The reality of arms trade compared to its depiction in popular Essay

The reality of arms trade compared to its depiction in popular Hollywood Movie - Essay Example Arms Trade has impeded the prosperity of this world and its negative effects are just increasing as it has become a nuisance for the well-being of the people.The global arms industry comprises of various governments and individual commercial companies who manufacture and sell weapons and other advanced form of military technology and equipment. This industry has grown in both volume and its reach. Now more and more developing countries are being served by these arms producing entities. A huge sum of cash is being spent on research, development, manufacture and supply of military equipment to the developing world. These defense contractors produce guns, ammunition, military aircraft, missile and other defense related equipment. Experts estimate that nearly 1.5 trillion dollars are wasted on the various military expenditures worldwide. Although the percentage has come down from 4% in 1990 to 2.7% at present, the volume has increased significantly and the sale has been focused more towa rds the economically deprived countries. (Shah, World Military Spending) These countries lack enough funds to provide for the well-being of its people but somehow they manage to spend a substantial amount of their GDP on defense budgets. The movie Lord of War does portray a true picture of the global arms industry existing in the world. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the degree of its reality is different since these things are hidden from the general public. The incidents depicted in this movie clearly highlight how in real life certain factors push one to pursue the worst of jobs. The life story of Yuri portrays him as a person caught up in a situation where he has to deal in arms trade in order to give others a chance to protect themselves. His initial intention is to provide the people with a necessity of life, but later on he turns into an arms dealer who builds contacts and uses his networks to sell arms and ammunition without caring for the lives of others. The way the t rade has been shown, where force and power has been used to get hold of weapons, is a true picture of reality. Arms trade is one of the deadliest causes of chaos in the world. It not only allows military dictators to rule ruthlessly over the population but also gives them the power to continue their suppression and oppression over the suffering population. The deal that is struck between the arms lord and the dealer is usually of millions of dollars and both parties are completely unresponsive to the effects such transactions would have over the future of their nations. The use of such arms is highly questionable; on one end these deals are struck to protect the people from the ruthless rule of their dictators, and on the other it is seen as a source of strengthening the grip of evil doers over the sufferers. For instance, the movie story shows that it was apparent that the deal between the African military ruler and the arms dealer would bring about a massacre of nearby villages an d loss of thousands of lives, but still the deal was carried out. It is likely that the dealer is rarely concerned about the interests of the people who will suffer as a result of these weapon deals. It has been debated also depicted in the movie that after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, thousands of AK-47 and other Russian weaponry flowed into the hands of arms dealers. Since it was lying idle in warehouses and military depots, Russian military generals illegally sold them to arms dealers around the globe in order to make their personal gains. This surely resulted in the availability of one of the best assault rifles of all times and was soon seen in the hands of mobsters and warlords on all continents. It is astonishing to know that around 76% of world’s total expenditure is accounted on defense budgets. This amounts to a humungous $1.22 trillion, out of which 42.8% comes from the United States. (Sipri, Recent trends in military expenditure) This reveals that no matter what

Should stem cell transplants be done Essay Example for Free

Should stem cell transplants be done Essay Stem cell transplants are often one of the last choices a patient has to survive cancer. All have already gone through chemotherapy, radiation therapy or both and this is the next step in their treatment. Patients have two choices in transplants autologous or allogeneic. In an autologous transplant stem cells are collected from the patient and then given back to them at a later date after the body has been properly prepared for transplantation. In an allogeneic transplant stem cells are collected from a donor, related or unrelated to the patient, then transplanted into the patient. Stem cells can be collected in two different ways. One way is via bone marrow and the other is via peripheral blood. The donor’s or patient’s bone marrow is collected from the pelvis, femur or sternum, though the pelvis is the most common, and then infused into the patient via a central line. In a peripheral blood stem cell collection the donor or the patient has their stem cells collected via a central line in a process called apheresis. This can take multiple collections to ensure enough stem cells for transplantation. Both procedures need to be meticulously planned and all support medications given to ensure successful collection. There are many cancers that stem cell transplants are commonly used for. Multiple myeloma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease and chronic myelogenous leukemia are more commonly treated with transplantation. Each of these cancers has a different success rate, some have a higher success rates than with chemotherapy alone. Proper preparation is important for stem cell transplants. All patients undergo chemotherapy prior to transplantation. This is used to clear out the bone marrow of cells to ensure a successful transplant. Also most patients have already undergone chemotherapy in hopes of curing their cancer without having to have a stem cell transplant. Chemotherapy is not the only medication used to aid in transplants. Patients generally receive G-CSF injections to help promote cell production prior to harvest and to aid in engraftment. Transplantation is not without risks, patients can experience fatigue, infections, lowered red blood cells and platelets or even graft versus host disease. These can all be treated though with good supportive care by the physicians and other support staff. Research shows that stem cell transplants should be done in certain cases because it can allow a greater quality of life by ridding the body of cancer and promoting healthy cell growth and allowing a patient to have other options of therapies to overcome cancer. Multiple myeloma is one of the cancers that can have successful outcomes by a stem cell transplant. Though research shows this is not a true curative treatment for patients, it can give them a chance at a longer life. Both autologous and allogeneic transplants can be done for multiple myeloma though allogeneic transplants are more successful. Bruno et al, (2007) attributes this to the inability of the pre-transplant chemotherapy to eradicate all myeloma cells. Also allografting using stem cells from a HLA-identical sibling has higher success rates than transplants using non HLA-identical siblings. Another cancer that has successful outcomes after transplantation is acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Kiehl et al, (2004) shows that up to 46% of patients who receive an allogeneic transplant have successful disease free survival. Higher risk patients and patients who are in their second complete remission should undergo a stem cell transplant for a greater chance at long term survival. Those who are in their third complete remission, or have had induction failure, have a lower chance at a successful transplant with disease free survival. As stated by Kiehl et al, (2004) these patients only have a 5-15% chance of long term survival despite transplantation. The allogeneic donor can either be related or unrelated, though the donor of choice is a matched sibling. This is not always possible so transplantation should go ahead with and unrelated donor. Hodgkin’s disease can be successfully cured with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, though some patients will need transplantation at some point. Research by Sureda et al, (2001) shows that these patients can achieve long term survival after an autologous stem cell transplant. These patients have generally relapsed after initial chemotherapy or have refractory disease. Poorer outcomes after transplantation can be found in patients who have a short remission period or bulky disease at time of transplantation. This is not a deciding factor in not attempting a transplant though. Stem cell transplants continue to be the only curative option for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Most of these patients receive an allogeneic transplant though some undergo and autologous if no donors are available. Maziaz and Mauro, (2004) show that an allogeneic transplant from a sibling donor had a 60% disease free survival at 5 years. Autologous transplants have an 80% survival rate at 5 years though these patients are only in remission not truly disease free. Age, other health factors, and donor availability are factors to be considered prior to transplant. Maziarz and Mauro, (2003) bring up the question of non-transplant therapy by using Imatinib. This medication is still being researched regarding its efficacy and curative rates. This could be an option for patients who are too ill to undergo a transplant. Stem cell transplants are reliant on multiple medications prior to and after transplantation. Chemotherapies are used to ablate the bone marrow and ready it for production of new healthy cells. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor, G-CSF, is used pre and post transplantation. This medication assists in cell production for a successful harvest and then for successful engraftment. High dose chemotherapies such as Ifosfamide, Carboplatin and Etoposide are often used prior to transplantation. (Schlemmer et al, 2006, Straka et al, 20003) These medications ready the bone marrow for transplantation by destroying cells, both good and bad. Elderly patients and patients who cannot tolerate full dose therapy are often given doses at a decreased rate. This does not decrease the chances of a successful transplantation. (Straka et al, 2003) Without obliteration of all cells successful engraftment could not happen. The stem cells would be overrun by cancerous cells and the disease would continue. This is one reason why so much chemotherapy is given prior to transplantation. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor, G-CSF, is a very important part of stem cell transplantation. It stimulates the bone marrow to produce more leukocytes. G-CSF is used both pre and post transplantation. When used pre transplantation it helps produce more lymphocytes that are then harvested for transplantation. Post transplantation it is used to support engraftment and decrease neutropenia. Samaras et al, (2010) states the use of G-CSF can reduce the time to engraftment and potentially lower the risk for post-transplant infections. There are different side effects and complications that can arise from transplantation. As the body is prepared for transplantation, the body is stripped of its natural defenses against infection. With no white cells to help battle against opportunistic infections a patient can become extremely ill. They are also at risk for anemia and thrombocytopenia as the chemotherapy also destroys red blood cells and platelets. This is one reason patients are kept in the hospital for many days during high doses of chemotherapy. They are also at continued risk after transplantation until engraftment and cell recovery happens. Another major side effect that can happen is graft versus host disease (GVHD). This is where the donor cells perceive the recipient’s body as foreign and begin to attack the body. There are 4 grades of graft versus host disease and they can either be acute or chronic. Acute GVHD generally happens as the new cells are engrafting into the host body. Chronic GVHD can happen years later and is more severe in effects to the body. In the acute phases of GVHD the patient can be treated and cured by the use of short term immunosuppressant therapy and steroids. Long term immunosuppression can lessen the effects on the body in chronic GVHD. This in itself can lead to infections due to chronic immunosuppression. (Kiehl et al, 2004, Bruno et al, 2007) Most patients experience some level of fatigue while recovering from transplants. This can be exacerbated by nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, sleep issues and other side effects of transplantation. As patients experience more fatigue they become less inclined to do further activities. It is important to treat all symptoms effectively and encourage patients to be up and moving. This can shorten hospital stays and lessen the chances of infections. (Hacker et al, 2006) Stem cell transplants though complicated and risky are still one of the best choices for many patients. They can be the last chance at survival for patients as well as the best option for the possibility of longer life living with cancer. Relapse and failure of transplant are risks that patients choose to take. There is a complex series of chemotherapy and supportive medications for transplant, but without these, transplantation would not be possible at all. Though side effects can happen, the benefits far outweigh the risks associated with transplantation. Research shows that stem cell transplants should be done in certain cases because it can allow a greater quality of life by ridding the body of cancer and promoting healthy cell growth and allowing a patient to have other options of therapies to overcome cancer. As the years continue and further research is done stem cell transplants will become the first step in caring for cancer patients.

