The Psychology of Dreams

Why we dream: an analysis of contemporary research and theory on the function of dreaming Krista L. Hulm Essay Topic Why do we dream? Discuss with reference to psychological theories and research. Abstract Within classical psychoanalytic psychology, Freud’s (1900) conception of dreams is the most prominent dream theory among modern Western culture (Fosshage, 1983). Freud theorised that dreams serve a dual, compromise function. He suggested that unconscious, instinctual drive energy pushes for discharge, moving toward the expression of a consciously unacceptable impulse. The reduction in conscious restraints characteristic of sleep allows a symbolic, disguised dream expression of the repressed wish. The overt (manifest) content of the dream represents a compromise between the instinctual forces (latent content) striving for expression, on one hand, and the repressive forces of consciousness on the other (Freud, 1900). Freud assumed that the energy pushing for action would awaken the sleeper if not for the dream which, through symbolic discharge, allows a return to sleep. Therefore the dream is seen as serving the biological function of preserving sleep, with the psychological function of discharging an unacceptable wish that might otherwise burst destructively into waking life (Dallet, 1973). Various aspects of Freud’s dream theory have undergone review from the point of view of contemporary dream research (Breger, 1967; Foulkes, 1964). It is generally agreed that with respect to dream function in particular, the sleep preservation view is invalid and the underlying model on which the wish-fulfilment theory rests requires extensive revision. A study on REM sleep deprivation and its effects on depression found that when dream sleep was experimentally repressed in depressed patients, they were found to be more outgoing, energetic, more likely to engage with others and generally less unhappy (Cartwright, 1993). This may be due to dreams of depressed people having the characteristic of being more self-blaming. These findings contradict with Freud’s theory: if dreams are a safe expression of infantile wishes, why does this function fail to help the depressed? Despite the many problems inherent in Freud’s theoretical formulation of dream function, his far-reaching work has provided a basis for many of the contemporary theories discussed below. Contemporary research on dreams using brain-imaging studies contradict the view that content emerges from random signals (Morewedge & Norton, 2009). The hippocampus, which is critical to the acquisition of some types of memories, and the amygdala, which is important for emotional memories, are both seen to be active during REM sleep in brain-imaging studies (Nielson & Strenstrom, 2005). This understanding of the physiological aspects of dreams supports the idea that one of the functions of sleep itself is to draw together recent experiences with one’s goals, problems and desires (Paller & Voss, 2004). Fossage’s (2007) organisational model of dreams stemmed from such understandings. The model proposes that the core process and function of dreaming is to organise data. More specifically, dream mentation, like waking mentation, develops, maintains, and restores psychological organisation and regulates affect in keeping with shifting motivational priorities. Research shows that babies spend 50% of their sleep time in REM sleep, adults 25% and older people 15% (Breger, 1977). From the idea that REM sleep quantitatively decreases throughout the lifespan, a number of theorists (Breger, 1967; Reiser, 1990) suggest that dreaming fosters structuralisation of the nervous system through the establishment of neural memory networks or maps and babies spend more time in REM in order to establish maps and corresponding categories of organisation. This suggestion supports the organisational model of dreaming. Furthermore, the organisational model of dreaming includes a revision of psychoanalytic theory to explain the content of dreams concluding, in short, that dreams more directly reveal – through affects metaphors and themes – the dreamer’s immediate concerns (Fosshage, 2007). References Bulkeley, K. (1993). Dreaming is play. Psychoanalytic Psychology 10(4), 501-514. Retrieved September 8, 2009, from PsychARTICLES database. Cartwright, R. (2000). How and why the brain makes dreams: A report card on current research on dreaming. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23, pp. 914-916. Fosshage, J. L. (1983). The psychological function of dreams: A revised psychoanalytic perspective. Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Thought, 6, 641-669. Fosshage, J. L. (2007). The organizing functions of dreaming: Pivotal issues in understanding and working with dreams. International forum of psychoanalysis, 16, 4, 213-221. Retrieved 14 August 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Freud, S. (1900). The interpretation of dreams. Revonsuo, A. (2000). The reinterpretation of dreams: An evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming. Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 23, pp. 877-901.

Drug Education and Public Awareness

Throughout history, America has been fighting against drug and alcohol abuse in teens and adults. Many ways companies and anti-drug groups try to prevent drug and alcohol abuse is through education in school systems and out of school systems. They teach young students about drugs and alcohol before they risk being around them, and they teach older students about drugs while they are around in their daily lives. Are these education programs really necessary? That†s the question many people ask, and also the question I†m going to attempt to answer. The government is usually the group that attempts to educate people about the causes and effects of drugs and alcohol through programs such as D.A.R.E (drug abuse resistance education) or S.M.A.R.T. (Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-Specified objectives). D.A.R.E. tries to educate kids about drugs and alcohol while S.M.A.R.T. conducts studies to see how effective these programs really are. There have been several studies done that failed to find any value in the DARE program. About 26 million American school children are taught to resist the lure of drugs and alcohol by the DARE program, a studied showed that most of the students who took the 17 week DARE program ended up using drugs and alcohol at the same rate as children who learned about them in a normal health class. Many people think that DARE is the magic bullet to solve the drug and alcohol problems in the nation. Another study conducted in Illinois on about 1800 students, showed that DARE students used th! e same amount of drugs who did not take the program, and another study concluded that DARE students were more likely to use drugs than students without the education. Many tax payers demand to see what impact their money is having on substance abuse. The SMART program conducts many tests to show how effective or ineffective the use of drug and alcohol prevention or education programs really are. SMART has come to a conclusion that there is a â€Å"Null Hypothesis†, which means that X education programs has no significant effect in bringing substance abusers into long term abstinence. In 1995 SMART studied nearly 1000 people, from these they were able to find 99 who were discharged with the notation of â€Å"treatment complete.† Of these 99 they selected 50 people at random and were able to find only 18 of those 50 people, and of those 18 people, only 11 people said they had remained clean and sober since leaving the treatment and being educated about drugs. These studies are proof that the null hypothesis is true and most education programs do not have any effect on the people who are being educated about drugs and alcohol. Although the government is trying to help with the problem, they aren†t doing a very good job. It is a common observation that there is a hug lag time in the government†s response to a social problem such as drugs and alcohol. A problem will affect a society for quite some time and cause damage before the government will support any funds or a means to stop the problem. After they fund education programs to teach children about drugs and alcohol, they keep funding unnecessarily increasing taxes, which send money nowhere. The government needs to spend more money on realizing what they are doing wrong in educating students who only go off to use drugs anyway.There is a general theme of a Cultural Revolution of Drug Treatment programs seen in America. The revolution beings with the heroic phase where the problem begins and spreads rapidly and the use of drugs and alcohol increases. Next is the classical phase where the social problem reaches its peak and the use of drugs is the highest. During the Classical phase, education programs are being used to try to stop and prevent drug and alcohol use. Then there is an Imperial stage where the problem begins to decline and comes to an end after people have learned about drugs and alcohol. The final stage is the Decadent phase when the previous users who quit, being to use drugs and alcohol again the process continues. This shows that drug and alcohol education programs don†t really do much in the way of preventing drugs, except a short term of no drug use. There are also many education programs in older groups of people such as college students. Alcohol abuse prevention programming on college campuses presents special challenges. Although many people think of college students as young, they legally are adults. Since 1972, when the legal age of majority was lowered to 18, college students have all of the same rights and privileges as older adults, except they cannot drink legally until they reach the age of 21. Despite all the education that occurred when they were younger, they are now drinking under-age and buying alcohol underage. Many college students are killed due to alcohol poisoning. What did all that education about alcohol do? Absolutely nothing if they ended up drinking themselves to death. College administrators can no longer treat college undergraduates as children and have no authority to act the place of parents, since the parents of an 18 year old themselves have no legal authority over the student. The extent of a college's control over its students is a matter of contract. Colleges can enforce conduct codes only through contract rights. At Indiana University-Bloomington, alcohol is prohibited in all on-campus undergraduate residences supervised by the University, and in all other areas open to the public. While that is the rule, enforcement is difficult. Using a strong enforcement hand is very difficult, and not well accepted by students and many parents. These students were educated about the rules of alcohol at their college and also about the causes and effects of alcohol to the body and brain, but they still do not listen and studies show that they still drink regardless of what prevention program they underwent when they were teens. As you can see, and as the results from all the studies done show drug and alcohol education programs have little and sometimes absolutely no effect on the use of drugs and alcohol among students any age. Teens in high school, or adults in college, they all abuse drugs and alcohol no matter what drug education program they went through. Many people are even killed through the use of drugs and alcohol. The government needs to realize that educating people about drugs only makes them aware that the drugs are out there and available to them.

