Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Negative Legacy of Belgium Colonialism in Africa

The Negative Legacy of Belgium Colonialism in Africa Belgium is a small country in northwest Europe that joined Europes race for colonies in the late 19th century. Many European countries wanted to colonize distant parts of the world in order to exploit the resources and civilize the inhabitants of these less-developed countries. Belgium gained independence in 1830. Then, King Leopold II came to power in 1865 and believed that colonies would greatly enhance Belgiums wealth and prestige. Leopolds cruel, greedy activities in the current Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi continue to affect the welfare of these countries today. Exploration of and Claims to the Congo River Basin European adventurers experienced great difficulty in exploring and colonizing the Congo River Basin, due to the regions tropical climate, disease, and the resistance of the natives. In the 1870s, Leopold II created an organization called the International African Association. This sham was supposedly a scientific and philanthropic organization which would greatly improve the lives of native Africans by converting them to Christianity, ending the slave trade, and introducing European health and educational systems. King Leopold sent the explorer Henry Morton Stanley to the region. Stanley successfully made treaties with native tribes, set up military posts, and forced most Muslim slave traders out of the region. He acquired millions of square kilometers of central African land for Belgium. However, most of Belgiums government leaders and citizens did not want to spend the exorbitant amount of money that would be needed to maintain distant colonies. At the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, other European countries did not want the Congo River region. King Leopold II insisted that he would maintain this region as a free-trade zone, and he was given personal control of the region, which was nearly eighty times larger than Belgium. He named the region the Congo Free State. The Congo Free State, 1885-1908 Leopold promised that he would develop his private property to improve the lives of the native Africans. He quickly disregarded all of his Berlin Conference guidelines and began to economically exploit the regions land and inhabitants. Due to industrialization, objects such as tires were now required in mass in Europe; thus, the African natives were forced to produce ivory and rubber. Leopolds army mutilated or killed any African who didnt produce enough of these coveted, profitable resources. The Europeans burned African villages, farmland, and rainforest, and kept women as hostages until rubber and mineral quotas were met. Due to this brutality and European diseases, the native population dwindled by approximately ten million people. Leopold II took the enormous profits and built lavish buildings in Belgium. Belgian Congo, 1908-1960 Leopold II tried mightily to conceal this abuse from the international public. However, many countries and individuals had learned of these atrocities by the early 20th century. Joseph Conrad set his popular novel Heart of Darkness in the Congo Free State and described European abuses. The Belgian government forced Leopold to surrender his personal country in 1908. The Belgian government renamed the region the Belgian Congo. The Belgian government and Catholic missions tried to aid the inhabitants by improving health and education and building an infrastructure, but the Belgians still exploited the regions gold, copper, and diamonds. Independence for the Democratic Republic of the Congo By the 1950s, many African countries embraced anti-colonialism, nationalism, equality, and opportunity under the Pan-Africanism movement. The Congolese, who by then had some rights such as owning property and voting in elections, began to demand independence. Belgium wanted to grant independence over a thirty-year span, but under pressure from the United Nations, and in order to avoid a long, deadly war, Belgium decided to grant independence to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on June 30, 1960. Since then, DRC has experienced corruption, inflation, and several regime changes. The mineral-rich province of Katanga was voluntarily separated from DRC from 1960-1963. DRC was known as Zaire from 1971-1997. Two civil wars in DRC have turned into the worlds deadliest conflict since World War II. Millions have died from war, famine, or disease. Millions are now refugees. Today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the third largest country by area in Africa and has approximately 70 million citizens. Its capital is Kinshasa, formerly named Leopoldville. Ruanda-Urundi The current countries of Rwanda and Burundi were once colonized by the Germans, who named the region Ruanda-Urundi. After Germanys defeat in World War I, however, Ruanda-Urundi was made a protectorate of Belgium. Belgium also exploited the land and people of Ruanda-Urundi, the Belgian Congos neighbor to the east. Inhabitants were forced to pay taxes and grow cash crops such as coffee. They were given very little education. However, by the 1960s, Ruanda-Urundi also began to demand independence, and Belgium ended its colonial empire when Rwanda and Burundi were granted independence in 1962. Legacy of Colonialism in Rwanda-Burundi The most important legacy of colonialism in Rwanda and Burundi involved the Belgians obsession with racial, ethnic classification. The Belgians believed that the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda was racially superior to the Hutu ethnic group because the Tutsis had more European features. After many years of segregation, the tension erupted into the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 850,000 people died. Past and Future of Belgian Colonialism The economies, political systems, and social welfare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi have been enormously affected by the greedy ambitions of King Leopold II of Belgium. All three countries have experienced exploitation, violence, and poverty, but their rich sources of minerals may one day bring permanent peaceful prosperity to the interior of Africa.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Meaning of Faire le Pont