Quantum Cryptography Essay -- Codes Cryptography Symbols Essays

Quantum Cryptography Keeping secrets and passing information that is undetected has long been the goal of cryptographers. Codes have been written and then broken keeping cryptographers in constant search for the unbreakable code. Until recently, that goal seemed unreachable; however, a solution to the once impossible question seems to have surfaced. Quantum cryptography delves down into the world of very small particles, where there are entirely new ways of building ciphers. ("Arrives" 2) Quantum cryptography is a relatively recent discovery in the world of cryptography and is still being tested by the government for distance and practicality. Most recently, researchers at government-owned QinetiQ PLC and Ludwig-Maximilans-University demonstrated a nighttime key exchange using quantum cryptography over 23.4 km between the mountaintops at Zugspitze and Karwendelspitze in Germany (Bains 1). To understand how quantum cryptography works, one must first be familiar with the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. According to Heisenberg, when one tries to measure a quantum particle (a very small particle), the particle is altered in such a way that your measurement cannot be completely accurate. The particle is disturbed and its appearance before the attempted measurement can no longer be determined. ("Arrives" 3). In quantum cryptography, there are four different particles. The particles are identified by their positions: – (horizontal); | (vertical); / (left diagonal); \ (right diagonal). The particles are measured by the receiver with a filter, and predictably, the vertical filter allows vertical particles through, the horizontal filter allows horizontal particles through, and so on. Here, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle thro... ...he key that Bob is using, Alice is free to read any message Bob sends; however, Bob will be at a loss to decipher anything that Alice sends his way. While it is virtually impossible to eavesdrop using quantum cryptography, the system is only as reliable as the sender and the recipient. Works Cited "Special Report: Quantum Cryptography Arrives." PC Magazine. 6 pages. 6 August 2002. Article A90181639 (Infotrac). Bains, Sunny. "Alice and Bob grow apart. (Quantum Cryptography)." Laser Focus World. 2 pages. May 2002. v. 38. i.5. Article A86506297 (Infotrac). "The end of the code war? Quantum cryptography; The uncertainty principle and codes. (Science and Technology)." The Economist (US). 3 pages. 23 June 2001. Article A75710312 (Infotrac). Peterson, Ivars. "Quantum Cheating." Science News. 2 pages. 14 June 1997. v.151i. 24. Article A19524070 (Infotrac).

Economics and Global Business Applications Essay

Elasticity of demand is a measure of responsiveness to a price change of a good or service. When demand is elastic, the percentage of a price change of a product will result in a larger percentage of quantity demanded (McConnell, p 77). It basically means reducing the price of a good service will result in a greater quantity demanded and an increase in revenue for the seller. When demand is inelastic, a change in price will result in a reduction of quantity demanded, which will then lead to a revenue decrease (McConnell, p 77). To demonstrate elastic and inelastic demand results, Company A sells 100 pens at $1.00 a piece each day, making their revenue $100.00. Company A then decides to sell their pens at $.50, which results in a total of 250 pens being sold. The total revenue from the price drop is $125, resulting in an additional $25.00; therefore the demand in this scenario is elastic. If selling the pens at the decreased price of $.50 would result in more pens being sold, but less total revenue, the demand is said to inelastic. According to McConnell, when demand in unit elastic, the percentage change in price and the resulting percentage changes in demand are the same. The change in price will not increase or decrease revenue. Cross price elasticity measures the response of demand to a change in price of another substitute or complimentary good (McConnell, p. 87). Substitute goods are goods that can be purchased in place of another good. Examples of substitute goods are soda (buying Coke vs. Pepsi), computers, and potato chips. A positive cross elasticity of demand means the increase of price in one good, for example Coca-Cola, will increase the demand of a substitute good, for example Pepsi. As the price for Coke increases, consumers are more likely to purchase Pepsi at a lower price, thereby increasing its demand. Complementary goods are items that are typically purchased in conjunction within one another. Examples are ringed binders and notebook paper, pencils and erasers, and potato chips and dip. A negative cross elasticity of demand in complementary goods means that the increase in price of one good, an example being potato chips, will decrease the demand for the complementary product that goes with it, the dip. Income elasticity measures the responsiveness of consumers to changes in their incomes (McConnell, p 88). Demand for normal goods tends to increase as consumers’ incomes increase and conversely, demand for inferior goods tends to decrease as consumers’ income increases. Demand is elastic where there is a large availability of substitutes. The reason for this as the price of a good increases, if there is a large amount of substitutes for this particular good, the consumer will choose the substitute. As discussed earlier, soda is an excellent example of this elasticity. Airline tickets are another example. As one airline raises its cost of a ticket or to even pay for a bag to be checked, a consumer will more likely choose a cheaper ticket or an airline that doesn’t charge for baggage over the original. If there is no (or a very limited) amount of substitutes for a good, elasticity is said to be negative. A price change in medication will not likely change the behavior of a consumer relative to demand since there isn’t a substitute to taking the medication. Household utilities are another example of a limited amount of substitutes. In discussing the proportion if one’s income devoted to a good concept, the household budget comes into play. In a given month, households pay for many different good and services. A change in price may or may not affect the households demand for those goods and services. Often, it is dependant on how much of the household budget is devoted to that good or service. Mobile phone service is an excellent example of a service that will most likely have a large amount of a household budget dedicated to it. A change in price in the cell phone service will most likely result in that family making a decision to change to a cheaper service, since that will have a large impact on their budget. On the other hand, that same household may purchase light bulbs each month. The amount of money dedicated to the purchase of light bulbs is so small, that a price increase will not likely affect the budget, therefore the family will not likely make a decision to change to a cheaper bulb. The concept of time when discussing demand is important. When a consumer has a large amount of time to decide on the purchase of a good or service, the elasticity is positive. Conversely, if there is little time, the elasticity is said to be negative. According to McConnell, and excellent example of this is gasoline for automobiles. Gasoline prices change daily and more often than not, prices rise. A family, who owns a car and is dependent on that car for work, etc, will not likely stop buying gas in the sort-term, because it is crucial to their everyday living. However, that family over a long period of time may decide to find alternate means of travel, decreasing their demand for gas. Using the graphs for elasticity of demand and total revenue, areas of elasticity, inelasticity and unit elasticity have been identified. Demand is elastic between the prices of $80.00 and $50.00, meaning the demand increases as the price decreases, resulting in an increase of total revenue. Between the prices of $50.00 and $40.00, the demand in unit elastic, meaning the percentage of drop in price resulted in the same percentage of increase in demand. Revenue remained unchanged in this price range. Between the prices of $40.00 and $0, the demand is inelastic, meaning the price drop has resulted in an increase in demand, but not enough to over come the decrease. Total revenue has been negatively impacted.

