Category: Uncategorized

Executive Summary

The purpose of this study is to analyse the current position of BMW; the first phase will aim in providing information on the automotive sector, analysing the company, the competitors, and the macro-environment identifying also the key issue of the company. The second phase presents a more practical approach targeted to the identification of some marketing objectives, and developing a strategy to achieve them.

Introduction

Specialized in the production of automobiles, BMW Group is globally considered one of the most successful companies in the world. The group is composed by three main different brands, MINI, BMW and Rolls Royce, which are aimed respectively to different target markets. BMW continues to be one of the best players in the luxury automobile sector, growing despite the European markets’ crisis; as a matter of fact, BMW sales including Rolls Royce and MINI reached 191,269 units in March 2013 surpassing the result of 2012 of 5,528 units (Rushlane, 2013). The group is well positioned in worldwide market with 24 manufacturing facilities in 13 different countries, and it can count on a distribution network in more than 140 countries (Bmwgroup, 2013). Long term thinking, ecological and social responsibility in the value chain, strong investment in research and development, and an effective speed and agility in sustaining the changes in the market, are some on the key reasons for BMW success. The company has always promoted high- performing product trough a high-profile brand since the early stage; this perception is still present and evident in the company’s culture and has always been the guideline to narrow the strategic path of the group.

Fame

Name

Professor

Institution

Course

Date

Abstract

This paper seeks to give an analysis on the intense media coverage of famous people and its negative aspects. This has been taking place for many decades and it is not a new phenomenon. Famous people receive a lot of attention from the public. Most times, the media invades their privacy and the consequences are disastrous. Sometimes the media is biased towards them and makes assumptions about them. The media should ensure that it limits the manner, which it treats famous people (Teeter & Loving, 2001).

The media should treat famous people in a fair manner

The success, which celebrities have, affects their privacy in many ways. There are various channels of the media through, which people obtain information regarding celebrities. They include; magazines, television, newspaper, gossip, among others. The media makes it its responsibility to ensure the world is aware about the lives of celebrities. This is done in a merciless way, as the media earns it money from such information. Paparazzi follow the celebrities everywhere they go and this invades the privacy of the people they are stalking. Celebrities are trying to negotiate with the government to have polices, which always ensures the media stays away from them (Teeter & Loving, 2001). They want to have the same respect and privacy, which ordinary people have and enjoy. This is the reason why I believe it is necessary that privacy should be given to celebrities and famous people.

Famous people make it their mission to ensure that people are entertained, through the many interesting things, which they do. Famous people include; musicians, actors, sports women and men, among others. People’s privacy should not be interfered with by the media. Celebrities are also human beings and are hurt when their personal affairs are published, or shown to the public. Their friends and family are also affected by this sort of behavior by the media. In recent news, concerning a famous person, photos of Wang Yi-ren an anchor, were shown by the media to the public. They showed Wang outside her house having a bath. Furthermore, it is usual to see photos of famous people doing their private business, being shown by the media (Jessie, 2011).

As a result of the media being extremely involved in matters concerning famous people, evil things are occurring. In order to get rid of the feelings of uneasiness and intrusion, some of them form dangerous and harmful behaviors. Addiction to alcohol and drugs is common among many famous people (Lemberg, 2004). Some are in rehabilitation centers, while others have lost their lives. Recently a famous singer Amy Winehouse lost her life as result of taking drugs and blame is also being placed on the media. The media is only interested in making sales at the expense of the lives of famous people being destroyed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, famous people should have their privacy maintained .The media should not be excessively concerned with the affairs of famous people. This is because the latter, deserves to live as peaceful as other people. Since people are entertained and made happy by famous people, they should in turn respect them. Being famous does not mean the end of freedom, but instead the beginning of a happy life. The media should focus their attention on matters, which are beneficial, such as how to solve famine in Africa, how to capture terrorists, among others. The media should give them the privacy, which they deserve. Famous people should not suffer as a result of the media invading their privacy.

References

Jessie. (2011). Retrieved from http://ting77.blogspot.com/2006/04/are-famous-people-treated-unfairly-by.html

Lemberg, J. (2004). Pleading the first. News Media & the Law, 28, 2, 7-10.

Teeter, D. & Loving, B. (2001). Law of Mass Communications: Freedom and Control of Print

and Broadcast Media. 10th Ed. New York, NY: Foundation Press.

name

Analysing International Migration to the UK:

Trends, Patterns and Implications

Institution

Date

..

What is the definition of international migration?

International migration is the movement of people from one country to another, due to pull or push factors. These factors may be to secure employment, to get spouses, to spend holidays or on business. This movement may be short term or permanent stay that involves the change of citizenship.

What are the factors which influence people to move between countries?

Push Factors may include factors such as poor Medical Care, political fear; bullying and the pull factors may include better job opportunities, enjoyment, medical care, security. These factors also form the incentives for migration from one country to another. While most immigrants go for long-term stay, business immigrants generally transfer to other countries for a specific period and then back to their countries after the completion or achievement of their objectives

Discuss these factors in relation to migration to the UK.