The Meaning of Faire le Pont This expression is very useful since it describes something very French and does not translate well in English. First, lets not mistake faire le pont with faire le point (with an i) which means to evaluate/ assess a situation. Faire le Pont to do the Bridge Yoga Position Literally, faire le pont means to do the bridge. So, what could it mean? One of its meaning is a body position in yoga; a backstretch, where you stand on hands and feet with your belly facing up. Faire le Pont An Extra-Long Weekend The instance when faire le pont is most used is to describe a very French specific 4-day long weekend.   The holiday is on a Monday or a Friday - like anybody else, the French will have a three-day long weekend. Nothing exceptional here. Here is the French Twist: If the holiday is on a Thursday or a Tuesday, then the French will skip the day separating them from the weekend doing the bridge over the weekend. They will, of course, still get paid for it.   Schools also do it, and the students have to make up for the extra day off by going to school on a Wednesday (typically off for younger students) or a Saturday - you can imagine the mess it is when your kid is involved ​in a regular off-school activity such as a sport. Les Ponts du Mois de Mai: May Days Off There are many possible holidays in May: May 1st is Labor Day (la fà ªte du travail)May 8th is the end of WWIIAround mid or end of May, we have a Christian holiday, l’Ascension.Sometimes towards the very end of May, another Christian holiday la Pentecà ´te If this holiday falls on a Thursday or a Tuesday, les franà §ais vont faire le pont (you do need to conjugate Faire to agree with your subject), and everything will be closed for four days! With ​an extra-long weekend, many French people will take off, and the roads will be quite busy as well.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

GBST300 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

GBST300 - Essay Example World Bank is mainly an institution concerned with development whereas the IMF focuses on maintaining orderly payment systems between countries. IMF has no subsidiaries while World Bank has subsidiaries across the world. The structure of World Bank is also more complex than that of IMF. It means different things to diverse people but the most vital aspect is the economic dimension of globalization, which has led to opening up of economies to global competition, giving room to ideas, goods, capital and people to interact and move freely between countries. Free market, justice to all people, and personal freedom are the main elements of neoliberalism. It relates to Washington consensus in the sense that it encourages economic policies that aimed at reforming and repairing the damaged economies of third world countries. Both neoliberalism and Washington consensus focus on making the world a better place to live in for all people around the world. He thinks so because via education and government accountability, poverty can be eliminated. However, the movie End of Poverty disagrees because corruption and poor policies to eradicate poverty does not exists. Poverty eradication demands sound policies and zero tolerance to corruption, which is deficient in many governments. In sum, government is not committed to eliminating poverty. The four gaps include human trafficking, lack of education, over population and corruption. These gaps make leaders in developing countries fail to take responsibility of their actions. The four traps drain most governments of the energy required to make progress in development because governments of developing nations tend to have their attention diverted to other things that just affect development negatively. As such, the countries remain contained within the poverty cycle. Globalization has destabilized the economies of poor states and uncovered people to

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Research Paper on the Key Components of a Successful Blog & the

On the Key Components of a Successful Blog & the â‚ ¬Ã…“Promotionâ‚ ¬Ã¯ ¿ ½ of a blog once it is developed - Research Paper Example However, as Sexton (336) suggests, the graphic design should not be a cause for the visitors’ distraction; and there should be something new with the blog regularly so that it would retain visitors. The voice of the blog also is an important factor because only a blog with authentic voice can retain the visitors for future sales (Webber and Webber L: 20). It means, if the blog does not have a personal feel, it will not succeed in building social networks. Furthermore, it is advisable to attach RSS feeds (Rich Site Summary) to the blog so that the visitors can know whenever a new post is published; and also the RSS feeds allow the blogger to post content from any website with RSS feed (Michie: 268). Another essential feature the blog should have is the guiding links to other sources and older posts of the same blog. The networking and the community building is the core component of a successful blog because it will open up new opportunities and relationships which will enable cross-promotion through guest blogging (Gunelius: 471). Guest blogging is an effective alternative to ease the tension on the paucity of ideas for further posts. Moreover, it would make the blog more attractive and effective as it maintains diverse posts from guest bloggers. As mentioned earlier, in order to maintain a blog reader friendly, it should be updated frequently with new posts and necessary ingredients. It is always better to avoid ghost writers for creating new posts for your blog; and in the same way if the blog allows user’s comments there should be provision to prune the unfavorable comments and spam messages (Webber and Webber L: 20). The success of a blog depends on the time and effort spent on its maintenance and promotion. It is not easy for a blog to obtain visitors since there are hundreds of sites and blogs which use the virtual space for

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Causes insomnia Essay Example for Free

