Michael Eisner's Walt Disney company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Michael Eisner's Walt Disney company - Essay Example Based on his interest in cartoons, Walt entered into a partnership to form â€Å"Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists,† an initiative that made Disney develop an interest in the work of animation. To advance in his new career, Walt decided to borrow a camera from an advertising company, which encouraged him do develop further interest in Animation. Based on this drive, he managed to create the â€Å"Laugh-O-Gram Studios.† As his interest advanced in the field of animation, he opted to establish his firm after forming an agreement with Frank Newman to play the cartoons that Disney made in his theatre (Wasko, 2013). Initially, â€Å"Laugh-O-Gram Studios† became relatively big before going bankrupt in Kansas City. A mouse, Mickey, inspired â€Å"Oswald† creation later on. This resulted in the phrase â€Å"It All Started with a Mouse.† However, after Disney lost the rights he had in â€Å"Oswald,† he embarked on the road to creating his unique character, the â€Å"Mickey Mouse.† During this time, Technicolor was taking shape in the industry, making it possible for Walt to introduce additional characters in his work. He won an award in 1932 after Mickey emerged as the most common cartoon in the animation history (Wasko, 2013). Driven by the urge to create a full film, Disney initiated working on â€Å"Snow White† in 1934. He accomplished this initiative in 1937. This emerged as one of the highly successful film for 1938, which fetched more than $8 million for the company. Presently, this figure is equivalent to $132,671,390. After the success of â€Å"Snow White,† Disney embarked on a path to create Fantasia and Pinocchio. With the growth of Disney, Walt went to Hollywood and established the Walt Disney Studio before it went into debt. Here, although movies would not be considered as financially successful in the case of Disney, they had some degree of popularity (Wasko, 2013). Furthermore, during the World War II era, Disney was

Ronald Reagan Essay Example for Free

Ronald Reagan Essay There are few people in this world that have a profound effect on it. There are even fewer with that can claim they’ve had as great an impact as Ronald Reagan. The 40th president of the United States, Reagan shot from a former Hollywood actor to become arguably one of the greatest politicians of all time. In a time where tensions were possibly never higher between the Soviets and the United States, Reagan was a calming force that provided stability to a world that was severely lacking. Reagan lived a long, and extremely prosperous life, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents of all time. Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in an apartment on the second floor of a commercial building in Tampico, Illinois on February 6, 1911, to Jack and Nelle Reagan. (Ronald Reagan Biography) Reagan had one sibling, his older brother, Neil. Reagan and his family moved around often, before eventually settling in the town of Dixon. As a boy, Reagans father nicknamed his son Dutch, due to his fat little Dutchman-like appearance, and his Dutchboy haircut. Growing up, Ronald had a particular interest in the goodness of people, and had a strong religious faith. (Kengor) After graduating from Dixon High School, Reagan attended Eureka College, majoring in economics and sociology. (Ronald Reagan Biography) Extremely popular among classmates, Reagan was not only captain of the swim team, but was elected student body president. He even ran a revolt against the president of the school when he tried to cut back the faculty. Following graduation from Eureka, Reagan moved to Iowa, where he was hired as a radio broadcaster for the University of Iowa football team. Shortly after, he was hired as the play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs. Reagan was a traveling announcer with the Cubs, and while traveling in California, attended a screen test with Warner Brothers. Reagan performed so well, he left the Cubs and signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers. (â€Å"Ronald Reagan†) After signing the contract in 1937, Reagan was quickly assigned to the lower, â€Å"B† level movies. Ronald once joked by saying, â€Å"They didn’t want them good, they wanted them Thursday,† referencing the quality of some of the films he starred in. Often overshadowed by other actors in such movies, his first big role came in the film Love is in the  Air. Ronald’s favorite movie was King’s Row, in which he played double amputee Drake McHugh. His most famous line was in the movie comes when he realizes both of his legs are gone, saying, â€Å"Where’s the rest of me?† Reagan loved it so much he later used it as the title of his autobiography. Ronald’s film career was cut short when he was ordered for active duty in the United States Army in World War two. (â€Å"Ronald Reagan†) In 1940, Reagan married actress Jane Wyman, and together they had two children, Maureen and Christine, and adopted a third, Michael. Wyman filed for divorce in 948, after several arguments about his future political ambitions. It was in 1949 that Reagan met his true love, Nancy Davis. When asked about their first meeting, Nancy said, â€Å"She described their meeting by saying, I dont know if it was exactly love at first sight, but it was pretty close.† The Reagans often publicly displayed their affection for one another, as he often called her Mommy and she called him Ronnie. (â€Å"Ronald Reagan†) After the end of the war, Ronald began a career in what really made him a star; politics. Reagan’s political career was launched when he made his â€Å"A Time for Choosing† speech, which supported conservative presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. The California republicans were impressed with Reagan, and he announced his intentions to run for California governor in 1966. In Reagans campaign, he emphasized two main themes: to send the welfare bums back to work, and, in reference to burgeoning anti-war and anti-establishment student protests at the University of California at Berkeley, to clean up the mess at Berkeley. He was elected, defeating two-term governor Edmund Brown, and was sworn in on January 2, 1967. Reagan won a second term in 1970, but chose not to run again in 1974. (â€Å"Ronald Reagan Biography†) In 1976, Ronald Reagan moved on from governor of California to challenge for something even bigger; to be the president of the United States. He challenged incumbent Gerald Ford for the republican candidacy. Reagans campaign revolved around the thought of taking early primaries to damage the inevitability of Ford’s likely nomination. At first, the strategy appeared  to work, but Ford eventually won out, with Reagan even losing out on his home state of Illinois. In 1980, however, things worked out much better for Reagan, as he not only won the republican nomination, but obliterated Jimmy Carter with 489 electoral college votes to Carter’s 49. (Freidel) His campaign stressed some of his fundamental principles: lower taxes to stimulate the economy, less government interference in peoples lives, states rights, and a strong national defense. Reagan began his presidency on January 20th, 1981, and is the oldest president to ever assume office at 69. (â€Å"Ronald Reagan†) Just 69 days into his presidency, Reagan became the first president to survive an assassination attempt. After the event, Reagan’s popularity rose to a high of 73 percent. Perhaps Reagan’s greatest act as president came in his second term, when he helped end the Cold War. Reagan gave a speech at the Berlin Wall in 1987, in which he challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, saying, â€Å"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! In November 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down, and the Cold War was officially declared over at the Malta Summit on December 3, 1989. On November 5th, at the age of 83, Reagan announced that he had been diagnosed with Al zheimers disease, an incurable neurological disorder that destroys brain cells and ultimately causes death. (Library) Letters of well wishes poured into the Reagan’s California home, showing support for the former president and first lady. As the years went on, the disease slowly destroyed Reagans mental capacity, and he was only able to recognize a few people, including his wife Nancy. (â€Å"Ronald Reagan Biography†) Reagans public appearances became much less frequent with the progression of the disease, and as a result, his family decided that he would live in quiet semi-isolation with his wife. On the afternoon of June 5, 2004, Ronald Reagan died at his home at the age of 93. President George W. Bush declared June 11 a National Day of Mourning, and tributes came in from all over the world. (Ronald Reagan ) Three funerals were held for President Reagan, with his final resting place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley California. President Reagan’s legacy is that of a powerful and influential man, yet the most down to Earth, honest man you could possibly meet. Observers rank him as one of the greatest presidents of all time. Many think it was because of his joking and loving manner. President Reagan lived a full and prosperous life, and there are few that can argue they accomplished as much as he did in his time. Works Cited 1. Freidel, Frank. The Presidents of the United States of America. 13th. Collingdale: Diane Publishing Co., 1994. eBook 2. Kengor, Paul. God and Ronald Reagan. 1st. New York City: Harper Perennial, 2005. Print. 3. Ronald Reagan Biography. The Biography Channel website. 2011. 01 March 2011 Abraham Lincoln Biography. The Biography Channel website. 2011. 01 March 2011 http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540 4. Ronald Reagan. History Channel Website. N.p.. Web. 18 Nov 2013. . 5. Library, CNN. Ronald Reagan Fast Facts. CNN U.S.. N.p., 10 Sept 2013. Web. 1Dec 2013. . The Life and Times of Ronald Reagan Jordan Walters Mr. Clancy History of Western Civilization

