The Failure Behind American International Group Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2882 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? What happened and Why it happened? AIG and its subsequent failure are one of, if not the most well-known company failures in financial history. Of the more recent bankruptcies filed for companies like Enron and Worldcom, the effects and unforeseeable consequences of the failure of a company like AIG would be much more widespread and felt by many more Americans at the lay person level. AIG is primarily an insurance company that sells Property casualty, life, and travel insurance to customers the world over. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Failure Behind American International Group Finance Essay" essay for you Create order However, there was another arm to the company known as AIG FP or American International Group Financial Products division. This division dealt in the financial markets as more than an intermediary, but actually as a trader. The most publicized and understood version of what happened at AIG is that the federal government bailed them out. The term bailout has come to be understood as a final resort transaction with no official means of repayment or penalty. However, this simply is not what happened. The truth of the matter is that AIG deviated from its core business of insurance and the profit margins that come with the premium to risk spread. A great majority of the equity that had existed in AIG came from the sale of credit default swap contracts through the financial products division. These contracts had implicit assumptions of quality and of financial stability. These stipulations in the contracts warranted that if the credit rating of AIG fell, the risk of the counterparties w ent up significantly and that there must be compensation for this. The basic product underlying all of these contracts was the ever popularized Asset Backed Security, or, to be more specific, the ABS CDO or collateralized debt obligation. As almost any American would be able to tell you, at this time in 2008, these asset backed securities were based on defaulting mortgages. Credit default swaps can be lucrative when defaults are low, however, the agreements can quickly cost a company billions if defaults increase sharply. Some of the most interesting information of the entire financial crisis comes from AIG and more specifically from the Financial Products Division. This division was an almost infinitesimal piece of AIG in terms of real estate occupied and employees present. However, it was out of this small setting that Joseph Cassano and his employees issued credit default swaps on over $441 billion in securities that were originally rated AAA. This refers to the tranches that were created for the asset backed securities and more specifically the senior tranche, or least risky. The problem here is that when the company reorganized its tranches to be able to sell more of the repackaged security, they simply upgraded the Mezzanine tranche to Senior, so as to increase the credit worthiness of the security that they were selling. Of the $441 billion of securities traded by the financial products division, over $57.8 billion were based in subprime loans (Pittman). In 2008, this is exactly what happened to AIG and their Financial Products division. In 2007, AIG FP lost more than $10 billion and by the end of the second quarter of 2008 they had lost an even more impressive $17 billion in that division alone. This investment portfolio was significantly more risk seeking than any of the other investment portfolios of AIG, however, these were the most toxic at the time. Due to the overwhelming losses to AIGs capital reserves, they began to be the subjects of inc reased scrutiny by the SEC as well as credit rating agencies such as Moodys and Standard Poors. The rating agencies quickly downgraded the company and its Credit Rating (SP), causing AIG to have to fulfill the requirements of their Credit Default Swap contracts and costing the company over $13 billion dollars of its capital reserves. After the requirement to pay, the company was seen as almost being insolvent. The limits of their liquidity crisis were fast approaching bankruptcy. This is where the story begins for most people, and where the term Government Bailout comes into play. After the downgrading of their credit and the falling of AIG stock price from a 12 month average of approximately $70/share to $1.25 on September 14, 2008, the federal government attempted to get a private loan for AIG to stay liquid and above water during the financial crisis at one of its worst moments. JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs were called upon to try to finance the deal. This was unsuccessf ul, but the government wanted to find out if there would be widespread effects to the failure of a corporate giant such as AIG. Morgan Stanley was hired to assess the systematic risks associated with failure of such a large company. Not only did AIG effect the lives of more common Americans than companies such as Goldman Sachs, but the counterparties involved in their Credit Default Swap contracts stood to lose upwards of $180 billion dollars if the company was to go under. Below is the highly sought after schedule A, or list of derivative contracts. Schedule A (Derivative and off balance sheet instruments) After all was said and done, the company entered into a 24 month secured credit facility that AIG could access up to $85 billion from. The loan was secured by AIGs assets including the non-regulated Financial Products division. It came at a cost of LIBOR +8.5% to AIG (Gretchen Morgensen). The federal government received stock warrants for 79.9% of the company as a result of this deal and later increased its ownership stake to approximately 91.2% after purchasing a second round of $40 billion with the Troubled Asset Relief Program. This is seen as the government bailout. In the most simplistic sense, the government took action that it had to to keep the financial system from suffering massive losses to AIG and its counterparties in their Credit Default Swaps as well as the millions of other Americans that are affected by AIG and its subsidiaries on a daily basis. This is why AIG was given the attention and capital that it so desperately required and companies such as Goldman Sach s were allowed to fail. Was it Preventable and How? The AIG liquidity crisis and the numerous U.S. market failures can be attributed to the lack of affective government Regulation. Over the past few years regulation of Financial Institutions has been highlighted by the media and congressional action. This highly debated issue has been a major concern for decades as the financial industry continues to change and new financial products become created. The most recent market failure is mostly due to the expanding derivatives market and its role in the failure of numerous financial institutions including AIG. Past regulation legislation has clearly failed in properly regulating the new derivatives market and preventing firms from harming the overall U.S. market. New regulation is now in