Causes insomnia Essay The evolutionary theory can be directly linked to Darwins theory of survival of the fittest as any properties we have now are a result of what has been useful in the past therefore we sleep as it has been useful for our survival or it was at one time. Conservation was an idea that the theorist Webb came up with he suggested that those animals that slept more were more likely to survive such as hedgehogs. Conservation is where the body slows down the metabolism and heart rate as no food is being consumed and no energy is being used up as the animal is not moving about. Webbs theory is linked to hibernation mostly as his theory is more suggesting the likelihood of surviving due to sleeping. By looking at both theories I can now come to the conclusion that the restoration theory is more logical in its use of energy as it suggests that the more energy you use up in the day the more you look forward to going to bed to restore tissue and save energy. It also suggests that even if you dont fully exert yourself in a day it doesnt mean that your not going to sleep for long and this can be fully evident in teenagers as even if they do or dont exert themselves they still sleep a lot more as there bodies are developing and they need more sleep then the rest to gain in energy and also to give there bodies a time to relax as there bodies will be constantly secreting hormones. The cause and effect of insomnia still arent clear as the Pineal gland in the brain converts the neurotransmitter serotonin into the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is released into the blood stream and causes rhythmic changes around the body although the need for sleep is not affected by light. Melatonin plays a role in the co-ordination of the sleep wake cycle. So as sleep isnt affected by light then the cause of insomnia cant be known as you cant determine what effects the body that causes insomnia. REM sleep involves an increase in energy expenditure and blood flow which inhibits protein synthesis on the other hand it is known that amino acids are not stored by the body and last in the body for bout 4 hours after a meal. This means that protein synthesis maybe stopped half way through sleep because the amino acids have run out. Also people will sleep more after stress and it is known to improve moods which again can be explained by the fact that with NREM sleep occurring during slow wave so enables the body to repair itself and there is an increase in secretion of growth hormones. By looking at the evolutionary theory I can also conclude that the arguments presented for the evolutionary theory contradict themselves as some suggest that some animals sleep less to keep a vigil while others suggest that animals sleep longer to keep motionless thus staying away from harm. Also it is clear to see that animals such as lions do sleep longer as they are at less of a risk from being hunted so dont need that much sleep and animals like cattle need very little sleep and this puts them in danger of being hunted.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Invisible Man Essay: Ethics and Invisible Man :: Invisible Man Essays

Ethics and Invisible Man    The issue of ethics is central to the theme of The Invisible Man.   This essay will examine the ethical issues presented in Ellison's novel in the context of Kenneth Strike's "Principle of Equal Respect".    In one incident Invisible Man is in his third year at a Negro college and is regarded by the President, Dr. Bledsoe, as bright and trustworthy, a young man who has potential. Dr. Bledsoe assigns him to drive a prominent trustee, Mr. Norton, on a tour of the vicinity. Invisible Man inadvertently drives Norton to the old slave quarters, past the home of Jim Trueblood, a local pariah who has committed incest with his young daughter; both his wife and daughter are pregnant by him. At Norton's insistence, the student stops. Norton feels compelled to hear Trueblood's spellbinding version of his crime. Embellished several times over, it is so effective that Norton has a mild stroke. Before leaving, however, Norton gives Trueblood $100, a gesture which angers Invisible Man, who sees it as a reward for a heinous crime. He is careful, though, to mask his emotion.    When he returns to campus, Invisible Man is severely reprimanded by Dr. Bledsoe for betraying his trust and for exposing the trustee to such "trash" as Jim Trueblood. Invisible Man is made to feel as though he should have acted in a deceptive manner; he should have had sense enough to deal with white folks. Then he is led to believe that he is being given a semester off, but the young man is, in fact, expelled from college. Bledsoe gives Invisible Man sealed letters to powerful men in New York City, saying that they will help him get a job. However, when Invisible Man visits the offices of these men, he is unable to get even one interview. Finally one man reveals that the letters call the bearer an enemy of the college who should not be helped but should be given the illusion of hope.    The reader may wonder whether Bledsoe behaves ethically or uses his power abusively. One may argue that, as president of the college, Dr. Bledsoe is responsible for the lives and education of hundreds of students. In this regard, he must be careful not to offend powerful supporters necessary for the institution's survival. But does this permit his sacrifice of Invisible Man?

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Microscopy of Living Microbes