Hemingway and Symbolism Essay -- essays papers

Hemingway and Symbolism Ernest Hemingway and Symbolism Ernest Miller Hemingway is a well-known American author who wrote in the twentieth century. He has written several novels such as, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea. The Sun Also Rises was finished on April1, 1926 and was published in October of 1926. The Sun Also Rises was Hemingway's expression of his own life. He had changed the names of his friends and some of the details, but the real identities of the characters were obvious to anyone in Paris. The Sun Also Rises encapsulates the angst of the post-World War I generation, know as the Lost Generation. This poignantly beautiful story of a group of American and English expatriates on a sojourn from Paris to Pamplona represents a dramatic step forward for Hemingway's evolving style. Featuring Left Bank Paris in the 1920's and brutally realistic descriptions of bullfighting in Spain, the story is about the flamboyant Lady Brett Ashley and the hapless Jake Barnes. Ernest Miller Hemingway is an American author who has penned several novels and short stories; one of his works is The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. Hemingway was raised with the conservative Midwestern values of strong religion, hard work, physical fitness and self determination; if one adhered to these parameters, he was taught, he would be ensured of success in whatever field he chose . As a boy, he was taught by his father to hunt and fish. When he wasn't hunting or fishing his mother taught him the finer points of music. Hemingway never had a knack for music and suffered through choir practices and cello lessons, however the musical knowledge he acquired from his mo... ...ause the baby will ruin both of their lives. Next is the character of the woman who shows contrast, and supports the qualities of â€Å"the girl†. She is called â€Å"the woman† because she is older, and the reader is to assume, wiser, and experienced. The â€Å"girl† talks about â€Å"having a fine time† and â€Å"trying new drinks† which shows that she is still young, living a life of ease, experiencing a lot of things, where as the woman brings these â€Å"new drinks† to the girl. This displays the woman as mature, older, and experienced because she is working instead of â€Å"trying new drinks†, and â€Å"having a fine time.† She is no longer yound leisurely trying new drinks, she is working trying to earn a living. She is an indirect supportive device of the theme in that she the opposite image of what the girl is. The woman further defines the symbolic qualities of the girl, in other words.

Stonewall Jackson Essays -- essays research papers

Stonewall Jackson, born January 21, 1824 was one of the most famous confederate generals and one of the best officers to serve for General Robert E. Lee. But Jackson wasn’t just born a general, he earned it. Since his parents died when he was very young, life was very rough for him. He was raised by his uncle, Cummins Jackson, a miller who lived near what is now known as Weston, West Virginia. Later on, he was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy. He had to work several times harder than the other cadets to learn the lessons in school because of poor education when he was young. But his grades slowly increased until he graduated. He was said to have been in the upper third of his class. His military career had just begun. As soon as he received his commission as lieutenant of artillery...