Analysis of Espergesia

It is importance to read the poem in the context of its time, during this period Vallejo was moving in circles that held Marxist ideals, renounced religion, and embraced the notion that coherence and order of traditional poetry do not effectively communicate emotion, but that the logic of modern art is the logic of emotion. In this collection we see Vallejo begin to move away from the ideals and influences of modernism (Higgins,J) rather than using language as a tool to escape reality by romanticising it, Vallejo seeks to convey his own sense of reality, whilst he does employ modernist techniques such as religious symbolism and imagery that is connotative of beauty and art he subverts this imagery and in this way succeeds in conveying emotion in a manner much more personal and direct that lacks literary pretension and the glorification of the role of the artist (Miller, N). The poem explores Vallejos crisis of faith and the effect this has had on his relationship with society and how it has caused him to feel in terms of his existence in the world as a consequence. The broken language is symbolic of Vallejos broken faith and ideology, he attempts make sense of a world which to him does not make sense. The title Espergesia in an archaic legal term signifying the passing of a sentence this then must raise the question of who is passing the sentence there are only two possibilities of who this could be, God or society. Given that Vallejo debases religion and thereby a society with religion at its foundation, it would be strange if he felt this sentence to be actually imposed upon him by either party, instead however the poem implies that life itself it a sentence. Vallejo in his clever employment of paradox, â€Å"el claustro de un silencio que hablo a flor de fuego† portrays the sense of loss he feels now religion holds nothing of value for him. Also the imagery in the penultimate stanza of â€Å"la luz† and â€Å"la sombra† is a metaphor for religions downfall. It is made implicit throughout the poem that he does not believe in God, the most pertinent example that demonstrates this is in the opening stanza â€Å"Yo naci un dia que Dios estuvo enfermo† through his use of personification Vallejo attributes human weakness to God, undermining his power and in doing that, as by definition God cannot be ill, he denies his existence, this is further stressed by the repetition of this phrase. There is evidence to show that he bears a sentence imposed by society, for example in the lines â€Å"Todos saben que soy malo† there is a striking sense of bitterness of what society has condemned him to be now he doesnt believe in God. The juxtaposition of what everybody constrasts significantly with what they dont know â€Å"del diciembre de ese enero†, he emphasisesthis in the contrast in language of simple compared to a more elusive and ambiguous mode of expression that puts across a sense of perhaps being harder to comprehend yet of having a more profound meaning, the implication being that others have a superficial understanding of life as they know only of his external appearance and his external acts and can perceive nothing of the state of his soul his sense of emptiness and his existentialist view of life (Higgins, J). It seems clear that Vallejo is sentenced by society for his belief that life is a sentence and within this idea we gain an insight to the sense of isolation and fear that is so vividly manifested in the poem. In the third stanza, the image â€Å"la Esfinge preguntona del Desierto† communicates this notion with poignancy, the sphinx being the traditional symbol of the enigma of existence â€Å"grand in its loneliness symbol of eternity forever gazing on and on into a future which will still be distant when we, like all who have preceded us and looked upon its face, have lived our little lives and disappeared† (Stoddard,J. L) Whilst many critics believe that the opening stanza indicates that the poet is pursued by a sense of fatality, it can also be maintained that this line is a manifestation of his despair caused by him not believing in religion rest of the poem stresses the poets isolation and different vision of life primarily that God does not exist and where religion once gave meaning to life now it cannot this understanding has led him to become misunderstood by the majority of society who continue to derive meaning to life from religion this point is illustrated throughout the poem particularly in the paradoxical imagery that he creates manifest a deeper understanding whilst serving to emphasise the meaningless of life â€Å" hay un vacio, en mi aire metafisico†. In conclusion this poem can be interpreted in many ways however to me it is the cry of an existentialist in a religious world, Vallejo is experiencing a crisis of faith and within that a crisis of identity and this conflict and confusion of emotions is reflected in his language, in particular his use of antithesis and paradox. At the same time Vallejo is coming to terms with the meaningless and inevitability of life in a deterministic and seemingly meaningless universe. His sentence is the limites life imposes, his portrayal of an unfulfilled existence is powerful. The poem is an existential lament and an incredibly expressive, emotive and revolutionary piece of writing.

War on Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

War on Drugs - Essay Example Some policies have created conflicting issues because they are not clear; hence making war on drug polices a difficult social policy in the contemporary society. Therefore, the international community has made significant efforts towards identifying and prompting human rights through helping the minorities, oppressed people, disadvantaged and encouraging the government to initiate the protection of human rights across the globe. The issues of war on drugs have led to various effects globally. The authors including Malinowska-Sempruch, Hoover and Alexandrova provide various approaches towards unintended consequences of the war on drugs. They attempt to reveal the way war on drug policies has led to HIV epidemic in Russia, Ukraine and many other countries. The UN conventions implemented the international drug polices, but some of them have contributed to the hindrance towards confronting issues of health epidemics. The authors report that the â€Å"unforeseen consequence in the age of HIV† in countries where drug use is high plays a significant role in spread of HIV (Malinowska-Sempruch, Hoover and Alexandrova, 2003: 196). The impact of law enforcement towards reducing illegal drug measures are seen unnecessary because they contribute to health issues; thus violating human rights. â€Å"The warning signs of massive dual drug and HIV epidemics in Russia and Ukraine have been apparent since the late 1990s. Few observers, though, ever thought that HIV would reach catastrophic levels so quickly. â€Å"(Malinowska-Sempruch, Hoover and Alexandrova, 2003: 204) The international community should play a leading role towards identifying and promoting human rights across the globe (Malinowska-Sempruch, Hoover and Alexandrova, 2003: 194). Various agencies of the international community should work together towards helping the minority, oppressed and the

Effects of Leadership Style and Problem Structure on Work Group Proces Essay

Effects of Leadership Style and Problem Structure on Work Group Process - Essay Example Thus, I can break down the two components which I think is the most important in the group dynamics – task and relationship. I observed that in our group process of preparing the presentation, there are team members who are task-oriented and is focused on how to get the presentation done. They are very meticulous about punctuality during our meetings, doing our assigned research and tasks and our contribution to the group. They do not socialize that much with the other members of the group for reasons that may range from merely being shy to just wanting to get the presentation done. These group members prefer clarity in communication on what they should do more than the niceties of conversation. There is a downside with task-oriented people though, while task-oriented people can easily be asked to get things done, they are quite boring to work with because they lack interpersonal skills. The other component that fits the description of our group dynamics are those group members who are relationship oriented. For them, doing the presentation is more than just doing our part but also on being nice to each other and that it should be fun. I noticed that this type of group members take time to text and all other group members, not just about our presentation but other things as well. They also take time to socialize and talk about anything and could be pleasant to work with. Good and pleasant communication is important for them to work on their task (Mann, 1959). To illustrate the dynamics of our team when I did my presentation, I have prepared an SYMLOG diagram between this two type of group members in our team. I divided them into task and relationship, and negative and positive. The task and relationship grid describes their grouping and the positive and negative grid tells if their behaviour manifests the positive or negative aspect of the characteristic. I used the big circle for their dominant trait and the smaller circle for their less dominant trait.  

Ancient Chinese Contributions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Ancient Chinese Contributions - Essay Example Ancient Chinese has been recognized for a variety of inventions and contributions to mankind. Since ancient periods in China have been categorized according to dynasties, the ten most useful inventions and contributions noted and attributed to Chinese ingenuity and innovativeness are as follows: the building of the Great Wall of China and the multiplication table during the Qin or Ch’in Dynasty; the invention of the compass and paper making during the Han Dynasty; making of tea and matches during the Era of Disunity; making of porcelain during the Sui Dynasty; gunpowder in the Tang Dynasty; and finally, printing and wine making during the Sung Dynasty (Inventions, Innovations and Other Contributions from Ancient China). Of course there are other notable discoveries and contributions during ancient times but these inventions rise above the rest in terms of creating significant impact on the growth and development of civilizations around the world. From among these ten remarkable contributions, one strongly believes that the four most ingenious and innovative are the building of the Great Wall of China, paper making, printing, and the compass. The Great Wall of China has been renowned worldwide as one of the wonders of the world and as such, the building of the wall that reaches an immense length of about 8,850 kilometers or 5,500 miles long (Rosenberg) is a commendable task even to be imagined as such ancient times when materials and labor skills have not even been considered sophisticated or advanced. Paper making was likewise attributed to the ancient Chinese and have provided the impetus for the creation of paper currency and other documents that could be preserved. Due to the discovery, fast amounts of recording and documentation of historical events, famous writings, art works and literary pieces have been effectively archived. Printing, on the other hand, is also a relevant contribution as it

The 2012 Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded for the Essay

The 2012 Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded for the work leading to the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells. Why was this break-through so important - Essay Example The discovery that it is possible to reprogram somatic cells to return to their earlier pluripotent state has, however, offered a way around some of these ethical concerns. These reprogrammed somatic cells are referred to as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) and they show remarkable similarities embryonic stem cells. In addition, they also present a new and exciting research area, especially since it has the potential to transform fields such as regenerative medicine and developmental biology (Yildirim, 2013: p16). ES and iPS cells show remarkable similarities in that they are self renewing, which means that they are able to divide and indefinitely produce other copies of themselves (Yildirim, 2013: p42). Therefore, iPS cells can be used for the derivation of all types of specialized cells in the lab under conditions that are precisely controlled. Just like ES cells, iPS cells can aid in the understanding of how pluripotent cells develop into specialized cells and, in the future, they may provide unlimited supplies of tissues and cells to replace diseased ones in patients with diseases that are currently incurable. However, unlike ES cells, generation of iPS cells is not dependent on cells from embryos created earlier (Yildirim, 2013: p42). This means that the biggest barrier to stem cell research, i.e. the ethics of using live embryos for research, can be circumvented. In the development of disease therapy, the most important step involves understanding the exact workings of the disease, as well the exact aspects of bodily functions that go wrong. In order to do this, tissues and cells are required for study, especially those that are diseased. However, it is very difficult to obtain genuine cells from the brain of a Parkinson’s disease patient, particularly in the earlier stages during which the patient is unaware of their symptoms (Yildirim, 2013: p47).

