine us. Ship breaking in South Asia. All scrap sent to third world and when pollution, give bill [to us]. They rob us with both hands. 3 The perception in Shallot is that the West is out to politically dominate a developing country such as Pakistan. First dirty work is sent to the developing world. -II feel like a foreign agent:Nags and corporate social responsibility interventions into Third World child labor Farad Raff Khan source: co. UK/ acrimoniousnesss. An accepted, the West imposes its corporate social standards, telling the developing country how to behave and undermining its sovereignty and autonomy as well robbing it through imposing fines for CARS noncompliance. According to industry sources, domestic producers have managed to acquire about 35% of the total orders floated globally for the upcoming Fief World Cup . This s a sharp decline from the 70-80% acquired in 98 02 World cups. The local football industry earned $164 million in export earnings in the financial year 09, as against an average of $221 million per annum earned during financial years 2005-08. Shortfall in the power and gas sector is not making it any easier for the industry, and word of mouth is that numerous businesses have failed to meet their required deadlines denting their reputation. CONCLUSION Regulators all around the world are now increasingly holding the corporate sector responsible for its impact on society, the economy and the environment. This is Ewing seen through increased regulatory behavior to guide companies in driving corporate social responsibility. Companies are run differently than Nags or not for profit organizations. The main goal and first most priority of any for profit organization is to maximize its profits . CARS is seen as means to brand it all by some of the multi-nationals. The fact that most of these companies venture into areas where they have their factories is also very telling . By law companies are required to spend some percent of their pre-tax profits on CARS in Pakistan Just like other developing countries . The percentage varies in efferent countries. Some companies spend way more on CARS than they are required by the law, their rationale is that its an investment and it will come back to them in the long run. Important because companies are interlinked with a wide range of political, economic and social, formal and informal institutions that affect their behavior. At the same time, it is also necessary to take into consideration that companies not only adapt to institutional contexts, but also frequently play an active role in shaping those contexts, which means that the only feasible way to make business all over the world unconscious and responsible is further liberalizin g and closer collaboration between companies, governments and societies. Still, one question is what tools to choose in order to minimize these gaps between regions and adjust business attitudes. Should they be new types of taxes, stricter forms of regulations and punishments, strengthened blaming and shaming activities of Nags and media, or better social education? And another question: is it possible at all? References Dads M (1989) Machines as the Measure of Men: Science, Technology, and Ideologies of Western Dominance. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Awn S (1996) Child Labor in the Football Manufacturing Industry.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Aaron Copland essay Essay Example

Aaron Copland essay Essay Example Aaron Copland essay Paper Aaron Copland essay Paper Copeland Music has shaped the world since it originated and it keeps developing to inspire people. The Twentieth Century music was In the time frame of 1900 through 2009. Every musical period in time has some influences that help develop the unique styles of this era. Aaron Copeland was an intelligent individual of this time. He participated in musical works from 1900 to 1990. Aaron Copeland was known as the American Composer because his works were simply the American sound. Sopranos velveteen as the Iconic American figure was emerged from his life background, the time eras events, and his cultural context of his music. Aaron Copeland was the Iconic American Composer who lived a bachelor life. He lived alone, as he had his whole life, a bachelor; he worked on a plank desk supported by a simple sawhorse (source 3). He was born on November 14, 1900 In Brooklyn, New York. HIS parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants and he was the brother of four siblings. His father, Harris Morris Copeland was an immigrant who came to America when he was seventeen. His mother, Sarah Nineteenth, came to America with her family at the age of six, and Aaron was closest to his mother. After a year of training, he learned all he could through his sister Leeriness lessons. She had no more to teach him since she taught him everything she knew, so even though his parents were not supportive in his music, he still pursued to further his education for music. Ludwig Wolfish was his first real teacher and after three years with him he advanced to a European trained concert plants, Victor Wittgenstein. He graduated from Boys High school In Brooklyn and while being there studied theory under Rubin Goldman, which only increased to further his desire for modern music. The turning point in his life came when he received and won a scholarship for the American Conservatory at Forgettable, France. He went to France and studied and was taught by Nadia Ballooner. Although he never received any typed of degree while in France, his three years studying there were more than equivalent. While studying with Nadia Ballooner, she had