Talisman Energy

Talisman Energy Inc. (Talisman) is an independent Canadian oil and gas producer. Talisman is a company that has been through a great deal of criticism due to their negative experience in Sudan in previous years. They were accused of numerous things such as fueling the civil war, believing the Sudanese Government was using oil revenues to purchase weaponry, and of being complicit in human rights abuses because of fees and royalties paid to the government for the rights to explore oil and gas.Now, Talisman is faced with the decision of whether or not they should enter into Kurdistan, knowing that the same thing can happen there as it did in Sudan. The KRG is asking for $220 million in exchange for allowing Talisman to search for oil reserves. Not knowing what the KRG will use the money for, whether it’s to improve economic development or to purchase weaponry creates a dilemma for Talisman. The board of directors had first-hand experience of the damage to Talisman’s reputa tion. With proper due diligence and continuous re-evaluation of the situation in Kurdistan, Talisman should now find it easier to discover political risk and solve problems before they arise.Problem StatementTalisman Energy Inc. has encountered problems in the past when entering into politically unstable markets in other countries. Now they are faced with the decision whether to enter the oil-rich Kurdistan region of Iraq, knowing there are great risks associated with it. If they decide to enter Kurdistan, can they do it without facing the same problems as they did in Sudan?AnalysisTalisman’s interest in pursuing oil exploration in the Kurdistan region of Iraq has been shaped by many factors. First being that Kurdistan is estimated to have 39 million barrels of oil reserves. Second, Talisman was optimistic about the opportunity for foreign oil companies to tap into Iraqi oil now that Saddam Hussein had been defeated. Finally, the Kurdistan area was viewed as significantly saf er than the rest of Iraq. Talisman Energy Inc. is a company who has experience doing business in countries with high political risk. Political risk can be caused by conflict and violence, terrorism and kidnapping, property seizure, policy changes, and local  content requirements (Wild & Wild, International Business, 2012). Corruption sometimes plays a role in international business. See table 1 for the Corruption perception index. The higher the CPI score the less corruptive the country is.Table 1 Corruption Perception Index CountryCPI ScoreFinland9.0 to 10.0 Canada8.0 to 8.9 United States of America7.0 to 7.9 Spain6.0 to 6.9 Hungary5.0 to 5.9 Greece4.0 to 4.9 Mexico3.0 to 3.9 Russia2.0 to 2.9 Iraq1.0 to 1.9Talisman is now faced with the decision of whether or not they should enter into Kurdistan given the uncertainty in such an unstable region. Have they done the proper due diligence to proceed into Iraq. Iraq is a region with high political risk see Exhibit 1 (Wild & Wild, Inter national Business, 2012).Exhibit 1 Political risk around the WorldIn retrospect, should Talisman have gone into Sudan?Talisman made a good decision by entering Sudan. They were aware of the risks but the rewards were potentially high. It was for this reason they took the chance. They were faced with many challenges such as being blamed for influencing the Civil War. Overcoming these challenges only made the company stronger and more knowledgeable for similar future situations. What are the learnings from the Sudan experience?Talisman learned a great deal from the Sudan experience. They established a dedicated Corporate Responsibility Group (CR) in response to the events in Sudan. The CR group have developed Talisman’s CR policies, procedures and  reporting protocols. Over the years, they have included government relations and responsibility for assessing the risks involved in new projects, especially when entering countries that have high political risk. The company has als o added the International Code of Ethics for Canadian Business to its existing corporate code of ethics (Talisman Energy Inc.: The Decision to Enter Iraq, 2009). For more information on how Talisman manages their corporate responsibility see Exhibit 2.Exhibit 2 Talisman managing Corporate Responsibility Their commitment to corporate responsibility is founded in their company values. Their people put these values into action daily. Their dedication to making Talisman a great corporate citizen is built into the policies, systems, procedures and practices they have put in place to keep them improving. Their values include: Safety: Their goal is to create working conditions that cause no harm to people. Passion: They inspire others by the passion they demonstrate in their work. Results: They have a bias for results and take initiative to get things done efficiently, creating value for their shareholders. Respect: They take time to consider and appreciate other people’s points of view and treat the environment with respect.Excellence: They strive for excellence in what they do and how they do it. Teamwork: by working effectively together, they can deliver results far beyond their individual capabilities. Honest communication: They show courage to speak honestly and support others to do the same. How much money can Talisman make by entering Iraq?If the U.S geological survey is correct in estimating Kurdistan to have 39 billion barrels of oil reserves, then Talisman can make an enormous amount of money by entering Kurdistan. The world demand for oil in 2008 is forecast at 87 million barrels per day and the price of oil was US$130 per barrel (Talisman Energy Inc.: The Decision to Enter Iraq, 2009). The profit would be in the trillions. These large figures could cloud ones judgement when making such an important decision as this. The resources are there to generate huge profits but the circumstances they have to go through to do so  will have to be examined. W hat are the costs and benefits for Talisman to enter Iraq?CostsA 220 million dollar payment has to be paid to the Kurdistan Regional Government. Talisman’s entry might be viewed as support for the Kurdistan government as it was in Sudan and as a result there could be opposition form the U.S government, which supports the unity of Iraq and the Iraqi central government. There has yet to be an agreement on revenue sharing (Talisman Energy Inc.: The Decision to Enter Iraq, 2009). This could cause problems between the central government and the Kurdistan Regional government. A decision to enter Iraq could ruin the reputation of the company if the same thing were to happen there as in Sudan. The Iraqi central government controls Iraq’s export pipeline system. Without the ability to export the oil, Talismans oil revenue would be significantly curtailed.Benefits†¢Have access to large amounts of oil reserves. †¢Financial growth resulting in trillions of dollars in pro fit. †¢An opportunity to invest in the region of Kurdistan. †¢An opportunity to increase the company’s overall market share. †¢An increased level of profit as a result of cheaper labour than other business ventures.Discussion of AlternativesThere are some alternatives that may help solve Talisman’s problems. Presented here are some advantages and disadvantages of each as well as how each would affect the company as a whole and the country in which it is conducting business. One alternative would be to become more involved in the country where the business is taking place. A positive image needs to be put forth. Talisman needs to show others that it wants to make a difference in the Kurdistan region. With the $220 million that is to be paid to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), it is possible that Talisman could approach the KRG and make some kind of a deal regarding the use of the money. Hopefully this will ensure that it is used to build affordabl e housing, hospitals, schools, roads, and improve drinking water.This has all been destroyed or damaged by past conflict within the country. The advantage of this action results in proving to others that the money is being spent to  improve economic development in the region of Kurdistan and not to create independence from Iraq. A disadvantage of this would be the actual cost to carry out such an amount of work. Ultimately, it would improve their public image and presence in Kurdistan and hopefully prevent any controversy while being there. Another alternative would be to continually evaluate their position while in Kurdistan. This involves evaluating risk to prevent unexpected risks from occurring or exposure to them. By doing this, Talisman would always be on top of the situation at hand and it will allow them to become more proactive in their presence there. It will also help them to decide to stay or leave at any particular time. An advantage of this would be awareness of the local conditions and political/economic environment.They would re-evaluate the risks on a regular basis. This should prevent them from making the same mistakes as they did in Sudan. A disadvantage of this again would be that it is more costly. In addition, Talisman is risking the chances of another company taking the opportunity to enter the region and gain control of the oil reserves. The end result would be that Talisman would be receiving constant updates on the situation in Kurdistan.RecommendationTalisman Energy Inc. is a company that has had their fair share of problems when dealing with areas involving high political risk, such as Sudan. During their time there, they learned a great deal about risk and what to look for to reduce it to an acceptable level for investment purposes. The best way to reduce risk is too continually evaluate the region in which they are conducting business. With all the experience that Talisman has gained in Sudan they should now have a higher level of knowledge and comfort in doing business in Kurdistan. Talisman should now find it easier to discover political risks in new investment ventures. By completing the proper due diligence and exploration of political, legal, social and human rights issues, they should excel in doing business in the Kurdistan region.One must always remember when conducting business in an area with high political risks come high cost. If Talisman decides to enter Kurdistan it has to make sure that the $220 million dollar payment to the Kurdistan Regional Government is transparent and that it meets the standards of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (Talisman Energy Inc.: The Decision to  Enter Iraq, 2009). A deal should try and be made with the KRG to ensure that the money be spent on economic development and not on weapons. This would show the people of the region and the world that Talisman wants to help the people of Kurdistan improve their country, while at the same time establish a viable relationship with the region in order to successfully operate its business in the oil industry. Talisman Energy Executive SummaryTalisman Energy Inc. (Talisman) is an independent Canadian oil and gas producer. Talisman is a company that has been through a great deal of criticism due to their negative experience in Sudan in previous years. They were accused of numerous things such as fueling the civil war, believing the Sudanese Government was using oil revenues to purchase weaponry, and of being complicit in human rights abuses because of fees and royalties paid to the government for the rights to explore oil and gas.Now, Talisman is faced with the decision of whether or not they should enter into Kurdistan, knowing that the same thing can happen there as it did in Sudan. The KRG is asking for $220 million in exchange for allowing Talisman to search for oil reserves. Not knowing what the KRG will use the money for, whether it’s to improve economic development or to purchase weaponry creates a dilemma for Talisman. The board of directors had first-hand experience of the damage to Talisma n’s reputation. With proper due diligence and continuous re-evaluation of the situation in Kurdistan, Talisman should now find it easier to discover political risk and solve problems before they arise.Problem StatementTalisman Energy Inc. has encountered problems in the past when entering into politically unstable markets in other countries. Now they are faced with the decision whether to enter the oil-rich Kurdistan region of Iraq, knowing there are great risks associated with it. If they decide to enter Kurdistan, can they do it without facing the same problems as they did in Sudan? AnalysisTalisman’s interest in pursuing oil exploration in the Kurdistan region of Iraq has been shaped by many factors. First being that Kurdistan is estimated to have 39 million barrels of oil reserves. Second, Talisman was optimistic about the opportunity for foreign oil companies to tap into Iraqi oil now that Saddam Hussein had been defeated. Finally, the Kurdistan area was viewed as significantly safer than the rest of Iraq.Talisman Energy Inc. is a company who has experience doing business in countries with high political risk. Political risk can be caused by conflict and violence, terrorism and kidnapping, property seizure, policy changes, and local  content requirements (Wild & Wild, International Business, 2012). Corruption sometimes plays a role in international business. See table 1 for the Corruption perception index. The higher the CPI score the less corruptive the country is.Table 1 Corruption Perception Index Country CPI ScoreFinland9.0 to 10.0 Canada8.0 to 8.9 United States of America7.0 to 7.9 Spain6.0 to 6.9 Hungary5.0 to 5.9 Greece4.0 to 4.9 Mexico3.0 to 3.9 Russia2.0 to 2.9 Iraq1.0 to 1.9Talisman is now faced with the decision of whether or not they should enter into Kurdistan given the uncertainty in such an unstable region. Have they done the proper due diligence to proceed into Iraq. Iraq is a region with high political risk see Exhibit 1 ( Wild & Wild, International Business, 2012). Exhibit 1 Political risk around the World)In retrospect, should Talisman have gone into Sudan?Talisman made a good decision by entering Sudan. They were aware of the risks but the rewards were potentially high. It was for this reason they took the chance. They were faced with many challenges such as being blamed for influencing the Civil War. Overcoming these challenges only made the company stronger and more knowledgeable for similar future situations. What are the learnings from the Sudan experience?Talisman learned a great deal from the Sudan experience. They established a dedicated Corporate Responsibility Group (CR) in response to the events in Sudan. The CR group have developed Talisman’s CR policies, procedures and  reporting protocols. Over the years, they have included government relations and responsibility for assessing the risks involved in new projects, especially when entering countries that have high political risk. The company has also added the International Code of Ethics for Canadian Business to its existing corporate code of ethics (Talisman Energy Inc.: The Decision to Enter Iraq, 2009).For more information on how Talisman manages their corporate responsibility see Exhibit 2. Exhibit 2 Talisman managing Corporate Responsibility Their commitment to corporate responsibility is founded in their company values. Their people put these values into action daily. Their dedication to making Talisman a great corporate citizen is built into the policies, systems, procedures and practices they have put in place to keep them improving. Their values include: Safety: Their goal is to create working conditions that cause no harm to people.Passion: They inspire others by the passion they demonstrate in their work. Results: They have a bias for results and take initiative to get things done efficiently, creating value for their shareholders. Respect: They take time to consider and appreciate other peopleà ¢â‚¬â„¢s points of view and treat the environment with respect. Excellence: They strive for excellence in what they do and how they do it. Teamwork: by working effectively together, they can deliver results far beyond their individual capabilities. Honest communication: They show courage to speak honestly and support others to do the same. How much money can Talisman make by entering Iraq?If the U.S geological survey is correct in estimating Kurdistan to have 39 billion barrels of oil reserves, then Talisman can make an enormous amount of money by entering Kurdistan. The world demand for oil in 2008 is forecast at 87 million barrels per day and the price of oil was US$130 per barrel (Talisman Energy Inc.: The Decision to Enter Iraq, 2009). The profit would be in the trillions. These large figures could cloud ones judgement when making such an important decision as this. The resources are there to generate huge profits but the circumstances they have to go through to do so  will ha ve to be examined. What are the costs and benefits for Talisman to enter Iraq?CostsA 220 million dollar payment has to be paid to the Kurdistan Regional Government. Talisman’s entry might be viewed as support for the Kurdistan government as it was in Sudan and as a result there could be opposition form the U.S government, which supports the unity of Iraq and the Iraqi central government. There has yet to be an agreement on revenue sharing (Talisman Energy Inc.: The Decision to Enter Iraq, 2009). This could cause problems between the central government and the Kurdistan Regional government. A decision to enter Iraq could ruin the reputation of the company if the same thing were to happen there as in Sudan. The Iraqi central government controls Iraq’s export pipeline system. Without the ability to export the oil, Talismans oil revenue would be significantly curtailed.Benefits†¢Have access to large amounts of oil reserves. †¢Financial growth resulting in trillio ns of dollars in profit. †¢An opportunity to invest in the region of Kurdistan. †¢An opportunity to increase the company’s overall market share. †¢An increased level of profit as a result of cheaper labour than other business ventures. Discussion of AlternativesThere are some alternatives that may help solve Talisman’s problems. Presented here are some advantages and disadvantages of each as well as how each would affect the company as a whole and the country in which it is conducting business. One alternative would be to become more involved in the country where the business is taking place. A positive image needs to be put forth. Talisman needs to show others that it wants to make a difference in the Kurdistan region. With the $220 million that is to be paid to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), it is possible that Talisman could approach the KRG and make some kind of a deal regarding the use of the money.Hopefully this will ensure that it is use d to build affordable housing, hospitals, schools, roads, and improve drinking water. This has all been destroyed or damaged by past conflict within the country. The advantage of this action results in proving to others that the money is being spent to  improve economic development in the region of Kurdistan and not to create independence from Iraq. A disadvantage of this would be the actual cost to carry out such an amount of work. Ultimately, it would improve their public image and presence in Kurdistan and hopefully prevent any controversy while being there. Another alternative would be to continually evaluate their position while in Kurdistan.This involves evaluating risk to prevent unexpected risks from occurring or exposure to them. By doing this, Talisman would always be on top of the situation at hand and it will allow them to become more proactive in their presence there. It will also help them to decide to stay or leave at any particular time. An advantage of this would be awareness of the local conditions and political/economic environment. They would re-evaluate the risks on a regular basis.This should prevent them from making the same mistakes as they did in Sudan. A disadvantage of this again would be that it is more costly. In addition, Talisman is risking the chances of another company taking the opportunity to enter the region and gain control of the oil reserves. The end result would be that Talisman would be receiving constant updates on the situation in Kurdistan.RecommendationTalisman Energy Inc. is a company that has had their fair share of problems when dealing with areas involving high political risk, such as Sudan. During their time there, they learned a great deal about risk and what to look for to reduce it to an acceptable level for investment purposes. The best way to reduce risk is too continually evaluate the region in which they are conducting business. With all the experience that Talisman has gained in Sudan they should now have a higher level of knowledge and comfort in doing business in Kurdistan.Talisman should now find it easier to discover political risks in new investment ventures. By completing the proper due diligence and exploration of political, legal, social and human rights issues, they should excel in doing business in the Kurdistan region. One must always remember when conducting business in an area with high political risks come high cost. If Talisman decides to enter Kurdistan it has to make sure that the $220 million dollar payment to the Kurdistan Regional Government is transparent and that it meets the standards of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (Talisman Energy Inc.: The Decision to