PERFORMANCE BUDGETING Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PERFORMANCE BUDGETING - Coursework Example This makes it easy and efficient to evaluate the performance of the concerned managers at job delivery. Performance budgeting focuses on the changes in the funding of the budget rather than the approximation fronted by the previous budget cycles. This makes it more flexible and appropriate for public budgeting whose demands are dynamic. It offers flexibility for the relocation of budgets when needs arises. In addition to these, it identifies agencies and programs that seek similar goals hence drawing inter-relationships to the legislature attentions and enabling a possibility of increased awareness and budgets to the local governments. Finally, performance budgeting provides a platform for rewarding achievement and imposing of sanctions in the case of poor performance. This attributes makes it suitable for public sector budgeting at large including the federal government. However, it will present major challenges to the federal government. The efficiency ratings used in this model are rudimentary because they measure bureaucratic activity quantitatively rather than qualitatively. This shortcoming means the federal government could by focusing on the quantity of the services rather than its quality. Moreover not all bureaucratic activities are easily quantifiable. Performance budgeting system is very handy when evaluating the output of the managers after budget allocations. It provides an insight on how the allocated budget was spent, its impact and effects. This model of accounting is hence suitable for public budgeting where integrity and service delivery is

Assessment of the patient with acute abdominal pain Research Paper

Assessment of the patient with acute abdominal pain - Research Paper Example The authors has first discussed the anatomical and physiology of organs associated with abdominal pain, then has listed the various bodily malfunctions and diseases which could cause pain, and importantly listed out the procedures that could be undertaken by the nurses as part of the assessment, diagnoses and even treatment of the abdominal pain. â€Å"It is therefore desirable that in addition to traditional nursing assessments, registered nurses are able to ask the correct questions, initiate tests and implement first-line treatments to ensure a timely and effective experience for the patient† (Cole, Lynch and Cugnoni, 2006). The authors first focused on the anatomy and the physiology of organs associated with abdominal pain, by pointing out how problems in one or more organs located within the abdominal cavity can lead to abdominal pain. â€Å"This cavity contains the stomach, spleen, liver, pall bladder, pancreas, kidneys, small intestine and large intestine†¦the bla dder, caecum, appendix, sigmoid colon, rectum and female reproductive organs.† (Cole, Lynch and Cugnoni, 2006). ... Problems in these organs are the main reasons for abdominal pain and those problems are categorized into various diseases and malfunctions like Appendicitis, Biliary colic, Bowel obstruction, Cholecystitis, Gastrointestinal disease, Hepatitis, etc. The authors for major part of the article discuss each of these diseases, their causes, bodily problems associated with it, and importantly the severity, nature and position of the pain. For example, they point out how in the case of Biliary colic, pain will be sudden and is ‘severe and continuous until it resolves spontaneously†, and then in the case of Cholecystitis â€Å"pain can be colicky or constant and is usually localised to the right upper quadrant† (Cole, Lynch and Cugnoni, 2006). After extensively discussing the various causes of the abdominal pain, the authors in the second half of the article has focussed on the role of nurses in assessing the abdominal pain. The authors point out how the nurses should ask r elevant questions to patients with abdominal pain, so that the exact or even the tentative cause of the pain can be diagnosed. Questions should be asked about: > Pain. > Associated symptoms. > Past medical and medication history. > Social and family history. (Cole, Lynch and Cugnoni, 2006). The authors state that the nurses should ask questions regarding pain position, radiation and also the nature of pain. To locate the pain position, the nurses has to first ask the patients to point out the area, where the pain is being felt. In addition, nurses can also place their own hands, pressing and pointing out, where the pain is originating. â€Å"The patient should also be asked if the pain travels anywhere (radiation) or is

How Chinese TV maintain its position in new media age Dissertation

How Chinese TV maintain its position in new media age - Dissertation Example It was in the 1990s that China embarked upon a conscious policy of rapid industrialization; it was around those years that it began to break free of its restrictive political system as well. In the 1990s the prime elements of globalization had already become established the globe over. For Instance, there were substantial and ever rising cross-border movements of production resources, technology, and capital; there were an excellent telecommunication and communications networking conjunction with other infrastructural facilities and most importantly the international trade was rising and becoming freer. China already had a substantial infrastructure and no sooner did it decide to adopt free market norms then it became a mammoth and lucrative market for global entrepreneurs. Moreover, China had, on the tip-toe, built upon its economic might as a producer and began modernization of its production sphere through steady policy making and technology grafting and had assumed the center sta ge role in the global supply of various goods and services. Thus China studiously caught on with the wave of globalization and reaped enormous economic gains. As a result, China enjoyed a hastened pace of development, and in the present time, it is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world. China was already a healthy economic power with an annual average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 9.8 percent in real terms between 1978 and 1994. The Chinese government had also set up ambitious targets for economic growth for the country.... For Instance there were substantial and ever rising cross-border movements of production resources, technology and capital; there was an excellent telecommunications and communications network (internet included) in conjunction with other infrastructural facilities and most importantly the international trade was rising and becoming freer. China already had substantial infrastructure and no sooner did it decide to adopt free market norms then it became a mammoth and lucrative market for global entrepreneurs. Moreover China had, on the tip toe, built upon its economic might as a producer and began modernization of its production sphere through steady policy making and technology grafting and had assumed the centre stage role in global supply of various goods and services. Thus China studiously caught on with the wave of globalization and reaped enormous economic gains. As a result, China enjoyed a hastened pace of development, and in the present time, it is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world. China was already a healthy economic power with an annual average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 9.8 percent in real terms between 1978 and 1994. Chinese government had also set up ambitious targets of economic growth for the country in its five year plans. For instance China's ninth five year plan (1995-2000) had set a target for quadrupling its GDP in 2000 over the level recorded in 1980 and the plan further envisaged doubling the year 2000 GDP in the year 2010, with operational target of average annual GDP growth rate of 8% between the years 1995-2000 and of 7 % between the years 2000-2010.If China was able to succeed in restraining the growth rate of its population than its per capita GDP(in 1996 base

The Best Advice Essay Example for Free

The Best Advice Essay We receive advice from someone just about everyday. Rather its good or bad , right or wrong , or easy or difficult. The best advice I have ever received would have to that life goes on. Because its true, no matter what mistakes you make in life. Life will go on. People make mistakes all the time. We know mistakes are prone to happen sooner or later. Dont get sad, mad, frustrated or give up what your doing because you failed. Stuff happens and your not going to always get things right the first time around. Just shake it off and keep on moving. When my grandaddy passed away a few years ago from Alzheimers. I thought I would never get passed the grief. I lost my best friend and thought my life would be over. Untill my daddy simply told me that even though grandaddy lost his life, I stiil have my own to live. He said not to dwell on it so much and just accept that he is in a better place now, and try to move on with my own. I also learned this lesson from my aunt Nicole when we recently found out that she had cancer. She is usually a happy go lucky type person, but now she is slow and usually tired. When she found out she had it she was already in stage four. She lost all her hair and looked very tired and sick. I wasnt sure if she would make it or not. I was so scared for her. She told me not to be scared and that she would inform me with any new information the doctors gave her. But most of all she said to me that whatever to her that my life will still go on and to live it to the fullest. She went through two Chemotherapys and it was gone. I was very excited ! ! Till this day I still use the advice that life goes on, and will always. To me its the best advice you could ever give someone when they are down in the dumps or even happy. These are some of the reasons why I choose â€Å"Life goes on†, as my best advice.

