Essay for Graduate School Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Essay for Graduate School - Personal Statement Example He was shy and tended to not fight back when a group of students would bully and intimidate him using defamatory words. I knew that it was this maltreatment that forced him into a shell and become less sociable than he could actually be. One day, I decided that enough was enough and during lunch that day, I sat with the boy and talked to him. I did that everyday in order to encourage him to come out of his shell. The other kids followed my example and eventually got to know him and they felt the need to apologize for their previous actions. Since that event in my life, I have always had a soft spot for those without the power to defend themselves. I have been troubled for quite a number of years now by the fact that intimidation on a social and workplace basis is only getting progressively worse. Intimidation these days have taken on various new forms and methods because of the anonymity that the internet and social networking sites continue to offer. Thus making intimidation a serious legal problem at present. In the workplace, managers abuse their positions of authority in order to make their subordinates submit to their unfair labor practices and use it as leverage to have their way with their various employees. Intimidation in exchange for benefits seems to be the norm these days in most offices. The employees are afraid to file formal complaints mainly because they are afraid to lose their jobs. Although we already have laws in place to prevent such abuses both socially and professionally, not everyone knows about their rights and the laws against intimidation. That is why it continues to flourish. I fully intend to help promote the laws against intimidation as set out by the laws of our state and constitution once I complete my legal studies. There is an imperative need to spread the word about the way the law protects people

British Politics and Society Essay Example for Free

British Politics and Society Essay Between 1947-51, there was a considerable degree of economic recovery from the severe crisis of 1945-57. Nationalisation of key industries, and creation of the welfare state Ernest Bevins work as the Foreign Secretary ensured continuation of special relationship with USA and the formation of NATO After losing power in 1951, labour only had two terms until Tony Blairs landslide victory in 1997 History of British politics society between 1951 1997 was framed by Attlees govt and the beginning of Blairs administration. Trends Developments 1951 1973 sustained periods of employment relative popularity the long post-war boom 1973 1979 oil price crisis 1979 1990 Thatcherism, industrial unrest, and privatisation of nationalised concerns. Post-war years= extensive social cultural change, with emergence of a youth culture, the advance of women, vast developments in the mass media the growth of multiculturalism. Politics Govt 1951-64 was marked by dominance of moderate Tory govts under Churchill, Eden Macmillan Between 1964 79, it was a period of mainly Labour govts under Wilson Callaghan, interrupted by Tory govt, under Heath 1970 4. 1979 97 era of Thatcherite conservatism During those years Labour fell into decline due to internal divisions and the formation of SDP 1969 98 problems of security in N.Ireland Foreign Affairs Period marked by slow uneven retreat from empire, with further decolonisation. Continuance of cold war enhanced Britains special relationship with USA , whilst relationship with Europe grew more complex Britain joined EEC 1973 Section 1 Dilwyn Porter that of a post-war consensus that the sense of national unity, which developed during and because of Peoples War was continued and consolidated by Attlees government Legacy of war years Post-war consensus after WW2 Attlee, Churchill Eden worked together in war time coalition PMs until Wilson in 1964 fought in WW1 Tony Blairs background fitted in with Tory mould as well or even better than Heath Right-winged Tories argued that continuation of Attlee legacy was a tragic socialist mistake Left-winged Bevanites argued Atlee legacy not socialist enough Political Tensions labour was subjected to a series of intense internal divisions and personality clashes throughout post war history post war labour didnt move with the post war consensus west Germany 1959, key turning point when SPD reformed and dropped Marxist ideology for modernisation and democracy Thatchers successful rebellion against Heath in 1975 marked the conservative party s shift from the post war consensus Thatchers election success marked the degree of part divisions Politics Tories could hardly be called right winged in the 1950s Both Churchill and Eden made radical movements to alter the relationships between the government and the trade unions Steel industry was denationalised in 1953 No attempt to reverse what the labour government had done between 1945 51 Macmillan government did more to consolidate the post war consensus than to challenge it 1959 Macmillans government continued to follow centrist policies Economic Policy continuation of the post war consensus under the government was referred to as butskellism Butler was a key figure in the conservative party (chancellor of exchequer) and was a serious contender for leadership in 1957 Butler clashed with Bevan over the costs of the NHS 1963 Gaitskell became leader of the labour party Gaitskell had open feuds about with the left wingers in his own party especially over nuclear disarmament a key feature of butskellism was the ideas that Butler and Gaitskell had much more in common with each other than rival wings in their own parties Foreign Policy Foreign policy was a major element of the Attlee legacy and the post war consensus which was summed up as a commitment to maintain both the welfare state and national greatness An issue was the dissatisfaction of the alliance with the USA, and large scale commitments such as the independent nuclear war deterrent and anti soviet policies of the cold war Labour politicians were sensitive about the claims that the socialism was unpredictable and unreliable and they wanted to prove the opposite Bevan had battle with the left wing and communists during the thirties Bevan was a supporter of Churchill and was proud of his successes such as the formation of NATO and wanted to keep their special relationship in good repair Many left wingers werent happy with the policies but were never able to do over turn them Post war consensus was put under strain due to the Suez crisis Macmillan read the lessons of the affair and was quick to mend bridges with the US Macmillans wind of change speech led the way to rapid decolonisation across Africa Macmillan applied to get Britain in the EEC which got declined due to De Gaulle Under the government of Wilson is when Britain was accepted into the EEC The significance of the 1964 The labour campaign made much of the theme of modernisation Public mood of expectancy in 1964 , reflected the sense that 1960s Britain was going through fundamental social and cultural change There was no change in political direction, in 1964 the labour governments under Wilson Callaghan succeed in carrying on with their radical promises Labours policies werent that different from what the conservatives would have done and there was emphasis on the economic modernisation Why were the labour governments between 1964 and 1979 unable to achieve more success? When Harold Wilson came into power in 1964 optimism among the labour supporters was high, Wilson seemed to be a talented leader who had a wide support in the country

Swordfish :: essays research papers

Swordfish   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the opening scene of the film a major character (John Travolta) has a monologue; it is one of my favorite monologues I have ever seen in a film. The scene is carried out in a very interesting way, all the while never losing sight on the main subject. Slight variations in the focal length, lighting, sound and of course the composition of each shot, it is the most well thought out scene in the film.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although I am no supposed to discuss the context of the scene, it is what adds a certain level of charm that would otherwise be missed. There is a discussion of the quality of film making in Hollywood, and the character relates his current situation to a quality film, the irony is not stressed which makes it believable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most obvious effect used in the scene, is the use and movement of both the focal length and point. Although moving the focal point can distract from the film and have it deteriorate very easily, but it is not overly done, you are able to concentrate on very particular details in the frame, instead of trying to absorb the whole frame at one time. Also you feel the dialogue is much more important than the image, you not only hear the dialogue but you listen to it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The lighting is very well though out, the scenery is slightly dark soft ambient side light giving you a somber feeling also hinting at the time of day giving the viewer a reference point on the time that has passed. What is really important is the lighting on the main character, a soft butterfly light makes him non-threatening and the uninteresting was the face is lit puts more importance on the dialogue. Making the viewer more open to what the character has to say.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sounds or lack of sounds in this scene accentuates the importance what is going on. Other than the dialogue every other sound is extremely subtle, light musical sounds and very little Foley work make up the rest of the auditory stimuli. There is one sound effect that is extremely subtle that makes the scene feel scrutinized or watched, that is the sound of an automatic focus changing and trying to catch up.

Confidence in Students Essay

Statistics reveal that 95% of children and adults experience lack of confidence, self-belief, or low self-esteem at some point in their lives. Confidence is a feeling most adolescents have always struggled with and it is impossible to overestimate the lack of it amongst students. It ties in with stress, peer pressure, and other insecurities most teenagers face on a daily basis. Self-confidence can be altered by various life situations such as one’s school environment, home life, and individual motivation. What most educators fail to realize is that strengthening the confidence of their students is just as important as educating them. Educating students means more than giving academic knowledge. Giving positive and constructive feedback helps reduce weaknesses and enhance strengths. Telling a student how well he’s done on any task, whether it being an exam or regular classwork, helps him feel more accomplished. Students thrive on praise and will push themselves even harder once they feel their work is being recognized. Even though giving praise is helpful, one should know self-confidence isn’t built from being spoiled with praise. Students will also know if the praise given is genuine. If they feel the praise is meaningless, they will not feel as motivated to push themselves harder. One should remain honest with each student to encourage him to address problems, instead of avoiding or denying their existence. Teachers should always make corrections without damaging a student’s confidence. A simple smile or letting students know you’re happy to see them also helps them to feel worthwhile and appreciated. Another key idea is goals set for each student. Teachers sometime tend to set goals too high or too low for certain students. Recognize that every child is different and has different learning capabilities. Always set realistic goals so the students will feel a sense of accomplishment when the goal is completed. Never make tasks too easy or too challenging. When students reach a point where they can overcome doubt to achieve objectives will help boost their confidence. Including them in your expectations for them and discussing their individual progress is always good to do. This will help students to see what approach or direction they need to take in order to complete the given task to their best ability. Rewarding students for meeting challenges lets them know they’re doing what they should. Most students don’t give themselves enough credit due to their personal insecurities. Encouraging students to set high standards for themselves will test their limits. When a teacher reassures a student that they are capable of achieving greatness, they will feel like somebody truly believes in them and it will motivate them greatly. With all this being said about the school environment, a student’s home life plays a major role with self-confidence as well. Parental relationships help in determining the self-esteem level one may have. Adolescents who view their parents’ communication as supportive and open are most probably to have higher self-esteem than those who perceived their parents’ communication patterns as controlling and unsupportive. Parents shouldn’t put any extra pressure on their children than they’re already facing. Being overwhelmed in numerous tasks and activities is never a good impact on one’s self confidence. It makes one panic and having a parent constantly yelling for one to complete it and do it well lowers self-confidence. A teenager wants to feel that their parents believe in them and their work capabilities. Despite how much a student’s home and school environment may affect their confidence, it all begins with individual motivation. For a student to be confident in their work and themselves, one has to be completely focused. A focused student shows determination and promise which helps the self-confidence level. Focusing on school and being very studious will make a student’s grades increase, boosting their confidence. Telling oneself positive motivational remarks helps also. Believing in oneself is the last step but indeed the most important. Confidence may be hard for teenagers to obtain in today’s society, but it isn’t impossible. The insecurities, peer pressure, and nearly unbearable stress student’s face shouldn’t be seen as a discouragement but instead as motivation to work harder. With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.