Propelling the Salvation Army Towards Success Essay

In light of the massive adverse publicity surrounding non-profit organizations and charities, the key objective of the Salvation Army (â€Å"the Army†) in the coming years is to increase public confidence. Increasing public confidence arguably leads to increase in public donations that will allow the Army to extend its reach to more needy people in Singapore. This calls for a major overhaul in the Army’s organisation strategy, as new strategies need to be formulated to rise to the challenges of the turbulent environment. An organizational change is expected of the Army and the communication of change represents the key to a successful implementation of the new corporate strategy. Engaged to engineer the change, our consulting team will orchestrate the process in four stages. Firstly, we scrutinize the external environment in which the Army operates in and identify the key threats and opportunities in the near future. Next, we would perform a critical strategic analysis of the Army’s existing strategic framework and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses against the environmental threats and opportunities. Subsequently, we will propose changes to its strategic framework to better minimize the threats and capitalize on the opportunities. Lastly, we recommend the use of the Balanced Scorecard as a strategy management system to communicate the organizational change and execute its strategies. Designed by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, the Balanced Scorecard has been used by many profit-maximizing organizations and received spectacular success. As a strategic management tool that aligns employees to organizational goals and objectives, the BSC is equally applicable in the context of a charitable organisation. We espoused that if the pitfalls are cautiously avoided and the difficulties circumvented, the benefits brought about by the BSC will outweigh the cost of implementation. Careful use of the BSC will propel The Salvation Army towards sustainable success. The Salvation Army is a worldwide non-profit organization that provides social aid to the poor, destitute and hungry with the intention of bringing the message Christian Salvation to the world with no discrimination towards any race or religion. With its operations spanning globally, the Army has employed a highly de-centralized organisation design to better cater to local needs. While the London Headquarter provides guidance, the operations are run predominantly by a selected group of passionate local citizens. In Singapore, the Army provides social aid through its churches (corps) and a wide range of social and community programmes. The range of aid provided includes child care centres, children homes, personal development programmes for secondary school students, youth development centres, tuition centres, corps community services, family support services, elderly care, nursing homes and rehabilitation centres, prison-support ministries and services. The accounting scandals of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) took the Singapore public by storm. There was huge media coverage about the impropriety of usage of funds and the management was unable to account for the money received and spent. In a spate of scandals about charitable organizations hitting Singapore, public confidence towards these charitable organizations took a huge plunge. The need for the Army to improve its image and to adopt a new strategy is imminent in order to deliver its objectives continuously. These lessons are critical to the future success of The Army. †¢Transparency in Operations Consequent to the decreased public confidence, the public has become more careful in selecting the organizations they donate to. While it is uncertain as to the motivation of philanthropic acts by individuals, there is a healthy desire for more transparency about public funded activities. [Gallagher and Weinberg, 1991] This suggests that the more transparent the charitable organisation is, the more individuals are willing to donate to that charitable organisation. Corporate Governance The second lesson that can be drawn is the importance of good corporate governance practices in charitable organizations. Governance in the charity sector refers to the systems and processes concerned with ensuring the overall direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountability of an organisation. [CGC IPC, 2007] Charities are for the benefit of people by the people, it is just a form of organizing and making sure that the resources in cash or in-kind are being directed to those in need. Therefore, it is imperative that the charitable organisation be accountable to the public as to where the funds are directed and how they are allocated. Good corporate governance is fast becoming an important criterion for the public in deciding whether to donate to a charitable organisation and even a more important factor for volunteers when choosing which charitable organisation to volunteer at. To achieve this, the Army’s Board is entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that there is good governance in the company to build the firm foundation for maintaining clear accounting and high public awareness and trust. This also contributes towards performance indicators and operational structures. †¢Corporate Culture Corporate culture is perhaps the most vital towards promoting ethics in a company. Having a corporate culture that emphasizes ethical behaviors provide great boost to public confidence. Consequent to the NKF Saga, we have seen how the employees of NKF decided against blowing the whistle on their superiors despite being aware of the fraudulent practices of the upper management. This ill culture where unethical behaviour is condoned has brought down an otherwise successful and good-intentioned organisation. Our consulting team will perform a critical review on the Army’s existing strategies and tactics and propose changes to lift the Army out of the current situation through boosting public confidence and ultimately increase their donation funds to deliver its intended objectives. Subsequently, we propose the use of Balanced Scorecard (â€Å"BSC†) to implement the pro posed strategies and tactics in view of its success in the corporate world.