Forest Gump Essay Example for Free

Forest Gump Essay Gump, motion picture chronicling the adventures of Forrest Gump, a kind, but slow-witted man who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Released in 1994, the film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. Tom Hanks earned an Academy Award for portraying Gump as a sweet, simple, straightforward man with incredible luck. Gump happens upon many pivotal moments of American history during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s—for example, he teaches Elvis Presley how to dance and he witnesses the Watergate burglary. Gump also makes a million dollars, runs across the United States, and falls in love with the girl next door. Director Robert Zemeckis Sergeant Forrest Gump Sr. (born June 6, 1944 also known as Forrest Gump in Greenbow, Alabama) is a fictional character who first appears in the 1986 eponymous novel by Winston Groom. Forrest Gump also appeared on screen in the 1994 film of the same name directed by Robert Zemeckis. Gump was portrayed as a child by Michael Conner Humphreys and portrayed as an adult by Tom Hanks, who won an Academy Award for the role. The portrayal of Forrest in the novel is notably different from the portrayal in the film. He later reappears in the 1995 novel Gump and Co. In 2008, Forrest Gump was named the 20th greatest movie character of all time by Empire Magazine. Introduction The world will never be the same once youve seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump: a film chronicling the life of a mentally challenged man present during three of the most distinctive and dynamic decades in American history. While on the surface lies a heartwarming and inspirational story, the underlying narrative tends to explore progression of American society while depoliticizing history. Throughout the film Forrest is directly involved in major events of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, yet he never shows any initiative of his own. What is the filmmaker trying to insinuate? Contents ? 1. Life 1. Early Years 2. College 3. In The Army 4. Washington, D. C. 5. Ping-Pong 6. Shrimping Boat Captain 7. Home in Alabama 8. Running 9. Back To Present ? 2. Different from the Novel ? 3. Sociological Analysis ? 4. Awards ? 5. Trivia ? 6. Quotes ? 7. Question and Answer Event ? 8. Conclusion ? 9. References [pic]Life 1. 1 Early Years Gump was born near the fictional small town of Greenbow, Alabama, on June 6, 1944 (the same day that the Allied forces began Operation Overlord). His father was absent during his life, his mother saying he was on vacation. His mother named him after Nathan Bedford Forrest, a noted Confederate general in the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan who is supposedly related to Gump. She intended his name to be a reminder that sometimes we all do things that, well, just dont make no sense. Forrest was born with strong legs, but a crooked spine. He was forced to wear leg braces which made walking difficult and running near impossible. He also had a relatively low I. Q. of 75 which nearly prevented him from being accepted into public school (his mother managed to get the principal to reconsider by allowing him to sleep with her). Despite his physical and mental challenges, Forrests mother told him not to let anyone tell him he was different, telling him stupid is as stupid does. Forrest and his mother lived in a large house just outside the town of Greenbow. They made money by renting out rooms to travellers. One of their guests was a young Elvis Presley. Forrest liked dancing to his music and his leg braces gave him a peculiar dancing style that would supposedly inspire the young Elvis famous hip dancing after he became famous. On the bus ride to school, Forrest met Jenny Curran and was instantly taken with her. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life, he would later say of her, She was like an angel. The two became close friends, often playing around a large nearby tree. Jenny was one of the few people besides his mother to accept Forrest as he was, helping him learn to read and standing up to bullies who harassed him. However, Jennys home life was not nearly as happy as Forrests: her mother had died when she was five and her father was an abusive alcoholic who molested his children (until Jenny was taken away to live with her grandmother), and Forrests friendship offered her an escape. One day, a group of bullies were throwing fallen fruit at Forrest and chasing him on their bikes. Jenny told Forrest to just run away. As Forrest struggled to run, his leg braces broke apart. Once he was free of them, Forrest was able to run incredibly fast. Forrest would never wear leg braces again and was able to run everywhere he wanted to after that. 1. 2 College Forrest and Jenny remained close friends all the way through high school, though he remained a target for bullies. One day, while running from some bullies, he interrupted the local high schools football practice by running across the field faster than all the players. This feat caught the attention of Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach Paul Bear Bryant, who was at the practice scouting football players. After his incredible running ability impressed the coach, Forrest received a football scholarship to the University of Alabama, where his speed helped them win several games. He was later named to the All-American team and got to meet President John F. Kennedy at the White House. When asked by the President how he felt, Forrest (having drunk about fifteen Dr Peppers) gave an honest answer of I gotta pee. Forrest was also present at the University when it was desegregated and observed Governor George Wallace denouncing the desegregation. While several citizens jeered the black students entering the campus, Forrest, not entirely understanding the situation, simply walked up to a black woman and handed her a book she dropped, saying simply Maam? You dropped your book maam? before following her and the others into school. 1. 3 In the Army At his college graduation in 1967, Forrest was approached by an army recruiter who asked if hed given any thought to his future. Soon after, Forrest would join the United States Army. On the bus Forrest met Benjamin Buford Blue, a young black man from Bayou La Batre, Alabama, who went by the nickname Bubba. Bubba told Forrest about his family history of cooking shrimp and how he had planned to buy his own shrimping boat after getting out of the army. Forrest did well in the army as he followed orders well without distraction; for example, he set a new company record for assembling his M14 rifle with his drill sergeant, who regularly singled him out as an example for the recruits, replying he would be a general. Meanwhile, Jenny had been kicked out of school for posing in Playboy and had gotten work singing in the nude at a strip club in Memphis, Tennessee. Forrest went up to visit her one night and beat up some patrons who were harassing her. Forrest tells Jenny that he loves her, but Jenny replies that he [doesnt] know what love is. Jenny is angry but later becomes concerned when he tells her he was being deployed to Vietnam. Jenny tells him not to try being brave if he was ever in trouble and to just run away instead. While in Vietnam, and assigned to company A, 2/47th Infantry, 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division Forrest and Bubba meet their platoon leader Lieutenant Dan Taylor, whom Forrest would refer to as Lieutenant Dan. While on patrol, Bubba proposed that he and Forrest go into the shrimping business together after their time in the army was finished. Forrest agreed. After several uneventful months, their platoon was ambushed by the Viet Cong and several soldiers were wounded and killed. In the confusion, Forrest initially was ordered to retreat, and was separated from the rest of his platoon, but after becoming concerned for Bubba, he ran back to look for him. Instead, Forrest found Lieutenant Dan and several other wounded soldiers and carried them to safety before looking for Bubba. Forrest finally found Bubba badly wounded and managed to carry him away from the combat area before it was hit with napalm from an air strike. His last words were I wanna go home. Sadly, Bubba died of his wounds soon after. Forrest himself was shot in the buttocks during the firefight and recovered in an army hospital. Lieutenant Dan was in the bed next to his, having lost his legs because of his injuries. Lieutenant Dan was angry at Forrest for cheating him out of his destiny to die in battle with honor (as several of his ancestors had) and rendering him crippled. . 4 Washington, D. C. Forrest later receives the Medal of Honor for his bravery in Vietnam. When being awarded, President Lyndon B. Johnson asked where he was hit and when Forrest told him he whispers in his ear hed like to see it, so Forrest, despite knowing there were people watching, drops his pants right there to show him. Shortly thereafter, Forrest went out sightseeing in Washington, D. C. and accidentally found him self among a group of veterans attending an anti-war rally led by Abbie Hoffman. While at the rally, he was reunited with Jenny, who had since become a hippie. Forrest was less enamored with her new boyfriend Wesley, the president of the SDS at Berkeley, and beat up Wesley after he saw him hit Jenny during an argument at a Black Panther Party gathering. Forrest and Jenny stayed up all night while Jenny told Forrest of her travels. Before they went their separate ways again in the morning, Forrest gave Jenny the Medal of Honor he earned in Vietnam. 1. 5 Ping-Pong While in the hospital, Forrest had taken up ping-pong. Rather than returning to Vietnam, Forrest was assigned to the Special Services, entertaining wounded veterans with his ping-pong skills. He would later travel to the Peoples Republic of China during the Ping Pong Diplomacy period. When he returned in 1971, he was a national hero, famouser than even Captain Kangaroo and was invited by Dick Cavett on The Dick Cavett Show. John Lennon was also a guest on the show at the time and hearing Forrest talk about the Chinese having no possessions and no religion too, inspired him to write the song Imagine. Soon after, Forrest was briefly reunited with Lieutenant Dan, now a bitter alcoholic, confined to a wheelchair, having lost his faith in God. Lieutenant Dan was also dismayed that Forrest, whom he declared as an imbecile who embarrassed himself on television, was given the Medal of Honor. When Forrest told him of his and Bubbas plan to go into the shrimping business, Lieutenant Dan only laughed and joked that if Forrest was ever a shrimping b oat captain, he would be Forrests first mate. Upon visiting President Richard Nixon he was invited by the President to stay at the Watergate Hotel complex. He was awakened by flashlights in the offices opposite his room. Believing the tenants to be having difficulty with a fusebox, Forrest calls Frank Wills at the security office to notify the maintenance crew, inadvertently initiating the Watergate scandal, which leads to President Nixons resignation. Shortly after this, Forrest was honorably discharged from the army with the rank of Sergeant and returned home to Alabama. 1. 6 Shrimping Boat Captain Upon his return Forrest finds the house filled with memorabilia capitalizing on his fame as a ping-pong player in China. At his mothers insistence, Forrest made $25,000 endorsing a brand of ping-pong paddles and used most of the money to travel to Bubbas home town of Bayou La Batre and purchase a boat. When someone pointed out it was bad luck to have a boat without a name, Forrest names his boat after Jenny (whom, unbeknownst to him, had descended into a life of drugs and sexual promiscuity at this point and even contemplated suicide over her choices). Sometime later, Forrest was visited by Lieutenant Dan, who as a man of his word, had come to be Forrests first mate, just as he said he would do on New Years Eve. For several weeks, the two had no luck catching shrimp. Things changed, however, when the area was hit by Hurricane Carmen. Forrests boat was the only one left standing and they found themselves with a monopoly of shrimp. Under the name Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, they soon became very wealthy. Lieutenant Dan, having faced his demons during the storm, thanked Forrest for saving his life in Vietnam, and Forrest assumes that Dan (without actually saying so) made peace with God. 1. 