The feasibility of climate change negotiation Coursework

The feasibility of climate change negotiation - Coursework Example There is an increasing unanimity among the scientific and the global community at large that the earth’s climate is changing. Human activities have been the number suspects contributing to climate change. Climate change cognizance has been followed by increasing awareness and concern among the public. The earth’s climatic conditions are at an advanced stage of making the world inhabitable. Unless organizations employ the correct mitigation efforts, irreparable changes may be inflicted on natural habitats that are used to feed humans, plants and animals. Climate change problems are shared, and they require a shared, unified and cooperative response. The world community needs to establish climate change mitigation that encompasses radical restructuring of the way the world’s economies function. The developed world is the main contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the consumption and unattainable means of production. The efforts put in place to mitigate climate change by the developed nations are not enough. Nations need to congregate and develop an action plan that can ensure effective climate change preventive measures work. Various climate change negotiations that have been by the United Nations have taken place. The Copenhagen Conference of the Parties (COP15) in 2009 deliberated on climate change as one of its main agendas (Batalha & Reynolds, 2012). The parties demonstrated widespread expectations of commitment for action.

Consultancy Report Essay Example for Free

Consultancy Report Essay As a subsidiary of one of the largest cosmetics organizations in the world, you are in a position to dramatically increase your potential and further capitalize on your brands recognition. My hope is that you will establish and maintain a broader, more diverse customer base and increase your overall profitability. Based on an in-depth analysis and research conducted on your organizations behalf, I have identified several problematic areas in need of immediate attention. The following document will serve to provide valuable information to address these issues accordingly. One such issue and perhaps one of the most crucial is that of the organization’s brand awareness levels in the United Kingdom. This is due in part to the fact that Mary Kay U.K. is not as widely recognized in the United Kingdom as it is in the Americas. I recommend increasing your presence to reach potential customers who would otherwise be unaware of your organization. We will seek to address the significant growth of new potential competitors while developing a means of competing effectively against already established competitors. You will learn of new methods in which to remain relevant and a viable global contender in the cosmetics industry. New products will serve to provide your organization with a competitive edge and differentiate your organization from all its competitors. New policies and changes in the organization’s infrastructure will increase employee satisfaction an important factor for employee retention. These enhancements to the organization’s current dealings can ultimately increase profitability, improve customer satisfaction levels, and increase employee productivity. As Mary Kay U.K. adopts these changes and once in effect, there will be a need to take on additional employees to tend to the day-to-day operations and supplementary qualified/experienced executive-level professionals, allowing for a more focused approach on the management aspects of the organization. Effective documentation of the organization’s financials will allow for more educated and informed decision-making procedures. Adequate fiscal records serve as effective management tool for predicting future success, identify problem areas and to make decisions that will assist in the organization’s overall effectiveness. In addition to significantly changing the inner workings of the organization in the United Kingdom, substantial changes to the organizations image and frontend interfaces may be required to assist with the issue of brand awareness. The organization must become a well-oiled machine internally as well as an aesthetically pleasing entity for potential customers, future investors and for those considering strategic business alliances. Creating a more convivial atmosphere with which your organization would then be associated will give these interested parties a respectable first impression. It is apparent that lacking presentation and unfocused management gives rise to the decrease or stagnation of profitability and employee retention. Changes to policy, organizational image, and infrastructure will not only prove beneficial but may in fact be necessary for the success of the organization and its future viability within the United Kingdom. In addition, there must be changes in customer behavior to increase the probability of the organization’s adoption. The organization needs to appeal to a broader customer base after shifting consumer views of cosmetics to match that of American consumers. Thus, by implementing novel, eye-catching, and feeling invoking imagery or advertisements, people will in turn be more inclined to purchase Mary Kay products. In order to be more successful, I recommend the transformation of current marketing strategies. Implementation of a marketing plan that encompasses the arguably successful word-of-mouth strategy in addition to overt and persistent adverts by way of social media will benefit the organization’s image. Because a constant stream of information pertaining to the actual products will allow the consumer to easily recall the information and develop a need for the product as presented by the advertisement. In addition, there must be a vested interest in appealing to the variety of potential consumers within the United Kingdom. Mary Kay U.K. would be wise to capitalize on United Kingdom’s ever-growing and diverse population, via the translation and representation of the multitude of languages spoken within the target areas of operation. This will allow for a more comfortable customer experience and personalized identification with the Mary Kay brand. Brand Awareness is at an all-time low as target populations fail to recognize the Mary Kay Brand. The organization must increase its visibility in the growing cosmetics market in the United Kingdom. This is possible with improved advertising and re-imagined brand association. Increased brand recognition will assist with declining profits. The proposals presented in this consultancy report, should Mary Kay U.K. opt to adopt them will serve to promote the organization’s business aptitude and increase overall profitability and effectiveness. My hope is that this educated and informed counsel will effectively navigate the organization into a state of increased viability and the optimization and growth of Mary Kay U.K. business operations and clientele. INTRODUCTION This consultancy report will serve to provide the Mary Kay U.K. Ltd. Subsidiary of Mary Kay Cosmetics with informed suggestions to increase the organization’s revenues and improving the day-to-day dealings of the organization from a management perspective. Following extensive research of the organization’s operations, I have prepared a comprehensive examination of the organization in its entirety. This research has been comprised of a thorough analysis of the organization’s fiscal and promotion facets. This report also takes into account the consumer aspect of the organization, and the organizations image as viewed by the public. In addition, it will serve to demonstrate the manner in which the target audience does or fails to accept this image. Crucial organizational issues have been identified and addressed accordingly, supplemented with recommendations for minimizing or eliminating potentially negative effects. These suggestions may prove insightful for the achievement of further profitability and consumer satisfaction should the organization choose to implement any or all of the changes proposed in this report. The information provided in this report comes via thorough research and analytical dismantling of data and industry trends and its reassembling in the form of a well-formulated business plan. Suggestions provided will seek to address Mary Kay U.K.’s organizational structure, the organization’s inclination to incorporate a corporate social responsibility element, consumer satisfaction, employee turn-over rates, decreasing or non-existent profits, brand recognition and awareness among target consumers and product quality, to name the most imperative of organization’s issues. In all, if implemented, these changes could ensure a significant turnaround for the Mary Kay U.K. entity. Numbers will rise to the status of or potentially rival those of its American contemporary. The organization would hold a strong position before its global competitors and open the door for future business strategic affiliations. The organizational redesign will prove beneficial for Mary Kay’s United Kingdom division as an organization, for the consumers now receiving increased quality services, and for the leveling of the cosmetics industry in the United Kingdom. ANALYSIS OF CLIENT BUSINESS Company Description and History Mary Kay Inc. is one of the largest cosmetics companies in the world to date. Headquartered in Addison, Texas at 16251 Dallas Parkway Addison, TX 75001 in the United States, it has manufacturing plants located in Dallas, Texas, Hangzhou, China and La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland for its European market. Mary Kay Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Mary Kay Holding Corporation. Founded by Mary Kay Ash in 1963 and based on personally established values that guided her everyday life she sought to help women live the life of their dreams. Company values include integrity, honesty and a belief in the Golden Rule; â€Å"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.† The mission, to assist and provide the vehicle that would allow prospective independent beauty consultants to have their respective dreams come true via the distribution, promotion, and retailing of a handful of products. Mary Kay Inc. identifies itself as a â€Å"Generation Everything† organization, meaning it serves everyone from all walks of life and of all ages. The organization recently posted that its revenues are up to 3 billion due to sales in its 35 + markets globally. All made possible by its 25 million global independent sales force.