Enterprise Resource Planning Essay

Enterprise Resource Planning is a term that describes a system of business management in which all facets of a business are integrated. These include sales, manufacturing, planning and marketing . EPR is about integrating all these different aspects of business in one software. Software develops of ERP software include the Carter Group (who originally came up with the term), Peoplesoft, Oracle and SAP. There have been several attempts of ERP implementation that have been unsuccessful. Most of these failures happened in 1999, in an attempt to manage Y2K issues. This suggests that companies at the time may have been compelled to implement ERP due to pressing needs. The success of company’s that adopted ERP later shows that these late adopters have benefited from mistakes made by other companies. Current research indicates most recent implementations to be successful Failure of ERP projects occurs at varying degrees. When a project is not fully utilized it can be considered to have failed. Forrester Research in April 2001 reported that about 6 percent of 500 companies that they had surveyed found their ERP systems to be work effectively. Another 79 percent found their ERP systems to be ineffective or somewhat effective. The complexity of implementing ERP projects has been cited as a common and major for ERP implementation failure. The process requires commitment from all divisions of the company to be successful. It consumes a lot of time and is difficult as well as expensive to implement. The tight integration characteristic of the project means that without commitment from all workers and a change in the way of doing business means that it cannot work. ERP projects have been known to cost upwards of $500 million for very large companies and to take years to be fully complete. This happens without a guarantee of the eventual outcome Hershey Food’s SAPAG’s R/3 implementation illustrates this point best. The company incurred expenses of about $113 million and took thirty months on their ERP project. Upon completion in July 1999 the company had large problems of ensuring orders were pushed through the system. The result of this was delays in shipping and loss of customers due to orders that were incomplete. Some of the reasons given for this failure include the haste in which it was done. The ERP project if it had gone according to schedule would have taken 4 years rather than the short 30 months it took. Additionally, the company was at the same time implementing two other packages a logistics and customer relations package. This only made things more complex and harder for employees to learn. The time at which Hershey Food ‘went live’ with the ERP project happened to be the busiest time of their year, Halloween. Consequently the delays that resulted cost the company dearly leading to a $ 151 million fall in profits compared to the year before Most managers try to work around the complexities of the process rather than take the time, money and effort to go through the complex configuring process to ensure the ERP system fits with a company’s specificities. Using process templates is a short cut to make implementation faster and leads to generalization. This in the end has an effect of limiting performance and lowering competitive advantage. Speeding up the process often means that critical testing and adequate training of the users will be compromised. Inadequate training and education of employees is a common problem because training needs are almost always, underestimated. The crucial nature of ERP training cannot be overemphasized. Employees have to learn new software interfaces and processes in the business end. All this affect the whole project and the company. Outside consultant issues are another feature of most ERP failures. Sometimes the consultants hired may be in experienced or overstaffed leading to an increase in operating costs for the ERP project. Where more than one consultancy firm is used conflict almost always ensues. A forestry products manufacturer based in Atlanta used four consultancy firms at various stages of implementing its SAP project. The CIO reported that the consultants were in constant conflict over the best approach to the project. Control of the project seemed to be the main issue rather than forming a partnership with the manufacturer for the project’s success. The company finally shelved the project. FoxMeyer, a $5 million drug company contracted two vendors for its SAP R/3 project. The warehouse automation was bought from Pinnacle while Anderson had the job of integrating and implementing the Delta III project and the SAPR/3. The ERP project drove FoxMeyer Drugs to bankruptcy. Though there were other reasons for their failure but the use of two consultancy firms contributed a lot to an already complex situation. Incompetence of consultants in implementing the ERP project is common. Peoplesoft and Deloitte & Touche were sued by W. L. Gore following ERP failure after the system they had installed went live and resulted in many problems. Gore alleged that Deloitte & Touche were unqualified since when the system went live, the company had to depend on the customer service hotline following system problems. The company had to find other consultants to correct the damage caused causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. Deloitte & Touche paid referral fees to Peoplesoft, this lead Peoplesoft to recommend them despite the fact they had no expertise for implementation of the software. FoxMeyer had a similar problem with the CLO reporting that the company was more like training ground for inexperienced consultants. When software is over customized, a problem is usually created. McFarlane of Western management consultants claims that modification of software results in trouble. He suggests modifying business processes instead. When software is modified, upgrading and testing become a problem increasing the chances of failure of the subject. Many businesses find it easier to purchase software rather than identify weaknesses in business process and improve them. It is best for the business process to fit the software and where there is absence of fit or appropriateness, the business process should be modified. The commander of Military Sealift Command decided to reduce risk of ERP implementation by finding a package that closely mirrored the business practices of MSC so as to avoid software modification. In only about 11 areas did the software fail to match and even then, the commander changed the MSC processes so that they would fit the Oracle ERP software they were using. Application of technology as a solution to problems of business processes is another reason for failure of ERP. Many ERP initiatives are system driven; these have a higher probability of failure compared to those that are business driven. Most companies consider ERP implementation as a competency by itself that could serve as a fix to a problem. This should not be the case since technology is a vehicle by which competency can be obtained rather than a competency by itself. This was FoxMeyer’s mistake. By adopting ERP early the company took up software that was designed for manufacturing companies rather than distribution companies. With this major underlying problem there is no way the ERP project could have been a success. The software could not handle processing demands leading to FoxMeyer’s bankruptcy. Corporate culture also has great influence as far as the failure of ERP implementation is concerned. When top management is not seen to be backing up the project it is not very well recognized. In addition most ERP projects are rejected by employees who fear that their jobs will be lost. Failure to realize the benefits of the projects leads to a resistance to change. Management has a role in this because if they were to communicate effectively to the employees, there would be increased ownership of the project. To foster buy-in and ownership, employee involvement should be as high as possible otherwise employees will back out or refuse to be cooperative leading to failure of the project. FoxMeyer had such a problem, most employees felt that their jobs were threatened by the ERP project and some of them even trashed the interfaces set up while others simply did not participate in training leading to delays in orders and general mismanagement of the whole distribution process. The aforementioned forestry manufacturing produces did not put into consideration the effect of ERP implementation on its Vice Presidents. The Vice presidents of the 12 divisions in the company would have lost their autonomy to a more centralized and integrated system. When the VPs realized the effect of the company’s long-term strategies they balked leading to scraping off of the subject. Testing of the ERP project requires time and effort. Whenever a red flag is raised, the system should be checked. Miscalculation of how much time and effort will be required leads to failure of the project. It is better to exceed the timeline rather than compress the time required for completion of the project and end up with system that is flawed. Sticking to a schedule despite the problems that have been identified will cause problems later. This is evident from the troubles experienced by Whirlpool following its SAP system implementation. The company went live in spite of the fact that problems had been identified in the testing phase. The decision not to change their schedule led to shipping delays with appliances in warehouses for upwards of six-weeks past their correct delivery time. Meritor experienced a similar problem. Believing they had adequate training, they began to roll out the ERP system in phases beginning with a manufacturing plant in Wales. It took another 30 days with more staff to ensure that manufacturing would not be delayed. To prevent a problem like that from occurring in the future, the Vice President added another two weeks to ERP deployment timeline. Though this requires extra time and consequently more expenses an attitude more like this is necessary for the ERP rollout to be a success. The mainframe at Cleveland State University could not handle the application by Peoplesoft necessitating a change to a Unix System. The problems created by this failure of infrastructure lasted for a year following the first rollout of the ERP project. Bio Rad Laboratories had a problem along the same line. The implementation of their ERP system led to WAN becoming very slow as a result of conflict between ERP and email traffic. Email alone was using up the greater percentage of the bandwidth available between locations. This had the effect of important data in the ERP system distribution and financial modules being left to languish at some sites. This caused stalling of orders and slowed product shipment. From the two examples cited above it is evident ERP failure can result from poor infrastructure. Infrastructure appraisal is therefore necessary to ensure that it can support implementation of an ERP system. If this is done early the infrastructure can be modified early to suit the desired ERP system. This will lead to reduction in costs due to problems or failure of initial rollout of the ERP system. The intellectual capital of the company as far as the ERP system is a significant factor that contributes to failure of ERP systems. Often when the project is complete and within months after the exodus of the consultants most companies are left in trouble. This is because most companies do not have their own person(s) who are capable of dealing with problems in the ERP system. This was the case in FoxMeyer where upon the departure of the consultant firm staff, the company was left without people who could manage the ERP system effectively. This brain drain effect happened to a semiconductor manufacturer in Silicon Valley. The manufacturer lost about 70-80 percent of the projects core-team in about three months following ‘go live’ after most members of the core-project team had left. This loss meant that there was no one familiar with the project to address issues concerning the system that came up. User expectations may also cause ERP systems to fail when users expect that the return on investment will be unrealistically high. Usually, the costs of planning, consultation, training and testing as well as data conversion, replacement staffing, documentation and the drop in learning performance are all factors that will reduce the benefits anticipated from an ERP system. Other expectations like expecting a really short time of implementation of the system will lead to failure. For instance if a company is late in finding a consultancy firm, and still unwilling to change it’s ‘go live date’ the company risks failure as the consultancy that agree to work with the company will do so in a short time ending up with a less than perfect system. The consulting company may fail to meet user expectations leading to shelving of the project. Sometimes when there are executives from other organization who have recently joined the company, they may be tempted to impose ideas from a previous organization that has already implemented ERP systems. This creates a problem because each organization has its own unique processes and often what is applicable for the ERP system of one company is not wholly transferable to another company. User expectations should be as realistic as possible and reflect an understanding of the business processes and the vision of the company. To avoid poor management of using expectations it is necessary to provide the clear expectations of what can be achieved. Failure to understand and prioritize user expectations will lead to problems and the best way to solve this is to ensure documentation of these expectations as well as validating deliverables of the projects to the expectations of the users. A desire to cut costs also contributes to a lot of ERP failure. The major problem with this is it creates more problems which result in more time and mistakes that have to be corrected making the date of completion further and the costs higher. Ill-advised cost cutting which attempts to avoid conversion costs, for example going live at a multi-plant simultaneously may lead to failure. This may cause all plants to shutdown if a false start-up occurs. Trying to make the schedule as short as possible so as to save expenses leads to overrunning both the schedule and budget. Return on Investments should be a last consideration when the company’s information system is being upgraded. An attitude like this will help in avoidance of cost cutting as far as ERP projects are concerned. This will ensure success of the organizations ERP implementation. Inexperienced project managers may cause ERP implementation to fail. When the core-team project members has no one from the company’s IT team or other members of the user community it becomes difficult to continually monitor the progress of the project. A southeastern electronics manufacturer due to poor management by inexperienced personnel almost closed a plant because they were unable to accept deliveries. To ensure the success of ERP projects, it is important to first redefine the measure of success. Success is currently measured by whether a project is finished on time within the budget. The ability for the system to be fully utilized is not considered. Measures for performance ought to be developed and undergo standardization so that companies have a better and clearer understanding of benefits of ERP implementation as well as the basic rules to avoid failure.