History of Theater: 1890 – 1920

â€Å"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. † – William Shakespeare The theatre has been a part of entertainment since ancient Greece, around 4th century BC or thereabouts. The theatre grew out of festivals in honor of the god Dionysus. Aeschylus created the first play in her honor. The first Greek plays were all tragedies but eventually comedy made its way and these plays were performed at festivals all over Greece.Through the centuries theater played the main role of entertainment from noble and royalty to the common person in any city or village, and as we move into the twenties century, theater was still a huge part of the entertainment for the masses. At the start of the 20th Century, America was in full glory of its cultural adolescence, bursting with energy. London was still the theatrical center of the world, b ut New York was gaining its own form of sophistication and acknowledgement. By 1900 most of the signs on Broadway had gone electric, and New York City’s famous theater district soon became know as â€Å"The Great White Way. It was known as the Mecca of the American theatrical world: the rest of the country was referred to by people in show business as â€Å"the road. † In 1904, the city opened its first underground subway system, and thanks to this system, tens of thousands living far from the theatre district could catch a Broadway show and still be home the same evening. With this increase of commuters and the ever growing number of tourist to New York, Broadway theatres’ audiences more than tripled in less that one year. Thus the productions had longer running times than ever before.At this time the majority of Broadway shows came from London, with English actors, producers, and directors. Then in 1903, Frank L. Baum’s children’s novel The Wiza rd of Oz was the first-ever all American musical to be performed on Broadway. The story of Dorothy and her pet cow Imogene (the cow was easier to see from the balcony than a small dog named Toto) took audiences to a magical land call Oz. The production included lavish costumes and fantastic fantasy sets and a state-of-the-art cyclone. This production had several hit songs but due to the fantastic MGM’s 1939 film, these songs faded from the general public’s memory.After a very long run on Broadway, The Wizard of Oz enjoyed a long running national tour, and thanks to the improvements of the railway system, the show was able to take a full scale Broadway production set and costumes on the road. By 1904 it is believed that over 400 different shows where touring the United States with full Broadway production values. The only snag in some of these performances is having theaters in different cities that are able to hold such a production. With this need, the boom of grand t heaters around the country began. Many of these theatres are still in operation today.As the theatre business was booming, the need for new shows was increasing the opportunity for new playwrights were wide open. People like George M. Cohan, Victor Herbert, and Florenz Ziegfeld stepped up to the call. George M. Cohan was a writer, director, choreographer, and producer and stared in several of his own shows. He was famous for his jingoistic musical comedies that celebrated the triumph of the American know-how and New York style street smarts. Though most of his productions had short runs on Broadway, the musicals that toured the United States were met by packed houses several years.His most memorable hit was Little Johnny Jones, where Cohan played an American jockey who loses the English Derby, clears himself of false charges that he threw the race, and wins the girl he loves. The songs â€Å"Yankee Doodle Dandy† and â€Å"Give My Regards to Broadway† from this show mad e Cohan a nationwide household name. Cohn’s pro-American shows had little appeal outside the United States and are perhaps too simplistic to be revived in their original version, but his songs are still familiar today, including the wartime hit â€Å"Over There. Cohn is most famous for his curtain call speeches where he always ended with the statement â€Å"My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I assure you, I thank you. † One of Broadway’s most respected composers at the start of the 20th Century was Victory Herbert, a classically trained musician who turned out musicals that were considered much more sophisticated than Cohan’s but equally as popular. Though trained in Europe, his scores had a distinctly American sound.He was the first American songwriter to successfully insist that no changes be made to his scores without his permission. His musicals involved simple American goodness triumphing over Old World ways. He is known for his musical Babes in Toyland that is best remembered for its title song â€Å"March of the Toys. † Trying to copy the success of The Wizard of Oz, Hebert’s fantasy had a far better score and continued to be revived until the mid 1940s. Naughty Marietta was a production about a French noblewoman who leaves her husband for an American Solder and moves to New Orleans.The score included the hit song â€Å"Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life† and was designed for operatic voices. It is one of the few Herbert musicals still performed today. When it comes to show stoppers on Broadway, Florenz Ziegfeld was known as the Ultimate Broadway Showman. Boasting his own theatre, Ziegfeld showcased glamorous Parisian reviews that used skits and song to spook the social and political â€Å"follies† of the day. Thus the Ziegfeld Follies were born. The productions included over the top sets, extravagant costumes and â€Å"The Ziegfeld Girls,† a chorus of attractive f emales.Out of consideration for the sensibilities of theatergoers, the tone of his productions was sexy but never trashy. Ziegfeld considered thirteen his lucky number and thus gave his revue the thirteen letter name Follies of the Day taken from the title of a popular newspaper column penned by librettist Harry B. Smith, who Ziegfeld hired to write the libretto. By 1900, there were currently thirty-three legitimate Broadway theatres, and many more would be built over the next couple of decades to meet the demand of the growing audiences.The productions included those of drama, comedy and musicals, but legitimate theatre was not the only theatrical entertainment of this time. During this time a large group of entertainers travels from one small theater to the next, entertaining thousands with their simple song and dance, mini-comical skits, and different acts of entertainment. These people were known as Vaudevillians and their theatre circuit was known as Vaudeville. Vaudeville was a theatrical paradigm in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s.Each performance consisted of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill. Types of acts included popular and classical musicians, dancers, comedians, trained animals, magicians, female and male impersonators, acrobats, illustrated songs, jugglers, one-act plays or scenes from plays, athletes, lecturing celebrities, minstrels, and movies. Vaudeville developed from many sources, including the concert saloon, minstrelsy, freak shows, dime museums, and literary burlesque. Called â€Å"the heart of American show business,† vaudeville was one of the most popular types of ntertainment in North America for several decades until the start of the movie age. Vaudeville original started in the mid 1850s but thanks to the increase of number of theaters and improvement of transportation via railway, the popularity grew in the late 19th century into the early 20th century. Vaudev ille opened the door of entertainment to thousands who had some form of special act. It was also one of the few avenues that opened for African-American mobility in a white world. African-American musicians achieved financial success while carving their niche for future artist.One of the most famous African-American acts was that of Bert Williams and George Walker, a ragtime song and dance team that toured the Vaudeville theaters with Williams playing a well-dressed conniver and Walker as a limbering stooge. Harry Houdini, the famous escape artist was a very popular entertainer in the early 1900s. After a tour in Europe he came back to America with thunderous applause and recognition. Houdini was able to perform his difficult feats by remaining in excellent physical and mental condition. He pushed himself relentlessly.To develop his capacity for holding his breath, Houdini installed an oversize bathtub in his house so that he could practice regularly. Through extensive training, he was able use his left hand nearly as well as his right. While casually chatting with friends, he would perform card and coin tricks without looking at his hands, or tie and untie knots in pieces of rope with his feet. Determined to stay on top of the entertainment field, Houdini refined techniques he had already mastered and continually developed new and more daring escapes.Though known to be friendly and warm, Houdini had a large ego, could be touchy and petty at times, and frequently displayed a volatile tempter to his assistants. One of the most fascinating acts that I found in my research was that of Evelyn Nesbit. In 1893 Nesbit started her career as an artist model in Pittsburg, PA. In 1901 Nesbit, age 16, with her mother moved to New Your City were Nesbit modeling career grew to such a point that she was one of the highest paid artist and photography models in New York.At the time she was being paid $5 for half a day and $10 for a full day of work. During this time Nesbit was also performing as a chorus girl on Broadway. Nesbit’s real story stated when her husband, Harry Thaw shot her lover, Stanley White on the night of June 26, 1906. Thaw knew that Nesbit has been seeing White for years even before their marriage. On the night of the 25th, at the production of â€Å"Mam’zelle Champagne† at the dining theater on the roof of Madison Square Gardens, Thaw saw White sitting several seats away from him and Nesbit.He calmly got out of his seat, walked over to White, pulled out a revolver and shot White three times in the face. The incident became known and â€Å"The Crime of The Century. † Thaw was tried and committee to life on an insanity plea. Thaw’s mother offered Nesbit a huge some of money if she would divorce her son before the conclusion of the trial. Nesbit did but never received any of the money; but Nesbit’s popularity soared, and from this she created an acts known as â€Å"The Girl on the Velvet Swingâ €  where all she did was sit on a sing in the middle of the stage and tell her tragic story.Nesbit’s act lasted for a few years, but as most stories, once you’ve heard it once or twice, interests started going astray. She eventually tried her hand at movies with little success. In 1926 she gave an interview to the New York Times about her dramatic life story which she eventually published as a memoir. The list of famous Vaudeville acts is endless, and many of these actors and entertainers took their talents west to Hollywood to become movie starts. One of these most successful stories of this is that act of Abbott and Costello.Starting in the early 1920s, the act of Lou Abbott and Bud Costello was known for the quick one liners and fast repartee. Most famous for their â€Å"Who’s on First† routine, Abbott and Costello’s acts moved from stage to radio to movies, becoming one of the most famous dues in American entertainment. As we look back at th eatre in the early 1900s we see the birth of a new age, one of theatre productions written, produced and directed by Americans, with American themes. Theatre changed as the times changed.It gave to the people what the people wanted and what they needed. From the large Broadway productions to the simple song and dance routines of Vaudeville, theatre was one of the main source of entertainment; allowing people to escape from their everyday world into a world of song, laughter and enjoyment. From the hearts of the actors and entertainers to the hearts of the theatergoer, life on a stage is one of true imagination and continues to allow us to go to that place where our true selves can wander, wonder and enjoy.