Determination of aspirin and caffeine

Determination of aspirin and caffeine Results: Identify and mark the signals in the spectra and note the chemical shift values of the methyl resonances in aspirin and caffeine and the methylene resonance in s-trioxane. Using above expression, calculate the weight of aspirin and caffeine in one tablet, and the percentage w/w of each component in one analgesic tablet. Whole tablet weighed = 0.501 Half tablet weighed = 0.270 Mass of s-trioxane = 0.05 RMM of aspirin = 180 RMM of caffeine = 194 RMM of s-trioxane = 90 No. of moles of components = component integral/no. of protons giving signal No. of moles of standard standard integral/ no. of protons giving signal To find out the weight and percentage w/w of Aspirin and Caffience following calculations were made: Aspirin: No of moles of components (x) = ? No of moles of standard = mass of s-trioxane / RMM of s-trioxane = 0.05 / 90 = 0.000555 Component integral = 202.72 No of protons giving signal = 3 Standard integral = 200 No of protons giving signal = 6 Putting values in the above eq.1: x / 0.000555 = (202.72/3) / (200/6) x/0.000555 = 67.57 / 33.33 x = 67.57 x 0.000555 / 33.33 x = 0.00113 moles Mass of aspirin = moles x RMM = 0.00113 x 180 = 0.203g = 203mg % w/w of aspirin in the tablet = mass of aspirin / mass of the tablet x 100 = 0.203 / 0.501 x 100 = 40.5% Caffeine: No of moles of components (x) = ? No of moles of standard = mass of s-trioxane / RMM of s-trioxane = 0.05 / 90 = 0.000555 Component integral = 14.0 No of protons giving signal = 3 Standard integral = 200 No of protons giving signal = 6 Putting values in the above eq.1: x / 0.000555 = (14.0/3) / (200/6) x/0.000555 = 4.66 / 33.33 x = 4.66 x 0.000555 / 33.33 x = 0.0000775 moles Mass of caffeine = moles x RMM = 0.000075 x 194 = 0.0145g = 14.5 mg % w/w of aspirin in the tablet = mass of aspirin / mass of the tablet x 100 = 0.0145 / 0.501 x 100 = 2.89% Discussion: Comment on the chemical shift positions of the methyl groups in aspirin and caffeine. Aspirin shows about 6 singlets in the spectrum, all in different environment. It has got one methyl group which gives rise to a singlet at ? 2.3498 as there are no neighbours and the n+1 rule is followed. It has integral of 3 as three protons are giving rise to the chemical shift at ? 2.3498. The four singlets between ? 7.1292 ? 8.1123 correspond to benzene ring protons. In aspirin there is a very broad singlet at ? 11.0082 due to the carbonyl next to hydroxyl proton which shifts it towards the left hand side. Caffeine has got three methyl groups which give rise to three singlets as all the three methyl groups are in different environments to each other. All the three peaks have integral of 3 which arises due to the three protons on each methyl groups. The first singlet at ? 3.4133 is due to the protons (a) next to nitrogen with single bond. The second singlet is seen at ? 3.5910 corresponding to protons(c) next to double bonded carbon and oxygen and the last methyl singlet (b) at ? 4.004 is due to the protons next to two double bonded oxygens attached to two carbons. There is also a singlet seen at ? 7.5172 that arises due to a single proton CH between two nitrogens. Compare your results to the contents claimed by the manufacturer and discuss any differences observed. How does this method compare with determinations by UV absorbance and HPLC. What are the NMR methods limitations? UV techniques are simple and rapid. It can be used for the quantitative determination of highly conjugated compounds and metal ions. Metal ions can be coloured and determined by UV. HPLC is a separation techniques used for compounds on basis of their rate of elution and can separate complex mixtures. HPLC analysis is very quick with high resolution. The stationary column can be used repeatedly for number of times. In HPLC analysis, automated instrumentation and quantitation can be used. It also has low sensitivity and accuracy. NMR is an expensive technique. Compared to UV and HPLC the instrumentation is more costly. The sample to be analyzed has to be free of any contaminants. It takes longer time as compared to the other techniques mentioned. In NMR the chemical shift corresponds to the structure of the molecule being analysed so for compounds with similar structures it is difficult to separate the signals. Also it is an insensitive technique. References: http://www.pg.gda.pl/chem/CEEAM/Dokumenty/Warsztaty/Levsen.pdf http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Advantages_and_disadvantages_of_HPLC http://www.answers.com/topic/hplc-high-performance-liquid-chromatography http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~mcclemen/581Proteins.html http://wapedia.mobi/en/Ultraviolet-visible_spectroscopy http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Dvoeg3erhRECpg=PA297lpg=PA297dq=limitations+of+nmr+spectroscopysource=blots=ea8zhh6QdCsig=v3mtaKE11Git3TMIX06mK3KD3yIhl=enei=BStBS5abEJj20wTkg6mSBQsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=6ved=0CBoQ6AEwBTgK#v=onepageq=limitations%20of%20nmr%20spectroscopyf=false

Business Ethics Essay (grapes -- essays research papers

Business Ethics Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Business ethics are a moral code that people conducting any sort of business should feel honorably obligated to follow. People are definitely morally responsible to follow a code of ethics and should never cheat each other. Parts of this code of ethics should be honesty, integrity, fidelity, charity, responsibility, and self-discipline. Those ethics should apply both to a person buying something, and a person selling something. I don’t believe that a person should be forced to follow the caveat emptor policy, on the basis that it is unfair and unjust both to the buyer and seller. If you are an ethical person, you should not have to warn people to beware.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A person selling something is morally obligated t...

The Third Leg in the Strategy Tripod †Institutional Based View

THE THIRD LEG IN THE STRATEGY TRIPOD – Institutional Based View Introduction Strategy has come to play a significant role in international business (IB) in recent times. This is predicated on the fact of complexities associated with globalisation. The interplay of various factors of production in an environment could have been sufficient for MNEs in taking investment decisions. However, experience has shown otherwise. In this light, strategising in the international business arena has been dominated by industry and resource based views, somewhat ignoring the magnitude of institutional impact on investment decisions.EVALUATION OF ‘THE THIRD LEG IN THE STRATEGY â€Å"TRIPOD†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ According to Peng et al (2008), citing Porter(1980) Barney (1991) the industry-based view is rooted in the assumption that the strategy employed by MNEs is determined by the conditions within the industry of focus. Also, the resource based view tends to narrow performance and internation al business strategy to resources in specific firms. The aggregated views are functions of research findings carried out in environments whose institutions are seemingly standardised and stable.Meanwhile these views have not been able to deal with the nagging questions posed by strategy as regards investment locations. Recent research directions have established remarkable differences in the institutional frameworks of emerging economies relative to developed economies. This is largely due to long history of cultural, legal and political platforms that organise their businesses. According to Peng et al (2008), the effect of these formal and informal institutions are quite remarkable in shaping strategies and performance even in developed economies.This may not have come to the front burner without recent research on the relationship between institutions and organisational strategies in emerging economies. Peng et al (2008) are of the view that earlier approach to international IB st rategy did not offer institutions appropriate place in the strategy discourse. In furtherance to this, Peng et al (2008) argue that the institutions should actually be recognised as the third leg in the strategy tripod. The other legs being resource based and industry based views.Let us explore the institutions and how they impact IB strategies. In understanding an institution, the renowned Economist Searle (2005 pp. 21) defines an institution as ‘any collectively accepted system of rules (procedures, practices) that enable us to create institutional facts’. It follows that the institutions set the rules for doing business in any environment. As such an MNE is only going to be successful where it understands, assimilates and applies the rules of the environment for competitive advantage.Peng et al’s (2008) argument on the institutional view of strategy focuses on legal, social and political aspects as these have been found to change quite significantly in emergin g economies upon both internal and external impacts. EFFECTIVENESS OF THE FOUR CASES OFFERED IN SUPPORTING THE CENTRAL ARGUMENT Peng et al (2008) posit that in transacting business in a developed economy, the supporting institutions operate albeit silently at the background. This is in contrast to the situation in emerging economies where the weight of institutions plays visible roles in consummating transactions.These visible roles have tendencies to alter the business equation in favour of MNEs who have taken proactive steps in influencing the institutional outcomes. Place this fact side by side the growing importance of emerging economies, it becomes imperative that institutional view of strategy becomes as important as the traditional views. Emerging economies like China and India are great examples where institutions’ actions and inactions play great roles in balancing the IB strategy tripod. Growing The Firm In ChinaPeng et al (2008) note that it is puzzling to see Chin a growing economically in the midst of underdeveloped institutional framework. This growth could not have taken place on the strength of the industry and resource based views alone. Peering deeply, Peng et al (2008) Wong (2012) recognise the cultural influences that abound in Chinese business climate which border on social and family networks otherwise referred to as guanxi. This may have phenomenally replaced the formal institution, as such affects the success of businesses within the environment.Peng et al (2008) suggest that in economic environments where institutions are week, norms and cognition take over as game changers. This highlights the import of institution based view in IB strategies. Competing In And Out Of India The meteoric rise of India in the area of IT and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) was attributed to resource and industry based view of IB strategy (Peng et al 2008). These views are based on the opinion that cheap labour, excellent skills and virtuality are major factors responsible for their growth.Nonetheless, institutional considerations are found to be quite relevant in India’s context. Considerations in the areas of education subsidy to top Universities and various economic reforms including liberalisation by government institutions played crucial roles in making India a competitive environment for investments (Peng et al 2008). These institutional references can conveniently stand as the third tripod of the IB strategy. Antidumping As Entry Barriers Market-based variables as noted by Peng et al (2008) have been alleged as the basic entry barriers in IB.Meanwhile non market based institutional variables have been largely ignored in IB startegies.. Trade barriers have come to play important roles in IB strategies. Countries in protecting their local business players against foreign competition usually set up institutional policies aimed at stemming imports by foreign MNEs. These MNEs are alleged to compete unfavourably thro ugh the process of dumping. Davis (2009) citing the 1947 GATT agreement defines dumping as a situation where goods originating from a country are imported into another country at less than normal values.The use of anti-dumping laws by developed countries against MNEs from developing countries is a good example of how an institutional policy could be a tool of trade barrier in IB. Western countries have used this tool of protectionism against competition from Asia quite effectively. The issue here is that when market-based forces fail, antidumping laws could be deployed by local firms to ward off MNEs, thus firming the position of institutional based view as the third leg in the IB strategy tripod. Governing The Corporation In Emerging Economies Corporate governance is highly a determinant in firm performance in developed countries.This is due to the fact that the agency theory focuses on separation of ownership and control. These are exemplified by principal-manager conflicts (Peng et al 2008) quite unlike a lot of emerging economies where principal-principal conflict is the norm. The ability of an MNE to invest in such an environment would mean understanding the value and complexities of concentrated ownership and strategising accordingly. CONCLUSION It is evident from the work of Peng et al (2008) and other researchers that institution-based view has come to occupy the third leg of the IB strategy discourse.It is pertinent to note that the emergence of the institution based view does not in any way diminish the importance of the traditional based views in IB strategy. Instead it complements the traditional views, thus balancing the IB strategy in form of a tripod. It is my opinion that this tripod leverages on industry-based view, resource-based view and institutional-based view for balance. While Peng et al (2008) referenced most of their arguments on developing economies, the institutional effects are found to be applicable in developed countries as well. References Davis L. 2009) ‘Ten years of anti-dumping in the EU: economic and political targeting’. ECIPE Working Paper †¢ No. 02/2009 (Online) Available from: http://www. ecipe. org/media/publication_pdfs/ten-years-of-anti-dumping-in-the-eu-economic-and-political-targeting. pdf (Accessed September 26, 2012) Peng, M. W. , Wang, D. Y. L. & Jiang, Y. (2008) ‘An institution-based view of international business strategy: A focus on emerging economies’,Journal of International Business Studies,  39 (5), July/August, pp. 920–936. (Online) Available at: http://dx. doi. org. ezproxy. liv. ac. k/doi:10. 1057/palgrave. jibs. 8400377 (Accessed September 23) Searle J. (2005) ‘What is an institution? ’ Journal of Institutional Economics (2005), 1: 1, 1–22 (Online) Available from: http://www. laisumedu. org/DESIN_Ibarra/desin/pdf-seminario2006/seminario-2006-04d. pdf (Accessed September 24, 2012) Wong J. (2012) ‘The Guanxi Strategie s of Taiwanese Firms in China’s Economic Reforms’ The Journal of Global Business Management Volume 8 * Number 1 * February 2012. (Online) Available at: http://www. jgbm. org/page/15%20Jeng-Min%20Wong. pdf (Accessed September 24, 2012)