the process of being created to update the current Regulatory institutions so that they are able to accommodate the new financial products and protect the U.S. market / economy. The financial industry has drastically changed over the past few decades. With the creation of computer trading, complex models and derivatives the job of regulating financial institutions has become far more complex. One of the first government actions to control these institutions from potentially harming the overall economy was the creation of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1932. This legislation was aimed at protecting depositors money and limiting the ways in which banks could invest their deposits. By eliminating full service Universal banking the government believed that it could prevent another financial catastrophe after the great depression. Glass-Steagall however was repealed in 1999 and was followed by many de-regulatory actions. This era of de-regulation is what many think allowed the growth of reckless trading and speculative betting since government agencies were powerless to stop such actions. The failure of AIG is what really brought light towards the problems of government regulatory agencies. After the bailout people began to search for who was to blame for the companies collapse and the adverse affects it had on the economy. Since AIG is such a large corporation it was not clear initially who or what department was responsible for the extreme losses. The sub division called AIG Financial Products was found to be the main culprit for the collapse. This department was engaging in credit default swaps and risky derivatives trading. Since the company operated similar to a thrift the Federal Office of Thrift Supervision was viewed as the primary regulating agency. This agency was also responsible for regulating other failures such as Indymac and Washington Mutual. Once AIG began to fail extreme amount of pressure were put towards reforming the regulation system, Ben Bernake said, AIG exploited a huge gap in the regulatory system. Since the bailout the President and Congress have passed some legislation in hopes of preventing similar failures in the future. The Dodd-Frank act of 2010 is the main piece of regulatory legistation reform that has been passed since the financial collapse. In this act past laws including ones from the Glass-Steagall act are reinstated and combined with new reform in order to better regulate modern day financial companies. Included in Dodd-Frank is a section eliminating the Federal Office of Thrift Supervision, which was powerless to control and monitor large corporations like AIG. Many people compare AIG to their regulators as A super heavyweight boxer against a 13 year old boy. In order to give regulators more power the Dodd-Frank act created two more agencies, The Financial Stability Oversight Council and the Office of Financial Research. These 2 agencies were given the responsibilities from the previous office of thrift supervision along with other failed regulatory offices. The main change in regulation power came from the new ability for the regulators to monitor ANY risks to the U.S. financial system and the power to consult State regulatory offices overseein g insurance companies. Many other proposed laws have been discussed to further the financial security of the U.S. economy. One such rule is called the Volcker Rule which proposes that depository institutions should be prohibited from proprietary trading, much like in Glass-Steagall. As the economy continues to stabilize and grow regulatory legislation such as the Dodd-Frank act will become extremely important in order to prevent another great failure like AIG. The struggle between the free market economy and government regulation will continue to be a major source of debate for many years to come. Risk Management Errors We dont live in a world where conventional risk management textbooks prepare us. Not one firm forecast the true impact of the economic crisis and its consequences. These consequences continue to take business academics and tenured economist by surprise. The banks have multiplied the crisis because of the so-called risk management models, which increased their exposure to risk instead of limiting it and rendered the global economic system more unstable than ever. In the late 2000s many firms learned that instead of trying to anticipate low-probability, high-impact events, they should reduce their vulnerability to them. In August 2007 during a conference call with investors, many high-ranking AIG officials stressed the near zero risk probability of credit-default swaps. This was the first in many risk management errors. AIGs chief risk officer was quoted as saying the risk actually taken is very modest and remote. A credit default swap is a bilateral contract between the buyer and seller of protection. The CDS refers to a reference entity or reference obligor, usually a corporation or government. The reference entity is not a party to the contract. The protection buyer makes quarterly premium payments, the spread, to the protection seller. AIG did not understand the risk involved in these credit default swaps and that misunderstanding was largely in part to CEO Martin Sullivan. He was quoted as saying It is hard for us with, and without being flippant, to even see a scenario within any kind of realm of reason that would see us losing $1 in any of those transactionsÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦. We see no issues at all emerging. We see no dollar of loss associated with any of that business. The lack of knowledge and the massive amount of confidence lead AIG down the path to destruction. In November of 2007, AIG reported a $352 million unrealized loss from its credit-default swap portfolio, but to keep investors happy AIG was quoted as saying its highly unlikely that they would lose any money one the deals. Moving on to December AIG disclosed 1.10 billion in further unrealized losses to its swap portfolio, bring the grad total to 1.5 billion in loses. Throughout a conference call with investors, CEO Martin Sullivan explains that the probability that AIGs credit-default swap portfolio will sustain an economic loss is close to zero. AIGs thought its risk-modeling system had proven very reliable, Sullivan said, and since the transactions were so conservatively structured, AIG had a very high level of comfort with its risk models. Moving on to February, AIG set its 2007 total realized loses to 11.5 billion. AIG also disclosed that I had posed 5.3 billion in collateral as well. This was the first time the company had disclosed the amount of money in collateral. In the late months of 2008, the government pledged 115 billion to AIG in bailout funds to try to hedge the crisis. The US board of Governors and Treasury announced the restruc turing of the governments financial support to AIG. This restructuring included a treasury purchase of AIG preferred shares through the TARP program. This program reduced the 85 billion dollars in AIG revolving credit to 60 billion and created two limited liability companies. In the late months of 2008 to 2010 the powerhouse