Leadership theme in Othello

William Shakespeare is one of the most profound writers that ever existed; his books have touched almost all aspects of life. I was drawn by Othello because of the natural skill and brilliance the author used. How Shakespeare builds character of the protagonists and antagonists is out of this world; the sequence of scenes and vocabulary in use is also unparalleled. Not only in Othello but also in his other plays. Love and romance is one of the themes that his plays revolved on; we can say he used it as device to attract more readers and viewers, but if we look at it as a non marketing tool we can also say that he centered in it to confuse the authorities of England that were ruthless when it came to dealing with anti government policies, e.g colonialism. I solely deployed the review method of research as it would give me the filtered thoughts of professionals on the matter. That said, neo-classic literature critics have come to a truce that Othello is a play that lays bare the qualities of a true leader and how the leadership can influence the political and economic sector. These traits can be laid bare if one deciphers the underlying message in the characters actions and words. All characters have different traits so I paid keen attention to the protagonist and antagonist; Othello and Lago. Their smooth distinction and how ones opinions and suggestions could affect the other lays bare the desirable and undesirable traits in leadership. The main purpose of this review is to try and show Shakespeare's honorable audience that there is more to his plays than just love themes. Leadership theme in OthelloI will have to begin this introduction by a praise to the play master himself; William Shakespeare. At the beginning of the play the writer portrays Othello as a very indecisive man and still hard lined to his shortcomings. Later on, the character takes a paradigm shift and he is able to be adored by the audience. This is made possible by his selfless actions capped with eloquent enticing skills. Lago who is the villain is seemingly attached to the main character, staying true to his malicious cause; he leads to the memorable demise of Othello. How this two interact should be an eye opener for leaders to be cautious and very selective of the company they keep and how that company influences his thoughts and delivery when in and out of duty. At the onset of the play we might have a likable feeling towards Lago but when detailing on the triggers of his actions we will see that he was created to clearly show shortcomings of any leader and what happens to them if they pushed to the breaking point by wrong influences. Lago's treacherous act were driven by human desires; he wanted Cassio's post as a lieutenant and that was his reason for spreading the rumor to his boss that his wife was having a secret affair with his enemy. We must also marvel at how Lago drew the equation and fixed Brabantio in it as he knew how much he detested the affair Othello had with Desdemona. The obvious notion that Lago had was that Othello would kill his competition. In contrast of notions and deeds, we see that Othello had positive thoughts and his dear friend and he even defended when need arose. Their relation only proves how any person can be vulnerable to deceit and self destruction. It is sad that Othello let Lago control his thoughts and deeds. The sequence of the scenes and how Othello behaves in different surroundings also profiles him as a very noble person. The scenes shift between being tense, romantic and spiteful, despite this we realize that protagonist behaves benevolently in most of them until the point he felt that he could take it no more; thanks to Lago. When cruising through the scenes, we realize that Lago has somewhat become the central character as when he is not there, his shadow is seen in how Othello behaves. The level of contact and communication between these two characters even surpasses how the protagonist relates to his own wife; Desdemona. The underlying message here is that the theme of leadership is the one that is on emphasis. The post Othello holds in the society and his racial background also gives the dynamics how leadership selection and election should be. The cases presented to the senate show a leader should behave and how cases should be handled. I think the last scenes were scripted to intentionally lean on the romantic theme so that the audience attention doesn't waver or as had said before; so that the authorities couldn't smell malice in the writing. Materials and methodsThe materials used were the play; OTHELLO written by William Shakespeare and the online articles that supported the analysis that leadership theme was central in the play in question. To get a clear view of the topic I had to keenly analyze the scenes in the play, notice the mood how the protagonist and antagonist behaved in them. I also used psychology scholarly articles to justify if the characters actions came out naturally or if there was a modicum of restraint and moderation despite the outward triggers to behave wildly. I gave an economic touch to this research by stating if the traits portrayed were beneficial or detrimental if possessed by leaders in organizations. Results obtainedThere was mixture of both bad and good qualities when Othello was the man in question. Among the good traits he possessed that made an astounding leader and likable characters were;Taking responsibility, he proved this when Lago came to warn him about the vengeful search that Brabantio had launched on him. Brabantio had an obvious dislike for Othello as he thought that he had used charm and voodoo to woe Desdemona, we can say that Brabantio used this claim on our protagonist as he was not from a white descent. Despite the warning and imminent threat of destruction that the latter faced, he stood firm to his ground as swore not to flee; a matter which he fulfilled (pluckrose-2017). He was ready to face the consequences if need be because he believed that what he did was true. He showed respect to his foes and elders whenever he was addressing them, such a scenario were when he was presented to the senate to answer a case where Brabantio had accused him of charming his daughter. He praised the senators by referring to them as his very noble and approved masters. The word masters is emphasized cause it meant that despite his post, he still acknowledged that he fell under the laws of the land.He was a peace maker; this was evident when an infuriated Brabantio approached him with his swordsmen. Instead of reacting in panic, fear or anger, he diffused the tension with a joke and proved he was a peace maker. It is evident that he had skills in war and he would have opted to use them in that moment if he was a selfish and ruthless leader. He opted not to because he knew there are civilized ways of solving matters.His composed and eloquent character made him stand out in all the scenes, the writer made it appear like he was the most learned person in the whole play. He maintains his composure When being presented at the senate for heinous claims and still achieves a rhyme when speaking, he says signor†¦masters..daughter†¦and her in one sentence. We see some senators showing admiration to the protagonist.Jealousy and gullibility are some of the negative traits that Othello exhibits. He lets Lago's words get into his and hood his judgment. He tends to lay so much trust in the antagonist that he doesn't bother verifying the authenticity of the words; a matter that culminated to his tragic demise. The jealous he feels for the rumored relationship between his wife and Cassio prove him emotionally weak, also a matter that leads to the tragic end of the play.He thought Self depreciation warranted him to depreciate Cassio's abilities. He acknowledged his own weaknesses and assumed that his love opponent that was a much lesser man than him. This is a very worrying trait for a business leader to posses as it doesn't lead to solving of a problem. He was overconfident in his doings and words. He used outrageous words to demean Cassio and filled his head with ideas that Cassio was lesser man hence could not compete with him in any way. It is by this assumptions that he starting plotting to kill his wife and her purported lover.He was emotionally weak. This trait was not evident at the beginning when he stayed to meet eye to eye with Brabantio but when he let Lago get into his head he lost his entire cool and behaved like an uncivilized moron by ending his own life. Discussion and conclusionFrom the above results we notice that all men can be vulnerable to bad influence, if only Othello had kept Lago a little bit far from him they he would have maintained his reputation as a perfect leader. The positive traits that have elaborated can help the managers in decision making and situation handling in the corporate world (stein-2005). A leader must learn to be responsible and accountable for his own actions when he feels that what he did was right. Even if he is wrong, he must judge himself harshly as failure leads to experience. From Othello's descent we learn that race does not determine ones traits, Othello was not a pure white man but he proved to be wiser and more composed than Lago. With inference from the original text and the examples I used, we reach a conclusion that leadership is truly the main theme in the play and that love is only used as style to attract the audience and capture its attention. ReferencesAn online article written by Helen Pluckrose on 19th January 2017Evolution psychology in the humanities: Shakespeare's Othellohttps://areomagazine.com/2017/01/19/evolution-psychology-in-the-humanities-shakespeare-othello/Scholarly journal by M Stein written in 2005The Othello conundrum: the inner contagion of leadershiphttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0170840605055339

Treasure Island Essays - English-language Films, Lost Films

Treasure Island Essays - English-language Films, Lost Films Treasure Island Treasure Island The title of this book is Treasure Island. It is written by Robert Lewis Stevenson and takes place mainly on Treasure Island. There were many characters in this story but the most substantial were; Jim Hawkins the cabin boy/narrator; Long John Silver the captain; David Livesey the ships doctor; Pew the blind-beggar; and John Trelawney the owner of the ship. After the Captain had died from an overdose of Rum, Dr. Livesey looked through the Captains coat and there he found a book. Later Dr. Livesey, Jim, and the squire looked through the book the doctor had found, the doctor opened the seals with great care, and there fell out the map of an island. It had the latitude and longitude, soundings, names of hills, bays, and inlets, and every detail that would be needed to bring a ship to a safe anchorage upon the island. In three weeks time Hawkins shall come as cabin boy. You, Livesey, are ship's doctor; I am admiral. The ship was already bought and fitted. It lied at anchor, ready for sea. The two hundred-ton ship was named Hispaniola. They were ready to go treasure hunting. Well since they didnt have a Captain they had to find someone they knew was an experienced sailor-man, and above all, they could trust. So they told Jim where he could find a man of that caliber by the name of Long John Silver. When Jim reached his destination he looked around and found some one that he thought met the description of a sailor. He went up to the man and said, Long John? The man replied. It happened to be the person Jim was looking for. So Jim told him the plan about the treasure hunt. Long John wasnt too thrilled about the idea of treasure hunting (since he had had bad experiences treasure hunting), but he agreed to it any ways. The voyage was long but the crew proved them selfs worthy. As they steadily approached the island Jim was feeling sick, he said to himself perhaps it was the look of the island with its gray, melancholy woods, and wild stone spires, and the surf that I could see and hear foaming and thundering on the steep beach. Although the sun shone bright and hot, and the shore birds were fishing and crying all around them, you would have thought anyone would have been glad to get to land after being so long at sea, Jims heart sank, as the saying is, into my boots; and from the first look onward, he hated the very thought of Treasure Island. Out, lads, out, and fight 'em in the open! Cutlasses! cried the captain. Round the house, lads! Round the house! cried the captain. And yet, in this breath of time, the fight was over and the victory was ours. These words were spoken during the brutal fight between the pirates and the crew of the Hispaniola while on the island. The climax was when the crew aboard the Hispaniola finally found the treasure in a secluded location as the map had stated. In the treasure there were many different things such as. English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Georges, and Louises, doubloons and double guineas and moidores and sequins, the pictures of all the kings of Europe for the last hundred years. Strange Oriental pieces stamped with what looked like wisps of string or bits of spider's web. Round pieces and square pieces, and pieces bored through the middle, as if to wear them round your neck nearly every variety of money in the world must, I think, have found a place in that collection. Well, to make a long story short, they got a few hands on board, made a good cruise home, and the Hispaniola reached Bristol. Five men only of those who had sailed returned with her. Drink and the devil had done for the rest. All the men had a sufficient share of treasure. Nothing would bring Jim back to that accursed island; and the worst dreams that hell ever have are when he hears the surf booming about its coasts or start upright in his bed with the sharp voice of Captain Flint

