Michael Coppola Essays - Civil Disobedience, Violence, Activism

Michael Coppola Civil Disobedience Part 2 Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws as a peaceful form of political protest. When civil disobedience is practiced when appropriate, it can be beneficial to the development of our society. Many past instances of civil disobedience resulted in positive changes in the structure of our society. In between marches, sit-ins, and demonstrations, found in texts 1, 3 and 4, they cause a huge increase in awareness that diverts the changes in society to a positive path. Civil disobedience brings awareness to both problems in society and solutions to those given issues. Within text 1, "Roughly 1,000 young activists [were] marching through the streets of Washington" with the goal to bring awareness to a "Broken' political system". On line 6, activists "blocked traffic and shut down intersections", causing everyone to pay attention to their invaluable message. People couldn't help but to notice the masses of protesters chanting their message. Many everyday commuters had to pass by this demonstration and had acknowledged their message. Alongside this protest, In text 3, 13 Greenpeace activists had attached harnesses to themselves and dangled themselves off the edge of St. John's Bridge in Portland, Oregon. After this courageous and brave demonstration, blocking boats and attracting hundreds of citizens to watch this awe inspiring act, many of these spectators had also paid attention to their crucial message. Some may say although these people relayed their message, some may argue that it was a great disfavor to society, due to the fact that they had stopped great amounts of traffic and work to bring awareness. In text 4, hundreds of students didn't attend to their classes and instead filled the front of the school, protesting against the unrealistic curriculum, stopping the whole school from achieving any kind of work. When you need to be successful, sometimes you must "Take a small hit for the big heist". Sacrificing a part of a day, making a small dent in society is a cost for being able to spread a message to all, for the greater good. Dante Barry from text 1 claims that, " We are here to take a stand, and to make our mark for a better future for the next generation". They needed to leave a mark, or dent to leave a piece of history to inspire many to change for the better, and to leave a long lasting message. Given the supporting evidence, it is very clear that civil disobedience is a healing factor in society in the long run. In between the marches in texts 1 and the activists in text 3, their message will be a long lasting and meaningful seed in societies developments. Although some people may think that demonstrations may harm society, the evidence shows this is not the case.

