Media Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Media Journal - Essay Example in her Ballet class and she often hears them pass weird remarks about themselves such as their skin is blemished or with pimples or that they had had a fat day. Some of them went to the extent of saying that they looked disgusting. Being a blogger herself, Julia brought this problem to the attention of other bloggers by starting an online petition drive. Julia took it a step further by taking the Seventeen Magazine to school and showing it to many of the kids, both boys and girls and asked them if they agreed with the petition where she asked the Seventeen Magazine to â€Å"commit to printing one unaltered — real — photo spread per month.† (Julia Bluhm, 2012) Most of them agreed with it and signed the petition. In fact, the total was a staggering 46,000 people. Julia, with the help of her mother and a few friends visited the Seventeen Magazine office and held a demonstration outside. Ann Shoket, the editor -in - chief invited them inside and both parties thrashed out the problem together. Even though the editor explained that things like freckles and moles could be covered by make up, Julia was not convinced stating that it was not possible to cover up everything and so strongly feels that they were using digital

Issue of increase in the length of annual report Essay

Issue of increase in the length of annual report - Essay Example All of this means that a prospective reader of the report will have to analyze a large number of pages to reach to appropriate conclusion. The analysis of this report is to analyze the issues arising out of increase in the length of annual reports. The first section of the essay covers the major reasons of increase in length. The second section analyzes the impact of the larger size in terms of effectiveness of communication to appropriate stakeholders and the problems therein. We will then conclude with the possible solutions to the problems identified. Reasons for increase in the length of annual report One of the primary reasons for the increase in the length of the annual report is the imposition with regards to the representation of information in annual reports. The various statutory laws and the mandatory disclosure that the organizations have to make in their annual reports: Director’s reports including business review: This section which has been made mandatory by the Companies Act (CA 2006) shall cover the performance of the company including analysis of the significant developments happening in the company and the industry, analysis of key financial indicators, the trends in the industry, employee information, the macro and industry level environment factors along with social and community issues and initiatives. The operating and Financial Review: These guidelines published by the ASB’s reporting statement have made it voluntary for organizations to publish the operating and financial review. For example discussion on investment in intangible assets such as brands and liquidity is a very important requirement for organizations. The 2008 Annual report of Reed Elsevier and Great Portland Estate’s annual report such discussions in length. Corporate Governance disclosure: The Listing Rules, The Disclosure and Transparency Rules (DTR), The Combined Code and supporting guidance make it mandatory for a firm listed in UK to make stateme nt of its application and compliance to the main principles of the Code. There are additional requirements imposed on by the Turnbull Guidance (on internal controls), the ‘FRC Guidance’ on audit committees. The organization is also required to ascertain its status as a going concern in the annual report through appropriate explanations. Some of the other additional items that are required as per various statutory laws in the annual reports include: Responsibility statement from the appropriate selected member Director’s liabilities for disclosures Information on gap between gender pay Greenhouse gas emissions Audit The Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) has also resulted in additional business review requirements in the annual reports of the listed organizations. Material contracts: Lord Sainsbury in 2006 also suggested adding certain important material contracts of the firm with suppliers as well as buyers that have a significant impact on the business. Certain annual reports contain certain information that is not relevant to any of the stakeholders. In addition, organizations also indulge in reporting information that does not change from year to year in annual reports. Immaterial disclosures that make it difficult for the reader to identify and analyze relevant information also increase the length of annual report. Such type of information has been called ‘clutter’ by the ASB. Majority of the clutter in the annual