asked him to write an Organ Concerto for her American appearances when he returned to America, which he did (source 2). He returned to New York after three years in Paris, and after his return he was determined to achieve this American sound in his music. Copeland taught intermittently at Harvard university. For the year 1951, he was the instructor of Poetics (source 3). Copeland was enlisted to teach at Harvard, until he retired In the year of 1965. HIS remaining years of his life were spent in his three-acre estate located at Rockville near Hudson River in Westchester County. He Died on December 2, 1990. After his death, his estate became the headquarters of the Copeland Heritage Association through a program here a wide range of activities such as commissioning programs to concerts, recordings, and exoskeletons, help promote American music. Not only did Sopranos life depict the style of composer he was, but also the Twentieth Centurys events. FIFO During tons time era, ten world wars were occurring Ana so was ten Depression AT the sasss. A time of revolt was spreading through the people. Political issues were rising and these issues were reflecting upon the music of this time. Article Lonnie). At this time, American sound was increasing in music. New generations of Americans mingle wanted to create a patriotic feel to music because it was American. This can also be an influence due to the drastic events of this time. Despite the wars and depression, the emergence of the radio, television, and Internet brought a wider variety to music. (sources) It expanded the experiences of people. Aaron Copeland wanted to appeal to a broader audience during this century. (article). He did not want to Just appeal to what he called the music-loving public. Copeland wanted to reach out to a bigger audience. Therefore, he strives to reach people by his music with American sound. He wanted people to listen to his works and be able to say that the style American. The way Copeland wanted to achieve appealing to this broader audience was through the technological advances. He would do his best to be on the radio, to be at interviews, to do works that would get commissioned for. (source 2) In this way, his work was getting out there, and it was more accessible. The important emergence of Latin American composers was also developing. Articulation) One of the important Latin American composers is Carols Shaven (1899-1978). He was important in this time era and Copeland. Copeland visited Mexico in the sass where he met Shaven. Shaven along with the Latin American land inspired Copeland. Out of this experience, Copeland stated that he felt a connection with the land and people there. At this time, he created El Salon Mexico (1936), which is inspi red by Latin American culture. (article 1) Other events occurring in the Twentieth Century were the changes of language in music. Since the Baroque era, more changes in the music language were found (book). A lot of new composers most likely wanted to experiment with different aspects to create different sounds for the public. Composers wanted to change the sound of the music and create something new. That of course was a success with some of the composers, including Aaron Copeland. Women also became more actively involved in music during this time. They would either be composers, musical educators, and or virtuoso soloists. Unlike previous musical periods when women were not as evolved in music, the Twentieth Century brought about this change. Among one of this list of well-recognized women, was Nadia Boulders Aaron Sopranos teacher for three years. (book). Influences to Copeland of the Twentieth Century were American Jazz, Igor Stravinsky Neoclassicism, and Arnold Schoenberg Twelve-Tone System. Copeland incorporated Jazz elements in his early works because he believed they were American. (book) He also incorporated Stravinsky and Schoenberg techniques to experiment with different sounds and tones. In that way he achieved a clarity sound to his music and changes in pitch. (book). Apart from his life history, and Twentieth Century events, the cultural context of his music also favored his American sound. Aaron Copeland throughout his lifetime developed several musical styles. Nadia Ballooner was a major influence (book). She was Sopranos instructor in Paris. She taught him to write many notes but to only keep the most important ones. Also, she encouraged him to be himself. After studying in Paris, Copeland returned to New York determined to create work that sounded American. In the sasss America did not really have a classical sound. A lot AT American classical music Militate ten European sound. Copeland found the American sound through Jazz and American folk tale. The public did not recognize Sopranos American sound until later years. One of Copeland early works was Piano Variation, composed in the early sasss. This musical piece was one of Sopranos most difficult and boldest works he had ever composed. It took Copeland about a year to finish this musical piece. Piano Variations had a very dissonant sound that was made of a few notes (book). Copeland took the notes of the main theme and created different combinations of sounds and moods with those same notes. He stacks the notes of theme on top of one another to create a dissonant ladder(Video). Piano Variations was appreciated by many of Sopranos colleagues. At the time, this musical piece was considered very controversial and was not appreciated so much by he public. In the sasss, Copeland was considered a modernist composer (video). Piano Variations was influenced mainly by Jazz. After Copeland experimented with Jazz, he