Self-recommendation Essay

I am convinced to say that my secondary school life is not in vain because I have acquired both academic knowledge from lessons and practical experience from various extracurricular activities. Being a leader in the Scout, I realized that organization, time management and communication are of paramount importance in leadership. Being a senior patrol leader, I engaged in planning meetings for the scout members. In addition to briefing and communicating with the whole troop of scouts, I had to cooperate well with teachers in order to convey the messages clearly from teachers to all the scout members as well as consolidating the spirit of scouts. To become a more capable leader in a team, I would like to make progress in my leadership skill, especially the organization and management skills, and to capitalize on different aspects. Therefore, I determine to have further study on management, contributing myself to help people to organize and manage their business. Apart from leadership, I feel satisfied as long as helping someone who is in need. Through studying in science subjects, I found that nowadays advanced technology is established by the forerunners who devoted themselves to this industry, such as Steve Jobs. Definitely, the development in science and technology has brought convenience to our life. Although I am not going to become an inventor, I am willing to have further study on science technology in order to light up people’s life. Thus, I am enthusiastic in studying subject related to science and technology to equip myself to help people. All in all, I have recognized myself in the past few years. To show the gratitude to my teachers and friends, I would endeavor to show my best positive light on different fields. I look forward to my new journey in the future.

The Affect or Effect Conundrum and How to Solve It

The Affect or Effect Conundrum and How to Solve It Lets face it- the English language has some confusing grammar rules. In fact, some words in the English language are so confusing that incorrect usage is more common than correct usage- and affect vs. effect are two such words!A problem many people have with understanding the difference between affect and effect is that there is only one letter that distinguishes the two from each other. Beyond that, affect is defined as to have an effect on so their definitions are similar. Then, both words sound almost the same when spoken quickly, creating further confusion. So, lets take a look at these two words and discuss a failproof way to remember the difference between them.AffectAffect is a verb that means to have an effect on; make a difference to; touch the feelings of (someone); move emotionally. However, there is one instance in which affect is a noun- when it refers to the way someone carries themselves or their outward demeanor. This usage of affect is uncommon, so it isnt a context youll encounter often unless youre in certain fields, where someone might refer to the patients affect (in psychology), meaning their disposition and how they outwardly present themselves.Examples:The extra side dish doesnt affect the cost of the mealIt doesnt affect me to watch sad movies, so I usually only laugh at them.EffectEffect is almost always a noun and can mean: a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause; an impression produced in the mind of a person. Effect can also mean: the lighting, sound, or scenery used in a play, movie, or broadcast, as in movie special effects.Examples:The effect of that movie on the audience is undeniable.Those lights have a nice effect on the look of the painting.And since it seems to be impossible to have an easy time with these two words, there is also one instance in which effect is used as a verb. When you effect change, you bring about change, and youll see it almost always combined with change in this context.The Raven EffectIf you want an easy mnemonic device to help with the affect vs. effect conundrum, you can think of the word RAVEN to Remember Affect is a Verb and Effect is a Noun. Just keep in mind that there are a few instances where this isnt always the case, but for most contexts and of the words, it is.Affect vs. Effect in a nutshell

Social Economics Within the Great Gatsby Essays

Social Economics Within the Great Gatsby Essays Social Economics Within the Great Gatsby Paper Social Economics Within the Great Gatsby Paper Essay Topic: Economics Instead, Fitzgerald explores two efferent classes of the wealthy. There are individuals, like Jordan Baker, who were born into their wealth. Her family has most likely had money for generations on end. Because of this they are called old money. In The Great Gatsby, the people who are born into old money do not have to work, do not talk about their wealth, and are able to go through their days entertaining themselves with whatever makes them happy. The characters who represent this group, Tom, Daisy, and Jordan, are most likely the most selective group, making distinctions of a persons kind of wealth. They base heir decisions not on how much wealth a person has, but on how long that person has had their wealth and how they made It. In the asses Gatsby and many others acquired their wealth. People like this were considered new money. The fact that these people are new money is enough reason for old money people, like Tom and Daisy, to not include them in their circle. According to the old money way of thinking, new money people could never have their kind of taste and sophistication. Not only does Gatsby work, but his origins are from a poor class, which means that he could not be good enough for Daisy. Daisy, coming from old money, is Judgmental and shallow. When she first met Gatsby, she decided she could not possibly be with him because of his lack of money. She failed to look at the essence of Gatsby and realize that this man was hard working and willing to make more money. Instead, she believed that she was superior and could not stoop to love a man without as much money as she. But are people from new money any different? If we look at Gatsby new money party-goers, we see that they attend his parties uninvited, they eat and drink his food, yet they dont show the courtesy to meet Gatsby. After Gatsby death, hey do not even show up to his funeral. Obviously, Fitzgerald does not show either the new or old money characters in a complimentary light. Their highest priority is living for today, the next party, and on what they can spend their money. Fitzgerald did a Just as explicit a job when portraying the middle class. Nick, even though he is from a family with some wealth, does not have by any means as much money as Tom or Daisy. In the end, he is revealed as a man with principles and integrity. He is confident In himself and his accomplishments and Is, therefore, able to mingle among the classes. In a word, Nick Is content. Myrtle, though, Is on the other side of the middle class spectrum. She Is currently married too middle class man, but Is a leads her into having an affair with Tom. Because of this need, Myrtle has distanced nearest Trot morals, Ana NAS no problem accenting on nerd NASDAQ IT It means Tanat for a short while she can live the lifestyle she desires. The Great Gatsby is often viewed as Fitzgerald masterpiece. It portrays an accurate picture of American society in the asses. The asses were filled with post-war economic growth, and Fitzgerald presents the frenzy of society to take part in that growth. The characters in the novel exemplify the ease with which new and greed can derail ones moral code. Other characters, especially those in the old money class, are only minimally aware that a moral code even matters. At the same time, Fitzgerald portrays a third group represented by Nick. These people stand apart from the social frenzy. They hold their moral code above the quest for wealth. They live apart from the lure of social class. Despite the wish of many to view America as a classless society, The Great Gatsby reveals that class distinctions not only exist but also define acceptable behavior.

A Drug Induced Psychosis Health And Social Care Essay

A Drug Induced Psychosis Health And Social Care Essay Within this Independent study drug induced psychosis will be looked at. Within the first two pages a definition will be given as well as a brief history. This will be followed by a discussion on drug induced psychosis how individual is a affected and what is the cause. The author will then look at the drugs and how they affect people mentally and physically as well as how they affect the brain. When the final few pages it the author will look at the evidence and literature available for drug induced psychosis before then commenting on personal recommendations and the conclusion of all findings. The rationale behind choosing this topic was simply that more and more people through subculture and their own vulnerabilities are accepting of drug however through their own naivetà © and lack of understanding are consequences he consequences and consequences Definition According to Mosby (2009), drug induced psychosis is a psychotic state caused by an excessive dose of both illegal and the rapeutic drugs. This is supported by the West Australian Department of Health [WADOH](2009) who defines stimulant-induced psychosis, as an episode where the use of a legal or illicit drug has caused a psychiatric illness where the reality of the patient is impaired. The impairment of the patient can also include hallucinations or delusions, which can cause additional communication problems or social interaction difficulties. The drug induced psychosis according to WADOH (2009) may also be as a result of the overuse or abuse of prescription medication, or the outcome of a history of illicit drug abuse. Brief history Razool (1998) describes the historical evidence for substance abuse dating back thousands of years. Tobacco, alcohol and other psychoactive drugs have bee used by different societies for medical, religious, cultural and religious purposes and acts as a social lubricant. Today there is no lack of interest in the use of psychoactive substances and plants. Alcohol and drug u se remain part of the social and psychological fabrics of our society and are now regarded as a public health problem. Attitudes towards drug use have changed during various stages historically and even with harsh laws, there still remains problems in society where drug education and drug treatment is required by society (Razool, 2008). Tea, coffee and tobacco have all been illegal in Britain at some stage (Whitaker, 1987 cited by Razzol, 2008). Alcohol and drug use can cause a host of physical, social, psychological and economic harm, not only to the individual, but also to the family and the wider community. If the individual has previously had psychosis the use of drugs or alcohol can increase the likelihood of another psychotic event. This is due to the fact that the individual can become emotionally unstable, due to their drug use along with their loss of cognitive processing and therefore, inhibits the chemical balance of the brain (Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, 2009). Within this section use critical analysis and relevant referencing to show a lack of information provided and the difficulty clinical nurses face while battling this. Drug induced psychosis