Purpose: To prepare students to familiarize themselves with the lab equipment such as the microscope, square glass, cover slips, etc.; to facilitate students to observe the pond water; and enable them to discern and identify the microbes as bacteria, algae, fungi, or protozoa within the pond water. Additionally, this lab experiment will permit students to observe and distinguish the yeast suspension from the other microbes.Data/Results: (Attached)Conclusion: The student acquired the fundamental skills in which to properly handle lab equipment and execute an experiment. By examining the pond water with the 40X lens, the student was able to distinguish and identify the protozoa with cilia: colpidium, which was recognized by its unique oval shape, resembling a peanut, with small hair-like particles comprising the entire surface, and the vascular plant, which was discrete due to its array of composition of cells.By examining the pond water with the 100X lens, the student was able to diff erentiate and classify 1) the cyanobacteria: nostoc due to its distinctive S shape and beads with surrounding cells, 2) two nematodes (phylum nematoda) parallel to one another (the nematodes appeared as slender worms, colorless, and encompassed of cells), and 3) the cyanobacteria: anabaena, which was blue-green in its feature with long filaments of cells (resembling a seaweed structure). By examining the yeast suspension with the 40X lens, the student observed millions of budding yeast cell structures. The student was able to discern between the various structures of pond water microorganisms, such as cilia and algae, and the yeast suspension cellular material.Questions:1. What is Brownian motion and why is it generally seen when bacteria are observed in liquid media? Some bacteria, perhaps many in your presentation did not display Brownian motion. Why is that? Brownian motion is a non-directional movement triggered when cells are blasted by water molecules. Brownian motion is gener ally seen when bacteria are observed in liquid media primarily by the production of gas that bacteria yields, which is converted into liquid fluids. Thus, some bacteria, many in the experiment presentation, did not display Brownian motion because of the lack of energy of the system and the absence of flagella that impels bacteria to move voluntarily.2. How can Brownian motion be distinguished from motility?As mentioned previously, Brownian motion is a non-directional movement triggered when cells are blasted by water molecules whereas motility is the capability of an organism to independently move either towards or away from a specific stimulus. Therefore, Brownian motion is distinguishable from motility due to it being a false movement while motility enables organisms to transfer by means of flagellum, endoflagella, or axil filaments. 3. What are flagella? What is the difference between bacterial flagella and eukaryotic flagella?Flagella are long protein structures responsible for most type of prokaryotic motility and also propel cells through liquid. Bacterial flagella, which are also referred to as prokaryotic flagella, are smaller than eukaryotic flagella and have a simple structure, are made up of protein flagellin that provides a mechanism of motility, are proton driven, and have a rotatory movement. On the other hand, eukaryotic flagella have a larger and more complex configuration, are composed of tubulin that delivers a mechanism of locomotion, are ATP driven, and have a bending movement.4. In wet mount preparations, is it possible to see eukaryotic flagella? Prokaryotic flagella? In wet mount preparations, it is possible to see eukaryotic flagella, but it is not possible to see prokaryotic flagella. 5. Does crystal clear pond water contain living bacteria? What about air? Your finger? All things that are not sterile do contain living bacteria such as pond water, air, and fingers.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Accounts 18

