In a Perfect World by Kodaline free essay sample

The quartet that was once recognized as 21 Demands in 2007, changed their name to Kodaline after making their big break by appearing on a show called, You’re a Star, and finishing as the series runner-up. Together, the four members of the band, Steve Garrigan, Vinny May, Jason Boland, and Mark Prendergast, display great confidence that comes from their friendship and write beautiful songs that come from experience and life on the road. There is, although one problem. Kodaline isn’t getting enough recognition for their talent. Most listeners have said that they sound too familiar. The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, and Coldplay are some bands that listeners have compared Kodaline to. They’ve labeled Kodaline as a group of wannabe’s, and to me, they deserve more acknowledgement. After performing on You’re a Star, the members of Kodaline wrote their very first album and called it In a Perfect World. We will write a custom essay sample on In a Perfect World by Kodaline or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The songs I am going to talk about in this album are â€Å"Love Like This†, â€Å"All I Want†, and â€Å"High Hopes.† The quartet sits together and talks about the most impacting experiences to write about. Most of the songs in this album are about relationships. The song â€Å"Love Like This† is about the lead singer’s, Steve Garrigan, first love. Once he noticed it wasn’t going to work out, Garrigan realized relationships don’t last forever; hence, the line â€Å"I know that a love like this won’t last forever† was written. This song does sound similar to The Lumineers or Mumford and Sons, but it’s important to note that it was never Kodaline’s intentions to make it seem like they were trying to be like these bands to gain fame. The songs are self written and very personal by coming from their hearts and their own experiences. During an interview with The Independent, Steve Garrigan said, â€Å"Its inten sely personal stuff, its like opening your diary and passing it around for judging. Every song has its own story.† â€Å"Love Like This† felt more like a folk song, giving such an upsetting experience an up-beat feel to it. I really like this song because people with any kind of relationship struggles can listen to this song without getting even more upset about it. It has the kind of vibe that makes an individual want to grab the closest thing to a microphone and dance around, completely forgetting about their problems and losing themselves in the moment. This was in fact one of Kodaline’s intentions. Songwriting for the band is not just about music. It’s almost like therapy for them. While writing songs, there is a beautiful opportunity to put emotions into words. When the band discovered this, the quartet wanted their songs to be therapeutic for everyone and have the chance for listeners to relate and put their own meaning on the songs.â€Å"All I Want † is another song about Steve Garrigan’s relationships. Discovering the fact that his girlfriend at the time had cheated on him, put him in a dark place. Something the band likes to do though, is put a positive spin on their songs. The line, â€Å"I’ll find somebody. Life goes on,† is a good example of this. Kodaline can find the good in any situation and put it in a catchy tune. The whole message of the song is for everyone to keep their chins up because eventually, someone will come along the way and love them for who they are. According to a couple listeners of the song, they heard some Coldplay within the music. â€Å"All I Want† does start out slow like a Coldplay song would do, but eventually picks up speed. Besides the lighthearted lyrics in this song, it has an icy feel to it. Because of this, it makes it easier for listeners to relate to the song. The more people can relate to the song, the more popular the song gets. From this, the song ha s achieved great success. It’s appeared in sadder videos, tv shows, and even movies. The song can be heard in season 5, episode 10 of The Vampire Diaries and the season 9 episode of Grey’s Anatomy, â€Å"Remember the Time†. â€Å"All I Want† even played in The Fault in our Stars and was used as background music for Google’s 2012: Year in Review video. â€Å"High Hopes† is the last song in this album I am going to talk about. This song is about the fear of letting something or someone go. From the line, â€Å" But I’ve got high hopes. It takes me back to when we started.† we can interpret that Steve Garrigan thinks back to a harsh breakup and has hopes about getting back together then, going back to where it started. This song has a sorrowful message because he clearly lost the person he loved so dearly but in some ways, it’s adoring. The lyrics take us back to delightful memories he had with this girl and the beat of the song is very cheerful. The effect that talented musicians can have on a song is extraordinary. The band members play a huge role in making their songs come to life. Steve Garrigan is the lead singer but can sometimes find him playing the keyboard, mandolin, or guitar. Mark Pendergast is the lead guitarist and a background singer, and in some cases, he can also play the keyboard. Vinny May Jr. kills it playing the drums and he is a background singer as well. By killing it, I don’t mean he plays the drums like it’s a hard core rock song, but he sets a nice beat for the songs and is very talented. Last but not least, Jason Boland plays the bass guitar and is another background singer. Together the four members make a great band and give special meaning to their songs. Overall, Kodaline’s songs are very meaningful and very personal. They come from the heart of all the band members, Steve Garrigan, Vinny May Jr, Jason Boland, and Mark Pendergast, and are written from experiences with each other. Obviously at the time, the band was a young, new band, trying to find their sound. Sometimes listening to songs while growing up, impacts how songs are written in the future. Saying Kodaline sounds similar to a band like Coldplay is not a bad thing at all, but I believe everyone should know that this was never Kodaline’s intentions. The quartet wants to share their personal feelings for others and maybe even help out or relate to their very own listeners. The band deserves more for their hard work, talent, and thoughtfulness. Kodaline is very good at taking a very negative situation and flipping it around to make it a more positive sounding song with a deeper message. I definitely recommend listening to their first album In a Perfect World and the three songs, â€Å"Love Like This†, â€Å"All I Want†, and â€Å"High Hopes† if anyone is looking for heart-rending songs twisted to sound uplifting.