Quick Response Logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quick Response Logistics - Essay Example First and foremost, the retailer can use this strategy to carry out research about customer needs and respond to their requirements. Having captured the customer requirements, the retailers can then design and manufacture the designer fashion within reasonable time and at relatively low cost. By adopting this, strategy, the retailer stands better chances of winning business since it will be operating effectively and efficiently at low cost. The returns are likely to be high for the company. As illustrated in the case of Zara, the concept of quick response logistics has significantly helped the company to gain a competitive advantage over the other rival competitors. The company operates very low inventory and it makes deliveries of the products to different retailers at least twice a week. The other notable aspect about the company is that it takes only four to five weeks to design a new collection and then about a week to manufacture it whereas other competitors will take almost double the time to do the same. This helps the company to be in a position to respond to the needs of the customers in time and the strategy also helps the company to cut costs in its

No topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

No topic - Assignment Example When the sample size (N) is small it takes a larger number of sample (Reps > 1000) to see that the distribution is normal while when N is relatively larger it takes relatively smaller number of sample (reps In conclusion, if the parent population is normal, the sampling distribution will always be normally distributed. If the population is not normal, the distribution of the sample mean will be approximately normally distributed if the sample size is large enough. From this we learn that this statistical technique assumes normality even when we are sampling populations that are not normal distributions. Hence we can say that central limit theorem is a statistical technique that assumes normality in both normal and normal statistical distribution shapes. When the sample size is large enough, the sampling distribution of the sample mean will always tend to normal distribution. In the first sentence it will be better to say that the central limit theorem describes the characteristics of the sampling distribution of the mean of samples that are randomly sampled from a population. Instead of saying â€Å"the means sample means is approximately normal† we rather say that the distribution of the mean of the sample is normal. And lastly there is a spelling mistake in the first paragraph last sentence. Instead of â€Å"†¦the sampling distribution if the mean approves a normal distribution†¦Ã¢â‚¬  it read â€Å"†¦the sampling distribution of the mean approves a normal distribution†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here, the classmate has done extremely well to point out that as the sample

Term project part III Statistics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Term part III - Statistics Project Example Similarly, businesses will come to a standstill if the crime rate is high in the city. This study will therefore inform the police department and other relevant bodies involved in combating crime on the measures that are needed to be undertaken in order to mitigate crime rate in the cities. Since the study seeks to relationship between city crime rate and the number of uniformed forces in those cities or any other variable, the city dwellers will form a desired representative sample population for the study. This means that the city dwellers will form the target population for this particular study. So as to obtain a representative sample, the population will comprise all the adults over 18 years old regardless of gender, race or place origin of the respondents. Since it is not possible to interview all the city dwellers, a random sample of 400 participants will be selected. A systematic random sampling will be used to select the participants into the study. That is, the study will identify 8 cities of interest from which 50 respondents will be drawn. The data set will be obtained from the FBI and local city websites. Questionnaire will be the main tool to be used in collecting the views of the people. The variables of interest in this case will be crime rate (dependent variable) and explanatory variables (number of uniformed forces, mean income per year, education level and population size). Each data set for every variable was sourced from websites of local city and FBI. The data set for education level variable was obtained from this website: www.census.gov/ Descriptive statistics, particularly histogram, was used to analyse each variable. The histograms presented below, by visualization, show that all the data set followed a normal distribution (the data set is normal). From the all the histograms below, most of the observations were around the mean at least for each variable. This concentration of

Economic Objectives of the United States over the last three years Essay

Economic Objectives of the United States over the last three years - Essay Example Unfortunately, discretionary macroeconomic policies and a volatile environment of the US were closely related to awkward policies such as excessive government spending, high inflation, and an over-valued exchange rate render an economy prone to crisis. United States Government has always believed in broad consensus that exist on the utility of inflation-indexed or inflation linked bonds for which economists and policy makers make the sharing of risk between issuers of bonds and investors possible. In this context financial markets in the emerging market economies are deepened and when an emerging market government issues inflation-indexed bonds, this is seen as reducing the cost of educating the global investors regarding the benefits of these instruments. Though such policies in the past have reduced the co-ordination problems, but has left the most frequent areas devoid of discipline and these are the regulatory norms and supervisory structures. Today, the way the US is breathing a n unstable macroeconomic environment, these vulnerabilities of the financial sector readily spawn a crisis because of distortions in the real economy and serious macroeconomic policy.The macroeconomic policies or the economic crunch being witnessed for the last few years has not affected US military expenditure, since it has kept on increasing by 59 percent since 2001 and it is obvious that such increase reflects massive spending on military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, however it also includes increases in the ‘base’ defence budget.... Policies regarding public finance claims that only the most central, national government can successfully manage US economy's macro-economic swings and the resulting unemployment of labour and economic resources. The macroeconomics in this case does not held itself responsible for the inability to alleviate unemployment because it suggests that the mobility of factors of production in any economy and the inclination of a region's residents to spend their incomes on imported goods are responsible factors behind the raised unemployment rate (Inman & Rubinfield, 2001). Unemployment Compensation programs in the light of policies have been relatively modest in scale that has covered potential benefits during all these years of recession, however their duration is short and replacement rates are generally low. Recipiency rates are also relatively low (Vroman & Brusentsev, 2005: 145). The policies advice that many aspects of these programs highlight the association between inflation and Unemployment Compensation replacement rates without effective indexation provisions, high inflation would quickly erode the real value of monthly benefits (ibid). The main factor that explains why international trade and capital movements instead of other economical concerns have become a major concern of senior policymakers in the United States is the acceptance by all governments of responsibility for how well or poorly the domestic economy performs. The policymakers claim that the electorate's demand for a steady increase in the standard of living indicates that any policy that significantly affects domestic economic performance is an important variable in determining who is president and which party controls the

Report on the Case Study of the Red Bull Brand Essay - 1

Report on the Case Study of the Red Bull Brand - Essay Example Although Red-Bull is a single product offering, it has been able to achieve brand equity across the world through its uniqueness and other factors that enable customers to identify it as unique and different from other soft drink and energy drink offerings on the market. In summary, it's unique packaging (the blue, silver and red 250ml can) is famous around the world. Also, the unique content and effects on users is a very strong element of brand equity since it gives consumers a very positive physical, mental and health advantages that most competitors do not give. The Burnett model states that a brand equity has four main facades: personality image, source, differences and functions (Randall, 2000). In terms of personality image, customers around the world feel good about the health and mental alertness that Red Bull provides. They respect it as a premier energy drink because it does what a normal cup of coffee would do but with a very positive impact on the individual. Secondly, Red Bull seems to stand for good health, vitality, and productivity and that is exactly how it is promoted and packaged as a revitalized. Also, Red Bull was originally created to be different from all other soft and energy drink offerings on the market. Now that several similar products are available, Red Bull still maintains its distinct packaging and content which keeps it embedded in the mind of consumers. In spite of the universal nature of Red Bulls brand, there was the need for some variation in the brand offering in markets around the world. Dunn (2004) points out that there are six main processes that a business needs to go through before they can create brand equity and they are: Market analysis involves scanning the dominant environmental factors in a country before offering your products in a country.

Term project part III Statistics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Term part III - Statistics Project Example Similarly, businesses will come to a standstill if the crime rate is high in the city. This study will therefore inform the police department and other relevant bodies involved in combating crime on the measures that are needed to be undertaken in order to mitigate crime rate in the cities. Since the study seeks to relationship between city crime rate and the number of uniformed forces in those cities or any other variable, the city dwellers will form a desired representative sample population for the study. This means that the city dwellers will form the target population for this particular study. So as to obtain a representative sample, the population will comprise all the adults over 18 years old regardless of gender, race or place origin of the respondents. Since it is not possible to interview all the city dwellers, a random sample of 400 participants will be selected. A systematic random sampling will be used to select the participants into the study. That is, the study will identify 8 cities of interest from which 50 respondents will be drawn. The data set will be obtained from the FBI and local city websites. Questionnaire will be the main tool to be used in collecting the views of the people. The variables of interest in this case will be crime rate (dependent variable) and explanatory variables (number of uniformed forces, mean income per year, education level and population size). Each data set for every variable was sourced from websites of local city and FBI. The data set for education level variable was obtained from this website: www.census.gov/ Descriptive statistics, particularly histogram, was used to analyse each variable. The histograms presented below, by visualization, show that all the data set followed a normal distribution (the data set is normal). From the all the histograms below, most of the observations were around the mean at least for each variable. This concentration of

Report on the Case Study of the Red Bull Brand Essay - 1

Report on the Case Study of the Red Bull Brand - Essay Example Although Red-Bull is a single product offering, it has been able to achieve brand equity across the world through its uniqueness and other factors that enable customers to identify it as unique and different from other soft drink and energy drink offerings on the market. In summary, it's unique packaging (the blue, silver and red 250ml can) is famous around the world. Also, the unique content and effects on users is a very strong element of brand equity since it gives consumers a very positive physical, mental and health advantages that most competitors do not give. The Burnett model states that a brand equity has four main facades: personality image, source, differences and functions (Randall, 2000). In terms of personality image, customers around the world feel good about the health and mental alertness that Red Bull provides. They respect it as a premier energy drink because it does what a normal cup of coffee would do but with a very positive impact on the individual. Secondly, Red Bull seems to stand for good health, vitality, and productivity and that is exactly how it is promoted and packaged as a revitalized. Also, Red Bull was originally created to be different from all other soft and energy drink offerings on the market. Now that several similar products are available, Red Bull still maintains its distinct packaging and content which keeps it embedded in the mind of consumers. In spite of the universal nature of Red Bulls brand, there was the need for some variation in the brand offering in markets around the world. Dunn (2004) points out that there are six main processes that a business needs to go through before they can create brand equity and they are: Market analysis involves scanning the dominant environmental factors in a country before offering your products in a country.