fell apart. Who was responsible? American International Groups monumental collapse like any other disaster derived at first from ambition. Then, in turn, this same ambition begot greed. In retrospect, looking back on the AIGs collapse, we can say there were many individuals that were responsible for the devastating disaster in the wake of the economic crisis of 2008. First, we must start from the top of the organization and work our way through the corporate hierarchy to lay out the appropriate blame to the responsible parties. Starting in 1987, when the Financial Products division within AIG was created by a joint venture between Howard Sosin and the AIG CEO, Hank Greenberg. The tumultuous relationship built on greed was doomed from the beginning as the ambitious Sosin only needed Greenbergs financial and brand backing whereas Greenbergs leadership style was with an iron fist. Lacking the trust in Sosin, Greenberg eventually did enough micro-managing to get Sosin to leave the company on bad terms and eventuall y replaced him with one of his protà ©gà ©s, Joseph Cassano. Under Sosin, Financial Products was a large profit, no material loss division within AIG that generated millions in profits during his tenure. In contrast, Cassanos tenure was an aggressive and risky operation that he deemed a no lose situation when in fact it eventually led to AIGs collapse and a subsequent bailout by the federal government. Under his control, the Financial Products division indulged in extensive selling of credit default swaps on mortagages which at its height AIG had guaranteed some $440 billion in obligations. In all, Joseph Cassano and the lack of corporate governance within AIG allowed him to single handedly bring a company that was once looked at as one of the safest and secure institutions to place your money in as one the biggest failures in the modern day economy. Ripple effect on the market/economy? In the wake of the financial crisis in 2008, the collapse of such a company with the size and stature of AIG would have been catastrophic to the entire financial world as we know it. Most systematically its downfall would have led to the eventual collapse of other banks with it because subprime issues in the underlying credit default swaps AIG was selling. In theory, every bank would have been able to look at their balance sheets and note that they were suffering from the same type of subprime issues that would have destroyed AIG had there not been a bailout by the federal government. Ultimately, the risky debt obligations that the credit default swaps were based on were being defaulted at a high rate and there was no way possible for AIG at the end of the day to honor all of its obligations to speculators and banks alike who purchased these financial instruments as forms of insurance against default. On another note, another economic industry that suffered was the travel indust ry. In the wake of the government bailout of AIG, executives were spotted relaxing in a luxurious resort in California. Because of this, AIG received bad press from the media and taxpayers, alike. Other companies took note of this bad press and immediately cancelled any type of conferences in exotic and expensive locations in order to avoid that same bad press. Sources Mark Pittman (2008-09-29). Goldman, Merrill Collect Billions After Feds AIG Bailout Loans. Bloomberg News. https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchivesid=aTzTYtlNHSG8. Retrieved 2011-04-08. SP: Ratings on American International Group Lowered and Kept on CreditWatch Negative. Yahoo News. 2008-09-16. https://marketplace.news.yahoo.net/pressrelease.aspx?id=96684. Retrieved 2011-04-08 Gretchen Morgensen; Mary Williams Walsh (2008-09-14). Rush Is On to Prevent AIG From Failing. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/business/15aig.html?hp. Retrieved 2011-04-08

Seiridium Cankers on Leyland Cypress

My Leyland cypress hedge has Seiridium unicorne canker fungus. The photo you see is one of many Leylands in my yard. I often regret my decision to plant the species but I also wish I had reviewed this material before I planted Underneath that spot of dead foliage is a seiridium canker, also called coryneum canker, and is a big problem on Leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) trees. The fungus will destroy the cypress form and cause eventual death if not controlled. Seiridium canker is usually localized on individual limbs and should be removed immediately.   If you control this situation early, you can improve the condition of the tree and its future outcome. If you leave it for another day, you will regret it. Fungal spores from an active canker are often washed down the tree or splashed from tree to tree by rain or overhead irrigation.  New infections develop when spores lodge in bark cracks and wounds and this process quickly overwhelms the tree. Disease Description: So, seiridium canker fungus is a major problem owners of Leyland cypress, especially in the southeastern United States. Cankers can be identified as sunken, dark brown or purplish patches on limb bark and there us usually excessive resin flow from the patch. It should be recognized that resin flow can occur from the branches and stems of trees that do not have the disease. Other diseases like Botryosphaeria cankers, Cercospora needle blight, Phytophthora and Annosus root rots can have very similar characteristics. Be careful not to use resin flow alone as a diagnosis for Seiridium canker. The uncontrolled canker over time will destroy the cypress form and eventually cause the trees death. Seiridium canker is usually localized on individual limbs and shows mostly as dead foliage (see attached photo). Disease Symptoms: In many cases, the canker will disfigure and damages trees, most particularly in hedges and screens that are heavily pruned. The limb is usually dry, dead, often discolored, with a sunken or cracked area surrounded by living tissue (see attached photo). In many cases there is a gray discoloration at the point of infection. The foliage dies beyond the canker point to the limb tip. Disease Prevention and Control: Provide adequate space when planting trees to prevent the stress of crowding and to increase the air circulation. Planting at a minimum of 12 to 15 feet between trees may look excessive but will pay off in just a few years. Do not over-fertilize trees and mulch under trees to at least the drip line. These recommendations will minimize stressful water loss and the ever-present competition for water from surrounding plants. as well as potential damage to trees from lawn mowers and string trimmers. Prune away the diseased branches as soon after they appear as possible. Make the pruning cuts 3 to 4 inches below the diseased canker patch. You should always destroy diseased plant parts and try to avoid physical damage to plants. Sanitize pruning tools between each cut by dipping in rubbing alcohol or in a solution of 1 part chlorine bleach to 9 parts water. Chemical control of the fungus has proven to be difficult but some success has been noted with a full-coverage fungicide spray at monthly intervals from April to October.

Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Art - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1500 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/08/08 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Ancient Egypt Essay Did you like this example? The Egyptian culture dates all the way back to 3000 BC with its widely known invention of hieroglyphics. Egyptians were inspired by art, that was based off religion. Every piece of art sculpture or paintings that was constructed by the Egyptians related some type of story, these stories were told through writing on tombs, walls, obelisks, pyramids, and papyrus. The Egyptians strongly believed in having a polytheistic belief which is the belief in many gods. The history of hieroglyphics goes back to 3200-3000 BCE. Hieroglyphics is a way of communications used by the ancient Egyptians. It was like English, Spanish, French and many other languages that we have today. It was a form of writing that the Egyptians learned to be able to communicate between each other. Just like today how English represents your culture and where you are from, that is what Hieroglyphics did. The Hieroglyphics represented their language and culture. The Hieroglyphics werent like letters that we have in language you know today; they were pictures that meant different things. It can be related to like the Chinese writing, a lot of lines. Because of their pictorial elegance, Herodotus and other important Greeks believed that Egyptian hieroglyphs were something sacred, so they referred to them as holy writing (Scoville, Priscila. Egyptian Hieroglyphs.). That is another reason that they have named it Hieroglyphics, it stands for holy writing. Similar to the Alphabet w here each letter has a sound, and when youre learning the alphabet you can put an image to it, thats what the Egyptians did with their script. The script was composed of three basic types of signs: logograms, representing words; phonograms, representing sounds; and determinatives, placed at the end of the word to help clarify its meaning. (Scoville, Priscila. Egyptian Hieroglyphs.). Each picture meant something which is why the English language is not much different from the Egyptian language. Egyptian scribes used papyrus and other alternative writing surfaces, including writing boards generally made of wood. (Scoville, Priscila. Egyptian Hieroglyphs.). Papyrus was a form of plant that they were able to write on much like our paper that we have today, they also wrote on bones. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Art" essay for you Create order The Egyptians had numerous amounts of art that they had made over the years that we have discovered in this time period. Art was very important to the Egyptians culture; art is a big part of any culture. Every time period had some form of art that made history and is still talked about today. The Egyptian art was based around the thought of Gods. Much like how the Greeks had their Gods and Goddesses the Egyptians art was based off the idea of Gods as well. No matter how beautifully a statue may have been crafted, its purpose was to serve as a home for a spirit or a god. (Mark, Joshua J. A Brief History of Egyptian Art.). Their art was a form of showing that this is a representation of a God, of a super natural being that would help them out it ways they needed help in. Some forms that they made their art into was tomb paints, temples, palaces, paintings, and sculptures. There were thousands of pieces of art over the years they had made. Most of the tombs that were made were for the k ings. They would paint on the walls of the tomb to represent all their accomplishments in life. Understanding the Egyptian art is difficult to understand being we dont know their language very well. Their art work is very much appreciated; the art has a lot of meaning behind them. There are paintings that still today you learn about. One that I remember learning is the mummification. It is a picture of someone who has died and them paying their respect to them. Every piece of art that was made had a reason behind it. This painting is important to their history of art because it shows what happened to the dead. Mummification was a big part of Egyptian history. When people died they got put in tombs and had a ceremony for them. So this painting shows and represents what happened when you died. Another one that can recall is the painting that was the battle of Nubia. It showed their history of the wars they went through. This painting shows that they defeated Nubia and expanded their land which was a big part of their history. Just like all of our wars that are painted represent our history. The difference between their art and the art that we have today is that theirs was never meant to be seen. Much of the Egyptian art was meant to be represent the death of their people. Almost all of their art is full of text, most of their art showed a sense of civilization and unity within their culture. It is for this reason that Egyptian temples, palaces, homes and gardens, statuary and paintings, signet ring s and amulets were all created with balance in mind and all reflect the value of symmetry. (Mark, Joshua J. A Brief History of Egyptian Art.). Their other form of art was through temples that they hand crafted to represent their culture and the belief of the Gods. Early temples were constructed on sites which the people felt had a numinous quality to them which indicated the presence of a god, gods, or spirits. (Mark, Joshua J. A Brief History of Egyptian Art.). The Egyptians first settled near the Nile river To the ancient Egyptians themselves, their country was simply known as Kemet which means Black Land so named for the rich, dark soil along the Nile River where the first settlements began. (Mark, Joshua J. A Brief History of Egyptian Art.). The Egyptians were very advanced to say the least. Egypt thrived for thousands of years (from c. 8000 BCE to c. 30 BCE) as an independent nation whose culture was famous for great cultural advances in every area of human knowledge, from the arts to science to technology and religion. (Mark, Joshua J. A Brief History of Egyptian Art.). the Egyptians managed to do death in a different way. Instead of mourning the death of friends and family members they in a way celebrated them. By writing on their tombs and giving them a ceremony. As earlier stated they wrote on the tombs what the dead had accomplished in their life time. They also were very advanced in knowledge of a higher power. They believed in a form of a God much like some people do today. They believed that there was an afterlife in a way. At death, one would meet with judgment in the Hall of Truth and, if justified, would move on to an eternal paradise known as The Field of Reeds which was a mirror image of ones life on earth. (Mark, Joshua J. A Brief History of Egyptian Art.). They had strong beliefs in Gods and Goddesses and