How to Write a Perfect Admin Assistant Cover Letter (Examples Included)

How to Write a Perfect Admin Assistant Cover Letter (Examples Included) Here at TheJobNetwork, we talk a lot about how to build the perfect resume- after all, it’s your chance to show a potential employer who you are, what you do, and what you will do for them. But although the cover letter has become somewhat controversial in recent years, with the advent of digital hiring tools and job application apps, it’s an element that you should be able to knock out of the park when you need it.For admin assistants, the cover letter can be a useful way to personalize your resume and packaging for the job to which you’re applying. Having been there, I know the pluses and minuses of having versatile admin experience- sure, you’ve got flexible skills that you can take pretty much everywhere. but when you’re trying to frame yourself as a unique candidate, how do you take those universal admin skills and experience and make them fit the exact job you want?First, let’s start with the basics of a good cover letter.Necessity #1: An Appropriate AddresseeIf you have a direct name (hiring manager, recruiter, etc.), all the better- make sure the opener is polite and personalized. If you don’t have a specific name, you can still personalize it to the company.For example:Dear Ms. Perkins,  Hello Ms. Perkins,  Greetings Ms. Perkins,  Dear Techedge Industries Team,You need to strike the right balance between conversational and formal. Definitely don’t go too casual. The fact that you’re likely submitting these online, or writing an email, can lead to a false sense of familiarity with the person.Bad examples:Hey Phyllis,  Phyllis Perkins,  Hello:  To Whom it May Concern:All of these greetings are either too casual, or too vague. â€Å"To Whom it May Concern† is the cover letter equivalent of getting mail addressed to â€Å"occupant†: chances are it’s going to be passed on without reading. It suggests that the cover letter writer is applying indiscriminately. that might not be the case (you might just be covering for the fact that you don’t have a specific contact person), but they don’t know that). it’s important to be as clear and direct as possible in your cover letter.Necessity #2: Your NarrativeThe whole point of your cover letter is adding context to you, and your resume. On your resume, you have limited space, and the priority goes to potent, high-quality bullet points to illustrate your skills and experience. The cover letter is your chance to craft the larger story of your career, and why you would be a good fit for this job in particular.For example:As an experienced administrative assistant and a lifelong home baker, I am thrilled to be applying for this position with Gina’s homemade cookie company. Ive worked in companies that are large, small, and somewhere in between, and have found that my skills fit best in a small, close-knit company like Gina’s. I have experience implementing new systems t hat improve  record keeping  and office efficiency, and with working as part of a team coordinating complex schedules and details while making sure everything gets done on time.Bad example:I am applying for a job at Gina’s homemade cookie company. Please see my attached resume, and let me know if you have any questions.In the good example, the applicant shows that she’s done her research on Gina’s homemade cookie company (company size, general culture), and is showing how she might fit well in that (as a baking enthusiast and experienced admin). The writer doesn’t necessarily go into her life history, but picks highlights that dovetail well with the job description. It also gives the reader a preview of the kinds of experience to expect in the resume.In the bad example, the cover letter body says nothing about the writer and does nothing to supplement the resume. It’s just an unnecessary attachment.Necessity #3: A Strong FinishAlways have a clo sing paragraph that restates the highlights (why you’re a good fit) and leaves room for follow-up.For example:I would love to have the opportunity to join your team and look forward to hearing more about this opening. My skills and experience as an admin (and a cookie enthusiast) would be a great fit as an administrative assistant in your company. please don’t hesitate to contact me if there’s any other information I can provide.Bad example:Please let me know more about this job opening.In these examples, one writer reminds the reader why she is a good fit; the other writer puts the onus on the reader to give more information about the job itself and says nothing about herself in the meantime. You want to make sure you’re aligning yourself with the job in the reader’s mind, and this is your last chance to do so before they read your resume.Necessity #4: Clean FormattingLike with your resume, you want your cover letter to be clear and easy to read. That means:A standard font.  This is not the time to test out â€Å"fun† fonts. Pick something clean and basic, like times.No huge blocks of text.  In a letter, unbroken paragraphs can look like the ramblings of a manifesto. You want your reader to see a series of separate, elegantly outlined points.Short Length.  A cover letter should never be more than a page, and even a full page is definitely pushing it. Brevity is the soul of wit and the friend of application readers everywhere.For example:My attached resume goes into more detail about my daily job duties and achievements during my tenure as an administrative assistant at two companies. My experience managing complex schedules, overseeing busy offices, and leading junior staff would be an asset to this role.I would love to have to opportunity to join the team at Gina’s homemade cookies, and bring my expertise in managing day-to-day office processes to your company. I believe I can meet and exceed the expecta tions you have for this role, and I look forward to speaking more with you about my application. Feel free to contact me at any time.Bad example:My attached resume goes into more detail about my daily job duties and achievements during my tenure as an administrative assistant at two companies. My experience managing complex schedules, overseeing busy offices, and leading junior staff would be an asset to this role. I would love to have to opportunity to join the team at Gina’s homemade cookies and bring my expertise in managing day-to-day office processes to your company. I believe I can meet and exceed the expectations you have for this role, and I look forward to speaking more with you about my application. Feel free to contact me at any time.That’s a lot to cram into one paragraph. Crafting shorter, punchier paragraphs can help you focus your letter on the points you want the reader to notice, and keep it visually appealing as well.After that closing pitch, all you have left is the closing. Like with the opening address, it should be simple and polite. Not too flowery (â€Å"kindest warmest regards, dear recruiter† is†¦unnecessary.For example:Best wishes,Sincerely,Bad examples:Thanks.Fondest wishes,[name- no greeting]Please hit me back,  And after that, you’re done! Well, except for the resume, the interview, and the negotiation. But your cover letter is in the books, and you have been introduced to your possible future employer.Let’s take a last look at the sample cover letter as a whole:Dear Ms. Perkins,As an experienced administrative assistant and a lifelong home baker, I am thrilled to be applying for this position with gina’s homemade cookie company. Ive worked in companies that are large, small, and somewhere in between, and have found that my skills fit best in a small, close-knit company like Gina’s. I have experience implementing new systems that improve record keeping and office efficiency, and with working as part of a team coordinating complex schedules and details while making sure everything gets done on time.My attached resume goes into more detail about my daily job duties and achievements during my tenure as an administrative assistant at two companies. My experience managing complex schedules, overseeing busy offices, and leading junior staff would be an asset to this role.I would love to have to opportunity to join the team at Gina’s homemade cookie and bring my expertise in managing day-to-day office processes to your company. I believe I can meet and exceed the expectations you have for this role, and I look forward to speaking more with you about my application. Feel free to contact me at any time.Sincerely,Francine WatersShort, to-the-point, informative, appropriate: now thats a letter that shows what a good admin assistant francine would be!Looking for an administrative assistant job? TheJobNetwork has you covered! Search admin assistant jobs  in your city:  hundreds of jobs in many fields await!

The Grieving Process of Holden Caulfield Essays - Literature

The Grieving Process of Holden Caulfield Essays - Literature The Grieving Process of Holden Caulfield Everyone has a different response to traumatic events and come up with different ways of coping with the emotions that go along with it. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield embodies several stages of the grieving process. The main ones consistently seen throughout the novel include anger, denial and depression. He displays these stages through his actions and especially through his words. He progresses through the stages beginning with anger and then leading into a combination of denial and depression. The stage of depression hits Holden the hardest, with his mental state getting worse and worse as time goes on. Towards the end of the novel he has hit his lowest point and essentially spiraled out of control. However, by the very end of the novel he seems to be nearing the stage of acceptance slightly. The first stage that Holden appears to have gone through is anger. This stage hit him very quickly, and began the night that Allie died. Holden explains how he was so upset that he decided to sleep in the garage and then out of anger and sadness ends up breaking all the windows in the garage. "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I couldn't do it," (Salinger 44). This was Holden's way of dealing with Allie's death. He lashed out and couldn't accept the fact that his brother was gone. This led his parents to begin to worry about him and his reaction to Allie's death. Holden even mentions that they were considering having him psychoanalyzed due to the incident and all the damage he had caused. This event also caused even bigger problems for Holden in the long run becau se he never attended Allie's funeral. He was stuck in the hospital and never got to go and say his goodbyes. So he never got any closure with Allie's death, leading him to continue through the stages of the grieving process. It leads him to remain in denial at Allie's death and pushes him to become more and more depressed. The next stage that Holden goes through is denial. This is one of the stages that is very apparent throughout the novel and kind of goes hand in hand with the depression stage. It is made obvious that Holden has not accepted Allie's death due to the numerous times that Holden says he still pretends Allie is there and has conversations with him. He uses the idea of Allie as sort of a protector and someone he could turn to when he was scared or just needed someone to talk to. This is exemplified when Holden is becoming extremely depressed and fearing that every time he crossed the road he wouldn't make it to the other side: Every time I'd get to the end of a block I'd make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I'd say to him, Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Please, Allie. And then when I'd reach the other side of the street without disappearing, I'd thank him. Then it would start all over again as soon as I got to the next corner. But I kept going and all. I was sort of afraid to stop, I think - I don't remember, to tell you the truth. (Salinger 218) Holden becomes so entrenched in believing that he's speaking to Allie that it helps him to make it across the street. However, this shows how deeply he has fallen into this world of depression and the degree of how much he's still in denial over Allie's death. Another instance that Holden displays the denial of Allie's death is when he returns home to talk to Phoebe. She asks him to name one thing he actually likes and he fails to think of anything other than Allie. It's like Holden's entire world still revolves

How to Dress Professionally When Its Blazing Hot Out

How to Dress Professionally When Its Blazing Hot Out It’s summer! It took a while for those of us in colder climates to get to this point, but it’s finally  time to store the sweaters and place your cute warm weather gear at the front of your closet. So it’s 90 degrees out and you need to figure out a way to stay cool, look cute, and somehow also dress professionally- not the easiest combo to master. It is important to keep in mind that, even in this day of casual work cultures, there are still rules and norms that govern what we should and should not wear to the office. And to make matters even more confusing, on top of that, there is always a unique, often unspoken, code in every workplace. Try to figure out what yours is, but also follow these fairly safe rules of thumb to make sure your summer wardrobe doesn’t keep you from fall employment or the respect you deserve.1. Check the rule book, if there is one.Some companies actually have a rule book or employee manual- if you weren’t given one when you started, HR can give you a copy. Check this first to see whether there are any dress policies or bits of intel you can pick up about your summer outfit planning. Err on the side of caution when it comes to baring flesh.2. Follow the grandma rule.When in doubt, look at your outfit. If you would be embarrassed wearing it to meet your grandmother for lunch, then it’s probably not right for the office. This is particularly true for women, who will be judged more often when they bare any skin at all. Dress for your own version of success, not others, but do keep in mind the double standards and injustices of perception out there and make sure to keep yourself†¦ covered, metaphorically speaking (and sometimes actually).3. Err on the side of â€Å"not short.†If there’s a question in your mind as to whether shorts (or short skirts) are appropriate for your workplace, that probably means you haven’t seen anyone in such attire at the office. Take that as a sign and leave your barest-leg ensembles for the weekends. Instead, to stay cool, aim for a skirt that at least hits the knee: summery and smart! (The same rules apply to crop tops: save them for the weekend.)4. Keep the shoes classy.No, you can’t wear flip flops to the office. Yes, you can wear sandals, just try to minimize the amount of bare foot you show on any given day. It’s probably best to avoid shoes with open backs, though if you must, choose slides instead of flops.5. Summer denim is probably too casual.Jeans are one thing, especially if your office tends casual. Times have changed, and a nice dark jean is usually fine. But summer denim is another story: if you give way to the jean section of your closet, you’ll be tempted to wear jorts and jumpers and shorts. Don’t. You can probably get away with a denim shift dress, but any other short denim should stay at home.If you overheat, try lots of lighter fabrics and brighter, breezier colors. If you then get too cold because of overzealous air conditioning, make sure to bring a light sweater to keep yourself warm. And the upside of not baring too much skin, particularly on your legs, is that you won’t need to worry about working through the inevitable goosebumps.Dress smart, and have a great working summer!