The key factors that contribute to the movement of the people into the UK are pulling factors. For one, the UK has a remarkably strong financial condition as compared to other countries, this attract immigrants from other poor countries, thereby increasing the influx of immigrant to the UK. On the other hand, the economic stability f the country is also valid considering the facts that the country has experienced one of the best political conditions for nearly a decade as compared to the countries that experience a lot of political uprisings, wars, cultural clashes and others. The country also as improving living standards; better living standards is essential in countries such as the UK with stable economic and political regimes

. Enjoyment and security are also contributing pull factors. Most of people go to the UK on holiday or employment, however, those who go on vacation go back then due to the attractiveness of the country. Last but not least, most people migrate to the country for the main purpose of getting spouses and marrying and never to come back after getting married

What impact did the expansion of the European Union into Eastern Europe have on movement of people in Europe?

the number of immigrants spiked as people moved in for greater pastures, economic condition and security reasons

resources were strained and people started suffering

some people moved out of the country in search of greener pastures

The labour market was affected as most people lost their jobs to low wage labourers, mostly Bulgarians and Romanians, others came from Poland, Slovakia and Lithuania. (many A10 workers arrived and only 20% returned)

the country went into a recession that hit the economic position of the country

2.What has been the trend in the overall migration pattern to the UK in the period between 1991 and 2010?

Anderson-Darling A-Squared 0.488

p 0.198

95% Critical Value 0.787

99% Critical Value 1.092

Mean 135.700

Mode 163, 198

Standard Deviation 80.055

Variance 6408.853

Skewedness -0.398

Kurtosis -0.887

N 20.000

Minimum -13.000

1st Quartile 70.750

Median 155.500

3rd Quartile 198.000

Maximum 252.000

Confidence Interval 37.467

for Mean (Mu) 98.233

0.95 173.167

For Stdev (sigma) 60.881

116.927

for Median 76.000

171.000

The highest number of immigrant t the UK in any year is 252. The mean of immigrants to the UK over the ten year period was 135. However, the skewness of the immigration numbers is negative meaning, most of the immigrant moved to the UK then those who moved from the UK. It is also necessary to note that number of immigrant was exponentially increasing over the period the data was collected, and the scale was linear (linear trend line). The linear scale factors were +44, meaning that in any year, the number of immigrant increased by a flat rate of 44 persons if all factors are kept constant (Blanchflower &,Bryson, 2010).

2) For the years 2004 to 2010: Illustrate and explain the inflow and outflow patterns of migration from the European Union to the UK for groups from Western Europe (EU 15)

While the inflow of patterns shows that more and more people are moving into the UK from the western Europe, the number of people moving out of the country was first decreasing and then spiked in the year 2009, this later dropped in 2009 and 2010. This is because; initially people moved into the UK due to significant economic and political conditions. However, this changed when the economic and political circumstances stated becoming unbearable. When then EU expended into Europe, the influx of immigrant into the country increased in 2009, and the number of people leaving the country increased in the following year as most of the citizens and immigrants moved to other countries to look for greener pastures (Constant, & Zimmermann, 2007).

How do the migration trends and patterns in England and Wales differ from the overall migration pattern to the UK? Support and illustrate your narrative explanations

Wales and England are some of the countries they enjoy greater prosperity and therefore, have extremely strict requirement into and out. This fact makes the migration patterns remarkably different from that of other areas. However, the number of immigrants into these areas is increasing but is mostly young men and women who go to these areas for studies.

On the other hand, the number of people leaving these two countries is remarkably few as there are no incentives to leave the countries, these two countries are economically and politically stable, have enough social facilities and amenities. These two countries are well governed, and people are less likely to move out (Marco, Manning & Wadsworth, 2006).

5.Based on Table 2.01a and Table 2.07, analyse how and why the migration pattern varies with sex and age over the period 1991 to 2010.

A migration pattern varies with sex and ages based on a number of findings, some of these are based on gender discrimination while others are just norms. For example, it is easy form a man to migrate to another country to earn income to support the family because men are the heads of families. Though this is an economic pull factor this is based on age. Men move to other countries in search of employment and send money home.

ON the other hand, old women can also move to the UK in search of employment to support their families in the EU countries. However, some may remarry in the UK and invite their family’s mainly young siblings and friend.

Additionally, it is a norm that the increase in migration of young girls into the UK may be attributed to drug trafficking whereby they are used for trafficking drugs into the country, and may increase the number of immigrants.

Young men also view migration as a rite of passage; they migrate to other countries as a means of proving their maturity and experience.

Some parents are likely to send their daughters abroad to earn income and support their families; this is common in Africa and is likely to be the main reason why most of immigrants to the UK are young ladies from the EU. On the other hand, most of the immigrants both male and female are young, is because of education, most of the immigrants, move to the UK for further studies, only to complete their studies, marry and fail to back to their countries of origin thanks to the dual citizenship (Dean, 2006, pp 715-735)

Bibliography

Dean Yang, 2006. “Why Do Migrants Return to Poor Countries? Evidence from Philippine Migrants’ Responses to Exchange Rate Shocks,” The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 88(4), pages 715-735, December.