Question One(25 marks) Based on module 7 – Budgeting Retail outlets purchase snowboards from Slopes Ltd. , throughout the year. However, in anticipation of late summer and early autumn purchases, outlets ramp up inventories from January through May. Outlets are billed when boards are ordered. Invoices are payable within 60 days. From past experience, Slopes’ accountant projects 20% of invoices are paid in the month invoiced, 50% are paid in the following month, and 30% of invoices are paid two months after the month of invoice. The average selling price per snowboard is $450. To meet demand, Slopes increases production from December through March, because the snowboards are produced a month prior to their projected sale. Direct materials are purchased in the month of production and are paid for during the following month (terms are payment in full within 30 days of the invoice date). Direct manufacturing labour and manufacturing overhead are paid monthly. Variable manufacturing overhead is incurred at the rate of $7 per direct manufacturing labour-hour. Variable marketing costs are driven by the number of sales visits. However, there are no sales visits during the months studied. Slopes, also incurred fixed manufacturing overhead costs of $5,500 per month and fixed non-manufacturing overhead costs of $2,500 per month. Projected Sales: January80 unitsApril100 units February120 unitsMay60 units March200 unitsJune40 units Direct Materials and Direct Manufacturing Labour Utilisation and Cost Unit per BoardPrice per UnitUnit Wood5$30Board feet Fiberglass6 5Yard Direct manufacturing labour5 25Hour The beginning cash balance for March, 2010, is $10,000. On June 1, 2009 Slopes had a cash crunch and borrowed $30,000 on a 6% one-year note with interest payable monthly. The note is due June 1, 2010. Using the information provided, you will need to determine whether Slopes will be in a position to pay off this short-term debt on June 1, 2010. Required a. Prepare a cash budget for the months of March through May 2010. Show supporting schedules for the calculation of receivable and payables. b. Will Slopes be in a position to pay off the $30,000 one-year note that is due on June 1, 2010? If not, what actions would you recommend to Slopes’ management? c. Suppose Slopes is interested in maintaining a minimum cash balance of $10,000. Will the company be able to maintain such a balance during all three months analysed? If not, suggest a suitable cash management strategy. Marking Criteria: Application of budgeting to question 1a 18 marks Application of budgeting to question 1b 3 marks Application of budgeting to question 1c 4 marks Question Two(25 marks) Based on module 8 – CVP Analysis Grace Inc manufactures and sells baby cots. For its 2011 budget, Grace Inc. estimated the following: Selling price $600 Net income after tax $650 000 Variable cost per cot $300 Income tax rate 30% Annual fixed costs $150 000 Unfortunately sales were not meeting expectations. Only 525 units had been sold in the first four months of the year at the established price and cost structure. The net income projection for 2011 would not be reached unless some action is taken. A management committee presented the following mutually exclusive alternatives to the CEO. (a) Reduce the selling price by $60. The sales organization forecasts that at this significantly reduced price, 4050 units can be sold during the remainder of the year. Total fixed costs and variable cost per unit will stay as budgeted. b) Lower variable cost per unit by $15 through the use of less expensive direct materials and slightly modified manufacturing techniques. The selling price will also be reduced by $45, and sales of 3300 units are expected for the remainder of the year. (c) Reduce fixed costs by $15 000 and lower the selling price by 5%. Variable cost per unit will be unchanged. Sales of 3000 units are expected for the remainder of the year. Required: (a) Determine the number of units that Grace Inc must sell (a) to break even and (b) to achieve its income objective using the current price and cost structure. b) Determine which alternative Grace Inc should select to maximise net income. Show your calculations. – Marking Criteria: Application of CVP to question 2a 9 marks Application and interpretation of CVP to question 2b 16 mar ks Question Three Based on module 8 – Costing in an entity(25 marks) Alex’s Fine Art Studio is a company offering art services. The owner Alex Touch has been contacted by the manager of Ruthven Cars Company who complained about the price charged for some art work. On the same day Alex was also contacted by the manager of Books Galore who was delighted with the work and the price charged. Alex uses a cost-based approach to pricing (billing) each job. Currently it uses a single direct-cost category (professional labour hours) and a single indirect-cost pool (general support). Indirect costs are allocated to jobs on the basis of professional labour-hours per job. Professional labour costs at Alex’s Fine Art Studio are $70 an hour. Indirect costs are allocated to jobs at $105 an hour. Total indirect costs in the most recent period were $21 000. The job files show the following: Professional Labour Ruthven Cars Company 104 hours Books Galore 96 hours Assume these two jobs were the only jobs completed in this period. ) – Required: (a) Compute the costs of the Ruthven Cars Company and Books Galore jobs using Alex’s existing job-costing system. (b) Alex asks his assistant to collect details on those costs in the $21 000 indirect cost pool that can be traced to each individual job. After analysis, Alex is able to reclassify $14 000 of the $21 000 as direc t costs: Other Direct Costs Ruthven Cars Company Books Galore Research support labour $1600 $3400 Computer time 500 1300 Travel and allowances 600 4400 Telephone/faxes 200 1000 Photocopying 250 750 Total $3150 $10 850 Recalculate for Alex the costs of each job using the six direct-cost pools and a single indirect cost pool. The single indirect cost pool would have $7000 of costs and would be allocated to each job using the professional-labour hours base. (c) Alex’s Fine Art Studio has two classifications of professional staff: artists and apprentices. Alex asks her assistant to examine the relative use of artists and apprentices on the recent Ruthven Cars Company and Books Galore jobs. The Ruthven Car Company job used 24 artist-hours and 80 apprentice-hours. The Books Galore job used 56 artist-hours and 40 apprentice-hours. Alex is curious as to how each job would have been costed if using separate direct cost rates for artists and apprentices and using separate indirect cost pools for artists and apprentices. For direct costs, the cost per artist hour is $100 and per apprentice hour is $50. For indirect costs, from the total indirect cost pool of $7000, $4600 is attributable to the activities of artists, and $2400 is attributable to the activities of apprentices. You are required to satisfy Alex’s curiosity by computing the costs for each job under this more refined costing system. (d) Complete a comparison of costing under the existing system and that of the more refined system. Which is better and why? Marking Criteria: Application of cost allocation principles to question 3a 6 marks Application of cost allocation principles to question 3b 8 marks Application of cost allocation principles to question 3c 8 marks Application of cost allocation principles to question 3d 3 marks Question Four(25 marks) Based on module 10 – Performance management Part A â€Å"Managers should be rewarded only on the basis of their performance measures, They should be paid no salary. † Do you agree? Explain. Part B Bob's Cellular Phone Company uses ROI to measure divisional performance. Annual ROI calculations for each division have traditionally employed the ending amount of invested capital along with annual operating income and net revenue. The Dupont method is generally used. The company's Phone Accessories Division had the following results for the last two years: 2010 ROI = ($2,000,000/$20,000,000) ? ($20,000,000/$10,000,000) = 0. 0 2011 ROI = ($2,400,000/$25,000,000) ? ($25,000,000/$15,000,000) = 0. 16 Corporate management was disappointed in the performance of the division for 2011, since it had made an additional investment in the division that was budgeted for a 23% ROI. Required: a. Discuss some factors that may have contributed to the decrease in ROI for 2011. b. Would there have been any substantial difference if average cap ital had been used? Marking Criteria: Discussion and explanation regarding the extent of use of performance measures. 10 marks Discussion of performance as required in Part B a. 10 marks Explanation required in Part B b. 5 marks General Requirements: 1. Given the nature of the questions there is not specified work limit. However, you are encourage to present your work in a clear and concise manner. You should ensure that you answer the question fully while giving enough information to ensure that the marker can ascertain your objective in your calculations to enable part marks to be given if necessary. 2. Place references for all questions at the end of the assignment not at the end of each question. 3. You can use dot points or tables to help present your answer if you wish. . Assignment extensions will be granted if needed due to medical, work or personal reasons. However, extensions will not be granted for more than one week. This is because I cannot post back marked assignments and solutions until all assignments have been received. It is unfair on other students to delay the return of their marked assignments unduly. 5. You should note that the assignment is bas ed on modules 7-10. I would recommend completing the relevant question each week as it relates to each module. This approach would mean that the assignment would be completed by the due date. Therefore reasons for needing an extension should be extreme. (Sources withheld: Questions for this assignment are taken from other sources. Details of this source have been withheld for assessment purposes. This material is reproduced under the provisions of the Section 200 (1) (b) of the Copyright Amendment Act 1980. ) ACC5502 Accounting for Managers Assignment Two Description | Marks out of | Wtg(%)| Due date | Based on modules 7–10| 100| 20%| 2012| 1. Question| Criteria| MarksAvailable| Question One| Application and understanding of module 7 | 25 marks| | Application of budgeting to 1a) 19 marks1b) 3 marks1c) 3 marks| | | | | Question Two | Application and understanding of module 9| 25 marks| | Application of CVP principles to a practical situation. 2a) 10 marks2b) 15 marks| | | | | Question Three| Application and understanding of module 10| | | Use of costing principles3a) 6 marks3b) 8 marks3c) 8 marks3d) 3 marks| 25 marks| | | | Question Four| Application and understanding of module 11| | | Discussion and application of performance measurementPart A 10 marksPart B a) 10 marksPart B b) 5 marks| 25 marks| Total| | 100 marks| | |