Valuation In Accounting Research

Valuation In Accounting Research Free Online Research Papers Introduction This topic focuses on share and firm valuation because when we talk about firm valuation, the most important element is the determination of a share’s price. Valuation is closely linked to capital budgeting, risk, returns and the cost of capital because a return model is a transformation of the valuation model, and the discount rate used in valuation and capital budgeting is either a part or wholly the cost of capital. Contents ? Valuation of critical: Maximise the firm’s value/ordinary shares Estimating the cost of capita ? Three models: Dividend Growth Valuation Models Link to value shares Theorises that Dividend payments constitutes value- Dividend may be increased or decreased depending on earnings Represents equity or ownership Includes voting rights Priority: lower than debt and preferred We can simplify the pattern for dividend payment as follows: The dividend has a zero growth rate, and r is also known as the market capitalisation rate (MCR) or the hurdle rate because the investor expects his â€Å"true† rate to be higher than the market rate or the hurdle rate. r is also called the holding period return, the HPR assumes that investors in securities would expect to get some of cash dividends and capital gains from the eventual sale of the shares. Dividends-Discounting Model (DDM) Where :?= sum of the series E [Dt] = Expected dividends in period t This formula is equivalent to valuing the market value of the firm’s equity at the present value since buying stocks is in fact buying a part of a firm Since future cash flows are constant, the value of a zero growth stock is the present value of perpetuity: zero growth CDVM Where: D= Constant dividend r= Required rate of return This formula is useful for investors who want to know the historical rate of return for a company’s stock, and also when the investor wished to determine the expected required rate of return for the future value of a firm’s stock The dividend growths as a constant rate Since future cash flows grow at a constant rate forever, the value of a constant growth stock is the present value of growing perpetuity: However, discounting the above successively depends on r and g: ? if r=g, the share would be infinite ? if rg, the dividends would grow The DDM models and rate of return it can changeable Free-Cash Flow Valuation models Link to value firm FCF is defined as the cash flow left over after deducting the costs of operations (purchases and expenses) and new investments from revenues (sales) FCF= Net Income (NI) + Depreciation-Cost-Investment Where: Vo =Value of firm at time t FCFt = CFOt Invt or FCFt = Nit + Dept ?WC Invt Since FCF measures the cash flow from the entire firm and hence enterprise cash flow or entity cash flow is more appropriate, which is based on the comprehensive basis, the discount rate used in the FCF context must be the cost of capital for the entire firm, which is the weighted average cost of capital. Since FCF is firm level, the growth rate relates to the cash flows of the entire firm. Growth rate (g) = Plough back ratio x ROA = k where ROA=return on asset Residual Income Valuation Models Link to value shares The alterative to the dividend-discounting model is the residual earnings or abnormal earnings valuation models. This model no need to use dividends or cash, it based on value add book value of equity as fundamental value and forecasts if residual earnings. The Ohlson (1995) model is concerned with a single firm’s market value as it relates to contemporaneous accounting information –future earnings, book values and dividends, and other relevant information. The valuation model is set on an efficient market with risk neutrality (risk free), no arbitrage, no information asymmetry, non-stochastic interest rates and a constant term structure. This equation is formulated by substituting RI for dividend into the DDM (equation Po = Div/r) the RIVM is restatement of the DDM. Though using the RIVM, we can value the firm’s equity using fundamental accounting data and there is no need to use DDM to value equity. Thus the only relevance of the DDM is just to provide theoretical support for using the RIVM Similar to the DDM and FCF models, the RIVM of equation can also be expressed in terms of constant growth model ? The advantage of the RIVM is that it emphasizes the important of fundamental economic performance to equity valuation in particular: The difference between ROE or and the cost of equity capital r The expected rate of growth in the book value of equity RIVM can help explain prices better than the DDM or FCF for two reasons: ? By definition, any increase in RI implies value creation ? By comparing the value of the firm and MWE, we can determine whether the share price is over valued or under value Conclusion ? Advantages of DDM (1) Very intuitive-it is easy to understand the DDM in that dividends are cash flows paid directly to shareholders. (2) The model is parsimonious. (3) Operationalization of the DDM is straightforward and easy to apply. ? Disadvantages (1) Obviously, the DDM only works for firms which pay dividends. (2) The DDM does not explicitly account for risk. (3) We need to make an estimate of the firm’s growth rate, g, but this can be difficult to do in practice. (4) As seen in point (2) above, we are not able to explicitly account for risk. (5) Estimates of the shares’ value are very sensitive to our estimates of g and r. (6) The DDM only works for firms which pay dividends. The dividends and residual income approach attempts to maximize shareholders’ wealth while the FCF approach attempts to maximize the wealth of the enterprise. Research Papers on Valuation In Accounting ResearchIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalDefinition of Export QuotasCapital PunishmentRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanThe Project Managment Office SystemAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaOpen Architechture a white paperPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy

Best Self Exercise Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Best Self Exercise - Coursework Example I remember one time when I graduated high school and about to enter college, my parents strongly suggested that I go to the university near our community because it was easy to access and most of my friends were already enrolled in that university. However, my goal was already set and I was determined to go to a different university my parents opposed to. I wanted to go to a different university certainly not because I wanted to defy my parents but because I trust myself that I could perform very well if enrolled in the university where the course I wanted was offered. I thought that I could be a better person and successful professional if I would be provided the chance to decide for myself. I was indeed fearful of leaving most of my friends behind and being somewhat far from my parents, but I thought of the kind of development and learning process that a new educational environment could bring me. I saw the opportunity of meeting new people, experimenting more about life all by mys elf, and just simply allowing myself to metamorphose into a more mature and responsible individual. To cut the story short, I took my chances of enrolling in the university I wanted, regardless of its consequences, because I knew myself and I was confident enough that I could do it no matter what. Most probably, what makes me confident and daring enough to take chances is the fact that I do not fear to fail. Most people would stay in their comfort zones and not undertake things or decisions they are unfamiliar with because they do not want to fall short of their expectations. What they do not realize is that they learn more each time they fail. They become even stronger and more capable each time they are unsuccessful. I believe that failing is an inevitable part of life, and the best way to deal with it is to accept it and learn something from it. My positive and happy disposition in life also contributes a lot to my confidence and boldness. I am the type of person who strongly dis likes a routine and boring lifestyle. I do not like doing the same things at the same place and time the rest of my life. I am always hungry for adventure. I believe that there is so much about life that I have to explore myself. I do not want to miss the opportunity of trying out new things, especially those that I truly desire, and discovering what I am really capable of. Having said this, I always make sure that I stay responsible for my actions and do some life experimentations for my welfare. Life is so much fun, beautiful, and colorful but it is up to us how we live our life wonderfully. At the end of the day, I do not want to feel regretful of the things I did not do that is why I always try to do what I desire and savor the experience. Name of the 10 people who provided feedbacks: 1. Nicole Grabenhorst - friend 2. Alexander Neumeyer - neighbor 3. Mia Johnson - schoolmate 4. Maria Holzerland - friend 5. Valerie Lopez - friend 6. Addison Page - neighbor 7. Dashiell Williams - neighbor 8. Cheryl Cullin - friend 9. Linda Harper - friend 10. Tameca Aniban - schoolmate From: Nicole Grabenhorst To: (your name) Subject: RE: Feedback Request One instance where I saw you at your best was when you did bungee jumping with me. I knew it was something you never tried before, but with no hesitation you jumped and just had fun. I thought you were so brave. Another instance was when some