7 Home in Alabama Forrest returned home to Greenbow when he learned his mother was dying of cancer. After her death, Forrest stays and leaves his shrimping industry in the hands of Lieutenant Dan and retired to mowing and cutting grass and lawns, as he apparently enjoys doing it. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Dan participated in a substantial investment into what Forrest says to be some kind of fruit company. In reality, the company was the fledgling Apple Computer, and it is implied that their investment largely kick-started Apples rise and success. With the money he got from the Apple Computer investment, Forrest spent them on renovating the church he frequents, establishing a medical center at Bubbas hometown and gave Bubbas family his share of the investment money that is enough for them to never work again. Jenny returns to Greenbow and moves in with Forrest. The two spend time together and Forrest later describes it as the happiest time of my life. One night, Forrest asks Jenny to marry him, but she turns him down, saying You dont want to marry me. Forrest replies with, Im not a smart man, but I know what love is. After this exchange, Jenny comes to Forrests bedroom, tells him she loves him, and the two make love. Jenny hails a cab very early the next morning and leaves, unbeknownst to him before he wakes up. 1. 8 Running Forrests newfound loneliness leads him to take a run for no particular reason. At first, he decides to run to the end of the road, then across town, then across the county, then all the way to the Missis sippi border. Eventually, he criss-crosses the country several times over a span of three years. Forrest attracts media coverage, and eventually, dozens of followers. During the run, he inspires the phrase Shit Happens to a bumper-sticker salesman after stepping in a pile of dog droppings. He also uses a yellow t-shirt provided to him by a designer to wipe off his face after being splattered by mud. In the process, he forms the iconic Smiley face logo and tells the man to Have a nice day. One day, while running in the Western United States, Forrest decides hes tired and stops. He immediately turns around and walks back to Alabama. His followers are dumbfounded at his sudden decision. Meanwhile, Jenny has taken a job as a waitress in Savannah, Georgia and sees news coverage of Forrests run on television. 1. 9 Back to the Present Back to the present (the present in the film being around 1981, as seen from a car and on a bus, and televised footage of Ronald Reagans assassination attempt), Forrest tells his latest companion on the bench, an elderly woman, hed recently received a letter from Jenny asking him to come see her. When he tells her the address and directions hed been given, she tells him its only a few blocks away, and he hurries over on foot. Forrest and Jenny are happy to see each other. Before they can do much catching up however, Forrest is introduced to Jennys young son, a bright young boy whom she named Forrest after his father. Forrest at first thinks she met another man named Forrest, until she explains Youre his daddy, Forrest. Forrests fearful inquiry as to Little Forrests intelligence leads Jenny to quickly assert that he is completely normal. Forrest learns that Jenny is sick from a virus (implied to be HIV). He invites her and Little Forrest to come home and stay with him. She asks him to marry her and he accepts. Forrest and Jennys wedding is a quiet, intimate ceremony attended only by a handful of family and friends. Among the attendees is Lieutenant Dan, who has titanium prosthetic legs, with his Vietnamese fiancee Susan. It is the only time Jenny and Dan meet. Forrest, Jenny, and Little Forrest have a few happy months together as a family before Jenny dies on Saturday March 22, 1982 (which was actually a Monday). Forrest has her buried under the tree where they played as children, and then buys her childhood home (where her ather had mistreated her) and has it bulldozed. Though he misses Jenny terribly, Forrest becomes a good father to Little Forrest. Visiting Jennys grave one day, he reflects on the idea of fate and destiny, wondering if Lt. Dan was right about people having their own destiny, or if his Mother was right about description of life as floating around accidentally like on a breeze. He eventually decides maybe its both, maybe both are happening at the same time. Forrest is last seen outside his home, seeing Little Forrest off on his bus ride to school, telling his son he loves him. . Differences from the novel The portrayal of Forrest in the original novel is notably different to how he was portrayed in the film. Largely, in the novel Forrest is shown to be somewhat cynical and abrasive, while in the film he is a more placid and naive person. He is also described as being an autistic savant and has extraordinary talent in numerical calculation. Changes from the novel to the film include: the deaths of Forrests mother; and Jenny, neither of whom died in the original book. The novel also provides additional back-story on his father. It is revealed that his father was a dockworker, who worked for United Fruit Company. He was killed when a crate of bananas being loaded off a boat fell on top of him, crushing him to death. Forrest goes on a number of different adventures including being an astronaut, playing the harmonica in a band called the Cracked Eggs, becoming a professional wrestler (The Dunce) and running for the United States Senate (with the campaign slogan I Got to Pee). 3. Sociological analysis An understanding of Forrests background in an important and characterizing element in the film. Disadvantaged by a terrible spine condition and a low IQ, Forrest struggles through childhood in small-minded Greenbow, Alabama. Due to his mental disabilities, Forrest becomes the victim of academic discrimination, which his mother fights desperately to resolve. He might be a bit on the slow side, but my boy Forrest is going to get the same opportunities as everyone else, she stated to the principal of Greenbow County Central School. Hes not going to some special school to learn to how to re-tread tires. (Gump 1995) Forrests mother was determined. Taking advantage of this, the principal coerced Forrests mother into trading a sexual favor for enrollment in school. In addition to these unsettling events, Forrest finds himself tormented and isolated by neighborhood children and townspeople who seem incapable of treating him with anything but reproach and disdain. Forrest was also an active part of many important events, including protests lead by George Wallace against desegregation, the Vietnam War, the Ping Pong Diplomacy period, anti-war activism lead by Abbie Hoffman, Black Panther Party meetings, and the Watergate scandal. It would be reasonable to say that being part of such important events and would make him vulnerable to the social forces of the times, yet his lack of critical thought as a result of low intelligence seemed to indicate the complete opposite he remained wholly oblivious and ignorant of their significance. During George Wallaces Stand in the Schoolhouse Door protest, Forrest stands curiously in the background, more interested in his surroundings rather than the actual protest. During the Vietnam War, Forrest never questions the morality or the agenda of the U. S. government, and receives the Congressional Medal of Honor for his efforts. His entire experience during the Vietnam War can be summed up into one conversation between him and the Drill Sergeant: Gump! Whats your sole purpose in this Army? To do whatever you tell me, Drill Sergeant! (Gump 1995) Still, the most dismaying portion of impassive responses glorified in this film can be contributed to Forrests careless involvement in the anti-Vietnam War rally lead by Abbie Hoffman. He was entirely clueless as to the purpose of the anti-war movements. His view of Abbie Hoffmans role? There was this man, giving a little talk And every time he said the F word, people, for some reason, well, theyd cheer. Though the focus of the film is directed towards Forrest Gump, the effects of social forces are most often expressed and implied through Jenny Curran. Forrests generally unobservant nature contrasts harshly with Jennys forthright and independent character. Without Jenny, we would have a collectively unrealistic and uncertain portrayal of many occurrences that contributed to the structure of todays society. Unlike Forrest, Jenny was consciously and intentionally involved in the counterculture movements of the 60s, as she is seen trailing the countryside with fellow hippies, participating in anti-war movements, and secretly involving herself in Black Panther Party meetings. Before Jenny sets off on what turns out to be downward spiral towards debasement, she speaks to Forrest of her motives. I want to reach people on a personal level. I want to be able to say things, just one-to-one. (Gump 1995) However, Jennys plans for a better society are brought to a staggering halt when Jenny develops a fatal disease stemming from precarious drug use. 4. Awards Academy Award for Best Picture (1994) Academy Award for Best Actor (1994): Tom Hanks Academy Award for Best Director (1994): Robert Zemeckis Academy Award for Best Screenplay—Based on Material Previously Published (1994): Eric Roth Academy Award for Best Film Editing (1994): Arthur Schmidt Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (1994): Ken Ralston, George Murphy, Stephen Rosenbaum, Allen Hall Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture—Drama (1995) Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actor—Drama (1995): Tom Hanks Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Director (1995): Robert Zemeckis 5. Trivia In this movie, every still photograph of Forrest Gump shows him with his eyes closed. 6. Quotes Forrest Gump (explaining his run across the United States):â€Å"I just felt like running. † Forrest Gump: â€Å"My mama always said, life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. † 7. Question and answer event (The delightfully sarcastic humor of film critics David Edelstein helps narrate this question ad answer about this movie. ) Here is another big one that didn’t (surprisingly) make your list: Forrest Gump. This one did make it close to the top ten, didn’t it? A: Well, I certainly agree with you about Titanic, and after my less than positive review in Slate, I had 500 pieces of hate e-mail (mostly from teenage girls and much of it unprintable here) to prove it. But while I found Titanic mostly square and dumb (not badly acted, though—DiCaprio and Winslet are marvelous romantic leads), it’s almost never pernicious. The movies I wrote about are ones I found not just overrated, but objectionably, infuriatingly overrated. Which brings us to Forrest Gump. Yes, it came close to making my top ten most hateful. I have little patience for the conceit of the radiant simpleton, and even less when the radiant simpleton is positioned as morally superior in every way to, say, anti-Vietnam War activists. But Gump was just well made (and weird) enough to keep me in my seat. Let’s put it at number eleven. 8. Conclusion Although Tom Hanks (Star in Forrest Gump) affirms that the film was non-political and thus non-judgmental, the previous examples show implications otherwise. Though the film does take a stand against disability discrimination by shedding some light on the difficulties that accompany being handicap during a callous time in American history, its motives were generally ambiguous and unclear. Based on the filmmakers unattractive outlook on counterculturalism, his lack of discretion when touching on issues like desegregation and independence, as well as his insensitive approach to the deaths of activists, we can arrive at the following conclusion: the harrowing experiences exposed in this film can be easily discarded as something warranted only by devoted individuals who attempt to foster humanity. 9. References