Friday, November 8, 2019

Removed from the expectations Essay Example

Removed from the expectations Essay Example Removed from the expectations Essay Removed from the expectations Essay The state of reality of a human being can be described as the truth and authenticity of that person. The image of Kurtz that is presented to Marlow the early stages of the novella is one of a real person; he is something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily. However, Marlow soon notices when he meets Kurtz that he is indeed the opposite of what many of his peers believe him to be. In the book Heart of Darkness there seems to be two types of people towards Kurtz the majority are those who admire and look up to him, and there are others who dislike him and the way he does his work. Marlow, I think, does not admire nor dislike Kurtz, but becomes gripped onto the expectations of his personality placed forward by the people that he has met before meeting Kurtz himself. Within the book Heart of Darkness there appears to be a low sense of reality as the book starts and continues. I think that the idea of reality is closely linked with the idea of madness and insanity; if someone has a grip on reality they are said to be sane, while if someone is proven to be mad then they had no hold onto reality. I believe that when the book was set Africa was responsible for mental disintegration as well as for physical illness and Kurtz, Marlow is told from the beginning, is mad. However, as Marlow forms a more complete picture of Kurtz, through over-hearing many conversations, it becomes apparent that his madness is only relative and that in the context of the Company insanity is difficult to define. The picture of Kurtz that is created by Marlow in the opening scenes of the novella is one of an ideal. Kurtz is a man of many talents we learn that he is a gifted muscian and a fine painter. Although he remains a mystery to Marlow, Kurtz exerts a powerful influence on the people in his life. This is shown when Marlow first describes Kurtz as a man, who is so indissolubly connected with the memories of that time. Marlow is talking of the time he spent in Africa on the Congo River where he met Kurtz. This sentence suggests to the reader that Kurtz is an important figure who is going to have a great impression on Marlow. The words indissolubly connected imply that Marlow cannot talk about the story without mentioning Kurtz and the impact that he had on his life. Kurtz is viewed from others, such as the manager and chief accountant of the Central Station, as an ideal. They use such words as remarkable and best agent to describe his character and work. When mentioning his work it is also said that he will go far, very far. However, Kurtz was already the chief of the Inner Station, which suggests in itself to be a very high post but the chief accountant of the Central Station says that he will soon be assistant manager. Kurtz is portrayed as a prodigy and universal genius by his peers and this gives Marlow the impression that Kurtz should be admired and does not leave Marlow to create his own views and opinions of him. However, there are some people who dislike Kurtz and even though they do not say this directly to Marlow, he over-hears their conversations. This secretive talk manages to create an air of mystery and tension around Kurtz as no-one knows who he actually is. However, it is because of everyones conflicting views of Kurtz that makes Marlow so interested in meeting him. I think that Marlow looks forward to meeting Kurtz because he has heard so much about this person he wants to meet him so he can pass him own judgement. He seems to expect something from Kurtz, such as an ideal to look up to as this is the impression that has been created for him. I think that Kurtz is Marlows hidden motive to get to the heart of darkness as he crept on, towards Kurtz. Marlow had a sense of extreme disappointment when there was a thought that Kurtz might have died and that he would never have the chance to meet him. I think that this suggests that Marlow was becoming obsessed with the image of Kurtz. However, in a contrast to this, Marlow refers to Kurtz as hollow more than once in the story and this could be taken negatively to mean that Kurtz is not worthy of thought; it also suggests that Kurtz is not real. The opening sections of the novella suggest Kurtz to be an ideal agent and also a scoundrel but it also implies that when he is struck with an obstacle he always succeeds. An obstacle currently in his path is that he is ill and the reality is that everyone gets ill, but no body wants this to happen to Kurtz and it was hoped that it was not true. The manager of the Central Station commented that Kurtzs illness made the situation, very grave, very grave. The word grave means serious and this suggests that Kurtz was a very exceptional man within the Company and is looked up to as supreme so when he gets ill it shows that he is only the same as everyone else. This shows the reader that Kurtz is only a human and can be affected by his surroundings. I think that Kurtz is series of images constructed by others for their own use. As Marlows visits with Kurtzs cousin and his fianci e show, there seems to be no true Kurtz. To his cousin, he was a great musician and a brilliant politician and leader of men; to his fiance, a great humanitarian and genius. All of these contrast with Marlows version of the man, and he is left doubting the validity of his memories. Yet Kurtz, through his personality and overstated plans, remains with Marlow and with the reader.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Prehistoric Life During the Cenozoic Era