Marco Manacorda & Alan Manning & Jonathan Wadsworth, 2006. “The Impact of Immigration on the Structure of Male Wages: Theory and Evidence from Britain,” IZA Discussion Papers 2352, Institute for the Study of Labor

Constant, Amelie & Zimmermann, Klaus F, 2007. “Circular Migration: Counts of Exits and Years Away from the Host Country,” CEPR Discussion Papers 6438, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

David G. Blanchflower & Alex Bryson, 2010. “The Wage Impact of Trade Unions in the UK Public and Private Sectors,” Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 77(305), pages 92-109, 01.

Executive Ethics- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

A description of the subject’s ethical beliefs and practices

Mark Zuckerberg is undoubtedly on of the youngest Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) that the modern age has witnessed rise to the helm of a global corporation. Facebook might not present the best case study with regard to ethical practices but a mention of the youthful founder and CEO could attract some rare attention that the topic needs. Some of the reasons that make Zuckerberg a special mention in various spheres of corporate management are his massive impact on the social network industry as well as criticism that he continues to face in his tenure at Facebook. His executive roles in terms of ethical interpretation seem to have a rare following with a mixture of reactions that have apparently been masked by the success that the corporation has made. In tracing Zuckerberg’s track record as an ethical CEO, this discourse displays the two sides of the youthful Facebook icon. This section deals with a description of his ethical beliefs and practices at the helm of the leading social network.

At Facebook, the corporation picture of professionalism is boosted by the founder’s belief that amassing the best professionally capable human resource will salvage the chances of operations. According to the executive approach that the CEO has adopted over the years, a very stable team of managers can only enable the corporation to rise from strength to strength. This is evidenced by the choice of his vice president and other top managers who have a rich history in dealing with corporate affairs. In view of the implication that the choices of the management team that Zuckerberg chose, we can draw an inference that he prefers professionalism in handling of corporate management at Facebook. The fortunes of the company on a backdrop of controversies illustrate an internal strength that professionalism accords Facebook.

Under Zuckerberg’s tenure, Facebook’s corporate responsibility has evolved to keep in touch with the changing business environment. By facilitating one of the most time-progressive policies which acknowledges keeping up with the pace of environmental issues, Zuckerberg paints an image of a CEO who is conscious of ethical principle of corporate social responsibility. Facebook does not only lead in the pack for the campaign to promote climate change responsive agenda, it actually implements on of the most progressive green energy projects at its server facilities. Such community minded leadership is only made fruitful by the contributions of a youthful CEO under the guidance of some ethical principles.

In a separate perspective about Facebook, has been able to handle global mixture in traditions without a major concern due to its application of universal business values. Since inception, Zuckerberg has been a believer in diversity of the international market and the effective identification of neutrality in business values has seen the assimilation of the entire global market without trouble. In applying a neutral ground, for instance facilitation of several global languages in the Facebook interface has assisted in assimilation of every quarter of business without major communication hitches. Zuckerberg is therefore depicted as an executive office who responds to the most pressing issues of market diversity in the most ethical manner. Similarly, the CEO applies basic rules of ethics by not imposing such values as religion on the basic interface, which appears as an ethical stride in performing business with his customers.

An analysis of the subject’s ethics

As mentioned before, there has been some significant amount of criticism from different circles regarding the competence of Zuckerberg as an ethical business executive. Since a reasonable hearing on such an account needs a presentation of the appropriate facts to be weighed out for the determinative conclusion, a presentation of unethical facts from Zuckerberg’s regime is necessary. In this segment therefore, the antagonists’ account of arguments is visited to substantiate a case of his unethical behavior at the helm of Facebook management.

Perhaps the most publicized undoing of Zuckerberg’s style of management is in the manner in which he handled privacy violation cases of Facebook clients. Very weighty scandals implicating Zuckerberg by infringing on the rights of customers’ privacy have certainly stained his reputation that a CEO of his caliber ought to have (Ali and Keenan 2009). According to the authors, the young CEO violated the basic ethical provision that the Facebook fraternity expected of him particularly in dealing with Beacon advertising. Having outlined a clearly laid out security platform for Facebook users, the management of the corporation must have given the client base enough assurances regarding its privacy during Facebook usage.

However, following the unbecoming and unethical behavior of the top most office of the corporation, a serious compromise of the earlier given assurances happened. Due to the isolation of the person that Zuckerberg was depicted in the scenario, there were no major cases of exodus of clients from the social network. Serious implications however had to be met by certain sections of the engagement such as the change of name by Beacon to Social Ads. The implication of such changes in a company could be far reaching bearing the sensitive nature of the online industry that is full of competitive drama. In any case, the client base continued to swell amid such allegations of a top official at the corporation. The damage had been done and apparently, the issuance of an apology by Zuckerberg sounded like a mockery of the trust that users had placed on the assurances given by Facebook.

