Islam Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Islam Today - Essay Example With the destruction and chaos that came with the end of the colonial rule after World War 2, much of the Islamic world became the victim of corrupt regimes, religious extremism, and foreign intervention. As Edward Said put it: â€Å"In part, of course, that is because the Middle East, the Arabs, and Islam have continued to fuel enormous change, struggle, controversy, and, as I write these lines, war†. The political instability so much a part of much of the Islamic world stems from the instable atmosphere of many of these countries (especially the Arab ones) and the fact that they are home to most of the world’s oil supply. The oil brings the interest of many Western governments to do things that, if the oil was not there, they would probably not do. To that of course must be added that most people have the negative image of Muslims as terrorists and extremists largely due to their negative depiction in the media. There is â€Å"a striking lack of clarity and an atmosphere of incomprehension that can only generate suspicion and fear† (Ramadan 2007, p. 23). This situation is not helped by the fact that so many scholars in the West believe that Muslims are by nature â€Å"radical† and that Islam in general is incompatible with the West and/or globalization. In order combat these images and the potential conflict there is a lot people in Muslim countries could do. First and foremost Muslim governments should attempt to have their voice heard more clearly and more often in Western media. It is clear that Muslims have an image problem in the world’s media. There should be an organized effort to reach out to people to show them that Islam has much more to it than radicals and terrorists.

Ethical dilemma Essay Example for Free

Ethical dilemma Essay In the following, ethical dilemma has been discussed and identified from the given case study. The background for the ethical dilemma has been explained. How the consultant has handled the situation of ethical dilemma and how a learner would have handled it differently, has been given below. ? Ethical Dilemma â€Å"Ethical dilemmas, also known as a moral dilemmas, are situations in which there are two choices to be made, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion. In such cases, societal and personal ethical guidelines can provide no satisfactory outcome or the chooser. Ethical dilemmas assume that the chooser will abide by societal norms, such as codes of law or religious teachings, in order to make the choice ethically impossible. † In the given case study, Kindred Todd is also in a situation which is an ethical dilemma. She had just finished her master degree and got a very company to join in. But she did not realize that she had been introduced as an expert on CQI to the potential clients which she discovers by the end of the meeting with the potential clients. She discussed with her boss about the need of the CQI expert but he did not give it an importance and indirectly pushed her to do what the company says. She has now a conflict between her own values(may be religious) which insist her on quitting the job and her personal materialistic needs which do not allow to leave such a good company for her career. Background for Ethical Dilemma â€Å"In a perfect world, businesses and their employees would always do the right thing. Unfortunately, in the real world, ethical dilemmas are a common occurrence in the orkplace. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, dilemmas are situations or problems where a person has to make a difficult choice; an ethical dilemma is a problem where a person has to choose between a moral and an immoral act. Employees must deal with pressures to perform and help the company succeed as well as personal temptations to take the easy way out. In the end, workers will likely face many dilemmas in their careers; companies should provide training and information to assist them in making the right decision. † There are many reasons which make the background or the reasons for the ethical dilemma. Employees in organizations undergo in such a situation when they are sometimes under the pressure from management . When they are particularly asked to do something which is un ethical but it goes in the company’s favor. In some cases, some employees become quite ambitious and want to succeed in their life at any cost without considering the concept of being ethical or un-ethical. They just do what akes them towards promotions or higher career. â€Å"Though diversity is an important part of business, some people may not be comfortable with people from different backgrounds and possibly be reluctant to treat them fairly. This kind of discrimination is not only un ethical but illegal and still remains common. † â€Å"Negotiators may also try to bribe their way to a good deal.  While this is illegal in the U. S. , it still sometimes happens; in other nations, it is more common, and sometimes even expected, which can put negotiators in a difficult position. † This means in organizations negotiating tactics are sometimes also the cause of ethical dilemma. ? How the Consultant Handled the Situation from Ethic View Point The consultant raised an objection before the president of the company instead of remaining uiet on the issue that why she had been introduced wrongly as a CQI expert. Moreover, she passed on the exact evaluation of her meeting about the potential clients and stress on the need of an CQI expert in order to deal with the clients. At least, in order to secure the job, she did not pretend that she can do anything they want. The best part was that she did her best to help the clients in the area of quality improvement by going through books and consulting her friends, so much so that she had a consultant behind her, unseen, to help sort out CQI issues. After the assigned work got over, she resigned the company, as she could’t trust the company for future. A View of How the Learner would have Handled the Situation Differently I would have not been, probably so daring to ask the president for the actual requirement of the clients or might not have resigned the job. ? Conclusion In a workplace, ethical dilemmas are quite common. There are different reasons for a worker to become ethical or un ethical. So, the important thing how you win the war between your values and materialistic needs.

