ESL Holiday essay Essay Example

ESL Holiday essay Essay ESL Holiday essay BY KLtn Essay: Relationships and experiences shape an individuals sense of belonging. To what extent do the texts that you have studied support this idea? Relationship and experiences are two of the most common things in peoples life; they can shape peoples sense of belonging. A sense of belonging is the bond between people or something. Relationship like the brotherhood between brothers can form a strong sense of belonging between them. Experience such as life experience or Just a talk with someone can also shape peoples sense of belonging to something. Both of them ake place to such a great extent that happens to anyone, which can be seen from the film Billy Elliot by Stephen Daldry, the play Educating Rita by Willy Russell and the fiction Enders Game by Orson Scott Card. A sense of belonging between brothers is usually shaped by the brotherhood. In the orientation of Enders Game, Ender and his old brother Peter are playing a wrestling game where Peter obviously dominates Ender. After he beats Ender down on the floor he puts his toe against Enders groin and puts more and more weight on Ender, Ender can hardly breathe. Then Peter ays l could kill you like this. The emotive verb kill tells us that Peter tends to rule over his younger brother. Peters lack of mercy on Ender shows a bad relationship between the brothers. Similarly, in Billy Elliot, during the orientation of the story, when Tony finds out Billy has played his record, he asks aggressively: you have been playing my record? You little twat. We will write a custom essay sample on ESL Holiday essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on ESL Holiday essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on ESL Holiday essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The use of abusive language twat towards his younger brother shows their brotherhood lacking harmony. This is further emphasized as Tony takes Billys book, whacks on Billys head and calls Billy nob- ead However, as the proverb Blood is thicker than water goes, the true brotherhood love between brothers is unbreakable. It may be not that peaceful, but the sense of belonging between them shaped by their brotherhood will last forever. The night after Peter beats Ender, he sneaks to Enders bedroom and kissed him on his forehead and whispered Ender, Im sorry I love you, the comparison between the emotive words kill in the previous and the emotive word love conveys that no matter how unhappy brothers have been, the sense of belonging between them can lways call love back. The same idea is shown in the Billy Elliot when Jackie and Tony go to London to see Billys performance. Through a series of long shots showing Jackie and Tonys movement, Stephen gives us a comparison between the two characters. Jackie moves slowly, whereas Tony is in a hurry all the time. He runs in every single shot, and urges Jackie to hurry up with imperative tone, such as Dad! , Come on! and We are gonna be late. While they are on the escalator, through a high angle shot, both of them are depicted vulnerable in comparison to the big city. Jackie is fully shocked by the magnificence, as we can see he stands still and looks up at the ceiling; however, Tony is not impressed by anything. Although he also hasnt seen the great city before, his sense of belonging to Billy urges him to see Billys performance as early as possible. Relationship, the brotherhood, between the two brothers forms strong sense of belonging between them respectively. The sense of belonging to brothers shaped by their brotherhood is unbreakable as displayed in both texts. Moreover, peoples experience can also shape their sense of belonging. In er life experience. During one of the setbacks, Ms. Wilkinson and Billy are waiting on the bridge. When Ms. Wilkinson tells Billy the story Swan Lake, she is implying a metaphor for her own life. She was once a ballet dancer like the girl who was the princess; she was entrapped in the town like the princess who was turned into a swan; she used to have a strong sense of belonging to ballet but now it is dead, Just like the wrong ending she tells Billy shes dead ts Just a ghost story. Her sense of belonging is dead because of her life experience. Through a long shot at bottom ngle, the composer shows the magnificent steel bridge, which is like a huge cage exerting a massive depression to both characters. Audience can also experience the pressure, from Billys point of view. The bridge is the symbol of the town which entraps both of them. The next shot shows Billy is looking up the bridge like a bird who wants to break the cage, whereas Ms. Wilkinson Just smokes and doesnt even bother looking at anything. This indicates that Billy wants to break the cage and see the outside world, whereas Ms. Wilkinson has lost all motivation to chase her dream nd accepts what she has now. Her sense of belonging to ballet is re-shaped by her life experience in Everington where ballet dance is not valued. While in the play Educating Rita, Ritas sense of belonging to education is shaped through a talk with her mum. During the setbacks of the story in Scene7 Actl, Rita goes to pub with her mother and husband. Her mother explains why she cried: because we could sing better songs than those. The songs are metaphor for life. The use of subjunctive mood clearly shows that Ritas mother is regretting she didnt get educated when she was young. Rita also sees her mother as a mirror for her life, as she says:thats why I came back and thats way Im staying. The use of repetition further stresses that she doesnt want to be the image in the mirror of her mother. She wants to be educated; she wants to sing better songs. Her sense of belonging to education is not only shaped but also strengthened by it. Both characters sense of belonging have been shaped through their personal experience as demonstrated above In conclusion, relationship between people and their experience have such a great impact on peoples sense of belonging that they can shape peoples sense of belonging.