Hip Hops Culture essays

Hip Hop's Culture essays Eminem, Dr. Dre, Nas, Eve, Missy Elliot, Tribe Called Quest, these are all known for their best flows and culture beat of Hip-Hop. But how can we define Hip-Hop?. In the early 90s Hip-Hop began to rise, and its popularity became more big as early hip-hoppers brought the country to its feet from its unique beats and its possessive lyrics. Most songs in the early Hip-Hop days were about simple lives of different people, going through a rough time, or hanging out with the homes. But as we can see and hear, Hip-Hop has become more widely known for its indecent and powerful lyrics that explain more of violence, sex, and drug theme. There are 3 main reasons why I think Hip-Hop has changed in a more cruel and negative way in the past 10 years. One is, how Rap and Hip-Hop music videos show a great amount of violence and sexual scenes towards each other, especially when it comes to race and sex. Women in videos, like; Juveniles Back That Azz Up, represent them in a whore matter, which show young women in thongs, very tight and short, and sensual clothing. Also more sex or rape is shown videos, like; Three Six Mafias Tear Da Club Up. In the early years we saw videos of how homeboys hang out together, their simple of difficult lives, and their pimping situations. If a child sees these views from a rappers views and its lyrics, the child will have a greater chance to grow up to be violent or aggressive with in The other is, how the Hip-Hop groups or solos represent their hate or/and believes through their names. For example, Ghost Face Killah, Bounty Killa, and Masta Killa. These names represent hate through killing and other through disctruction and drugs in their lives. Not only some of these show negative influence through their names ...

Questions on Mutiple Topics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Questions on Mutiple Topics - Essay Example Portfolio matrices have become popular tools due to the various advantages that companies derive from them. First, portfolio matrices are very flexible as they can be applied to products, brands, and strategic business units. It should be noted that the use of portfolio analysis is not limited to products or brands only. Portfolio matrices can be used to ascertain the competitiveness and strengths of brands, product lines, and profit centers. Portfolio matrices are often used as cash management tools as they provide managers an easy and graphical way to assess how much cash the business will be using or generating in putting its products or services in the market. It also tells managers which products or units to invest in according to their attractiveness and competitiveness. The use of portfolio analysis is essentially to help managers focus on their core and profitable businesses. Portfolio matrices are also commonly used among business organizations because of their relative simplicity. The core ideas behind each portfolio matrix can be easily grasped and understood by any manager. Therefore, portfolio matrices are often easier to understand than other business tools. However, the use of portfolio matrices in crafting business strategies also presents some drawbacks. For one, portfolio matrices are often seen as having a â€Å"too simplistic† view of the world that it overlooked other important qualitative factors. For example, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix considers the relationship between market attractiveness and market growth. It should be noted however, that high growth markets are not necessarily attractive and low growth markets are not necessarily unattractive (Growth-Share Matrix, 2006). Another pitfall of portfolio matrices is that it does not consider the interaction of business units or the entities being considered. It should be noted that in portfolio matrix analyses, products are considered in isolation

Nutritional Knowledge amongst community pharmacists Dissertation

Nutritional Knowledge amongst community pharmacists - Dissertation Example Appendix 3: Results of Reliability Analysis 57 Acknowledgment Nutritional Knowledge amongst Pharmacists Abstract This study ventured to examine the nutritional knowledge and awareness among community pharmacists in the West Yorkshire region in the United Kingdom, to find ways by which the potential of this group of health care professionals can be harnessed to advance health promotion and disease prevention in the neighbourhood. Descriptive research was adopted in the conduct of the study, utilizing quantitative techniques and survey methodology. A 37-item researcher-constructed questionnaire was developed and piloted to establish stability reliability using the pre-test - post-test procedure. Respondents were selected by way of simple random sampling, where a total of 84 respondents voluntarily participated in the study. Results of the study were presented using both descriptive and inferential measures. Key findings revealed that the respondents are most knowledgeable in the areas of pregnancy and elderly and general nutrition and that these pharmacists are taking an active stance in their expanding role as nutrition counsellors. However, 87.5% of the pharmacists admitted they do not have sufficient nutritional background. The nutritional assessment showed that the mean overall percentage score was 62.81%. Only the scores in the areas of general nutrition and drug – nutrient interactions showed significant relationship with nutritional background. Among the recommendations formulated to support the counsellor role of the community pharmacists are: incorporation of substantial modules in nutrition in the pharmacy curriculum, institution of formal mechanisms to foster interest among pharmacist to hone their expertise in nutritional counselling, and encouraging research in the field of nutrition in the pharmaceutical context. 1.0. Introduction and Literature Review The role of a professional pharmacist was depicted by Reeves (2005) as one which â€Å"has fitted itself and its practitioner to the needs of the public health and welfare, whatever they might be and regardless of mode or pattern ... [one] who holds dear the glorious heritage of the thousands of years† (p. 175). The task of pharmacists may be traced back early in history to be of common ancestry with a physician in general practice as apothecaries. As recalled by Bond (2009), apothecaries used to dispense medicines prescribed by doctors, and / or recommend medications for those members of the population who can not afford to consult a physician. In the modern era, pharmacists are health care professionals whose specialty includes the actions, use and chemistry of drugs, as well as their formulation into medicines, and the methods by which these are utilised in the management of illnesses. The main function of a pharmacist is, therefore, to apply such expertise to enhance the efficacy of patient care. Another role of a pharmacist is to guide patients in deriving the greatest benefit from their prescribed medication and in offering advice to the general public regarding the management of the so-called self-limiting and minor conditions (Bond, 2009). Pharmacists also help consumers in the selection of effective medications from a range of over-the-counter drugs or as members of a team of health care professionals. Traditionally, pharmacists practice their profession in association with a health care facility or either as independent or salaried