The SWOT Analysis: Pepsi

The SWOT Analysis: Pepsi PEPSI is an international player in the soft drink market and operation across the world. In 1893, PepsiCo started its manufacturing in 1893. It got a new name as Pepsi-Cola on August 28, 1898. Then in 1961, it was ultimately named as Pepsi. Initially it was marketed as Brads Drink. The substitutes available in the same market are as follows: 1) Coca-Cola 2) Cola Turka 3) Big Cola 4) RC-Cola In every segment of the target market, Pepsi is highly favorable. Due to its wise spread use at homes, ceremonies and during travels, it has been chosen for this project. Problem Statement In these days, management at the company has observed a significant delay in the sales of their product, Pepsi in this case. The demand for the particular has also declined with time. These business managers have proposed different factors affecting this problem. For instance: 1) A relatively good taste of Rival Products 2) Improvedvalue of Competitors Products 3) Low Price Rival Product 4) BetterPremeditatedDevelopment of Rival Companies Consequently Company Managers have comprehended the need of RE-FINANCING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN. It evaluated the company processes on the followings fators: SWOT ANALYSIS PEST 5 Cs (company/collaborators/customers/climate/competitors) 4/7 Ps-product,price,place,promotion,people,process,physical Environment. Market Analysis In the cold drink market, some of the players were: Distributers Retailers Customers Suppliers and Competitors With the entrance of other players into the market, there can have threats or benefits. In the case of Pepsi, this was of a significant value. We will analysis these factors as entrance to barriers on the SWOT basis. SWOT ANALYSIS:PEPSI Strengths Branding The premier brand of PepsiCo is Pepsi. In 2008, it got ranked at the 26th position out of 100 top brands of the world. The value of annual sales is $15000 million Other brands of the company include Diet Pepsi, Gatorade Mountain Dew and have the presence in over 200 countries. In the US beverage industry, it has a market share of 39% and 26% in the Snacks Industry. A large proportion of the sales is accumulated through these brands. Diversification The diversification includes the aspect that each top 18 brands of PepsiCo generates approximately $1000 million of annual sales. Distribution The wider distribution network of Pepsi works such that the manufactured product is delivered to warehouses, then to customers ware houses and then to retailers. Weaknesses Overdependence on Wal-Mart PepsiCos largest customer is Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart operates through low price themes which indirectly put pressures on Pepsi to lower down its prices in accordance with its biggest customers. Overdependence on USMarkets The US market generates around-+ 52% of Pepsis total revenues. Low Productivity Low productivity is evident from the fact that in 2008, the revenue that it generated was $219,439 per employee. It was significantly lower than its rivals in the market. Opportunities Expansion of Product Base PepsiCo is pursuing to cope with one of its major weakness: enslavement on US markets by getting Russias topJuice Company, Lebedyansky, and vwwater in the UK. In this way, it would be able to increase its product base in a more competitive market. International Expansion Currently PepsiCo is expanding by making investment in China ($1000 million) and India ($500 million). This points out towards the fact that it is trying to increase its international base and lower its dependency on the US market. The future plans include expansions in Brazil and Mexico through huge investments. Growing Savory Snack and Bottled Water Market in US There is a huge potential for PEPSICO to capitalize on the expanding bottle water market which is expected to have a $24 billion volume by 2012. Threats Sharp Decrease in the Sales of Carbonated Drinks The sales of soft drinks have decreased significantly.Though PepsiCois experiencing diversification but it projected that it would be facing the impact of this decrease. Possible Negative Influence of Government Regulation PepsiCo can be negatively affected as the state and central laws would hinder its operations in marketing, sales and manufacturing. Powerful Competition The one major competitor of PepsiCo in the market is Coca-Cola. Nestle and Marina is also counted as its rivals. The intensive, edge to edge competition in the market can affect pricing policies, marketing, sales and other promotion strategies put forward by the company. For instant the sales of juice has significantly increased for Coca-Cola as compared to Pepsi. Potential Commotion Due to Labor Unrest Pepsi Co is susceptible to strikes and other labor disputes. For example, a strike in India in 2008 had prevented the manufacturing for almost a month. These can exacerbate problems for the company. PEST ANALYSIS: PEPSI A particular business is dependent on an environment to get its revenues for the goods and services that it provides. These environments can both be external or internal. Political Environment: Pepsi To run a successful business, PepsiCo is dependent on the public policy as it is one of the largest multi nation companies in the world. Thus an active participation is essential for the company towards the deliberations of public policy. Political Involvement Policy Citizens Fund (CCF) is the respective entity of PepsiCo that gets voluntary employee assistances to make political campaign contributions to Federal and state political parties, PACs and electoral candidates. These actively help the company to take part in the democratic process in the country. Economic Environment: Pepsi The Primary responsibility of the company, PepsiCo, is to take the necessary measures to preserve the sustainability of the environment in which it works for instance ecological environment, social and economic. Pepsi Co is aware of the critical role that agriculture plays towards different aspects of the business operations. Pepsi Co also recognizes the dangers emerging out of the shortage in food supply and the respective food security threats. Social Environment: Pepsi The unique social environment at Pepsi Co is very desirable where its people are working together for a sustainable present of prosperity. This, in turn, would be beneficial for Pepsi itself. Its promise is to provide the localize versions of its products by keeping in mind the preferences of the local communities in which the business is operating. Technological Environment: Pepsi Technological advancements have helped PepsiCo to enhance its production capacity. Therefore it is making full use of the new technology. PepsiCo is getting a key help through advancements in IT. Situation Analysis: Pepsi It is very necessary for a company to satisfy the needs of its customers while maintaining the profitability through sales. This can be achieved if company keeps track of all the internal and external factors in that environment. 5Cs provide the Situation Analysis for a particular firm operating in a particular market. These are as follows Company Product line Image in the market Technology and Experience Goals Culture Collaborators Distributers Suppliers Coalitions Customers Market size and growth Market Segments Retail channel-where does the consumer actually purchase the product? Consumer Information Sources-where does the customer obtain information about the product? Rate of Purchase, seasonal factors Quantity purchased at a time Trends-how consumer needs and preferences change over time Competitors Real or Potential Direct or Indirect Products Positioning Market Shares Strengths and Weaknesses of competitors Climate or Context The climate or macro-environmental factors are: Political and Regulatory Environment: Which specific policies affect the company Economic Environment: business cycle, inflation rate, interest rates, and other topics Social/Cultural Environment: Trends and fashions in a particular society Technological Environment: The relationship between demand and the impact of technology 7 Ps -Product,Price,Place,Promotion,People,Process, Physical Environment: Pepsi 7 Ps are called Marketing Mix and help in meeting marketing objectives for a company. Pepsi-Product The cola drink includes the ingredients such as carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, colorings, phosphoric acid, caffeine, citric Acid and natural flavors. Following are the popular brands of PepsiCo: Pepsi Twist, Pepsi Tarik, Pepsi Samba, Mountain Dew, etc. Coke v/s Pepsi-Product Pepsi and Coke are the major rivals in the market and compete against a verity of products in the market: COKE PEPSI 1) The dark colored Cola drink initiated the rivalry with Pepsis carbonated drink 1) Pepsi too has a cola version of carbonated drink which competes against the coke 2) Vaultwas released by the Coca-Cola company in June 2005. It is a carbonated drink. 2) Mountain Dew MDXis the version released under Mountain Dew in 2005 after a new marketing campaign 3) Spriteis a clear lemon- time flavored soft drink manufactured by the coca-cola company. 3) 7 UP is a lemon carbonated drink competing with Sprite 4) Diet Coca-Colais a sugar free soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company 4) Diet Pepsiis a low-calorie carbonated cola. 5) Fantais a soft drink citrus brand owned by The Coca-Cola Company. 5)Mirindais soft drink brand owned by PepsiCo and it competes with Fanta Table : Coke v/s PEPSI Price Price is the monetary value of a good in a particular currency. Pricing is the major portion of the marketing mix. Before the entrance of PepsiCo in the market, Coke was the only player in the market nd it directed the price of the cola drink. The competition emerged after the entrance of Pepsi. Now the price is determined on the basis of competition between Coke and Pepsi. Pepsi portrays a flexible attitude and cut downs its prices at times. This has also incurred some loses for Pepsi due to the risks attached. Though the lowered prices would attract more customers, it also badly affects the production cost which becomes difficult to cover. This was an early phase situation for Pepsi but now it has recovered due to the rapid growth that it is making. Place In marketing, is a geographic location, an industry, a group of people to who company wants to sell its products. Pepsi like Coke has its network all over the world. Pepsi has joined forces with companies like Quaker Oats,Lipton etc. It runs ads in different localities of the world. Promotion Promotion encompasses 4-subcategories: Advertising Personal selling Sales Promotion Publicity and Public Relations A promotional strategy can include: a) Sales Shootouts b) New product reception c) Brand Equity Emergence d) Positioning e) Competitive retaliations f) Creation of a corporate image Pepsi and Coke have a special status regarding their promotional activities.The rivalry was initiated when Pepsi started its blind taste challenges. It took the method of a taste test at public places like shopping malls, community centric hubs etc. By letting people taste both the colas, they asked the people to select the preferred one so that people would buy Pepsi. The following chart provides a comparison between Pepsi and Coke: Figure : Price Comparison People- Pepsi Pepsi has deeply affected the lives of people by changing their preferences. Process-Pepsi Process involves the transformation of inputs into outputs. With the latest technology, pepsi has helped people to get a much better carbonated product. Physical Environment-Pepsi The internal and external environment has been affected by the operations of Pepsi and it holds a well-established position for that. THE RE-FINANCING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN It is the particular strategy of framing, executing and gauging decisions that allow an organization to meet its objectives. The making and designing of a strategy includes the following: Vision and Mission(the target of the business) Strength and Weakness Opportunities and threats The contemplations for top strategy devising are: Allocation of resources Business to enter or retain Business to divest or liquidate Joint ventures or mergers Whether to expand or not Moving into foreign markets Trying to avoid take over HRM and Strategy Strategists: are individuals who are most responsible for the success or failure of an organization. They are individuals who form strategies. They have various job titles, such as CEO, President, owner etc. Pepsi- Vision Statement PepsiCos responsibility is to continually improve all aspects of the world in which we operate- environment, social, economic-creating a better tomorrow than today Pepsi Cola Mission Statement Our mission is to increase the value of our shareholders investment. We do this through sales growth, cost controls, and wise investment resources. We believe our commercial success depends upon offering quality and value to our consumers and customers. Providing products that are safe, wholesome,economically efficient and environmentally sound, and providing a fair return to our investors while adhering to the highest standards of integrity. Types of Strategy Competitive Advantage: Pepsi By taking our competitive strengths, and investing in them to create longer-term value to sustain growth. PepsiCo has 3 key advantages: big, muscular brands the proven ability to innovate and create differentiated products , and Powerful go-to-market systems. Cost Advantage It is the global leader in savory snacks, and those snacks can be paired with its beverages in the marketplace. Those pairings will enable PepsiCo to provide unique offerings to retail and foodservice customers. Market Dominance It is one of the worlds most familiar consumer food and beverage companies, offering brands like Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Tropicana and Quaker. The Coke vs. Pepsi conflict raged on for decades across the country on supermarket shelves, fast food restaurants and the like. New Product Development Pepsi As a consumer-focused company, we want to enrich the lifestyles of our consumers while increasing the local relevance of the products we make. We recognize the need to understand and respect local cultures, rituals, patterns and intake gaps when developing delicious-tasting convenient and affordable products for consumers in that market. For example, in India, we have introduced a whole-grain product for breaking the fast around the observance of Ramadan. In China, we have introduced congee (with whole grains and reduced sodium) as a locally relevant breakfast offering to add nutritional value to the Chinese diet, and were introducing products made from grains in sub-Saharan Africa as a change from those made with plain flour. Contraction/Diversification IndraNooyi, PepsiCo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, Our results this quarter reinforce the advantages of our balanced portfolio, as our food and international businesses delivered solid performance while we continued the transformation of our North American beverage business. As part of its strategy to grow in key markets, the company recently announced plans to invest $1 billion over the next four years in China, PepsiCos highest priority growth market. And, in Russia, PepsiCo along with its partner The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. announced a plan to invest $1 billion over the next three years. Price Leadership Strategy An observation made of oligopolistic business behavior in which one company, usually the dominant competitor among several, leads the way in determining prices, the others soon following. The context is a state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers. Pepsi- Global Strategy It is not just another beverage on the vast shelf of choices. Pepsi made a decision years ago to diversify its offering and branch into the global arena. Pepsi is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York. It is a manufacturing company distributing beverages and snack foods across 200 countries. Pepsi-Reengineering Strategy Reengineering initiatives typically lead to a business organization with these characteristics: 1. Business processes are simplified rather than being made more complex. 2. Job descriptions expand and become multi-dimensional people perform a broader range of tasks. Downsizing PepsiCo Inc. is considering cutting approximately 4,000 employees and reducing pension contributions in order to increase their income.Citing a source, reported the New York Post, quoted by Reuters on Friday (06.01.2012), currently the company offers retirement plans and matching contributions to 401 thousand retirement savings account.One of these large companies believes that by offering both of these are an act that is more generous.Pepsi-party claims when 401 thousand by eliminating the retirement savings account that will save the company up to USD75 million. The layoffs, accounting for approximately one percent more than the payroll company, will include a small number of workers at its headquarters. Delayering To lessen the size of a business hierarchy, especially in terms of a reduction in management. This creates a flatter(less layered) organizational structure. There have been numerous cases of companies delayering their organization structures over the past few years. Many of these companies include industry leaders rarely satisfied with their past success, continually searching to improve all facets of their business, including their management structure. Recent examples of well-known companies that have delayered include Pepsi-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Corning, Tenneco, and General Electric, to name only a few. RESTRUCTURING PepsiCo Inc. plans to cut 8,700 jobs in a restructuring as it seeks to offset high commodity costs and increases investment in advertising and marketing in North America.Its a lower figure than sources had expected. Of PepsiCos 100,000 U.S. workers, about 2,000, or 2 percent, are on the chopping block, say knowledgeable sources, a figure Mr. Nicolas couldnt immediately confirm. Some 1,800 people work at the West Loop headquarters of Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana. Other PepsiCo teams plus its global nutrition group also are in Chicago. Mr. Nicolas declined to comment on specific jobs or people before the company notifies workers of their status this week. The Financial Analysis Pepsi Bottling Group is the worlds largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages. With annual sales of nearly $11 billion, the companys fastest growing segment is non-carbonated beverages, including the number one brand of bottled water in the U.S., Aquafina, as well as Tropicana juice drinks and Lipton Ice Tea. As part of a 24/7 production operation, the companys Detroit plant ships about 27 million cases per year. Production at the plant begins as empty bottles are unloaded from trucks via conveyor and transported to a depalletizer. From there, they are, rinsed, dried and sent to a filling machine (filler speeds at the plant vary based on bottle size, ranging from 350 to 1,000 bottles per minute). The bottles leave the fillers and make their way to a packaging machine, and then to a palletizer. Each pallet is wrapped for distribution and moved to the warehouse for shipping. We can show the statement of financial position of PEPSI Inventory (raw materials) in different years in the following chart. Figure : Financial Position of PEPSI Inventory (raw materials)