Mitosis Quiz on Mitotic Cell Division

Mitosis Quiz on Mitotic Cell Division Mitosis Quiz This mitosis quiz is designed to test your knowledge of mitotic cell division. Cell division is a process that enables organisms to grow and reproduce. Dividing cells go through an ordered series of events called the cell cycle. Mitosis is a phase of the cell cycle in which the genetic material from a parent cell is divided equally between two daughter cells. Before a dividing cell enters mitosis it goes through a growth period called interphase. In this phase, the cell duplicates its genetic material and increases its organelles and cytoplasm. Next, the cell enters the mitotic phase. Through a sequence of steps, chromosomes are equally distributed to two daughter cells. Mitosis Stages Mitosis consists of several stages: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Finally, the dividing cell goes through cytokinesis (dividing of the cytoplasm) and two daughter cells are formed. Somatic cells, cells of the body other than sex cells, are reproduced by mitosis. These cells are diploid and contain two sets of chromosomes. Sex cells reproduce by a similar process called meiosis. These cells are haploid and contain one set of chromosomes. Do you know the phase of the cell cycle in which a cell spends 90 percent of its time? Test your knowledge of mitosis. To take the Mitosis Quiz, simply click on the Start The Quiz link below and select the correct answer for each question. JavaScript must be enabled to view this quiz. START THE MITOSIS QUIZ JavaScript must be enabled to view this quiz. To learn more about mitosis before taking the quiz, visit the Mitosis page. Mitosis Study Guide OverviewStages of MitosisMitosis AnimationMitosis Image GalleryGlossary of TermsQuiz

Financial Analysis of Abiomed Incorporation Research Paper

Financial Analysis of Abiomed Incorporation - Research Paper Example The potential for growth mainly lies with such companies as once these companies start coming back to profitable tracks they provide good returns especially to those investors who put their investment at stake in the bad times of those companies. However, the risk of losing money also exists such that there are chances that these companies may perform even more sluggish operations which in turn lead them towards the way to bankruptcy. Company Overview Among those companies which are going through their struggling phase of life, Abiomed Inc. is one of those companies. The company mainly develops surgical products especially for heart failing patients and provides those equipments to hospitals. This report provides a financial analysis of Abiomed Inc. for the past three years, as well as with its industry giant Medtronic Inc. This financial analysis is conducted with the help of ratio analysis in respect four broader categories which are 1) Profitability, 2) Efficiency, 3) Liquidity, a nd 4) Solvency. Competitive Environment and Market Conditions The competitive environment for medical and surgical equipments is quite intense especially for the equipments, which facilitate heart failing patients. The financial position of Abiomed Inc. is not as stable and strong as its competitors possess. The competitors can provide better equipments as they have latest technology and better infrastructure as compared to Abiomed Inc. These competitors have a tendency to give tough time to Abiomed Inc. in such a manner that they can provide those surgical equipments either at the same or even relatively lower prices to the customers. As a result, Abiomed Inc. needs to put more focus on building their financial position stronger in order to compete on better footings. Profitability Ratios Return on Stockholder’s Equity Return on shareholder’s equity describes as how much percentage of equity is being generated as net income. Due to experiencing negative earnings i.e. losses ABMD’s return on equity remained in negative zone for all of the three years. However, the most promising sign for the company is that the company is moving in a right direction such that its percentage has been improved from -27% to around -11% which is a positive sign. By taking a look at the performance for Medtronic, its percentage has also been increased from 15% to 19% which is a better sign. Overall it can be inferred that both the companies improved their return on shareholders’ equity mainly due to increasingly improved industry conditions. This ratio is quite meaningful and important to investors especially as they are more concerned in assessing as to how much their equity has earned in the form of income for the company. Return on Shareholder's Equity Year ABMD Medtronic 2011 -11.22% 19.39% Â   Â   2010 -17.62% 21.18% Â   Â   2009 -27.24% 15.70% Return on Assets Return on assets is also a good profitability indicator such that it describes the ef ficiency of assets to generate income for the company. Companies are more interested in knowing as to whether the assets they have deployed in the operations of the business are worthy and capable of generating income or not. If the performance of the assets of ABMD is taken into