Tax Cuts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Tax Cuts - Essay Example Using the economic terms tackled in class, ways in which tax cuts could help revive the U.S. economy will be thoroughly explained. The concept of aggregate supply and demand allows us to have a better understanding of macroeconomic condition and the impact of implementing government decisions through fiscal policy. Specifically under the supply-side of economics, it is believed that implementing a significant increase in taxes could affect the entire economy by reducing the possible trading practices among the economic participants within a nation. Because of the sudden increase in government tax collection, the local people will be left with little money to spend on basic consumer goods. As a result of decreased trading practices between the people and businesses, potential investors are discouraged from investing more money. Therefore, reviving the U.S. economy through increased in government tax collection is not possible. In times of serious economic crisis, implementing a temporary tax cut through the use of a fiscal policy will empower the people to have more money to spend on basic commodities. This particular economic strategy is effective in terms of increasing the aggregate demand for locally made goods and services. Even though the country is going through a serious economic condition, the fact that people are encouraged to continuously spend their savings to purchase locally made goods and services will somehow improve the overall economic situation. Rather than borrowing large amount of money from international sources, implementing tax cuts is not a bad choice since the government will still be able to collect huge amount of tax collection from the business sectors. Basically, the tax multiplier effects of implementing tax cuts is the key behind enabling a country revive a slow growth economic condition. In the long run, there is a stronger possibility that the economic condition of a country will gradually recover from a poor