The Concept of Criminal Justice and Society Essay

The Concept of Criminal Justice and Society - Essay Example It has become a known fact that the Westwood Community has some serious issues of illegal youth activity escalating. Underage drinking and illegal street racing have begun to create an unsafe environment for not only the young people involved but the residents of the neighborhood in general. To combat this issue the SARA method has been placed into affect to try and analyze and distinguish the causative factors into the behaviors that are currently taking place. An in-depth study of the Westwood community showed that the young people involved in deviant activities were being influenced by outside factors that were not found to be a part of the neighborhood. Officers investigating these activities believed that the young people were not looking for trouble necessarily, but rather experimenting in the behaviors. However, their actions showed that they were putting a great risk of endangerment onto their own lives, as well as innocent drivers on the streets. The officers also noted that the age range of the drinking behavior seemed to be situated around youths who were in the bracket of 13- 18 years of age. The occurrence of underage drinking is normally found to be in this category, as well as in the 12-20 years of age population, and the 18-20 age group population (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2006). One of the main detectable factors leading to the drinking had a lot to do with the peer pressure that was observed from a dist ance by the investigating officers. Unfortunately, this is one of the prime reasons that young people begin to drink initially. Gathered data details that a number of fourth graders, and a good percentage of sixth graders felt pressurized to drink, and if they didn't they were told they would get picked on and ridiculed in front of their friends during school (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2006). The investigation team has decided to discuss the underlying causes and conditions with the community action team of Westwood in the hopes that a reliable and effective plan can be put in place to put an end to the activities occurring. The four main concerns that have been pinpointed are seemingly acceptable in order to move forward to correct the problems before they escalate, or someone gets hurt. Underage Youth Driving while Drinking Community Disturbance Promoting a Danger to Other Members of the Community Possible Criminal Damage Taking Place Analysis The investigating officers are planning on making a schedule to observe exactly what times and days the juveniles are gathering together to engage in the street racing and drinking. It is believed that by doing this, more identifiable hotspots can be pinpointed in other areas of the community, and the main causative factors will be readily identifiable. By investigating the causes, the investigation can move further and finally be able to try and take control of the situation by coming to a credible and logical way of putting an end to the illegal intentions of the juveniles. Highlighting the days on which the activity is most prevalent will help in determining when to use legal means to get the disorder stabilized and finally under control. One main cause for the street racing has already been

Pursuing a Career in Real Estates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pursuing a Career in Real Estates - Essay Example Title companies’ main work is to make smooth the exchange of properties between the concerned parties, doing all the work for the buyer who can be a citizen or a foreigner (Tyson and Griswold 62). Unlike the U.S., other countries have rules in regards to what property foreigners can buy. In Mexico, for example, foreigners are not allowed to own property within 50 km of the coast or 100 km from the borders unless they have a Mexican trust or Mexican corporation title. In South Asian countries like Thailand, foreigners cannot own land, but properties in it can be purchased followed by land acquisition under a lease option of 30 years. However, this land acquisition is not assured because the government still insists that land ownership by foreigners is illegal. In the Philippines real estate development is one of the fastest growing businesses (Edwards 78). This paper discusses real estate as a possible business venture and the qualities of a successful real estate agent. THE RE AL ESTATE BUSINESS SECTOR As the world economies evolve, individuals and organizations have seen the need to make smart investment choices. In his book, on investing in real estate, Eldred asks, ‘What types of markets offer the best opportunities for future profits? What type of markets alleviates risks?’ (20). Questions like these are the ones that an individual asks when they wish to invest. The answer to the questions lies in the real estate industry. Real estate development has had a positive impact on economies of nations over the years. This is because land is so much a limited resource that even reclaiming it from the seas is not a sustainable option. Thus, a smart investor invests and owns part of it so as to have a bargaining chip. Furthermore, its value rarely goes down, and even if it does it does not take long for its value to shoot once again. Fields in the Real Estate Business. Private property ownership, has led to the development and growth of real estat e to a significant business sector, also called commercial real estate. In reality, real estate properties are always expensive thus; they require a significant amount of investment. In addition, each piece of land has unique characteristics, which has lead to development of different fields in the industry with specialists that evaluate the real estate and facilitate the transactions. Businesses in real estate include Appraisals, where a professional determines the value of the property (Edwards 78). Second is the brokerage, where a broker is paid a fee to facilitate the transaction between the two parties. Third is development, which involves land improvement for use via replacing or adding buildings. Fourth is net leasing, which ensures tenants pay rent plus the additional expenses that are supposed to be paid by the landlord. Fifth is property management, which involves managing a property on behalf of the owner. Sixth is real estate marketing and it entails managing the sales a spect of the property. Seven is real estate investing, which entails management of the investment in the real estate. Eight is the relocation services, and as the name suggests, involves relocating business or people to different countries or regions. Lastly is the corporate real estate, which deals with management of a corporation’

U03d1 Theory of Constraints Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U03d1 Theory of Constraints - Essay Example The basic theory is that the lesser the barriers to the performance, there is higher chances of realizing the full potential. This theory helps provide a complete focus on five main aspects which include â€Å"identity constraints, exploit constraints, subordinate others, elevate constraints and repeat cycle† (Anderson, 2005). The theory of constraints is based on five steps. This is clear from the diagram below. Theory of Constraints in some ways is similar to lean thinking however along with the focus on the reduction of wastes, and increase in the process flow, the theory also focuses on throughput. However there is little or no focus on the emphasis of making money by selling products and services or also simply cutting costs (Jacob, Bergland, & Cox, 2009). In terms of the example of the correlation between the two selected processes, it is best to choose the internal process and the structural management process with the focus on quality service. Considering the health care organization, the main constraints and restrictions are mainly recognized by the stakeholders of the organization along with the supervision of the administration. Together they work towards the determination of the offered resolutions and also work towards the response and removal of or adding on to the necessities of the organization to have an overall effective and cost efficient process. The health care industry can overall be improved to a great extent using the Theory of Constraints and the overall management as well as the staff credentials can be improved based on the needs of the organization (Goldratt, 1999). The overall organization can be improved to a great extent by increasing the operational flow, improving the communication and also working on the s taff awareness and cohesive delegation of the tasks. Together the overall processes can be improved and the Theory of Constraints’ five step program

Sysco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sysco - Essay Example Day was required to give all the pros and cons of the implementation of the new software along with its detailed requirements. The obstacles to the implementation of new BI software were identified so that software faces no unknown resistances and obstructions. Questions were also designed for the software to answer to evaluate the efficacy of the software in terms of fulfilling Sysco’s requirements of information. Sysco has a number of companies under its governance due to which, all the steps taken by the company are required to be looked in good details. No change or development is without challenges, therefore, challenges were also identified in order to cope up with the challenges successfully. For increasing the IT expertise of the company as a whole, a data warehouse was also established. However, this data warehouse was required to be improved to a great extent as the staff and IT requirements of the data warehouse lacked competence to handle complicated IT related iss ues. For implementing BI software, the company required to look towards the investment that it was going to invest for the implementation of the software, the integration of the present system with the new software, acceptance of all the supervised companies and expertise of the IT staff. Obstacles Facing Sysco For implementing BI software, Sysco faces some obstacles. The company, Sysco has its own data sources that are required to be connected with BI software and for this process, IT help is required, which can be given by BI’s technical staff (McAfee and Wagonfeld 4). The company’s database needs to be attached with BI software. The company was to decide on purchasing the right amount of BI software for its information needs. Investment for BI software is also a major concern for the company. Day was fully aware that associated companies linked with Sysco were to bear the costs invested for implementing BI software due to which, there can be a problem in terms of in vestment approval by those companies (McAfee and Wagonfeld 11). The linked companies already have their own software solutions for information systems due to which, there were fair chances of resistance by the companies. Data warehouse started by Sysco was not fully complete and its staff lacked the necessary expertise to extract necessary data. The employees serving in the data warehouse were required to be trained better and the warehouse was itself an obstacle for the implementation of BI software (McAfee and Wagonfeld 3). Sysco lacked the essential IT competence in terms of its data warehouse and its IT staff, which is a clear obstruction. Questions Addressed by Sysco Sysco initially decided to address only two questions with its new BI software rather than use it as a more general analysis tool. The questions were ‘What additional products could we be selling to each of our customers?’ and ‘Which of our current customers are we most likely to lose?’ (M cAfee and Wagonfeld 8-9). These questions were initially asked because they support the company to look forward in their future in terms