Benefits of using Cost Volume Profit analysis

Benefits of using Cost Volume Profit analysis Cost Volume Profit Analysis Table of Contents Introduction CVP analysis and decision making Relationship between revenues, costs, profits and volume Fixed vs. variable costs Break even analysis: Margin of safety 1.Non- Linear CVP analysis: 2.Linear CVP analysis: Operating Leverage Income Tax benefits: Future forecasting Preparation of Budgets: Cost Control: Price Determination: Profit Planning: Risk Assessment: Decision Making: Conclusion References Describe the benefits of using cost volume profit analysis for management decision making Introduction Every organization needs to calculate future revenues in order to help the managers carry out their operations effectively. Cost volume is the approach used for this purpose. Cost Volume Profit analysis or CVP analysis helps in identifying the operating activity levels with a purpose to avoid any kind of losses and achieve profits. Moreover, it also helps the companies to plan their future operations and see whether their organizational performance is going on the right track or not (Lewis). While conducting a business, the companies also have to face various risks and in order to counter those risks, CVP analysis is an effective tool. The following project tends to analyze the fundamental concepts regarding cost volume profit analysis along with an illustration of how these concepts can be useful in carrying out organizational operations. CVP analysis and decision making Cost Volume Profit analysis helps organizations to examine their profits, costs and prices with respect to any changed that occur in sales volume. CVP is an effective tool that helps accountants to engage in decision making regarding future operations (Breakeven analysis (CVP analysis)). Moreover, it also helps in making the following decisions for the company: It helps to analyze which products and services are beneficial and how can company use these products and services to generate the maximum amount of revenue. It also explains what sales volume will be needed by the company in order to achieve a fixed level of profits Moreover, it tells how much revenue should the company target so as to make sure that no losses occur It also highlights what would be expected budget of the company It also helps to calculate company’s fixed costs and measure the amount of risk associated with any investment Relationship between revenues, costs, profits and volume CVP analysis helps to find out the relationship between the above mentioned elements in a graphical format. For example: if a company has contribution margin of 300, 400 and 500 units respectively on its income statements, then the CVP graph can be represented as follows: The contribution margin ratio used for this purpose can be calculated as follows: CM ratio = Total CM Total Sales This ratio can be used to calculate unit contribution margin and the total contribution margin (MAAW, 2011). The unit contribution margin helps us to calculate the difference between total revenues and unit costs of the company whereas the total contribution margin is related to the difference between total revenues and the total costs of a company. In other words, the total can be calculated by multiplying the unit cost with the total number of units. So, this shows can CVP is an effective tool for calculating the contribution margin. Fixed vs. variable costs Another benefit that organizations get by using the cost volume profit analysis is the decision making about different types of costs. This is important because while carrying out a business, the company is not concerned with the total amount rather it is concerned with the actual cost behavior. This is so because cost behavior helps us to classify the costs into various categories such as fixed, variable, administrative and so on. For example: Let’s take a company with fixed costs F, variable costs V and the total number of units equal to X, its contribution margin will be equal to (P-V)X and profit can be calculated as follows: Profit = (P-V) X F Break even analysis: Cost volume profit analysis can also help the organizations in calculating the breakeven point which is the point at which the profits become equal to zero. This can be done by finding the break even volume and then using it to make graphical representations. The break even volume can either be expressed in dollars or in units depending upon the nature and type of the organization (Cafferky, 2010). For instance: if the organization makes a large amounts of products, then the company must prefer to calculate the breakeven volume in the form of sales dollars while in case of one product company, the unit method might be a more effective calculation of sales volume. Presented below are the calculation method and the graphical representation in both cases: Break even volume in unit method = Fixed costs Unit contribution margin Break even volume in sales dollar method = Fixed costs Contribution margin ratio This chart illustrated that at the breakeven point, the profits of the company become zero and below this point, the company begins to incur losses. So, it is a beneficial tool for the organizations which help them to analyze what should be the target ad how this target can be achieved by managing the fixed as well as variable costs and also by preparing a plan for the future operations. Margin of safety A new element introduced in this chart is the margin of safety which refers to the amount by which the sales revenues of a company might decrease because it begins to incur any losses. It is also called as the cushion of loss which provides a deeper insight into the company’s profits, losses and revenues. It can be calculated as follows: Margin of Safety = Sales – Breakeven sales Marin of safety ratio = Margin of safety Sales Larger ratios are preferred because they indicate that there is a lower risk that the company would reach breakeven point of even below it. This is the simplest method of calculating the breakeven point. However, it is not the only one. There are two types of methods used by different companies in order to benefit from the CVP approach (Yunkera Yunker, 2003). 1. Non- Linear CVP analysis: This approach is used mostly for the purpose of economics in order to calculate various elements such as productivity and returns in the long run. However, this has not proved to be a really good approach because it has unreliable input parameters. Since it is designed specifically for the long term transactions, therefore; it is not really credible and reliable approach for making short term business calculations. Moreover, it has been found to be more complex as compared to the simple breakeven calculation. 2. Linear CVP analysis: This is more realistic, practical and reliable approach to find the relationship between costs and revenues. It is the breakeven method that presents the things in a rather simple and â€Å"easy to understand† way. However, in order to make this approach a more effective one, the following 5 things need to be followed: Keeping the sale price constant Keeping the variable cost per unit also constant The total fixed costs must also remain the same In case of more than one product lines, the company should try to keep the sales volume constant The number of units sold must be equal to the number of units produced. Operating Leverage Another benefit that companies gain by using the CVP approach is the operating leverage benefit which explains how the cost structure of an organization is made up of fixed cost processes. This is a huge benefit because the cost structure is directly related to the level of growth and profit a company has (Phillips, 1994). Operating leverage can vary greatly from one company to another. In the firms that have a high ratio of fixed costs as compared to the variable costs, the operating leverage is good because it produces a high contribution margin. Similarly, higher fixed sales also mean that the company has a higher breakeven point. A higher breakeven point is directly related to the financial success of the company because at this point, the company can claim high profits at a much higher rate (Raichura, 2007). Income Tax benefits: Similarly, the simple CVP model can be extended to other issues such as the calculation of incorporate taxes of multiple products within a company. This is done by modifying the profit equation of the chart to include taxes as well. This analysis can also be extended to those firms that offer more than one product or service rather than a simple product. This can be calculated as follows: After tax profit = [(P-V) X – F] x (1 – t) Future forecasting By using the above mentioned models, approaches and graphs, managers can analyze the direction in which their company is moving and this analysis might help them to better understand the different operations and activities within the organizations. By getting beforehand knowledge of profits and costs, the company can manage them in a more efficient way to increase productivity. Preparation of Budgets: Since the cost profit volume analysis helps in determining the level of sales and thus helps organizations to achieve their desired targets. This approach would help the managers to prepare their budgets which consist of the costs as well as the revenues at any level of production within the organization. Cost Control: The biggest benefit of CVP analysis is to evaluate the cost volume changes within an organization and the impact of these changes on revenue generation. For instance: there is a dental hospital that wants to purchase a new dental machine so that the patient’s level of satisfaction can be increased by reducing the time required for dental treatment. The purchase of this new machine will tend to increase fixed costs of an organization. So, at such complex situations, the cost volume analysis can be the most effective tool to help in simplifying the company’s decision. If this dental hospital uses CVP analysis, it can manage to decrease its variable costs by maintain the profit at the same desired level. Price Determination: It is another benefit of using this approach. For example: taking the above example again, if any competitor within the dental industry has set the price at AED 50,000 for a single dental operation and the business cannot provide this operation at any cost lower than AED 20,000, then the company can use cost profit volume analysis to compare the competitor’s price with the fixed and variable costs of its own operations and thus it can manage to come up with a price that is in the best interest of the company. Profit Planning: The aim of any business is to create value for the customers and to get profits for the company. However, managing all operations and costs in such a way that can maximize profits is not an easy task. Therefore, organizations have to consider a lot of things in order to engage in proper profit planning techniques. The CVP analysis can help the companies to create the best and most profitable combination of cost, price and sales volume. Thus, it can help managers to calculate and estimate their profit at different levels and for different range of products. Risk Assessment: The business world is changing and due to several internal s well as external threats associated with any industry, businesses have to face too many risks. Although the calculation of risk and return through measuring a constant (beta) is a method in finance but managerial accounting is also concerned with this. Managing risk is too significant for any business because it tends to define all the procedures and practices involved within an organization. Therefore, CVP is a tool which helps to calculate risk particularly in terms of costs and volumes. After analyzing this risk, the companies can come up with efficient solutions to reduce this risk. Decision Making: All the above mentioned benefits re directly or indirectly related to the decision making processes of a company. Any business organization has to make a lot of decisions regarding their price, their costs, and products, fixed and variable unit costs and so on. The CVP approach simplifies this process by providing the companies with a breakeven point and by helping them to engage in better decision making and planning for the future. Conclusion So, the project has presented a detailed analysis of how is CVP calculated and how can it be used to benefit an organization. Out of the two types of CVP approaches, linear approach is the simple one and it provides companies with easy ways to make estimates regarding costs, prices and sales volumes. The calculation of breakeven pint helps in decision making for a company by providing it a better future forecasting, risk assessment,, price estimation and so on. In other word, the cost volume profit approach has a direct impact on improving the organizational performance and productivity. References Breakeven analysis (CVP analysis). (n.d.). Retrieved 4 9, 2014, from http://www.acornlive.com/demos/pdf/P2_PM_Chapter_5.pdf Cafferky, M. (2010). Breakeven Analysis: The Definitive Guide to Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis. Business Expert Press. Lewis, J. (n.d.). Advantages Disadvantages of Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis. Retrieved 4 9, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-costvolumeprofit-analysis-35135.html MAAW. (2011). The controversy over contribution margin approach. Phillips, P. A. (1994). Welsh Hotel: Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis and Uncertainty. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31-36. Raichura, K. (2007). C-V-P Analysis Operating Leverage. Retrieved 4 9, 2014, from http://www.managementparadise.com/forums/financial-management/20603-c-v-p-analysis-operating-leverage.html Yunkera, J. A., Yunker, P. J. (2003). Stochastic CVP analysis as a gateway to decision-making under uncertainty. Journal of accounting Education, 339-365.

Fuel Gauges :: essays research papers

the is cut and pasted off howstuffworks.com to get an account If you're like me, you like to squeeze every last mile you can out of your tank of fuel. If you could get 20 miles extra from each tank, that could save you two or three trips to the gas station over the course of a year. The main impediment to stretching your mileage is the fuel gauge on your car, which makes you think you have less fuel than you actually do. These devices are notoriously inaccurate, showing empty when there are gallons left in the tank and showing full for the first 50 miles. In this edition of HowStuffWorks, we'll learn why our fuel gauges behave the way they do. There are two main parts to a fuel gauge: the sender, which measures the level of fuel in the tank, and the gauge, which displays that level to the driver. First, let's see how a typical sender works. The sending unit is located in the fuel tank of the car. It consists of a float, usually made of foam, connected to a thin, metal rod. The end of the rod is mounted to a variable resistor. A resistor is an electrical device that resists the flow of electricity. The more resistance there is, the less current will flow. In a fuel tank, the variable resistor consists of a strip of resistive material connected on one side to the ground. A wiper connected to the gauge slides along this strip of material, conducting the current from the gauge to the resistor. If the wiper is close to the grounded side of the strip, there is less resistive material in the path of the current, so the resistance is small. If the wiper is at the other end of the strip, there is more resistive material in the current's path, so the resistance is large. In the sending unit, the fuel has to drop below a certain level before the float starts to drop. When the float is near the top of the tank, the wiper on the variable resistor rests close to the grounded (negative) side, which means that the resistance is small and a relatively large amount of current passes through the sending unit back to the fuel gauge. As the level in the tank drops, the float sinks, the wiper moves, the resistance increases and the amount of current sent back to the gauge decreases.