The Scarlet Letter Themes and Symbols

The Scarlet Letter Themes and Symbols The Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne’s 1850 novel of a 17th century adulterous affair in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, centers on several themes that would have been very meaningful to the highly religious, pre-industrial community in which it is set: the nature of shame and judgment; the differences between our public and private lives; and the conflict between scientific and religious beliefs. Additionally, several important symbols pop up throughout the novel to highlight these themes, including the scarlet letter, the scaffold, and Pearl. Through the use of these themes and symbols, Hawthorne constructs a world of Puritanical guilt and redemption in the earliest days of America’s history. Shame and Judgment The novel’s most central theme is that of shame and judgment- it is the focal point of the story’s first scene, when Hester Prynne is publicly ridiculed on the scaffold in the town square, and it permeates nearly every part of the book from there on. Prynne is forced to wear the eponymous token over her clothes for the rest of her days in the colony, which is itself a judgment she must endure, as well as an ever-present symbol of her shame and lowly position in the community. As such, wherever she goes she is quickly identified as the person who committed adultery, an act for which the townspeople pass judgment on her, causing her, in turn, to feel some degree of shame. This comes to a head when the townspeople try to take Pearl away from Prynne, an act that mostly stems from their misguided assumptions and views of the mother and daughter. Over time, both the town’s estimation of  Prynne and her own feelings of guilt begin to dissipate, but for many years these feelings are quite strong for each party and serve as a central, motivating force within the story. Public vs. Private The flip side of this form of judgment and shame is experienced by Dimmesdale who, though he has committed the same crime as Prynne, deals with this fact very differently. Dimmesdale must keep his guilt to himself, a state of affairs that drives him mad and eventually to death. Dimmesdales position provides an interesting insight into the nature of judgement and shame when felt privately, not publicly. For one thing, he receives no negative judgment from the others in the colony, as they don’t even know of his involvement in the affair, so he only continues to receive their adulation. Additionally, he has no outlet for his shame, as he must keep it hidden, so it eats away at him over the course of several years. This is not to say that this is worse than Prynnes fate, but the differing situation creates an alternative result; whereas Prynne eventually works her way back, somewhat, into the town’s good graces, Dimmesdale must hide his own shame and literally cannot live with it, as he reveals it and then promptly dies. Through the different ways in which these two are made to endure judgment as well as feel shame, Hawthorne presents a compelling look into the nature of human guilt, as both a public and private phenomenon. Scientific vs. Religious Beliefs Through the relationship between Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, Hawthorne explores the differences between scientific and religious modes of thought and understanding. Given that this novel is set in a 17th century Puritan colony, the characters are deeply religious, and have little understanding of scientific processes. Most of their understanding of the world, in fact, comes from a place of religious belief. For example, when Dimmesdale- who, admittedly, is a priest- looks to the night sky, he takes what he sees as a sign from God. Dimmesdale filtering his perceptions through the lens of his profession is largely the point, though, as he and Chillingworth are used to represent these opposing views. Chillingworth is a new addition to the town, and, as he is a physician, represents the encroaching of science into the religious New World colonies. Additionally, he is often described as representing darkness or evil, or just the devil outright, indicating that his mode of thought is at odds with the others’ in the community, as well as antithetical to God’s order. Interestingly, the two men get along at first, but ultimately grow apart when Chillingworth begins to probe Dimmesdale’s psychological state, suggesting that science and religion are incompatible in analyzing one’s mental anguish. One area in which they do align, however, is over Prynne, as each man attempts at one point to win her love. In the end, though, she rejects both of them, showing that an independently minded woman has no need for either. Symbols The Scarlet Letter Given the book’s title, this object is unsurprisingly a very important symbol throughout the story. Even before the main narrative begins, the reader catches a glimpse of the letter, as the anonymous narrator of â€Å"The Custom House† describes it briefly in the book’s opening section. From there, it appears pretty much right away, and comes to be the story’s most prominent symbol. Interestingly, though the letter represents Prynne’s guilt to the other characters in the book, it has a somewhat different meaning to the reader. It symbolizes not just Prynne’s actions, which, of course, it does symbolize, but it also embodies the town’s viewing of her actions as wrong, and as a punishment forced upon her by her community. As such, it says more about the wearer’s environment, than it does about the wearer herself. It shows that this group is willing to make a very public example of people whom it believes to have transgressed. Notably also, Dimmesdale burns a symbol of some sort- which some claim is an â€Å"A†- onto his chest as a sort of atonement for his role in the affair. This highlights the public vs. private theme in the novel, as the two bear the burden of guilt very differently. The Scaffold The scaffold, which appears in the first scene, serves to divide the story into beginning, middle, and end. It first appears in the opening scene, when Prynne is forced to stand on it for several hours and endure harassment from the community. In this moment, it symbolizes a very public form of punishment, and, as this is the beginning of the book, establishes that tone going forward. Later, the scaffold shows up again when Dimmesdale goes out walking one night and ends up there, whereupon he runs into Prynne and Pearl. This is a moment of reflection for Dimmesdale, as he ruminates on his misdeeds, changing the book’s focus from public to private shame. The scaffold’s final appearance comes in the book’s climactic scene, when Dimmesdale reveals his role in the affair, and then promptly dies in Prynne’s arms atop the apparatus. At this moment, Prynne literally embraces Dimmesdale, and the town collectively embraces the two of them, acknowledging the minister’s confession, and forgiving them both of their crimes. The scaffold, therefore, comes to represent atonement and acceptance, completing its journey, much like the characters themselves, from punishment through reflection, and, ultimately, to forgiveness. Pearl Though Pearl is very much a distinct character in her own right, she also acts symbolically as the living embodiment of her parents’ infidelity. As a result, whenever Prynne looks at her, she must confront what she has done, almost more so even than when she looks at the scarlet letter. Importantly, though, she represents not just her parents’ infidelity, but also her mother’s independence. This is epitomized by some of the townspeople trying to take Pearl away from Prynne, which forces the mother to argue before the governor for the right to keep her child. Essentially, she must fight to prove the validity of her desires and affections in the face of this highly rigid and patriarchal society. Pearl, therefore, represents the sinfulness and the gracefulness balanced in tandem inside of her mother- that is, she is wild but still worth loving nonetheless.

Examples of Mixed Metaphors and Cliches

Examples of Mixed Metaphors and Cliches As defined in our glossary, a mixed metaphor is a succession of incongruous or ludicrous comparisons. When two or more metaphors (or cliches) are jumbled together, often illogically, we say that these comparisons are mixed. In Garners Modern American Usage, Bryan A. Garner offers this classic example of a mixed metaphor from a speech by Boyle Roche in the Irish Parliament: Mr. Speaker, I smell a rat. I see him floating in the air. But mark me, sir, I will nip him in the bud. This sort of mixed metaphor may occur when a speaker is so familiar with the figurative sense of a phrase (smell a rat, nip in the bud) that he fails to recognize the absurdity that results from a literal reading. Now and then a writer may deliberately introduce mixed metaphors as a way of exploring an idea. Consider this example from British journalist Lynne Truss: Well, if punctuation is the stitching of language, language comes apart, obviously, and all the buttons fall off. If punctuation provides the traffic signals, words bang into each other and everyone ends up in Minehead. If one can bear for a moment to think of punctuation marks as those invisibly beneficent fairies (Im sorry), our poor deprived language goes parched and pillowless to bed. And if you take the courtesy analogy, a sentence no longer holds the door open for you to walk in, but drops it in your face as you approach. Some readers may be amused by this sort of metaphorical mix; others may find it tiresomely twee. In most cases, mixed metaphors are accidental, and the haphazard juxtaposition of images is likely to be more comical or perplexing than revealing. So stick these examples in your pipe and chew them over. So now what we are dealing with is the rubber meeting the road, and instead of biting the bullet on these issues, we just want to punt.[T]he bill is mostly a stew of spending on existing programs, whatever their warts may be.A friend of mine, talking about the Democratic presidential candidates, tossed out a wonderful mixed metaphor: This is awfully weak tea to have to hang your hat on.The mayor has a heart as big as the Sahara for protecting his police officers, and that is commendable. Unfortunately, he also often strips his gears by failing to engage the clutch when shifting what emanates from his brain to his mouth. The bullets he fires too often land in his own feet.The walls had fallen down and the Windows had opened, making the world much flatter than it had ever been but the age of seamless global communication had not yet dawned.Ive spent a lot of time in the subways, said Shwa. Its a dank and dark experience. You feel morbid. The environment contributes to the fear that de velops in men and women. The moment that you walk into the bowels of the armpit of the cesspool of crime, you immediately cringe. Anyone who gets in the way of this cunning steamroller will find himself on a card-index file and then in hot very hot water.A Pentagon staffer, complaining that efforts to reform the military have been too timid: Its just ham-fisted salami-slicing by the bean counters.All at once, he was alone in this noisy hive with no place to roost.Top Bush hands are starting to get sweaty about where they left their fingerprints. Scapegoating the rotten apples at the bottom of the militarys barrel may not be a slam-dunk escape route from accountability anymore.It is easy to condemn Thurmond, Byrd and their fellow pork barons. Few of us would hail a career spent stewarding the federal gravy train as the vocation of a statesman.Rather than wallowing in tears, let this passionate community strike while the iron is hot. It probably won’t cost the National Park Service a single penny, will be no skin off its nose, will heal the community and it presents a golden opportunity for first-person interpretation. Federal Judge Susan Webber Wright stepped up to the plate and called a foul.[Robert D.] Kaplan keeps getting into scrapes at the keyboard. I wanted a visual sense of the socioeconomic stew in which Al Qaeda flourished. You smile in admiration, as at something rare, like a triple play; its a double mixed metaphor. Remember this: Keep an eye on your metaphors and an ear to the ground so that you dont end up with your foot in your mouth. Sources Lynne Truss,  Eats, Shoots Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, 2003 Chicago Tribune, cited by  The New Yorker, August 13, 2007 The New York Times, January 27, 2009 Montgomery Advertiser, Alabama, cited by  The New Yorker, November 16, 1987 Bob Herbert, Behind the Curtain,  The New York Times, November 27, 2007 Thomas L. Friedman,  The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, 2005 Our Town, N.Y., cited by  The New Yorker, March 27, 2000 Len Deighton,  Winter: A Novel of a Berlin Family, 1988 The Wall Street Journal, May 9, 1997 Tom Wolfe,  The Bonfire of the Vanities Frank Rich,  The New York Times, July 18, 2008 Jonathan Freedland,  Bring Home The Revolution, 1998 Daily Astorian, cited by  The New Yorker, April 21, 2006 Catherine Crier,  The Case Against Lawyers, 2002 David Lipsky, Appropriating the Globe,  The New York Times, November 27, 2005 Garner, Bryan A. Garners Modern American Usage. 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press, October 30, 2003.