Advertisements analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertisements analysis - Essay Example According to Fowles, 15 basic brain centers are targeted including the need for sex, affiliation, nurture, etc (18) in order to have the desired impact. Advertising agencies are continually looking for new and fresh ideas that have not been done before and at the same time, are stimulating to the minds of their target audiences. The main aim of an advertisement by appealing to the needs and drives of people is to induce them to respond in a certain way, mostly to make a purchase. While various techniques are employed so as to get the audience’s attention, the most common one has been to trigger an individual’s need for sex. Such Freudian advertising uses an individual’s subconscious sexual desires in order to appeal them. One of the print advertisements to be run in Singapore by Burger King also employed Freudian advertising methods (Steinberg, n.pag.). Though the print advertisement did not display outstanding graphics, imagery, or lighting, it definitely appeal ed to the masses due to the presence of a suggestive model and her sensual pose. It has made use of various graphic elements so as to create the desired effect on its viewers. Therefore, the advertisement successfully brought the food chain giant high sales from its customers. The Burger King Freudian print advertisement did not only use an erotic visual imagery but also contains lewd texts and slogans along with it. The print advertisement shows the Burger King super seven incher sandwich and an amorous model right next to the sandwich. The model has worn bright red lip stick and has an open mouth just to the left of the sandwich depicting a great eating experience. The face expression of the model is intentionally kept such that it demonstrates the â€Å"mind blowing† experience of eating a seven inch Burger King sandwich. To the top right is the Burger King logo followed by its tag line â€Å"It just tastes better† (Steinberg, n.pag.). The photography lighting has b een edited to be darker on the right side of the advertisement which displays the Burger King logo and its seven inch sandwich. Towards the left is the erotic model with an open mouth as if she was going to engulf the delicious seven incher sandwich. The print advertisement seems to have been heavily modified and edited using a computer graphics program in order to adjust the lighting and the various elements of the advertisement. The sandwich is especially shown in great detail so as to trigger a hunger feeling within the viewer of the advertisement, targeting his need basic for the physiological component – food. This induces a person to feel the hunger and hence purchase a Burger King super seven incher sandwich. This tactic effectively attracts the attention of the viewer and creates a desire within him to go and purchase their sandwich thereby bringing Burger King great returns in terms of profits. 2. The Burger King print advertisement has made use of various visual ele ments to motivate them to buy the delicious super seven incher sandwich. The sandwich is deliberately positioned to the right side where it is easily viewable by the audiences. The photography has particularly captured a fresh and juicy sandwich that is sure to induce a strong feeling of hunger. In case the viewer is already hungry, the picture of a supersized sandwich would conjure up images of a hearty Burger King meal. In particular, the advertisement is trying to focus on the â€Å"mind blowing† aspect of the sandwich. The picture of the sandwich deliberately shows quite a lot of detail about the sandwich including its ingredients and other additives. An individual can notice the sauce dripping down the sides and other tempting ingredients. The lighting is relatively darker

Foreign Currency Matters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Foreign Currency Matters - Essay Example On the other hand, if the functional currency is the Japanese Yen, then there will be no effect on exchange rates. This means that cash flows will not be impacted, hence not included in net income (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 1981). Â  In a situation where more than half of the subsidiary’s revenue is Singapore sources, the Singapore Dollar will be the functional currency but the end of year finances will be reported in Japanese Yen. On the other hand, if more than half of the subsidiary’s revenue is from Japanese sources then the functional and reporting currency will remain as Japanese Yen (Earnest & Young, 2014). Â  4. Remeasurement means that a subsidiary’s functional currency is dominant in record keeping. At the end of the year, the current exchange rates are put into an account before reporting such that any gain or loss is reflected in the income statement. On the other hand, translation means the books are kept on the functional currency and transferred directly to the reporting currency without reflecting any gain or loss out of the exchange process. This can be reflected in the equity books away from financial books (Carmichael, Whittington & Graham, 2007). Â  5. Windbigler’s statement is incorrect when he says that the current exchange rate is defined as the exchange rate between functional currencies and reporting currencies at the balance sheet. In practice, the current exchange rate is defined as exchange rate at the balance sheet of the functional currency before the reporting currency. Alvarez statement is correct concerning monetary assets and liabilities (Georgiades, 2008). Â  

Advertisements analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertisements analysis - Essay Example According to Fowles, 15 basic brain centers are targeted including the need for sex, affiliation, nurture, etc (18) in order to have the desired impact. Advertising agencies are continually looking for new and fresh ideas that have not been done before and at the same time, are stimulating to the minds of their target audiences. The main aim of an advertisement by appealing to the needs and drives of people is to induce them to respond in a certain way, mostly to make a purchase. While various techniques are employed so as to get the audience’s attention, the most common one has been to trigger an individual’s need for sex. Such Freudian advertising uses an individual’s subconscious sexual desires in order to appeal them. One of the print advertisements to be run in Singapore by Burger King also employed Freudian advertising methods (Steinberg, n.pag.). Though the print advertisement did not display outstanding graphics, imagery, or lighting, it definitely appeal ed to the masses due to the presence of a suggestive model and her sensual pose. It has made use of various graphic elements so as to create the desired effect on its viewers. Therefore, the advertisement successfully brought the food chain giant high sales from its customers. The Burger King Freudian print advertisement did not only use an erotic visual imagery but also contains lewd texts and slogans along with it. The print advertisement shows the Burger King super seven incher sandwich and an amorous model right next to the sandwich. The model has worn bright red lip stick and has an open mouth just to the left of the sandwich depicting a great eating experience. The face expression of the model is intentionally kept such that it demonstrates the â€Å"mind blowing† experience of eating a seven inch Burger King sandwich. To the top right is the Burger King logo followed by its tag line â€Å"It just tastes better† (Steinberg, n.pag.). The photography lighting has b een edited to be darker on the right side of the advertisement which displays the Burger King logo and its seven inch sandwich. Towards the left is the erotic model with an open mouth as if she was going to engulf the delicious seven incher sandwich. The print advertisement seems to have been heavily modified and edited using a computer graphics program in order to adjust the lighting and the various elements of the advertisement. The sandwich is especially shown in great detail so as to trigger a hunger feeling within the viewer of the advertisement, targeting his need basic for the physiological component – food. This induces a person to feel the hunger and hence purchase a Burger King super seven incher sandwich. This tactic effectively attracts the attention of the viewer and creates a desire within him to go and purchase their sandwich thereby bringing Burger King great returns in terms of profits. 2. The Burger King print advertisement has made use of various visual ele ments to motivate them to buy the delicious super seven incher sandwich. The sandwich is deliberately positioned to the right side where it is easily viewable by the audiences. The photography has particularly captured a fresh and juicy sandwich that is sure to induce a strong feeling of hunger. In case the viewer is already hungry, the picture of a supersized sandwich would conjure up images of a hearty Burger King meal. In particular, the advertisement is trying to focus on the â€Å"mind blowing† aspect of the sandwich. The picture of the sandwich deliberately shows quite a lot of detail about the sandwich including its ingredients and other additives. An individual can notice the sauce dripping down the sides and other tempting ingredients. The lighting is relatively darker

Strategic HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Strategic HRM - Essay Example een the purpose of human resources to the strategic objectives in an organization aiming to improve and sustain the organization’s performance (Gratton et al 1999, p. 28). Strategic human resource management works on an ideology that management of human resource of an organization depends on the organization developing a unique culture of its own, distinct from other cultures present in the industry under its jurisdiction. To this essence, it requires an organization to develop consistent policies and programs or strategies aligned well for the achievement of its strategic objectives. The chief aim of every organization is to position itself as the best among other firms – building a competitive advantage. Among the several perspectives of building a competitive advantage in business environment, resource-based view of human resource management looks promising to many organizations perhaps due to its centralization on the internal strength of the organization (Radcliffe, 2005, p. 51). The objective of this essay is to evaluate how the adoption of resource-based view (RBV) model of strategic management can lead to achievement of competitive advantage of a business and the shortcomings of this model to a business organization. To improve an organization’s performance strategic human resource management (SHRM) acts as a supervision practice that connects the organizational role of human resource to the managerial predetermined objectives. The improved performance of an organization will bring its competitive advantage in the line of business operation. There are different perspectives of strategic human resource management (Radcliffe, 2005, p. 52). . For example, universalistic perspective, contingency perspective and the resource based perspective. All of these perspectives describe how merging the strategic objectives of a business to the administrative functions can lead to organizations competitive advantage. The proponents of universalistic

Target Corporation Essay Example for Free

Target Corporation Essay Target Corporation is a powerful retail brand. It has a reputation for value for money, convenience and a wide range of products all in one store. Target Corporation is the third-largest general merchandise retailer in the United States. Target has three main competitors which is Wal-Mart, Costco, and K-Mart. Wal-Mart is the largest retail chain in the world, its mission is â€Å"Always low-prices!†Costco is the largest wholesale club operator in the U. S. K-Mart is the number three discount retailer in the U.S. As the November meeting approaches, CFO Doug Scovanner is faced with the problem of choosing which of the five controversial projects available to accept. So this case is to evaluate each of the projects based upon two major criteria. The first is determining the firm’s financial motives by major criteria. The first is determining the firm’s financial motives by quantifying the projected value added to the firm and the risk associated with each project. When determining to accept or reject projects based on adding value, the instruments we can use are NPV and the IRR. As we consider capital constraint problems, we also use the Profitability Index in order to determine which projects add the most value per dollar spent. Some thing we need to notice are projected sales figures, speculated variations in these sales projections, and the impact that adding a new store into the trade area has on the sales of surrounding stores. The second criterion involved in analyzing the projects is determining the firm’s business motives. This deals with recognizing Target’s corporate goals and mission and how they accomplish this through their business strategy. Two of the greatest aspects of their strategy are a high value on brand awareness and a defined target market of college educated women with a family. The ultimate goal, therefore, is finding a healthy balance between these two criteria by integrating as much of Target’s business strategy into the fundamental financial goals of wealth maximization shared by all firms. I have neither given or received nor have I tolerated others use it unauthorized aid.