According to Ben and McGrath (2010), there are several risks of transparency exposed to the society in the design and usage of Facebook since its original launch. The authors reckon that it is the role of the corporate world running such platforms as the social networks to protect the transparency of the networks and mitigate risks involved for its violation. Zuckerberg’s original intention of leaving loopholes in disclosive ethics is represented as an ethical weakness since some users can easily go around the basic disclosure morals and take advantage of other unsuspecting users. Zuckerberg is once again portrayed as a weak executive office who cannot command enough respect for the protection of the security of Facebook users. Some critics would be forgiven if they linked his hacking episode of Beacon’s account to this lenience towards ethical disclosure.

In a rare mention of network ethics that network based proprietors must particularly withhold, Melé (2009, p987) demonstrates how the important element of justice Zuckerberg’s attempts to have a peaceful rein at Facebook. In a separate account of a court proceeding involving the copyright issue of Facebook idea, Zuckerberg terribly fails to demonstrate the author’s emphasis of justice in business as proprietors and executives ought to observe. By engaging in a legal tussle by the Winklevoss twin brothers over the founding rights of Facebook, Zuckerberg’s credentials as high class officer observing justice are deeply tainted (Bolduc, 2011). Although Zuckerberg offered for an outside-court settlement to the twin brothers, it follows that the case acts against his image as business ethics demand (Newkirk and Viehauser, 2008).

In my own opinion, the unwarranted unethical engagements that the CEO makes as an individual drags the entire business into disrepute which damages the opportunities that lie in its success path. Some of the reasons why Zuckerberg acted unethically cannot be substantiated and leaves many questions than answers regarding his ethical conduct as a high profile executive. Perhaps his young and inexperienced age could be his greatest undoing; with age advancement, maybe he will find it appropriate to act more responsibly from informed experience as a CEO. This is not supposed to imply that all young entrepreneurs would be as ineffective to the extent that Zuckerberg finds himself.

References

Ali, S. & Keenan, A. (2009) “Sociability and Social Interaction on Social Networking Websites,” Library Review, 58(6):438-450

Ben, L. & McGrath, K. (2010) “Ethics and Social Networking Sites: A Disclosure Analysis of Facebook,” Information Technology and People, 23(4):290-311

Bolduc, B. (2011) “The Face of Ambition: A Harvard Grad Reviews the Social Network,” Academic Questions, 24(1):112-115

Melé, D. (2009) “The Practice of Networking: An Ethical Approach,” Journal of Business Ethics, 90:487-503

Newkirk, C. & Viehauser, A. L. (2008) “The ConnectU and Facebook Dispute: Has the Final Chapter Been Written?” Intellectual Property and Technology Law Journal, 20(2):1-6

Author

Tutor

Course

Date

Exfelons

Introduction

Voting has been one of the most fundamental pillars of democracies. Ordinarily, it is thought of as a basic right for all people aged 18 years and above in the United States. However, many people have never acknowledged that some states do not allow ex-felons to vote. Kevin Krajick, in his article titled, “Why can’t Ex-Felons Vote?”, brought this aspect to the fore. He states that prison inmates in 48 states, probationers in 29 states, and parolees in 48 states among other people who are free are not allowed simply because they have criminal records. He underlines the importance of this constituency in the voting trends of the country by reminding readers that the rate of incarceration had increased by 600 percent since 1974. I would agree with Krajick’s opinion that this population should be allowed to vote.

First, the deprivation of ex-felons of the right to vote is undoubtedly undemocratic. According to Krajick, the condemnation of millions of people to political silence would be tantamount to the provision of alienation and bitterness. Unfortunately, “ex-felons are alienated from various other platforms such as becoming firefighters, teachers, members of juries or even plumbers and barbers”. In addition, they are forbidden from living in public houses or even receiving food stamps (Krajick, 19). It is improper that they would be deprived of the right to make decisions in the public platform, irrespective of the level by which their behavior may have been modified. This is the height of discrimination, which goes against the fundamentals of the constitution which argues against discrimination on any basis.

On the same note, barring ex-felons from voting seems to discriminate or alienate some communities. It is worth noting that the population of ex-felons is disproportionately made up of African Americans. Krajick notes that the “rule tends to deny about 13% of African American men their right to vote”. Statistical research that Uggen and Manza did in 2001 indicated that, a total of 7 % of African Americans living in the United States had been subjected to disenfranchisement laws of felonies (Krajick, 19). This is quite high compared to the 1 percent reported for other racial groups. In essence, these laws underline an element of discrimination and intrinsic unfairness to certain groups.