Abraham Lincoln And Emancipation

Abraham Lincoln And Emancipation Introduction One of the speckles which President Abraham Lincoln had during his tenure as the president of the United States was the issuance of the executive order which stalled the rampant slavery in America. This proclamation was named as Proclamation 95 which targeted the enslaved over 3.5 million African American. As a result of this proclamation, these slaves were emancipated and thus their civil rights were immediately elevated to the status of their former masters. This executive order was issued on January 1, 1863. This executive order retired the retrogressive Fugitive Slave Act which was passed in the year 1850 and provided a mechanism over which errant slaves were to be handled. Prior to the emancipation, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 allowed for the immediate return of runaway slaves or be branded as contraband and thus kept in reserved slave prisons. In the year 1861 during the month of December, President Lincoln expressed his delight with the free labor systems in his message. In addition, he also indicated his desire to see universal human rights to all American citizens. This came amidst pressure from various concerned citizens who directly confronted the president to halt the slavery given that it brought more harm than good to the union. The persistent rallies and direct letters addressed to the president pushed him to proclaim emancipation after the Congress passed a law barring any form of slavery in all the states. The returning of slaves, as well as reconviction of former slaves, was abolished and thus those who were considered as un-free citizens obtained their full freedom just like their former masters. They were incorporated in the army as w ell as other state organization which enabled them to begin fending for themselves contrary to the past where they fully relied on their masters for basic requirements Implementation On 22 September the year 1862, the preliminary announcement concerning the official endorsement of emancipation was availed to the Congress members. The official documentation and proclamation came 100 days later. This declaration demanded that all the slaves were to be freed by any means possible even in those states which had yet been reinstated under the federal government. These states included North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina. This executive order was to be implemented immediately even though some slave masters fiercely opposed this move by the president. However, the wave of change was so immense that no hardline slave master could dare face it. Consequences The consequences that accompanied the emancipation proclamation were numerous. However, Paradis (2012) records that the emancipation proclamation did not manage to afford freedom to any single slave. In his own analysis, emancipation was a hoax which rather was meant to tighten the grip on the slave trade. On the flip, the executive order which saw the inception of emancipation proclamation had massive impacts on the journey to realizing full freedom to the African American slaves. As a result, there are numerous accounts which support the fact that freedom to the slaves was witnessed even on the same day when the president signed the emancipation proclamation. Nonetheless, this does not mean that all the slaves got their freedom immediately. Some were informed about their full freedom after a while. In as much as there was verbal opposition by the slave masters concerning the emancipation proclamation, no physical struggle was reported between the slaves and their former masters. In fact, this proclamation set the foundation over which the long-awaited American freedom was to be built. The abolition of the slave trade was very fundamental towards the plight of unity and peace in the United States. During this time, foundational facilities such as schools, shelters, and medical facilities were developed for the former slaves as a quick way of normalizing them into the American society. Previously, the slaves were mercilessly utilized by the authorities as well as private owner to accomplish various activities such social works among others. When the news of emancipation came about, word of mouth was the main medium of propagation. This in effect gave rise to further confusion in slave camps given that many did not believe such a thing could happen. Political Influence The emancipation proclamation was fiercely opposed by Democrats who cited the negative impacts that the proclamation was bound to yield instead of promoting unity and equality among the Americans. Weber in her book published in the year 2008 records that most Democrats predicted increased violence and other forms of civil disobedience that would follow such proclamation. In their own view, the union would remain stronger only if the slavery was further improved. Some Democrats even went to the extreme and thus indicated that the president abused his power by the issuance of such illegal executive order. The aspect of imminent racism further complicated the whole situation and thus varied opinions were generated concerning this executive order. Open disagreements were witnessed from both sides of the party and thus everybody came up with his or her view concerning the emancipation proclamation. This in effect led to multiple splits within both the Democrats and the Republican parties. Not long after the signing of the emancipation proclamation, the president suspended two of his highly ranked party members. In effect, some voters who were strongly affiliated to these two officials, as well as those Democrats who voted for Lincoln, rebelled against him citing fears over the president’s behavior which they perceived as irrational. More effect was witnessed during the 1862 general election where the Democratic Party gained additional 28 seats and also won the governor seat of New York. During this time, Lincoln himself did not see these encroachments into his backyards as a major issue because he regarded them as meager. Confederate Response Given the mixed atmosphere around the emancipation proclamation, the Confederates were not left out in this tussle. Immediately after the inception of the emancipation proclamation, many African Americans were incorporated into the army ranks, a move which profusely angered the Confederates. To prove their disappointment, they enacted a law which targeted African American in the battlefield. This law provided that any African American who was caught fighting against the Confederacy was to be held and charged in court with slave insurrectionist. This civil wrong warranted any guilty party a lifetime imprisonment. Even though some confederates supported this emancipation of the African Americans hoping that it would allow them to be fixed in the army, some could not stomach it and thus they proceeded and murdered African American soldiers as a swift retaliation. As a reiteration of their deep commitment to promoting slavery through any means possible, the confederates collectively agre ed to hike the prices of slaves. Indeed, the Confederates considered the emancipation proclamation as a slap on their faces. International Influence At the moment when Lincoln decided to emancipate the African American slaves, most countries over the world had already abolished the slave trade. This gave him a boost in his quest to create an equal America given that the foreign support was overwhelming. Consequentially, the Confederates lost any glimpse of hope which they had concerning their official recognition from other nations. Even though Britain officially opposed the slave trade in the southern confederate, most of her companies continued to indulge in development activities within the Confederate region. The emancipation proclamation also enabled Lincoln to attract international leaders who previously opposed the ongoing civil war. Above all, the African Americans received a victory that they cannot compare to any. Building bridges and even forgetting about the slavery was massively achieved given the full support that the president threw behind the emancipation proclamation. By the time the civil war was ending, most pe ople were afraid that the traditional slavery laws would be reinstated given that they considered emancipation proclamation as a tool which Lincoln used to win the civil war. However, Lincoln expressed his ambition to abolish in totality any element of the slave trade and thus he managed to secure a second term in office. This is because most citizens pledged to support the former slaves in any way possible that would prevent them from accessing their full freedom.

One of the 10 amendments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

One of the 10 amendments - Essay Example Such amendments appear all the more relevant when we consider United States as a flag bearer of human rights and the government of the day tries to make sure that countries around the globe adhere to such a policy and this becomes an internationally accepted norm. The UN Human Rights day and the guidelines put forward by the United Nations for the nations of the world to follow towards ensuring the human rights of their citizens is a testimony of the importance of such rights. Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion and Petition; Right to keep and bear arms; Conditions for quarters of soldiers; Right of search and seizure regulated; Provisions concerning prosecution; Right to a speedy trial, witnesses, etc.; Right to a trial by jury; Excessive bail, cruel punishment; Rule of construction of Constitution; Rights of the States under Constitution Though some countries had such rights included in their constitution prior to US, but most of the nations were subsequently guided by these amendments towards protecting their citizens. But the passage of the Bill of Rights in US was also criticized by some congressmen in the early stages of its introduction.

ESSAY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Essay Example In most cases, the novel meets unfavorable criticism about the limitations faced by females. She describes her role as the mother and does her best to portray the best motherhood and wife of the family. I this situation, the place of women in the American society is taken as care givers and housewives whose mandate is to take care of their children. In another occasion, after the death of John, Alcott is faced with difficult responsibilities. She takes in a full responsibility to provide for the family. This is taken as deviant within the society. Women became victims of the patriarchy society. However, in the story, Loisa felt much distressed by her poor family and felt responsible to play her part. She is considered a heroin in the way she went against the feminism and played her role as the only family bread winner. The death of her husband gave her much humility which later helped her in the fight for feminism in America (Knellwolf et al., 2001). In â€Å"the things they carried†, the cast is comprised of soldiers with the narrator being one of them. Different soldiers are distinguished through out the story by the items that they carry. O’ Brien points out the things carried by the soldiers who include both emotional and physical, whereby they all carry major military items (Knellwolf et al., 2001). The ambiguity of war and the tenuousness of morality demonstrate how exposure to the carnage of the nations at war leads to soldiers developing twisted perspectives on what is right and wrong. The ambiguity that consumes the narratives of the things they carried is displayed with much irony for the moral. In such stories, it is depicted that there is no moral at all. O’ Brien is much affected by the theory of psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud. Soldiers are said to walk around the fire in a state of much boredom and tension. This tension drives them crazy. In this situation, O’Brien describes the way the y cover their fear in a rational

Environmental Awareness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Environmental Awareness - Essay Example The essay "Environmental awareness" shows us the current ecological situation. The understanding of environmental conditions can be boiled down into a painstakingly simple adage -â€Å"Live and let live†. Fortunately, across the world, the healthy awareness is increasing and the Welch Assembly Government has contributed for the cause in a proper way and their dedicated website echoes the same bold statement. In the end author concludes that the subject line that has been drawn in these topics is too diverse to end to a single point conclusion. In spite of that, from engineering point of view, these points can be summarized so that we may take steps out of that. For better climatic condition, one need to follow the stringent rules and the technology needs to be evolved out to match the situation. Air quality is to be monitored in much more stringent manner and vehicle and industrial carbon emission needs to be curbed. The same thing can be applicable for Chemical hazard and the problem out of that. The particular issue like radioactivity and the relevant protocol needs to be followed up. The huge industrial legacy of Wales area has left its pug mark in terms of contaminated land that keeps on bleeding. Water and flood management in one hand and on the other, the Bathing Water Quality monitoring also needs to be taken care of. The recycling technology needs to be overhauled. Still a messy process that has been followed and we are blissfully unaware of the consequences. The time is ripe enough to take these eminent steps.