How to Cope with the Problematic Situation Essay

How to Cope with the Problematic Situation - Essay Example The common feature of any social group or any size is that its members differ in the degree of their influence, and â€Å"†¦ the person who exerts the most influence on the rest of the group thus affecting group beliefs and behavior is usually addressed as the leader† (Hollander 1985, p. 14). However, while this definition of leadership highlights the essence of leadership, it is only one of the numerous of definitions that have been proposed in the literature: the second edition of The Handbook of Leadership by Bass lists more than 130 definitions of this phenomenon and 13 major approaches (Bass, 1990, p. 12). Availability of such versatile data significantly facilitates analysis of problems related to leadership because in many cases the existing approaches and definitions are not mutually exclusive but rather complementary. The present report is an attempt to analyze a situation that provides valuable insights into the essential aspects of leadership and is directly li nked to the effectiveness of managerial work. The story of Ted Willis who has been hired as the new supervisor suggests he is likely to face the classic type of leadership problem: the new leader vs. the old leader. One should not get misled by the fact that Ted is the new supervisor and the old supervisor has been fired. The so-called ‘workers of influence’ theory of leadership is particularly important to understand the distinction between managers and leaders. The key idea of this theory is that leadership may be exhibited by anyone in the organization in any type of position (Yukl 1989). According to this theory, leaders may operate at different levels within the organization and within the same hierarchical level as their followers. Such perception of leadership conflicts the traditional theories which treat it as a set of attributes and behaviors exhibited by persons with legitimate.

Government 2301 Executive Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Government 2301 Executive Project - Essay Example This helpful act was brought into law by George W. Bush on December 3, 2004. This act has helped out and benefitted 6.8 children and youths suffering from disabilities (OELP). In order to gain a better understanding of the Office of Special Education Programs, it is important to take a closer look at the act, IDEA. IDEA has had a profound effect on individuals with disabilities. It was actually preceded by a different act, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) put into law on Nov. 29, 1975 (IDEA’s Impact). This law was made in order to protect the rights of the needs of individuals with disabilities, as well as assisting their families. Before IDEA, many people with disabilities were not able to obtain the types of necessary opportunities to educate themselves successfully (IDEA’s Impact). A report in 1970 showed that several United States schools would not permit certain students with disabilities to enter the school (IDEA’s Impact). This, of course, greatly harmed the education of these individuals while at the same time making education seem like something these people did not deserve. However, in a fai r country with public education, shouldn’t everybody have access to it? This is why IDEA was formed. The act initiated programs that could discover disabilities relatively early on in order to assist students. This education would then be molded to fit these individuals’ basic needs, whether they were deaf, blind, mentally retarded, or suffered from some other type of disability. This has created an opportunity for children with disabilities to take advantage of their public schools (IDEA’s Impact). Thus, the schools have responded to this with different ideas. Some students have separate classes with different teachers, while others are learning with their non-disabled