Soap opera Essay Example for Free

Soap opera Essay Every soap uses lots of different camera shots and angles. First of all there is the reverse shot, this is used when two people are talking, tends to be head and shoulders shot. The second one is the medium shot; this is usually head, shoulders and half of a body on the shot. This is normally used when three people are talking, example, at the bar in the Rovers Return. The third shot is the tracking shot, this is used when the characters are moving, i. e. walking or running. This is usually a full body shot. It can be of more than one person. This was used on the live 40th anniversary episode when it first started. The fourth shot is the zoom, this is when the camera gets closer or further away from a character, e. g. when Sarah-Lou found out that she was pregnant. The fifth shot is called a pan; this is to ensure a long broad view of a whole area. It can also move side to side. This was used in the very first episode of Coronation Street. When Kens dad passed his wife a cup of tea, it didnt just switch from one person to another. The fifth shot is called the tilt, this is when the camera tilts up and down. In the 40th year episode of Coronation Street they did a live episode. The two main narrative strands were, Whether they were going to save the cobbles, and Whether Vera was going to survive. I think they used these storylines because the producers wanted the whole of the cast to appear in the episode. Some of the speeches had double meanings. When Ken said, Long live coronation street, he is talking about the street but I know that he wants the programme to go on for another forty years. Also when the whole cast is singing, We shall not, we shall not be moved, they are trying to save the cobbles but also they want to stay in Coronation street as there characters. Ken Barlows son came and we know this is going to be the start of a new story line. Then Vera wakes, this is a storyline resolved. When Curly went into the pub to tell all the characters that Vera had woken up, they all cheered, this shows that Vera is a well-respected character. At the end of the episode, when Ken says, We did it, he means that they have saved the cobbles, but also he means that they had finished the episode with success. The actors seemed genuinely happy, not acting. For Australian soap operas, theme tunes are accompanied by lyrics. They have unrealistic storylines. Neighbours and Home and Away have lots of teenagers who do not seem to have parents. For British soap operas the theme tune is easily recognisable type of music. This lets you know when the programme is on if you are in another room. The brass band type of music lets you know it is northern. Piano and drums let you know that it is cockney, i. e. Eastenders. In every soap, which has, adverts every time before a break it has a question. E. g. when the break came on, on the live episode the question before the break was whether Vera was going to survive or not. Advertisers like to put their adverts on during prime time television i. e. coronation street because they know that millions of people will be watching the programme. In coronation street the producers and directors deliberately uses the northern dialect. This makes it easily identifiable to a Lancashire place. Standard English is a way of speaking without using a regional accent or dialect. The reason we have Standard English is to make sure every country understands each other. I have been looking at a 1995 coronation street script, and the differences in the language of the script compared with Standard English are completely different. The script is written in everyday speech for it to show that it is typical northern town talk. The unusual thing about the script is that it uses typical northern accent and dialect. At the start of the script Vera says, I could do with some crudities. Then Jack says, its a Christening not a flaming stag night. Now Jack and Vera had a different meaning to the word crudities. Vera means raw vegetables but Jack thought she meant things like strippers. This shows that Jack is common because he misunderstood the word crudities. Also when Vera says, who were that on phone? this shows a strong, northern phrase. This phrase is dramatically incorrect. In the 1940s films they used strong, sharp, clip Standard English. The queen, how she speaks now was old Standard English. Zoi Ball says, Rilly Gid instead of, Really Good. This is Received Pronunciation and this is starting to filter up throughout the country. Despite soap operas being popular because it is centred on women, there is some evidence to show more, that soaps are focussing more frequently on storylines outside the domestic plots such as crime. Additionally the storylines have recently focused on male characters as in Eastenders, Ian Beale fought to get his children back and in Coronation Street Jim McDonald had to face the consequences when his son got in a lot of trouble with drug dealer, Jed Quigley. Finally, other possible reasons for soap operas popularity could be escapism or relaxation. At the end of the day the viewer can sit down, relax and watch an episode of Coronation Street, and escape from the problems of reality, and think about characters problems instead. Most significantly though, soap operas concern with the everyday people and their problems, big and small, appears to be one of the main reasons why this genre is so popular.