Service organization analysis services marketing plan on a service Essay

Service organization analysis services marketing plan on a service company - Essay Example The bank is one of the largest in the country and has presence in more than 50 countries. The department chosen in this case is the bank's internet banking services. The bank has a well established department for this and gives comprehensive information in its web pages. The characteristics of services marketing with reference to this department is given in the paper. Relevant marketing theories with reference to services marketing is also given. An overview of the internet banking service of the bank is also given. This is followed by the internet banking industry in the country. Major competitors of the bank are also provided. The internet usage and habits of the public are also included. The bank is in a good position regarding this since the usage and penetration of the internet is one of the highest in the world. The bank's biggest challenge would be to convert the users to be more active in internet banking. One important aspect, namely service recovery is also discussed. It se ems that ANZ Bank is keenly aware of this factor and has chalked out well laid out plans for customer service and satisfaction. The organization selected for the service market analysis is ANZ Bank. ANZ bank (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited) is an Australia based major banking and financial institution. It renders services of home loans, car loans and business loans to its customers. Internet banking and phone banking is its peculiar features. Credit cards and savings accounts are also offered by it to the customers. It carried out insurance services also. Main strategy of ANZ Bank is offering a range of products suiting with different needs of customers in a better convenient way. Savings and investment accounts of ANZ carry competitive interest rates. ANZ online saver helps customers to manage their own accounts through online. (ANZ, 2008). ANZ bank is recognized as a major international banking and financial services group in Australia and New Zealand and included in the 50 list of top 50 banks in the world. It started its working in 1830s by opening office in Melbourne. (ANZ: History, 2008). Business Strategies of ANZ Bank: For sustaining in the highly competitive banking industry in Australia, the ANZ Bank has accepted good corporate governance and transparency as the fundamentals of its business. For guiding the business decision making on the right way the bank has insisted on specific codes of conduct ensuring company value. The Board of Directors is mutually responsible for the corporate governance and directing the financial performance. It has company policy of concrete honest and ethical behavior of the organizational members. ANZ is a member of the Code of Banking Practice, which specify standards of good banking practice. (ANZ: Corporate Governance). Characteristics of service marketing: Marketing can be of products, services or both. In the case of services, there are some characteristics that make it different from product marketing. They are referred to as the IHIP characteristics namely intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability and perishability. (Lovelock, 2004, p.3). Services are intangible and unlike a product, a person cannot see or touch them. Heterogeneity means that the same service given to different customers will different from each other. The service experience of customers on a particular service will be

Strategic Management of Target Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Management of Target - Assignment Example Target stores are usually large and cover about 95000 to 135000 square feet. They carry a variety of goods that includes hard lines, soft lines (clothing) and a few groceries. The items found in the target stores specifically includes clothing, shoes, jewelry, beauty and health products, electronics, DVDs, pet supplies, hardware supplies, beddings, sporting goods and kitchen supplies. The stores also carry seasonal merchandise, which includes Christmas decorations during the months of November and December. Depending on the location, the stores might also contain target optical, target clinic, and a portrait studio. By offering a variety of items to the customers, target stores emerge as a business that can survive in a competitive market (Bouwens and Kroos, P. 171).To survive in a competitive environment, a business should be able to assess its internal and external environment. In the internal environment, the business should be able to know its strengths and weakness. The strength s being factors within the organization that makes it compete favorably with the other competitors while weakness is factored at the organization that makes the business not to compete favorably with the other competitors. In external environment, the business should assess its threats and opportunities to be able to adjust to the market changes. This will enable the business to thrive in such environment. The target stores have a number of strengths that make them survive in the today’s competitive retail business.

Police Agencies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Police Agencies - Assignment Example The DeKalb County Sherriff's Deputies start at about $33,492 per year and move up to $51,281 after 5 years (http://theblueline.com/feature/ILdekalbcounty2.html). They enjoy 33 days off per year after 6 months, partially paid insurance, paid overtime, paid training, and uniforms. Illinois Conservation Police enjoy paid vacation days, sick days, personal days, and holidays; overtime compensation; uniforms, equipment, and vehicles; life and hospitalization insurance (http://dnr.state.il.us/law3/CAREERnew.htm). Starting salary is $3127/month; after a one year CPO certification the salary increases to $4136/month with an excellent retirement/pension plan. Illinois State Troopers start at $48,192 per year but require advanced training to apply (www.isp.state.il.us). FBI Agents start at about $45,000 per year and can make as much as $120,251 after twenty years (http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=FBI_Agent/Salary). There seem to be certain disparities in pay between agencies. For example, note that the city police make far less than the most of the other agencies. State troopers and university police start higher than FBI agents.

Five Skills that a Forensic Accountant Needs to Possess Research Paper

Five Skills that a Forensic Accountant Needs to Possess - Research Paper Example The country’s top accredited organization of accountants, AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) made a study on what are the top skills for a forensic accountant needs to possess to become effective with his or her job. The respondents of the study were academics and practitioners. a. Analytical and detail oriented Their study revealed that a forensic accountant has to be analytical. Both the academics and practitioners that a forensic accountant must have the analytical proficiency that would provide an invaluable insight to the practitioner in its engagements than the regular auditing and problem solving skills (AICPA a, nd). Frauds are deliberately concealed and uncovering them requires analytical skills and dedication to details in addition to the usual auditing and problem solving skills of accountants. b. Interpretive skills or intuitive investigative skills The ability to interpret data and simplify them were also ranked as the second among accounta nts and academics (AICPA a, nd). They complement the analytical skill of a forensic accountant for this skill allows the practitioner to determine the usefulness of such data. Other respondents called this intuitive investigative skills or the ability to intuitively associate information for it to be useful in any forensic accounting investigation (AICPA a, nd). c. Soft skills/effective oral communicator The ability to communicate effectively was deemed important in the practice of forensic accounting. This is both oral and written communication. This skill is essential for a forensic accountant to possess because the nature of the work requires the practitioner to provide an expert opinion either orally (i.e. giving expert opinion in court of laws, providing consultancy advise to clients) or in a form of a formal written report (AICPA a, nd ). Forensic accounting is such a complex discipline and the ability to simplify information and language that can be easily understood by verif ier of facts or clients is an essential skill. d. Skepticism In the study, some respondents wrote it as â€Å"skepticism† which is essential for an investigative work. This became an important skill of a forensic accountant in cases where the practitioner is tasked to uncover or investigate fraud. e. Ethical Being ethical is ranked as one of the top five skills of a forensic accountant because this skill is â€Å"consistent with the mission of the forensic accountant† (AICPA a, and pg. 11). In plain language, forensic accountants are the antidote to frauds and scams and if they themselves are susceptible to unethical behaviors which they are tasked to investigate and uncover, the general public will be left with nothing to shield them from such undesirable financial practices. In addition to these five skills that a forensic accountant must profess, the practitioner must also have the ability to review large volumes of financial statements and documents. A forensic acc ountant must also be grounded on the various business models that companies use. The practitioner must also be able to prepare and dispense expert reports under a strict timetable (Owojori and Asaolu, 2009).  

The Role of the RN In Medical Surgical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Role of the RN In Medical Surgical - Essay Example Surgical nurses play a fundamental role in provision of health care services to patients before, during and after surgical operations. Their work consists of both outside and inside the sterile field where they deal with direct patient care as well as offering the necessary support to the surgical team (Workman, 2009). Under the surveillance of a surgical physician, surgical nurses offer services in the operation room in addition to pre-surgical departments in the hospital. Their services facilitate smooth operating procedures by preparing patients for a surgery, helping the surgeon during an operation and further attending to the patients after the surgery until they fully recover. However, even though the working environment for surgical nurses can be considered to be good, sometimes they turn out to be both emotionally and physically stressful since they are required to be alert for most of their shifts and sometimes they are forced to work beyond their scheduled shifts (Maclise, 2008). Recovery surgical nurses are registered nurses who offer their services to patients before and after a surgery, their major role is to prepare patients for surgical procedures by administering pre-surgical services like intravenous injections, observation of the medical history of the patient, conducting a complete blood test and other preliminary surgical requirements such as shaving (Workman, 2009). RNs who work in the recovery sector monitor the reaction of the patient as he or she recovers from the effects of the anesthesia administered before the surgery. They basically observe for patient’s vital recuperation indicators, clean and dress the wounds as well as administer the recommended medication in addition to assisting the patient with pain management strategies. Further, they assist with provision of post-surgery health care education to both the patient and his/her family (Ignatavicius, 2007). Surgical nurses also offer sterility services to the surgeon by ens uring that each and every surgical instrument is sterilized to the required standard in an effort to guarantee that there are reduced chances of contamination and infection. The nurses are treated with antimicrobial soap and equipped with a sterilized suit; this ensures that microbes which can infect the patient during the operation are kept at bay (Maclise, 2008). These nurses prepare the required surgical instruments and other essential supplies that are needed during the operation procedure. There are also some nurses who play a fundamental role during the surgery even though they are not involved in the sterile field. Their duties include securing any additional instruments that may be required during the surgery, preparing samples for lab tests and also ensuring that bio-hazardous wastes are well disposed (Workman, 2009). It is the duty of a surgical nurse to treat patients who are under acute health conditions after undergoing a surgery since most of the patients will be in ne ed of pain management medication (Ackley & Ladwig, 2010). The surgical RN has the responsibility of ensuring that the patient takes the exact medication which has been prescribed by a surgeon or a doctor as some of the prescriptions can be harmful if taken incorrectly and thus, they call for the proper dosage at the appropriate time. A surgical nurse is also required to talk to the patient at least more than 10 times a day so as to realize