What is budget system in an organisation

What is budget system in an organisation In this high competition market place today, every company need a planning and control tool to act faster to increase competitive advantage. Budget is the tool to plan, monitor and control daily activities to meet organisation goal with effectively and efficiently. The toolkit will help you plan, develop and use budgets effectively in your organisation. If you have a sound understanding of the principles of budgeting, you will be well on the way to sound financial management. If you use this toolkit in conjunction with other toolkits, as indicated, you will increase the capacity of your organisation to manage its finances effectively. You will also increase its ability to survive through foresight and planning. In this assignment is to discuss what is budget system in an organisation, how the organisation uses it as tool to plan and control company expenses and expected revenue. We have chosen to make a case study about the budget process in London Biscuits Sdn Berhad. We will discuss budgeting system in this company and how to improve effectiveness of existing system. London Biscuits Sdn Berhad is a home grown Malaysian company. Main products are corn base snacks and layer cake. London Biscuits product can be found in Malaysia and 65 markets, worldwide. Its main oversea markets are China, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam and Middle East country. As a pioneer in the cake products segment locally, London Biscuits has fine-tuned the process of making cakes with long shelf life, of 8-12 months, without refrigeration. Budget What is budget; according to business dictionary define as estimate of cost, revenue and resources over a specified period, reflecting a managements reading of future financial condition. The CIMA definition of budget is a quantitative statement, for a defined period of time, which may include planned revenues, expenses, asset, liabilities and cash flows (Dyson, 1997). In other words, budgeting is the process of translating financial resources into human purposes (Wildavsky, 1986). Budgeting is also viewed as a process of identifying, gathering, summarising and communicating financial information of an Organizations future activities. Blumentritt (2006) further explained that budgeting processes include a review and study of the prior periods financial results, projections for sales, operating expenses (fixed, variable, and semi-variable) and Financing expenses, examination of proposals for capital expenditures, and means of rolling up and rationalizing figures from different functional departments to ensure they meet company-wide profit expectations. Hence, budget is a statement of financial position that an organisation would like to achieve. A well planned budget can lead company to achieve company goal successfully. It is managerial control tool to plan and control future expenses, profit and resources allocation in a certain period normally in 1 year advance. In order to have a realistic and good budget, there are few factor need to be considered before we draw up: Assign right person to draw up the budget. The person in change need to heavily involve in the entire exercise. Predictive ability is the must. He or she need to clear about organisation activities as well as the possible income and expenditure. Clear channel of communicate, authority and responsibity Objective and procedure or guidelines of budget must be clear can be implemented in the budget. Accounting generated accurate, reliable and timely information Compatibility and understandility of information Support at all levels of the organisation, upper, middle and lower Budgets consider external factors, such as market trends, economic conditions, and the like. allow for changing circumstances History of budget The budget only is used for governmental setting during agriculture ware. In industrial wave, budget had been use in large company as management control tool to plan and control their business. In 1960, budget is recognized as effective way to centralize company operation under top management. When come into information wave, high expectation from customer, competitors not only from own country but is worldwide comparison, decentralise the business is one of solution in order for company can react faster. When business management style change from centralize to decentralise, company need to change budget system to meet company objective. Hence, traditional budgeting like incremental budget be replace to zero base budgeting and other modern budgeting is begin implement to follow company direction. Method of budget also change from top down (centralise) to bottom up budgeting (decentralise). The order new budgeting system like rolling budget, balance score card, activity base budgeting and beyond budgeting are start implement in some company to improve effective and efficiency of organisation. Purpose of budget As planning tool Budgeting plan and allocate fund to achieve company goal. Manager need to formulate business strategies to achieve company goal with arrange resource allocation e.g machinery, fund, staff changes, scheduling production and operating company in advance. Mean that budget use as tool to link company objective with company resource to allow for thinking how to make operations and resource more productive and efficiently. Budget is a plan to provide the overall picture to manager for status of company resource, expected income and expenses. It is a better money management skill by creating structured plan. Thurs, manager can prevent problem before they arise. All financial statements should be written in terms of the budget so that it is easier to be transparent and accountable and to ensure that no money is spent on costs that you have not budgeted for. So manager have not establishes guidelines in the form of a road map to proceed in the right direction. Communication tool Budgeting process is involving every departments in a organisation. Team work is required to completed a budget. In other word, budget as aids coordination between departments to attain efficiency and productivity. Indirectly budgeting process can improves working realationships. It as coordination of top management with media and lower lever at organisation. Delegation tool Improves managerial decision making because emphasis is on future events and associated opportunities Encourages delegation of responsibility and enables managers to focus more on the specifics of their plans and how realistic the plans are, and how such plans Monitor and control Budget is allows management to monitor, control, and direct activities within the company. Manager can compare budget plan with actual result and points out deviations. Investigation and corrective action will be taken. Therefore, management can aware of problem faced by lower levels. action can be taken earlier before result worse. Motivation Employees participate in the budgeting process able to motivating them to perform in line with the company goal. The feeling in involvement in the process able to enhance motivation. Additionally, expected profit or cost reduction planned in the budget may motivate manager to achive. And those meeting budget target, incentive will given as motivational device. The budget planning and control process The budget process used by a company should suit its needs, be consistent with its organisation structure and take into account human resource. The budgetary process establishes goal ad policies, formulate, limits, enumerate resource need, examines specific requirements provide flexibit, incoparates and consider constraints. ( ) Hence, budget process is start from the company goal with determines the overall or strategic goals and strategic of business, which are then translated into specific long term goals, annual budgets, and operation plans. Setting financial goals is the starting point in the budgeting process. Examples: earnings growth, cost minimization, sales, prod volume, return investment and quality. Once short term goal of company had been set, manager need analysing available resources, forecasting profit and expected cost à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. manager can base on history or past experience to estimate cost like capital cost, staffing cost, operation cost and organisation cost. And estimate revenue like usually is generate from sales income. Therefore, sales budget is first budget to be plan then following with cost budget. Those estimate figure will be put in the budget format according to company needed. Finally compare revenue and expense projections. First draf of budget will sudmit to top management to obtain approval. Top manager will evaluate the budget with company objective. If budget is realistic and meet the company goal or target. It will be implemented, distributed and coordinated among different functional department. If budget is rejected, necessary adjustments to the budget, check your calculations once again and resubmit for approval again. The budget is the most important tool you have for monitoring the finances of your organisation, project or department. You use the budget to monitor income and expenditure to see whether or not you are on target; report how you are doing financially to your staff, board and donors;do cash flow projections and make financial decisions.() Comparisons of actual income and expenditure against the budgeted income and expenditure need to be done regularly. Variance report need to be prepare if any. There are 2 variance result: Interpreting the result: Favourable = actual is better than planned then it is a positive variance Adverse= actual is worse than planned then it is a negative variance Investigate and corrective action need to be taken. Budget process in London Biscuit ( LB) London Biscuit top management group will start to plan the next year budget on every year end. That top management group include CEO, COO and head of department. They will have the pre budget meeting to set the next year target or short term objective need to meet by next year. Target and short term objective are link to company goal. For example, LB plans to open new market at USA. So short term objective will be develop new product and survey the USA market. Therefore, company may decide to spend more money to invest at RD and having market survey for USA food market. They will only set the target to organisation, and let staffs collect relevant information will influence next year target. Therefore, method of budget in LB is bottom up budgeting. Finance department is department to lead and compile budget to master budget. Same with common company, budget will start from sales budget. Sales team start with constructing prognoses and environment analysis. They need to include the objective or target had been set by top management. For example they may need to achieve 10% of total sales growth on next year. Sales department at LB is delegate base on area sales. Account dept will help to provide sales history for past few years to predict future sales performance. Statistical analysis will be performed by each area sales managers. Simple calculation Statistical analysis can be averages based on past sales to identify trends that can be extrapolated into the future. This is call incremental budgeting. In this case, top management is set yearly target for sales dept is 10% of inscreasment of total sales. Hence, managers will base on past year record and forecasting 10% increase sales figure. After sales budget be approved by sales director, it will be distribute to related department to continue plan the expenses will be incur to procure estimate sales figure. There are 2 type of main organisation expense; operation cost and administration cost. In LB there are few dept in charge of operation cost: Production, engineering, QA and QC and supply chain departments. Production budget included unit of product need to be produced to meet sales target qty. Example: budgeted sales volume on Jan 2011 is 10,000 carton of pie cake, production manager need to base on this figure to estimate how many direct labour, machinery cost, utilises cost and so on. QA QC need budgeting how many instruments to support production output checking before pass the output to shipment. Common instrument include in the LBs QA QC is pass sticker, scale and manpower needed as well. Supply Chain manager budgeting direct material cost base on budgeted sales target. The required raw materials are computed to meet the production schedule which planned base on the sales target. According to policy of LB, less than 5 % of raw material inventory can be planned. SCM manager is considering the material pricing increase factor during budgeting. Administration cost are non-operational costs and will include things such as