The Impact of Exports on Firms

The Impact of Exports on Firms INTRODUCTION The analysis in this report deals with the question of whether firms that start exporting become more productive, that is better of when they involve in intrenational trade or are already very productive before they embark on international trade. Firstly, and most importantly, we note the empirical findings which indicates that exporters are better of than non exporters. Some studies confirm facts from numerous countries, which imply that on average, exporting firms are more productive and more capital intensive, because they pay higher wages and have larger scale of production. There are two mechanisms which can confirm that there are positive correlation between firms productivity and its exports status. The first hypothesis is the self-selction hypothesis, which talks about firms that were previously productive before engaging in export activities to compete in international competitive markets. Then the second hypothesis, is the learning by exporting hypothesis which refers to firms that learn different things and expertise that enables them increase productivity and level of efficiency by entering into the export market. The cause for the increase in productivity in the learning by export hypothesis, is the access to new and improved and ofcourse more advance technologies, product designs , technical and amangerial expertise plus economies of scale, these all contribute to the general improvement. Recent studies by Aw Chung and Roberts(2000) for Korea and Van Biesebroeck(2006) for Cote- d’ Ivore have recorded that firms experience significant productivity rise after entering the export market. According to Melitz(2003), Benard et al(2003) and Clerides et al(1993), provid etheoritical evidence that firms have to be more productive to over sunk costs and enter international markets which supporets the self selection hypothesis rather than the learning by entry hypothesis. Also Damijan et al (2005) in his study in Slovenian firms indicates that in average higher productivity is vital for firms that start exporting to improve markets and not for firms that target developing countries. Some other studies have also found evidence in support of both self selection and learning by exporting effects. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS The data set used analyses and provides some evidence on the difference between exporting and non-exporting firms. The result of the estimation is for self-selecting and learning by export hypothesis at the firm level looking at the hotel industry. Productivity is often estimated as the deviation between observed output and the output prredicted by a Cobb-Doughlas production function estimated by an Ordinary Least squares. The regular approach used to measure TFP suggests estimating production function using an equation to obtain the elasticities of turnover with reverence to inputs such as capital, labour and intermediaries. We also Augument the production function with another variable export , and we do this because we want to consider the extent to which exports increase productivity. The production function estimation is written below as; Ln(Y)it = ÃŽ ²0 ln (C )it + ÃŽ ²1 ln (L)it + ÃŽ ²2ln(K)it + ÃŽ ²3ln(M)it + ÃŽ µit. Y represents the firms autput for example, a firm’s turnover, L is the firms input in time t, K is the capital stock, M are the materials while C is the Hicksian neutral level of efficiency, ÃŽ µit is the producer specific deviation from the mean value, ÃŽ ²0 is a mean efficiency level across firms in time t. (Van Beveren, 2000). To calculate the TFP , following the standard appraoch, two steps are used. First is to estimate the elsaticity of the output using the inputs (labour,capital and intermediates), the second step then involves obtaining TFP as a sum of the residual from the equation. The problems associated with the production functions are; endogeinity of input choices, selection bias, imperfect competition in inputs and output markets, omitted variables,estimation product level. This simultaneity is present because productivity is said to be known to the profit-maximizing firms( but not the econometrician). When they choose their input levels. (Marshak and Andrews 1994). Firms would increase the use of their imputs in relation to positive productivity shocks. The simultaneity biases can be downward on capital and upward on labour and material. When this is the case, we are faced with the empirical question of whether it is likely to vary by sector or dependent on the balanced inputs. The OLS estimation of the production function would in turn produce biased estimates due to lack of knowledge for the unobserved productivity shocks. A fixed-effects estimator would possibly solve the problem of simultaneity if we assume the unobserved, firm specific productivity i s time invariant.(Yasar,M. et al 2008). Some of the problems associated with the production function should be seen in the OLS regression table in figure 1, then we will check if theses problems were corrected or fixed by the fixed effect regression in figure2 because the fixed effects is one of the traditional means of solving the problem of simultaneity bias. When OLS estimates of production functions are biased, they lead to biased estimates of productivity and the important quantity for the estimation question. Olley and pakes also introduces a semi parametric method that comtrols for these biases seen in a Cobb-Doughlas production function, allowing us to estimate the production function parameters consistently and thus obtain dependable productivity estimates. The coefficients in figure 1 are correlated with the error term and there is heteroscadisticty in our data, but notwithstanding the robust clustering, our most important variables remain largely significant. Given that this is a cobb doughlas production function, our variables can be interpreted as elasticities. Summing up the coefficients capital, employment and intermediates will give us an indication of returns to scale (0.27+0.03+0.70 = 1) this shows virtually constant returns. After running the fixed effect regression in figure 2 we see that the problem of collinearity still persits even though the regressors are jointly significant, becausee the overall F statistic of 146.97 has a p-value of 0.000 In table 4 we compare the parameters estimated from OLS and the Fixed Effect regression. Whether the OLS coeficient on capital will be upward biased or downward biased depends on the degree of correlation among the inputs of productivity shocks. The fixed effects estimates differ quite considerably from the OLS estimates. The extent of each firms productivity shock differs over time and is not a constant fixed effect. The coefficients for each estimator, summed up to 1 as seen earlier which implies that