POPULATION REDISTRIBUTION :: essays research papers

Population redistributions based on ethnicity have defused intense rivalries in the recent past, and could be a solution to the internal ethnic crises for nations such as the former Yugoslavia. Currently described by the media as "ethnic cleansing", Population redistributions have been the focus of much controversy throughout U.S. and world history. To those affected, Population redistributions can be economically and emotionally devastating. It can also lead to enormous tragedies causing thousands of deaths when conducted in a brutal manner. The results of various population redistributions are examined throughout this paper with the focus on the Japanese Internment camps in the U.S. and the current crises in the former Yugoslavia. There are examples of population transfers that have taken place in the twentieth century. In 1923, Greece and Turkey signed the Treaty of Lausanne. The two rival nations agreed to expel 150,000 Greeks living in Turkey, and 388,000 Turks living in Greece back to their ethnic homelands. Except in Cyprus where the populations remained mixed. Turkey and Greece have not taken up arms against each other again. After World War II eight million people of German ethnicity were expelled from their native communities in Poland and throughout Eastern Europe, due to agreements made by the Allies at the Potsdam Conference. Hundreds of thousands of Germans died or were killed during the transfer due to the brutal manner in which it was carried out. Due to the lack of diversity and conflicting cultures the long-term results of the population transfer have ended internal ethnic problems in Poland since then. Israel expelled their own settlers from occupied land (which is currently the new Palestinia n nation) in order to bring about a lasting peace between the two former rivals. After bombing Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, 120,000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans living in Oregon, Washington, California, and Arizona were relocated. They were forced from their homes and put in internment camps for their protection from the rage of the American people and for the sake of national security. Japanese-American internment camps like all issues involving race or war, raises the question of whether or not it was legal and ethical to force Japanese-Americans to move homes and livelihoods in early WWII. It is a difficult and controversial problem. When the decision to relocate thousands of Japanese-Americans was made; the actions were considered to be constitutionally legal and seen by many as necessary.

Mafia Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Mafia way of life may seem like a romantic updated version of the western movie played out on the streets of the big cities where the good guys and the wise guys who share the same instincts and values do battle before an enthralled public but it is actually very different. The Mafia is really just a group of uneducated thugs making money by victimizing the public. Initially, the Mafia was setup as a prominent supplier of bootlegged liquor, but it has spread into many different areas of crime. During this research paper I will discuss three aspects of the Mafia which are crime, structure and decline in leadership. The Mob siphons off public funds, rigs contracts, corrupts unions which many hard working people with legitimate jobs are a part of, smuggles drugs, and runs illegal gambling rings. These are some of the ways the Mob negatively affects our community and harms innocent citizens. Any illegal activity that brings in big money the Mafia is part of. Union corruption has been the primary focus of many federal investigations and by the end of the 1980’s, four unions, the Teamsters, Longshoremen, Laborers, and Hotel and Restaurant Employees union, had all been identified as mob dominated. Not only does the mob find money makers in the United States, they finds ways to bring money to them from other countries. Alien smuggling generates more than $3 billion a year for the mob. Mobsters will kill without remorse and threaten anyone who won’t go along with what they are doing. To keep free from the arm of the law "corrupters nullify the law-enforcement and political processes primarily by outright bribery and other rationally designed forms of ‘influence’ such as contributions to political campaigns and promises to deliver votes in a particular area." One might think that corruption and bribery is not a problem, but one noted political analyst suggests that "the underworld" contributes 15 percent of the 3 costs of local and state political campaigns which causes one to think that the mob may have a strong hold on many powerful politicians. Mafia involvement with legitimate business’s affects the public in many ways. Respectable bankers have become unwitting allies to the Mafia and most of the securities stolen in the United States during the last two decades are lying safely in the vaults of respectable banks, hypothecated for legi... ...ol. 5. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1997. Art. 29. McGarvey, Robert. "Global Organized Crime." American Legion Feb. 1996: 16. Crime. Ed. Trudy Collins. Vol. 5. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1997. Art. 64. McKillop, Peter. "The Last Godfathers?" Newsweek 6 Feb 1989: 25. Mueller, Tom. "Cosa Nostra." The New Republic 15 Apr. 1996: 17-18. Norland, Rob. "The ‘Velcro Don’: Wiseguys finish last." Newsweek 13 Apr. 1992: 34-35. Pistone, Joseph D., and Richard Woodley. "Undercover with the Mafia: ‘Respect’ Was the Watchword." Palm Beach Post 10 Apr. 1988: 1E. Crime. Ed. Trudy Collins. Vol. 4. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1993. Art. 8. Reid, Ed. The Grim Reapers. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, 1969. Reuter, Peter. "The decline of the American Mafia." Public Interest Summer 1995: 89-99. Crime. Ed. Trudy Collins. Vol. 5. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1997. Art. 49. Viviano, Frank. "The New Mafia Order." Mother Jones May-June 1995: 45-54. Vulliamy, Ed. "Mafia INC." World Press Review Dec. 1992: 11-16.

Journal Entry Essay

The ability of change to become manifested in both man and environment gives each one the opportunity to create meaning in each action and scenario. Such idea can be taken either in a positive or negative manner and is dependent on the mindset and the relevant impact in can contribute to man and the environment. Seeing this, it change is inevitable however it has brought about different dimensions in understanding how it influences man’s actions or the formation of a scenario. Reflecting on the works of Faulkner, Capote and Weschler, one theme may circumvent in their reading – change. However their main difference is the way it was addressed and embodied by the characters in the story. I argue that these manifestations are necessarily generated by the choices we constantly make in our life. These in turn affect our environment as a whole as we try our best to adhere to the trends and standards of societal life. This in turn results in the transformation of customary beliefs, values and ideals of an individual to suit such need. Furthermore, it is with these decisions that we gain contentment and satisfaction in our ways. With the different challenges and distractions happening in our lives today, one may find it difficult to look for the appropriate ways that can make them happy. However, like the character of the old woman in Faulkner’s story, the path towards this may seem simple her eyes. For my part, I feel that by removing and distancing myself to these norms, I can get a glimpse of what I want and generate ideas that can provide satisfaction or contentment on my part. Such can contribute to the creation of meaning as I find ways to answer the questions and issues of my life.

A chiropractic office Essay

A chiropractic office lost all of its computer data, and I was hired for the amount of time that it would take me to type up all of their hard copies into their new computer system. It took me a total of two weeks to type up a three-foot stack of papers. The skills required were mainly typing and editing skills, and sometimes I had to be able to read the doctor’s handwriting. I felt that no further motivation was necessary regarding skill level, since I am a quick, accurate typist and I enjoyed learning about various alternative health remedies as I went along. I completed the entire stack of papers by myself, and I found the solitary work to be relaxing and enjoyable. I felt that my job was, indeed, meaningful since many of the papers were standard legal forms or alternative health information or recipes for kidney stones or other ailments. At any given point in time, I was either directly assisting the chiropractic office or the patients thereof. Since I was a friend of the chiropractor and a trusted member of the staff, I was given full autonomy to complete my assignment on my time, at my discretion and on my schedule. That motivated me to do a stellar job in a short amount of time. Afterward, everyone was impressed by the quality of work I did, but especially the short amount of time in which I did it. I felt satisfied and like I accomplished something worthwhile and in an efficient manner. Â  I will use this same chiropractic office as my next example. An example of strategic planning is when the chiropractor refers the patient to their next appointment, telling them what needs to be checked up on or corrected next time. In this manner, he is not leaving it up to the patient to decide, but recommending a timeframe for when they should return. In this manner, for as long as the patient needs his help, he is providing himself continuing clientele. An example of functional-level planning is when he hired me to type up his paperwork or hired a receptionist to take care of patient evaluation and scheduling of appointments. In this manner, he is allowing himself to give the patients his full, undivided attention which will heal them faster, and allocating other work responsibilities to other people. In this way, he remains organized and punctual. The differences in decision making between the chiropractor and, say, his receptionist is drastic. If the receptionist were to determine when a patient was finished with treatment, a patient could be over-treated or under-treated and lose a lot of money, which would be spread by word-of-mouth and cost the business lots of money. And if the chiropractor made it his responsibility to take care of the tax reports, he would spend hours away from his treatment table, when he could be taking walk-ins or checking the status of a patient’s healing.