Benefits of Nuclear Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Benefits of Nuclear Energy - Essay Example This essay stresses that generation of nuclear power forms effective utilization of nuclear energy is the most environment friendly process. Nuclear is a clean form of energy that affects the environment the least as compared with all other energy resources. The nuclear power generation plants do not emit any harmful gases (Agency, 2007). Experts regard this form of energy as one of the free of emissions energy. The waste management of nuclear energy processes is also very effective and the water or other drainage is free from pollution and satisfies the health and safety standards. This paper makes a conclusion that one major drawback of establishing a nuclear power plant is the fact that the setting of nuclear plants requires huge investments and costs. This is the main reason why the nuclear plants are usually difficult to set up. The installation cost of nuclear power plants is far greater than to those of plants of other energy sources. Moreover, it is not only the installation cost of the power plant but also the huge costs involved in providing safeguard to humankind from processes that are most likely to induce harmful effects on human beings. In addition to that, installation of these plants in remote areas makes it uncomfortable to transmit energy to distant highly populated areas. There is always a probability of people getting affected by these harmful radiations and radioactive wastes.

Performance Measurement in a Post Merger Integration Process Essay

Performance Measurement in a Post Merger Integration Process - Essay Example The objective of any merger is to increase the value of the enterprise which means the there is always an objective that helps the company to come up with such a strategy to merger with another company. This is mostly seen as a long term strategy culminating from inside research in the market as there is not firm which would like to lose its identity in the market as a result of the merger. (ndrade 2001, p. 106; Ronald and Suzanne 2000, p. 5) In the recent past, there have been increasing interest on the issue of mergers. Many people have tried to look at the effect of those mergers in the face of looking who are the real winners and who are the real losers of merger. There have been many studies which have been looking closely into the issue of outcome of the mergers and acquisitions. The outcome of these two processes has been evaluated on many grounds from economic, communication, and other performance standards. (Caves 1999, p. 4; Lipin 2000, p.4) Once we realize that the objective of any merger is to increase the value of the enterprise in the market in order to create a formidable force the can compete effectively with others in the market, it will be easy for us to analyse then how does a merger affect the operation of each firms after they merge. This paper will concentrate on assessing the post merger effects on trust building performance and communication in the new enterprise. It will review various literature and findings that have come from many researches. (Ghosh 2001, p. 13) Outcome of mergers Many studies that have conducted research on mergers and acquisition have basically centred on some of the interesting characteristics of the mergers. They have been able to categorize the effect of merge on three broad classes. The first class consist of measureing performance after a merger based on share price. The second one has categories it on profitability while the class takes in many studied which have used other effect of merger success. (Paul 2002, p. 49) As we mentioned earlier the aim of any merger is to ensure that there is success of a business. This success should not only be measured in term of finical success but also in the degree of integration the two firms. In this regard cultural integration is one of the most important aspects that help the merger to succeed. Whether a merger can be considered a success based on the financial implication depends on many factors including the benchmark that is used to evaluate the merger. Many studies have concentrated on the share price of the firm pre and post merger as a measure of success in themes. This is often based on the confidence the investors will have on the merger. In this regard, the revenue of the firm is used as bench mark for evaluating the success of the firm since the dynamic trend in the share price of a firm will depend on the revenue collection of the firm. (Sitkin 1996, p. 17; Kaplan 2000, p. 243) Based on the financial performance of the mergers, studies that have been carried out shows that 82% of all mergers evaluated have shown success in the share price and economic performance. However it has also been shown that more that 50% of all mergers do not meet the expectations of the investors with majority of them failing to attain the objectives of the new merger. Once a merger is planned, there