marketing, human resources, rents and vehicle costs as well as general administration HR admin manager in LB prepare the indirect labour budgeting. It includes training cost estimation, general overhead, office maintenance cost à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Account manager budgeting the general office cost like IT is one of supported dept in the LB. IT manage handle all the IT intructment. He need to budget those equipment like computer, printer or other related need. After all the departmental budget and sales budget is done, finance dept as accountable to compile these budgets into master budget. Finance controller will compare revenue and expense projections and verify budgeted result in line with the LB short term objective. In case finance controller found that any contingency budgeted result, department manager is request to revise and submit budget again. Else, master budget will submit to CEO and COO for final approval. Once Master budget is approved, it will distribute, communicate and implemented in LB. Each department manager need to explain detail to subordinates and monitor the result from time to time. Budget control in LB Finance department and department managers take important role in controlling parts. Each department managers are assigning as budget committee. Quarterly management meeting will be held in LB for follow up and monitor budgeting purpose. Finance controller need to liaising between the budget committee and managers responsible for budget preparation. Finance controller is core person in the budgeting control as he have to provide training to budget committee, ensure budget dateline is meet and dealing with budget problem. According to finance controller at LB the reason why budget meeting only held quarterly is some department manager like sales manager will be outstation and seldom in the office to join the meeting. But department managers need to submit monthly report every early of the month to finance department. Account department also will provide history of income and expenses to finance department for verify purpose. Master budget in Lb is break into monthly report. They call it as Monthly Budget value report. This report includes all budgeted and actual income and expenses in a month. Comparison of actual and budgeted figure need to be shown in the standard format which fix by finance controller. This shows you, month by month, where you are over-spending, under-spending or on target. For that variance more than RM5000, explanation and variance report needed. This report outline the cause of significant variance, propose remedial action and any other significant matter. An analysing report provided finance controller base on variance report to analysing and foresee what impact for master budgets is. Current financial status Analysis of budget changes Financial position to date In month financial position Trend analysis by month Main cause of variance Estimate end of year position Suggestion action or corrective action In some cases that prove the budgeted figure is unrealistic, budget is request to revise. First month Year-to-date Budget Actual Budget Actual Revenue Sales Cost recovery Interest from investment Total income Expenditure Project 1 Project 2 Directorate Operational costs Organisational costs Staffing costs Total expenditure That department budget with significant deviation will be issue short cause letter and variance report from finance depart. They need to follow the action plan and act accordingly. Audit will be held from time to time from finance dept to ensure they are complying accordingly. Budget system Types of budget Marketing Budget The marketing budget is an estimate of the funds needed for promotion, advertising, and public relations in order to market the product or service. Project Budget The project budget is a prediction of the costs associated with a particular company project. These costs include labor, materials, and other related expenses. The project budget is often broken down into specific tasks, with task budgets assigned to each. Budgets can be classified according to Time, Function, and Flexibility. ACCORDING TO TIME: 1. Long Term Budget 2. Short Term Budget 3. Current Budget 4. Rolling budget ACCORDING TO FUNCTION: 1. Sales Budget 2. Production Budget 3. Cost of Production Budget 4. Purchase Budget 5. Personnel budget 6. R D Budget 7. Capital Expenditure Budget 8. Cash Budget 9. Master Budget ACCORDING TO FLEXIBILITY: 1. Fixed Budget 2. Flexible Budget Cotrolling A budget Budgetary control is defined by CIMA as the establishment of budgets relating the responsibilities of executives to the requirements of a policy, and the continuous comparison of actual with budgeted results, either to secure by individual action the objective of that policy, or to provide a basis for its revision. Budgetary control is a system of controlling costs and resources which includes comparing actual performance with the budgeted performance and subsequently acting upon the actual results to minimise variance and achieve maximum returns. In essence, budgetary control is purported to ensure that the activities carried out are providing the desired results. Monitored using variance analysis Good Writing a budget require target to be set- every1 know what need to achive, concentrates wokers mind on what gas to be done Depart have to communicate Problem can be identifiend before it is too late unacceptable By comparing a bugest wuth the actually happened a bunisess can identify weak area. Useful tools in allocting resoures e.g machinery, employee, makinf staff changes, scheduling prod and operating business Their creation can also be used as a motivational tool. The plan can be used as a means of evaluation and control as well as a resource for information and decision-making. A Bad Inaccurate unrealistic budgets will be ingoned It can restrict business activity which may lose the firm business If budgets are impose upon people there is little incentive for them to stick to target If 1 of dept not focus to B, whole master b will be effected. Lack of training Long lead to plan The signs of budget weaknesses must be spotted so that corrective action may be taken. Such signs include: Managerial goals are off target or unrealistic. There is management indecisiveness. The budget takes too long to prepare. Budget preparers are unfamiliar with the operations being budgeted and do not seek such information. Budget preparers should visit the actual operations firsthand. Budget preparers do not keep current. The budget is prepared using different methods each year. The What and Why of Budgeting / 15 Exhibit 1.3 XYZ Company Divisional Performance Evaluation Net Income Net Sales There is a lack of raw information going into the budgeting process. There is a lack of communication between those involved in budgeting and operating personnel. The budget is formulated without input from those affected by it. This will likely result in budgeting errors. Further, budget preparers do not go into the operations field. Managers do not know how their budget allowances have been assigned or what the components of their charges are. If managers do not understand the information, they will not perform their functions properly. The budget document is excessively long, confusing, or filled with unnecessary information. There may be inadequate narrative data to explain the numbers. Managers are ignoring their budgets because they appear unusable and unrealistic. Managers feel they are not getting anything out of the budget process. Changes are made to the budget too frequently. Significant unfavorable variances are not investigated and corrected. These variances may also not be considered in deriving budgeted figures for next period. Further, a large variance between actual and budgeted figures, either positive or negative, that repeatedly occurs is an indicator of poor budgeting. Perhaps the budgeted figures were unrealistic. Another problem is that after variances are identified, it is too late to correct their causes. Further, variance reporting may be too infrequent. There is a mismatching of products or services. A budget can be disadvantageous because: A budget promotes gamesmanship in that those managers who significantly inflate requests, knowing they will be reduced, are in effect rewarded by getting what they probably really wanted. A budget may reward managers who set modest goals and penalize those who set ambitious goals that are missed. There is judgment and subjectivity in the budgeting process. The What and Why of Budgeting / 19 Managers may consider that budgets redirect their flexibility to adjust to changing conditions. A budget does not consider quality and customer service. Conclusion Activity Duration Future-proof the council 10 days Define the required outcomes and their relationships 15 days Define measures and set bases and targets 20 days Assess risks and allocate rewards at the corporate level 10 days Total 55 days Recommends Understandable and attainable. Flexibility and innovation is needed to allow for unexpected contingencies. Provide more opportunities for staff to join. Sometimes it is necessary to have two different budgets for your organisation. One as the ideal budget that you would like to have and a second one as a minimum budget of the money that is absolutely necessary for your organisation to survive. Often when your draw up the ideal budget, your are not yet sure that your will get all the money your need and a minimum budget will help you to decide which costs can be cut, if your dont manage to raise the necessary funds. A computer should be used to make quick and accurate calculations, keep track of projects instantly, and make proper comparisons. Shortened planning and budgeting cycles.Ć¦Ãƒâ€žÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ Enabled better decision making.Ć¦Ãƒâ€žÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ Reduced total cost of the processes.Ć¦Ãƒâ€žÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ Improved credibility and quality of outputs.Ć¦Ãƒâ€žÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ Planned and relocated budgets based on material events.Ć¦Ãƒâ€žÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ Increased user participation with frequent real-time updates.Ć¦Ãƒâ€žÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ Raised ownership and accountabilityĆ¦Ãƒâ€žÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ Aligned individual, department and business unit plans with company ojb. There are a number of advantages to budgeting and budgetary control:  · Compels management to think about the future, which is probably the most important feature of a budgetary planning and control system. Forces management to look ahead, to set out detailed plans for achieving the targets for each department, operation and (ideally) each manager, to anticipate and give the organisation purpose and direction.  · Promotes coordination and communication.  · Clearly defines areas of responsibility. Requires managers of budget centres to be made responsible for the achievement of budget targets for the operations under their personal control.  · Provides a basis for performance appraisal (variance analysis). A budget is basically a yardstick against which actual performance is measured and assessed. Control is provided by comparisons of actual results against budget plan. Departures from budget can then be investigated and the reasons for the differences can be divided into controllable and non-controllable factors.  · Enables remedial action to be taken as variances emerge.  · Motivates employees by participating in the setting of budgets.  · Improves the allocation of scarce resources.  · Economises management time by using the management by exception principle. Problems in budgeting Whilst budgets may be an essential part of any marketing activity they do have a number of disadvantages, particularly in perception terms.  · Budgets can be seen as pressure devices imposed by management, thus resulting in: a) bad labour relations b) inaccurate record-keeping.  · Departmental conflict arises due to: a) disputes over resource allocation b) departments blaming each other if targets are not attained.  · It is difficult to reconcile personal/individual and corporate goals.  · Waste may arise as managers adopt the view, we had better spend it or we will lose it. This is often coupled with empire building in order to enhance the prestige of a department. Responsibility versus controlling, i.e. some costs are under the influence of more than one person, e.g. power costs.  · Managers may overestimate costs so that they will not be blamed in the future should they overspend. Conclusion 2. Dyson, J. R., 1997. Accounting for Non-Accounting Students. 4th ed. London: Pearson Professional Limited.