Prehistoric Life During the Cenozoic Era Facts About the Cenozoic Era The Cenozoic Era is easy to define: its the stretch of geologic time that kicked off with the Cretaceous/Tertiary Extinction that destroyed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and continues down to the present day. Informally, the Cenozoic Era is often referred to as the age of mammals, since it was only after the dinosaurs went extinct that mammals had the chance to radiate into various open ecological niches and dominate terrestrial life on the planet. This characterization is somewhat unfair, however, since (non-dinosaur) reptiles, birds, fish, and even invertebrates also thrived during the Cenozoic! Somewhat confusingly, the Cenozoic Era is divided into various periods and epochs, and scientists dont always use the same terminology when describing their research and discoveries. (This situation stands in stark contrast to the preceding Mesozoic Era, which is more-or-less neatly divided into the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.) Heres an overview of the subdivisions of the Cenozoic Era; just click on the appropriate links to see more in-depth articles about the geography, climate and prehistoric life of that period or epoch. The Periods and Epochs of the Cenozoic Era The Paleogene period (65-23 million years ago) was the age when the mammals began their rise to dominance. The Paleogene comprises three separate epochs: * The Paleocene epoch (65-56 million years ago) was fairly quiet in evolutionary terms. This is when the tiny mammals that survived the K/T Extinction first tasted their newfound freedom and began to tentatively explore new ecological niches; there were also plenty of plus-sized snakes, crocodiles and turtles. * The Eocene epoch (56-34 million years ago) was the longest epoch of the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene witnessed a vast profusion of mammalian forms; this was when the first even- and odd-toed ungulates appeared on the planet, as well as the first recognizable primates. * The Oligocene epoch (34-23 million years ago) is notable for its change in climate from the preceding Eocene, which opened up even more ecological niches for mammals. This was the epoch when certain mammals (and even some birds) began to evolve to respectable sizes. The Neogene period (23-2.6 million years ago) witnessed the continuing evolution of mammals and other forms of life, many of them to enormous sizes. The Neogene comprises two epochs: * The Miocene epoch (23-5 million years ago) takes up the lions share of the Neogene. Most of the mammals, birds and other animals that lived during this time would have been vaguely recognizable to human eyes, though often considerably bigger or stranger. * The Pliocene epoch (5-2.6 million years ago), often confused with the ensuing Pleistocene, was the time when many mammals migrated (often via land bridges) into the territories that they continue to inhabit during the present day. Horses, primates, elephants, and other animal types continued to make evolutionary progress. The Quaternary period (2.6 million years ago to the present) is, so far, the shortest of all the earths geologic periods. The Quaternary comprises two even shorter epochs: * The Pleistocene epoch (2.6 million-12,000 years ago) is famous for its large megafauna mammals, such as the Woolly Mammoth and the Saber-Toothed Tiger, that died off at the end of the last Ice Age (thanks partly to climate change and predation by the earliest humans). * The Holocene epoch (10,000 years ago-present) comprises pretty much all of modern human history. Unfortunately, this is also the epoch when many mammals, and other forms of life, have gone extinct due to the ecological changes wrought by human civilization.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL STRATEGY Coursework Assignment