Tidal Energy Solutions SWOT Analysis

Tidal Energy Solutions SWOT Analysis Running header: SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis In todays world there is a major dependence on fossil fuels for our power needs. There are other forms of energy out there like solar and wind but they do not currently offer a good supplement to easing our use of fossil fuels. That is where Tide Energy Solutions (TES) comes in. There goal is to cut its use in half. Allowing for our limited supply to be used primarily for vehicle use and leaving our country to be run by its most prevalent resource, water. The ocean which covers 70 percent of the earth has massive potential in electrical production. The California based company has developed a new buoy based power generating plant which will take the â€Å"motion of the ocean† and turn this into useable energy. The simple description of how it works is easy to explain. Have you ever used a bobber when you went fishing? If you have or even have seen it done then you know that if there is any disturbance in the water then the bobber will rise with the water level. In the ocean there are constantly waves. By placing a much larger â€Å"bobber† they are able to take the rising motion created by the oceans waves and turn it into energy. The bottom of the buoy is heavily weighted so as a wave comes in, the buoyant top pulls away from the bottom driving the generators piston creating power. This power can then be transferred to land by a cable connected directly to the buoy or transferred to a ocean power management facility which can then send it out. Using SWOT analysis we can take a closer look to see the viability of the company. Internal Strengths Weaknesses 1. Unique patented product that is not easily duplicated. 2. Cost of sustaining energy production is marginal when compared to cost of sustaining fossil fuel production. 3. Renewable energy allows continuous operation. 4. Relatively new field. 5. Environmentally friendly. 6. Unique coating will protect product parts from salt water erosion for many years. 7. Company located on the coast so highway transport is not needed, saving cost. 1. High initial production cost. 2. Manufacturing process has low turnaround. 3. Maintenance can be costly/difficult on an in-place unit. 4. Degradation of metal parts will eventually occur in salt water and the unit will need to be replaced. 5. Limited data on length of life of product. 6. Geographically limiting factors External Opportunities Threats 1. Need for new forms of power. 2. Ability to produce power without limiting factors such as sun light or wind. 3. With more advancement cost to implement will become lower. 4. Environmentally pollution free. 1. New company could imitate or create more effective product. 2. Power giants. 3. Larger company with infrastructure could take over. 4. Environmental concerns over effect on sea life. 5. Cost could out weigh gains. Strengths There are many strengths to TES and they are as follows. First is the patented equipment developed and employed by them. No other company currently offers a product that uses our specific technology. This means that the ability for another company to attempt to catchup down the road is much less likely. Also given the limited nature of other companies in the market there arent many competitors that offer buoy specific technology. Another great strength is that compared to the daily cost to run fossil fuel processing plant, with workers, transport of raw materials, processing, etc. the daily operating cost of their product is virtually nothing. Although there are many aspects to keeping a processing plant running on a day to day basis, however the product simply needs to be put in place and wired to a power plant. While the cost of energy production remains so low there is also the fact that the main source the product is renewable, non-polluting, and widely available. Also through a partnering with a marine aquatics company they have been able to find a new underwater coating that will prevent damage to the metal components for 30 years compared to many of todays current products which will only last half that. Then there is the fact they are located on the coast with their own water access. This allows them to ship directly anywhere in the world and because they are used in the ocean there is no need to transport them over highways. A benefit to this is the money and time saved not having to determine logistical routes, obtaining transportation permits, and additional problems with road travel. Weaknesses Where there are strengths there are bound to be weaknesses. The first is the high initial cost of the power plant. There are many factors that have to be accounted for when they are being placed. They have to be built and loaded on to a properly equipped ship to be taken to there location, cable has to be run from the buoy location to an appropriate power plant and if one doesnt exist one may have to be built or a new location selected. Another weakness is the amount of time to produce the devices. Due to the newness of the field and low demand, manufacturing techniques are not at a level for quick mass production. Maintenance will also be a concerning issue. Maintenance will have to be performed underwater or by removing the power plant so that it may worked on out of water. Although both tasks are simple in itself the equipment and training required would be a unique skill set among todays market. Product life is an area were there is an element of uncertainty. While confident that the product is quality made, unpredictable factors could occur as they have not had a model subjected to 30 years of real world use. There are also factors that could cause limited geographic placement of the product. Things such as the wiring that is run to the power plant, existing underwater obstructions, and current marine shipping routes. The final weakness to mention is the fact that although there is an anticipated 30 year life, saltwater will eventually cause a degradation of metal components that will lead to large scale part replacement or replacement of the entire unit. Opportunities Next we will look at the opportunities that are available. Firstly anyone can tell you that there is a greater need for alternative energy sources. While this does not propose a solution to all of them, it can alleviate and substitute a growing need. The benefit to this energy source is greater than current technologies with solar and wind. Solar and wind technologies have their limiting factors. Such as solar on being viable in sunny open areas and only useable obvious during the day. Wind turbines have a limited amount of places that they can placed, require good wind flow, and take up land space. With this being a newer technology advancements in the field will only lead to a lower production cost and faster turn around times in the future. One of the most beneficial parts of the product are its environmentally friendliness. It has no harmful emissions, requires to external input, and takes up minimal space when compared to the vastness of the ocean. Threats Lastly there are the threats that are possible to look at. While this field is limited in competitors they are not the only ones currently in production of similar or different products that harness tidal energy. There is always the possibility of new form of tidal harvesting that could be discovered to have a much lower cost associated that would leave our product obsolete. Also there is a possibility of the larger power companies trying to gain a greater advantage by venturing into the tidal energy market, and if this was the case then we could not compete on a financial level with them. As for environmental concerns, while there is no emissions or pollution to speak of there are various oils and hydraulic fluids housed in the power plants. If they were to become damaged there is a possibility contaminating the ocean. Also different environmental groups are concerned that the introduction of our power plant on indigenous sea life. Mainly if they would still be able to inhabit the a rea surrounding said power plant or will be driven away. If the viability of our product does not pick up it is very possible that the initial costs will scare away the long-term gains of the our project. Overall there is quite a bit to consider in with this company. While the potential for growth in the field is quite great there are many unknown variables. It is possible that the high initial costs will be to great and overshadow the chance for the product to develop to a common use stage. Based on the SWOT analysis conducted I dont feel that continuing this product at the this time is wise. With the development of new technologies and better integration into the current system their exists the chance for a re-examination at a later date. References Dess, G. G.,Lumpkin, G. T., Eisner, A. B. (2010). Strategic management creating competitive advantages, (5th Ed.). New, York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Humphrey, A. S. (August 2004). SWOT Analysis. http://www.businessballs.com/. Retrieved January 16, 2014, from http://www.businessballs.com/. Ocean Power Technologies. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.oceanpowertechnologies.com/ January 16, 2014. Renault, V. (2013). SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. ctb.ku.edu. Retrieved January 17, 2014, from ctb.ku.edu.