focused on the American folk tale music. It was not in America where Copeland first incorporated folk tale music. Copeland was first influenced by Mexican folk music. While in Mexico Copeland and his colleagues spent some time at a local dance hall called El Salon Mexico. In this dance hall Copeland heard the Mexican folk music by the people (video). It was that visit to Mexico that inspired Copeland to incorporated that Mexican folk music in his next ice El Salon Mexico 1936. As the first of Sopranos works to make extensive use of folk song, El Salon Mexico captures the spirit of the eponymous dance hall by quoting traditional Mexican tunes and evoking such popular musical idioms as the mariachi(article). El Salon Mexico was considered one of Sopranos populist works. Copeland further explained that El Salon Mexico was intended to capture his sense of a really live contact with the Mexican people-the electric sense one sometimes gets in far-off places, of suddenly knowing the essence of a people -their humanity, their operate shyness, their dignity and unique charm (article). One of Sopranos most famous works was Appalachian Spring (1944). He originally composed the piece for Martha Grahams ballet. Graham wanted to create a ballet that summed up peoples peace and war (video). During this time, our country was in the middle of World War II. The ballet concerns a pioneer celebration in spring around a newly built farmhouse in the Pennsylvania hills in the early 1800 (book). Appalachian Springs included Simple Gifts, which consisted of five variations (book). Copeland incorporated Shaker melody. The Shaker melody appealed to Copeland because it portrayed simplicity and also created a very calm mood. The Shakers were a religious sect established in America around the time of the Revolution (book). Among his other works there was also Fanfare for the Common Man. This musical piece was considered an American anthem. The Fanfare for the Common Man has been used for several occasions; one was to honor allied forces during WI (video). Aside from his numerous compositions, Copeland made many other contributions to American music by directing composers groups, organizing concerts, lecturi ng, Ritter books and articles, teaching and conducting(book).

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Worldbuilding in a Novel 120+ World Building Questions to Get it Right

Worldbuilding in a Novel 120+ World Building Questions to Get it Right Worldbuilding in a Novel: 120+ World Building Questions to Get it Right Writing a novel requires more than good writing chops and fancy literary devicesyou need solid worldbuilding in order to craft a realistic image for our readers.And you’ve heard the word ‘world building’ being tossed around a lot, especially in association with the science-fiction and fantasy genre.In this post, well walk you through how to world build in your novel with tips and questions to make sure your book is well-rounded.Heres how to world build in your novel:Understand what world building isBuild the look of the worldDecide on what and who the inhabitants areDevelop a strong world historyForm societal rulesDevelop religions and social customsWorld building questions for fantasyWorld building questions for sci-fiNOTE: If youre ready to take your world and get it in front of readers everywhere, make sure to check out our VIP Fiction Self-Publishing Program, where youll have 1-on-1 time with a bestselling author as your coach! Learn more about it hereWhat is world building?Worldbuilding is the process of creating a fictional world within your novel that can be as complex as designing an entirely new and unique location with exotic creatures, societies, religions, and governments.Or it could be as simple as using the world we currently live in as a foundation, then tweaking it with a few historical, physical, or social adjustments.World building gives the writer a clear understanding of what their world looks and feels like. The imaginary world serves to establish where the story takes place. Its purpose as the setting of the story is to anchor the reader into the book by giving them a concrete location.When a writer makes the decision to half-heartedly world build, it shows. The world they create lacks authenticity and leaves the reader wanting. World building is a chance to capture the imagination of your reader. Once the reader is immersed in your world, they will be able to suspend disbelief and fully engage with the entire story str ucture to enjoy a full experience.But, how does one go about achieving this?World building might seem daunting, but it can be broken down into simple steps that will make the process thorough and fun.It is important to think of how the world you are creating is going to be unique to your story ideas. However, it is just as important to keep in mind how your world will serve the plot and affect the characters.Four general questions to ask yourself before you start building your world are as follows.