Ethical and Legal Issues of Phone Tapping :: Privacy Telephones Communication Essays

One of the hottest topics in privacy is regarding our phone conversation with others. It doesn't take a whole lot these days to be in someone's business, in their conversation, breaking the law of privacy with out spending that much time and money. "†¦Compared to an average monthly phone bill of seventy dollars, the option to wiretap the average phone line is probably worth less than twelve cents a month to police and spy agencies."1 These days, when information is transferred from one person to another, or from point A to point B, there are more people who are interested in know what they are talking about, not just to know but to benefit something out of it. This is illegal if it is done without the knowledge of the individuals involved. Since people are not giving communication privacy enough attention, it is getting to the point that it is out of control of anybody. Anybody can just get up and get in to others conversation with out their knowledge. This is having a big effec t in out community these days. There are a lot of scenarios were people are involved in this situation. If we take an example, people are more concerned about paying their bills over the phone by their credit card, knowing that there might be someone in the middle intercepting all this information to harm the person. This action has a lot of side effect in the development of new technology. Paying over the phone using a credit card was never there years ago; it used to be only paper bills. Now, not only can we pay though phone call but also we can pay using the computer. All this is new technology that was never there. But if someone is always doing something illegal to affect the direct communication of customer and sellers, there won't be a trust with will be a great bondage between them, which can help the market, and the technology to go to another lever, which is better. We can also have a different approach, which will make phone tapping a good thing for the community. The government uses phone tapping to investigate some people in order to keep the safety of the people or the community in a good condition. For example, if the government knew before the incident on 9/11 though the conversation of the terrorist, they would have saved a lot more people who died not knowing that they were targeted.

Balance Sheet and Sylvan Essay

On January 1 2007, Pillar purchased 60% of the common shares of Sylvan for $4,500. On that date, Sylvan had common shares of $1,250 and retained earnings of $3,000. Fair values were equal to carrying values for all Sylvan’s net assets except inventory, capital assets and notes payable. The fair value of inventory was $60 more than book value, the book value of capital assets was $100 greater than fair value and the Notes payable had a fair value of $150 less than book value. Assume that all shares of Sylvan have the same value and no control premium was paid at the date of acquisition. The Consolidated Financial statements will be prepared using IFRS Entity Method. The financial statements for Pillar and Sylvan for the year ended December 31, 2010 were as follows: Balance Sheets December 31, 2010 $000’s PILLAR SYLVAN Cash $680 $435 Accounts receivable 1,755 1,025 Inventory 2,849 1,790 Capital assets—net 3,976 3,000 Investment in Sylvan 4,500 Total assets $13,760 $6,250 Current liabilities $400 $255 Notes payable 5,800 1,185 Common shares 2,000 1,250 Retained earnings 5,560 3,560 Total $13,760 $6,250 Statements of Income and Retained Earnings Year Ended December 31, 2010 PILLAR SYLVAN Sales and all other Income $4,040 $2,710 Cost of sales 1,600 1,140 2,440 1,570 Amortization (480) (310) Other expenses and losses including taxes (500) (210) Net income 1,460 1,050 Additional information: numbers in $000’s 1. Capital assets are to be amortized over an average remaining useful life of 8 years at January 1, 2007 and the notes payable mature on December 31, 2011. Goodwill impairment losses for 2008 and 2010 were $240 and $300 respectively. Straight line amortization is acceptable for all acquisition differentials. 2. At December 31, 2010, Sylvan’s inventory included goods purchased from Pillar for $760. Total purchases from Pillar in 2010 were $1000 all priced at mark-up’s averaging 25% of Pillar’s cost. 3. On December 31, 2009, the inventories of Pillar contained $500 of merchandise purchased from Sylvan. Sylvan earns a gross margin of 30% on all sales to Pillar. During December 2010, Pillar purchased merchandise from Sylvan for $900 and did not pay for$250 of the purchases by December 31, 2010. 40% of the inventory was resold by Pillar before the year end. 4. On July 1, 2010, Sylvan sold a new tract of Land to Pillar for $170. On December 1, 2009, Sylvan had bought the land for $200. The fair market value of the land at July 1, 2010 was $220. 5. On September 30, 2008, Pillar sold Land to Sylvan for $100. The land had a book value of $60 on the date of the sale. 6. On December 1, 2010, Pillar and Sylvan declared and paid dividends of $150 and $100 respectively. 7. Both companies pay taxes at the rate of 40%. Assume all intercompany Transactions are taxed at 40% REQUIRED: Please use a GREEN BOOKLET 1. Prepare a Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2010. (22 Marks) 2. Prepare an independent calculation of ENDING Consolidated Retained Earnings at December 31, 2010. (11 marks) 3. Assume Pillar wishes to use the equity method in their General Ledger, calculate Investment income from Sylvan for the year ending December 31, 2010 (10 Marks) NOTE: This question will help you prepare for the technical question on the midterm. Do more than the question asks so that you are prepared for any possible questions you may be asked: Eg. Prepare a Consolidated Income statement and an independent calculation of Consolidated Net Income attributable to Parent company shareholders Calculate the Investment Income under the equity method: Note the only difference between the equity method used when significant Influence is present and the equity method used in the general ledger of the parent when control is present is the treatment of downstream transactions. According to IAS 28.28 all unrealized intercompany profits are eliminated proportionately between investor and investee. Therefore if investor owns 30% of investee, 30% of all unrealized profits/losses are removed. When control exists the parent eliminates upstream proportionately with NCI and downstream unrealized profits are eliminated 100% from parent. Check figures: At December 31, 2010 Goodwill at acquisition ($3,140) $2,600 Consolidated total Assets $17,615.6 Capital assets $6916 Consolidated Retained Earnings $5331.28 NCI Balance Sheet $2924.32 Consolidated Net Income Entity $2052.1 Attributable to Parent shareholders 1754.78 Attributable to NCI $297.32 Investment account Balance sheet :equity method $4,271.28 Investment income equity method 2010 $354.78(removing 100% downstream)

Free Essays on Points About Education

Education Questions 1. Identify at least two things teachers could do to help parents work with their children more effectively on homework and other academic activities.  § Teachers often try to help students by parent involvement. Parent involvement is a key part of the education process. A teacher’s work could be in vain if not sustained in the home. One way a teacher could do to help parents work with their children more effectively on homework would be to send home assignments to incorporate the family. For example, if the class is studying history, the teacher can send home a â€Å"family scavenger hunt†. The student could then research their family history by questioning parents, grandparents, brother and sisters. Another good way to incorporate parents into the academic process is to send home a logbook. This logbook could have a spot for signatures of the parent to make them accountable for their child’s homework. This process could be a weekly or bi-weekly process. Also, you could send home a letter, send home students work frequently, invite parents to visit to participate in classroom activities. 2. Where do you think most new teaching positions will occur, in schools populated by students from upper, middle, or lower SES backgrounds? Why?  § SES is an â€Å"indicator that combines parents’ incomes occupations, and levels of education† (Kauchak, 111). SES is expressed in three stages: lower, middle, and upper. For any teacher, a lower SES populated school is a challenge: â€Å"children come to school without a sense of safety and security, so they are not as well-equipped to tackle school–related tasks† (Kauchak, 116). For this reason (trial for a new teacher), one would believe that more positions would be open within a low-SES populated school. 3. What are some possible ways that poverty can influence learning?  § Poverty can influence a students learning in many ways. Many poverty stricke... Free Essays on Points About Education Free Essays on Points About Education Education Questions 1. Identify at least two things teachers could do to help parents work with their children more effectively on homework and other academic activities.  § Teachers often try to help students by parent involvement. Parent involvement is a key part of the education process. A teacher’s work could be in vain if not sustained in the home. One way a teacher could do to help parents work with their children more effectively on homework would be to send home assignments to incorporate the family. For example, if the class is studying history, the teacher can send home a â€Å"family scavenger hunt†. The student could then research their family history by questioning parents, grandparents, brother and sisters. Another good way to incorporate parents into the academic process is to send home a logbook. This logbook could have a spot for signatures of the parent to make them accountable for their child’s homework. This process could be a weekly or bi-weekly process. Also, you could send home a letter, send home students work frequently, invite parents to visit to participate in classroom activities. 2. Where do you think most new teaching positions will occur, in schools populated by students from upper, middle, or lower SES backgrounds? Why?  § SES is an â€Å"indicator that combines parents’ incomes occupations, and levels of education† (Kauchak, 111). SES is expressed in three stages: lower, middle, and upper. For any teacher, a lower SES populated school is a challenge: â€Å"children come to school without a sense of safety and security, so they are not as well-equipped to tackle school–related tasks† (Kauchak, 116). For this reason (trial for a new teacher), one would believe that more positions would be open within a low-SES populated school. 3. What are some possible ways that poverty can influence learning?  § Poverty can influence a students learning in many ways. Many poverty stricke...