Casualties of War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Casualties of War - Essay Example It is the hope of this author that not only the film, but the Vietnam War as well as pervasive American interpretations of the value of native and indigenous people will help to be affected. Ultimately, the movie can be summarized, as with many Vietnam War movies, as concentric upon an analysis of a small squad of American soldiers. This is one of the most popular approaches that filmmakers take due to the fact that it allows the viewer the, acquainted with and personally knowledgeable regarding each of the characters; rather than integrating with an entire company, the viewer is able to simplify human emotions, personalities, and likely reactions based upon the means by which these characters are expected to behave. As with many other Vietnam War movies, â€Å"Casualties of War† represents a mixture of different individuals within the squad from various geographic regions as well as various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Firstly, the viewer is integrated with an understandi ng of the sheer misery, abstraction, and violence that the Vietnam conflict engendered. As a function of understanding this level of inhumanity, exhibited on both sides of the conflict, it unfortunately comes as little surprise that the soldiers themselves begin behaving as little more than animals. The line of no return is of course cross when one of the soldiers takes a young Vietnam means girl and suggests that the squad user as a sex toy. Even though this is initially resisted, the threat of violence subdues these objections long enough for the girl to be raped. Once she is raped, it becomes infinitely easier for the other members of the squad, with the exception of Erikkson, to engage in a similar behavior. At each and every juncture, Erikkson opposes the actions that the squad leader perpetrates upon the young girl. Ultimately, Erikkson risks his own life in an attempt to save the girl from being murdered by the squad members. Once she is murdered, Erikkson set out on a person al crusade to expose the crime to the superiors within the military. As one might expect, speaking truth to power was neither popular nor safe. After many months and years of trying, Erikkson was able to bring the issue to the military’s attention and seek a nominal degree of punishment for the individuals involved. With regards to understanding the underlying tensions that existed between Meserve and Erikkson, the viewer can and should integrate with the basic understanding of unrestrained selfishness and complete lack of respect for human life that Meserve exhibited as compared to Erikkson’s more traditional view. Rather than exhibiting all Vietnam veterans as baby killers and murderers, this film helps to differentiate the difference between those sociopaths in society that were drafted into the military and sought to further their own selfish ends as compared to individuals that retain a level of humanity and restraint regardless of the pressures and difficulties t hat combat placed upon them. A further dynamic is equally evidenced within the film is the level and extent to which the

Fort Myers Economical Development Research Paper

Fort Myers Economical Development - Research Paper Example The city has a lot of business opportunities. In conducting research about business opportunities, one should ask more question in order to come up with an appropriate data. One should ask about the business opportunities arising in the city, the demand of infrastructures available and whether the city encourages foreign investors. Being one of the major cities in Lee County, it has many infrastructures, which ensure business opportunities to both local and foreign investors. Many people from different regions of the world have invested in the area. The city is a centre of tourism attraction. The old historical building and museum attracts million of people yearly. It is estimated that over two million people visit the museum yearly. The river in the city ensures enough supply of water and also serves as a transport base. The city has many industries, which work to ensure the progress of Lee County. Tax collected from the industries assist in development of new business. Currently, t he industries, which exist include tourism, transportation, security, information technology, communication and fishing among others. The industries are operated by both government and private individuals. The government takes care of the business opportunity and ensures consumer protection. Each industry operates in respect of government rules. Tourism industry in the region has promoted other industries. Transport and communication have been in high demand due to transportation of the tourist and other business investors visiting the region. Security industry also has been in demand because the investor requires security to prevent loss. The government protects the old buildings; because they serve has tourism attractors. Demolition of these buildings can lead to decrease of business opportunities because tourism has promoted many industries in business and destruction of tourism attractors means that many industries will collapse. Fort Myers contributed to about a third of the Le e Country economy through the collection of taxes from business in the region. Other industries in the regions include education and health. Those industries are operated by the government and private individuals. Education sector has good chances of business growth. Private universities and school in the region earn business owners good income. The health industry also favors private business people. The estimate shows that about five thousand people visit the hospital each day. Establishment of a private hospital can earn the owner good income (Turner, 2009). People should invest in the city in order to notice the opportunities because the business needs trial. This study is significant to many people. It will help investors in the city, people willing to invest, the government and tourism agents. It will also help private investors in other regions. The study is also significant to students in the business department. The study has a lot of benefits to certain groups of people. F irst, it will help business investors because they will be able to know which industry to start a new business (Smoot, 2007). It will also help the government to know the areas to improve, and the industries which they should take care for to avoid collapsing. The people visiting the city will have knowledge about the things involved in the city and it can serve as a tour guide. Finally, the study will serve as an academic source. Student in the department of business and others related department will use

Career Exploration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Career Exploration - Essay Example Changes are inevitable. Nevertheless, a career change requires a thorough and critical thinking. This paper explores the necessary credential in the success of my chosen career plan. Also, it tackles the steps in achieving my goal relative to time. Further, this paper discusses the pay ranges, career change, and support system characterized in the three positions that I have personally chosen. Credential Perhaps a Master’s Degree is essential as a strong credential prior to entering the work force in the realm of education. In the success of my career plan, an MA degree might be helpful. According to Kaplan (2008), there are over a million of people in the United States who annually enroll in the graduate programs (p. 3). One of the reasons why people take up an MA/PhD degree is because it provides them the greater advantage over others in the competitive job market. What Kaplan (2008) calls â€Å"career advancement,† persons who have a Master’s Degree possess th e advantage of gaining career position and/or promotion against those people â€Å"with only a bachelor’s degree† (p. 4). The drawback, however, is that a Master’s degree is far from the assurance that one can land a good job or be promoted to a much higher position. Plus, pursuing a graduate program is a difficult and tremendous task. In fact, Peters (1997) compares the students in the graduate school as adults who are â€Å"judged by the standards of the adult world† (p. 6). To my mind, the notion of the â€Å"adult world† as understood by Peters is far from the ideal, child-like, or Utopia-like realm. From here, I seem to perceive it as something monstrous and hideous. In time and with perseverance, nevertheless, I might be able to cope up the challenges salient in the graduate program. And I might land a good job of my liking. Pay ranges The three positions, which I have chosen as my alternative careers in the field of education, have different pay ranges. In the primary education, on the one hand, a teacher receives an annual salary ranging from $30,719 to $54,000 (Bernstein, 2003, p. 466). Meaning to say, a teacher who is teaching in the primary school, particularly in the public school, receives from the minimum monthly pay of roughly $3,000 to the maximum monthly salary of approximately $4,500. In special education, on the other hand, a teacher gets a yearly salary ranging from $33,770 to $ 78,980 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005, p. 297). Finally, a guidance counselor in the field of education receives an annual pay from $25,200 to $71,900 (Bernstein, 2003, p. 394). As a whole, the teacher’s pay greatly varies on his or her academic background (e.g., with an MA degree) and years of teaching. In spite of their differences in pay range, all these positions in the realm of education widely receive similar benefit plans such as paid vacation and sick leave (Eberts & McGowan, 2000, p. 41) Steps to follow In ord er for me to be more fruitful in my career goals, I will take several rational steps. By and large, these practical steps will be either short-term or long-term. In the short-term goal, specifically in one-year plan, I will study and learn the fundamentals associated to my chosen career path. Example of which is the appropriate method in the practice of teaching. In the special education, in particular, teaching methodology is obviously distinct to, say, 5th-grade education. In the long-term goal, specif

Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Engineering - Essay Example discussion is to study the development of a control system through the designed scheduled autopilot that enables the flying of a model at different speed conditions in the air. Aircraft have been designed by different parameters and analysis is needed to establish their effects on the performance of the vehicle. The Wright brothers used the wind tunnel to study the performance of various types of airfoils. There have been advanced wind tunnels that are used to determine the characteristics of full scale aircraft. On the other hand, use of the wind tunnel in determining flight characteristics and performance of full scale aircraft remains an expensive exercise and time consuming proposition. Due to advancement in information systems and technology, high speed computing helps determine flight performance of aircraft designs through the use of virtual tunnels. This process involves a computer generated model that is plugged in a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) program that determines flow characteristics. The results obtained are compared to those found from the real wind tunnel test and the real aircraft performance in flight. However, several studies have been conducted to demonstrate validity and efficacy of the virtual wind tunnel. In this discussion, the two processes are introduced during undergraduate Aircraft Design class. Scale models of different types of aircraft such as the trainer, transport, fighter, and UAV are studied. The scaled models are installed in low speed cross-section wind tunnel used to establish the lift and drag coefficients and pressure profiles. Design of a virtual model of the corresponding aircraft by use of SolidWorks is also done. The virtual models developed are imported to the SolidWorks Flow Simulation software. The low speed virtual wind tunnel is simulated in Flow Simulation to establish lift and drag coefficients as pressure profiles are established for various aircraft at different angles of pitch, yaw, as well as roll.