Chhota Bheem Tell Amoral Values

Chhota Bheem Tell Amoral Values Television has become the trend setter and also watching television is not only for entertainment rather it reflects the socio-cultural phenomenon of the society. Now a days every morning there are hundreds of celebrities are waiting to see our children via television window. It says many things such as from good morning to good night. Television brings their dream world in to the magic screen. A cartoon was defined as an animated program with a sequence of events scheduled for television viewing on a regular basis. The virtual cartoon characters take the opportunity to make the children happy for ever through various ways such as telling different stories, attractive wardrobe, action, language etc., Television becomes the suitable medium for the source of entertainment for the people in the world especially for children. Since 1950, educational psychologists, parents and media experts have been started scrutinizing television and its programs. According to 2011 census data, 31.1% are children among the total population in India. On the other hand, Worlds third largest television market is India with 138 million television households. The annual growth of Indian television industry is doubled in the past two decades. It absolutely diverse from what children is seeing in the real world, but somehow it is connected to it. Todays children will be the tomorrows leader. Considering children as a vital social element is significant in the multiethnic society. According to TV viewership ratings (TVR) 2011, most popular and animated series of childrens genre got 85% of viewership and around 76% of content in cartoon programs were telecast only in English in the same year. But later on due to the demand from the viewers side, regional languages also have been considered in the year 2012. Doordarshan was the only channel to telecast mythological stories such as Ramayana (1987) and Mahabharata (1989). These were the first programs produced and those programs created a world record in viewership. But today globalization widens the path and gives tremendous change in the media industry especially in television. There are thousands of programs and hundreds of channels are available in India. Through the small screen, several fictional characters are getting fame even in the national and international level. Through the benefits of creating virtual ambiance in the cartoon programs, broadcasters easily grab the childrens attention. For example, kids most favorite channels such as Cartoon Network and Pogo were telecast 25,000 episodes of animation content in the year 2011. Producing animation content is not a tough job, but it consumes more time than producing an non-animated content(Young, 2012). Making a bond with children by telling stories has been practiced from several centuries ago. Even today, when we hear the following words Once up on a time, we could remember the same words said by our grandparents or parents to us. The story telling process is not merely as passing the time. Through telling stories, we can inculcate positive effects such as changing attitude, behavior on children. Instigating stories could make a child to follow moral values that can happen to the morality of life. The most important points in telling stories to children is what type of stories have been taught and how it was described to them. Parents should not think like story telling is a part of bed-time entertainment; but that could be the time to pass on the moral values to them. Story telling creates mutual bond between parents and their kids. With the disintegration of joint families, the concept of telling stories is also gradually diminishing. This, in addition to the proliferation of mass media, has replaced the family members by television. There is an argument that telling stories to children through television programs may have an impact on their personality and development. In contrast, there is a counter argument that telling stories better than allowing them an extra hour to sit with a computer or television. There are many ways for the parents to tell a story such as past life incidents, experiences and what they would listen from their parents. Apart from these, our culture has a mixture of mythological stories such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. Review of Literature The consequences of television have been analyzed by parents, media specialists, practitioners, communication experts and social reviewer from the year 1950 onwards. Television has the control on childrens metacognitive, shared, expressive and other behaviors (Mares Woodard, 2001). Television sets an example of dyadic communication and several areas of family life. Children are admired by the television; because of showing numerous child characters. Children show more interest in watching television programs which consists of several child characters (Schmitt, Anderson Collins, 1999). Morals are also passed on to generations. Finding out the source of different moral stories are difficult, because it has come from various parts of the world. But in India, most of the stories have said and it originates from Aesop. Aesop tales are quite popular among children in India. In the same way, there are several types of stories have been taught in India. Panchatantra tales are famous and it consists of Indian stories very similar to the Aesops fable are based on animals kingdom. Jataka tales deals with the people who believe in reincarnation, i.e. life after death. These are the life stories as different life forms, conveying the message of honesty. Aesops fables area also quite popular. All children like their pet animals. Those kinds of stories make a deal with birds or animals. There are 100 stories only on animal kingdom and brilliantly attached with the moral. Children can focus their brain power with Birbal, King Akbars famous intelligent and clever consultant. Myths and legends are the combined segment of human life. Those are surrounded us forever. There are 140 and more varieties of mythological stories consist several values (Moral Stories for Kids, n.d.). According to Bennett (1995a, b) children must hear moral stories in order to develop good values and moral literacy. Believers of conventional character education state that, listening moral stories in one of the important aspect of moral education. A child acquires idea about how vital it is to live with a good quality and getting a better comprehension of the moral life by reading or listening a moral story (Narvaez, 2002). In the case of Malaysia, we found that the programs generally contained more positive values than negative ones, whether they were of local or foreign origins. This is due to strict censorship imposed by the government. Although both foreign and local programs can challenge the societys basic norms and values, the challenges must be balanced, conservatively expressed and ultimately have a positive contribution to humanity in the eyes of the censors. In this case, neither the program nor channel origin matters. We postulated that in a society with government censorship, the appearance of negative or positive values in television is not determined by the programs place of origin, but by the censors own values and perceptions(Hagiwara et al., 1999). Traditionally our children would have been heard from parents, grandparents, neighbors, and friends; but now many of the stories they hear from the accumulation of media performed by various fictional characters (Charlotte, 2010). In the earlier times children were used to play out with their peers, friends, and had done some kind of physical activities like cycling, playing construction games etc.,. But now the scenario has changed. Today television locked the children with in the four walls. Especially cartoon channels are making them fun and it has become a great pass time for children.(Chanda, 2008). According to Williams (1993), A theme expresses a pattern among story components in a form that is abstracted from the specific story context, and it also comments on that pattern in some way. The comment need not be evaluative. Thus, we define a theme as involving a commentary attached to a core concept. On the other hand theme is known as the idea that holds the story together, such as a comment about society, human nature, or the human condition (as cited in Lukens, 1982). Taylor (1986) studied the ability of children aged 9 -11 year old is easy to narrate an expository text in a story rather than summarizing. Goldman et al. (1984) examined the understanding of stories among children aged between 5 to 12. The cognitive structure of children aged below 10 would not make them to extract a theme. This could happen because of projecting expository text and idealistic fictional stories(Narvaez, 2002). According to Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios said, Animation is a new and rapidly expanding area in India, and the collaboration between Disney and Yash Raj Film studios will bring the very best in story-telling and cutting edge technology together as we make wonderful films that appeal to the entire family(Puljal, 2008). Earlier, only cartoon network channel was there to telecast foreign cartoon progrmas. But later on, local made programs were also telecast in order to cover the people. At first, new animation content creators took encouragement from the lowest hanging fruit available to them popular tradition, inspiring movies like Hanuman, Krishna and Ramayana. Then came fictionalizing these mythological stories with shows such as Krishna Balram where characters based on these mythologies were placed in fictional plots. Now, we are at a stage where the linkage to mythology has dwindled further. Series like Chhota Bheem on Pogo and Roll No. 21 on Cartoon Network just have character names similar to those in mythology. Statement of the problem Since our childhood to till adolesent , we have been listening to stories. In an earlier times, our parents, grandparents have been telling different genres of stores with morals at the end. They know, the value system of each child would be determined by what kind of stories have been taught, how often it is repeated and how far the family members have been practiced the same.Today plenty of storeis have been tausht by television programs. The purpose of this study is to provide much more specific way of looking at the content of childrens most favorite cartoon television program Chhota Bheem, to determine the degree and form of moral values in a story to children. Research Questions The study has been done based on the following objectives. Does Chhota bheem program teach moral values to children? How many episodes in Chhota Bheem program contains moral values? What kind of stories does Chhota Bheem program tell? Do the contnet of Chhota Bheem is appropriate to real life? Methodology It is a study of television deals with what is really there on the screen. This study specifically analysed the content of Chhota Bheem cartoon program which is aired in the POGO channel. 40 episodes have been recorded for the period of four months from June to September 2012. Repititions have not been taken in to account. Each episode runs approximately 12 minutes to 14 minutes time duartion. The study had been analysed totally 615 minutes of the total episodes. Each program is analysed based on the verbal and non-verbal elements which may consists of moral values. Theoritical Perspective Social learning theory According to Albert Bandura (1977), cartoon television programs are designed for children repeatedly implementing social learning theory. For example, Chhota Bheem, a childrens television program, the protagonist present with a condition of how to tackle the situation and how to be an honest person and maintaining friendship forever. The result is, the children learning about the problem solving techniques, the quality of being honest are done by observing the discoveries presented by the actors. This way the concept of social learning is applied. Labeling theory Labeling theory is an extension of social learning theory; otherwise known as social reaction theory. According to Howard Becker, it involves how learning can occur by attaching or imposing labels, titles and attributesreal or unrealto others. For example, in Chhota Bheem cartoon television program the characters of various ethnic groups to behave a certain way, accidentally creating a universal stereotype not reflective of reality. As the viewing audience of that group becomes saturated with labels falsely representing their behaviors, may learn through observation how to behave specific to the fiction being propagated, and thus the label becomes reality. Cultivation theory According George Gerbner (1976) the primary proposition of cultivation theory states that the more time people spend living in the television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality portrayed on television (Wikipedia, 2012). Television cultivates from infancy the very predispositions and preferences that used to be acquired from other primary sources The repetitive pattern of televisions mass-produced messages and images forms the mainstream of a common symbolic environment. Due to its accessibility and availability to the masses, television has become the central cultural arm of our society(Gerbner, 1979). Findings and Analysis Concept: A small incident happens in every story in the program and this is all about how Chhota Bheem and his Friends handle the every circumstance and finding solution for every problem. Program: The tile song consists of 54 consequetive shots and among those 12 shots deals with good values. The Jingle contains five good values associated with it. Visuals contain 60% of positive values such as kindness to people and animals, showing responsibility, being generous, helping, tolerance and unity; remaining part consists of neagive values such as fighting with people or animals, showing eating laddoos always, bullying others and gender discrimination. Figure 1 represent that majority of stories in Chhota Bheem program teach moral values to children. Relatively positive values are dominated than negative value. This signifies that the portrayal of the characters in the scene and the way they taught stories to children. There is a significant difference in showing poitive values and negative values in the program. Chhota Bheem is a very well known cartoon program among children now days. The overall programs are based on short stories or on short incidents which are held in and around Dholakpur. The program, which describes the feats of Chhota Bheem and his team of friends, is an original co-production between Turner International India and Hyderabad-based Green Gold studios. Fresh episodes are telecast in the prime time zone that is every day evening 6 p.m. In this program Chhota Bheem and his all Friends Chutki, Jaggu and Raju sit together under the tree and are playing with each other. They all are fun loving and always ready to help each other and to the needy people. They all are good by heart. The characteristics of each character have listed below. Characters: Bheem: Chhota Bheem is a nine-year-old kid who lives with gang of friends in the fictional town called Dholakpur. The character is inspired by the legendary Bheem from the Mahabharata. The protagonist of the show is Bheem. He is very powerful, intelligent and he is always ready to help others when anyone is in danger or in any problem. He never feels proud on his strength and always loves his Friends and everyone. He is stronger than anyone else. He respects every human being and always helps needy and poor people. His smartness and confidence can easily be shown on his face. He is a lovable character and like an ideal for the children. He loves to take Laddoo every time whenever he feels weak; he likes to have Laddoo and regains his power after that. He also loves to eat Bananas. Chutki: Chutki is a female character and a friend of Bheem. She is the sweetest character in this program. Her Pink Cheeks, Crystal Clear Eyes, Cute Voice and Two Tails make her much sweeter than others. She loves her friends and always takes care of them. She also helps her mother in house chores. She always helps Bheem by giving him Laddoos on right time so that he can save everyone from the bad situation. Jaggu: Jaggu is also a friend of Bheem. He is a monkey who can speak to people. He is naughty by his character. He has fun with his friends and also helps them whenever needs. His voice is also very funny. Raju:Â   Raju is the cutest character in this program. He looks very cute and innocent with only two front hairs, one tooth and with his Blue innerwear. His sweet voice and his innocent actions show that he is naughty. Kalia: Kalia is a Pahalwaan in Dholakpur Village and always feel jealous of Bheem because of his smartness and power. He is the competitor of Bheem. He always tries to prove himself better, more powerful and smarter than Bheem but always all in vain just because of his foolishness. Dholu-Bholu: Dholu-Bholu is twins and so they look alike. They are the followers of Kalia but they never do believe on him while in any danger they believe on Bheem. Sometimes they help their guru Kalia but he never gave them any attention. Indumati: Indumati is the only daughter of King of Dholakpur Indravarma. She is also very cute. Sometimes she also joins Bheem and his Friends for some fun. She doesnt like Kalia because she always had an idea about kalia is very jealous about Bheem and his behavior is always troublesome. On the other hand, she has a soft corner with Bheem and others are friends. She always recommends seeking help from Bheem whenever the crisis occurs. Indravarma: Indravarma is the King of this village who is very kind-hearted caring about all the villagers. He believes only on Bheem whenever any danger comes on the village. He always takes care of all the villagers. Villagers of Dholakpur: Since it is a small village, the people of Dholakpur are considerably less. The shops and houses are looking similar of how we had in the earlier times. The ambiance looks real and it make us to believe. When ever the problem comes they used to inform Maharaj Indravarma. Implications We had been listened stories from our parents and grand parents. Those stories strightly had a moral at the end. At the same time, the concept and the characters in those stories were real and it could be adapted with the real life situations. Today the conent in the childrens televisions program are turned in to commercial. But Choota Bheem run successfully because of the name of the character and portrayal of his behavior, proving team spirit through out the program. On the other hand, though Bheem has always been portrayed as good person generally, in one episode they show him as stealing laddoos.Later on his action is justified by stating that he was hungry. At the end of the story, he threw a rock to stop flowing valcano. The impractical situations and behaviors signifies only fantasizing the spectators rather telling good values in an acceptable manner. In such a way, oneday Bheem safeguard his people and friends from raging bull in Dholakpur. A nine year old boy who is assumed to be brave and mightiest in character is always portrayed to fight with animals and people who are bad in character in order to prove his bravity and strength. There are four episodes which contains no significant moral values at the end. An another episode reinforce the value of helping people at the right time. Bheem helped his friend Raju who had left alone in the forest from the attack of dangerous snake and the Lion. The perceived moral of the story at the end is timely help is always appreciable. Similarly Bheem is portrayed as brave by defeating the fellow competitor called Hercules in the competition. The patriotic value has shown through his behavior at the end of the episode. This could make our children who are watching this program may have an attitude towards protecting nations fame is our responsibility when anything comes to damage our nations image that is known as patriotism. Raju admired the magical session done by the great magiciaan Jadugar. After he left, Raju found the magic wand at floor. He used it for play as his own. He changed his frends in to fruits and animals by telling wrong magic codes. Finally he was seeking the help of Jadugar uncle and realised them from the magic spell.This reinforce the value of not to interfere anything with out knowing what it is?. Bheem was tring to help the flying horse which is kidnapped by kalia.By releasing them from the custody of kalia, he proved his kindness towards animals. The story emphasizes that we should love animals. Bheem and his friends were started searching Rajus father who is abondoned during war. Bheem and his friends are searching him together and finding him out after a long journey. The story emphasizes unity is strength. A most aggressive chrocodile tries to attack the people at dholakpur. After a long try by others, Bheem recalls the old saying that is before you fight understand the strengthes and weakness of your enemy. Finally he planned accordingly and defeated the wild chrocodile. Kalia and his rowdy uncle from mumbai are planned unethical ways to win Bheem. Bheem and his friends finding their silly techniques and teaching them a lesson. This part of story signifies You will get it accordingly what do you do. Bheem and his friends are finding a cave which consists plenty of gold. Though their friends are interseted in gold, he adviced them not to take it and it belongs to the people of dholakpur. This segment contains significant moral at the end of the story that is selflessness makes a man perfect. Bheem and his friends proving once again by defeating his enemy mangal singh and saved the life of princess by giving rare medicinal plant. He reinforce the value that saving life is precious than getting reward. King Indravarma deceive himself by helping pirates to get in to their boat. Bheem released them from the pirates at the end. The episode promotes the moral such as it is not always wise to take people at their word. In the same way Bheem release the sea princess from kalia who brought her under the custody for making money. The moral represent not to exploit others. Bheem and his friends combinely running a street show to earn money in order to release his cousins father from jail. The value of this segment is honesty beats poverty. Bheem trying to release his princess from the evil power. He struggles a lot to release her and finally he won. The moral denotes A person who shares the danger ought to get the reward. Kalia misuses the magic broom and tries to harm Bheem and others, but he got punishment from the witch who has left her magicbroom at Dholakpur. Similarly Bheem reveals the truth from the cheating guy called Nutwar Lal and the dishonest prime minister of dholakpur by his intelligence. There are four episodes are emphasizing the same moral such as Harm seek, harm find. Kalia and his followers Dholu and Bholu use the time machine for their own purposes. They feel ashamed when it is not belongs to them. This segment denote the value such as false confidence often leads in to danger. Bheem and his friends use their intelligence to defeat an un indentified object which comes from the sea in an episode. The moral of the story is Presence of mind shows the way to success. Bheem overcome the issue of magic seed by taking advice of the elders. Bheem obeys elders words and solve the problem accordingly. Listening to elders advice never fails is the moral of the story at the end. Bheem was searching for a solution to win against magic giant. After long try he defeated him. The moral of the story is every problem has a solution. Among all the episodes, there are three episodes have reinforced the value such as an act of kindness is a good investment. Bheem and his friends reveals the the truth behind the cheating fellow who hides inside the tree and makes the public to believe as it is a talking tree. Finally his team members bringing him in to the king. Through this they teach us we do not believe on superstitious things. Bheem and his friends tries to change the mindset of a selffish wood cutter. He is emphasising the value