In addition, elections are mainly about allowing people to choose a party that would represent the ideals that people hold. Americans usually have to choose between democratic and republicans. The deprivation of ex-felons of their right to vote tends to give republicans an unfair advantage in the elections. This is especially considering that most African Americans vote for Democrats. As Krajick notes, republicans were quoted in 2003 as stating that they would oppose the restoration of voting rights of felons as they do not vote republican. In addition, studies done by Uggen and Manza showed that Al Gore would have taken or won the vote in Florida in 2000 if only the ex-felons been allowed to participate in the elections. The results of this study are complemented by a University of Minnesota study which showed that President George Bush would essentially have lost in the state had been ex-felons not been barred from voting, even under the assumption that a large proportion or percentage of ex-felons would not have voted or would have voted Republican (Krajick, 19). In addition, the studies have shown that about 7 republican senators would not have made it in elections since 1978 had everyone been allowed to vote. These studies underline the fact that barring the ex-felons eats into the democracy, which is the fundamental pillar of elections. This makes a sham of the elections as it shows that Republicans already have an unfair advantage.

As Krajick notes, the main argument that proponents put for barring of ex-felons from voting is that individuals who break the law cannot be trusted to make it (Krajick, 19). While this may be a valid argument, it goes without saying that barring them from voting borders on extrajudicial punishment of ex-felons. After they have completed their sentences and are set free or are put on parole or probation, ex-felons would have paid their debt to the society according to the laws of the land. Continued deprivation of their rights to vote would essentially be tantamount to a vote of no confidence on the ability of the legal system in assisting individuals in mending or changing their ways, in which case the most appropriate action would be to change the legal and prison system rather than eternal damnation of the ex-felons. In addition, it is worth noting that disenfranchisement would not serve as a deterrent to the ex-felons from carrying out new crimes. In fact, it merely serves as an indication that they will never become full citizens again.

In conclusion, deprivation of the right of ex-felons to vote is inappropriate in a democratic world. It gives one party (Republicans) an unfair advantage in the elections, which makes a sham of the elections. In addition, it tends to alienate or discriminate against one community, which makes up the highest percentage of ex-felons. On the same note, it seems to go against the democratic rights that are enshrined in the constitution pertaining to non-discrimination. In essence, it would be imperative that laws barring ex-felons from voting should be eliminated.

Works cited

Krajick, Kevin. Why Can’t Ex-Felons Vote? The Washington Post. Wednesday, August 18, 2004; Page A19. Web retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9785-2004Aug17.html” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9785-2004Aug17.html

Name:

Tutor:

Course:

Date:

Executive Masters in Public Administration

Throughout my life, I have interacted with many people especially during my undergraduate studies at the university. At the university, I got a chance to meet people from different races, ethnicity and religion. It is during this period that I was elected as a student leader to represent the interests of students from my faculty. My passion for serving my country through active involvement in the government is what has given me the driving force to enroll for the masters program. My intention of join the executive masters in public administration is to be a major decision maker in the government with the aim of pushing for implementation of policies that would lead to significant improvements.

Completion of the master’s degree in public administration will place me at a better chance for a promotion. I will also be considered for various positions in the government where I will be a major decision maker in the running of my country. As an energetic and self-motivated person full of ideas, enrolling for this program will be the first step towards realization of my dream and turning the dreams of other to reality. Equipped with good communication skills, interpersonal skills and supervisory skills, I would be prepared to take on the challenges that come with my new career of choice.

Though enrolling for the masters program in public administration will be met with various challenges, I believe that the knowledge skills and training that I will acquire after completion of an executive masters in public administration will equip me with the fundamental skills required to take on these challenges. With the above mentioned reasons and my passion to impart change in my country, I believe that you will give me a chance to enroll for the masters program.

Name

Professor

Course

Course

Archetypes

Introduction

An archetype may be defined as an original pattern or model that provides a source from which all other similar things are made. Archetypes help authors in creating Maven project templates that users may apply to generate Maven projects. An archetype is a universally accepted and understood symbol, term, or behaviour from which other patterns are emulated. It may also refer to personality or behaviour in psychology, for example, a mother figure may be taken as an archetype that could be identified in many characters with non generic personalities.

Archetypal characters appear over and over again in legends worldwide. Angel is an archetype as a tragic hero who is trying to overcome the evils in his past. Many literature theories classify archetypes by their roles or purpose the character represents in the story. The classifications are protagonist, antagonist, reason, emotion, sidekick, sceptic, guardian, and contagonist.

Caught in the Widow’s Web

Caught in the Widow’s web is a story written by Gordon Rice, which can be divided into three structural archetype types. These archetypal structures are character archetype, plot archetype, and setting archetype. The characters, setting, and plot archetypes that are believed to be the most important to this story have been well used by the author to convey a very complex psychological and philosophical narrative. Archetypes main purpose is to produce certain psychic forms, their description, and various means of demonstration.

Character archetypes

The character archetypes in this narrative include the hunter, black widow, child, mother, and scavenger. Given that the story is in first person view point, the reader gains access to the narrators mind. In this case, the heroic hunter is the narrator, who is a hero in his own narrative; He embarks on a quest to find black widows in the village and neighbourhood. He found them in discarded wheels and tyres, house foundations and cellars, automotive shops and tool sheds, and water meters and rock gardens. Other character archetypes are the villain and the town that is revealed in the first paragraph.