#1 What does the world itself look like?The physical appearance of your world makes a big difference. Because you have to describe the story setting, you need to know what that looks like.Here are some questions you can use to do this:Is it a small dense area, or a vast world full of different environments? How much of your world are you going to need to show in order to support the story?How does the terrain influence the story?What is the weather like regularly as well as when its sever e?What does the landscape look like? (Hint: this will influence transport and clothing)Are the characters going to be concentrated in one area like a small town, or inside a labyrinth?If so then all you need to world build is that location and focus on elements such as: is this location safe and what is the social structure within this location?An author who does a great job of setting up the world right from Chapter 1 is Jenna Moreci in The Saviors Champion. You can see in the example below, you know what the land looks like, how it feels, and even one of the primary agricultural elements isall in a few short paragraphs.However, if the cast is going to be traveling within your world, then things get more complex, and you may need to create multiple countries or planets.Creating multiple countries means analyzing how they will be different from each other.Here are some questions to get this part right:Where do the borders lie?What are the languages spoken?What are the natural resour ces?What are the various cultures and cultural practices?If you are creating multiple planets, how do they differ from ours? Are there seasons? Is there more than one moon/sun? What life forms exist on these planets?Knowing these details upfront can also help you shape the cultures and customs around the world itself as we have done in this world. Your worldbuilding will appear more natural this way as well.#2 Who are the inhabits?Think of your main cast. Since your characters drive the story, its important to be clear on every type of person involved from the start of the story to the end.Answer these questions for worldbuilding your inhabits:Are they human, alien, or hybrids?What is their population?How did they get to be a part of this world?Is there are class system amongst inhabitants?Is the class system defined by wealth or some other factor?What of gender, race, and species?How do the inhabitants of the world you are building get along?Are there natural alliances between par ticular groups?Are some of the inhabitant’s oppressors towards the others?What resources do the inhabitants have?Knowing these details can not only help you shape the plot, but being able to slide in these details will make your world appear more lifelike and therefore, more entertaining for your readers.#3 What is the history of the world?History is important, it tells of how things came to be the way they are. Your fictional world, just like the real world, is going to have to have a history- and this history can often be very influential to your plot. Therefore, you have to know it.While it is not vital for you to know every minute detail in regards to the history of your world, it is crucial to know what are some of the important events of the past.Here are a few aspects to consider:Who have been the major rulers?What key events took place during their reign?How did their reign change the governments?How did the countries or settlements arrive at the state they are curre ntly in?Is there a recent historical event of note?What are the religious and political historical events that are impactful to your plot?What have been the major environmental disasters? Famine, plagues, flooding?How have these impacted the land and the people?Wars – what nations have been at war with each other in the past? What nations are still at war?Has there been any civil wars?This can be the most fickle and influential part of your world building ventures.An author who excels at weaving history into his storyline is George R.R. Martin in his Game of Thrones series.The more you know about your worlds history, the more opportunities you have for foreshadowing, plot twists, and a more comprehensive story in general.#4 What are the rules of society?Every society has codes of conduct, a set pattern of behavior expected to be followed.Having rules in place will give an understanding to character actions and reactions as well as the overall character development process. A sk yourself what the guidelines in your world are, who enforces them, and how these will affect the plot.Here are more questions for worldbuilding your society:What is the political structure of the world?Who holds power, influence, or authority?Is it an individual or a group?Is there a ruling monarchy?Or is it a form of totalitarianism, authoritarianism, or a democracy? Are characters going to be breaking or bending the rules, or will they be the ones administering them?Are the rules considered fair and just, or is the society at large frustrated by the rules imposed upon them?How are inhabitants punished if the rules of society are broken?This is a great starting point for crafting the mood and general vibe of your book, not to mention building your main character and others to fit these standards.#5 What are the religions, and social customs?Readers and critics generally frown upon a world building so unimaginative that it contains only one race of people.Creating a society fill ed with inhabitants of different races means there will be a variety in the traditional practices from one particular cultural group to the other.A well- developed world will have its national/religious holidays, dress customs, cuisine, and linguistic characteristics. How will this affect your characters? What are the legends and fairy tales that serve as a means of entertainment or education for inhabitants?Here are more religious and social customs worldbuilding questions:What is the religious belief system?What gods, if any, exist?Do the gods play a tangible and active role in the world, or are they entities people believe in?Are there religious services attended to at a house of worship?How much does religion play into the daily life of the lay person?What is considered sacred?Are particular symbols revered?What are some rituals or customs related to religion in your world?How many inhabits believe in