were very religious. Their art work, history and religious belief is very interesting too know about. The Egyptians were very advanced in many areas; a lot more than previous eras have been. The art work that they made and kept up with is very advanced compared to others. The language they came up with is amazingly unique and complex. Since they were intensely religious and believed in higher power. Their everyday life revolved around a higher power. Much like today were we serve a higher power they did the same thing. If the Gods, they believed in every helped them out in any way they would praise them. They went years being extremely lucky with their way of life. They gave credit to all their success to the Gods. Their ruler Pharaoh had a lot to do with their success in their culture. Even though their culture was extremely rich and deep. For them being settled on the Nile river gave them an advanced help to fresh water which helped them with their farming. It made the soil incredibly rich for farming which is a big part of their culture. The biggest part of their culture is there art. Their art showed many stories, such as tall tales like we have. They even wrote about events that had taken place during their time period. This is another reason we know so much about their culture. They were very good at writing down what had happened which helps with knowing about their history. It helps us understand their art work, religion, and how their everyday life was here on earth. What we have learned from them is that we have the same traits that they had. Were more advanced than they were but we learned a lot of our traits from them. Such as religion, art, and our language. Work cited Mark, Joshua J. A Brief History of Egyptian Art. Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 26 Nov. 2018, www.ancient.eu/article/1077/a-brief-history-of-egyptian-art/. Scoville, Priscila. Egyptian Hieroglyphs. Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 24 Nov. 2018, www.ancient.eu/Eg

Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption Analysis

Close Comparative Analysis Of Stephen King’s Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption When comparing the ending of Stephen King’s novella, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption with the ending of the 1994 film adaptation by Frank Darabont, The Shawshank Redemption, there are key differences. These include additions, removals and slight changes in the narrative which arguably make the storyline better suited to the completely different medium of cinema. It is a requirement for directors and script writers to make some alterations when adapting a novel to film. This is ultimately because of the drastic reduction of narrative material from hundreds of pages to just two hours of film. When†¦show more content†¦It also demonstrates the same security King creates for Red in his hotel room in the novella, whilst also demonstrating a sense of freedom and solitude of being out in the open. It effectively mirrors Andy’s isolation which Red describes in previous scenes, and how this has naturally influenced his character. This connection is something which has a greater impact being demonstrated rather than narrated, despite it changing the narrative structure. In the novella, King puts Red in â€Å"[†¦] the Brewster Hotel, technically a fugitive from justice again† (p.113). Whereas in the adaptation, Darabont has the parole board place him in a halfway house, in exactly the same room as Brookes was assigned earlier in the film. The audience knows this is the same room by the signifier of the carved message in the wood. Red then carves his own message right next to it. This image demonstrates that, not only do the prisoners share common ground for the fact that they are criminals, but how they are all now defined by their crimes in the outside world. Whereas Brookes’ message symbolised his struggle with adapting to life outside of Shawshank, Red’s note symbolises hope and redemption for himself and Andy. These are key themes for both Darabont and King, and although this moment is not a part of the novel, what it signifies achieves the same goal. King himself has â€Å"[†¦] slammed the film adaptations of his stories†Show MoreRelatedAn Analysis of Stephen Kings Novella Rita Hayworth and the Film The Shawshank Redemption914 Words   |  4 PagesShawshank Redemption Courage can be found and proved in any setting, even a prison. Stephen Kings novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption is about a man named Andy Dufresne who is arrested, tried, and convicted for the double homicide of his wife and her lover despite the fact that he is innocent. Throughout the story Andy is subjected to abuse after abuse. First he is wrongfully imprisoned. Then he is used by the prison guards and the warden for his financial and business acumen. 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The legendary Morgan Freeman plays Red, and Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne. They did an amazing job playing the role that they were supposed to. In this movie, you will be able to see how much of an impact one person can make. How one person showed an inmate that no one should let

Robinson Crusoe, By Daniel Defoe - 1764 Words

Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe, often is regarded as the first novel in history. Time and time again writers find themselves mirroring the themes of Robinson Crusoe in an attempt to create a work as highly acclaimed as the one that may have inspired them to write in the first place. In addition, critics have looked to the past to see if the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers have crept their way into Defoe’s influential work. Many authors and critics compare Robinson Crusoe with John Locke, particularly his Two Treatises of Government. In this essay I argue that Robinson Crusoe is not Lockean because Daniel Defoe’s take on the concept of property, as expressed through the actions of Robinson Crusoe and his relationship with Friday, is at odds with Locke’s take on the same concept. Initially, Robinson Crusoe appears to abide by Lockean principles, but as the novel progresses, Robinson Crusoe repeatedly strays from Lockean ideology and falls victim to an illusion of power and control of his property. According to Locke, â€Å"the preservation of Property being the end of Government, and that for which Men enter into society†. The strong word choice of â€Å"preservation† alludes to man’s desire to not only preserve himself, but to also preserve what he possesses. The comparison between â€Å"the end of Government† and â€Å"for which Men enter into society† suggests that the government’s entire purpose is to preserve property. In addition to defining the purpose of government, Locke also arguesShow MoreRelatedRobinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe796 Words   |  4 PagesRobinson Crusoe Character Analysis â€Å"Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.