The character archetype is the black widow as she is the object of the hunter’s fury, and the heroic hunter seeks and destroys as many villains as possible. The black widow archetype character is an illusion of something evil, and any bad thing that happens in a person’s life is associated to the active malevolent. Black widows always waited in the dark to ambush their victims. A black widow in somebody’s life cannot be reasoned with, just like the hero cannot reason with their nemesis. Grice also sees the tiny spider as a villain who represents the black widow. The hero hunts them wherever he goes, and at the same time he fears them and realizes that they are too many to hunt, as much as he resolved to hunt them in the whole town. Black widow in this narrative is seen as the ultimate villain, yet it is a small and malevolent creature with a high potential to for mass destruction. It possesses venom that contains neurotoxin that produces sweats, vomiting, swelling, convulsions, and a number of other symptoms. The author also despises widows and sees them as abominations of nature which is good in the world.

Setting Archetypes

The setting archetypes in this narrative include the town, the web, and the cosmos or universe. This narrative is filled with material demonstrating archetypal forms that when pieced together reveals a web of intricacies that have the ability to overwhelm even the most analytical eye. The town is the main setting archetype which provides the battling ground between the villain and the hero throughout the story. The town represents the area in which the heroic hunter searches and destroys the black widow.

When the heroic hunter goes throughout the town and neighbourhood, he found the black widows in many archetypal settings like house foundations and cellars, implying that he always hunted for the web and always found and destroyed them. The dark places that the black widow hides are another setting archetype, since evil things dwells and comes from dark places.

Plot archetypes

The plot archetypes in the narrative are the hero’s quest, child’s journey, and the villains fall. The battle between good and evil is part of the archetypal plot in the story. The author or the heroic hunter represents all that is good, and the spider or the black widow represents all that is evil. This is a struggle that permeates in many stories whether fiction or nonfiction, in a dream or reality. The heroic hunter projects archetypal terrors onto the black widows, When the heroic hunter sees the the spider wriggling in pain, thriving, malevolent little creature reminds the hunter that this is a negativity that exists in the universe.

Work cited

Miller G. “Caught in the Widow’s Web”. The Prentice Hall Reader. University Press of Mississippi.(2000). Print

Name

Professor

Course

Date

Word count: 947

An Augustinian Reading of Beowulf

The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf’s boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. Beowulf appears to be drawn by what he experiences as wisdom to approach life from a moral perspective. Compared to Augustine, Beowulf feels pride and always blinded by his inner self that contradicts his morals and beliefs. In his view, Beowulf is entangled in a life that is surrounded by moral perfection and seeks to justify all is actions and decisions. One of the most unique characters portrayed by Beowulf is truth and integrity that appears to overshadow his feelings. When compared to Augustine, Beowulf is rather more liberal and always attached to what he believes as right in the eyes of the public. He appears to be deeply rooted in the life of perfection that he believes is the driver to do good and remain in harmony with his peers. In one instance, Beowulf claims to be driven by a force of goodwill that overcomes his feelings or intimate beliefs.

Just like many heroes, Beowulf is a victim of bad fate that is mostly entangled with his misfortune. He is in pursuit to show that he can do anything and this denies him the vital opportunity to live a life he can enjoy (Beowulf 181). The character is also in heroic journey where he perceives to justify his heroic energy by doing things that other people dared not to attempt. For example, he is in pursuit to create a name that is fully entangled in the sole belief of being a hero that seems to overshow what he feels or how he relates with the members of his society. When comparing Beowulf to Augustine, key differences emerge mainly on trait and approach to life. While Augustine is driven by the belief that good is always the right energy and path to life, Beowulf shows mixed traits that are the key to his traits and behavior. In his view, Beowulf believes that only a hero can save the society from the dangers it faces and thus commits to searching for this inner hero trait. “Wear these bright jewels, beloved Beowulf; Enjoy them, oh fortunate young, Warrior; grow richer, let your fame and your strength, go hand in hand; and lend these two boys; your wise and gentle heart! I’ll remember your, Kindness.”

Beowulf is full of energy and gives little attention to what he feels. In most occasions, Beowulf operates with an inner drive to make it in life that even creates that inner drive to show the right emotions (Beowulf 183). Beowulf is also seen to be very proud of his accomplishments that appears to make him grow distant from other people in the society. He is boastful and takes little regard of what people say or comment. The trait is well enriched when he overcomes his fears that are driven by the lack of close allies in his small circle of friends. He has along the way created foes due to his boastful life that is mainly built around self-driven ideas and beliefs (August 20). Beowulf takes little regard of what the result of his action could bring and only shows concern when he achieves what he wants by claiming to be the hero in times of need.