The Horror Genre Essay Example for Free

The Horror Genre Essay The horror genre is based on fear, predominantly visual, psychological and atmospherical. A very good horror may even be able to affect you physically, making you too scared to go to sleep, turn the light off or the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The Blair Witch Project uses suspense in the way that you never get to see what is actually following the students in the woods, making you use your imagination, which can be much scarier than anything you can see. It also sets the scene at the start of the film when they ask people on the streets about the woods, and when they all say bad things you now something bad is going to happen. This happens in a similar but different form in The Superstitious Mans Story. At the start of the story it straight away sets William Privett up to be a bit strange, not in the literal sense, but in a way that he has a strange presence. The narrator says, and I quote: if he was in the house or anywhere behind your back without you seeing him, there seemed to be something clammy in the air, as if a cellar door was opened close by your elbow. The Sexton (church caretaker) says that: hed not known the bell go so heavy in his hand for years and he feared it meant death in the parish. This is like the towns-people at the start of Blair Witch; you are given the feeling that something bad is going to happen. In Silence of the Lambs after the killer, Buffalo Bill, takes a victim he puts a moth inside their mouth. Although William Privett was not murdered, a miller-moth flies out of his mouth when he is found dead in The Superstitious Mans Story. The strange thing about this is the fact that he hasnt worked in a mill for several years. At that same time Philip Hookhorn (a towns-man) was at Longpuddle Spring and saw William there, and this was peculiar because William never went there, on account that that was the place his only son drowned as a child. So it could be said that the miller-moth that came out of his mouth could have been his soul or spirit escaping from his body. His spirit may have been out of his body earlier on in the story also, because his wife Betty could have sworn that she felt him go past her while she was ironing, even though she never looked or exchanged words with him. Nancy Weedle, a friends daughter, also says that she saw William out at the same time. But Nancy saw him going in to the church on Midsummer Eve, and any faint shapes of all the folk in the parish who are going to be at deaths door within the year can be seen entering the church. The people who recover from their illness come out after a while. Notice the way that Betty felt William go by her, indicating that the unexplained, clammy aurora that he seems to have could actually be his spiritual being. This story gives me the impression that you have to be in touch with your spiritual side, believing in ghosts and other strange phenomena. But this of course was written in the eighteenth century, around the same time that Edgar Allen Poe wrote the poem The Raven, which features a talking Raven and angels. Nowadays with scientific knowledge and facts, and better common sense you dont get many people finding supernatural stories believable, but the intended audience of the time would have been affected by it. IT is a good horror film. It shows us that anything can have a dark-side, as the killer in it is a clown, which is usually a happy, entertaining character. If you look at it in a certain way, Night Fears is also like this, dealing with the other sides to the human psyche, but it has other factors that conform to the horror genre. The situation that his job as night watchman has put him in, all alone at night with a fire the only light available, plus the fact that hes uneasy about taking the job, is something that is often seen in horror films. You get the impression hes unsettled with the job practically straight away, when it says just four lines into the story: Two days ago, when he first took the job, he was in inclined to suspect the light; it dazzled him, made a target of him This shows that he feels vulnerable when he is alone at work, that the small source of light he has in front of him simply makes every where else seem darker. While walking around on patrol he find himself dozing off, but one time when he reawakens he sees that there is a person sitting on the barrier to his enclosure. He straightaway finds something unusual about the man, the fact that he did not hear him approach or sit onto the barrier. I feel that he didnt hear him coming could have something to do with him dozing off slightly as he was walking. He reacts to his presence calmly, assuming that hes a drunk, and tries to usher him on his way home. Then the stranger says the first thing that spooks the watchman. When he says: A fine night, the stranger replies by saying, Yes, but cold; it will be colder before morning. At this point the night watchman turns to his brazier, and he suddenly realises that his coke supply is not as much as the previous nights, and that it is running out. When the watchman tells the stranger that this is the reason for the lack of heat coming from the fire, he begins to attack him further. how easily men forget? This coke of yours, I mean; it looks as if they didnt care about you very much, leaving you in the cold like this. This statement strikes the watchman particularly odd as that thought had just crossed his mind, and eerily the stranger picked up on it. The watchman tries to get that thought out of his mind quickly, by dismissing the strangers suggestion by saying that they probably just forgot to leave him any as they were rushing to get home. But then he contradicts himself by admitting that he doesnt know his co-workers that well, and that he has a feeling that the one they call Old Bill doesnt like him, and it was Old Bills task to leave him the nights supply of coke. The watchman then reveals that he is growing impatient with the stranger: How I would like to push him off, the night-watchman thought, irritated and somehow troubled. The two of them carry on like this for quite a while, with the stranger bringing up problems like money, sleeping during the day and not spending time with his family. With the problem of sleeping during the day the stranger says: People have done themselves in sooner than stand the torture This is an important part of the story as it is the first time that death is mentioned, and this is the main point you would when explaining why the night watchman killed himself. He thought that the blue blinds that his wife were making him would solve his insomnia, but this statement by the stranger even puts doubts in his mind about this, something that he once described as a Sovereign remedy. Then the stranger starts to get personal when he starts talking about his family: What about your children? You wont see much of them theyll grow up without knowing you not that you miss them much if children dont get fond of their father while theyre young, they never will At this point I feel that the watchman is starting to lose it, as he doesnt defend himself by saying how good the kids were, even though before the thought of his children and wife was the only this getting him through the night. The stranger then suggests that he should find another job; maybe the stranger is after the job as night watchman and is trying to scare him out of the job. The stranger seams to actually be taking control as the next quote shows: I was never brought up to a trade fathers fault It struck him that he had never confessed that before; had sworn not to give his father away. What am I coming to? This sudden control that the man has over the mind of the watchman strongly shows that the stranger was probably in his head all along, and that the doubtful side of his conscious has taken the form of this stranger. This, getting into his mind, by the stranger happens again as the watchman realises that he is soaked with perspiration: I shall get a chill, thatll be the next thing such an idea hadnt occurred to him since he was a child. This indicates that the stranger is getting deeper and deeper into his thoughts, and has now got so deep it has reached thoughts that he had not conceived since he was a child. The stranger then says: Its a pity youre under contract to finish this job As the night watchman did not mention anything about a contract, this is a pivotal moment if you are trying to understand who or what the stranger actually is, as it narrows it down to two possibilities. He is either a man after the watchmans job, as he has found out from somewhere that there is a contract involved, or he is the watchmans imagination, and he knows about the contract from the watchmans memory. The night watchman soon after starts to walk and stumble around his confinement aimlessly, banging his own head as random thoughts start to go through his mind. Then one particular thought stands out from all the confusion, as he reaches into his pocket for his knife to kill himself. The stranger then turns around for the first time and sees the watchman dead on the floor. He then warms his hands on the brazier before crossing the street and starting down an ally and did not return. Just a few moments ago when I narrowed the stranger down to two possible things, I have now decided that the stranger was the night watchmans conscious. I feel this way because I dont think that it could have been a man after his job because of the fact that he went into the ally-way and did not return. If he were a real person this would suggest that he was a homeless man, and therefore would not be after a job. The Superstitious Mans Story is a story that requires you to believe in ghosts for you to really get the effect of it. At the time it was written it was common for people to believe in that kind of thing, as there was no way to prove that ghosts didnt exist. Night Fears how ever is a more recent story and is more of a psychological story, not telling you clearly what happens at the end and leaving you to make up you own mind. In conclusion I think that Night Fears is a more effective horror story as it is more up to date and in touch with my generation, as the idea of a psychological horror is still used even in the films of today.

Education & life Essay Example for Free

Education life Essay Education has always been an important part of my life. I have always believed that through hard work and dedication, I may be able to fulfill my dreams and aspirations. Furthermore, I am more inclined into becoming one of the most successful graduates our school has ever had. I want to be able to show the world how an individual like me can make a difference in life. My name is (insert your name here) in taking (NAME OF COURSE) at the (NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY). I consider myself to be a well rounded individual. As a student, I am proficient with subject relating to Math, History and Science (insert subjects where you’re good at). Unlike others, I never experienced any difficulty with Math, for I am able to easily interpret and solve mathematical equations. This great fascination also led to an inclination for Science. History, on the other hand, opens my knowledge to greater heights, for I am greatly interested in the circumstances that happened in the past. I believe that being knowledgeable about these things would help me grasp things that happen nowadays. Aside from my fascination for education, I am also active in my extra curricular activities. I am a well socialized person and loves dealing with everyone else. I believe that having many friends is one of my greatest achievements because I can relate to their ups and downs. Moreover, I also have passion in taking care animals more specifically marine animals. I was overwhelmed when I received my license in scuba diving and this boost my confidence even more. The said license gave me more opportunity to travel beneath the sea and meet my favorite mammals like dolphins and sharks. I am very proud of this achievement because the water world and animal kingdom are part of the society that is not yet congested by pollutions and negative activities as compared to the land. Receiving my license in scuba diving is not that easy. I undergo various exercises and lessons before I succeeded. This can be compare to life and education as well. If I will not work hard and follow the instructions I will end up drowning not only in water but in the pool of ignorance and misery. Education is best achieved when one works harder each day. Being admitted to your good university will serve as the path towards my dream of becoming (insert ambition here). I know that my skills and talents are not enough for me to be considered for a position in your school. All I know is that I am equipped with my determination to succeed and fulfill my dreams. From my experiences, excelling in both co-curricular and extra curricular activities is not easy. Success surpasses just the basics of passing all subjects in school and excelling in them. Success also requires much determination, dedication, hard work and prayers. Moreover, my dreams and aspirations do not end after graduation. I would use my experiences and knowledge to be of service to those in need. Furthermore, I would indulge myself in more programs that could help me become a better individual and a unique professional. I would apply everything that the (insert name of university here) imbibed in me and still yearn for more information and ideas that would help in the upheaval of our society. Being a graduate of this prestigious institution would also come to my advantage, for I may be able to inspire others to strive hard and become known in their chosen fields. My life is filled with numerous decisions, and choosing the (insert name of university here) is definitely the answer to my dreams.