Botanical Shampoo Essays

Botanical Shampoo Essays Botanical Shampoo Essay Botanical Shampoo Essay Even though it can make your hair more beautiful, there are harmful chemicals in it. However, it depends on what kind of shampoo you are using if it is natural or artificial. Furthermore, unwanted hair problems are because of air pollution that surrounds us. Shampoos can make our hair beautiful on the outside but have you ever conjectured what are in a shampoo? We never know because we Just purchase it for the reason that they are being sponsored by celebrities. The researchers themselves Greer to the fact that the purchasers doesnt care about the contents of shampoo anymore. As said in Mark 9:23, If you can said Jesus, Everything is possible for him who believes. This experiment will be possible if we will Just believe in him. Everything is we are facing today in the product-making process. Setting our minds into failures is not an option right now thus opening our minds with the positive result will help us more to continue whatever has been started. It may be work, project, or simply as this brand-new shampoo that is now being started at hand. The main subject of the researchers investigatory project is to initiate to you the most effective yet natural way on how to make your hair more beautiful, healthier and shinier without applying conditioner. Statement of the Problem Few people are able to wash their hair and let the matter rest at that; most need help Just to overcome the effects of modern living so the aim of our investigatory project is to be able to make a botanical shampoo with an outcome of a healthy hair. Specifically, this study answers to seek the following: 1. What are the effects in using a botanical shampoo in terms of: 1. 1 Strength of hair; 1. 2 Flow of hair; 1. 3 Shininess of hair; 1. 4 Hair scalp; and 1. 5 Oiliness of hair. 2. Variables: 2. 1 Independent Variables: Amount of each plant used for the shampoo 2. 2 Constant Variables: Hair Significance of the Study This study is considered as significant for the people who want gorgeous hair. Beautiful, shining hair is a valuable asset. This is the first reason why the researchers want to make their own shampoo. However, too much attention combined with the effects of a poor diet, pollution, air-conditioning nag central heating can harm your hair. To prevent this from happening, a daily hair care routine should be implemented. The researchers were thinking of something to do and at the same time very educational. The idea popped up that an inimitable shampoo can do the trick. This proposal is possible if at least you set your mind unto it. The researchers tried to do this experiment to prove that there is something better than your shampoo right now and it can be cheaper and all at once more effective. This will provide evidence to them that a shampoo made up of natural ingredients is ideal for any kind of hair, it maybe straight, curly, dry, frizzy, or tangled hair. To further understand it, you need to read more about this scheme. Scope and Delimitation The researchers will focus on the study of making a botanical shampoo. Different plant extracts will be used to create a new variety of shampoo that is called as Botanical Shampoo. The researchers will combine the extracts to make up with a botanical shampoo. In making this we will use different kinds of plant extract like Aloe Vera, simpatico, coconut oil and many more. We still are trying to fugue out the exact amount of plant extract that will be used here. This study may experience some shortcomings like, getting the extract of the plants can be tricky (especially for the first timers), the shampoo may go a little runny than expected and the shampoo may not do the Jobs it should be doing perfectly. The setup should be done in the kitchen or in the laboratory. The researchers will observe the results after using not be similar to the past hair. Definition of Terms Aloe Vera a species of succulent plant that is used in herbal medicine Botany study of plants Coconut Oil edible oil extracted from the kernel of matured coconuts Hair a fine, thread-like epidermis that grows on people nag animals Keratin a family of fibrous structural proteins Simpatico a species of Jasmine native to South and Southeast Asia which is also known for its fragrant smell Shampoo is a hair care product used for removal of oils, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair

A Brave New World essays

A Brave New World essays One may think that the society in Aldous Huxleys Brave New World is a gross representation of the future, but perhaps our society isnt that much different. In his foreword to the novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley envisioned this statement when he wrote: "To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda...." Thus, through hypnopaedic teaching (brainwashing), mandatory attendance to community gatherings, and the use of drugs to control emotions, Huxley bitterly satirized the society in which we live. The way the fascist and totalitarian regimes of the past used mass propaganda techniques to brainwash their people was very similar to the way Huxley described the hypnopaedic teachings in his novel. He also thought, however, that the present-day totalitarian states' methods were still "crude and unscientific." For example, in the novel the different classes had been brainwashed since birth to believe that they all contributed equally to society. Therefore, the people wouldn't try to think for themselves because they had never been trained to think anything differently. In addition, they didn't have any knowledge of a society that they could compare themselves to. In our society, many great lessons have been learned from the mistakes of rulers in the past. This is revealed when the Director said, "History is bunk." In our society, the dictators attempted to gain control of the world, but they usually failed because they weren't able to persuade the entire world to think like them. I n the past, Communist leaders have attempted to rewrite history, but in Brave New World, this was taken one step further; they forgot about history altogether. The only people who had access to any knowledge of the past were the ones who had the power: the World Controllers. Thus, they were able to create a society that fit their liking. ...

Corruption in Cry, the Beloved Country essays

Corruption in Cry, the Beloved Country essays Corruption is probably the most prominent theme in Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country, as well as in today's world. In this story, the author pictures many different characters to illustrate this widespread corruption of society. John Kumalo, Absalom, and Gertrude are a few of the characters he uses to help carry out this theme. Johannesburg, itself, is the sum of all that is wrong in cities today. There are corruption and poverty; crime runs rampant, and law-abiding citizens are forced to live where only the strong survive. John Kumalo is one of the most typical products of corruption in Cry, The Beloved Country. He lives with a woman that he is not married to. He has no problem hiring a lawyer that will lie to condemn his nephew to death. His only positive trait is that he uses his political power to help further the cause of the African natives, but even this is marred by the fact that he is only doing it to further his ambitions. His weakness is that he does not have the heart necessary to be a revolutionary leader. If John were willing to go to prison and make sacrifices for what he believed in or wanted, he would have much more power than he has now. Absalom is a good example of corruption that does not come from the heart. Unlike John, Absalom does not want to be corrupt, and he is not proud of what he has done. When he killed Arthur, he was horrified; when the police found him, he didn't deny what he had done but confessed. Absalom was simply corrupted by Johannesburg and by his "friends." Gertrude, the most pathetic character in the novel, is another good example of what Johannesburg does to a person. She has been chewed up and spit out by a city that has no room for decent black people. She goes off in search of her husband and ends up by herself with "many husbands" as Msimangu said. Gertrude also sells illegal liquor and has gone to prison. Her child runs around ragged and dirty in the streets, with ...

Financial analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

Financial analysis - Essay Example In case of any kind of misrepresentation found in the financial statements, they shall be severely liable for not fulfilling their duties and the responsible individual managers are likely to penalize for not being reliable in dealings with the external parties. The parties such as banks and financial institutions that are interested to provide funds to the firm and other individuals interested to invest in the firm or often require third parties to attest the financial statements served by the firm for reliance in the information provided. External audit firms, investment bankers and underwriting firms, provide these certification services. Various clients are served by these third parties and thus they are strongly interested in maintaining their reputation and credibility with the financial community. The report provided by these third parties serves as reasonable assurance in the true and fair disclosure of information in the financial statements. In case of any discrepancy found in the financial information provided by the firm, the reports on the financial statements shall not be clean. Thus adversely affects the credibility of the firm. In case of any frau (d) Legal Penalties In case of any fraudulent or misrepresentation of information found in the financial statements served by the firm, there are heavy penalties for the persons responsible for the fraud which may lead to even insolvency of the firm. Most juridical laws across the globe have severe civil and criminal liabilities for misrepresentation of financial information. Solution (b) Costs Associated with disclosure The various costs associated with the disclosure of financial statements can be classified as under: Collection and Processing costs Litigation Costs Political costs Competitive disadvantages