Both Beowulf and Augustine led a different path in life that is depicted by their actions. While Augustine shows a change of heart by seeking to find peace and stand by truth and morals, Beowulf shows ride and little concern over his mistakes (August 16). The two characters have a different view of life and this is mainly because Beowulf is driven by what he perceives as an inner drive to achieve what he wants no matter the cost. Augustine seeks to derive the right energy into making the best of his last days by seeking God’s guidance and repentance. One of the best ways to define Beowulf’s trait in comparison to Augustine is to look at howe each character viewed life. Augustine confesses that his pride was one of his major hindrance to self-discovery and growth. On the other hand, Beowulf is adamant to make changes in his life but remains boastful and this hinders his realization of the key strengths (Beowulf 189). He is also blinded to believe that he is the best in the society and this leads to his failure and downfall as he ages.

In a closer look, Beowulf differs from Augustine because of how he approaches life in the belief that he stands unique and full of energy to conquer anything. On the other hand, Augustine makes changes in his life and regrets the mistakes he has made in the past where he fights to regain his glory when he realizes that his good life is behind him. The character is also in heroic journey where he perceives to justify his heroic energy by doing things that other people dared not to attempt. Beowulf’s success and perceived heroic journey are the source of his pride that hinders his full capacity and humility. Augustine is humble and seeks to regain his good deeds and make the right move in a bid to make things. Beowulf’s on the other side believes in pushing his way and this has made him deviate from the real course of a hero who should be brave and still show the good side. Beowulf appears to be overtaken by pride and arrogance as he pushes his way to win whatever he finds good along his path to become a hero.

Work Cited

Neidorf, Leonard. “The archetype of Beowulf.” English Studies 99.3 (2018).

Executive pay is fiscal reimbursement acknowledged by a bureaucrat of a firm. It is characteristically an assortment of wages, incentives, and shares of and/or entitles preferences on the company accumulation, benefits, and privileges, supremely configured to take into explanation government set of laws, tax regulation, the wishes of the organization and the administrative, and plunder for performance. Executive pay is an imperative ingredient of corporate governance, and is frequently established by a company’s board of directors. Non-executive pay is evaluated in a time span of three or four years. The elevated amount of companies deciding to analysis non-executive pay this year is an understandable rejoinder to their escalating errands, work-loads and stress. The differentiation among executive pay and non-executive pay depends principally on the kind of organization in inquiry, as well as the worker’s job identify. Executives undeviating actions at the premier echelon of management and characteristically supervise subordinate executives and workforce managers. General and operations managers in addition aimed at every day operations, but were not categorized as executives, and received a mean remuneration. The foremost divergence among an executive and a non-executive pay is that executives work surrounded by the guiding principles lay down by a board of directors or some sort of prevailing body. Supplementary managers may perhaps be accountable for several of the identical managerial functions as executives, but may perhaps administer only a department or section, or they may well work for minor companies which don’t have a prevailing cadaver or panel.

REFERENCES

www.ehow.com › Business

HYPERLINK “http://www.crisil.com/crisil…/Dissertation_VarunJindal-SIOMNashik.pdf”www.crisil.com/crisil…/Dissertation_VarunJindal-SIOMNashik.pdf

humanresources.about.com/od/…/g/executivecomp.htm

Executive Summary of Oxford Industries, Inc. (OXM)

Jeff Nelson

MBA 625

Section 1

FALL

2009

Oxford Industries, Inc.

1/31/2009

Company background and information

Oxford Industries Inc., which trades at the NYSE bourse under the symbol OXM, is one of the major apparel manufacturers in America. It traces its history to 1942 when it was founded by three Nashville-bred brothers. However, the brothers had started a venture eight years earlier, which involved production and selling of business forms and Dictaphones (OXM Website).

The business exhibited a steady growth over the years and in 1943, it purchased a manufacturing facility, at which time it was now based in Oxford, Atlanta. The demand for the company’s products grew as the World War II ended. With the post-war recession biting on every sector of the economy, businesses had to device methods of survival and growth. The company formed a growth strategy that saw it grow steadily through the post-war recession expanding steadily in the market. It was on three stock exchanges in 1960 when it went public with a public offering of 240, 000 shares. By this period, the company was making annual sales of 31 million dollars with a workforce of over 3,000 employees. The number of preferred stocks for the company currently stands at 30 million shares of $1.00 par value.

The company’s sales continued to grow rapidly as it bought other companies and manufacturing plants. The sales however dropped considerably in mid 70s when as one of its affiliate’s publicly- held company went public on the NYSE. In early 80s, the company saw an upward growth though this growth hit a slump in the mid of the decade because of various reasons originating from management issues. Due to extensive inventories and ineffective financial controls intermarried with the peak in popularity of the company’s fastest growing labels, the company saw three years of reduced sales. Because of these problems, plants operated below capacity while the inventory sell-offs ate into profits.

The company has its headquarters at 222 Piedmont Avenue Atlanta, GA 30308 in the United States. Presently, the company has an employee force of about 4,000 workers and produces apparel products for the US and the UK markets. It has extensively diversified its product lines though maintaining the clothing industry.