Cloning Pros and Cons essays

Cloning Pros and Cons essays Cloning: The production of genetic copies. Clones: A group of genetically identical organisms. Ever since the belief that cloning was a possibility, and especially since it has been developed, it has been a major conflict in the ethical world of values. There are many different pros and cons about the subject, and for a majority, deciding what is right and wrong regarding this issue is virtually impossible. A clone is an organism, or group of organisms, derived from another organism in a nonsexual way. Each cloned organism, or group of organisms, is composed with the exact genetic material as the original organism(s). Genetic material is made up of genes, the parts of a cell that determine characteristics in living things, (worldbook.com). Three strong pros that are commonly used in the great debate over cloning include: Cloning is a technology that would allow infertile couples to have a genetically related child., Cloned human embryonic stem cells have the potential to cure, or assist in the discovery of a cure, for just about any disease or disorder you can imagine, not to mention save diminishing species of animals., and also, Human cloning is not inherently wrong, immoral or evil, the negative association that the public has with cloning is simply a misconception.. On the other hand, there are equally logical arguments about the dark side of cloning. Many people who dont support cloning say that its cons are: Serious health risks are involved., Cloning could, someday, be used for warfare or slavery., and finally, Children whom have been cloned could potentially be looked down upon, or looked up to, causing lack of acceptance and individuality.. Pros: Cloning is a technology that would allow infertile couples to have a genetically related child. For example, in a case where one member of a couple carries a gene for disease, [cloning] u...

Insulins Form Function essays

Insulins Form Function essays Insulin has a few uses in the human body. Some are more important than others. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the bodys use of sugar and other foods. Insulin i produced in specialized cells in the pancreas, which is a part of the pancreas. Abnormalities cause the decrease of insulin, which causes diabetes. It is this disease that the body cannot use sugars properly and glucose ( a form of sugar) builds up in the blood. When food is absorbed into the bloodstream, the pancreas increases the secretion of insulin into the blood. Insulin speeds the movement of nutrients from the blood stream into target cells, which are located mainly in the liver, muscles, and fat tissue. Specialized protein molecules called insulin recptors lie on the surface of the target cells. The insulin receptors bind to insulin, which activates the receptors. The activated receptors on cells hasten the entry and utilization of the nutrients. Glucose and other simple sugars, produced by the digestion of more complex carbohydrates, are used for immediate energy or converted to glycogen for storage. Amino acids, produced by the digestion of proteins, move into cells and there form the building blocks for proteins. Fatty acids, produced by the digestion of fats are converted for storage and later used for energy. This occurs when you eat foods. For example, say that two minutes earlier you ate a nice big juicy steak. You are not going to instantly get energy. It takes time for the energy to be produced An insufficient amount of insulin in the body causes a form of diabetes called Type I Diabetes. In a milder form of diabetes known as Type II diabetes, the patient usually produces normal amounts of insulin, but the body does not utilize insulin properly. This may occur because the patient has too few insulin receptors or has defective receptors. In most patients, the cause of the disorder is not know. In some people, tumors produced larg...

Exam Question Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Exam Question - Coursework Example However, the complexities of the case arose with the inability to tamper with the provisions over a private contract specifically because consumer rights are private and not linked to state regulations. The legal relations for consumer protection were then one of the main considerations with the case. The proceedings that were created from the main debates were based on consumer rights that could follow under the law. The first proceeding stated that a credit agreement should not affect the rights of the consumer against the purchase of services or goods. The consumer enters an agreement with the contractor, specifically with the understanding that the services or goods will be supplied. This makes it a legal obligation for the supplier to carry forward with all contractual agreements, specifically which is made under the assumption of the agreement through a pre-existing agreement. The right to pursue credit or to be granted a difference in the contract occurs only in the instance w hen the consumer is not satisfied with the services delivered or when there is a failure to meet the demands through the services and products that are expected through the pre-agreement of a given contract. However, it was noted that the consumer may pursue the justification of lack of fulfilment of a contract. This does not entitle the legal proceedings to match this, specifically which is created according to the direct effect that this has on the consumer. The conditions and the remedies then have to be looked into with the contractual agreement and potential breach of contracts that are created. The case that was created not only referred to the consumer protection and the need to fulfil contracts for consumer protection. The court also found that the Treaty of the EU, Article 3s, 129a, created different levels of contribution to consumer rights. The community was responsible only for contributing to consumer protection, specifically with political and legal integration through the internal market. The duty of consumer protection created an effect where consumers had the right to have the fulfilment of products and services within the internal market. The horizontal direct effect then had a direct bearing on the consumer protection, specifically with the need to create and define consumer protection and credit. b. The legal issue that was associated with the case was based on the need to have consumer protection. Private entities are regarded as having freedom of offering services and products while having the right to refuse service or to terminate contracts with consumers. There is also the ability to allow the service or product providers to refuse fulfilment of consumer credit under given circumstances. The question which arose was based on how much consumer protection should be granted if there is a contract that is unfulfilled by those who are offering product or services. The level of interference from a political and legal entity was questioned, s pecifically with how much this could move into consumer rights and protection among those that were looking at the private contracts that were expected to be fulfilled. The rulings of the case were based on the horizontal direct effect. The effect was one which stated that the services or products provided with a contractual agreement were required to be fulfilled. If the services or products harmed or affected the consumer, then it was considered an illegal breach

Sexuality and Relationships Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sexuality and Relationships - Research Proposal Example This is why learning about sexual relationships is important (Hibbert 9). I would like my instructor and classmates to get to know all my findings and be well aware and informed of the matters that concern sexual violence, suicide and homicide. These acts happen frequently and most of them never reach the attention of the relevant authority (Levers 357). Cases of suicide, violence and even homicide are on the rise especially among couples and romantic partners. This wave has touched all people who have achieved their puberty and are sexually active. To make the matter worse, it is very rampant in homes, families with children; even these children in one way or another become victims of the consequences associated with such violence and deaths. Kids from such families are usually associated with bad behaviors and characters, psychological problems and even violence. The wars and raging emotions that arise in such families affect the kids directly, leading to other forms of bad social situations related to bad parenting, stress and trauma. Research Focus Sexuality increases acts of violence, suicide and homicide in relationships. Through this research, I seek to know why love/sexual relationship would lead to one’s own destruction. My research questions are: Why are the cases of violence, suicide and homicide more rampant among the persons involved in sexual relationships? Most of these partners are in love and have stayed together for years. This should create a stronger understanding and tolerance to each other. Why then do they fight and murder each other? In families, how does it actually interfere with the normal development milestones of their children? This research will seek to find out how sex induces violence, suicide and homicide among partners, and to figure out how the duration of the relationship becomes a factor in this and, to provide knowledge of how these acts negatively impact the children that find themselves born in the affected famili es. There is a need for increased monetary support for psychosexual studies (Kearney and Alison 697). This research involves and targets the sexually active individuals who are above the age of 18. Carrying it out during the convenient hours when everyone is at home and free would enhance accuracy since it will involve personal approaches. Therefore, its schedule is set only during the weekends and holidays. This time limitation stretches the aggregate time for the whole research to a minimum of 9 months. To save time and funds, I will collect data from 3 neighborhoods, 2 colleges and 5 universities since much female sexual coercion occurs on campuses (Duncan 107). Learning institutions make an indispensible part of this research. Across the United States, dating violence is very rampant in higher learning institutions with 9% men and 15% women victimized (Levers 357). I will collect data from about 100 spouses randomly chosen and about 200 individuals. It will cover a specific regi on, areas of a common county where other factors such as culture and lifestyle preferences will extensively remain constant. This will eliminate impurities from other social aspects to achieve a more honest outcome. Sexual relationship is a crucial social and procreation tool, but the violence and deaths it induces spoil the entire beautiful picture. Positive interactions are important

Investigation Of A Turner Circuit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Investigation Of A Turner Circuit - Essay Example The lab report is detailed on the testing as well the design used in the construction of a tuner circuit. Being that students are supposed to actively take part in the practical in terms of setting frequencies before checking output waveforms, they become better at understanding the operation of the tuner circuit. In this report, therefore, emphasis is on assessing a tuner circuit in order to understand its features better. A circuit allowing an output only at a given frequency forms a tuner circuit. The use of a turner circuit is mainly in the communications industry for selecting of channels. Besides, it plays the role of a sub-system in that it concerts selected carrier frequency as well as its bandwidth into a fixed frequency that is in turn proper in processing from the received radio frequencies (RF). The AM/FM broadcast transmissions then feed the demodulator with the intermediate frequency (IF) and the demodulator in turn converts the radio signal into audio-frequency signals that enable driving a loudspeaker. Applications of wider frequency bandwidth are in transmissions that are more complicated such as DVB-S/DVB-T/DVB-D in digital TV, PAL/NTSC in TV and DAB for digital radio. Frequency bandwidths are equally transmitted as IFs with the use of several sub-carriers in the receiver. If the whole bandwidth undergoes sampling with A/D at a faster rate, the sub-carrier processing takes place (Learn about Electronics.com, 2011). The expected rate is at least twice the IF frequency.