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL STRATEGY Coursework - Assignment Example Financial crisis begun in the USA, spread to Europe and the rest of the world. In the year 2007 to 2009, a deadly financial crisis hit the world (Jones, n.d.). Recession hit several countries such as UK, Spain, USA and Ireland, where the first experiences included raising expenses emanating from the housing. Economists, journalists, and other bodies like countries' governments interpreted the recession widely (Munyo, n.d). According to Fosberg (n.d.), the financial crisis originated from subprime mortgage loans, and debts. These types of finances backed other financial elements deterioration. It extended their problems to other sectors. For example, Bear Stearns announced the initial indicator of financial crisis; two of their subprime hedge funds have translated into worthless assets in a short time (Leeuwen, 2011). Moreover, there was collapsing of the financial market in the USA when the auctioning rates collapsed in 2008. Buyers who failed to bid for securities in the market char acterized it. According to Fosberg (n.d.), recession is a significant decline of economic action occurs in a period ranging from months to years. From the European Commission, there is no specific definition of the term economic activities (Smith, and mendoza, 2011). Instead, the European Commission is comparing the economy movers’ factors such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and Production and Income of the country as per its GDP. This explains the identification of an economy headed to recession (Grenville, 1999). Merrouche and Nier defines recession as a phase of business cycle whereby the overall output in the economic actions like income and employment declines for a period extended for more than 6 months (Munyo, n.d). The financial crisis constricts the business activity and the GDP reduces leading to lowering of the employment chances. Moreover, recessions occur when there is a decline in the state of Gross Net Product for more than half a year. Their definition and m entioning of the measures of the economic crisis is wider than just GDP (Zarebski, and Dimovski, 2012). The occurrence of the financial crisis had several negative impacts on the financial market. For instance, there was a reduction of securities issued by the firm such as the lending organizations (Powell, Nilipornkul, and Allen, 2013). Moreover, the world experienced various effects of the financial structure such as disrupted financial markets, the debt and the equity capital for company expenditure reduced, and severe recession in many countries. In addition, economic recession marked a significant change in the way people spend their income in terms of the pattern and habits followed when spending. The main problem required comprehending and anticipation of the expected new environment with an understanding of consumers’ attitudes and needs (Zarebski, Paul and Dimovski, Bill 2012 percentage). Moreover, the same year was characterized by rising of credits as many of the i nvestment firms that used short term loans to fund their projects were having difficulties tapping the resource for their firm`s growth (Schwellnus, Goujard, and Ahrend, 2012). Before recession, early 2007, the USA was experiencing a growth GDP rate of 3 percent and the rate of unemployment was significantly lower than the current trends. However, indicators outlined that the housing cost fell sharply, at a rate of 9 percent. The credit card companies were reducing by refusing new applications

Friday, November 1, 2019

Information Technology 1-4D Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Information Technology 1-4D - Essay Example This paper will serve to address four separate questions in regards to technology and modern society, with a careful look into how the use of technology is reflected in our day to day lives. Keywords: technology, day to day lives, Web 2.0, Mark Kennedy, data mining, data collection, decision making process, change, change management, organizational skills, management Information Systems D1-4 1. Mark Kennedy said, â€Å"All of the biggest technological inventions created by man – the airplane, the automobile, the computer – say a little about his intelligence, but speak volumes about his laziness.† What do you think of this quote? Do you agree? Why? Mark Kennedy stated that â€Å"all of the biggest technological inventions created by man – the airplane, the automobile, the computer – say a little about his intelligence, but speak volumes about his laziness† and I could not agree more. While the technologies themselves have been innovative and work to show the different ways that humans are able to take a look at what is available and adapt it to a different use, it is only the generations who are already aware of the original way of doing things that are benefiting from the technology itself. The generations that grow up with the technology already set firmly in place are made lazy and, to a degree, stupid by that same technology (Shaw, 2010). Society has become more and more dependent on technology, to a degree that many members often lack the willingness to think before acting, and as a result of current technologies have become impatient in regards to how quickly information is available (Patil, 2013). While technologies offer many different benefits, and technology is the mother of invention, the current technologies have far more drawbacks than they do rewards. Patil, P. (2013). Technological advancements and its impact on humanity. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/346486/Technological_Advancements_and_Its_Imp act_on_Humanity Shaw, S. (2010, September 16). dependence comes with technology. Retrieved from http://www.unlvrebelyell.com/2010/09/16/dependence-comes-with-technology/ 2. Textbooks define Web 2.0 as â€Å"the 2nd generation of the Web, which focuses on online collaboration, users as both creators and modifiers of content, dynamic and customized information feeds, and many other engaging web-based services.† How can these Web 2.0 tools help businesses to gain a competitive advantage? There are a large variety of different products and services associated with Web 2.0 that assist businesses in gaining a competitive advantage. If these technologies, including but not limited to, blogs, wikis, podcasts, mashups, social networks, and RSS filters, are properly deployed, they may allow companies to increase their productivity and competitive advantage in a cost effective manner (Andriole, 2010). IBM performed a study in 2005 which looked into how much Web 2.0 could truly affect co mpetitive advantage, and it showed that a sustainable competitive advantage resulted from continual innovation, increased productivity and transformation and employee learning as a result of the positive application of Web 2.0 tools (Graham & Jones, 2011). Andriole, S. J. (2010). Business Impact of Web 2.0 Technologies. Communications Of The ACM, 53(12), 67-79. doi:10.1145/1859204.1859225 Graham, M. & Jones, N. (2011). IMPROVING BUSINESS PERFORMANCE WITH WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES. Journal Of Business Excellence, 2(1), 12-17. 3. As we live our everyday lives, data is collected from us, sometimes without our consent and often without our knowledge. A personal profile could be compiled from disparate sources. What’s your opinion about the secondary use of personal data for data profiling? It is my opinion that while there are other, secondary uses of personal data for data profiling that may be beneficial, such as the use of data by local and national governments to increase transpar ency in the governmental process and democratize the exchange of