there is increasing return for this industry. In production function estimation the key thing is the correlation between un observed productivity shocks and input levels. Profit maximizing firms react to positive productivity shocks by expanding output, which involves the use of additional outputs. Negative shocks lead firms to trim The most essential problem to be considered when a firm intends to engage in international trade is the entry mode in which the firm chooses to attend to the foreign markets(root 1987). Firms who fail to do this correctly will eventually become less efficient and depending on the market forces, on the long run could potentially be taken off the competition completely. in the case of the hotel trade, the higher the level of control on the external operation permits to alleviate the tendency towards the opportunism on the part of the hotels in two fold sense, first is property rights offer a greater potential to establish a richer rewarding system and secondly, the organisational culture shared by a chain of hotels and its hotels in property provides with a set of norms and values more alligned with the interest of the chain( Brown ,Dev 200). The variables that affect export performance in the hotel industry includes; managerial variables e.g staff, organisational variables e.g foreign activities, Environmental variables e.g market goal, Marketing mix variables e,g price, place , promotion. In common with other service organisations, hotels have traditionally had a great labour intensity, which invariably accounts for the greatest proportion of total hotel costs. Despite the pressure of productivity improvements in hotels, productivity managements has not progressed quickly. Hotels engage in alot of export activities as they have to satisfy there customers in other to improve productivity. The hotel inputs are the resources they basically need to run the hotels which are labour, capital, raw materials, energy and essentially customers. While using a single input as output production is seen as unsatisfactory, it is the continous combination of inputs factors that should be used to measure and accumulate total productivity of the industry. The variables which include managerial, organisational and environmental, indirectly influences the export performance of the hotel industry. The marketing-mix variables are directly in relation to their export performance. According to studies, it may be stated easly that the foreign market entry mode is not a determining factor of export performance. It may then be said that there is a dirct or indirect relationship between the entry mode and the export performance of a firm. The size and investment in training are said to be firm specific in detremining the advantages of export activities of the hotel industry. Some hotels lay emphasis on their advantages in marketing and concentrate on referal system and franchising, while others see themselves as providing a package of professional managerial and arganisational service which cover most stages in hotel operations (e.g Hilton international, which explicitly rejects the involvement solely through franchise agreements). For the sole reason of value of the value of a hotel to a customer which cannoit be seperated from its location, the choice of country from which the needs of hotel guests should be served, is not one which normally has to be made. As in the case of some essentialproducts, the loocationof hotels is counttry specific because they have to be situated where the tourists are positioned. There are also cases where hotels are located near the border of one country which touristd may pay day visits time to stay, or hotels sited in arears which are enroute to the final destinations of the travellers. What detremines the forem of involvement by foreign firms in the hotel industry? Such involvement ranges from 100% equity stake through to a franchising agreement with the minimum amount of influence consitent with protecting the name and reputation of the franchisor. The electic theory of international production provides a useful framework in explaining reasons for, and ways foreign involvement in international hotel industry. International hotel chain secures a standard service with certain characteristics demanded by their customers who are mostly foreign toursts, and they also operate on superior production function to hotels who only operate locally. This is because being a multinational hotel or invovlving in export activities, gives them a wider learning process gotten from dealing in different economic environments and also gives them the ground to source for more inputs to enhance both quality of services and competitiveness wit other hotels in the international market. Another reason they are better of than hotels operating llocally only is that, knowledge gotten firstly from servicing in their local market in combinatio with that of the foreign market, which is essentially done by meeting up with the needs of the foreign tourists, impr oves their overall productivity and inceases their turnover. CONCLUSION The relationship between the productivity of the hotel industry and export experience are robust or said to be very high. The average productivity is highest for the hotels that continously engage in international trade than hotels who only operate locally and those who exit the international trade. Firms that go into the export market have higher productivitybefore entry because they have enough turnover or profit to enable them engage in international trade. The self-selection hypothesis has higher productivity into the export market. There also seems to be a higher difference between exporters and non exporters as export experiences increases but this assumption is only limited to the enter and exit of the export market and not for continous exporters. (Bee Yan Aw et al, 1999) APPENDIX FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 PARAMETER OLS FIXED EFFECT LINTER 0.6966 (0.017) 0.5321 (0.0363) LK 0.0349 (0.0057) 0.0249 (0.0085) LEMP 0.2748 (0.0163) 0.3798 (0.0367) SUM 1.006 0.9368 FIGURE 4 REFERENCE. Aw, Y.B., Chung, S., Roberts, M.J. 1999 productivity and turnover in the export market: Micro evidence from Taiwan and South Korea. P 1- 26. Berbel-Pineda, J.M.; Ramirez-Hurtado, J.M. 2011.Does the foreign market affect export performance? A case of the Spanish Hotel industry. Journal of business economics and management. P 302 312 Dunning, J.H., Mcqueen, M. 1981. The electic theory of international production: A case study of the international hotel industry. p 197-205 Levinsohn , J., Pai, B.P, Petrin, A. 2004. Production function estimation in stata using inputs to control for unobservables. P 114- 118 Poi, B., Raciborski, R., Yasar, M., 2008. Production function estimation in stata using the olley and pakes method. P 222-224