The Acoustic Phonetics English Language Essay

The Acoustic Phonetics English Language Essay The chapter Vowels, acoustics events with a relatively open vocal tract deals with the examination of the various acoustic properties that can result when the vocal tract is in relatively open configuration. The chapter discusses primarily the sounds produced when the narrowest point in the vocal tract is not sufficiently constricted for modes of vibration for which the average airflow is not large enough to cause a significant pressure drop at the constriction. This configuration is normally associated with vowel sounds. The author explains formant bandwidths for vowels by describing the vocal tract as a pole or a tube and when this has no branches or cross modes and the source of sound is a volume velocity source at the glottis, the transfer function to the volume velocity at the mouth opening is an all pole function. When the shape of the vocal tract is changed due to the position of the body of the tongue or any other structure the frequency at the glottis also changes. at occasi ons there are acoustic losses in the vocal tract and these are due to various reasons such as vocal tract walls, viscosity, heat conduction and radiation. The author has used a graph to explain the acoustic loss caused by these factors, and it also measures the frequency. The data in the graph was obtained from sweep-tone measurements, in which estimates of the transfer function were made by applying a transducer to the neck surface and measuring the sound pressure radiated from the mouth using a sinusoidal source. The glottis were closed when the measurements were made. From the graph it is under stood that there is a difference in frequency between male and female and radiation casuses the most of acoustic loss. The two figures also show the average values of the bandwidths of the first three formants for several vowel configurations were 54 , 65, 70 Hz respectively, with the first formant band varying from 39 to73 Hz for different vowels. In the high frequency range above about 2 000 Hz , a major contributor to the bandwidth is acoustic loss is radiation but there is also considerable variability in the format bandwidths at these frequencies depending primarily on the size of the mouth opening and the cavity affiliation of first format frequency. High vowels: A number of acoustic, physiological and auditory factors combine to define a category of vowels that are produced with a high tongue body position and a low first formant frequency. The impedance of vacal tract walls contributes to stability of first format, the tongue surface in the lateral direction can be shaped to produce a stable acoustic output (atleast tongued body positions) that is insensitive to the degree of contraction for the muscles controlling tongue height and the auditory responses to sound with a low with a low f1 appears to have distinctive properties. Front back distinction We find a common acoustic consequence of front back displacements of the tongue body independent of tongue height. Forward movement of the tongue body causes an increase of the second formant-frequency to maximum value consistent to the types of constrictions that are possible for the different tongue heights. This maximum value is higher for the high vowels than for the low vowels. For the highest tongue body position, and, to some extent for the intermediate position, the third and fourth formants combine with the second to produce a center of gravity of the higher frequency spectral prominence that is higher than F2. front vowels then are always characterized by a broad minimum or empty space in the spectrum in the mid frequency between F1 and F2. For a back tongued body, on the other hand ,F2 is displaced to value that is maximally low and close to F1 for a proper selection of the tongue body position. In the case of the non low vowels, a value of F2 that is lowest and closest to F1 and can be reached by rounding the lips. An acoustic consequence of an F2 value that is low is low and close to F1 is that the amplitudes of higher frequency peaks in the spectrum are low relative to the amplitudes of F1 and F2 peaks and probably do not play a significant role in determining vowel quality. Electeomyographic data show a sharp distinction in the muscle activity involved in producing front and back vowels. Data reported by Baer et al. show that all back vowels exhibit activity of the stylogloccus muscle, which is oriented to displace the tongue body backward and upward. This muscle is specially active for non low back vowels. Front vowels on the other hand, show no activity of the stylogloccus muscle. A neutral vowel is defined as a vowel produced by a vocal tract configuration that has uniform cross-sectional area along its entire length. Whilst no vowel articulation can actually meet this requirement accurately, the vowel in heard and some productions of schwa can approximate this configuration. For such vowels, and only for such vowels, the vocal tract can be treated mathematically as a single uniform tube closed at one end (the glottis) and open at the other (the lips) for the purposes of calculating the resonances of the vocal tract. The acoustics of vowels are fairly well understood. The different vowel qualities are realized in acoustic analyses of vowels by the relative values of the formants, acoustic resonances of the vocal tract which show up as dark bands on a spectrogram. The vocal tract acts as a resonant cavity, and the position of the jaw, lips, and tongue affect the parameters of the resonant cavity, resulting in different formant values. The acoustics of vowels c an be visualized using spectrograms, which display the acoustic energy at each frequency, and how this changes with time. The first formant, abbreviated F1, corresponds to vowel openness (vowel height). Open vowels have high F1 frequencies while close vowels have low F1 frequencies, as can be seen at right: The [i] and [u] have similar low first formants, whereas [É‘] has a higher formant. The second formant, F2, corresponds to vowel frontness. Back vowels have low F2 frequencies while front vowels have high F2 frequencies. This is very clear at right, where the front vowel [i] has a much higher F2 frequency than the other two vowels. However, in open vowels the high F1 frequency forces a rise in the F2 frequency as well, so an alternative measure of frontness is the difference between the first and second formants. For this reason, some people prefer to plot as F1 vs. F2 F1. (This dimension is usually called backness rather than frontness, but the term backness can be counterintuitive when discussing formants.) In the third edition of his textbook, Peter Ladefoged recommended use of plots of F1 against F2 F1 to represent vowel quality. [4] However, in the fourth edition, he changed to adopt a simple plot of F1 against F2, [5] and this simple plot of F1 against F2 was maintained for the fifth (and final) edition of the book. [6] Katrina Hayward compares the two types of plots and concludes that plotting of F1 against F2 F1 is not very satisfactory because of its effect on the placing of the central vowels, [7] so she also recommends use of a simple plot of F1 against F2. In fact, this kind of plot of F1 against F2 has been used by analysts to show the quality of the vowels in a wide range of languages, including RP British English, [8] [9] the Queens English, [10] American English, [11] Singapore English, [12] Brunei English, [13] North Frisian, [14] Turkish Kabardian, [15] and various indigenous Australian languages. [16]Rounding is generally realized by a complex relationship between F2 and F3 that tends to reinforce vowel backness. One effect of this is that back vowels are most commonly rounded while front vowels are most commonly unrounded; another is that rounded vowels tend to plot to the right of unrounded vowels in vowel charts. That is, there is a reason for plotting vowel pairs the way they are. The usual description of vowels in respect to their phonetic quality requires the linguist to locate them within a so-called vowel space, apparently articulatory in nature, and having three dimensions labeled high-low (or close-open), front-back, and unrounded-rounded. The first two are coordinates of tongue with associated jaw position, while the third specifies the posture of the lips. It is recognized that vowels can vary qualitatively in ways that this three-dimensional space does not account for. So, for example, vowels may differ in degree of nasalization, and they may be rhotacized or r-colored. Moreover, it is recognized that while this vowel space serves important functions within the community of linguists, both the two measures of tongue position and the one for the lips inadequately identify those aspects of vocal tract shapes that are primarily responsible for the distinctive phonetic qualities of vowels (Ladefoged 1971). With all this said, it remains true enough that a lmost any vowel pair of different qualities can be described as occupying different positions with the space. Someone hearing two vowels in sequence and detecting a quality difference will presumably also be able to diagnose the nature of the articulatory shift executed in going from one vowel to the other. Esophageal talkers may have reduced intelligibility due to both time domain and frequency domain variability. The unpredictable nature of esophageal speech can cause problems when automatic procedures are used in applications such as long-distance telephone messages. The current study compared a standard coding algorithm (LPC-10e) with a novel approach to determining voiced periods (vocal tract area functions) in the speech of esophageal talkers. The results of the study showed that the sentences synthesized with the vocal tract area function algorithm were more intelligible than those synthesized with the standard LPC-10e algorithm. Supplemental information, such as vocal tract area functions, may be useful in determining voiced epochs when variability in vocal parameters is high. In the last 40 years, many vocal pedagogy authors have written about the need for appropriate vowel modification. Modification involves shading vowels with respect to the location of vowel formants, so that the sung pitch or one of its harmonics receives an acoustical boost by being near a formant. The goals of such modification include a unified quality throughout the entire range, smoother transitions between registers, enhanced dynamic range and control and improved intelligibility. Elite singers, whether they consciously recognize they are modifying vowels or not, become experts at making subtle changes in vowels as they sing, or they do not have consistent careers. Modification concepts which have been widely accepted are summarized below: Although there is a strong correlation between voice classification and formant frequencies, due to subtle articulation and anatomical differences, formant frequencies are unique to each individual. The amount of modification needed varies with the size of the voice, the weight of the voice, the duration of the note being considered, the dynamic level, and how the note in question is approached. Sensitive singers report that the amount of modification they need may vary daily and also during the day, depending on how much they have warmed up. Vowel formants are frequency bands, not one specific pitch. Precise tuning of each note in a piece is not very practical nor is it acoustically beneficial. During a rapid passage, a singer may not have enough time to adjust for optimal resonance on each vowel on each note; moving on to the next note in the passage smoothly is a greater priority than exact tuning of each tone. Males and females tune differently. In general, males seek to match harmonics above the fundamental to a formant, while females, especially in the upper voice, tend to reinforce the fundamental itself by matching it to the first or lowest formant. Several general rules for modifying vowels exist (as summarized by Titze): (a) formant frequencies lower uniformly by lengthening the vocal tract (either by lowering the larynx or protruding the lips or some combination of both); (b) formant frequencies are lowered uniformly by lip rounding and raised by lip spreading; (c) fronting and arching the tongue lowers the first formant and raises the second formant, while backing and lowering the tongue raises the first formant and lowers the second formant; (d) opening the jaw raises the first formant and lowers the second formant. Vocal fold vibration for voicing is achieved by the combined efforts of muscular tension, tissue elasticity and aerodynamic forces. The vocal folds are initially drawn together by the activities of the various laryngeal adductor muscles. As the folds come together the velocity of air passing through the glottis increases which results in a pressure drop between the medial edges of the folds (Bernoulli effect) causing them to be sucked together. Pressure then builds up below the closed glottis until the folds are forced apart and the cycle repeats (Van den Berg, 1958; 1968). One necessary condition of voicing is that subglottal pressure exceeds supraglottal pressure (the transglottal pressure difference) (Ohala, 1983; Sawashima and Hirose, 1983). The activity of the larynx during phonation causes the airstream flowing out of the lungs to be broken up into a rapid series of puffs due to the opening and closing of the vocal folds . Each burst of compressed air escapes through the glottis at high speed and collides with the column of air inside the vocal tract. This causes an acoustic shock wave which is propagated to the outside. The spectrum of the periodic glottal waveform is a line spectrum comprising harmonics which occur at multiples of the fundamental frequency. According to theoretical calculations (Fant, 1960; Rosenberg 1971), the glottal tone for normal phonation has a spectrum that falls off at about 12dB per octave. Other phonation types, as described by Laver (1980), display different glottal tone characteristics. Vowel sounds are most frequently described with reference to their formant characteristics which provide an indication of the resonance positions and hence the articulatory shape for the vowel production. Early speech perception studies (Delattre, Liberman, Cooper and Gerstman, 1952; Miller, 1953) showed that the frequencies of first three formants were the most important cues to vowel identification. These findings have been supported by several subsequent analyses (Fox, 1985, Kewley-Port and Atal, 1989; Klein, Plomp and Pols, 1970; Rackerd and Verbrugge, 1985; Shepard, 1972; Terbeek, 1977). The first formant has been shown to be associated with the auditory quality of height and the second formant with the auditory impression of the front/back dimension, or, more correctly, degree of constriction and point of maximal constriction . Ladefoged, De Clerk, Lindau and Papà §un (1972) remind us that degree of lip opening, or protrusion, pharyngeal width and larynx height also contribute to modifications of acoustic output. Lindblom and Sundberg (1971) found that all formants were lowered by lip rounding but that for palatal configurations, F3 was particularly affected. Hà ¶gberg (1995) also found that lip area was an important factor in the determination of F3 for the front vowels. When the first two formants are plotted on axes with certain directional and scaling characteristics, the vowel relationships closely resembles the traditional auditory vowel map . Such vowel spaces, with axes F1 and F2, rely on the concept of the vowel target which is the part of the vowel least influenced by its surrounding phonetic context. The vowel target is where the articulators, and therefore the formants, are moving the least and is referred to as the steady-state component of the vowel. The target is considered to be either a point in the time course of the vowel or else a section of time during which the vowel position remains stable. A single point is often used to provide an estimate of the target position, and for most vowels this can be assumed to be approximately mid way though the nucleus . Several authors have noted the problems inherent in the target theory for vowels citing the difficulties often encountered in establishing steady state components by eye or by automatic extraction procedures (Benguerel and McFadden, 1989; Nearey and Assmann, 1986). Van Son and Pols (1990), however, examined five different methods of identifying vowel targets and found that the use of the different methods made little difference to the results of their experiments. The conventional method of depicting the F1/F2 does not adequately represent the multi-dimensional nature of vowel quality. Delattre et al. (1952) showed that the third formant influenced listeners judgements of vowel quality and more recent experiments have determined that the higher formants have a combined influence on vowel perception. The combined upper formant is referred to as F2 prime (F2) (Bladon, 1983; Bladon and Fant, 1978; Carlson, Fant and Ganstrom, 1975; Paliwal, Lindsay and Ainsworth, 1983). Delattre et al. (1952) suggested that the ear averages formants that are close together. Carlson, Ganstrom and Fant (1970) tested this hypothesis for Swedish vowels concluding that all vowels could be effectively synthesised using two formant approximations. Chistovich and colleagues found that formant averaging or integration occurred only if two formants were situated within a critical distance of 3 to 3.5 bark (Chistovich and Lublinskaya, 1979 and Chistovich, Sheikin and Lublins kaya, 1979). More recent studies have examined global spectral features suggesting that the F3 F2 difference is a more accurate way of identifying vowel frontedness. Syrdal and Gopal (1986) have shown that the separation between back and front vowels is more closely linked to the F3 F2 difference than the F2 F1 difference. It is important to recognise, however, that F3 and F4 vary more than F1 and F2 as a result of speaker characteristics whereas they are relatively stable across vowel categories in contrast to F1 and F2 which vary greatly as a result of vowel quality. The higher formants are therefore less effective carriers of phonetic information than the lower formants (Harrington and Cassidy, 1999). Vowels can be described in terms of the centre frequencies of the first three formants at the vowel target (or targets for diphthongs). Vowel duration and other dynamic spectral information contribute to a more complete description but the extent of this contribution remains unclear. Contextual environment as well as suprasegmental factors plays an important role in the ultimate realisation of the vowel phoneme and so such characteristics must be carefully controlled in phonetic research. Physiological differences between speakers also affect vowel characteristics and such effects must be accounted for in phonetic research and minimised if necessary. One method of minimising physiological effects is to use one of the many normalisation procedures available to reduce variance but care must always be taken when manipulating data to ensure that phonetic accuracy is preserved. The question of sex specific articulations remains open as researchers have been unable to adequately model male to female vowel behaviour. Acoustic data provides an accessible means for hypothesising about articulatory behaviour and it is customary, in phonetic discussions of vowel characteristics, to use articulatory labels to refer to auditory and acoustic properties (Ladefoged and Maddieson, 1990). Articulatory discussions provide convenient global labels for describing acoustic effects, however, specific articulatory detail should not be ascribed to acoustic vowel data.