Annotated Critique of pain assessment tools Sport inventory for Pain Bibliography

Critique of pain assessment tools Sport inventory for Pain - Annotated Bibliography Example The research used a sample 134 base jumpers and Sports Inventory for Pain as its measurement instrument. The participants were approached prior to an event and their involvement was based on free informed consent. The paper concludes that personality traits possibly exist to determine pain coping responses among base divers.i Base diving organizers and participants should therefore consider personal experience in predicting involved pain in base diving (Griffith, Hart, Kessler and Whitmire, n.d.). The research article, as was authored by Bourgeois, Meyers and LeUnes, sought to examine applicability of Sports Inventory for Pain as a tool for measuring the level of pain among sports participants. The research does not have direct research questions but develops a clear objective. With its primary objectives of improving the version of Sports Inventory for Pain and to determine the â€Å"factorial and empirical validity† of the improved version, an implied research question would be, ‘do the revised version of Sports Inventory for Pain have a factorial and empirical validity?’ The research, upon consent from both participants and the University’s review board, subjected participants to an initial version of the tool as well as the improved version. SAS was then used to evaluate the two measurement tools.ii The research concludes that the revised tool is potentially applicable in forecasting individual’s ability to endure pain. It therefore offer s a basis, to athletes and physicians, for ensuring safety measures upon injuries (Bourgeois, Meyers and LeUnes, n.d.). This research aimed at examining the degree of validity of the tool, Sports Inventory for Pain. This develops a general scope for the research’s question, ‘does Sports Inventory for Pain have a psychometric validity?’ In order to conduct the investigations, the researchers conducted three studies in which volunteer university students participated. In the first study, seventy

Cowan Bowman Associates International Marketing Essay

Cowan Bowman Associates International Marketing - Essay Example At the inception of the company Cowan Bowman had the intention of developing the software for the international market. For they knew that if they supplied the products in only the domestic market, the company will have limited growth. In 1984 company launched Business package, a product developed to automate accounting functions and produce invoices and the accounting statements. The product met with immediate success leading to market development in New Zealand and Australia. 1) Business Package: This was the first software developed, in - house, by the company. It was designed to automate accounting functions and produce invoices and the statements for the medium-sized organizations with senior book keeping functions. 3) Corporate Series: This was designed as a more sophisticated package for incorporating foreign currency transactions. It was targeted at larger organizations consisting of groups of companies or subsidiaries that required a full accounting department or treasury. company were marketed only in New Zealand. The company distributed its products through its dealers; it had no direct selling strategy. The marketing strategy of the company for the softwares developed by it consisted of three-tier dealer network as follows: 3) For Corporate Series: This is the specialized software hence a small group of carefully selected, technically skilled, computer companies and chartered accountancy firms were appointed as the dea... Distribution network in New Zealand & Australia: Initially the products developed by the company were marketed only in New Zealand. The company distributed its products through its dealers; it had no direct selling strategy. The marketing strategy of the company for the softwares developed by it consisted of three-tier dealer network as follows: 1) For Trader: For distribution of Trader large numbers of computer retail shops were appointed as the dealers. 2) For Business Package: For this package a small number of computer companies and chartered accountancy firms were appointed as the dealers. 3) For Corporate Series: This is the specialized software hence a small group of carefully selected, technically skilled, computer companies and chartered accountancy firms were appointed as the dealers. Dealers did not receive title to the software; rather they received 30 - 45% commission on the sales. The same dealer network was followed in Australia. Organizational Structure of the Company: There were four distinct units within the CBA: 1) CBA- Responsible for software research and development. 2) Automation One (A1) New Zealand - Responsible for sales and marketing in New Zealand. 3) Automation One (A1) Australia- Responsible for sales and marketing in Australia. 4) Automation One Services- Responsible for custom software development and services. A1 (New Zealand) had 150 Trader dealers and 70 Business Package dealers of which 40 were very active. Dealers were responsible for selling CBA products as well as Data Flex, QED2 and Q&A. In 1990, A1 New Zealand accounted for 38% of total sales. Sales from CBA products accounted for 68% of total sales. Expansion to Australia: Cowan always wanted to internationalize his operations. When approached by the

The Global Warming Phenomenon Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Global Warming Phenomenon - Term Paper Example Furthermore, this increases the risk for flooding in the usual storm-afflicted areas, and the likelihood of drought in locations that get relatively less precipitation. The change in temperature also makes the storm tracks vary, making the weather less predictable. More importantly for humans, increasing temperature will lead to heat-related health incidents, air-quality respiratory illnesses, and low crop yields (Environment Protection Agency). Because of the vast effects of global warming, even the government is being called upon to resolve the issue. A strong effort from the Congress to mandate the polluters to pay for the clean-up of the greenhouse gases they produce is needed to prevent the excessive and unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions as well as to hasten the elimination of the gases. Investments on clean energy industries that use wind and solar power should are now strongly promoted. Households are encouraged to implement energy efficiency practices such as driving hybri d vehicles, reducing electricity use at homes and manufacturing plants with energy-saving machines, and advocating public transportation use, walking and biking (National Energy Information Center). MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING Many scientists believe that human activity is the main driving force causing global warming. Many evidences support such claim. It was seen that although the temperature in earth started increasing since the 1800, the most rapid increase has been observed in the recent decades (Environmental Protection Agency), and the increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are blamed for it. Greenhouse gases is a mixture of gaseous compounds such as water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO2), and aerosols that can fill the atmosphere to prevent infrared radiation from escaping to the space, trapping the heat and increasing the overall temperature of the earth (National Energy Information Center). According to World Meteorological Organ ization, there was almost a 30% increase in the Earth’s atmosphere in a span of two decades. Its concentration increases because the mechanisms that regulate their amounts in the atmosphere become less efficient. For example, in the case of CO2, it is regulated by the carbon cycle. During pre-industrial era, despite the production of CO2 by animals, the atmospheric CO2 remained constant. However, the continuously increasing levels of CO2 were noticed since the advent of industrialization, which emit the gas by biogas burning to power the machineries. Currently, the increased electricity and transportation use, as well as continuing deforestation add onto the CO2 in the atmosphere (World Meteorological Organization). CH4 is emitted from landfills, coal mines, oil and gas operations, and agriculture, all human activities. Similar to CO2, the industrial era marked the increase of CH4. NO2, on the other hand, is released from oceans, by burning fossil fuels, fertilizer use and in dustrial processes. Despite the relatively low amount of increase, its effects are around 300 times greater than equal amounts of CO2, because it also destroys the ozone layer that protects the earth harmful ultraviolet rays. Unfortunately, we cannot prevent the earth from heating up. This

Annotated Critique of pain assessment tools Sport inventory for Pain Bibliography

Critique of pain assessment tools Sport inventory for Pain - Annotated Bibliography Example The research used a sample 134 base jumpers and Sports Inventory for Pain as its measurement instrument. The participants were approached prior to an event and their involvement was based on free informed consent. The paper concludes that personality traits possibly exist to determine pain coping responses among base divers.i Base diving organizers and participants should therefore consider personal experience in predicting involved pain in base diving (Griffith, Hart, Kessler and Whitmire, n.d.). The research article, as was authored by Bourgeois, Meyers and LeUnes, sought to examine applicability of Sports Inventory for Pain as a tool for measuring the level of pain among sports participants. The research does not have direct research questions but develops a clear objective. With its primary objectives of improving the version of Sports Inventory for Pain and to determine the â€Å"factorial and empirical validity† of the improved version, an implied research question would be, ‘do the revised version of Sports Inventory for Pain have a factorial and empirical validity?’ The research, upon consent from both participants and the University’s review board, subjected participants to an initial version of the tool as well as the improved version. SAS was then used to evaluate the two measurement tools.ii The research concludes that the revised tool is potentially applicable in forecasting individual’s ability to endure pain. It therefore offer s a basis, to athletes and physicians, for ensuring safety measures upon injuries (Bourgeois, Meyers and LeUnes, n.d.). This research aimed at examining the degree of validity of the tool, Sports Inventory for Pain. This develops a general scope for the research’s question, ‘does Sports Inventory for Pain have a psychometric validity?’ In order to conduct the investigations, the researchers conducted three studies in which volunteer university students participated. In the first study, seventy