A Day In The Dark Essay -- essays research papers

This passage was written by Elizabeth Bowen and is titled ‘A Day in the Dark’. It is a story told by a girl named Barbie. She tells a tale of when she was fifteen and visited the house of Miss Branderry to return a copy of Blackwood’s and to request to borrow, for her father, a thistle cutter. She also takes some roses to apologise for glass stain and thumbmarks on the cover of the magazine. The passage mainly focuses on Barbie and her view on the events. But the passage also looks into the relationships between the Barbie and her uncle, and Miss Branderry and her niece. The first paragraph sets the scene and creates an atmospire for the story. The author immediately begins by saying ‘It was July, a sunless warm afternoon, dead still.’ She also talks of ‘idlers’ who of coarse are people who have nothing to do, because it is to hot. And also she uses words like ‘heavy’. We get this sense of oppression. Sound seems to be a predominant feature in the opening paragraph. For the writer mentions her senses and then continues with references like ‘childless silence’ and the ‘mesmeric sound of the weir.’ At the very end of the paragraph the last sentence is only two words long. ‘It opened’. ‘It’ being this red door, the entrance to Miss Branderry house. By simply using two words it has great effect, emphasising the presence of this door, it seems to be the only thing that has actually moved. Throughout the passage the Elizabeth Bowen has explored the relationships between Nan an...