† Robinson Crusoe changes vastly, from a stubborn man to a prideful but knowledgeable one. While he accomplishes his journey of self-discovery, these are achieved by the several apparent forces. In the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, the forces fear, natural disasters, and religion changeRead MoreRobinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe936 Words   |  4 PagesThe title of the book that I have read is Robinson Crusoe written by Daniel Defoe. The misspelled and native language they spoke back in the day was something I wasn’t expecting from this book. The accent and the way they talked were something I can understand in their conversation. I had mixed emotions while reading this book and in some chapters, I can feel the hardships that Robinson Crusoe faced. Overall, this book was boring and exciting a t the same time and was written well expect the wordsRead MoreRobinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe1095 Words   |  4 PagesSince its publication in 1719, Robinson Crusoe has served as a popular adventure novel. The overall content of the story presents itself as nothing more than adventurous, but after a close reading it becomes clear that the narrative has an underlying message of colonialism. The novel tells the story of a European man who gradually gains complete control over an island in the Caribbean. The author, Daniel Defoe, presents colonialism by portraying the protagonist as someone who slowly and progressivelyRead MoreDaniel Defoe s Robinson Crusoe1730 Words   |  7 PagesDaniel Defoe once said, â€Å"The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear † (BrainyQuote). This quote highlights Defoe’s look on life itself, for he underwent many different life experiences which allowed him to philosophiz e and reflect on himself and his connections with his own morals as well as God. Much of Defoe’s literature is influenced by his background. Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is one of his greatest works, and Defoe’sRead MoreComparing Daniel Defoe and Robinson Crusoe901 Words   |  4 Pageswhen he prayed to have neither poverty or riches† (Defoe 2). This is a part of the lecture Robinson’s father had given when he tried to keep him from a life of sailing. But when your parents give you a lecture or advice, do you always listen? Sometimes you’ll disobey and follow your own path. Defoe did, and so did his fictional character Robinson Crusoe. Like this, Robinson and Defoe are alike in several ways. Defoe was inspired to write Robinson Crusoe by his living conditions, income, some of theirRead MoreDaniel Defoe s Robinson Crusoe1185 Words   |  5 Pagesa critical exegesis of Daniel Defoe s Robinson Crusoe (1719), insight and perception is gleaned in regards to both the way the text praises or condemns the priorities of its time and the examination of the values which underpin it. It is with this analysis of Robinson Crusoe that the values of the time in regards to; Colonialism, imperialism and religious neglect can be observed as either being praised or challenged. One of the most societally impacting features of Defoe s time was colonialismRead MoreAnalysis Of Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe1611 Words   |  7 PagesAn Analysis of Robinson Crusoe In Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe, the story follows the title character throughout his adventurous and religious escapades. Robinson Crusoe spends a substantial amount of time in the novel alone, reflecting on his current situation and more importantly, his relationship with God. Defoe did write in many influential characters, the most important being the native escapee, Friday. Defoe structured Crusoe and Friday’s relationship as very co-dependent in suchRead MoreDaniel Defoe s Robinson Crusoe915 Words   |  4 Pagesaristocratic system , a structure defined by the positions of a society that is ruled by a single leader. In the case of Robinson Crusoe (1719), a King, a common expression of authority. I argue that in Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe does view himself as â€Å"King or Emperor† of the island he occupies and is often portrayed as this powerful individual throughout the novel. I assert that Crusoe, being the only dweller of the island, immediately sees himself as the absolute ruler, which I suggest is to increaseRead MoreDaniel Defoe s Robinson Crusoe2195 Words   |  9 PagesDaniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe, is an allegory to what was occurring in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. Robinson Crusoe narrates the book in a way that tells the reader what it was like to live in the 17th and 18th centuries. Crusoe provides us with a microcosm of what types of governments were being established at the time, the way people thought, how religion played a part in the lives of the people, how plantations came to be by the Europeans, and how big of a role slavery playsRead MoreRobinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe762 Words   |  3 PagesRobinson Crusoe parents wanted him to get a job in the close to home but he liked traveling and challenge of adventure. His odyssey started when he left home and his parents. After a series of unlucky and short voyages a storm h it his boat and his destiny threw him away from the rest of the world, in an unknown island that would be his living place for the rest 28 years of his life. But at least he can be thankful to God

Opening a Restaurant in Sydney

Question: Discuss about the Opening a Restaurant in Sydney. Answer: Introduction Opening a new business is always characterized by various challenges. To ensure that this phase has the least effect on the new business, it is important to put in place the right considerations and strategies (Collings and Wood, 2009). Some vital factors to consider include the location, target market, availability of infrastructure and proximity to the raw materials and hence the suppliers (Daft and Armstrong, 2009). In addition, there is the vital need to consider the government policies and council laws governing business operations in the targeted location. In this report, we analyze then laid strategies intended to anchor the starting of Nepalese Fusion Restaurant. The main business objective involves serving clients from different walks of life with good quality foods, freshly made drinks and beverages (Griffin, 2010). This report shall entail a step by step record of what the management intends to implement in order to achieve its core objectives. The work shall then be summa rized by outlining the viability and practicability of the new business idea with reference to the factors mentioned above. Mission The mission of Nepalese Fusion Restaurant is to offer the people of Sydney high quality fast foods, drinks and beverages at competitive prices in addition to maintaining good customer