WHAT KIND OF COMPANIES STAND TO GAIN THE MOST FROM ENTERING INTO Essay

WHAT KIND OF COMPANIES STAND TO GAIN THE MOST FROM ENTERING INTO STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH POTENTIAL COMPETITORS WHY - Essay Example Strategic alliance refers to the joint decision of two firms to share a part of their resources and abilities mutually among them to acquire competitive strength in the market. In the business world, strategic alliance between firms is an increasing trend. Sometimes through these strategic alliances, firms may get monopolistic competitive position, which is not beneficial for the economy. The strategic alliance option is highly adoptive in technology based industries for which there involve huge cost for research and development and high risk of failure. Thus sharing of the technological resources facilitated through strategic alliance will helps firms to share the risk also. In industries, where cost of doing business are high, also adopt strategic alliance as a tool for reducing the operating cost by economies of scale in operation. In the period of global competition, the industries realize that through sharing of valuable resources between their competitors would contribute to th eir better market performance. The successful industries use higher level strategic alliance to improve their operational efficiency. (Strategic Alliance 2009). â€Å"Strategic alliances are agreements between companies (partners) to reach objectives of a common interest. Alliances are among the various options which companies can use to achieve their goals; they are based on cooperation between companies. The description â€Å"strategic† limits the field to alliances that are important to the partners and have broad horizons.† (Pellicelli 2003). Strategic alliance provides capability to access the technologies and other facilities of competitors. It allows the business firms to progress rapidly by using the valuable resources of competitors. Through the alliance, new ideas about advanced products can be generated as it supports innovation. It helps to diminish the impact of risk of failure of the project by sharing it with