Heart of Darkness as Social Protest Essays -- Heart Darkness essays

Heart of Darkness as Social Protest Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, is an intriguing and extremely disturbing portrayal of man's surrender to his carnal nature when all external trappings of "civilization" are removed. This novel excellently portrays the shameful ways in which the Europeans exploited the Africans: physically, socially, economically, and spiritually. Throughout the nineteenth century, Europeans treated their African counterparts savagely. They were beaten, driven from their homes, and enslaved. Heart of Darkness is no exception. In the first section of the novel, Marlow is disgusted by the condition of the Africans at the First Station. His encounter with the chain gang sickens him to the point where he is forced to wait for them to pass. He even takes a separate path to avoid encountering them again. While avoiding the chain gang, Marlow stumbles upon the object of their work-"a vast artificial hole...the purpose of which I found it impossible to divine." Apparently, to keep them occupied and thus "out of trouble," the natives are forced to do meaningless, pointless exercises. Marlow is shocked by this total subjugation of the Africans and the completely pointless work which they are forced to perform. Prior to 1807, the Europeans directly enslaved the Africans. After 1807, Britain, and eventually most European countries, banned the slave trade. However, this did not stop the Eldorado Exploring Expedition, whose members Marlow described as "reckless without hardihood, gree... ...heads of the natives he killed, those "heads on the stakes" with their faces turned toward the house, to show his complete and total dominance over their lives. After this, the natives could not but help view him with a supernatural aura. He also forced anyone approaching him to crawl on all fours and grovel at his feet. This, coupled with the fact that he did not allow very many people to see him, reinforced his god-like authority. In the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, the Europeans shamelessly exploited the Africans. Conrad, who had been to Africa, makes no effort to gloss over the gross abuses of power of the Europeans and their inhumane treatment of the natives. Taken in this light, Heart of Darkness serves as an excellent novel of social protest.

The bad things about Obama’s economic plan in foreign policy

To say the economic state of America is the most pressing need on the minds of most Americans today, would certainly not be too far from the truth. This is perhaps why both candidates realize that they have to say something at least on this subject. It is sad however to note that Obama’s plans depict a gross lack of understanding of our economic travails. Indeed, a group of respected economists noted recently that â€Å"Barack Obama’s economic proposals are wrong for the American economy†. Firstly, Obama proposes an overall increase in tax rates just as he admits that this proposal would not serve a weak economy. One wonders therefore how he thinks this would work in present day America. Or is this the strong economy Obama imagines for Americans? Increased tax rates would raise federal spending, bring about a slow in economic growth and of course result in massive job losses which of course heads us for another depression which we sure do not pray for. Again, Obama intends to end America’s trade ties the world over. Now, to decide against international trade is certainly not in our best interest, at least not in these times for the economists said â€Å"international trade is also a powerful source of strength in a weak economy†. Also, more jobs are created when we export our goods abroad and cheap products are also imported for the middle class and low income earners to especially to consume. It is this set of people that Obama’s plans would deprive of this veritable source of livelihood. As part of his plans, he also wishes to withdraw American forces from Iraq so as to free funds for the local economy. But we know that can not be true when an holistic view of the costs and benefits of the war would become after such rash withdrawal. In conclusion, Obama’s plans lack depth and appear destined to fail beyond redemption if allowed to run.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Essay