the religious system?Are there any quarrels between different religions?Are th ere any specific festivals or celebrations that occur?Do people work all week?Are there holidays?Do people celebrate their birthdays?How do the various social classes behave?What customs to they adhere to?How are gender roles defined?How do families, marriages, and other relationships operate?How is death handled – are services held, and do loved ones’ mourn?Is procreation done out of love or duty?Do people get to choose their own partners?What behaviors are generally considered to be improper or immoral?While there are a lot of questions for this section in particular, these are some of the most important, as they have the power to shape motives, societies, and characters in full.Even if you decide to create a society that is a monolith – where the entire cast is of the same race or religion, you still need to clearly state what the customs unique to your world are.How to World Build for Science-Fiction and Fantasy SpecificallyThese book genres are among the mo st important for worldbuilding.From the halls of Hogwarts, to the Starship Enterprise, to the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, a captivating and unique world is what sets the SFF genre apart from the other genres.When it comes to the science-fiction and fantasy, there are some key world building elements to consider in addition to the above.World Building for Fantasy QuestionsFantasy is a genre that includes magical elements or a supernatural humanoid races/species such as elves, vampires, dwarfs, and fairies and that means it needs a set of world building criteria that differs from the above.World Building for Magic Systems:Magic systems need rules, regulations, and overall, its own set of world building.Here are some world building questions for your fantasy magic system:How does the magic system operate?Who is able to use it and where does it come from?Are some individuals more adept at magic than others?How are magic users grouped and perceived?How do people hone their magic skills a nd become stronger?What is the general attitude towards magic, are people accepting of magic, weary of it, or both?What are the limitations and rules of the magic?What happens when these rules are broken?Are there any exceptions to these set rules and how are they possible?World Building for Supernatural Humanoids:These creatures run rampant in both science fiction and in fantasy, but well touch on fantasy right now.Here are some worldbuilding questions for supernatural humanoids in fantasy:How are they received in society?How ethnically and culturally diverse are they within their own species?Did they evolve or migrate from somewhere?Where do their powers come from?Generally speaking, are they a friendly species?Who or what do they worship?What languages do they speak?Are there any cultures or customs distinctive to what they are specifically?World Building Questions for Sci-Fi NovelsScience-Fiction is a genre that typically deals with futuristic concepts: advanced science/technolo gy, artificial intelligence, time travel, space exploration, and extraterrestrial life.Because of all these elements we dont experience in our day-to-day lives (yet, in some cases), you have to be diligent with ensuring the world makes sense.Heres some help with world building for science fiction.World Building for Advanced Science and Technology:Because this is the backbone of what makes a novel belong in the sci-fi genre, you should spend a great deal of time in this area.Here are some questions to help you world build for sci-fi:What is the level of technological development, how does this affect day to day living?What technologies are used to communicate?What ones are used for entertainment?What technology is used to travel?What is weapons technology like?Who can afford the technology and how does technology affect social structure?Who created these technologies?What are some up-and-coming technologies?What technologies cause the most issues in your cultures society?Which techno logies are the most helpful?World Building for Artificial Intelligence:This is another hot and ever-growing topic in the sci-fi world. Because artificial intelligence is so significant right now, you have to remember to include it and ensure it sounds natural in your world.Here are some questions for developing artificial intelligence in your sci-fi book:Who created the artificial intelligence?How does the artificial intelligence operate?Are they self-aware?What form do they take?Are they easily identifiable?How do they communicate with each other in order to complete tasks?Are AI considered a lower caste? If so are they assigned roles of caretakers of the world?How have humans managed to sustain supremacy over the artificial intelligence?Do artificial intelligence feel the need to break out of their assigned roles?World Building for Time Travel:Another common practice when writing a sci-fi novel is to include some sort of time travel.While not all sci-fi novels have this concept, i f yours does, its helpful to get clear on some details to avoid plot holes later in your writing journey.Here are some worldbuilding questions for time travel:Who can time travel?What is the time travel paradigm?Can people meet their past/future selves?How far back/forward in time can one travel?What are the repercussions of time travel?Does the time traveler physically change upon returning?Does time travel have effects on mental health?How is time travel viewed in society?What happens when the laws of time travel are abused?World Building Questions for Space Exploration:Many science fiction books include space exploration