relations. Vision The vision of NFR is to be one of the leading suppliers and providers of delicious foods and awesome drinks and beverages not only to the indigenous people of Sydney but to all people in the City and beyond. Goals and Objectives To enhance good customer loyalty through competitive prices and good quality products To improve convenience and ensure timely service to clients To maintain good customer relations by adequately satisfying their needs To build a dedicated workforce through motivation, team building, training and other measure of exposure. Location and Suppliers In addition to the fact that Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales, it is considered as one of the most populous cities in Australia (Harper, 2009). Demographic reports indicate an even distribution of not only the indigenous people of Sydney but a good number of foreigners inhabiting the city as workers in various organizations. In order to harness the merits associated with the relatively high population, Nepalese Fusion Restaurant shall be located along one of the streets which gives a good link between the central business district and the Sydney harbour. This location was chosen due to its good proximity to the target customers which enhances the market for the business products and services. The location was also picked on due to the good infrastructure around the region. This would go a long way in enhancing easy movement of raw materials into the restaurant, movement of clients in and out of the premises as well as the supply process in case of home deliveries. The r estaurants nearness to the harbour would be an added advantage due to the available option of using water transport for supply of products and reception of raw materials. Furthermore, the workers at the harbour and the visiting tourists shall serve to increase the potential market base of the restaurant. The restaurant shall depend on the services of various suppliers including; soft drink producers, fruits and vegetable suppliers and other raw materials which will then be finished locally within the restaurant. The fruits supplies shall be used to make salads and fresh juices to be sold to the clients at affordable prices. Supplies shall mainly be done through road and water transport, the latter being useful due to the restaurants proximity to the harbour. In order to create an appropriate balance, the frequency of supplies shall majorly be pegged on the level of need and demand. These strategies ensure the occurrence of minimal losses and reception of raw materials which the business might not necessarily require. To enhance consistency, the restaurant management shall seek to work with similar suppliers for a given period of time. The business-supplier relations shall be based on specific targets. If the interaction with a particular supplier meets the laid targets then they will be included as long lasting partners to the business. Hiring Strategy For effective organizational performance, there is an inevitable need for quality performance and good service delivery (Norman, 2013). As such, NFR will seek to work with the most skilled and dedicated workforce. As a hiring strategy, interview sessions shall be announced and arranged for the successful applicants. Those with prior experience and knowledge on hospitality management shall be highly considered for the top posts. The employment shall be on contractual basis and the agreements shall be renewed based on the rate of achievement of specific targets. As suggested by Giddens (2008), the employees shall be taken through further training in the initial stages in order to expose them on the mission, vision and objectives of the organization. As a follow up procedure to the rigorous hiring process, the new employees shall be exposed through exhibitions, conferences and various platforms where they can horn their skills in line with the responsibilities allocated to them. Target Customers and Advertisement As hinted in the organizations mission and vision statements, Nepalese Fusion Restaurant intends to capture customers from all walks of life. The primary target market includes the people of Sydney both operating within the CBD and the harbour. However, the business shall also use online platforms to reach out to clients who can then make their orders via these platforms before an immediate delivery is arranged. The process of door-to-door delivery shall be carried out majorly through vans and bikes. This strategy would be pivotal in enhancing the level to which the business shall penetrate the market. Using various media for instance television and the social media, the business intends to maintain closely knit ties with the clients to ensure their satisfaction. In addition, Nepalese Fusion Restaurant shall harness the provisions of technology to enhance its operations and also engage in e-Commerce. The customer feedbacks from the various platforms shall be used to consider the area s in need of adjustments and hence ensure a holistic performance by the business. In order to increase the popularity of the restaurant beyond its central location, the management has put in place numerous advertisement strategies (Murray, 2014). For instance, the business shall use the online platforms, television and billboards to improve the publics awareness about the products and services offered. The business also intends to use the monthly business articles to advertise its products and services to the readers not only in Sydney but all over the country. Cost Estimation The business intends to set off the project with a budget of $100,000. The amount shall be disseminated to cover various elements for instance initial package of worker remunerations, purchase of equipment, renovation of the building and payments on registration and licensing requirements. This amount is to be divided based on a guiding ratio in order to ensure that each phase is adequately funded. The capital shall be sourced from accrued savings in addition to a business loan. For the subsequent years, the business shall majorly depend on the profits made to enhance the financial maintenance. To achieve this, both the workers and managers shall operate with their focus on specifically set targets which when achieved shall attract constant rewards (Pankaj, 2011). This strategy is not only meant to increase the return on investment but also ensure proper motivation of the human resource. Legal Requirements Before setting up the business, the right considerations shall be made in order to ensure that the intended strategies are legally compliant. A prior understanding of the government policies on business operations within the CBD, pollution and pricing shall be vital. In addition, the Sydney council laws shall be adequately factored in hence ensuring that no procedure goes against any of these requirements. For instance, the government policies are stringent on pricing hence the