Car company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Car company - Essay Example The political, economic, legal, ecological and technological environment has an impact on the progress of the retail business. The profit potential within the target market is promising for the company but a competitive advantage is aimed to be reached over the already established competitors through application of appropriate strategy in the marketing mix. The staffing policy of FastCar Motors is in line with the legal framework of the government and it seeks to develop and train the employees to ensure that they have knowledge on the application of technology in the care retail business to facilitate the growth of the company. The directors of the FastCar Motors comprise of the management team of the company who include the company CEO, the General Manger, Sales Manager and Human Resource Manager whose roles are stipulated in the organizational structure. The automobile industry within the UK is growing at a very fast pace with the implementation of modern technology in the production of automobiles especially sports cars such as Daimler, McLaren, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce and Lotus. The car producers in the UK such as Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Honda have established themselves in the automobile business over time despite the challenges and competition within this industry. Chatal, Haugh and Mourougane (2010) say that since the 19th century the automobile industry in the UK has developed in terms of production and export. There was notable decline in the rate of growth of the car manufacturing industry in the UK as compared to the competing companies in Japan, France and Germany before 2008. The growth of the car manufacturing industry of the UK began to be experienced after 2008 with the country being rated among the producers of large car volumes. This is in contrast to the early 1980s when many British car manufacturers were owned by foreign firms. The UK car manufacturing industry can therefore be

Journal write whats on your mind Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal write whats on your mind - Assignment Example I felt weak and I wanted to get better much faster. Each day I woke up, I was asking myself, when will be over? Soon enough, I recovered, though for two weeks after that, I lost weight because of the trauma of the stomach flu that affected my appetite. Stomach flu is such a terrible disease to get during summer. I felt I wasted so much time on such a horrible illness. I am happy to be graduating soon. I feel that I will have greater independence in college and I have more opportunities to develop different and new knowledge and skills. Still, I am also fearful. What should I take in college? Why should I take it? Do I really know who I want to be when I grow up? I do not know the answers yet. I am in the process of understanding what I want and what I need. I want a degree that will help me fight for my real dreams. What are my dreams anyway? I have to think about college further and consider many options. Sometimes, having too many options is not that good. It takes me to make decisions longer. It makes me feel unsure of decisions that I already made. On the contrary, having many options means freedom too. It gives me the freedom to consider other opportunities in life. Oh what to do in college? I am unsure. I know I must be a good time-management person because I have a social life despite being busy in school. Sometimes, I have to admit I neglect school activities because I choose to do my extra-curricular activities or family and friend activities. I want to enjoy my life, but I do not want to have poor school grades. I am aware of my grades and I want to make my parents happy through high grades. High grades tell them I appreciate their hard work and sacrifice and that I want to make them feel proud of me. What I do to balance different activities is I try to schedule my time among these activities. I set aside time for school assignments and then time for family, friends and other things I want to do. I would love to be active in sports too or

Dell, Inc. B2B Marketing - Derived Demand Essay

Dell, Inc. B2B Marketing - Derived Demand - Essay Example The final goal is to scrutinise Dell’s marketing channels and design channel strategy for a new market segment. The major findings reflect that: †¢ An increase in the derived demand directly leads to a rise in Dell’s production and this concept assists the company to reduce its operating costs. †¢ The company adopts geographical market segmentation approach †¢ Dell uses social media as its major marketing channel to interact with its corporate customers. Introduction Dell, Inc. is a US-based multinational computer technology corporation which was found by Michael Dell in 1984. The company deals in sales of computers and supports computer related products and services including computer peripherals, computer software, and IT consulting services. Currently, Dell is one of the world’s largest technological corporations and provides employment to over 103,300 people worldwide. Business acquisition is the major expansion strategy of the company and this approach has assisted the company to significantly improve its customer base over the last decade. Currently, the company is the world’s third largest PC maker and it is ranked 41 in the Fortune 500 list. The company also sells other manufacturers’ electronic products including HDTVs, MP3 players, cameras, and printers. Market analysts opine that innovations in e-commerce and supply chain management can be considered to be core strengths of the company. As we discussed in the previ ous assignment, Dell is a business to business organisation that provides B2B transactions called PremierConnect to its customers. This facility assists the organisation to deliver improved shopping experience to customers. Hardware infrastructure, outsourcing services and ERP are the major components that Dell needs to be supplied to make the company’s PremierConnect services effective. We have already discussed how Dell’s B2B strategies assisted the organisation to add value to its value creation process and sustainability. The concept of derived demand is of vital importance in B2B marketing. This paper will specifically evaluate how Dell estimates derived demand, evaluates business segmentation opportunities, and develops a new channel strategy aligned to one new business segment. Drivers of derived demand Derived demand and Dell’s production In the words of Hutt and Speh, the term derived demand indicates the relationship between â€Å"demand for an indust rial product and the demand for consumer products†. The authors add that â€Å"the demand for an industrial product is derived from the ultimate demand for consumer products† (Hutt and Speh, 2009, p.13). In simple words, an increase in the supply of a specific good or service in turn leads to a rise in the derived demand for production components or raw materials required for developing that product or service. Therefore, this situation would result in an increase in the price of associated components of production. Dell manufactures and distributes an array of computer related products to various retailers. Data indicates that Dell is a potential supplier to many fortune 100 companies (Business Affiliates). Hence, an increase in the supply of any of those companies would indirectly add value to the derived demand for Dell’s production components. Under such circumstances, Dell is forced to supply more production components to its retailers so as to enable them t o meet increasing customer needs. Hence, this situation causes to increase Dell’s total production volume. It must be noted that the level of derived demand generated is heavily dependent on the retailer’

Relative Rates of Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions Lab Report - 1

Relative Rates of Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions - Lab Report Example In SN2 mechanisms, primary alkyl halides reacted faster than tertiary ones while in SN1 mechanism the tertiary alkyl halides reacted faster than primary ones. It was concluded that aprotic, polar solvents favoured SN2 reactions while SN1 reactions were favoured by protic, polar solvents. Nucleophilic substitution reactions occur by two major pathways namely SN1 and the SN2 reactions (McMurry 228). In all nucleophilic substitution reactions, the nucleophile (Nu:-) reacts with the substrate (R-X) and substitutes it for a leaving group (X:-) yielding the product R-Nu. For a neutral nucleophile (Nu:), the product is positively charged for charge conservation while for a negatively charged nucleophile (Nu:-), the product is neutral (McMurry 228). In SN2, which stands for substitution nucleophilic bimolecular, the alkyl halide and the nucleophile are involved at the transition state (Carey 306). Bond formation between carbon and the nucleophile aids in cleavage of the bond between carbon and the leaving group. In the changeover position, the carbon atom is partially bonded to the leaving group and the incoming nucleophile (Carey 307). Since the nucleophile attacks the substrate from the side that is opposite the bond to the leaving group, the mechanism leads to the inversion of configuration in the resultant product. Different rates are observed when methyl, primary, secondary and tertiary alkyl halides undergo nucleophilic substitution in SN2 (Carey 310). The rate is faster in methyl halides than in tertiary halides due to steric hindrance offered to the nucleophilic attack by the tertiary halides. In most SN2 reactions, the leaving group is expelled with a negative charge. Therefore, the best leaving groups are those that produce the most stables anions (McMurry 233). Among the halides, I- ion is the most reactive while F- ion is the least reactive. Most aprotic polar solvents cause the solvation of the metal counterion that is