Apprentices, Planters and Special Magistrates 1834 -1838

Apprentices, Planters and Special Magistrates 1834 -1838 Introduction The Apprenticeship System was intended to provide a smooth transition for the ex-enslaved into freedom after Emancipation was declared. It also ensured an adequate supply of labour for Planters during the period it lasted.[1] The newly made Apprentices were separated into two groups: the Praedials who were to work 6 years in the fields and the Non-Praedials who were to work 4 years domestically.[2]Apprentices were supposed to learn new skills such as budgeting and saving. Planters on the other hand, were expected to introduce new technologies and get accustomed to paying wages. Special Magistrates were employed to make sure that the planters obeyed the laws and the ex-enslaved were protected. The system was implemented in British Guiana, Trinidad and Jamaica. However, Antigua and Bermuda did not implement it.[3] The aim of this study is to examine the views of the Apprentices, Planters and Special Magistrates as they recall the Apprenticeship System during the time period, 1834-1838. It is necessary to research this topic because it needs to be examined more in depth as it is not widely researched. One can obtain valuable insight from the different perspectives of the Apprentices, Planters and Stipendary Magistrates in this case. Apprentices The Apprenticeship System was not anything like what freedom should have felt like. Although it was supposed to be a transitional for many ex-enslaved it ended up being nothing more than a further period of bondage. At first they were happy in 1834 when Emancipation was granted, but later on they became confused and upset when they realised that their new freedom came with terms and conditions to abide by just as if it were enslavement continued. Apprentices did not understand this system which led to instances of protest. From time to time short strikes occurred and acts of sabotage just as during the enslavement period[4]. For example, in Jamaica. John Graskell of Mt.Sinai was found guilty of insubordination and attempting to get other apprentices to resist[5].These actions taken by the Apprentices showed that they were unhappy with the Apprenticeship system. Even though the Apprentices were supposed to be paid for any additional hours of work other than the 40  ½ hours they had to complete each week, Planters continued to frustrate them by tying wages to the rent of huts and they often took advantage of the Apprentices by making them work the extra hours for no pay as they knew that the Apprentices did not have the knowledge to calculate how long they worked and if they were getting paid accurately. Apprentices were in a weak position which did not enable them to bargain with Planters about the conditions of their employment.[6] Aside from this, Planters also punished the Apprentices by using one of the harshest punishments, the treadmill which was carried out in workhouses.[7] The Apprentices were quite confused when they received these horrible punishments and faced these frustrations because they were supposed to be treated as free men and employees. This clearly did not happen. Figure 1: Apprentices on the Treadmill       Digital Image.GeorgetownsvgrevisitedN.p., n.d.Web. http://www.georgetownsvgrevisited.co.uk/resources/Sugar-Plantations-In-South-America.jpg?timestamp=1442850837171> Plantocracy The whole idea of the Apprenticeship System was upsetting to planters, because their properties (the Africans) were granted their freedom. The planters were disgusted by the Apprentices and they did not view them as people who should be granted their freedom. Even though planters were compensated, this did not stop them from extracting as much labour as possible from the ex-enslaved before full freedom set in. They tried to exercise their usual power over the now freed people. This was especially done as they had the right to decide if an apprentices work was satisfactory or not. Even though the Emancipation Act forbade physical punishment on the plantation, it ordered each colony to set up workhouses[8] to carry out punishments there. The workhouses were dominantly controlled by the planters nonetheless. When planters discovered that apprentices would sell produce from their provision grounds or work on other properties for income, they tried to stop it by all means. If the Apprentices were making their own money they would forfeit this control that the Planters had and the Planters did not want this. They started giving Apprentices poor quality provision grounds closer to their plantation or in the case of an Apprentice always having their own provision ground the planters made it difficult for them by cutting down fruit trees or forbidding apprentices to have livestock.[9] Planters also refused to pay fair wages after the 40  ½ hours, or pay the wages on time. The vagueness of the Act allowed the Plantation Owners to manipulate the terms and conditions to their benefit and made the Apprentices suffer. The Special Magistrates The Colonial Office attempted to see that the Apprenticeship System was being carried out fairly so they sent Special Magistrates to the Caribbean. They were supposed to protect the rights of the former enslaved and settle disputes between employers and labourers. Many of the Magistrates were either retired British army officials or were civil servants.[10] However, the ratio of Special Magistrates to Apprentices was small, therefore this left the Magistrates with a lot on their hands. Their job was extremely exhausting as they had no money and worked under poor conditions. A Special Magistrates salary was insufficient and they still had to provide their own housing, food and travelling expenses[11]. As a result of this, many Magistrates were forced to take bribes from Planters such as accepting meals and lodgings, often the night before a Magistrate had to listen to an apprentices complaint against a planter. This was not fair to the Apprentices as the Magistrates opinions were bias and they were automatically on the side of the planter. Even if there were Magistrates who wanted to help they could not as they did not have the resources to do so. Fortunately, there were still a few Magistrates who carried out their jobs well and went out of their way to help apprentices and investigating their complaints, often risking their lives. For example, John Bowen Colthurst,Captain James Grady, William Oldery and William Ramsey.[12] According to historian, W L Burn, a good magistrate was one who: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ tolerated neither undue laziness on the part of apprentices nor undue severity on the part of the masters; kept their districts in order, tried to work with the governor and (while courting neither the favour of the planter nor that of the negrophilists).[13] Conclusion The Apprenticeship System failed as it was plagued by poor labour relations as Planters intended to keep their traditional power and racial dominance over the Apprentices. It also failed as a British Parliamentary Committee recommended that workhouses be taken away from local magistrates due to evidence reports sent by the Special Magistrates in 1837.[14] The planters had mixed reactions to the ending of the system. Some still wanted the system to run its full course while others wanted it to end mainly because they no longer wanted to have the expenses of providing for the Apprentices. As expected, the Apprentices were quite happy that the system was ended. On August 1 1838, laws were passed to prematurely end it[15]. At the end of Apprenticeship everyone was freed wether they were a praedial or non-praedial. Figure 2 : A gathering for the listening of the Governor reading the proclamation of the end of the Apprenticeship in the Spanish Town main square, Jamaica, 1838 Digital Image. Jamaican Echoes. [1] Dookhan, Isaac. Pre-Emancipation of the West Indies. Longman Group UK Ltd.1988. p.94 [2] http://scholar.library.miami.edu/emancipation/culture2.html [3] Beckles McD, Hilary, and Verene A Shepherd, Freedoms Won: Caribbean Emancipations, Ethnicities and Nationhood. Cambridge University Press.2006 p.9 [4] Beckles McD, Hilary, and Verene A Shepherd, Freedoms Won: Caribbean Emancipations, Ethnicities and Nationhood. Cambridge University Press.2006 p.11 [5] I bid. [6] Dookhan, Isaac. Pre-Emancipation of the West Indies. Longman Group UK Ltd.1988. p.93 [7] Claypole, William and John Robottom. Caribbean History: Foundations Book 1, Pearson Education Limited, 2009. Pg.175 [8] Extracts from the journal of a special magistrate in Barbados showed how the workhouse was used to control apprentices who worked less hard than the overseer demanded or who challenged a planter. [9] Claypole, William and John Robottom. Caribbean History: Foundations Book 1, Pearson Education Limited, 2009. Pg.178 [10] Claypole, William and John Robottom. Caribbean History: Foundations Book 1, Pearson Education Limited, 2009. Pg.175 [11] The initial salary of a Special Magistrate was  £300 but this was seen as inadequate and it was then moved up to  £450. [12] Beckles McD, Hilary, and Verene A Shepherd, Freedoms Won: Caribbean Emancipations, Ethnicities and Nationhood. Cambridge University Press.2006 Pg.13 [13] Beckles McD, Hilary, and Verene A Shepherd, Freedoms Won: Caribbean Emancipations, Ethnicities and Nationhood. Cambridge University Press.2006 Pg.14 [14] Claypole, William and John Robottom. Caribbean History: Foundations Book 1, Pearson Education Limited, 2009. Pg.178 [15] I bid.