or travel at one point or another.Here are some world building questions for space exploration:Who was the pioneer of space exploration?Is this a new undertaking, or have multiple worlds been aware of each other and living as a large community?How many planets and how many solar systems does a galaxy comprise of?What is the system of travel between worlds?How is the language barrier between worlds solved?Who regulates space travel?What sort of documentation is needed for space travel?Can anyone space travel or is it reserved for specific individuals?What is the purpose of space exploration and travel?How was space exploration made possible in your world?World Building Questions for Extraterrestrial life:Aliens are a natural part of space exploration so if this is in your novel, you may want to work on world building this particular bit as well.Here are some questions for world building with extraterrestrial life:How were they discovered?Are they friendly or antagonistic?What are their goals/motivations?How does their presence affect the community?What do they eat?What are their weaknesses and strengths?How do they communicate?Does the public know of their existence?How long has their presence been known for?World building can be as simple or as complex as the author chooses. Keep in mind, even though you will be developing your world from s cratch, not every single element of your world needs to be revealed to the reader. It is important to not overwhelm your audience, and avoid the dreaded info dump.Elements of your world should be sprinkled in slowly, the details woven into your story in a manner that is enjoyable for the readers instead of dropped all at once in exposition.Your imaginary world will naturally grow and develop as you write. When done correctly, world building can be a wonderful way to enhance your story.Uplevel Your Book TODAYWe know you love your book. And that means you want to see your book in the hands of readers everywhere.We can help you with thatand heres a sneak peek for FREE.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Litigation, Censures, and Fines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Litigation, Censures, and Fines - Essay Example In an argument by Mills (2003), ethical responsibilities in accounting cannot be assured without the implementation of litigations, censures and fines. This ensures that organizations and auditors are responsible when handling the accounts of the organization. Conan, Chad & Mark (2011) also point out that minus litigations, censures and fines investors and creditors would be exposed to greater risks involved in fraud cases created by management teams and auditors. This paper will analyze the possible causes at which legislations, fines and censures can be imposed on an organization. The analysis will be done by reviewing the case of Phar-Mor case of 1992. In 1992, the United States saw the closure of one of the most promising retail outlets in the country. Phar-Mor was cited to be the next Wal-Mart as it recorded great numbers in its sales. In an argument by Conan, Chad & Mark (2011) Phar-Mor had a great future in the United States market if only its accounts recordings were legit. T he organization had contracted Coopers & Lybrand as their auditors. In the Phar-Mor case the top management team confessed to financial statement fraud after creditors and investors in the organization filled cases challenging the legibility of their financial statements after a massive loss was recorded. ... ary issue on the case against Coopers and Lybrand was under the crux that they recklessly made confirmation and representations of financial statements without confirming if they were true or false. According to Conan, Chad & Mark (2011) this gives the plaintiffs the opportunity to file a strong case under the statutory and common law. In terms of litigation and fines, both Coopers & Lybrand and the mangers of Phar-Mor received hefty fines. Coopers & Lybrand had to pay claims to creditors and investors worth more that $1 billion. Phar-Mor mangers collectively received a fine of 41 million as two of its mangers received prison sentences. The $ 500 million fraud however, led to bankruptcy of Phar-Mor leading to its closure. Numerous internal controls and accounting principles were breached in this particular incident. In an argument by Conan, Chad & Mark (2011), it is the duty of the management team to provide accurate representation of financial statements to investors and creditors. The breach of this duty is liable to fines and litigation on the organization. Providing false financial statements to investors is punishable by labor laws in the United States. In this situation, it is the duty of the auditing company to ensure financial representations are accurate and reflect the real financial situation in the organization (Conan, Chad & Mark, 2011). Failure to this, an auditing company is liable and should be fines and pay up all claims by plaintiffs in terms of incurred loss (Hoffman, 1996). The approval of these accounting issues were based on the breach and disregard of leadership and accounting ethics. Hoffman (1996) points out that any organization that depends on investors and creditors for funds has to ensure clarity, accuracy and transparency of their

Friday, October 18, 2019