The Global Warming Phenomenon Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Global Warming Phenomenon - Term Paper Example Furthermore, this increases the risk for flooding in the usual storm-afflicted areas, and the likelihood of drought in locations that get relatively less precipitation. The change in temperature also makes the storm tracks vary, making the weather less predictable. More importantly for humans, increasing temperature will lead to heat-related health incidents, air-quality respiratory illnesses, and low crop yields (Environment Protection Agency). Because of the vast effects of global warming, even the government is being called upon to resolve the issue. A strong effort from the Congress to mandate the polluters to pay for the clean-up of the greenhouse gases they produce is needed to prevent the excessive and unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions as well as to hasten the elimination of the gases. Investments on clean energy industries that use wind and solar power should are now strongly promoted. Households are encouraged to implement energy efficiency practices such as driving hybri d vehicles, reducing electricity use at homes and manufacturing plants with energy-saving machines, and advocating public transportation use, walking and biking (National Energy Information Center). MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING Many scientists believe that human activity is the main driving force causing global warming. Many evidences support such claim. It was seen that although the temperature in earth started increasing since the 1800, the most rapid increase has been observed in the recent decades (Environmental Protection Agency), and the increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are blamed for it. Greenhouse gases is a mixture of gaseous compounds such as water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO2), and aerosols that can fill the atmosphere to prevent infrared radiation from escaping to the space, trapping the heat and increasing the overall temperature of the earth (National Energy Information Center). According to World Meteorological Organ ization, there was almost a 30% increase in the Earth’s atmosphere in a span of two decades. Its concentration increases because the mechanisms that regulate their amounts in the atmosphere become less efficient. For example, in the case of CO2, it is regulated by the carbon cycle. During pre-industrial era, despite the production of CO2 by animals, the atmospheric CO2 remained constant. However, the continuously increasing levels of CO2 were noticed since the advent of industrialization, which emit the gas by biogas burning to power the machineries. Currently, the increased electricity and transportation use, as well as continuing deforestation add onto the CO2 in the atmosphere (World Meteorological Organization). CH4 is emitted from landfills, coal mines, oil and gas operations, and agriculture, all human activities. Similar to CO2, the industrial era marked the increase of CH4. NO2, on the other hand, is released from oceans, by burning fossil fuels, fertilizer use and in dustrial processes. Despite the relatively low amount of increase, its effects are around 300 times greater than equal amounts of CO2, because it also destroys the ozone layer that protects the earth harmful ultraviolet rays. Unfortunately, we cannot prevent the earth from heating up. This

Different situations in the school Essay Example for Free

Different situations in the school Essay It is found out that parents of children suffering from learning disabilities represent other parents in expression regarding children’s upbringing, education as well as disabilities. Â  Understanding of these parents’ concerns greatly contributes to children’s education since they work together with teachers to assist the disabled children. It is not appropriate to generalize situations of parents whose children suffer from learning disabilities. This is because; the parents have different approaches of dealing with their children’s situation which is necessitated by their different backgrounds. (Myklebust, 2008) Parents have very high expectations, dreams as well as hope concerning their children’s life long before those children is born. The primary hope for every parent is to have healthy children regardless of the kind of sex and the preference of a desired sex comes after good health aspect. In cases where a child is found to possess disabilities and in this particular case, learning disabilities, parents lose dreams that they previously had for their children and they try to replace them with new dreams that fit children’s type of disability. However, grief associated with learning disability possessed by children tend to recur in parents’ mind periodically including previous expectations that fail to take place which mainly occurs during anniversaries. (Donahue, 2002) Parents’ Experiences, Understanding and Expectations for Their Children with Learning Disabilities The parents of millennial generation children are noticed to have more concern for aspects related to their children’s education particularly for those suffering from learning disabilities. Among the areas of concern for this category of parents is safety where parents are concerned with whether their children’s feelings as well as emotions are safe. This is because they fear a situation where they may get hurt by being looked down upon by other normal children. They also worry of the manner in which school personnel treat their children when they fail to respond to learning as expected. Since learning disabilities attract special attention to this category of children, they tend to be vulnerable to bully from other normal children which also affects children’s emotions negatively. (Ramcharan, 2005) The situation where parents mind about their children’s safety sometimes leads to overprotection on the side of children suffering from learning disabilities. This develops negative effects on those children’s development and some of these children suffering find this kind of treatment inappropriate as compared to their age. (Sigel, 2006) Another area of concern for parents whose children possess learning disabilities regards other children’s as well as parents’ attitudes towards their children’s situation of learning disability. They wonder whether their children will be accepted or will be alienated due to their possession of learning disabilities. For instance, some parents of non-disabled children consider education funds directed to education of children who possess learning disabilities as going to waste. They prefer that the funds are entirely used on their children who are more productive. Parents of children possessing learning disabilities experience difficulties in explaining the disability situation to their children. This affects the relationship between them since the children feel that some truth regarding their disability is being hidden from them, which is the reason as to why they are accorded much attention. (Goss, 2001) Attitudes and Experiences of Children Possessing Learning Disabilities within Different Learning Environments There is a wide variety of experiences as well as attitudes that children suffering from learning disabilities undergo within learning environments. These experiences include a situation where they are discriminated by fellow students and find it difficult to have friends as normal students do. This is contributed by their inability to keep up with their friends’ knowledge and speed to learn and understand things which makes them to be alienated. The fact that these children are mostly with their teachers receiving extra guidance on topics taught in class when others are playing make it difficult for other children to interact with them due to the ever presence of their teacher. It follows that children suffering from learning disabilities are always around their teachers where they tend to develop comfort which denies them a chance to learn how to associate with peers. This category of children also finds that avenues in which they can make friends are limited in their learning environment. In cases where there are extracurricular activities in which they can indulge in, they lack time for that since they are mostly getting special classes during their free time. (Gates, 2003) There are situations where children’s learning disabilities tend to overshadow their abilities according to their teachers’ perception. Some teachers direct their focus on the children’s situation rather than capability of those children to develop some understanding of educational concepts. For instance, a teacher may recognize a child’s struggles with science subjects to a point that he/she fails to recognize that the child is gifted in art. This negatively affects this category of children as they feel very inadequate since they are not appreciated for what they are good at doing. (Butler, 2002) Some school personnel may be willing to appreciate areas that children are good at, but it is hindered by identification methods applied in learning environments. Identification is normally conducted through standardized tests which is not the appropriate measure for their giftedness. The standardized tests require some adjustment as well as modifications before being imposed on the children in order to point areas in which they are gifted. (Taylor, 2005) The achievements of children possessing learning disabilities sometimes go unrecognized since there is no clear separation between the work done by teachers and that done by the children. Some people feel that their achievements are accompanied by so much follow up from teachers. This demoralizes the children especially when they are sure that they contributed quite a lot towards their success. Another disturbing situation for children suffering from learning disability is where they have to shift from schooling levels like when moving from elementary level to secondary level. Another transition is when this category of children’s families relocates to new residential areas where the children have to change schools. Children suffering from learning disabilities find it hard to adjust during these two transition periods. The main difficulty comes where they have to initiate new relationships in their new schooling levels as well as schools. That is; they have to introduce themselves and their situation to their new teachers who might treat them differently from their previous school personnel. This makes children to feel out of place when they realize that they are taking more time to adjust compared to normal children and even more when the new learning environment fails to fit their needs appropriately. (Westwood, 2003) These children feel stressed and pessimistic about starting the process of getting special attention in learning with the new school personnel. This stress and discomfort realized from difficulties encountered in adjusting to unfamiliar learning situation is normally manifested in some weird behaviour that was not previously recognized in the children which shows that the transition situation affects them psychologically. (Adelman, 2007) There are certain characteristics that describe the learning environment that children suffering from learning disabilities consider ideal, in which they would be absolutely comfortable if the were provided to them. These include a learning environment where needs, concerns as well as dreams of these children are accorded consideration by their teachers. They also prefer that their disability does not hinder their teachers from recognizing areas where they are gifted. Concerning the manner in which other children treat them, these children would prefer that other children interact with them freely without discriminating them due to their situation. (Kravets, 2003) Conclusion It is clear that; parents encounter distinct experiences with children suffering from learning disabilities including the situation where parents are not in a position to explain the learning disability situation to their children. This affects the relationship between parents and their children since the children feel that everything is not being revealed concerning their situation. These children also encounter challenging experiences from their learning environments. This is normally because they are not treated as they would prefer which makes them feel out of place. They point out that they would prefer to be integrated with other normal children in order that their learning disabilities do not hinder them from living a happy life. They also prefer that everything about their learning disability is disclosed to them in order that they get to know their level of disability and work towards adjusting it. (Sattler, 2007)