An Analysis of Boots Essay -- Health Beauty Products Retail Essays

An Analysis of Boots Introduction The business I have chosen is Boots due to my interest in health and beauty products. Boots is a multi-national company. It has branches all over the world including Thailand and Japan. Boots was established by John and Mary Boots. The first ever Boots store opened in 1849 in Nottingham selling herbal remedies for poor city people. One hundred and fifty four years later Boots now owns 700 retail units which have a value of  £740 million and a gross income of about  £900 million. The Boots organisation is a public limited company (PLC); Boots is a company run by a set of directors and a chairman for investing shareholders. Boots has its shares bought and sold at the Stock Exchange. By this it is open to anyone who trades in this market. When dealing with shares the organisation can issue different types of shares called preference and debenture shares. These shares have a higher status than ordinary shares. Advantages of being a PLC The organisation can become multinational or conglomerates. A good example of this is Boots as they have been bought by BASF a German owned company and due to this they have opened Boots stores in many other countries. Also the organisation can expand to third world countries which Boots has also done. By doing this Boots can use raw materials and nationalise even further. Public limited companies have advantages that they can expand their organisations into different businesses and conglomerates. This protects the firm from dealing in one market. Ø The organisation can be on the stock exchange and this enables them to offer shares for sale publicly. Due to this PLC's can acquire ready capital for further development if they ar... ...communication will be better because it is multidirectional unlike M.I.R stationers. The benefits of a flat structure are that the employees feel valued and are treated quite fairly, their ideas and opinions are also took in consideration. The hierarchical structure is quite complex and different to a flat structure; there are levels of importance and authority from the very beginning. This makes it difficult for staff to communicate to each other. And when communication is poor in any organisation, this has bad effects on the businesses aims and objectives. P6 list appropriately the sources of evidence you used in your research The sources of information I used for my research are: - Boots annual report Hodder GNVQ Business Intermediate GNVQ business Heinmann intermediate Business www.boots-plc.co.uk A leaflet called All about Boots An Analysis of Boots Essay -- Health Beauty Products Retail Essays An Analysis of Boots Introduction The business I have chosen is Boots due to my interest in health and beauty products. Boots is a multi-national company. It has branches all over the world including Thailand and Japan. Boots was established by John and Mary Boots. The first ever Boots store opened in 1849 in Nottingham selling herbal remedies for poor city people. One hundred and fifty four years later Boots now owns 700 retail units which have a value of  £740 million and a gross income of about  £900 million. The Boots organisation is a public limited company (PLC); Boots is a company run by a set of directors and a chairman for investing shareholders. Boots has its shares bought and sold at the Stock Exchange. By this it is open to anyone who trades in this market. When dealing with shares the organisation can issue different types of shares called preference and debenture shares. These shares have a higher status than ordinary shares. Advantages of being a PLC The organisation can become multinational or conglomerates. A good example of this is Boots as they have been bought by BASF a German owned company and due to this they have opened Boots stores in many other countries. Also the organisation can expand to third world countries which Boots has also done. By doing this Boots can use raw materials and nationalise even further. Public limited companies have advantages that they can expand their organisations into different businesses and conglomerates. This protects the firm from dealing in one market. Ø The organisation can be on the stock exchange and this enables them to offer shares for sale publicly. Due to this PLC's can acquire ready capital for further development if they ar... ...communication will be better because it is multidirectional unlike M.I.R stationers. The benefits of a flat structure are that the employees feel valued and are treated quite fairly, their ideas and opinions are also took in consideration. The hierarchical structure is quite complex and different to a flat structure; there are levels of importance and authority from the very beginning. This makes it difficult for staff to communicate to each other. And when communication is poor in any organisation, this has bad effects on the businesses aims and objectives. P6 list appropriately the sources of evidence you used in your research The sources of information I used for my research are: - Boots annual report Hodder GNVQ Business Intermediate GNVQ business Heinmann intermediate Business www.boots-plc.co.uk A leaflet called All about Boots