Dell, Inc. B2B Marketing - Derived Demand Essay

Dell, Inc. B2B Marketing - Derived Demand - Essay Example The final goal is to scrutinise Dell’s marketing channels and design channel strategy for a new market segment. The major findings reflect that: †¢ An increase in the derived demand directly leads to a rise in Dell’s production and this concept assists the company to reduce its operating costs. †¢ The company adopts geographical market segmentation approach †¢ Dell uses social media as its major marketing channel to interact with its corporate customers. Introduction Dell, Inc. is a US-based multinational computer technology corporation which was found by Michael Dell in 1984. The company deals in sales of computers and supports computer related products and services including computer peripherals, computer software, and IT consulting services. Currently, Dell is one of the world’s largest technological corporations and provides employment to over 103,300 people worldwide. Business acquisition is the major expansion strategy of the company and this approach has assisted the company to significantly improve its customer base over the last decade. Currently, the company is the world’s third largest PC maker and it is ranked 41 in the Fortune 500 list. The company also sells other manufacturers’ electronic products including HDTVs, MP3 players, cameras, and printers. Market analysts opine that innovations in e-commerce and supply chain management can be considered to be core strengths of the company. As we discussed in the previ ous assignment, Dell is a business to business organisation that provides B2B transactions called PremierConnect to its customers. This facility assists the organisation to deliver improved shopping experience to customers. Hardware infrastructure, outsourcing services and ERP are the major components that Dell needs to be supplied to make the company’s PremierConnect services effective. We have already discussed how Dell’s B2B strategies assisted the organisation to add value to its value creation process and sustainability. The concept of derived demand is of vital importance in B2B marketing. This paper will specifically evaluate how Dell estimates derived demand, evaluates business segmentation opportunities, and develops a new channel strategy aligned to one new business segment. Drivers of derived demand Derived demand and Dell’s production In the words of Hutt and Speh, the term derived demand indicates the relationship between â€Å"demand for an indust rial product and the demand for consumer products†. The authors add that â€Å"the demand for an industrial product is derived from the ultimate demand for consumer products† (Hutt and Speh, 2009, p.13). In simple words, an increase in the supply of a specific good or service in turn leads to a rise in the derived demand for production components or raw materials required for developing that product or service. Therefore, this situation would result in an increase in the price of associated components of production. Dell manufactures and distributes an array of computer related products to various retailers. Data indicates that Dell is a potential supplier to many fortune 100 companies (Business Affiliates). Hence, an increase in the supply of any of those companies would indirectly add value to the derived demand for Dell’s production components. Under such circumstances, Dell is forced to supply more production components to its retailers so as to enable them t o meet increasing customer needs. Hence, this situation causes to increase Dell’s total production volume. It must be noted that the level of derived demand generated is heavily dependent on the retailer’

Managing Strategy NETFLIX Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Managing Strategy NETFLIX - Case Study Example As a result of this rapid success, Netflix began to create alliances with movie studies, such as Warner Home Video, that provided both partners opportunities for sharing revenues. As a result of these agreements, the company released its IPO for shareholders in 2002, as a company that could sustain growth and remain profitable long-term. With new capital availability as a result of having publicly traded stock, Netflix was now in a substantially sound financial business that provided opportunities to expand the business model. Today, Netflix provides customers with a flat rate membership of $7.99 USD per month, with the ability to rent DVDs and view streaming video content. Ease and convenience of using credit cards via Internet sales channels now gives Netflix immediate revenues that improves services and expand the vastness of its online movie libraries. This report explores the strategic position of Netflix, offering a full strategic appraisal of the company between the years 2010 and 2014. The investigation consists of analyses of the firm’s competitive strategy, performs an internal and external market analysis, determines the key strategic issues that have faced the company, strategic growth options for the company, and a description of the most relevant and viable strategies for improving the market performance of the firm long-term. Netflix operates in four key markets: DVD by mail, streaming video content subscriptions, original television programming, and video game rentals. The firm’s original market entry strategy for DVDs-through-mail was as a pioneer in this service concept in the United States, as a differentiator, giving the company a consumer-perceived uniqueness for providing convenience without having to visit a bricks-and-mortar rental company. Kalyanaram and Gurumurthy (2008) iterate the pioneers have tremendous

Impact of Standardized Testing Essay Example for Free

Impact of Standardized Testing Essay There is a vast literature available concerning African American male student accomplishment and its relation to the accomplishment gap occurrence (Perry, Stelle, Hilliard, 2003; Thernstrom Thernstrom, 2003; Hrabrowksi, 1998; Ogbu, 1998; Patterson, 2006; Polite Davis, 2001; Duncan, 1999; Freeman, 1999). Researchers and media channels explain the causes of African Americans continuously staying behind their White partners. Several provide limited allegations concerning African American male student accomplishment from either a past, sociological, or monetary view when deciding school achievement or failure. On the contrary, sufficient notice has not been granted to experiential and mixed methodological styles for assisting in advancing the debate concerning the provision of efficient resolutions toward narrowing the achievement gap that exists between African American male learners and counteracting deficit-model styles. In â€Å"Educating African American Males: Voices from the Fields†, the author Fashola (2008) and some other important academician researchers tackle this matter. The book is segmented in eight chapters, locating itself in many thematic areas that include social, ethnic, and past matters; school reform; primary, middle and high school experiences; structural analysis of manliness; institutional types of prejudice; and extra-curricular activities which assist in the promotion of affirmative self-confidence and analytical skills for African American males. Altogether, the providers enunciate the requirement of novel styles by demanding the educational commune to shift beyond conventional means of accomplishment and to comprehend the importance of social, past, ethnic, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and educational styles that add to the broadening of the achievement gap between African American males and their white partners. Cooper and Jordan (2003) tackle the issues of African American male student achievement and they do this by locating and investigating the past as well as the methodical impacts of prejudice and also by displaying the way institutionalized domination have a part to play in the broadening of the achievement gap. The authors assess the elements such as uncontrolled unemployment, poverty, and insufficient accessibility to health care as the possible elements of African American males not being franchised in the circumstance of school and community. The authors imply that an â€Å"intergenerational poverty† (p. 2) exists which disseminates a self-fulfilling prediction for several of African American males. Ogbu’s (1998) research allows for the contextualizing of such past injustices. It is implied that â€Å"the treatment of minorities in the wider society is reflected in their treatment in education† (p. 159). In his book Noguera (2003) assists in the contextualizing of few of the practical attitudes which are required for the comprehension of certain of the behavioral trends of African American males which have an impact on them in school. The author offers information and research which record the way they were marginalized and wronged by the schooling experiences in the capitalist educational frameworks. Text offers a qualitative study which looks for determining the part that educators have in the motivation of students; teachers can utilize this information to reassess and modify their educational and instructional practices and also to fulfill the requirements of African American males and at the same time provide with suitable scaffolding so as to assist the learners in meeting the academic standards. Along with this, Noguera also debates that the learners are to be taught and habituated so as to see that the academic institutions are advantageous to them and also that the anticipations for them are high. Noguera writes about the schooling experiences of African American males by assessing their accomplishment trends in public schools and tackling with their consequent detachment. He writes that Black males underperform on standardized tests and that they undergo much higher drop-out rates. Although Black males achieve much and their performance is good in the primary grades, they tend to underperform by the age of nine (Garibaldi, 1992). His recommendation is that the educators should be placing literary and language enrichment at the head of their instructional concerns. This is particularly important during their primary school times; supplementing with the talents allows for African American males to become self-sufficient, analytical thinking is principal for their general intellectual achievement or failure. Development of Problem An operational attitude to the tradition of schooling also offers a valuable contextual structure for the investigation of student â€Å"oppositionality† and â€Å"resistance† (Ogbu, 1998) as minor traditional features displayed by particular minority learners in reaction to their communal marginalization. The idea of identity and the way it is written either by a person or the community is made pertinent by the reactions of these marginalized learners and is a vital part of a sufficient hypothetical viewpoint on tradition. The academic achievement gap which is present between African American and White learners is a very urgent contest for the urban education in the United States in the present times. Generally, the rank and academic achievement of minority groups in science have been issues of concern in various areas (National Science Foundation, 1994; Atwater, 2000). In a wide-ranging assessment of the issues, Jencks and Phillips (1998) suggest that there should be an application of methodical and preserved research attempts targeted at investigating the causes for the low performance of particular minority groups. When discussing the achievement gap and displaying it as a challenge for the urban education, there has to be an emphasis placed on certain aspects of the urban schools which are responsible for the existent gap. In the United States, the fact that the majority of the Black students study in urban or inner city institutions is correct, and on the other hand White students normally study at suburban schools. It is possible that this factor is responsible for the achievement gap between the Blacks and the Whites and it provides with an urban/suburban aspect. Urban academic institutions are also different from the suburban ones in the accessibility of the study material and commune sources. Even though the fact that the suburban schools normally have much better sources in contrast to the urban schools is true, an exploration can be made in whether the resources that are accessible for the urban schools are utilized most advantageously so as to improve the student involvement and intellectual accomplishment. Even though standardized testing traditionally has been slackly connected to responsibility and student education, the association had been weak. The association between student education and high-stakes standardized testing became more distinct, and a rise in the utilization of the tests has reached classic magnitude following the introduction of the No Child Left Behind. The argument behind such a connection is that raised pressure to perform well on standardized tests, and also a series of incentives and penalties, will raise the student education and accomplishment. Impacts of such testing standards have broad results, not just on the current generation but also on the next generations of youth. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to assess the impact that standardized testing has on African American male students. The study aims to display the issues connected with the impact of standardized testing on African American males. African American males face discrimination and due to that they do not perform as they should in their academics. Innumerable researches have been conducted to examine African American youths’ academic results. There is relative concentration with a stress on the achievement gap between African American youths generally and also that of other ethnic categories, like the Europeans and Asian Americans. Several conceptual structures have been offered which propose the achievement gap in educational results is the outcome of societal-level discrimination which afflicts African Americans (for example, Fordham Ogbu, 1986; Ogbu, 1987, 1994; Steele, 1997). In reality, several of the studies record the negative impacts of such macro system-level elements on the encouragement and intellectual accomplishment of African American learners (Howard Hammond, 1985; Ponterotto Pedersen, 1993; Steele Aronson, 1995). Nature of the Study Social research can be deductive or inductive and each is applied according to the research type. Deductive approach refers to particular information that has been gained from a general theory. Through the theory the researcher gets the foresights concerning the happening. Deductive research is termed as theory testing. In the case when a research initiates with a theory and is following the hypotheses that the researcher has set to test, the approach is deductive. Deductive reasoning sets to work moving from the more universal to the more precise. Induction is usually described as moving from the specific to the general. Observations are used for inductive approaches. Inductive reasoning moves from the more specific to a broader generalization and theory. In this case there is quite some uncertainty involved and the conclusions are based on theories.