Early on in a poet’s career development, influences lead him down the path to be an inspiring poet. One’s family, friends, foreign places they visited, and even other famous poets and authors, often help shape a poet’s professional writing style. In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s case, all of these motivators helped him become interested in writing. At night his mother would read him poems and stories that inspired him even more to write poetry. Henry was raised in a rural area with much open countryside. Henry’s friends pressured him to write one of his most famous poems â€Å"Evangeline†. As a child, Longfellow was very fascinated when he would travel to different places around the world and hear foreigners speak different languages and tell stories in their native tongue. The Author that really influenced him was Washington Irving. Henry said every good poet would have in his possession and use as a tool Irving’s first book. Henry Wad sworth Longfellow can thank his family and peers for helping him develop into one of the most admired poets. â€Å"Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland Maine on February 27, 1807†(Beck 1). Henry was the second son of eight children in his family. His father, Stephen Longfellow, was a prominent lawyer and later a member of Congress. Henry’s mother, Zilpah Wadsworth, was the daughter of a Revolutionary war hero who was Henry’s grandfather that lived in Gorham. Henry lives with his grandfather during school and summer vacation. As Henry grew older, he married a woman named Mary Storer Potter a former classmate at Bowdoin College. In Henry’s second trip to Europe, his life was shaken when his wife Mary died. When this happened Henry spent a whole year in Germany and Switzerland morning his wife’s death. The whole year Henry spent in Germany and Switzerland he didn’t write any poetry at all. After he came back to the United States from Germany and Switzerland, he met a woman named Frances Appleton. Henry proposed to her, however, Frances refused his proposal. â€Å"Frances finally accepted his proposal the following spring ushering in the happiest 18 years of Longfellow’s life†(Beck 1). This marriage with Frances gave Henry new confidence that he never had. In 1861, when the Civil War had just begun, Frances was sealing an envelope when her dress caught on fire. â€Å"Despite her husband desperate attempts to save Frances she died the next day†(Beck 1). After this happened, Longfellow lost the confidence he had gained and again didn’t publish any poetry for the next two years. After all these tragic years Longfellow went through, his health started to fail and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow died March 24, 1882 at the age of 75. He was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Even though Longfellow has died, his legacy still liv es on. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow found inspiration for his poems in the forest, in the sea, and all over Portland, Maine. Henry didn’t just get inspiration for his poems from the environment, he also found inspiration through people he meet and admired. Henry spent school and summer vacations in Gorham, at his grandfather’s house. These times spent with his grandfather were among his most joyous and influential times in his life. His grandfather would tell him stories about the war, Indian fights, legends of that time, and how life was when he was a boy. One of Henry’s poems that were inspired by his grandfather was his first poem called â€Å"The Battle of Lovell’s Pond†. This poem was based on a story about the war that his grandfather told him. Henry’s grandfather was not the only family member that influenced him. At night before Henry would go to sleep his mother would read aloud to him, his brothers, and his sisters. She would read from The High Romance of Ossian, the legendary Gallic hero. This is not the only book that Henry’s mother read to him she also read Washington Irving’s Sketch Book. Henry said that every aspiring poet would have Irving’s first book. Family was not the only people that influenced Longfellow, his friends also influenced him. His friends pressured Henry to write one of his most famous poems â€Å"Evangeline†. Nathaniel Hawthorne influenced Henry’s writing style and some of the content in this poem. Many people have different inspirations in their life and in Henry’s case it was mostly family and friends that helped shape his writing style and subjects. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow made his poetry unique by vividly describing the typical American life by using words and phrases in a musical language that was easy to read and understand. He would frequently write about all the war stories and legends of the time that his grandfather told him as a child. When writing, Henry would use all different types of writing styles. His favorite style was free verse because he was able to tell stories with ease and he was able to describe his poetry in a way a reader could understand and relate to their own life. This is evident in his poem â€Å"The Village Blacksmith† when he writes, â€Å"And children coming home from school Look in at the open door; They love to see the flaming forge, And hear the bellows roar†(Henry 20). When Henry would write in free verse he wasn’t writing a poem based on a story he was writing a poem about his life and how he felt. He would look around at the nature anything around him and write about what he felt inside. Henry was a great writer and was very unique in his own way and that is how he became so famous around the world. Overall it is easy to see that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a very famous and well-loved poet. Longfellow’s life was blessed with happiness and troubled by tragedy. Many times he stopped writing due to depressions however, he managed to return and continue to produce many famous poems. He had many influences and his own unique way of writing his poems using everyday happenings that Americans could relate to easily. His family and his friends influenced him with all the stories that they told him and the many famous literary works that were shared with him. Although Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was influenced by many famous poets and writers he is by far the only American writer of the 19th century to truly capture the culture of the time through his literary works.