Analysing The Type Of Curriculum Which Is Better English Language Essay

Analysing The Type Of Curriculum Which Is Better English Language Essay Education system is various in different countries and its strategies for effective learning are not the same. For example, American education mostly focuses on learning skill while education in Vietnam favors in learning the core of knowledge. In the article We should cherish Our Childrens Freedom to Think, by Kie Ho, Ho supports his opinion on learning skill in America that gives students benefits in creativities, freedom, and motivation much than it does in Indonesia. In contrast, according to E.D. Hirsch in Teach Knowledge, Not Mental Skills states that core- knowledge is more effective than learning skill. Learning skill is not consistent and so vague while core knowledge is not. With Core knowledge, students will learn the same foundation, so teacher can lead them forward. With me, I used to attend schools in Vietnam and have now been attending in an American school. I preferred learning skill method because it gives me the ways to learn something effectively in creativities, f reedom, and motivation. The most important thing that learning skill in the U.S becomes effective is freedom. Freedom means that people can freely write, speak and create. In the independent country, America, people have the right to expose their ideas or criticize things freely. As long as Americans do not commit any illegal action, they can criticize anyone, even the president, without taking any sequences. Why will freedom rarely take place in other countries, such as Vietnam? The reason is because Vietnamese dont really have freedom. In Vietnam, people should not do bad thing, such as they cannot speak or write something badly to government or country. If yes, people will be able to be forced in the jails. Of course, it is unpatriotic, so it will able to affect the survival of a country. For example, I read news regarding propel, but I did not remember where I got it. It is about that a group in Vietnam incited citizens against to government. Moreover, they passed out and wrote something distinguished t o citizens that Vietnamese government was corrupted. Their purposes were to destroy current government and to establish a new country; as a result, they were arrested after policemen found out their plot. Therefore, they are not really freely because they cannot speak or write something that they express the ideas to outside. Like Ho, he questioned where a history student could act as Lyndon in free controversy against another student pretending to be Ho Chi Minh in any country other than America. It would be unimaginable for a Japanese student to do the same regarding Hirohito played in the World War II (2007). Without freedom, I think people cannot be allowed to create motivation. If students may not be creative, they will not exceed their knowledge. Learning Skill is creative. It gives me to invent much in study. In Vietnam, teachers always require students to memorize all materials in the books, so students cannot have opportunities to create their own ideas. For example, when I was in twelfth grade, I crammed one long three-page poem in one night. Even though I stayed up until 2:00, I could not memorize that poem at all. As a result, I failed the test the next day. On the hand, I do not have to remember all information in the U.S classes. My Intercultural Studies ( ICS5) class that I took the last quarter is an example. My ICS5 teacher taught us History of African American Art. There she gave a lot of information embodied through paintings, sculptures in her lectures. Of course, she did not ask us to learn all everything in the lectures. She only asked us to create our ideas by giving feedbacks and feelings to which paintings and sculptures she mentioned. I learned a lot from her class because she gave me interest on learning diverse ethnic, cultural, and racial heritages in History of African American Art that I have ever known. Like Ho, he has educational experiences in Indonesia. He followed the rules of teachers that he had to remember the whole Hamlets play perfectly; in contrast, his son learned it in a different way by creating a love letter to Juliet or Shakespeare. He said, When I was 18, I had to memorize Hamlets To be or not to be soliloquy flawlessly. In his English class, my son was assigned to write a love letter to Juliet, either in Shakespearean jargon or in modern lingo (Ho, 2007, p.113). In addition, he supports one more detail on creative geography. Instead of memorizing the names of all main cities in the world, his son only drafted the map which demonstrates the route- including the names of the streets, and buildings- from his house to school (Ho, 2007). I think creative skill helps student study effectively. Therefore, creative skills also motivate students to study the best. The last thing leading the effective learning skill is motivate. Motivation helps students get more actives in the study. They can freely talk, express their ideas, and make their own decision. With active motivations, they can be encouraged to finish their work successfully. Decision making is kind of active motivation as a typical example. In the U.S, students have chances to make their own decision. Students can interrupt their teachers while they are teaching. And then, they can say their decision that they are making. Also, teachers motivate students to invent something new that they have never seen. Wow, that is great to give student logically critical thinking on their decision. Consequently, that motivation barely takes place in Vietnam. Vietnamese students are so passive. It means that they are mostly silent and unmotivated in the classes. As long as teachers ask a question, students can only raise their hands and answer to questions. In addition, teachers do not have enough time to give students a chance to make their own decision. Teachers only go to class, finish their job and then give homework to students. Of course, students have to complete homework due on the certain date. So, it is the reason why students can use the best their critical thinking on solving the tough solution. According to Ho, he also points out that unlike his son, he was also obedient to teachers and had no choice to make his decisions. The only thing that Indonesian students just act is to listen and to answer only when asked, give the only correct answer as well. His son, in contrast, is very motivated. He absolutely made his own decision and got an A even though he was laughing in the class. (2007). Therefore, I like active motivation because it plays an important in the success of learning skill. In short, people can choose learning skill or core knowledge as their strategies for effective learning. However, learning skill is better I believe because it gives me freedom, creativities, and motivation. Living in the independent country, America, three main factors: freedom, creativities, and motivation are very useful. Even though American education is not considered to meet the high standard in such basic skills as mathematics, and language ( Ho, 2007, 113), I think it is enough to increase the country as a modern country with a high innovation technique.

Information Technology Influences on NFL, NASCAR and Other Sports Essay

Information Technology Influences on NFL, NASCAR and Other Sports Information technology has influenced sports in many ways. Not only has it influenced sports in North America but also sports across the world. â€Å"In 1988, Stan Honey, Jerry Gepner, and Bill Squadron—three former executives at News Corp. and Fox Sports—founded Sportvision (http://www.sportvision.com). They used their extensive technology, sports production, and broadcast experience to create an innovative company that focuses on developing technology-based enhancements for the Internet, sports television, and new media platforms† (Shapiro). Sportvision has impacted sports like football, baseball, basketball, auto racing, horse racing, hockey, and a wide variety of Olympic sports. â€Å"The technological boom began with a glowing hockey puck† (Pierce). In the 1996 NHL All-Star game, the glowing hockey puck was introduced to viewers. By giving the puck a radiant glow the viewers were better able to follow the puck as it was passed from player to player and across the rink. Without this innovation of the glowing puck it was very easy to loose track of the player carrying the puck and at times which team had possession. â€Å"The idea was to give new viewers a closer glimpse of where the puck was flying and help them keep up with the game† (Pierce). Information technology has also helped college and pro football teams in a number of ways. The use of instant replay has decided the outcome of many professional football games. Without instant replay a bad call by the umpire could result in a loss for a team that actually should have won. Now with the ability to review a decision on the field, many bad calls are getting overturned and the team that should have... ... That way, graphics in the corner of the TV screen can show where they are on the oval track and how far apart competitors are. And the sensors can tell them how fast the skaters are going, what their acceleration is and how close they are to the current leader’s time† (Horiuchi). Since the skaters switch lanes so often, a graphic of each country’s flag will be electronically inserted into the lane that corresponds with that of the racer. â€Å"Sportvision also is using a system called AIRf/x during the free style aerials to show how far and high the skier went from the edge of the ramp† (Horiuchi). In any case, it is evident that information technology is changing the way audiences across the world watch sports. From a glowing hockey puck to a real time update on just about anything at as to do with statistics, technology is affecting sporting events everywhere.

Marshal Dylan: A Typical Law Man in Gun Smoke :: Gun Smoke

There are many characteristics that become standard for the typical "law man." However while listening to a few episodes of Gun Smoke the characteristics of a law man is very well distinguished. The typical law man portrays a character all of his own differing from that of anybody else. In the episodes of Gun Smoke, Matt Dylan is the Marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. Through the character of Marshal Dylan the idea of the law man is portrayed. Dylan seems to act out the part of Marshall in three different circumstances. There is the way that Dylan interacts and responds to his friends. On the other hand Dylan deals with his enemies altogether differently but with the same basic principles. Finally the last way the Marshal Dylan reveals his character is through interactions with strangers. No matter what kind of people the law man must deal with he is always wise, patient, and a strong leader. The way Matt Dylan treats his friends is a bit different than the way he treats everybody else. This is where we get to see the softer side of Mr. Dylan. Although his personality might somewhat differ, his normal relationship with others it is hardly an emotional one. One major character trait of Dylan that plays throughout is his stern personality and lack of words. Even though he was a stern man there was much caring in his tone when he would interact with Miss Kitty. He wasn't much of a smooth talker either; he simply says what needs to be said and goes about his business. At one point Dylan asks Miss Kitty if she would like a couple of drinks; she agrees but when she suggests to sit at the table he doesn't give it a moments thought before rejecting the idea and telling her where they will be sitting. We can conclude form this that the typical law man wasn't much of a ladies man at all. There is also the way Dylan interacts with his deputy Chester; many times the relationship betw een Chester and Dylan was a serious business one, but throughout there were several times when we could see Dylan open up a little more. When things were a little less stressful, Dylan's humorous side came out somewhat while teasing Chester for either falling asleep on the job or laughing at him for wanting to sit and watch the train.

The American Dream vs The American Myth :: Essays on the American Dream

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After being stuck en route for an enormously long period of time, would you think that the destination had better be worth all the time spent getting there? Many people would say yes. Think about it. If you were on a journey which lasted months, possibly years of your life, you would want to arrive at your destination seeing the same thing you had dreamt of during the trip. What if, when you got there, you discovered that the dream was actually a myth? The American settlers discovered just that. Is this not similar to High School? Everybody has a specific view, or dream, of High School that very first day they walk in as a freshman. How often is this dream a realistic one?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Take, for instance, the first settlers in Jamestown. These people came solely for capitalistic purposes. They figured that if they developed settlements, they would surely profit. With this goal taking over all others in their minds, they did not survive. Many factors contributed to this. For example, the settlers were not prepared for the new area. They believed that they could walk right in and succeed. What they did not realize, however, is that they needed to prepare more. They settled on a horrible piece of land, which killed many off due to sickness. They weren’t able to take care of themselves, as they figured that the Indians would provide cheap labor. The settlers were proved wrong, as the Indians rebelled against the Europeans in raids. Settlers in Jamestown were not prepared for America, thus leading to their downfall. High School can be directly related to Jamestown. Every year, many freshmen catch themselves doing a complete turn-around soon after the year begins. Freshmen usually split into different cliques soon after High School starts. These cliques are usually groups of people with similar interests, whether it is fashion, sports, or math club. All through Middle School, the children were guided along by the administration. This leads them to believe that High School will be the same way. Once in High School, many feel lost and unprepared. The first day of High School, many freshman get to the lunch room, sit at their tables, and wait to be called up to the lunch lines. They were pampered all through their earlier schooling, so they figured that they would be told when to go eat.