The Work Of Stephen Sondheim Music Essay

The Work Of Stephen Sondheim Music Essay Born in New York in 1930, Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledge as the most innovative and influential Broadway composer of the last fifty years. However, despite having some sixteen projects under his belt (not counting the numerous musical anthologies, revues or movie scores), Sondheims work still divides the critics; whilst some embrace his innovation, others lament over the loss of a more traditional form and lack of hummable melodies. Many seem to deem his work as clever and intelligent but missing the warmth that was generally considered the mark of a hit Broadway show. Yet despite not always meeting with landslide approval for his work, Sondheim has collected more than sixty individual or collaborative Tony Awards; most notably he has received the award for best Score/Music/Lyrics for Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods and Passion, all of which won the New York Drama Circle Award for Outstanding/Best Musical as did Pacific Overtures and Sunday In The Park With George. Company Sondheims first collaboration with writer George Furth, marked his first major hit in 1970. Furth had come to Sondheim in early 1969 with a series of one-act plays he had written. Sondheim passed them on to now legendary producer Harold Prince who suggested the two should work together to transform the plays into a musical, promising to stage it once it was completed. The piece shook Broadway from the fantasy happy ending story it had come to expect and brought about a more provocative musical comedy. As Sondheim stated, Company does deal with upper middle-class people with upper middle-class problems. Broadway theatre has been for many years supported by these people. They really want to escape and were saying well bring it right back in their facesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦what they come to a musical to avoid, they suddenly find facing them on stage. This hard-edged, unromantic depiction of romantic relationships was revolutionary for the Broadway stage and managed to both humour and challenge audiences with its unsettling view of relationships. Some found fault with what they saw as an anti-marriage show that didnt stand up against the classic Broadway themes, however, mostly the show met with the kinds of intelligent accolades reserved for something new and exciting. After its opening, observers noted that the shows protagonist, Robert, showed a similarity to Sondheim own character a middle-class, single, professional, living in New York, commenting on the life of the other young professional couples around him. Sondheim has always denied that any of his work is autobiographical, but his next collaboration with George Furth in 1981, once again seemed very familiar territory for both writer and composer. As far as the new era of Broadway composers goes, Jason Robert Brown has been hailed by some as The next Stephen Sondheim. Brown, also Jewish and born and raised in New York, began his career as an arranger, conductor and pianist. His first major production came in 1995 with Songs For A New World, an off-Broadway revue directed by Daisy Prince, daughter of Hal Prince who later hired Brown to write the songs for the musical Parade after Sondheim turned down the show. The musical tells the controversial true story of the trail and hanging of Leo Frank, who was wrongly accused of the rape and murder of a young factory girl in early 20th century Georgia. The show dealt with the anti-Semitic tensions in the southern states at the time and did not shy away from the conclusion that the likely killer was the African-American factory worker, Jim Conley. . Browns score is full of riches, mixing period American styles with strong melodies, intricate counterpoint, selective dissonances, and natural lyrics which give their characters true, expressive voices. Despite the cool reception of the show by the critics and the feeling that the show took too many liberties in the use of racial slurs, Browns score was highly praised and he later won the Tony award in 1999 for Best Original Musical Score. The attention received by Brown marked him out as the hottest up and coming talent. He returned to work with Daisy Prince on his next piece, The Last Five Years for which he wrote both the book and the score. Literature It is strange that despite the wealth of artistry and innovation which musical theatre has produced throughout the 20th century, it has never really being given its rightful place amongst academia, always being seen as a more low brow art form than that of serious plays or music. It seems that if the likes of Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown were to work in the medium of non-musical drama, or doubled in the field of serious musical composition like Gershwin or Bernstein, perhaps their work might be viewed in more of our universities. Why must important pieces of musical theatre be limited to the destiny of popular artists, however richly deserving of serious attention on its own merits? That is not to say that there has not been much analysis and writing on musical theatre or Sondheim in particular; Martin and Gottfried and Meryl Secrest both present biographies of Sondheims career, life and works in sharp detail providing an in depth look at past and present influences which have shaped his artistic development throughout the years. Sondheim On Music by Mark Eden Horowitz focuses on three main areas: Firstly his interviews with Sondheim, particularly focusing on five of his main works (Passion, Assassins, Into The Woods, Sweeney Todd and Pacific Overtures). The second part is entitled songs I wish Id written (at least in part) providing a look at some of Sondheims major influences from a list compiled for his 70th birthday celebrations at the Library of Congress. Part three supplies a list of all works, complete discography of all recordings to date and publishing information for all songs and scores up until the release of the book (2003). Joanne Gordons Art Isnt Easy The Theatre of Stephen Sondheim focuses on content and themes of Sondheims stage works, highlighting his innovative use of form and how he manages to weave the music and lyrics into the fabric of the entire piece. It is almost a guide to the appreciation of Sondheims scripts and music and would be especially useful for those staging any of Sondheims musicals and provides an excellent basis of primary research material. With little literary focus on Sondheims use of music, Stephen Banfield takes a different route, examining much of Sondheims output from a musicological perspective, undertaking practical and theoretical treatment of the music. Despite these and other writings in the last decade which are taking a more serious treatment of the works of musical theatre, there is still an elitist treatment against the reading of musical theatre within the academy. It seems to be stuck on the view that musicals remain largely unsophisticated and lacking in high serious. Unfortunately, there are times when this is true. Recently, Broadway and the West End seem to have been plagued by film adaptations, Disney rehashes and juke-box musicals which, whilst they may have been commercially successful, are tarring other more worthy writers and composers with the low-brow brush. A collection