business shall constantly review its pricing policies and ensure that they are aligned with the legal requirements. At the same time, Sydney council laws emphasize on environmental conservation hence the operations of NFR shall be keen on maintaining healthy standards. As a measure to ensure compliance with the legal requirements, the first step shall involve registration of the business in order to obtain the government permits. This permit shall be useful in defining the business scope of operation which in turn eliminates any issues with the authorities. Summary of procedure and Conclusion The process of starting the business shall be based on the design summarized below With the strategies outlined above, Nepalese Fusion Restaurant is bound to be a successful venture. This is because the high population provides a ready market which is one of the major factors worth considering before starting a business (Florida, 2014). Through the effective hiring strategies, the human resource department shall comprise dedicated and competent personnel. This would enhance quality service deliver which when added to good customer relations shall enhance customer loyalty. References Bernhard, H. (2008) Six lessons for the corporate classroom. Harvard Business Review, 66(5), pp. 12-56. Carliss Y. (2000) Design Rules: The Power of Modularity. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Cohen, M. (2008) Productivity and Efficiency in Human Service Organizations as related to Structure, size and Age. The Academy of Management Journal, 23(1), pp. 21--37. Collings, D. and Wood, G. (2009) Human resource management: London: Routledge. Daft, R. and Armstrong, G. (2009) Organization Theory and Design. Toronto: Nelson. Giddens, M. (2008) Determining Organizational Effectiveness - another look, and an agenda for research. Management Science, 32 (5), pp. 514 --538. Griffin, T. (2010) Information technology, strategic decision making approaches and Organizational performance in different industrial settings. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 10(1), pp.101-119. Florida, R. (2014) The 25 most economically powerful cities in the world". City Lab Journal, 2(2), pp. 12-14. Harper, S. (2009) Configurations of Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency. The Academy of Management Journal, 36(6), pp. 13451361. Murray, L. (2014) "Sydney's niche in global finance". The Sydney Morning Herald, 2(3), pp. 23-29. Norman, T. (2013) Personnel training and development. Annual Review of Psychology, 22(1), pp. 565602. Pankaj, G (2011) Cases on Redefining Global Strategy. Harvard: Business Review Press.

Organisational Strategy & Talent Management-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Organizatioal Strategy and Talent Management. Answer: Talent management is an important tool for human resource management. In an organization, talent management is used to recruit, retain and develop the most talented human resources within the organization. Talent management is important for an organizations success. It is a well-known business strategy to attract the top talent in order to beat the rivals in the corporate cat race. When the stakeholders are told that the organization is dedicated towards talent management, it means that they will take effective steps to develop the talent of the employees. With the help of training and development, the employees talents and skills will be refined and polished so that it can be used for attaining the goals and objectives of the organization. Relationship between organizational strategy and talent management:- Talent management is a very crucial organizational strategy in the 21st centurys global business sector. Talent management is done through a number of management initiatives such as planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling the workforce to the optimum level. Talent management shares a very special relation with an organizations strategy. The strategy of any organization is to build up a commendable business empire and to build up such, an organization would require sufficient amount of talented employees (Armstrong Taylor, 2014).Here, the role of the talent management initiative becomes very specific. The sole substantial task of the talent management initiative is to professionally groom the new employees and to effectively train the existent employees. Talent management initiative helps in inculcating the practice of organizational behavior in an organization. Through the model of the organizational behavior, employees learn to work effectively as team members or as individuals and the employees also learn to observe the professional decorum in the organization. In addition to this, employees learn to participate and provide good business suggestions in the organizations decision-making process and to successfully overcome any organizational challenges. All the aforementioned things, collectively, help to realize the organizational strategy of a company. The organizational strategy for increasing the operational efficiency is often aligned with the developing the talent of the employees, so it can be said that talent management is a part of organizational strategy. Talent management is the tool that is used to increase the efficiency of the employees. The stakeholders of the organization will be informed that the talent and skills of the employees are the key elements that are required to achieve the organizational goals of heightened profitability and massive efficiency, so it is definitely a part of the organizational strategy. The organization will ensure the stakeholders that the talent management of the potential employees of the organi zation will be highly beneficial for the organization and the organizational strategy. (Silzer Dowell, 2010). Conclusion It can be concluded that the talent proficiency of the employees are very crucial in achieving the goals and objectives of an organization. It is a process by which the talented employees are recruited and retained within an organization. Organizational strategic planning is required in developing the skills of the employees as their collective efforts and efficiency would help the organization to meet its goals. As a result, it can be said that the relationship between the organizational strategy and the talent management is extremely relevant and apposite. References Armstrong, M., Taylor, S. (2014).Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Berger, L., Berger, D. (2010).The talent management handbook: Creating a sustainable competitive advantage by selecting, developing, and promoting the best people. McGraw Hill Professional. Collings, D. G., Mellahi, K. (2009). Strategic talent management: A review and research agenda.Human resource management review,19(4), 304-313. Silzer, R., Dowell, B. E. (Eds.). (2010). Strategy-driven talent management: A leadership imperative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.