Lord of the Flies: Fear of the Unknown Essay example -- William Goldin

A distressing emotion aroused by impending evil and pain, whether the threat is real or imagined is described as fear. Fear is what William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies encompasses. By taking three major examples from the novel, fear will be considered on different levels: Simon’s having no instance of fear, Ralph’s fear of isolation on the island, and Jack’s fear of being powerless. Fear can make people behave in ways that are foreign to them, whether their fear is real or imagined. In response to fear, people may act defensively by attacking, fear can either stop one from doing something, or it can make one behave in an irrational erratic manner. On contrary from all the other boys on the island Simon, a Christ like figure in the novel, did not fear the ‘beastie’ or the unknown. â€Å"Maybe there is a beast....maybe it's only us† Simon explained. (p. 97) The fear of the unknown in the novel contributes to the boys’ terror of the beast, the beast is an imaginary figure which lays in all of the boys’ minds and haunts them. Golding uses the beast as a symbol of the evil that exists in every creature. "You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are the way they are?" The sow head announced to Simon to be the â€Å"lord of the flies†. The â€Å"lord of the flies† is a figure of the devil, and brings out all the evil and fear in people. It wants you to fear it, but if you don’t believe in the â€Å"lord of the flies† nothing can happen to you. Therefore Simon didn’t fall into the trap, but the beast killed him, meaning the other boys on the island did. Simon discovered that the beast is in fact just a dead parachute man before he died and ran down to tell the boys about his finding. When Sim... ...t. By physically punishing the boys, they will fear Jack, so they will obey him "We’ve got to have rules and obey them" (P.47). In closing, fear can make people act in ways that are unfamiliar to them, whether their fear is valid or imaginary. In reply to fear, people may act defensively by being violent, fear can either stop one from doing something, or it can make one behave in an absurd unpredictable behaviour. As revealed, fear is demonstrated in the â€Å"Lord of the Flies† in three major ways: Simon’s lack of fear, Ralph’s fear of being isolated, and Jacks vast fear of being over powered by Ralph. Evil and fear is brought to the island by the boys themselves believed Golding. The world will essentially always have the same problem until every human being on the earth is unblemished, until there is no more evil or fear in the world. Obviously fear isn’t over rated.