Pollution on the Family Farm Threatens the Environment :: Water Polluting Essays Papers

Pollution on the Family Farm When you think of pollution you think of industrial pollution running down a river, or smoke coming out of a factory’s smokestack rising up into the environment. These are all concerns in the world today; however, in this paper will talk about pollution that hits a little closer to home. This paper will discuss about pollution on family run farms in rural America. These pollutions range from private well water contamination to fecal pollution run-off into streams by dairy and beef farms. One of the major concerns in today’s Agricultural system is the use of water, and the short supply of water. A more immediate problem is nitrate contamination in millions of private well around the country. As one can imagine most of these wells are found on private farms around the United States. Nationally 1.4 million households drink water from private wells with nitrate levels that exceed the federal drinking water standard of 10 parts per million (ppm)( Ready, R., & Henken, K.). There is an estimated damage to a household from drinking water from a nitrate contaminated well to be $635 per year, with a total damage of almost $900 million per year to private well owners (Ready, R., & Henken, K.). Over 25% of the water used by households in the United States comes from groundwater. One of the major sources of nitrates in groundwater is caused by agricultural activities, including chemicals applied to crops and waste from livestock production (Ready, R., & Henken, K.). The main problem with livestock waste and chemicals is their tendency to diffuse in water, which means they cannot be easily contained or pinpointed to the source. According to a study by the Great Plains Agricultural Council, agricultural land is the largest contributor of non-point source pollution to natural water resources in the High Plains region and throughout the United States. In this survey they found that Nitrate-N was the most commonly detected agricultural chemical in surface and groundwater (Elrashidi, M., Mays, M., Peaslee, S., & Hooper, D.) Another topic that ties into pollution and threatens water resources is agricultural subsidies provided by the government. A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says that â€Å"Agricultural subsidies threaten land and water resources and create artificial incentives to expand farm production† (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). Pollution on the Family Farm Threatens the Environment :: Water Polluting Essays Papers Pollution on the Family Farm When you think of pollution you think of industrial pollution running down a river, or smoke coming out of a factory’s smokestack rising up into the environment. These are all concerns in the world today; however, in this paper will talk about pollution that hits a little closer to home. This paper will discuss about pollution on family run farms in rural America. These pollutions range from private well water contamination to fecal pollution run-off into streams by dairy and beef farms. One of the major concerns in today’s Agricultural system is the use of water, and the short supply of water. A more immediate problem is nitrate contamination in millions of private well around the country. As one can imagine most of these wells are found on private farms around the United States. Nationally 1.4 million households drink water from private wells with nitrate levels that exceed the federal drinking water standard of 10 parts per million (ppm)( Ready, R., & Henken, K.). There is an estimated damage to a household from drinking water from a nitrate contaminated well to be $635 per year, with a total damage of almost $900 million per year to private well owners (Ready, R., & Henken, K.). Over 25% of the water used by households in the United States comes from groundwater. One of the major sources of nitrates in groundwater is caused by agricultural activities, including chemicals applied to crops and waste from livestock production (Ready, R., & Henken, K.). The main problem with livestock waste and chemicals is their tendency to diffuse in water, which means they cannot be easily contained or pinpointed to the source. According to a study by the Great Plains Agricultural Council, agricultural land is the largest contributor of non-point source pollution to natural water resources in the High Plains region and throughout the United States. In this survey they found that Nitrate-N was the most commonly detected agricultural chemical in surface and groundwater (Elrashidi, M., Mays, M., Peaslee, S., & Hooper, D.) Another topic that ties into pollution and threatens water resources is agricultural subsidies provided by the government. A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says that â€Å"Agricultural subsidies threaten land and water resources and create artificial incentives to expand farm production† (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).

Islam and Gender Equality in Turkey Essay -- Islam

Unlike its other Islamic neighbors, Turkey abolished Sharia law and became a secular nation in the 1920s. As a result, women in Turkey had rights and freedoms not enjoyed by women in any other predominantly Islamic country (Arat 870). The first president of the newly transformed country was named Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who wore western-style clothing. Though Turkey was secular, it was not democratic, as one party ruled (Arat 870). By the 1950s things began to change again as Turkey transitioned to a multi-party system and the Islamists began to campaign more loudly and publicly for the right to practice their faith in public (Arat 871). Turkey has attempted to move toward a two party, more European type of system, or as one article terms it â€Å"Blairism† in reference to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, since the 1990s (CoÅŸar & Ãâ€"zman 234). But its history and predominant Islamist religious tradition is always present as a backdrop, exerting an influence, which has ebbed and flowed over the years. Because of its history and religious background, Turkey, which sits literally, figuratively, and philosophically, like a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, has something of a dual personality. In particular, unlike many of its European neighbors, the voices of women face more of a struggle to be heard in the political cacophony. Turkey is in a unique position of straddling the West and the Middle East, and its cultural pendulum has swung wildly between the two disparate cultures. At any given moment, a significant number of women in Turkey are in the position of feeling as if their rights are being curtailed, whether the country is in a more secular or Islamic phase. As detailed in the articles examined, when Turkey is se... ...other nations with two very divergent cultural traditions in recent years. The gulf between the Republican and Democratic parties in the US or even the different world views of evangelical Christians as opposed to those who practice mainstream or even no religion in the US looks much smaller when compared with the diversity between the two politically dominant cultures in Turkey. â€Æ' Works Cited Arat, Yesim. â€Å"Religion, Politics and Gender Equality in Turkey: implications of a democratic paradox?† Third World Quarterly 31.6 (2010): 869-884. Print. Turam, Berna. â€Å"Turkish Women Divided by Politics.† International Feminist Journal of Politics 10.4 (2008): 475-494. Print. CoÅŸar, Simten, and Aylin Ãâ€"zman. "Representation Problems of Social Democracy in Turkey." Journal of Third World Studies 25.1 (2008): 233-252. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Racism and Sociology Essay