The Ideal Man Defined in The Fountainhead :: Fountainhead

The Ideal Man Defined in The Fountainhead  Ã‚     Ã‚   Ayn Rand has based her novel, The Fountainhead on the projection of an ideal man.   It is the portrayal of a moral ideal as an end in itself.   She has placed 'man-worship' above all and has brought out the significance of the heroic in man. Man-worshippers are those who see man's highest potential and strive to actualize it.   They are dedicated to the exaltation of man's self esteem and the sacredness of his happiness on earth. The Fountainhead has brought out the greatness of man - the capacity, the ability, the integrity and honesty in man - as an ideal to be achieved.   It is based on the idea of romanticism which means that "it is concerned not with things as they are but with things as they might be and ought to be." The Fountainhead is the story of an architect, Howard Roark-, whose genius and integrity were as unyielding as granite and of his desperate battle waged against the conventional standards of society.   It is a tale of hatred and denunciation unleashed by the society against a great innovator; of a man who has great conviction in himself; of a person who believes that man's first right on earth is the right of the ego and that man's first duty is the duty to himself, a man who redefines egoism.   An egoist, in the absolute sense, is not the man who sacrifices others to self.   He is the man who stands above the need of using others in any manner. Roark doesn't function through others. He needs no other men. His primary goal is to achieve perfection. He is a man with uncompromising values and integrity. In order to make her philosophy clearer, Ayn Rand has simultaneously given an account of people like Peter Keating and Ellsworth M. Toohey.   Peter Keating - a man who cheats and lies but preserves a respectable front.   He knows himself to be dishonest but others think he is honest and he derives his self-respect from that.   His aim in life is greatness - in other people's eyes.   Other people dictated his conviction which he did not hold but he was satisfied that others believed he held them.   Others were his prime concern.   He didn't want to be great but to be thought great.   He borrowed from others to make an impression on others.

Metallography Essay

Aims * To obtain experience in the metallographic readying of metallic specimens. * To detect the assorted microstructures in a welded mild steel articulation. Consequences Overview of 5 different microstructures in welded steel Detail microstructures of 5 different zones Discussion and analysis of consequences * The heat affected zone is a composing of parent metal which was heated to a high adequate temperature for a sufficient period but doesn’t thaws so that grain growing occurred. The heat affected zone is besides the part whose mechanical belongingss and microstructure have been altered due to the heat of welding. The heat affected zone undergoes sudden warming followed by rapid chilling. thereby incorporating a series of microstructures. These microstructures within the heat affected zone are fundamentally categorized into three different zones. viz. the grain growing zone. grain polish zone and passage zone. * * The merger zone exists between the grain growing zones. The parent metal in this zone was heated to the thaw point followed by chilling procedure. * The grain growing zone is right adjacent to the merger zone. The parent metal has been heated to a temperature good above the upper critical temperature in this zone. Subsequently. this consequences in the grain growing or coarsening of the construction. Coarse ferrite grains. Widmanstatten ferrite and pearlite are found in this part. * The grain polish zone is following to the grain growing zone. The parent metal has been heated to a temperature which is merely above the upper critical temperature in this zone. where grain polish is finished. ensuing in the being of the finest grain construction. Owing to the comparatively lower temperature. the ferrite and pearlite. which are represented by the white and dark countries severally are both much finer. This shows complete recrystallization. * the passage zone is the part where the metal experienced warming procedure at a temperature scope where partial allotropic recrystallization takes topographic point. This consequences in the coexistence of both ferrite and austenite. thereby doing the transmutation of most pearlite to austenite and by subsequent chilling. pearlite is reformed. * The unaffected zone is the part beyond the heat affected zone where the parent metal that is non sufficiently heated to alter its microstructure. Decision * Under microscopic position. typical zones in the parent metal are found. The alone microstructures in assorted parts are created because during the welding procedure. the parent metal and the dyer's rocket are subjected to different grade of heat intervention. * The difference of warming and chilling procedure every bit good allows the typical zones in the metal to hold their specific order of agreement.