Five Skills that a Forensic Accountant Needs to Possess Research Paper

Five Skills that a Forensic Accountant Needs to Possess - Research Paper Example The country’s top accredited organization of accountants, AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) made a study on what are the top skills for a forensic accountant needs to possess to become effective with his or her job. The respondents of the study were academics and practitioners. a. Analytical and detail oriented Their study revealed that a forensic accountant has to be analytical. Both the academics and practitioners that a forensic accountant must have the analytical proficiency that would provide an invaluable insight to the practitioner in its engagements than the regular auditing and problem solving skills (AICPA a, nd). Frauds are deliberately concealed and uncovering them requires analytical skills and dedication to details in addition to the usual auditing and problem solving skills of accountants. b. Interpretive skills or intuitive investigative skills The ability to interpret data and simplify them were also ranked as the second among accounta nts and academics (AICPA a, nd). They complement the analytical skill of a forensic accountant for this skill allows the practitioner to determine the usefulness of such data. Other respondents called this intuitive investigative skills or the ability to intuitively associate information for it to be useful in any forensic accounting investigation (AICPA a, nd). c. Soft skills/effective oral communicator The ability to communicate effectively was deemed important in the practice of forensic accounting. This is both oral and written communication. This skill is essential for a forensic accountant to possess because the nature of the work requires the practitioner to provide an expert opinion either orally (i.e. giving expert opinion in court of laws, providing consultancy advise to clients) or in a form of a formal written report (AICPA a, nd ). Forensic accounting is such a complex discipline and the ability to simplify information and language that can be easily understood by verif ier of facts or clients is an essential skill. d. Skepticism In the study, some respondents wrote it as â€Å"skepticism† which is essential for an investigative work. This became an important skill of a forensic accountant in cases where the practitioner is tasked to uncover or investigate fraud. e. Ethical Being ethical is ranked as one of the top five skills of a forensic accountant because this skill is â€Å"consistent with the mission of the forensic accountant† (AICPA a, and pg. 11). In plain language, forensic accountants are the antidote to frauds and scams and if they themselves are susceptible to unethical behaviors which they are tasked to investigate and uncover, the general public will be left with nothing to shield them from such undesirable financial practices. In addition to these five skills that a forensic accountant must profess, the practitioner must also have the ability to review large volumes of financial statements and documents. A forensic acc ountant must also be grounded on the various business models that companies use. The practitioner must also be able to prepare and dispense expert reports under a strict timetable (Owojori and Asaolu, 2009).  

Socio-cultural Influences on Sexuality Research Paper

Socio-cultural Influences on Sexuality - Research Paper Example or, gender identity and roles and gender stereotyping and bais are majorly influenced by social and cultural issues as demonstrated by divergent perceptions and approaches across different socio-cultural settings. Different societies have cultures that have been nurtured over a long time that influence the perception of the members with regard to sexuality issues. The paper looks at the various perspectives in which socio-cultural issues influence perception with regard to sexuality. Debates surrounding sexual orientation and accomodation of same sex partners in most societies are usually influenced by the socio-cultural provisions with regard to such unions. The catholic church, most African and Arab countries have strongly expressed their opposition towards such unions. The common attribute of the catholic church, most African and Arab countries is that sexuality is not usually a subject that I spoken openly and even with the existence of gays and lesbians, these societies go at great lengths to condemn such unions. According to Worrel (2003), these socities are characterized by the existence of socio-cultural norms nurtured over long periods of time and no opposition to these norms is usually welcome. Worrel continues to outline that in more democratic societies in the western world and other developed countries, gays and lesbians are being given a chance to fight for recognition in the society. Gender roles and identity are aspects that are nurtured at a avery young that by the time children grow to become adults they already have solid perceptions towards these issues. The traditional set up where the man was supposed to provide for the family while the woman stayed at home to take care of children is still a major concern for gender equality activists. Even with the changing society where socio-economic developments have made it necessary for the woman to work to supplement the earnings of the man, the society still finds it difficult to embrace the change.

Penitentiary Ideal Essay Example for Free

Penitentiary Ideal Essay To the Roman Catholic Church the penitentiary was a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins. (dictionary, Webster)To the average person it was a place to house prisoners who committed horrible crimes. Although it’s main purposes were both secular and spiritual, it was suppose to be a place of humane punishment rather than that of physical. (Corrections: The Fundamentals, by Burk Foster. Published by Prentice-Hall. Copyright  © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.) The penitentiary was suppose to be a healthy and clean place unlike most jails and prisons. Prisoners were to be kept from each other preferably in isolation as to not contaminate one another with their bodily fluids as with their unholy spirits and thoughts. It was suppose to teach inmates their social purpose, to work doing productive labor and practice corrective discipline as oppose to sitting around not doing anything. (Corrections: The Fundamentals, by Burk Foster. Published by Prentice-Hall. Copyright  © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.) As a secular institution the penitentiary was meeting the religious need for the sinners to express their sins. It allowed for the sinner or prisoner to admit his crimes or wrong doings as a kind of confession and promise to do better. The principal goal was for the prisoners or sinners to find or achieve their spiritual transformation.( Corrections: The Fundamentals, by Burk Foster. Published by Prentice-Hall. Copyright  © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.) There were two principal models of the penitentiary, the Eastern State and the Auburn. John Havilland designed the prison we know as the Eastern State penitentiary. This prison featured seven long corridors that resembled what looked like spokes on a bicycle. It was flat and had thirty-foot walls that surrounded it. The cells were ten feet long and eight feet in width and the ceilings were about fifteen foot in height. Each cell had a toilet, a table and a bed along with a private patio the same size of the cell. The prisoners were aloud to go outside onto their patios at any time because they were enclosed and attached only to their cells.( Corrections: The Fundamentals, by Burk Foster. Published by Prentice-Hall. Copyright  © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.) Prisoners in the Eastern State penitentiary were kept in isolation. They were aloud outside twice per day for only thirty minutes and led outside with hoods over their heads, as they were not aloud to see one another. Eastern State in its time was considered the ideal prison or penitentiary. The prisoners were kept on close watch by the guards so close that they wore socks on their shoes so the prisoners could not hear them approaching their cells. (Corrections: The Fundamentals, by Burk Foster. Published by Prentice-Hall. Copyright  © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.) Just thirty miles of New York City in 1817, Auburn penitentiary opened its doors. This penitentiary was made of small cells about seven feet in length and about three and a half feet in width with a height of only about seven feet, stacked on top of one another. There was no courtyard so the prisoners never went outside. The prisoners were divided into three groups only for the guards to have better control of them. This penitentiary used solitary confinement as punishment. They soon learned after using this method that some prisoners took their own lives, died, or were crazy and delusional upon leaving solitary confinement. (Corrections: The Fundamentals, by Burk Foster. Published by Prentice-Hall. Copyright  © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.) In my opinion Eastern State penitentiary was the model prison. Although the prisoners were held under solitary confinement all of the time they were let outside and had their own patios which they could go out on anytime they chose. It was better controlled and quieter I would imagine. Auburn penitentiary was led more as a congregate prison, which means that the prisoners were allowed to interact with one another.( Corrections: The Fundamentals, by Burk Foster. Published by Prentice-Hall. Copyright  © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.) I believe that when punished and put in solitatry confinement that is why most of them died or killed themselves because they were use to being with others and were never aloud outside. If I had to choose which prison to go to it would definitely be Eastern State only because things seemed more organized, you did not have to deal with other prisoners and the troubles that came with them and you got to go outside and have your own patio. I believe that if prisons today used the example of the Eastern State penitentiary there would not be as many fights and riots that broke out in the prisons and people would have time to think about what they did and not be influenced by the criminal minds of others. References -Corrections: The Fundamentals, by Burk Foster. Published by Prentice-Hall. Copyright  © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Identifying The Role And Importance Of Hybrid Managers Business Essay