Frankenstein and Gulliver’s Travels Essay :: Character Analysis, Gulliver, Monster

Mary Shelley and Jonathan Swift were completely us†(Swift, 73). Swift doesn’t think highly of chambermaids. Swift in general portrays females, even his wife, in a rather unjust way. The girls of Brobdingnag â€Å"would strip themselves to the skin, and put on their smocks in my presence, while I was placed on their toilet directly before their naked bodies, which, I am sure, to me was very far from being a tempting sight, or from giving me any other emotions than those of horror and disgust.†(Swift 133) Gulliver’s thoughts clearly address the youth of Swift’s time. Contrary to Swift’s writing, Shelly’s Frankenstein portrays females in an esteemed fashion. Females play active roles in Frankenstein, whether to Victor or to Felix. In fact, women help Victor develop in the reader’s eyes which is impossible to notice unless they are mentioned. Elizabeth is the guiding light of Victor, before and after his maddening state of c reation. When Victor is re-united with Elizabeth he describes her in romantic fashion, â€Å"time had since I last beheld her; it had endowed her with loveliness surpassing the beauty of her childish years.† (Shelly 67) This is completely opposite to Gulliver. Whether it be his mom, Justine, or Elizabeth; Victor has positive encounters with females. It can also be noted that the Frankenstein monster â€Å"demand[s] a creature of another sex†¦ and it shall content me† (Shelly 135). This request that the monster asks for is crucial as it shows the necessary interactions between males and females that Shelly, not Swift, shows. Although both stories are completely different, they have one underlying theme that they both follow. All of the main characters of both stories point out major human flaws. Gulliver and the Frankenstein monster are depictions of human nature. Gulliver shows this through the people and societies he meets in his travels. Swift, through Gulliver, depicts the flaws of modern religion with the disputes of the Lilliputians and their beliefs of breaking â€Å"eggs at the most convenient ends† (Swift 59). The reader quickly dismisses this conflict as laughable because of the absurdity of the dispute, and this is a perfect example of Swift’s uncanny satirical powers. Swift leaves no group unscathed in his book. Gulliver ,while traveling through the Islands of Laputa, talks about scientist and their projects in that â€Å"The only inconvenience is, that none of these projects are yet brought to perfection, and in the mean time, the whole country lies miserably waste† (Swift 196).