Price Discrimination: Concepts and Types

Price Discrimination: Concepts and Types â€Å"Please explain in details the concept of â€Å"price discrimination†, what are the different types of price discrimination. Explain with the use of examples.†   Ã‚   According to Phlips (1983, p.5) â€Å"the more one thinks about price discrimination, the harder it is to define.† Phlips (1983, p.6) suggests that price discrimination should be defined as† implying that two varieties of commodity are sold (by the same seller) to two different buyers at different net prices, the net price being the price (paid by the buyer) corrected for the cost associated with the product differentiation†. Another definition of price discrimination is â€Å"where a firm sells the same product at different prices† (Sloman, 2006, g.13). Geographical location, gender, race, age and income are some of the aspects in which discrimination among buyers may be established. In order for price discrimination to work, businesspeople must be incapable of buying goods at the lower price and reselling them at a much higher cost. The firm or company must have to some extent, monopoly power and firms must be capable of classifying domestic and industrial consumers (Economicsonline.co.uk, 2014). Laws against price discrimination have pursued to hinder its use by one business retailer driving out another competitive seller â€Å"bankrupt† by depreciating the rival in his own market, whereas retailing at a higher cost in other markets. (Encyclopedia Briticanna, 2014). There are three types of price discrimination. These are: first-degree, second-degree and third-degree price. According to Dwivedi (2006), the first-degree (also known as perfect price discrimination) is considered the â€Å"discriminatory pricing that attempts to take away the entire consumer surplus†. Investopedia (2014) defines consumer surplus as a form of economic strategy used to evaluate customer satisfaction. This is analyzed by exploring the difference between what customers are prepared to pay for each and every single good / service comparatively to the market price. Dwivedi states therefore, that only when the seller discerns the precise amount that a buyer is willing to pay for an item, (buyer’s demand curve) will first-degree price discrimination be deemed as successful. But how will the seller know this information? Dwivedi states that firstly the seller initiates the highest buying price that consumers are ready to pay (some may be willing to pay an elevated price while others at a lower price) and buy at minimum a unit of a product. Only when the consumer surpl us of this segment of customers is used up, the seller then progressively lowers the price so that consumer surplus of the buyers regarding the subsequent products can be obtained. An example of first-degree price discrimination provided by Cabral (2000, p. 170) is that of a doctor providing health care in a small town and who has ample information of all the people living in the town, particularly their financial status. Acting on this information, the doctor analyzes the client willingness to pay each fee and sets a suitable price. Another example provided by Cabral, is by aircraft. While certain manufacturers publish a list of fees for each airliner, in actuality each airline shells out a different cost for each aircraft. The graph image below shows a monopoly representation of the first-degree price discrimination. MC (marginal cost) and ATC (average total cost) are the regular curved shapes with MC traversing through the minimum point on the ATC curve. The solid line that slopes downwards represents the firm facing the market demand curve, which is identical to the firm’s demand curve, (D = d). The marginal revenue relates to the firm’s demand curve, (d = MR) since the company expenses every customer the highest price he / she is ready to make. At the output level, profit maximization happens; matching to MR equals marginal cost. Plast represents the price for each and every last unit of product sold. Subsequent units have a higher price. The end profit for the company adds up to the profits received for every unit subtracted from the ATC per unit (ATC0). The shaded area displays the total profit earned since the price for every unit is the highest price as established from the demand curve. Graham (2013). According to Mukherjee (2002), second-degree price discrimination is where prices vary depending on the amount of output bought by each consumer. This is also known as â€Å"volume discounting†. The seller incurs a higher â€Å"per-unit† cost for the lesser units sold while for the larger amount of product are sold at a lesser per-unit cost. Similar to the first-degree price discrimination, the company will result at a quantity of output where the marginal costs are covered by the prices charged. The objective of the seller is to draw out not the entirety of the consumer surplus, but just some of it as profits along with a remaining surplus. Ruby (2003). An example of this type of discrimination is the different prices charged for different sizes of cereal. Another example of this type of discrimination is the discounts found in stores; for instance a shoe store would advertise a list of shoes that qualify for the discount, where if a customer purchases one pair of shoes the other one would immediately grant that he/she gets a discount off the other pair of shoes. The illustration below represents a graph of second-degree discrimination. Ruby from digitaleconomist.org, utilizes an example of a company charging a variation of three prices for one item. He points out that if a user decides to purchase Q0 units then the cost P0 is charged for each unit of the good. For a larger quantity Q1 a lower charge P1 is made and for quantity Q*2 the price P2 is charged. â€Å"(the level of output such that P2=MC (Marginal Cost)† The third-degree price discrimination occurs where a firm is capable of dividing its consumers into different markets and charging different prices. Or in other words, charging different fees to each customer class. Each market is distinguished by exceptional â€Å"demand† characteristics. It is noted by Ruby that some of these particular markets may be â€Å"less† price sensitive in correspondence to others where the quantity demanded is more â€Å"sensitive† to cost alteration. This form of discrimination is very similar to second-degree price discrimination. An example provided by Managerial Economics, Hirschey (2009), is that a bus company may incur a lower fee and apply this type of price discrimination towards senior / aged people, as well as the disabled / handicapped individuals. This will therefore benefit these particular customers, providing a great service to ride the bus. Due to the increase of revenue earned from these passengers, the bus company may provide additional services such as going off route (routes that could not be maintained by the income from those full-fare customers only or it may be capable of functioning with a lesser taxpayer subsidy. References Phlips, L. (1983).The economics of price discrimination. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press. Sloman, J. (2006) Economics, (6th Ed). Prentice Hall/Financial Times. Economicsonline.co.uk,. (2014). Price discrimination. Retrieved 15 September 2014, from http://www.economicsonline.co.uk/Business_economics/Price_discrimination.html Price discrimination. (2013). Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago:Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Dwivedi, D. (2006).Microeconomics: Theory And Applications.(1st ed.). 327. New Delhi: Pearson Education. consumer surplus. (2014). Investopedia.com – Your Source For Investing Education. Retrieved September 15th, 2014, from Investopedia.com: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/consumer_surplus.asp Cabral, L. (2000). Introduction to Industrial Organization.(1st ed.) Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press. Graham, R. (2013). Managerial Economics For Dummies. (1st ed.). [Graham, R. Graph of First Degree Price Discrimination]. Retrieved September 15th, 2014, from: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/basics-of-firstdegree-price-discrimination-in-mana.html Mukherjee, S. (2002). Modern Economic Theory. (4th ed.). New Age International. Ruby, D. (2003). Price Discrimination. Retrieved September 15th, 2014, from: http://digitaleconomist.org/pd_4010.html [Ruby, D. Graph of Second Degree Price Discrimination]. Retrieved September 15th, 2014 from: http://digitaleconomist.org/pd_4010.html Hirschey, M. (2009). Managerial Economics. (1st ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

A Reader Response to The Lie Essays -- Lie Essays

A Reader Response to The Lie Pleasing people and the pressure that comes with it. This is a major factor in one's everyday life. Eli Remenzel, however, has been caught in the middle of just one of the many lies he will ever tell. It just happens to be that this lie was one that would make a lot of people disappointed. In the short story "The Lie", the parents, and Eli's actions make me angry. However, I can definitely relate to what Eli is going through. To start with, I got extremely annoyed with the mother throughout the story. Actually, it wasn't just the mother, it was both of the parents in general. Sylvia is way to bubbly and fake. And Dr. Remenzel is extremely self-centered."Eli, sit up! What's the matter with you?". Dr. Remenzel is too obsessed with the family image to pay attention to the obvious hints his son is providing. The thought of Mrs. Remenzel considering to ask for special accomidations for Eli angers me. She acts like the typical rich family is percieved. "I thought maybe through some flu...

Media Stereotyping of Men and Women Essays -- Media Stereotyping of Ge

Throughout society, men and women have been expected to live by guidelines consisting of media generated ideas and ways of living out life. Both men and women’s thinking process are being altered the negative effects of society’s mass media. For both sexes, this repeating negative exposure causes a constant downfall in self-image and creates media influenced decisions that lead to unhealthy lifestyles. The media effects the thinking process of both men and women in negative ways therefore media needs to be heavily regulated.  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Today’s young men are increasingly being influenced by the harming mass media. Starting at a young age, these young boys are big active users of many types of media such as watching countless number of hours of television, movies, and sports programs, listening to radio programs and CDs, and playing violent video games. These boys are increasingly surfing the Internet at record numbers unsupervised. All of these forms of media are making huge influential decisions in their lives. Young males are least likely to read beneficial sources of media such as newspapers and magazines. We live in a society that often sends many confusing and contradicting messages to males. These young people that are taking in large amounts of media experience a contradiction between their own reality and media’s messages. These young men are bombarded with advertisements and media based ideas that can harm and alter the way young men operate. Our young men of o...

A Wrinkle in Time Novel

Madeleine L’Engle’s novel A Wrinkle in Time is about a young girl named Meg Murry, who is far from perfect. While she does come from a close, loving family, Meg has low self-esteem and a stubborn personality. As she gets caught up in the battle to save the universe from evil, Meg uses both her strengths and her weaknesses to help her. The novel begins by introducing Meg as a girl who has very low self-esteem.L’Engle describes Beg making horrible faces at herself in the mirror, flashing a snarling smile of braces and messing up her mouse-brown hair. If Meg sighing loudly at her own reflection isn’t enough to convince the reader that Meg doesn’t like herself, the scene when she yells, â€Å"I hate being an oddball! † should prove the point. Though Meg doesn’t feel good about herself, she does care deeply about her family. She worries about her missing father and eventually goes to Camazotz to save him.While she’s tessering around the universe, Meg sees her mother crying back on Earth. Meg’s love for her mom is so strong that she reacts by getting angry, gaining more strength to use in the battle against evil. In the end, it is Meg’s love for her brother Charles Wallace that gives her the power to save him from IT. Throughout the novel, people tell Meg hat she’s too stubborn. She gets in trouble in math class because she refuses to show her work and do problems the teacher’s way.She’s even stubborn when she’s sent to the office, and Principal Jenkins tells her to â€Å"†¦be less antagonistic. † But it is this stubborn quality that keeps Meg going in the fight against the Man with Red Eyes. A less strong-willed person would have backed down from fear when faced with such an evil character. In conclusion, Meg is such an interesting character because she is not perfect. She is a stubborn girl with low self-esteem, but her love for her family helps her use her weaknesses for strength.