Identifying The Role And Importance Of Hybrid Managers Business Essay This paper is aimed at identifying the role and importance of hybrid managers in the present economic conditions of the 21st century. It tries to explain how the hybrid managers help the industries to flourish and subsequently the present economic scenario. A step by step analysis of definition of hybrid managers, its characteristics, their advantages, disadvantages has been made. As, the term management is a wider concept, first the role of a hybrid manager in an organisation and his importance is to be understood. Then, In order to explain the importance of hybrid managers in the present economic scenario, we need to understand the global economy of the 21st century. So a detailed account of present global scenario has been made. Finally the structure mentioned above has been used to form the foundation of the arguments presented in the last section of the paper- How Hybrid Managers hold the key to development in the 21st century Global Economy. Definition of a Hybrid manager: The term hybrid was originally coined by Peter Keen in the mid 1980s, but received its most precise and most quoted definition by Michael Earl: A person with strong technical skills and adequate business knowledge or vice versa . Hybrids are people with technical skills able to work in user areas doing a line job, but adept at developing and implementing IT application ideas In addition, roles such as leaders and impresarios were also defined. However, these distinctions are seldom recognized by practicing managers. From the above definition it is pretty clear that although the term HYBRID is being used only for the last 2 decades, managers with such skills always existed. So, it is the need for an increase in the quantity of such managers that has increased in the 21st century. So a more popular term hybrid manager has been coined. The need for the increase in the quantity of hybrid managers sums up the whole economic scenario of this era. The Quality of the managers has been there before but the present global economy needs more of such hybrid managers. Characteristics of hybrid managers: From the definition of a hybrid manager, it is understood that he should be sound technically and well versed with business needs of the organisation specifically he works for. The latter is the most important aspect to ensure success. We will discuss about organisation specific knowledge in detail. Organizational specific knowledge: The most important skill of a hybrid manager is How to get the things done as per the requirements? The time taken by the hybrid manager with an organization to develop this particular skill makes essential importance for the hybrid managers. A good hybrid manager exploits the networking skills to build the personal or social network over a period of time. This gives them a simple tool to get the works done easily with multiple sources of information. Since every organization will have good communication media either by internet or by intra-net, hybrid managers can utilize this communication media efficiently to get the exact required information on the requirements at the time of need. However it all depends on the level of expertise a hybrid manager has within the organization. For example it takes time for a navy-hybrid manager to get the contacts with the senior management and generate the repo with them. But a senior hybrid manager can get the exact required information within t he time limits. General management skills: The characteristics that are often searched for in a manager include soft interpersonal skills. They are Motivation Communication Negotiation Team building The true ability of a hybrid manager lies with their ability to exchange jobs with their peers in other functions. For example in a software organisation, a manager for HR services should be able to act as a chief information officer (CIO) Hybrid managers should also have a good social skill and extroversion to manage people. A more detailed explanation of various possible roles played by hybrid manager will be discussed in the section Role of a hybrid manager in an organisation. Need for a hybrid manager: Some of the issues that are being faced by IT industry are highlighted by a survey conducted by popular IT press. The major issued faced by IT companies are as follows Only 11% of organisations are successful with IT according to any objective measure (A.T.Kearney) 30% of systems projects fail to meet user needs (KPMG) Over 40% of systems projects are not completed within time or to budget (Butler Cox) Only 27% of CEOs in the UK are satisfied that their IT department can deliver them the business advantage they need in the 1990s (Amdahl) http://www.skyrme.com/insights/6hybrid.htm Also as per 1985 opinion survey of MIS managers, the key issues faced by organizations are as follows Alignment of IS to business needs Strategic Benefits of IT not understood by business managers Need to improve IS-line relationships Identification of competitive edge applications The opinion survey of the managers implies that most of the managers at that time do not understand the importance of aligning IS to business needs. This shows the need for a close partnership between IT and business. This is where a hybrid manager comes into play. He is the one who can deal with both IT and business aspects of an organisation. He will have the capability to align IT with business. http://www.skyrme.com/insights/6hybrid.htm Role of a hybrid manager in an organisation: The greatest challenge faced by an IT industry is the perceived misalignment between technology and business requirement. The common perception is BUSINESS AND IT CANNOT COMMUNICATE and they speak different language. So, the role of a good hybrid manager is to act BILINGUAL. He should act as a bridge between the two worlds. Till recently, IT industry is seen as a back office work which can actually be outsourced. But with the changing times and global recession taking its toll on the companies, IT is being seen as a part of the industry. This has given rise, the requirement of managers who could also deal IT. But because it is always easier the other way round, i.e. IT managers with good business skills, a new concept of hybrid managers arose. Let us take an example of a successful hybrid manager, graham Johnson. Like many other students he took up electronics and got a highly paid job in chip design. In that job he started as electronic engineer and later went on to become self employed consultant, CIO and now transformation consultant for Ecclesiastical Insurance During his time with this firm, he worked on major projects with famous names like marks and Spencer, abbey national and baring securities. While undertaking these projects he seconded as IT manager reporting to the financing director. With that experience, he gained a lot of knowledge about business and finance issues. Also, when he became self-employed he worked on large projects for a string of other famous companies, such as Legal General Assurance, Nationwide Building Society and the London Stock Exchange. With this experience of self employed consultant he got to work with lot of clients and dealt with them successfully. He gained a lot of experience of working with people. Now with that experience of dealing with the clients and the technical experience he already possessed, he is working as a transformation consultant. I think theres a real shortage of classic hybrid managers who can manage the technical gurus but also have a coherent business conversation with the chief executive, Johnson says. Lots of people are logical and lots of people have human empathy, but there dont seem to be too many who have a bit of both. This could mean there are wider career opportunities for those who do develop both left and right brain sides. The above example portrays the role of a hybrid manager in an organisation. So the most important and primary responsibility of a hybrid manager is to have a clear understanding of the business issues such as the requirements of the clients, market value for the products etc in addition to the core technical knowledge he possess. Senior level hybrid managers can make the most important impact for organizations decisions in various areas of business decisions of organization. The research work conducted on various projects identified some of the following particular contributions that hybrids make: 1) Initiate the awareness on potential capabilities of IT for a organizational business 2) Business needs of IT must be identified 3) Anticipate in finding the new possible applications of IT 4) Assess the pros and cons of new technological advancements 5 ) Give appropriate strength to the benefits of IT to line managers of organization. 6) Making broad awareness programs to ensure information system managers learning about business issues and opportunities 7) Information system functions responses of emerging and changing business needs can be provided to the organization. Before going to discuss about the role of a hybrid manager in the 21st century economy, we will discuss the pros and cons of having a hybrid managers. Advantages of hybrid manager: The effective leadership qualities of hybrid managers can create islands of real business and information system understanding. These islands are proving to be the accelerators for an organizational hybridization. Every stage of organizational hybridization is gaining flexibility and effectiveness with the help of hybrid managers. Disadvantages of hybrid manager: Even though there are many advantages of hybrid managers throughout organizational hybridization, it takes high amount effective resources of organization which may not be available for every organization throughout the hybridization process. Developmental stages of hybridization of organizations may vary with the governance that is being followed within the organization. Business consistent information system, Information oriented expletive business are the two different disparate disciplines. However integration of business consistent information system with the information oriented expletive business is the major huddle for hybrid managers. Even though there is no communication, which can make the amalgamation of two separate disparate disciplines with the same degree of effectiveness, it is very difficult to take out a simple and single stand out which bring a hybrid manager out of the two disciplines. Now let us discuss about the state of 21st century global economy. 21st century global economy: 21st century refers to the start of a new millennium from 1st January 2001. Global economy generally refers to Economy, which is based on economies of all the countries in the world. It can be evaluated in various ways. The evaluation is done based on US dollar. Economy can be indicated by various factors. They are GWP(gross world product) Inflation Global dept Unemployment Industries Energy All the factors referred above are the indicators of global economy. From the fall of 21st century, till the early part, the global economy was led by US. The new century has seen 10 years so far. The global economy can be divided in the following way in its first 10 years. 2001-2006: USA led the expansion of the global economy. Post Second World War, the economy of the world was more or less driven by the United States, with its aggressive industrialisation coupled with increasing consumer spending capability. 2007: china leads the expansion of global economy. With the occurrence of subprime bubble, the US economy collapsed and went towards depression. It affected many markets worldwide. This marked the beginning of recession in major world economies. 2008: credit crisis began. In that year, even though many markets in the world expanded, the markets which has impact on the world economy contracted. This led to a crisis like situation in world economy. 2009: credit crisis deepens. In this year most of the economies contracted. UK was the biggest victim of the contraction followed by Russia. 2010: recovery. The international monetary fund forecasts recovery. But the recovery was not as good as expected. There were fears of double dip recession in many major economies of the world. So, in the early years of 21st century, the global economy was mostly dull and subtle. The vice president and chief economist of World Bank, justin yifu lin opines that The crisis has deeply impacted virtually every economy in the world, and although growth has returned, much progress in the fight against poverty has been lost. More difficult international conditions in the years to come will mean that developing countries will have to place even more emphasis on improving domestic economic conditions to achieve the kind of growth that can durably eradicate poverty. http://publications.worldbank.org/index.php?main_page=product_infoHYPERLINK http://publications.worldbank.org/index.php?main_page=product_infocPath=0products_id=23738HYPERLINK http://publications.worldbank.org/index.php?main_page=product_infocPath=0products_id=23738cPath=0HYPERLINK http://publications.worldbank.org/index.php?main_page=product_infocPath=0products_id=23738HYPERLINK http://publications.worldbank.org/index.php?main_page=product_infocPath=0products_id=23738products_id=23738 How Hybrid Managers still hold the key to development in the 21st century global economy: As discussed above, the state of global economy is dull at the latter half of the decade. According to the vice president of World Bank, the key to the recovery of the global economy is to improve the domestic economies. This can be achieved by aggressive entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship requires good management to succeed. This is where the hybrid managers come into play. There were many examples in the past where with the change in the management style, the firms have been successful. As said in the Harvard Business Review analyzed by  Alan M. Webber in January-February 1993 that: General Motors, buffeted by the turbulence of global competition, changes nearly its entire senior management team. IBM, made vulnerable by rapid technology shifts and the arrival of smaller, more nimble start-ups, begins the painful process of taking itself apart. Sears, humbled by fragmenting markets and cost-conscious competitors, strives to rediscover in a changed business environment its original retailing success. Across the corporate landscape, in every industry and at every level, managers are struggling to adapt to unfamiliar circumstances and new strains of competition. From the above statement, it is clear that the managers are finding it difficult to adopt themselves to the changes in the trend. This situation has arrived due to the fact that managers are well versed with only either economics of the business and do not have technical skills to understand the changes in the technology or only technology and do not have skills to compete with the changes in the marketing style. This is where hybrid managers like graham johnson (discussed in the section role of hybrid managers in an organisation) helps the organisation. He had developed both the skills required to manage an organisation. With the experience he obtained from running a consultancy during which he worked with many firms like Legal General Assurance, Nationwide Building Society and the London Stock Exchange, he understood how to attract clients, what they want and how to deal with them. Already, he has got a degree in electronics and worked on major projects with famous names like mark s and Spencer, abbey national and baring securities. So he has got a clear idea of how the technology is changing in his field. He had a clear understanding of the business needs and client requirements. So every industry needs a hybrid manager like graham Johnson. The hybrid managers should possess an organisational specific knowledge, i.e. both technical and economics. As said by justin yifu lin, global economy is driven by improving domestic markets. Domestic markets are driven by enterprises. Enterprises are driven by hybrid managers. So from the above concept it is clear that hybrid managers are important for the economy to flourish. As we know the current situation of fluctuating economic scenario, the person in charge should understand the new turbulent world of business. The manager being the person in charge should be able to answer the questions on new economic world order. So what is so new about the new world economic order? According to Alan .M .Webber, the analyst of Harvard business school, the answer is A qualitative shift is taking place in the ways companies compete, managers manage, and business is conducted. At one level, that shift has familiar elements-for example, from mass production, mass marketing, and mass organizations to flexible production, niche marketing, and networked organizations. But even shorthand descriptors such as these dont capture the power of the change and the enormous implications for managers. So the answer lies with the change in the mind set of the managers. In addition to be able to do programming, the managers should also concentrate on complex economics of the business. Present global economy needs high level of technical knowledge combined with essential information management skills to accelerate the business to achieve the pre determined goals within the specified time limits. The essential skill which makes managers to be called as hybrid managers must be identified and they must be trained with the time to get the best talent out of them. With a few notable exceptions, many of the organizations are preparing a strong ground work in developing hybrid managers for solving the challenges of real world management problem. Conclusion: Today, the worlds economic crisis can directly be attributed to worlds management crisis. In 1990 a British compute society (BCS) report UK, companies were exhorted to train circa 10,000 people to become hybrid managers by 1995. The British computer society understood the importance of hybrid managers and their role in building the British economy and subsequently the world economy. It is to be understood that UK is one of the main victims of global recession that shook the world in 2008-2009. If the foresight of BCS is met with, its economy wouldnt have suffered as it has happened now. Better late, than never. So in order to understand the fluctuating and versatile global economy versatility in management is required. . Nandan Nilekani, CEO and MD of Infosys Technologies, had said while speaking at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore recently, that what the world required today was a new breed of Hybrid Manager- the versatilist. Nilekani further added: A versatilist has the ability to apply skills more intensively to situations. Hence, they gain new competencies, build new relationships, and assume new roles. One should be equally at ease with technical issues as with business and strategic. You have to synthesize knowledge, experience and the context to create value.