The Plight of Man   Racism has punctuated the shaping of society for centuries, each major instance of which has helped dictate the direction of social interaction. Although we have come a long way in addressing the situation, it still remains a prevalent issue today. Being a global citizen in this day and age, one has a responsibility to be tolerant, as social circles overlap in a multicultural environment, and the luxury of being informed, grace of the globalizing advances in technology and social media. We live in a melting pot society and the idea of â€Å"Racism† holds no place in the modern world. Being collections of individuals who perceive ourselves to be members of the same social category, we share similar emotional involvements and we experience social overlap. To have conflict or strife in the community, as a result of racial animosity, degrades the moral pillars upon which society is built and results in what is effectively a civil war. The population experiences stratification and the distribution of social rewards are poorly distributed, as are the burdens. These institutionalized mis-allocations as a result of race or ethnicity continue to perpetuate prejudice and create a minority group, which is characterized namely by lack of social power or authority. The term â€Å"Prejudice† refers to attitudes of aversion and hostility toward the members of a group simply because they belong to it and hence are presumed to have the objectionable qualities ascribed to it. The results of deeply engrained racial prejudices are active racial discriminations and the arbitrary denial of privilege, prestige, and power to members of a minority group. With every stigma attached to members of a certain culture, the potential for conflict and separation increases, as does the social and political stress. These prejudices can be very deeply engrained, because of the nationalistic tendencies, on both sides, to carve your own independent nation out of an existing state. These tendencies set the tone and direction for the social interactions to come. In North American society, immigration has long since been a part of our heritage and until recently had very lenient immigration laws allowing immigrants from Africa, China and people of varying faiths and groups to retained their  cultural identities and distinctiveness for many years.   As a result of these multi-ethnic societies, certain ethnic groups can lose their personal distinctiveness through the process of assimilation, or retain their identity and integrity through the process of pluralism. Assimilation refers to those processes whereby groups with distinctive identities become culturally and socially fused. Pluralism refers to a situation in which diverse groups coexist and boundaries between them are maintained. There are two distinct direction in terms of mind-set when practicing pluralism: Equal Pluralism, where ethnic group members participate freely and equally in political and economic institutions. And: Unequal Pluralism, where economic and political participation of minority groups is severely limited by the dominant group and may even entail genocide. Through the scope of global media we’ve been able to catch a glimpse all of these social phenomenons at play. From racist remarks in professional sports leagues, to hate fueled attacks at home as well as abroad, we can see these interactions affect public opinion and incite unique reactions.   When a race is being discriminated against, it becomes very difficult for a person of that race to compete, survive, and strive in that society. Because the allocation of social benefits and opportunity are not based on the merits of the individual, but rather preconceived notions. The contemporary or modern racism has been derived from many different places and ideas, one of the most common ideas being upbringing. As a youth, we are malleable and we rely on our parents to help us become who we are. Part of that involves how their own experiences have shaped their attitude. Distinct opinions, that of which children don’t have the maturity to form on their own. They rely on the education of their parents. But not only that, they believe it whole-heartedly; not having known anything else. This is often where the problem starts. Racism creates boundaries for people with potentially great minds and does not allow for a collective contribution of its citizens, which I believe t o be a critical component of a country’s development and success. If a class of people is not allowed to be educated, they cannot make important contributions in a society of technological advances and medical arenas. The denial of quality education to certain groups of people only serves to obstruct the economic progress of a nation. If we ostracize a  class of people and don’t allow them to participate culturally, we fail to understand and appreciate our differences and similarities, we fail to improve and we fail to develop socially.   These issues can be analyzed from multiple different perspectives. Some see society as a system made up of a number of interrelated and interdependent elements, each performing a function that contributes to the operation of the whole and others as power struggle over scarce resources, while for some, society is based on human interaction. Let’s start with Functionalism, focusing on dysfunction or disorganization within the social system as a cause for conflict. The premise behind the Functionalism perspective on race is that there would be a consensus between different ethnicities and race as immigration continued and our social circles continued to overlap. Naturally, to have this consensus, the minority group would need to assimilate with the larger group. At which point, they would become working and active members of society, contributing towards the benefit of the dominant ethnicity. At the core of Functionalism, is the idea of harmony but Functionalists do say that ethnic differentiation reduces consensus, increases the chances of conflict, and threatens the equilibrium of a society. Racism interferes with the efficient operation, the stability of the system and the achievement of societal goals. The saving grace for this theory is that it also promotes group formation and cohesion. The process of assimilation, in which a minority becomes absorbed into the dominant society -socially, economically, and culturally- infers willingness to participate and becomes a part of the majority social circle. The Conflict Theory perspective would involve all the different groups in society fighting amongst each other for all available resources and opportunities for advancement or personal betterment. When a sub-population feels somehow disadvantaged or are not receiving a sufficient share of the resources, be they money, power, prestige, or respected values and work to overcome those perceived disadvantages. This theory relates back to Marxist train of tho ugh and his famous â€Å"Class Theory† where these struggles for resources are limited to conflict between castes in society. This perspective argues for class-based conflict as an inherent and fundamental part of society, Conflict Theory promotes the idea that racial and ethnic conflict is in fact  tied to class conflict and that in order to reduce racial and ethnic conflict, class conflict must first be reduced. Some cultures in the past, because of these repetitive battles over assets, have been bred out of War and as a result were quick to behave in a conflicting manner. The conflict is related to ethnocentrism and for more reasons than one relates directly to racism. Symbolic Interactionism is the individuals experience with and insight into meaning, as a function of interactions. The primary determinant of behaviour is the understanding that people have for one another. We start to see social problems and conflict in Symbolic Interaction when some social condition is defined by an influential group as stigmatizing or threatening to their values and disruptive of normal social expectations. Society, for a Symbolic Interactionist, is a network of interlocking roles and understanding your role, is pivotal. Social order is constructed mainly through interaction as individuals, through shared ground, explore their social world. The thing that first sets Symbolic Interaction into motion, from a racial perspective, is Competition: creating a niche for people by dividing urban space. Making it a prime medium through which to analyze the effect of racism on behaviour. Generally, the Functionalist perspective looks at society as a complex system. Functionalists aim to focus on different contributions to social solidarity and stability. Orthodox Functionalism did not technically envelop critical analyses of race or ethnicity, going instead for perceiving race as another constituent element. This element, within the larger whole of society, that is assimilated into its harmonious and smooth functioning’s. From this perspective, societies can be seen as finely tuned, interacting, and fundamentally relational constructs that function like organisms, with all different facets of the model are continuously, and unconsciously working towards social equilibrium. Given this repetitive emphasis on equilibrium and harmony, the Functionalist perspective easily allows for specific micro and macro analyses’ of more explicit race-inspired issues such as hate crimes or social power discrepancies and general racial conflict. It allows for the microana lyses in that most of modern sociology is oriented around the individual and trying to identity formation of the socially constructed nature of race. It is much less well adapted to  understanding individual discrimination and prejudice because it ignores the inequalities that cause tension and conflict. The Conflict theory, although it does account for much of the tensions seen is a discriminant world, is much to inclusive of all classes for it to be the main theory that can describe the tensions precipitated by race. To that effect, the Conflict Theory revolves around competition for resources and precipitates a much better scope through which to analyze of racist behaviour. The Symbolic Interaction Theory encapsulates the individualistic nature of mans behaviour as well as the social aspect of it. Peoples interactions with each other are attaching meaning to one another’s actions instead of merely responding or reacting to them. Human interaction is mediated by the use of a more subtle language of symbols and signification, by interpretation, or by ascertaining the meaning of one another’s actions. This can be done collaboratively in the instance of a one on one form of behavioural interpretation, as in attacks, or general attitude interpretation, as in social stigma s. We can clearly see the necessary relationships that define racism, in this day and age, with the Symbolic Interaction alone. Functionalism makes much available through its similar perspective but it’s lack of attention to the micro scale of society and the truly individualistic approach that humans take to understanding, and exhibiting behaviour makes it’s contributions lacking a key aspect of racism. The Symbolic Interaction also takes into account the Correspondence Bias and it’s tendency to overestimate the extent to which people’s behaviour is due to internal, dispositional factors; and to underestimate the role of situational factors. Biology and nature are very deeply connected and share a complex relationship. Early outlook of this relationship revealed that culture is slightly a product of biology. More recent perspective, however, is that human culture has reversed this particular causal direction and, culture can actually influence human evolution, which I personally think is where we’re at now. Racism ranges from the abstract micro interactions that stem from socializing negatively and being misinformed to concrete, cultural objects. We need to strive for a functioning society and the only way there will be  to work collectively. In conclusion, humans are naturally competitive, and naturally we’re going to continue to be competitive in nature. The only thing we can do is attempt to step outside of the boundaries that are set for us socially and the ones we personally set for ourselves. We are inherently social creatures, even though our Western perspective of self is more introspect-based, it ’s all about society in then end. Bibliography (Diana Kendall, 2008). Social Problems in a Diverse Society 2nd. Canadian Edition. Pearson Augie Fleras (2005) Social Problems in Canada: conditions, constructions and challenges. 4th. Canadian Edition. Pearson/Prentice Hall

Trendsetter: Negotiation and Term Sheets

Entrepreneurial Finance: Negotiating with Venture Capitalists: Trendsetter Inc. TEACHING ENTREPRENEURIAL THOUGHT & ACTION 20 March 2012 Richard T. Bliss, PhD Trendsetter Inc. Learning Objectives 1. The entrepreneur/VC relationship 2. Exposure to deal term sheets 3. Moving beyond valuation 4. VC negotiations 2 The Entrepreneur/VC Relationship Entrepreneur VC 3 The Entrepreneur/VC Relationship †¢ Provisions to address adverse selection ? due diligence ? staging/milestones ? se of convertible preferred shares †¢ Provisions to facilitate monitoring/control ? rights to information and board seat ? employment contracts and termination rights †¢ Provisions to enable harvesting †¢ Protection of standing ? anti-dilution provision ? preemptive rights and right of first refusal 4 Case Discussion Questions 1. Calculate the pre- and post-money valuations for Trendsetter under both term sheets. 2. What would the payoffs to the founders and the VC be if Trendsetter is acquired i n a transaction that values the firm at $10 million? 25 million? 3. What are the main differences and similarities between the two term sheets? 4. If you were the entrepreneur and could not negotiate any of the terms in either sheet, which one would you prefer and why? 5. How would you seek to alter the terms in each term sheet during negotiations with the venture capitalists? 5 Trendsetter Inc. Overview 6 Term Sheets: Key Provisions 1. Valuation 2. Dividends 3. Liquidation preference 4. Election of directors 7 Valuation – Mega 8 Valuation – Alpha 9 Dividend – Mega 10Dividend – Alpha 11 Liquidation Preference – Mega 12 Liquidation Preference – Alpha 13 $45 Liquidation Preference and Investor Value $40 $35 Value of Ownership Stake $30 $25 $20 Alpha: Series A $15 $10 $5 $0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25 $30 $35 $40 $45 $50 $55 $60 $65 $70 $75 Alpha: Founders Mega: Series A Mega: Founders Venture Value 14 Election of Directors – Mega 15 Election of Directors – Alpha 16 Scorecard Provision 1. Valuation 2. Dividends Winner Reason(s) 3. Liquidation 4. Directors 17 Trendsetter Inc. Questions? 18