America: Land Of Opportunity Essay

â€Å"We think of America as a land of opportunity†, and it was. Back between the 1600’s through 1774 America was a great place to start off fresh and move onto something new and exciting. Many people wanted to relocate to the America’s due to the great rumors, which it had lead on. Although there were many opportunities available in America, they were limited and were a struggle to succeed in for some. The new settlers of America came from many different backgrounds and had different reasons of interest to relocate. For some, like the pilgrims, America was an opportunity of freedom, freedom of religion, or freedom of speech due to political reasons. For others, America was a land of wealth, a place where many believed they could succeed in reaching a higher power. America is also considered a place of new resources, and new skills that many did not have but surely needed. â€Å"Economics is also important. England was overcrowded and many people suffered from l ack of economic opportunity (Module 2: The motives of the English).† Due to the new nutritious American crops, England’s population had doubled, leaving the people with the struggle to find food, clothing, and other goods. Although England became very overpopulated, it gave many of the English the idea and opportunity to migrate to larger â€Å"land-rich† islands, which were supposedly empty. (Norton, 37-38) The English also had the motivation to leave their homeland, because of the religious reformation that occurred. King Henry wanted to divorce his wife and remarry but the Pope denied his wishes and did not allow him to do so. King Henry than created a new church that would replace the Catholic Church hierarchy, where he eventually became the leader. By creating the new Church of England, King Henry was able to legalize his divorce. King Henry’s decisions and actions lead to many unhappy Pilgrims and Separatists, who eventually left England for religious freedom in the new world, America as we call it. The Pilgrims also known a s Puritans set off hoping to purify the church, while the Separatists were hoping to simply change the Church of England. As for the poor people living in England, it was a much rougher time getting to America, and their opportunities were very limited. In order to travel to America, the poor had the option to agree to five, six, or seven years as indentured servants to receive a pass to Jamestown where they could get 50 acres of land, which they could grow Tobacco and become a competitor of their employer. Even with the great opportunity of receiving 50 acres at the end of a couple years of hard work, they had to be able to survive on their own. The owners of these indentured servants were rough and mean, and basically did not care to cloth them or feed their servants. Although, some of the servants would not survive through the five to seven years of hard work to even receive their land, which they truly deserved. Many servants would write letters back to their families in England, asking to buy them out of their agreement or to at least send some food. In other words, America was an opportunity of great risk for the poor. (Module 2: Tobacco and the Success of Virginia) For many different groups and settlers, America was the greatest place to grow crops which where very much needed, and would help with trade, and most of all with wealth and power. John Rolfe, the husband of Disney’s legendary Pocahontas, hoped to find gold but instead made an amazing success of growing tobacco in Jamestown. Rolfe’s success eventually brought many more settlers who would bring in those indentured servants to build more wealth and opportunity, also for trade. For example, â€Å"In 1617, the colony exported 2300 pounds of tobacco to England. Seven years later, they exported 200,000 pounds. And by 1638, 3 million pounds (Module 2: Tobacco and the Success of Virginia)†. Even though it was a hard time for servants in Jamestown, it was a great opportunity of success for the first English settlers. As for South Carolinians, they did not care so much for the gold but were actually searching for a good profit-making crop. They began to realize South Carolina was a perfect location for growing rice due to the help of the slave labor, which had already existed before their settlement. â€Å"In the 1700s, rice was the most profitable product produced in the English founded colonies of North America. (Module 3: Restoration Colonies).† Charleston eventually became the most elegant city of North America, because the most wealthy rice planters lived there. Everyone heard of the sweet American Dream that consisted of great opportunities leaving many people with hope and desire. Several groups and individuals set off looking for this American Dream and many found what they were looking for, but maybe struggled on the way. For some this American Dream cost them their lives but for others it was a chance in life worth taking. Even today, many immigrants believe America to be a land of unthinkable opportunities to help fulfill their wishes and dreams for not only themselves, but their families as well. During 1600-1774 America was truly the land of great opportunity, even though some failed to succeed, it was most likely worth dying for. In my opinion, one is better off dying for their freedom, than doing nothing and always wondering and living with a life of regret.

The Door You Willing to Shut

Stephen King provides us with his own vocabulary as well as methods for isolating one’s mind and unlocking it to its utmost potential. His blueprint for writing involves isolation from mundane life, from thinking too rationally or dogmatically in order to get in touch with our creative side. Using the terms â€Å"the room†, â€Å"the door† and â€Å"the determination to shut the door† he maps out an environment, which helps him concentrate on his writing.Stephen points out that usually we need to find a comfortable place to write (in his case-his home). The next step is to get rid of all distractions (the shutting of the door) and then to set a certain goal, as well as to make sure that it is quite attainable. King believes, based on his own experience that the hardest part about writing is just to begin the task, writing â€Å"one word at a time†; once it starts its not overly difficult to maintain the flow of ideas and their transfer on paper.Pers onally I find the environment of a small cozy cafe preferable to that of my home in terms of shutting the door to various distractions that King talks about. The room and the determination to shut the door are more important to me when I write, then the door itself. When I write in a cafe, I do not control the environment—the door — that is, I cannot shut it entirely, but I can control my focus on my work, in King’s own words it’s called the determination to shut the door.I’m not sure if I would be able to write to Metallica or AC/DC as King apparently can, but music in general if it is soothing, would not distract me. Just like King, I find the hardest thing is to begin, once I get going I do not feel distracted by my surrounding environment, I can focus and be completely absorbed by the writing task, creating a piece â€Å"one word at a time†.

The Music & Entertainment Manager - research project proposal

The Music & Entertainment Manager - project - Research Proposal Example In recent times, one of these issues can be said to be online music piracy. The piracy of music generally refers to the act of copying and distributing copies of music for personal gain without the consent of legitimate copyright owners of the music (Kreitz & Niemela, 2010). Online music piracy can therefore be said to be the use of the internet or other online portals for music piracy activities (Chase, Mulvenon & Hachigian, 2006). Even though the effect of online music piracy can be appreciated to be vast and widespread, the research seeks to put a very specific spotlight on the entrepreneurial investment in the music industry. In effect, the research will look specifically at the impact or effect of online music piracy on the entrepreneurship and funding of music projects in the UK. As noted by Duckworth (2005), music as an industry is a well branded business which require a lot of financial investment to succeed. But as to whether the issue of online music piracy is a disincentiv e for entrepreneurs is a question that the research will explore. The aim of the study will be to find the direct effect of online music piracy on music entrepreneurship and funding of music projects in UK. To achieve this aim, the following specific objectives will be targeted. There is a historical context to the effect of online music piracy on sales where The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, which is part of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, published a report suggesting that online music piracy does not hurt sales (Ernesto, 2013). Since this publication, there have been several other academic and professional discourses to debate the real economic impact of online music piracy on the music industry as a whole. The proposed study there comes with the significance of contributing to the ongoing public discourse. The study will add much economic contexts to the subject by looking at how

Graphic. Inc. Financial Case Analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Graphic. Inc. Financial Case Analysis - Article Example If it is more likely than not that more than 50% of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, this should form the basis for release of the valuation allowance. Graphic, Inc. needs to complete its annual report for filing with the SEC using Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005. In order to do this, there is need to identify the positive and negative evidence to be considered to evaluate the need to record a valuation allowance against the Company's deferred tax assets. Based on the analysis of positive and negative evidence, it would be possible to determine which evidence should have more weight assigned than others; how much valuation allowance, whether full, none or partial, should be recorded at December 31, 2005; and if a full or partial valuation allowance is used, what criteria should be met before the entire valuation allowance is released (Deloitt 2003). Graphic, Inc. has five years of cumulative losses at December 31, 2005. Based on the company's substantial net operating loss carry forward, no income tax provision has been reflected in the 2005 interim income statements. At December 31, 2005, the deferred tax asset was $51,073 after application to reduce 2005 taxable income but before valuation allowance. A company can recognize the tax benefit produced by a carry back of tax losses or credits. According to GAAP, a loss carry back can be applied to the three years preceding the loss (Investopedia 2008). The carry back results in a refund based on events that have already occurred (Kwan-Hyun 1992). On the other hand, carry forwards represent potential tax savings based on past events but certain limitations must be overcome in the future before the company can realize potential benefits. The realization of future benefit is inherently speculative because they cannot be predicted with certainty. The asset is then limited by requiring a valuation allowance if realization is sufficiently in doubt, under the ''more likely than not'' standard (Kwan-Hyun 1992). Positive and negative evidences therefore, need to be considered in judging the likelihood of realizing a tax benefit. For Graphic, Inc. negative evidences include its history of expired tax carry forward, its history of continuous losses for the past decade, as well as the fact that the company operates in a cyclical industry. Positive evidences include the growing success of its new product G-1000 which has generated net income for the last two years and very favorable negotiations with The Sports Magazine for a recurring $20 million annual contract. In the preliminary tax provision for 2005, Graphic, Inc. applied $12,400 to tax loss carry forwards expiring in 2005. $25,000 of capital loss carry forwards and $2,600 of NOL carry forwards expired in 2005. Therefore, the decrease in operating loss carry forwards of $40,000, from $173,700 at December 31, 2004 to $133,700 at December 31, 2005 is comprised of $12,400 of NOLs applied to reduce 2005 taxable income, expiration of $2,600 of NOL carry forwards, and expiration of $25,000 of capital loss carry forwards (Deloitt 2003). The company's evaluation is to determine deferred tax assets for net

Islamic Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Islamic Finance - Essay Example The value and growth demonstrated by Islamic finance, in recent years, typifies the industry’s overall potential comparative to conventional finance. The growth of Islamic finance has been observed outside conventional Islamic markets in members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This signifies the increased attention being paid to Islamic finance by policy markers, as well as other universal market participants. The point of this paper is to refute the argument that Islamic finance cannot serve as a viable alternative to conventional finance. To date, a number of non-traditional Islamic markets such as London and New York have shown increased appreciation for the value of Islamic finance. In fact, London and New York launched indices in their FTSE and Dow Jones indices with a view to offer a benchmark for equity prices attributable to investments in Islamic financial companies (Warde 141). Governments such as the UK government continue to play a major role in extending th e scope of Islamic finance by extending support, for instance, by prohibiting the imposition of double stamp duty on Islamic mortgages (Warde 54). This is indicative of the fact that modern governments and private institutions are becoming increasingly aware of the viability of Islamic finance as an alternative to conventional finance. ... Typically, Islamic finance offers financial products rooted in the doctrines of Shariah or Islamic Law (El-Gamal 94). Most of these products are offered to Muslim investors while some Islamic products also attract conventional borrowers and investors. Islamic finance centers primarily on the principles of Islamic, and as a consequence, it encompasses a two-tier system. Firstly, the banking system accepts bankers’ deposits primarily for safe-keeping purposes without the accrual of any return while demanding 100% reserves. This means that, under Islamic finance, the payment system of the economy is protected from risks. Additionally, the system also limits the capacity of the banking system to create credit, thus hindering the necessity for deposit guarantee attributed to the conventional reserve system (Iqbal, Mirakhor, Askari and Krichene 196). The second primary component of Islamic finance is the fact that investment factors that act as classical financial intermediaries tha t channel savings to appropriate investment projects, as well as events where investment deposits are deemed as equity investments, without guarantees at maturity are subject to profit and loss sharing (Warde 128). Depositors are essentially considered as investors and the collection of assets managed by the financial institution appear on the assets segment of the balance sheets. The primary difference of between the conventional financial system and financial intermediation inherent in Islamic finance is that while depositors accrue fixed and pre-determined liabilities in conventional finance, those in Islamic system are party to both profits and losses accrued by the financial institution’s assets (El-Gamal 133). This signifies that Islamic finance does away with the old