King Sauls Development Essays -- Religion, God

In First Samuel chapter eight the Israelites request a king to reign over them. God appoints a man who’s name is Saul. He first appears as a typical young man who belongs to the small tribe of Benjamin. When he is appointed king he is somewhat intimidated by his new task. However, over time he experiences a series of events that make him a selfish, envious, and a power hungry ruler, and eventually insane. This development in his character starts from his son Jonathan’s disobedience to his orders, but its main source is his jealousy of David’s successfulness on the battlefield, and his failed attempts at killing David. The first time we meet Saul he is sent by his father to go look for their lost donkeys. After looking and not finding the donkeys, he wants to go home, because his father might be worried. â€Å"Let us turn back, or my father will stop worrying about the asses and begin to worry about us.† (1 Samuel 9:5) This is an ordinary reaction that an ordinary person would have to this situation. From Saul’s first utterance it is obvious that he is an average man who was worried about his father. Alter states that a biblical character’s first utterance is the defining moment of a character. However, from the moment of Saul’s first remark to the day of his death he changes drastically. Saul tells the Israelites that â€Å"Cursed be the man who eats any food before night falls and I take revenge on my enemies.† (1 Samuel 14: 24) However, Saul’s son Jonathan did not hear Saul’s declaration. When he spots honey spilt on the ground he tastes it and â€Å"his eyes lit up.† (1 Samuel 14:27) Although the other troops warned him that Saul had forbidden eating, Jonathan did not regret his decision in disobeying his father’s orders. â€Å"My fath... ...with him, and he knew that David was better fit for a king. Saul knew he could not stay king as long as David was around. Saul attempted to kill David many times. Each time he would fail. Every failure brought Saul closer to snapping. In chapters twenty-four and twenty-six David has two opportunities to kill Saul. Each time he spares Saul’s life, but he leaves a mark to let Saul know that he could have killed Saul. The first time David cuts part of Saul’s robe. The second time David takes Saul’s spear and his ______________________. David was playing with Saul’s mind. Saul was powerless in comparison to David. Saul had been determined to kill David, but each time he would fail. David gets two chances to kill Saul, and he spares Saul both times. Saul was no match for David and he knew it. Saul realizes he is unable to get rid of David, because God is with him. King Saul's Development Essays -- Religion, God In First Samuel chapter eight the Israelites request a king to reign over them. God appoints a man who’s name is Saul. He first appears as a typical young man who belongs to the small tribe of Benjamin. When he is appointed king he is somewhat intimidated by his new task. However, over time he experiences a series of events that make him a selfish, envious, and a power hungry ruler, and eventually insane. This development in his character starts from his son Jonathan’s disobedience to his orders, but its main source is his jealousy of David’s successfulness on the battlefield, and his failed attempts at killing David. The first time we meet Saul he is sent by his father to go look for their lost donkeys. After looking and not finding the donkeys, he wants to go home, because his father might be worried. â€Å"Let us turn back, or my father will stop worrying about the asses and begin to worry about us.† (1 Samuel 9:5) This is an ordinary reaction that an ordinary person would have to this situation. From Saul’s first utterance it is obvious that he is an average man who was worried about his father. Alter states that a biblical character’s first utterance is the defining moment of a character. However, from the moment of Saul’s first remark to the day of his death he changes drastically. Saul tells the Israelites that â€Å"Cursed be the man who eats any food before night falls and I take revenge on my enemies.† (1 Samuel 14: 24) However, Saul’s son Jonathan did not hear Saul’s declaration. When he spots honey spilt on the ground he tastes it and â€Å"his eyes lit up.† (1 Samuel 14:27) Although the other troops warned him that Saul had forbidden eating, Jonathan did not regret his decision in disobeying his father’s orders. â€Å"My fath... ...with him, and he knew that David was better fit for a king. Saul knew he could not stay king as long as David was around. Saul attempted to kill David many times. Each time he would fail. Every failure brought Saul closer to snapping. In chapters twenty-four and twenty-six David has two opportunities to kill Saul. Each time he spares Saul’s life, but he leaves a mark to let Saul know that he could have killed Saul. The first time David cuts part of Saul’s robe. The second time David takes Saul’s spear and his ______________________. David was playing with Saul’s mind. Saul was powerless in comparison to David. Saul had been determined to kill David, but each time he would fail. David gets two chances to kill Saul, and he spares Saul both times. Saul was no match for David and he knew it. Saul realizes he is unable to get rid of David, because God is with him.

Financial Analysis of Ted Baker & Burberry Essay

INTRODUCTION Burberry is a global luxury brand offering menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, coats, dresses, shoes, accessories, bags, scarves, beauty and fragrance. The quintessentially British brand was first founded as an outerwear brand, well known for it’s iconic Burberry trench coat and distinct tartan print. The brand has over 497 directly operated stores and concessions operating in 32 countries; and via a third-party distribution network- 70 franchise stores in an additional 28 countries and approximately 1,400 wholesale department and specialty store doors in over 80 countries (as at 31 March 2014). The brand continues to develop its presence in existing and  under-penetrated markets. THE BASICS Burberry was founded by Thomas Burberry in 1855 in Hamphire England and remained an independent company until 1955, when it was taken over by Great Universal Studios (GUS). In 2005, GUS divested its remaining interest in Burberry. Burberry Group PLC was initially floated on the London Stock Exchange in July 2002. In 2013/2014, Burberry had a turnover of  £2,330 million (up 16.5% from the previous year), recording a profit before tax of  £461 million (up 7.7% from the previous year). The company employs 9698 employees across 34 countries and is headquartered in London. The accounts are presented in GBP, which is Burberry’s functional currency. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker BRBY with a market capitalization of GBP6822.43 Million. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU. The accounts have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP with no reservations. MANAGEMENT CHANGES On the management side, the most significant change is the departure CEO Angela Ahrendt in April 2014 who left Burberry (to join Apple). Ahrendt the CEO since 2006 has lead the successful transformation of the company, tripling revenue three-fold during her tenure. Ahrendt was succeeded by Christopher Bailey, Chief Creative Officer (CCO) who has been with Burberry since 2001. Bailey holds the roles of CEO and CCO and his appointment as CEO is considered a natural progression. Other important changes include, the changes of the CFO and COO, and the appointment of three new non-executive directors. The new board appointments focus on evolving the Board’s relevant skills and competencies for the future under its succession plan. THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT After three years of double digit growth, analyst estimated that the luxury sector growth slowed to 2% in 2013. This was in part due to a slowdown in China (the world’s 4th largest luxury market), in light of government policy changes on gift giving and the Chinese consumer increasingly shifting luxury consumption abroad (which has in turn help drive luxury sales in the rest of Asia and Europe). Whilst Burberry is a luxury brand, note that it’s growing beauty and fragrance lines are â€Å"attainable† luxury and has the capacity for resilience in unfavourable economic conditions. Burberry’s five strategic themes which have sustained its growth during the period include:[1: Claudia D’Arpizio, Bain Report: Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study Spring 2014 ]