Ferguson Foundry Limited

————————————————- Case: Ferguson Foundry Limited (FFL) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Date: March 10 2013 To: Mark Ferguson, President From: Carl Holitzner Re: FFL’s Lower-Than-Budgeted Profit for the Fiscal Year Ended May 31 2010 The major issue is determining why Ferguson Foundry Limited’s (FFL) actual profit was $367,600 lower than budgeted, despite selling 2,000 more wood stoves (12,000 instead of 10,000 units). This will be explained using Variance Analysis to demonstrate the underlying reasons why the company failed to meet its president’s expectations.FFL profit for 2010 was below budget due to many factors both production and marketing related. From a production perspective, there were 3 major areas of concern all of which were unfavorable with respect to Variance Analysis (As shown in Exhibit 3): 1. Direct Labor 2. Variable Overhead 3. Fixed Cost The $139,2 00 unfavorable Direct Labor Variance can be attributed to many reasons however it is most likely linked to the management team. Due to the early retirement of the sales manager, the production manager being hospitalized and the accountant quitting, it can be understood that inefficiencies were bound to arise.Without proper management, labor reduced overall productivity of the company, as these workers took 121,200 hours to produce 12,00 stoves rather than the standard 120,000 hours that it should have taken. This reduced Net Income by $18,000 (Labor Yield Variance calculation). Secondly, the problem arising from Direct Labor also transcends to the Variable Overhead, as it is used as its cost driver. As a result, the $69,600 unfavorable Variable Overhead Variance can also be attributed to the more hours undertaken to produce the 12,000 stoves.With the lack of an inefficient management team, overhead could have accumulated through inefficient use and/or the budget could have not even accurately portrayed current rates for overhead items. The third problem with regards to the production perspective concerns the increase in fixed costs. In particular, the fixed manufacturing cost increased by $30,000 over budgeted costs, which in turn resulted in a reduction of net income by the same amount. This could have resulted due to several reasons such as additional machinery being required to handle the increased sales volume.However at this point it is unclear given the information provided and so further investigation must be conducted in an effort to better budget for future fixed costs. From a marketing perspective, there were also 3 major areas of concern all of which were unfavorable with respect to Variance Analysis: 1. Price 2. Fixed Cost 3. Sales Mix In analyzing the price changes, although it was beneficial to increase the sell price of the Basic Wood Stove ($300 to $325), this income benefit was significantly outweighed by the reduction in sell price of the Del uxe Wood Stove ($800 to $700).In the end, the price changes of both products resulted in a $300,000 reduction in profit (Sales Price Variance). Another reason for FFL’s lower than budgeted profit, although obvious and minor, had to do with the increase in selling and administration cost. As can be seen in Exhibit 3 by the Fixed Selling & Administration Budget Variance, an increase in the fixed costs reduced net profit by $7,000. The third problem area, concerning the marketing perspective, involved the difference in sales mix from actual to budget.FFL actually sold more Basic Wood Stoves and fewer Deluxe Wood Stoves than budgeted. Unfortunately, the Deluxe Wood Stove possessed a higher standard contribution margin per unit than the Basic ($210 to $80). Therefore the difference in the mix of sales caused FFL’s net profit to be reduced by $234,000 (Sales Mix Variance). Ultimately, more market research must be conducted to better understand consumer wants and needs and th us be able to efficiently budget company products accordingly to reach profitability goals. APPENDIX EXHIBIT 1| | BASIC (Actual)| BASIC (Std. | DELUXE (Actual)| DELUXE (Std. )| Selling Price| $325| $300| $700| $800| Variable Costs:| Direct Materials| $67. 50| $70. 00| $171. 00| $190. 00| Direct Labor| $104. 00| $90. 00| $248. 00| $240. 00| Overhead| $52. 00| $45. 00| $124. 00| $120. 00| Sell & Admin| $15. 00| $15. 00| $40. 00| $40. 00| Total Variable Costs| $238. 50| $220. 00| $583. 00| $590. 00| Contribution Margin| $86. 50| $80. 00| $117. 00| $210. 00| CONTRIBUTION MARGINS TABLE| Illustration of some calculations involved: *Using the Actual Results Table Provided in Exhibit AActual Unit Selling (Basic) = Sales Revenue ? Sales Volume (units) = $2,340,000 / 7,200 units = $325 Unit Direct Materials (Basic) = Direct Materials Cost ? Sales Volume (units) = $486,000 / 7,200 units = $67. 50 *Using the Unit Cost Standards Table Provided in Exhibit B Std. Unit Direct Labor (Basic) = DL Std . Qty. Per Unit x DL Std. Rate Per Hr. = 6 hrs. x $15. 00 per hr. = $90 APPENDIX EXHIBIT 2| For the Year Ended May 31 2010| | ACTUAL| FLEX-BUDGET VARIANCE| FLEX BUDGET| SALES-VOLUME VARIANCE| STATIC BUDGET| TOTAL VARIANCE| Quantity (units)| 12,000| | 12,000| | 10,000| |Sales Revenue| $5,700,000| ($300,000)| $6,000,000| $250,000| $5,750,000| ($50,000)| Variable Costs| $4,515,600| ($99,600)| $4,416,000| ($181,000)| $4,235,000| ($280,600)| CM| $1,184,400| ($399,600)| $1,584,000| $69,000| $1,515,000| ($330,600)| Fixed Costs| $919,500| ($37,000)| $882,500| | $882,500| ($37,000)| Net Income| $264,900| ($436,600)| $701,500| $69,000| $632,500| ($367,600)| FLEXIBLE BUDGET REPORT| GIVEN CALCULATED FILL IN THE BLANK VARIANCES: ($) = UNFAVORABLE & $ = FAVORABLE Illustration of some calculations involved for Flex Budget: Flex Sales Revenue = Std.Sell Price Per Unit x Actual Sales volume (units) Basic Wood Stove = $300 x 7,200 units = $2,160,000 Deluxe Wood Stove = $800 x 4,800 units = $3,840,000 Total Flex Sales Revenue = $6,000,000 Flex Variable Costs = Std. Variable Price Per Unit x Actual Sales Volume (units) Basic Wood Stove = $220 x 7,200 = $1,548,000 Deluxe Wood Stove = $590 x 4,800 = $2,832,000 Total Flex Variable Costs = $4,416,000 Flex Fixed Costs = Static Fixed Costs APPENDIX EXHIBIT 3| | FLEX BUDGET VARIANCE| SALES VOLUME VARIANCE| SALES VARIANCES| | | | Sales Price| | $300,000 U| -| Sales Mix| | -| $234,000 U|Sales Quantity| | -| $303,000 F| Sales Volume | | -| $69,000 F| TOTAL SALES VARIANCE| | $300,000 U| $69,000 F| | | | | VARIABLE COST VARIANCES| | | | Direct Materials| | $109,000 F| -| Direct Labor| | $139,200 U| -| Overhead| | $69,600 U| -| Selling & Admin| | $0| -| TOTAL VARIABLE COST VARIANCE| | $399,600 U| -| | | | | TOTAL CM VARIANCE| | $399,600 U| -| | | | | FIXED COST VARIANCES| | | | Mfg. Budget| | $30,000 U| -| Sell & Admin Budget| | $7,000 U| -| TOTAL FIXED COST VARIANCE| | $37,000 U| -| | | | | TOTAL VARIANCE| | $436,600 U| $69,000 F| | | | | VA RIANCES TABLE| U = UnfavorableF = Favorable APPENDIX Illustration of some calculations involved in creating Exhibit 3: SALES VARIANCE Section Sales Price Variance = Actual Units sold x (Actual Sell Price – Budgeted) Basic Wood Stove = 7,200 x ($325-$300) = $180,000 F Deluxe Wood Stove = 4,800 x ($700-$800) = $480,000 U Total Sales Price Variance = $300,000 U Sales Mix Variance = (Actual Sales Mix % – Budgeted) x Actual total units sold x Budgeted CM per unit Basic Wood Stove = [(7,200/12,000)-(4,500/10,000)] x 12,000 x $80 = $144,000 F Deluxe Wood Stove = [(4,800/12,000)-(5,500/10,000)] x 12,000 x $210 = $378,000 UTotal Sales Mix Variance = $234,000 U Sales Quantity Variance = (Actual total units sold – Budgeted) x Budgeted Sales Mix % x Budgeted CM per unit Basic Wood Stove = (12,000-10,000) x (4,500/10,000) x $80 = $72,000 F Deluxe Wood Stove = (12,000=10,000) x (5,500/10,000) x $210 = $231,000 F Total Sales Quantity Variance = $303,000 F Sales Volume Variance = (Actual Sales Volume – Budgeted) x Budgeted Cm per unit Basic Wood Stove = (7,200-4,500) x $80 = $216,000 F Deluxe Wood Stove = (4,800-5,500) x $210 = $147,000 U Total Sales Volume Variance = $69,000 F Ferguson Foundry Limited ————————————————- Case: Ferguson Foundry Limited (FFL) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Date: March 10 2013 To: Mark Ferguson, President From: Carl Holitzner Re: FFL’s Lower-Than-Budgeted Profit for the Fiscal Year Ended May 31 2010 The major issue is determining why Ferguson Foundry Limited’s (FFL) actual profit was $367,600 lower than budgeted, despite selling 2,000 more wood stoves (12,000 instead of 10,000 units). This will be explained using Variance Analysis to demonstrate the underlying reasons why the company failed to meet its president’s expectations.FFL profit for 2010 was below budget due to many factors both production and marketing related. From a production perspective, there were 3 major areas of concern all of which were unfavorable with respect to Variance Analysis (As shown in Exhibit 3): 1. Direct Labor 2. Variable Overhead 3. Fixed Cost The $139,2 00 unfavorable Direct Labor Variance can be attributed to many reasons however it is most likely linked to the management team. Due to the early retirement of the sales manager, the production manager being hospitalized and the accountant quitting, it can be understood that inefficiencies were bound to arise.Without proper management, labor reduced overall productivity of the company, as these workers took 121,200 hours to produce 12,00 stoves rather than the standard 120,000 hours that it should have taken. This reduced Net Income by $18,000 (Labor Yield Variance calculation). Secondly, the problem arising from Direct Labor also transcends to the Variable Overhead, as it is used as its cost driver. As a result, the $69,600 unfavorable Variable Overhead Variance can also be attributed to the more hours undertaken to produce the 12,000 stoves.With the lack of an inefficient management team, overhead could have accumulated through inefficient use and/or the budget could have not even accurately portrayed current rates for overhead items. The third problem with regards to the production perspective concerns the increase in fixed costs. In particular, the fixed manufacturing cost increased by $30,000 over budgeted costs, which in turn resulted in a reduction