The Goddess Demeter †Greek History Essay

The Goddess Demeter – Greek History Essay Free Online Research Papers The Goddess Demeter Greek History Essay Have you ever thought about how it would be if we lived in a world where there was a god for everything? Very long ago, Greeks strongly believed in different kind of gods and goddesses. One of these goddesses was Demeter who provided fertility. â€Å"Demeter provides all nutrition on the earth, allowing her to be considered a vital source of survival† (A.L. Davidson, The Greek Goddess Demeter). Some of her main symbols include poppy seeds, and corn, which of course have to do with agriculture; and some colors, which represent her, are pink, brown, green, and yellow. She also taught mankind the art of sowing and sloughing. â€Å"She can also cross dimensional barriers between worlds and alter her form to appear as an elderly woman† (marvunapp.com/Appendix/demeterc.htm). She did not have many enemies, but only disliked the ones who did not help her when she was in search of her daughter Persephone, and also those who ate sacred plants. Demeter was an influential goddess with many characteristics, and a unique history. Demeter had many personality traits and only few flaws. She was the most generous of all goddesses and was very understanding and respectful. That is why she gained the sympathy and favor of the other Olympian gods. Not only she had the their sympathy but beyond that she also had the ability to truly sympathize with humans. In addition Demeter was very modest and shy. One of her flaws is her ability to invoke curses. For instance, â€Å"she cursed King Erysichton with insatiable hunger and endow mystical ability in sorcerers and mystics that know how to call upon her such as Clea† (marvunapp.com/Appendix/demeterc.htm). Although Demeter is a goddess, she has a family background. Demeter is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea; also sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Pluto, Hera and Hestia. â€Å"She never married† (theoi.com/Summary/Demeter.html), but was lovers with her brother Zeus. She had many children but her daughter Persephone was the most known one because of the famous myth. Haides fell in love with Persephone and Zeus helped him to kidnap her from her mother and take her to the Underworld. When Demeter found out that Haides had kidnapped her beloved daughter she became very angry. She searched everywhere for her and even brought â€Å"deadly starvation down upon mankind until Zeus agreed to let her return† (theoi.com/Summary/Demeter.html). Unfortunately when Hermes was sent to the Underworld in search of Persephone, he gave her a pomegranate and Persephone ate it. As a consequence of this, Persephone was forced to stay with Hades for a third of the year. â€Å"Only when Persephone is with her, Demeter lets things grow† (Micha F. Lindemans, Demeter.) Since agriculture played an important role in Greek history, Demeter was worshipped in many different ways. Particularly, she was worshipped in agricultural societies. Furthermore, the first loaf of bread from the harvest was sacrificed in her honor. Also, Demeter was often portrayed as a solemn woman, often wearing a wreath of braided ears of corn. Some regions were she was worshipped at were Attika, Messenia, and Ena. Demeter’s primary festival was the Athenian Thesmophoria. It celebrates the half of the year when Demeter didnt work as the goddess of the harvest; she spent this half of the year with her daughter. If we had lived in the ancient Greek times, then Demeter would have been very significant in our lives. Demeter taught humans how to grow, preserve, and prepare grain. Again, earth could not produce without her allowing it. The Greeks experienced that themselves when Persephone was taken away from her mother. Her history is very unique, not only her search for Persephone and the consequences that followed, but also many other myths.Above that. she is the mother of earth itself and is â€Å"invoked as the bringer of the seasons† (Micha F. Lindemans, Demeter.) Research Papers on The Goddess Demeter - Greek History EssayCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionMind TravelBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionWhere Wild and West MeetThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsGenetic EngineeringInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Business economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Business economics - Essay Example In order for the law of demand and supply to hold, there is an assumption that everything else remains constant. This paper aims at studying the economic problem of scarcity, in reference to oil prices. It will further address the externalities arising from oil usage and the government intervention. In economics, scarcity is a fundamental issue and requires that economic units make a decision of how much and what to produce using the limited resources. According to Watkins’s (2006, pp. 508-514) study, the scarcity of oil and the eventual decision made by economists give rise to a constant opportunity cost. To address this problem of scarcity, economists have been increasing prices on the scarce resources with a view to discouraging demand and encouraging firms to develop alternatives. According to Asdorian’s (2011, p. 97) analysis, the scarcity of oil rises where its supply falls short of the demand level. Whenever the supply fails to meet some demand at a prevailing price, the economics make prices to skyrocket in order to encourage supply and ration the demand. To get the aspect of oil scarcity, market prices are considered. The market price of oil reflects the opportunity cost incurred in bringing an additional barrel to the market. The opportunity cost compensates the reserve owners for the extraction costs and the loss of a barrel of reserves that could otherwise be sold in the future. Asdorian’s (2011) research findings revealed that whenever the price of a commodity is higher relative to that of other commodities, there is an indication of scarcity, whereas a lower price indicates abundance. The presence of scarcity is also seen when prices change over long periods. From the commodity extraction models, it is deduced that the market prices are relied upon as a reliable guide to opportunity cost that includes the costs that are relative to the expected future scarcity. Asdorian’s (2011) study, however, explains

The Philosophy of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Philosophy of Art - Essay Example This is where aesthetics sets in as a form of science. As John Keats most famously said â€Å"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all Ye know on earth, and all you need to know† 1 Aesthetics is not an exact science. The term emerged in Eighteenth Century to describe a number of various things and contemplates various theories that pertain to the conception of judgment in terms of artworks and all other objects it encompasses. It is a value and an experience concurrently or simultaneously. In the process, aesthetics is often regarded coinciding with the concept of taste. During the early years of aesthetics, beauty is something instantaneously judge for. This is best perceived in the rationalization of beauty that we experience regularly.2 This is something that is apparent from a day to day basis. It is determined by a number of things as taste may be varied from person to person but there is always that sense of uniformity in the general population of what is beautiful a nd what is not. From being delineated to the definition of the philosophy of art, subsequent years yielded focus on its value and experience in relation to the aesthetic attitudes. As a subject, Aesthetics is very vast and covers many aspects. The philosopher Immanuel Kant was the first to give a more thorough discussion of what the philosophy of art is. Kant primarily regards that the content is not the main interest of aesthetics and this is equated as a formalist point of view. Art is impure because it has concept and that even in nature it is only through our cognitive ability that we are able to enjoy parts and pieces of it and thus this is freedom. But Kant is quick to add that not every piece of art contains this. This theory of pure beauty contains four aspects; 1. it contains no concept, 2. it is objective, 3. the spectator’s disinterest and, 4. it is obligatory.3 The basic concept in the need for art is the pleasure that is derived from beauty. This is ultimately wh at we know as aesthetic pleasure. â€Å"Kant locates aesthetic judgment halfway between the logically necessary (an example would be mathematical theorems) and the purely subjective (expressions of personal taste).†4 For example, the opinion that something is beautiful as personally perceived by a person is essentially a subjective point of view based on that person’s cognitive sense of what is actually beautiful. Yet it is concomitantly not subjective because the delight derived from it has reason to be the same way with somebody else. If someone sees something beautiful and takes pleasure from, then, shares this with another person is the full circle of the philosophy of art. Beauty does not end in its mere existence, the same must be appreciated and this begins with subjectivity. Another important aspect of art is the emotion that goes along with it. Many regard that this is the most important part of art and what makes it a truly human experience. It is the way tha t a piece of art makes an impact in its audience that determined whether or not it has achieved what it is meant to be able to do. Pleasure which is the most basic explanation for the existence of art is called ‘expressivism.’ This theory, which is applicable in all art media exemplifies the value of feelings as invested in the artwork by its creator. Leo Tolstoy, among the best novelist of all time, theorizes that