Consequences of Pragmatism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consequences of Pragmatism - Essay Example They understand the people but not their philosophy. Sometimes we continue to live our lives without realizing that our perspective has become stagnant. We consider our viewpoints to be true because the people around us accept it as the truth. When we went to war against Afghanistan, we saw them as the bad guys. But when we read about the horror that we inflicted upon them, we realize that we are the bad guys. The truth changes meaning for different people and different times. Therefore I argue against fact that there is something known as the absolute truth. Absolute truth changes with the viewpoint of the society. It changes with people, time, ideals, leader etc. For instance, the absolute truth changed for me when I came to America. Even as I interacted with the people in America, their viewpoints also changed and so did their absolute truth. Considering the fact that stereotypes guide our understanding of the people and world around us, is it possible for us to embrace the concep ts of the positivists. The positivists came as a reaction to the prevalent racism and nationalism that was hindering man’s search for the absolute truth. These positivists aimed for a universal language that could bring together people from different wakes of life. But when asks whether it is possible to develop that one universal language, the answer is not that simple. According to Wittgenstein, ‘It is only in language that one can mean something by something’ (Rotary).Therefore, in order for a word to mean something, there must be people giving meaning to the world. The people giving meaning to this word already have a lens on their eyes that makes their world from the other person who though has a lens but his is a little... The truth changes meaning for different people and different times. Therefore I argue against fact that there is something known as the absolute truth. Absolute truth changes with the viewpoint of the society. It changes with people, time, ideals, leader etc. For instance, the absolute truth changed for me when I came to America. Even as I interacted with the people in America, their viewpoints also changed and so did their absolute truth.Considering the fact that stereotypes guide our understanding of the people and world around us, is it possible for us to embrace the concepts of the positivists. The positivists came as a reaction to the prevalent racism and nationalism that was hindering man’s search for the absolute truth. These positivists aimed for a universal language that could bring together people from different wakes of life.But when asks whether it is possible to develop that one universal language, the answer is not that simple. According to Wittgenstein, ‘I t is only in language that one can mean something by something’ (Rotary).Therefore, in order for a word to mean something, there must be people giving meaning to the world. The people giving meaning to this word already have a lens on their eyes that makes their world from the other person who though has a lens but his is a little different according to his cultural and social background. The different lenses thus become a major impediment towards the development of a universal language.

Business Law - the law of contract Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Law - the law of contract - Case Study Example The prospective buyer, by offering that price is himself the offeror and his offer, if accepted, create a binding contract. 1 For this case, James just noticed a gold watch with a price tag of 25 hence it neither does nor compels the store person to sell the gold watch at that particular price. The price tag with the gold watch was just inviting others to make an offer of their own on how much they are to buy the watch. A binding contract would have been created when the store person (Elizabeth) would have accepted the offer made by James since the price with the gold watch was just inviting customers to make their offer. Normally, invitation to a treat is used to request expression of interest from the customers. For this case, any product with a price tag does not compel the store person to sell his product at that price but requests, an expression of interest from the customer to make their offer and binding contract of sale would occur when he agrees to sell at that price. 2 Invitation to treat must be distinguished from an offer. This is because, invitation to a treat invites for people with to make on an offer whereas, in a offer, the offeror make in an offer and just wait for people to accept that offer. In order for a coIn order for a contract to be enforceable, it must fulfill certain basic requirements. There must be an agreement based upon genuine consent of the parties, supported by a consideration and made for a lawful object between competent parties. A relevant case studied in the issue of invitation to treat is that of: Pharmaceutical Society of Britain v. Boots Chemists of 1953 Goods were sold in Boots Chemist shop under the self-service system. Customers selected their purchases from the shelves, put them into baskets supplied by Boots Chemists and took them to the cash desk where they paid the price. It was held that the customer made the offer when he presented them at the cash desk, and not when he removed them from the shelves.3 The price tag with the gold watch was merely inviting James to make his offer on the price he would like to buy the gold watch at and does not compel him to sell at that price. For this case, a contract would have been made when James collects the watch from the shelves and place it on the counter if Elizabeth agrees to sell it at that price. But since the 25 price with the gold watch was merely inviting customers to make an offer but not sell it at that price. By taking the money from James, it would mean that Elizabeth had agreed to sell the gold watch at that price. For this case, it would be immaterial for James to state that he has a right to purchase a gold watch at 25 as indicated on the price tag. He would not succeed in any court of law for him to be sold the gold watch at 25. Another case studied on invitation to treat was that of:- Fisher v. Bell of 1961 On this case, Bell a shopkeeper, displayed a flick knife priced at four shilling in his shop window. He was charged with offering for sale an offensive weapon contrary to the restriction of offensive weapon act. It was held that a mere display of the goods in a shop window is not by itself an offer for sale. Bell was not bound to sell the knife to any one entering his shop and offering to him four shillings. 4 A mere display of a gold watch at 25