of net income by the same amount. This could have resulted due to several reasons such as additional machinery being required to handle the increased sales volume.However at this point it is unclear given the information provided and so further investigation must be conducted in an effort to better budget for future fixed costs. From a marketing perspective, there were also 3 major areas of concern all of which were unfavorable with respect to Variance Analysis: 1. Price 2. Fixed Cost 3. Sales Mix In analyzing the price changes, although it was beneficial to increase the sell price of the Basic Wood Stove ($300 to $325), this income benefit was significantly outweighed by the reduction in sell price of the Del uxe Wood Stove ($800 to $700).In the end, the price changes of both products resulted in a $300,000 reduction in profit (Sales Price Variance). Another reason for FFL’s lower than budgeted profit, although obvious and minor, had to do with the increase in selling and administration cost. As can be seen in Exhibit 3 by the Fixed Selling & Administration Budget Variance, an increase in the fixed costs reduced net profit by $7,000. The third problem area, concerning the marketing perspective, involved the difference in sales mix from actual to budget.FFL actually sold more Basic Wood Stoves and fewer Deluxe Wood Stoves than budgeted. Unfortunately, the Deluxe Wood Stove possessed a higher standard contribution margin per unit than the Basic ($210 to $80). Therefore the difference in the mix of sales caused FFL’s net profit to be reduced by $234,000 (Sales Mix Variance). Ultimately, more market research must be conducted to better understand consumer wants and needs and th us be able to efficiently budget company products accordingly to reach profitability goals. APPENDIX EXHIBIT 1| | BASIC (Actual)| BASIC (Std. | DELUXE (Actual)| DELUXE (Std. )| Selling Price| $325| $300| $700| $800| Variable Costs:| Direct Materials| $67. 50| $70. 00| $171. 00| $190. 00| Direct Labor| $104. 00| $90. 00| $248. 00| $240. 00| Overhead| $52. 00| $45. 00| $124. 00| $120. 00| Sell & Admin| $15. 00| $15. 00| $40. 00| $40. 00| Total Variable Costs| $238. 50| $220. 00| $583. 00| $590. 00| Contribution Margin| $86. 50| $80. 00| $117. 00| $210. 00| CONTRIBUTION MARGINS TABLE| Illustration of some calculations involved: *Using the Actual Results Table Provided in Exhibit AActual Unit Selling (Basic) = Sales Revenue ? Sales Volume (units) = $2,340,000 / 7,200 units = $325 Unit Direct Materials (Basic) = Direct Materials Cost ? Sales Volume (units) = $486,000 / 7,200 units = $67. 50 *Using the Unit Cost Standards Table Provided in Exhibit B Std. Unit Direct Labor (Basic) = DL Std . Qty. Per Unit x DL Std. Rate Per Hr. = 6 hrs. x $15. 00 per hr. = $90 APPENDIX EXHIBIT 2| For the Year Ended May 31 2010| | ACTUAL| FLEX-BUDGET VARIANCE| FLEX BUDGET| SALES-VOLUME VARIANCE| STATIC BUDGET| TOTAL VARIANCE| Quantity (units)| 12,000| | 12,000| | 10,000| |Sales Revenue| $5,700,000| ($300,000)| $6,000,000| $250,000| $5,750,000| ($50,000)| Variable Costs| $4,515,600| ($99,600)| $4,416,000| ($181,000)| $4,235,000| ($280,600)| CM| $1,184,400| ($399,600)| $1,584,000| $69,000| $1,515,000| ($330,600)| Fixed Costs| $919,500| ($37,000)| $882,500| | $882,500| ($37,000)| Net Income| $264,900| ($436,600)| $701,500| $69,000| $632,500| ($367,600)| FLEXIBLE BUDGET REPORT| GIVEN CALCULATED FILL IN THE BLANK VARIANCES: ($) = UNFAVORABLE & $ = FAVORABLE Illustration of some calculations involved for Flex Budget: Flex Sales Revenue = Std.Sell Price Per Unit x Actual Sales volume (units) Basic Wood Stove = $300 x 7,200 units = $2,160,000 Deluxe Wood Stove = $800 x 4,800 units = $3,840,000 Total Flex Sales Revenue = $6,000,000 Flex Variable Costs = Std. Variable Price Per Unit x Actual Sales Volume (units) Basic Wood Stove = $220 x 7,200 = $1,548,000 Deluxe Wood Stove = $590 x 4,800 = $2,832,000 Total Flex Variable Costs = $4,416,000 Flex Fixed Costs = Static Fixed Costs APPENDIX EXHIBIT 3| | FLEX BUDGET VARIANCE| SALES VOLUME VARIANCE| SALES VARIANCES| | | | Sales Price| | $300,000 U| -| Sales Mix| | -| $234,000 U|Sales Quantity| | -| $303,000 F| Sales Volume | | -| $69,000 F| TOTAL SALES VARIANCE| | $300,000 U| $69,000 F| | | | | VARIABLE COST VARIANCES| | | | Direct Materials| | $109,000 F| -| Direct Labor| | $139,200 U| -| Overhead| | $69,600 U| -| Selling & Admin| | $0| -| TOTAL VARIABLE COST VARIANCE| | $399,600 U| -| | | | | TOTAL CM VARIANCE| | $399,600 U| -| | | | | FIXED COST VARIANCES| | | | Mfg. Budget| | $30,000 U| -| Sell & Admin Budget| | $7,000 U| -| TOTAL FIXED COST VARIANCE| | $37,000 U| -| | | | | TOTAL VARIANCE| | $436,600 U| $69,000 F| | | | | VA RIANCES TABLE| U = UnfavorableF = Favorable APPENDIX Illustration of some calculations involved in creating Exhibit 3: SALES VARIANCE Section Sales Price Variance = Actual Units sold x (Actual Sell Price – Budgeted) Basic Wood Stove = 7,200 x ($325-$300) = $180,000 F Deluxe Wood Stove = 4,800 x ($700-$800) = $480,000 U Total Sales Price Variance = $300,000 U Sales Mix Variance = (Actual Sales Mix % – Budgeted) x Actual total units sold x Budgeted CM per unit Basic Wood Stove = [(7,200/12,000)-(4,500/10,000)] x 12,000 x $80 = $144,000 F Deluxe Wood Stove = [(4,800/12,000)-(5,500/10,000)] x 12,000 x $210 = $378,000 UTotal Sales Mix Variance = $234,000 U Sales Quantity Variance = (Actual total units sold – Budgeted) x Budgeted Sales Mix % x Budgeted CM per unit Basic Wood Stove = (12,000-10,000) x (4,500/10,000) x $80 = $72,000 F Deluxe Wood Stove = (12,000=10,000) x (5,500/10,000) x $210 = $231,000 F Total Sales Quantity Variance = $303,000 F Sales Volume Variance = (Actual Sales Volume – Budgeted) x Budgeted Cm per unit Basic Wood Stove = (7,200-4,500) x $80 = $216,000 F Deluxe Wood Stove = (4,800-5,500) x $210 = $147,000 U Total Sales Volume Variance = $69,000 F Ferguson Foundry Limited CASE ANALYSIS: FERGUSON FOUNDRY LIMITED (FFL) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction After reviewing the financial statements for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2010, Mark Ferguson, President of Ferguson Foundry Limited’s (FFL), was disappointed with the results. Operating Income was $367,600 below expectation, despite having sold 2,000 wood stove units greater than budgeted. To determine which areas FFL’s actual performance was better or worse than expected, a variance analysis will be conducted.However, it is important to note that variance analysis alone can only emphasize areas that need improvement, and not determine the reason for these discrepancies. A further investigation is warranted once determining the issues outlined through variance analysis. Analysis – Qualitative and Quantitative There are many areas within FFL’s production which have been proven to be unfavourable, and where immediate improvement is necessary. Of particular concern is the variable overhead, where an unfavorable variance of $180,600 was discovered (Appendix F).Within this variance, the variable overhead costs, both manufacturing and non-manufacturing of the Deluxe model are what seem to be causing inefficiencies. The Deluxe model accounts for $157,200 of the $180,600U mentioned above. Other Key Areas of Concern Outlined Through Variance Analysis: * Appendix I: Although the selling price of the basic model increased by $25, a $100 reduction in the selling price of the Deluxe model counterbalanced this increase, and negatively affected income. Appendix E: The difference between the budgeted and actual sales mix had an adverse effect on revenues. The Deluxe model had a greater CM/unit of 210, and was budgeted at 55% of the sales mix, however, it only ended up accounting for 40% of the actual sales mix. * Appendix H: The market share of FFL resulted in being less than expected (10% to 9%), in a market which was larger than expected/budgeted (133,333 to 100,000 uni ts). Recommendation and Implementation We recommend a proper rectification of the issues with regards to FFL’s unfavourable variances.Firstly, is it of utmost importance to have all the necessary components of management (i. e. supervisors, directors, and managers) on the job and ready to manage. Once FFL has the personnel to solve these significant issues, the following must be corrected, in order: Direct labor inefficiencies and high overhead costs, most importantly. Then, they can â€Å"fine tune† and solve higher than usual selling and administrative expenses and high fixed overhead costs. Further instructions with regards to solving these issues are outlined in Appendix K.However, if FFL is not capable of reorganising the company by itself, external help is necessary to implement specific changes that will improve FFL’s bottom line. REFERENCES Bhimani, Alnoor et al. Management and Cost Accounting. Pearson Education Limited, 2012. Print. APPENDIX A DIRECT MA TERIAL VARIANCES Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPENDIX B DIRECT MATERIAL VARIANCES CONTINUED *540,000 + 912,000 = 1,452,000 *315,000 + 1,045,000 = 1,360,000 Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPENDIX C DIRECT LABOR VARIANCESNote: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPENDIX D DIRECT LABOR VARIANCES CONTINUED Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPENDIX E SALES VARIANCES 7200/12000 = 0. 6 4500/10000 = 0. 45 Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPENDIX F VARIABLE OVERHEAD VARIANCE *Variable Selling & Administrative Expenses are labeled as Non-Manufacturing in this table. Total Variable Overhead for Basic and Deluxe = 27,000U + 18,000F = 9,000U Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPENDIX G FIXED OVERHEAD VARIANCE *750,000 ? 115,000 = 6. 217 Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPENDIX H MARKET VARIANCES Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPENDIX I VARIANCE OVERVIEW Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPE NDIX J ANALYSIS OF THE UNFAVORABLE VARIANCES Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable Note: $421,300 represents the sum of all unfavorable variances that have brought down the company’s annual earnings. Note: F = Favorable and U = Unfavorable APPENDIX K RECOMMENDATIONS: REDUCING THE TOTAL UNFAVOURABLE VARIANCE