The William Wrigley Jr. Company Essay

1.0   Introduction Identifying opportunities for corporate financial restructuring was typical for Blanka Dobrynin, a managing partner of the hedge fund Aurora Borealis LLC. In 2002, with the then debt free William Wrigley Jr. Company (Wrigley) in her sights, she asked her associate Susan Chandler to conduct research on the impact of a $3 billion debt recapitalisation on the company. This case report aims to make an informed recommendation on whether Wrigley should pursue the $3 billion debt proposal. 2.0 Optimal Capital Structure According to Miller and Modigliani’s (1958) first proposition, the value of a firm is independent of its capital structure, assuming no corporate taxes. It was later demonstrated that the existence of debt in the capital structure creates a debt shield that increases the value of the firm by the present value of the tax shield (Miller & Modigliani, 1963). This line of reasoning implies that debt financing adds significant value to the firm and an optimal capital structure occurs with 100% debt. However, this is an unlikely outcome in reality with restrictions imposed by lending institutions, bankruptcy costs and the need for preserving financial flexibility implying that management will maintain a substantial reserve of borrowing power (Miller & Modigliani, 1963). These imperfections have since been discussed as additional factors when determining an optimal capital  structure. The trade off theory suggests that an optimal capital structure may be achieved by determining the trade-off between tax shields and the costs of financial distress (Kraus & Litzenberger, 1973). The presence of tax shields means that the optimal capital structure decision is unique for each firm (DeAngelo & Masulis, 1980). High levels of debt can lead to indirect bankruptcy costs and financial distress costs which relate generally the costs associated with going bankrupt or avoiding bankruptcy. At high debt levels, the benefit of debt may be offset by financial distress costs. It appears that the optimal cash structure exists somewhere in the middle. Jensen and Meckling (1976) noted the existence of ‘agency costs of debt’. These costs arise when equity holders act in their own interest rather than the firm’s interest. As Wrigley is a family owned company it is unlikely that agency costs will be an issue. 3.0 Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) The question that underlies the decision to pursue the debt proposal is whether Wrigley is efficiently financed without debt. In this report, the WACC will be the main factor when determining whether Wrigley is efficiently financed. The WACC is the minimum return that a company needs to satisfy all of its investors, which is also the – it is the required rate of return on the overall firm. The value of Wrigley will be maximized when its WACC is minimized. This report will examine the optimal capital structure as the one that produces the lowest possible WACC. WACC is one of the most important methods in assessing a company’s financial health, both for internal use, such as capital budgeting, and external use, such as valuing investments or companies. It is able to provide an insight into the cost of financing and can be used as a hurdle rate for investment decisions. It can also be used to find the best capital structure for the company. The WACC can be used as a rough guide to the interest rate per monetary unit of capital (Pratt & Grabowski, 2008). The WACC method can be considered a better indicator than other methods such as earnings per share (EPS) or earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) because it takes into consideration the relative weight of each component of a company’s capital structure (Armitage, 2005). The calculation uses the market values of the components rather than the book values as these values may differ significantly. The components WACC takes into consideration include internal and external factors such as equity, debt, warrants, options, pension liabilities, executive stock options and government subsidies (Hazel, 1999); whereas the EPS and EBIT calculations only take into consideration the internal factors, such as total earnings. of the company and However, the earnings reported by a company may not be a reliable value, as they tend to report more favourable values as opposed to the true amounts. However, as the WACC is calculated according to M&M theory, some of the input parameters can be difficult to ascertain. This is due to the uncertainty that exists in the market that would influence the outcome. Another issue limitation with the WACC, is that it relies on the assumption made in the M&M propositions, which do not necessarily apply in the real world. Some assumptions that do not apply include the fact that transaction costs exist and individuals and corporations do not borrow at the same rate. Referring to Appendix 1, the calculations show a slight increase in the WACC after the $3 billion debt is acquired. This change is more profound when using the 10 year US treasury rate as the risk free return – an increase from 10.11% to 10.28% for the WACC. Therefore it appears that the optimal capital structure for Wrigley would be one containinginclude no debt as this provides the lowest WACC. 4.0 Estimating the effect of the recapitalisation on: 4.1 Share value In an efficient market, it is assumed that the share price will change  quickly to reflect investors changing perceptions about the new debt issue. The effect of the recapitalisation on the share price can be summarised by Miller and Modigliani’s adjusted NPV formula: Post-recapitalisation equity value = Pre-recapitalisation equity value + Present value of debt tax shields + Present value of distress related costs + SignalingSignalling, incentive & clientele effects Assuming the debt will continue into perpetuity, the present value of the $3 billion debt would be $1.2 billion. Using the post recapitalisation value of equity incorporating the tax shield of $1.2 billion, the stock price is increased from $56.37 to $61.51. The remaining factors of this equation are very difficult to ascertain. The present value of the distress related costs could be assumed to be the value of a put option on the debt. Nevertheless, it could be assumed that financial distress costs would be negligible in Wrigley’s situation, as it is a market leader with a strong financial position. It is very difficult to estimate the cost of signalingsignalling and clientele effects and it is necessary to bear this in mind when looking at the increase on share price as it does not fully reflect all relevant considerations. 4.2 Level of Flexibility Financial flexibility refers to the ability of a firm to respond in a timely and value-maximizing manner to unexpected changes in the firm’s cash flows or investment opportunity set (Dennis, 2011). Chief Financial Officers surveyed by Graham and Harvey (2001) state that financial flexibility is the most important determinant of corporate capital structure (Graham and Harvey, 2001). A flexible capital structure can be achieved by preserving access to low-cost sources of capital. DeAngelo and DeAngelo (2011) argue that firms should optimally maintain low levels of leverage in most periods in order to be better equipped to cope with the adverse consequences of exogenous shocks. They also argue that firms should maintain low leverage and high dividend payouts in â€Å"normal† periods in order to preserve the option to borrow or issue equity in future â€Å"abnormal† periods characterised by earnings short  falls and/or lucrative investment opportunities. The financial flexibility of Wrigley will be reduced as borrowing $3 billion now will lower their ability to borrow in the future if there are any lucrative investment opportunities or cope with any unexpected exogenous shocks to the market and themselves. 4.3 Mix of Debt and Equity Considerations have to be made when evaluating the recapitalisation of Wrigley’s capital structure by adding debt. A concern of Wrigley is deciding the debt ratio which optimizes the overall value of the firm. Companies are often inclined to choose debt over equity as the cost of debt is cheaper due to the tax shield created. With the addition of $3 billion of debt in Wrigley’s capital structure, the tax shields benefit will increase the equity value by $1.2 billion. The estimation of the tax benefits are assumed under the condition that Wrigley will maintain debt value of $3 billion in perpetuity. As a result of $3 billion payout, the value of equity will decline by $1.8 billion which will be offset by the present value of the debt tax shield ($1.2 billion). Wrigley’s debt/equity level after recapitalisation will be 78% and 22% debt. The traditional view is that taking on higher levels of debt could potentially generate more earnings on positive NPV projects which could increase the company’s value. Although it should be noted that considerations have to be made at what which point, debt becomes more costly to Wrigley in terms of increased risk to shareholders. Assessing Wrigley’s optimal debt level, it suggests that the optimal point would be not taking on any debt. By taking on debt, Wrigley’s credit rating will fall from AAA to BB/B, as it would be increasing it’s risk levels of financial distress and risk of bankruptcy cost. Assessing From this, it can be recommended that Wrigley’s optimal debt level, it suggests that the optimal point would be not taking on any debt.having minimal debt. 4.4 Reported earnings per share Before the proposed recapitalisation, Wrigley will have no minimal debt. If Wrigley does not have any income, they still need to pay the interest on the debt, so EPS will be negative. Referring to Appendix 2, the two lines intersect where EBIT is $1.70 billion and EPS is $12.21. This is the break-even point – if EBIT is above this point leverage is beneficial. If Wrigley’s income was higher than $1.70 billion, they could should take the $3 billion debt. In fact, the current income is only $0.51 billion therefore according to a breakeven EBIT analysis, Wrigley should not pursue the debt. 5.0 Other matters for the board’s consideration 5.1 Effect on Voting Control Assuming the $3billion is used either for a dividend payout or share repurchase, only the second option would alter the amount of shares outstanding. The Wrigley family already controlled 21% of the common stock and 58% of the Class B common stock, which had superior voting rights attached. A $3 billion share repurchase would substantially increase the voting control of the Wrigley family, however the family was already in a majority position so voting control would not be substantially different. A strong controlling majority is highly advantageous in deterring potential mergers and acquisitions. 5.2 Clientele and Signaling effects In general, companies that take on debt signal to investors that the company is in a good financial position as it is able to make future interest repayments. If the debt were used for a dividend payout, this would signal to investors that the company is doing well and increase the stock price. However, using the debt for a share repurchase might have a clientele effect  on potential investors that prefer dividend payouts. These investors could potentially sell their remaining stock in reaction to the share buyback resulting in the stock price falling. 6.0 Conclusion The WACC indicated that taking on $3b of debt would reduce the value of Wrigley company. This value could change, provided the Wrigley company had an investment opportunity or plan to use the newly obtained debt of $3b. The WACC value may be disregarded or adjusted if Wrigley had a high NPV project to invest in or provided a specific use for the funds. However, in the current situation, there is no indication of the reasons for Wrigley to take on the debt and thus they are unnecessarily restricting their financial flexibility. This could prove costly in the future if there are any unexpected negative shocks to the market or Wrigley may miss out on a highly lucrative investment opportunity due to their inability to borrow more. Therefore it is our recommendation that the Wrigley company does not take on the $3b of new debt as it would reduce the total value of the company at this point in time. 7.0 References Armitage, S. (2005). The Cost of Capital: Intermediate Theory. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. DeAngelo H., & DeAngelo, L., (2006) Capital Structure, Payout Policy, and Financial Flexibility, University of Southern California working paper. DeAngelo, H., & R.W. Masulis. (1980) Optimal Capital Structure under Corporate and Personal Taxation. Journal of Financial Economics 8, 3-29. DeAngelo, H., DeAngelo, L., & Whited T.M., (2011) Capital structure dynamics and transitory debt. Journal of Financial Economics, 99, 235–261. Denis, D J. (2011) Financial Flexibility and Corporate Liquidity. Journal of Corporate Finance, 17(3), 667-674. J.R. Graham, & C.R. Harvey., (2001) The theory and practice of corporate finance: evidence from the field. Journal of Finance and Economics 60, 187–243. Jensen, M., & Meckling, W. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs, and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics 3, 305-360. Johnson, H. (1999). Determining Cost of Capital: The Key to Firm Value. London: FT Prentice Hall. Kraus, A., & R.H. Litzenberger. (1973) A State Preference Model of Optimal Financial Leverage. Journal of Finance (September), 911-922. Modigliani, F., & M.H. Miller. (1958). The Costs of Capital, Corporate Finance, and the Theory of Investment. American Economic Review, 48 (June), 261-297. Modigliani, F., & M.H. Miller. (1963). Corporate Income Taxes and the Cost of Capital: A Correction. American Economic Review 53 (June), 433-443. Pratt, Shannon P., & Roger J. Grabowski. (2008) Cost of Capital: Applications and Examples. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.