Impact of New Technology in Nursing Research Paper

Impact of New Technology in Nursing - Research Paper Example This technology identifies the mutations of genes that expose a person to the development of chronic illnesses (American Association for Cancer Research, 2012). Genetics also identifies the carrier status, and diagnose certain uteri conditions. The medical professionals encounter patients who visit health facilities requiring treatment with their genetic sequencing and genotyping at hand. The availability of genetic data empowers the patients, and enhances better health care. The challenge that the nursing fraternity face with the introduction of the genetic technology is the education (American Association for Cancer Research, 2012). Most of the nurses in the current nursing practice have little or no knowledge about the genomics and genetics, hence lacking the required competence for delivery of effective counseling and the discharge of knowledge to the relevant patients. Contrary to the above concerns, the technology of genetic sequencing and genotyping continues to improve the interventional medicine by improving the diagnostics of nursing. (American Association for Cancer Research, 2012) The introduction of more accurate but less invasive tools in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases has changed the nursing practice. The emergence of technologies that test the existence of heart disease, monitoring the amount of blood sugar and the use of magnets to treat depression has transformed the outlook of nursing (Kelland, 2012). The use of scanning technology to identify the hard and soft body tissues is extensively important in the elimination of exploratory surgeries that inflict pain on patients in the process of determining the genesis of an illness (Miliard, 2012). These scans also detect the spread of chronic diseases faster than the x ray imaging. Despite the medical advances that come with the more accurate diagnosis tools, the challenge that the nurses face is in the use of the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Compare Tesco and Sainsbury Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare Tesco and Sainsbury - Coursework Example The firm paid an extra  £0.04 in comparison with the previous year. Sainsbury had a dividend per share in 2013 of  £16.7, a figure that is  £0.6 higher than in 2012. Overall Sainsbury paid higher dividends than Tesco. Tesco’s dividend cover was 0.10 and 2.38 in 2013 and 2012 respectively. Dividend coverage indicates the capacity of an organization to pay dividends out of profit attributable to shareholders (Accounting-simplified, 2013). Sainsbury had dividend coverage of 1.95 and 1.99 in 2013 and 2012. The dividend coverage of Sainsbury was better than Tesco in 2013, but lower in 2012. The dividend yield ratio shows the return on terms of cash dividends being provided by the stock. Tesco dividend yield ratio was superior to Sainsbury both in 2013 and 2012. The price-earnings ratio is an important indicator of comparative value in which an investor is better off buying a stock with low price-earnings ratio than high price-earnings ratio (Ft). Both the price-earnings ratio results of Tesco in 2013 and 2012 were lowered than Sainsbury, thus Tesco performed better than Sainsbury in this metric. The book value per share measures the amount that would be distributed to shareholders if all assets were sold at their balance sheet carrying amounts and if all creditors were paid off (Garrison, et al. 2003). Since a high value is the preferable output Tesco performed better than Sainsbury in this ratio. The market to book ratio of Sainsbury is much higher than Tesco on both years because its stock is valued higher in the

Natural resistance mechanisms to HIV-1 infection Essay

Natural resistance mechanisms to HIV-1 infection - Essay Example There is currently no vaccine or cure for AIDS or HIV. The only known method is avoiding exposure of the virus. However a treatment known as post-exposure prophylaxis is believed to reduce the risk of infection if begun directly after exposure. Current treatment of HIV infection consists of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). This refers to combined therapy with three or more drugs, usually two that target the reverse transcriptase and one that targets the viral protease. Kimball's biology pages. 7 Oct. 2004. 24 Feb. 2007 Natural resistance to HIV can be considered at two levels: resistance to becoming infected with the virus and resistance to the virus if the person is already infected. The mechanisms of natural resistance in both cases are: Apoptosis. Apoptosis is a programmed death of the cells in multi-cells organism. During the HIV infection apoptosis is the main mechanism by which infected and uninfected CD4+ lymphocytes are eliminated. However apoptosis as a natural resistant mechanism to HIV infection has not been explored so far. Genetic factor.