Children and Sexual Abuse

Identifying symptoms/signals of child sexual abuse When a child has been sexually abused, he or she may begin to form many different types of problems. Some of these problems may be physical or mental in nature. With these problems children will begin to show signs of said abuse. Each child will show different signs throughout different stages depending on the type of abuse that they have endured such as being looked at in the nude, inappropriate touching, and physical penetration.Younger children will normally show you signs rather than tell you what is happening to them, and each child will be unique from the next child in his or her signs, forever many people may not be aware of what signs of sexual abuse are. The initial signs of abuse may not indicate that sexual abuse is happening, however may be an indicator to parents, teachers, and others that something is not right with this child in question.Some of the initial signs that suggest that abuse is happening may be nightmares w ith no apparent reason, changes in the eating habits, refusing to eat at all, or being withdrawn from others. Signs may also escalate to be to showing that there may in fact be sexual abuse happening. The sexually abused child may suddenly become afraid of certain places or people, may talk about new secrets with certain adults or adolescents, and may talk of having a new older friend. The child may have money, toys, and other gifts that he or she cannot explain, or say that they came from a new friend.Some children may even refuse to remove their clothing during appropriate times, such as to take a bath. Children may regress to a younger child's behavior by once again sucking their thumbs, or wetting the bed again when they haven't done so in years. A child who has been sexual abused may begin to act out inappropriate sexual actions with joys or other objects, such as touching themselves with objects, or using dolls, stuffed animals, or other toys to imitate sexual acts, and others may draw pictures of what has been going on with them.While another child that has been sexually abused he or she may develop new names for their body parts, or start thinking that that their body, and body parts are dirty, or that they are bad. There are some children that will even harm themselves, or disfigure their bodies when they have been sexually abused. Many of these children will become anxious, nervous, some may have mood swings that old include anger, aggressiveness towards parents, siblings, friends, and even their pets. They physical signs of child sexual abuse may be rare, especially to someone who is not trained but do exist.Pain, disconsolation, bleeding, and abnormal discharge in the genitals, anus, and mouth are a few of the physical signs that may be seen. Some children may have frequent pain during urination and bowel movements as well as, wetting and soiling accidents that they have otherwise outgrown. Other physical signs that may be seen, but are more likely to be noticed by a trained professional may be TTS and tears in or around the vaginal or anal openings, or vaginal infections. There are the rare occasions that the signs of sexual abuse are sexually transmitted diseases and even pregnancy. Center, n. D. ) Long and Short-term Effects For the victim child sexual abuse can be devastating, not only in the near future because the effects of sexual abuse can extend far beyond childhood, in some that may last for the rest of their lives. In many the short term effects are very similar to the signs of sexual abuse, such as betting and thumb sucking when it should be out grown, sleep disorders, eating robbers, behavior issues, or performance problems at school, and refusal to participate in school activities.The effects of child sexual abuse can deprive a child of their childhood and their ability to learn how to have a healthy relationship with an adult, as they lose the ability to trust in those who were supposed to protect them. Childre n learn how to trust, love, and make relationships from adults and older children. When an adult or adolescent child sexually abuses a child it breaks that trust that an adult will give them that care that they are supposed to be instilling within that child.Sexual abuse robs children of their childhood and creates a loss of trust, feelings of guilt and self-abusive behavior along with anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, and poor self-esteem. When it comes to long term effects child sexual abuse can lead to antisocial behavior, deeper depression, identity confusion other serious emotional problems. Adults who have been sexually abused as a child can have difficulty with intimate relationships, and often feel guilt, shame, and self-blame as they become adolescents and adults.Many will take personal responsibility for the abuse, as though they have rough the abuse on to themselves, that they asked to be touched in these wrong ways and because they feel that way they think that t hey are dirty individuals, because when the abuse is by someone that they know and trust it makes it hard for the child to see the abuser negatively, which makes it may be hard for some children to see that it was the adult who was at fault rather than the child themselves.So they often blame themselves and take on a negative messages about themselves, and intern may display self-destructive behaviors and experience more suicidal ideation than those who have not en abused (Browne & Finickier, 1986) Many children grow into adolescents and adulthood having low self-esteem and have body image problems. They see themselves as being dirty or ugly, unhappiness with body or appearance, and eating disorders, some even grow to disfiguring their bodies so that they will no longer look attractive to those that have sexually abused them.Children who were sexually abuse may experience difficulty in establishing interpersonal relationships. Common relationship difficulties that victims may experi ence are difficulties with trust, fear of intimacy, fear of Ewing different or weird, difficulty establishing interpersonal boundaries, passive behaviors, and many continue life into abuse by getting involved in abusive relationships. Risks. There are certain risk markers for children to possibly be sexually abused. The main factor is age, as most children who are abused are within the ages of 7 and 13.Gender is also a factor, as female children are sexually abused more often than children, however it may be that boys are not reported as often as female children. It is not easy finding risk factors of child sexual abuse as most research goes back to the signs and symptoms of children that ay have been sexually abused. Statistical data. There are many estimates of the number of children who are the victims of sexual abuse. ; One U. S. Governmental source counts 78,1 88 child victims of sexual abuse in 2003.That's a rate of 1. 2 per 1 ,OHO American children. ; The 2001 National Crime Victimizing Survey, which only covers youth 12-17, estimates that 1. 9 per 1,000 children are raped or sexually assaulted. ; National surveys of adults find that 9-28% of women say they experienced some type of sexual abuse or assault in childhood. (Finickier) Studies by David Finickier, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, show that 1 in every 4 girls and 1 in every 7 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse.Studies also show that 20% of adult females and 5-10% of adult males recall a childhood sexual assault or sexual abuse incident. During a one-year period in the U. S. , 16% of youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized, and over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U. S. Youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized. He states that children are most vulnerable to childhood sexual abuse between the ages of 7 and 13. (crime. Org, n. D. There are so many different statistics on child sexual abuse.Many reports show a very different stats on each site, how ever they are all relatively close. Treatments Treatment for child sexual abuse can be very complicated, and can be a very long if not life long process. Treatment starts with making sure that the child knows that he or she is safe and that they will not be hurt any more, it also starts by educating the parents and family members, as to what they should expect throughout the duration of treatment and that it is not the child's fault.Trauma-focused Therapy for Childhood Sexual Abuse was developed to help revived information about the impact of child sexual abuse on a child. It helps to stress the importance of including parents/caretakers in the treatment of the child of sexual abuse, and to show the need for children in therapy to learn specific skills to deal with what has happened to them and to talk about the details of their sexually abusive experiences. With this therapy they emphasize how talk therapy can help a child by talking about what happened to them.Showing them that wh at happened to them was wrong, but that the child what not the one who was doing something wrong. It is an evidence- eased treatment to help children, adolescents, and their parents overcome trauma-related problems, such as child sexual abuse. It's supposed to help reduce negative emotional and behavioral responses caused by child sexual abuse, as well as domestic violence, traumatic loss, and other traumatic events.It addresses inaccurate beliefs and thoughts related to the abuse, while it helps to provide an environment that will support the child in therapy, where children are encouraged to talk about their traumatic experience. This therapy helps the parents who were not abusive to the child to cope effectively with their own emotional distress, and to teach them about child sexual abuse, while helping them develop skills that support their children.

Italian Neo Realism and the Movie Rome Open City Review

Italian Neo Realism and the Rome Open City - Movie Review Example 45-87). This paper discusses Italian neo realism and its portrayal in the movie Rome Open City in a concise and comprehensive way using the sources mentioned in the list of Works Cited. Adair (pp. 45-87) discusses that the liberalization of the economy and the relaxation of political controls coincided with the Italian entry into the Second World War in June 1940 on the side of Germany. The situation in Italy, by 1940, was one of ideological and political uncertainties, and in part, for these reasons, of artistic possibilities. Armstrong (pp. 78-99) discusses that De Sica's I bambini ci guardano/The Children Are Watching Us (1942) and Visconti's Ossessione/Obsession (1943), variously regarded as the 'first' neo-realist films, and perhaps, the 'first' anti-fascist ones, were produced by private companies with State subsidies and State approval. And, Rossellini's 'Fascist' war trilogy, made as war propaganda between 1941-1943, was described by him as 'neo-realist', as much neo-realist as his antifascist Roma citta aperta/Rome Open City (1945). If the issue was ideology or economy, the Fascist Party or the interests of industry, it was the latter not the former that prevailed (Armstrong, pp. 78-99). By 1943, Fascism was no longer supported by Italian capitalism. On the contrary, it was pushed aside. Fascism had become a danger. It was no longer a protection against social disorder, but the cause of disorder, no longer an instrument for economic development, but a hindrance to development. The class that had helped brings Fascism into being, now acted to eliminate it. Mussolini was overthrown by a coup within the Fascist leadership encouraged by conditions created by the Allied military advance, and not by the 'people' (Armstrong, pp. 78-99). He was replaced by an officer in the Fascist High Command, Marshal Badoglio. The dates of Italian neo-realist cinema roughly correspond to the fall of Fascism in 1943 up until the consolidation of the first postwar Italian government under the Christian Democrats (Dc) around 1951 [the Dc came to power in 1948]. But the features of Italian neo-realism are not at all clear (Armstrong, pp. 78-99). Neo-realism was a tendency more than it was a definite aesthetic. Some films were more neo-realist than others. None were ever purely neo-realist. Neo-realism was an ideal toward which certain films approached in varying degrees of closeness. What is most important is to indicate the conditions that made neorealist cinema possible, then impossible, rather than to attempt to define it. The dominant cinema in Italy in the 1930s--the cinema associated with Fascism--was a commercial genre cinema. Most films screened in Italy came from America, nearly 80 per cent; most Italian films were modeled on American ones. It was logical that Italian films took American ones as their model. The Italian industry, with help from the Fascist State, sought to reconstruct itself and prosper (Munsterberg, pp. 673-76).