Current Market Performance

As of 21st of October 2009, the stock performance for OXM on the stocks market witnessed a high of $23.50 for a share and a low of $ 22.94. The average closing share price for the company was $22.94 as of 21st of December. With an average share volume of 164, 000 being traded, the company had a market capitalization of $378.95 million. The company does not sell its shares directly to the buyers but those wishing to buy the shares do so through a stockbroker.

Operational Performance and Financial Analysis

With respect to the company’s quarterly total revenue, the revenues have been declining steadily over the last four quarters. The quarter that ended November 1, 2008, the company registered total revenues of 244.186 million dollars with a cost of revenue of 150.557 million dollars (Wood and Sangster 2005). Total revenues declined to 199.868 million dollars in the next quarter with a cost of revenue of 110.006 million dollars. In the quarter that ended August 1, 2009, the company registered total revenues amounting to 192.887 million dollars while the previous quarter was 216.731 million and cost of revenue of $114.344M and $126.960M respectively.

The gross profits also declined steadily over the four quarters. However, the gross profits were more than the operating expenses registered leading to operating income except for the quarter extending 2-Nov-08 to 31-Jan-09, which recorded a heavy operating loss amounting to losses for all the $302.973M. On an annual basis, the trend has almost been the same over the last three years. The company registered $433.109M drop in total annual revenues over the revenue the previous year.

Profitability Trends

Profit margin (Net Income/Revenues)*100

In 2007, profit margin (1-Jun-07)

(52,137/1,128,907)*100

= 4.6184%

In 2008, profit margin (2-Feb-08)

(19,215 /695,798)*100

= 2.7616%

For 2009, profit margin (1-Jan-09)

(265,812)/947,516*100

-28.0536%

In 2007, with a profit margin of 4.618% this implies that for every dollar of sales made by the company, $0.0462 was a net income. For the company’s 2008 financial year, every dollar of sales contributed a net income of $0.0276. This was a drop in the profitability of the company as compared to its previous financial year. The same year saw the company experience several financial difficulties, which made its operations less profitable. Thus for the financial year ended 1-Jan-2009, the company’s sales resulted to a net loss of $.2805 for dollar of sales made.

With respect to the company’s liquidity, the company’s liquidity ratios over three-year period are as follows:

Current Ratio

Current ratio = (current assets/ current liabilities)

1-Jan-09

228,289/106, 8333

= 0.21368711815510706867615247305849

= 0.214

2-Feb-08

298,099 /156,417

= 1.9057966845036025495949928716188

= 1.906

1-Jun-07

334,241 / 142,444

= 2.3464729999157563674145629159529

= 2.345

From the above results, it is evident that the company’s present standing poses a great danger since the current ratio falls below one. This could mean that in case its short-term obligations come due in a short period, the company may not be able to cover them and therefore it is likely to face more financial difficulties (Wood and Sangster 2005). The trend further indicates a persistent fall in the current ratio value. A further look at the acid-test ratio may give a better understanding of the company’s position in relation to its ability and capacity to handle its short-term obligations.

Acid-test ratio = (Current Assets less inventories)/Current Liabilities)

31-Jan-09

(228,289 – 129,159)/106,833

= 0.92789681091048646017616279613977

= 0.93:1

2-Feb-08

(298,099 -158,925)/156,417

= 0.88976262170991644130753051138943

= 0.89:1

1-Jun-07

(334,241 -137,333)/ 142,444

= 1.3823537670944371121282749712168

= 1.38:1

From these figures, it is evident that Oxford Industries Inc. has not been able to cover its short-term obligations (the current liabilities) fully as they fall due. Even the figure for the year ended 1-Jun-2007 does indicate that the company was at great risk of any slight change in its current assets or any slight increase in current liabilities.

In order to examine the company’s activity, the asset turnover ratio is defining to help in understanding how far the company’s management utilizes the invested assets.

The asset turnover ratio = Revenue/Assets

31-Jan-09

947,516 /473,494

= 2.0011151144470679670703324646141

= 2.001

2-Feb-08

695,798/910,272

= 0.76438471138297124376010686915559

= 0.764

1-Jun-07

1,128,907/908,738

= 1.2422799530777847960578296494699

= 1.242

There seems to be no consistency in the decision of converting invested assets into revenue. The company has an investment grade of BB- as rated by Standard and Poors, which means that it most likely faces major uncertainties that might expose it to further adverse conditions; economically, financially and business-wise. This also implies that the business may not have adequate capacity to meet its financial commitment (Robertson 2007). Based on the analysis carried out and the information available from various sources, the company needs to adopt a more stringent credit management strategy.

Works Cited:

Wood F., and Sangster, A., (2005) BUSINESS ACCOUNTING 10th Edition Financial Times/ Prentice Hall.

Robertson, V. (2007) Focus on Finance http://www.yovich.co.nz/finplan/20070918.php

Oxford Industries Company Website Accessed on Thursday, October 22, 2009 from URL: http://www.oxfordinc.com/CG_ECP.asp