of critical essays edited and with a foreword supplied by Sandor Goodhart makes moves to further the writing and critical analysis of the works of Sondheim, again pushing for the academy to take a closer look into the world of intelligent musical theatre. Hopefully the moves towards a more intellectual appreciation of the work of Sondheim within academia will allow the same to later happen for the new class of musical theatre composers like Brown. Merrily We Roll Along Merrily We Roll Along was one of Sondheim and writer George Furths most famous flops, running for just 16 performances after it opened on Broadway in 1981. It was based on a 1930s play by George Kaufmann and Moss Hart, and follows a group of hopeful young college graduates, from 1957 to 1976. But there is a twist the plot is stage in reverse linear motion so the show begins in 1976 and gradually works backwards in time. So we watch everything knowing how it ended up, with friendships broken, idealism betrayed and marriages on the rocks. The score is full of what sound like traditional musical comedy songs hailing from 50s and 60s Broadway. While the score is very clearly Sondheim and the songs are not parodies, there does seem to be hints of several of his contemporaries; Berstein, Bacharach, Styne and Kander. It seems somewhat ironic that this traditional book-musical which contains some of Sondheims most accessible songs, has had such a troubled professional history. After the failure of the original production, Sondheim later made several major revisions for the revival of the show at the LaJolla Theatre in 1985. The reworking created a score Sondheim now calls, definitive. The show is centred on Franklin Shepard a rich, famous and influential songwriter and film producer. But how did he get to be where he is today? (Merrily We Roll Along) The years begin to roll back. First stop is Franks swanky Bel Air pad in 1976, after the premiere of his latest movie. Frank is throwing a party filled with his friends; the hangers-on, people who make things happen in show business and the movers and shapers are all there, and lavish praise on him (That Frank). At the party we also meet Franks old friend and theatre critic, Mary, who is now an alcoholic. She is sickened by the superficiality of the people Frank has chosen to associate with and by his abandonment of music the one thing he was truly good at for the world of commercial film producing. As she gets progressively more and more drunk, she begins to loudly insult everyone, and is ordered to leave. Their friendship is over. However, Frank is hurt by Marys drunken remarks because he knows they are true. He has concentrated so completely on being a success that everything he most valued at the beginning of his career has long been left behind. The evening ends traumatically with the break down of Franks unhappy marriage to his wife Gussie, a former leading actress in one of his early musicals, when she viciously attacks Meg, his mistress. The years roll back to 1973 (First Transition). Frank and his long-time lyricist collaborator and friend, Charley Kringas, are about to be interviewed in a New York TV studio. In the make-up room, Charley greets Mary (Old Friends), and tells her that Frank is now so busy making deals that he never has time to write shows with him like they had always hoped. Mary laments over their strained friendship and wishes that it could be Like It Was. On-air the TV interviewer accidentally informs Charley of Franks plans to once again put off their long awaited politically idealistic show for another project. A nervous Charley launches into a demented rampage on the way his composer has transformed himself into a corporation (Franklin Shepard Inc). As Charley swings ferociously between bitterness and self-contempt, Frank walks out. Their friendship is over. Its now 1968, and Charley and Frank are in Franks apartment on Central Park West (Second Transition). He and Charley are arguing over his decision to do a movie version of one of their shows, Musical Husbands. Frank wants to do it for the money, but Charley says that it will get in the way of writing the idealistic show theyve always wanted to create. Mary looks on, and when the argument starts getting out of control reminds them that they are all still old friends (Old Friends Part II). Broadway producer Joe Josephson and his wife Gussie arrive. She and Frank have been having a long-term affair. Joe has learnt to live with it, but Mary, hopelessly in love with Frank, finds it much harder to accept. When the others leave, Gussie startles Frank by announcing she intends to divorce Joe to be with Frank, leaving him to decide on what he wants (Growing Up). The years rewind to 1966 (Third Transition). Frank is being sued for divorce by Beth, and they wrangle over the custody of their young son in a courthouse in Lower Manhattan. Beth tells him that Not A Day Goes By when he isnt a part of her life, but she cant live with him knowing he is cheating on her with Gussie. The marriage is over. Mary and Charley and Franks other collegues rally around him telling him that the best thing to do is to move on and start again (Now You Know). Act II opens on the opening night of Frank and Charleys first Broadway show, Musical Husbands. Gussie stars in the show, and the act opens with Gussies performance of Franks and Charleys big hit song(Act Two Opening). Although not exactly the kind of show the duo had always planned, as the curtain comes down on the show, the audience applauds wildly. Broadways latest words-and-music team, Charley and Frank, have just found themselves a hit. (Its A Hit!) The years roll back further to 1962 (Fourth Transition) at a party in Gussie and Joes apartment. Gussie has thrown a soirà ©e so that Frank and Charley, who are going to write a musical for Joe to produce, can meet all the richest and most influential people in town describes as The Blob. We see early signs of Gussies romantic interest in Frank (Growing Up). Gussie invites the collaborators to perform their latest song, Good Thing Going. The guests love it. Gussie simply fawns over the number and implores them to do it again. Charley urges Frank not to. You want to know what true greatness is? Its knowing when to get off, Charley says. But Frank insists. They play the song again, but the guests quickly lose interest and resume their cocktail chatter over Franks reprise (The Blob Part II). Back to 1960, the dawn of a new decade with new hopes (Fifth Transition). Charley, Frank and Beth are young and on the outset of their careers, playing Frank and Charleys music at a small nightclub in Greenwich Village. Trying to appear bright and sophisticated, they perform a cheeky number celebrating the accession of Americas new First Family (Bobby And Jackie And Jack). Joe is in the tiny audience and hes quite impressed, as is his wife Gussie. Afterwards, Frank explains that hes marrying Beth and pledges that a day doesnt go by when shes not a part of his life (Not A Day Goes By Part II). At an adjoining table, Mary echoes the sentiment; its how shell always feel about Frank. Its 1959 (Sixth Transition) and the young Frank, Charley and Mary are busy in New York, establishing their careers (Opening Doors). The boys audition for Joe, but he wants more hummable tunes. So they decide to do their own show and end up hiring Beth as a singer. The years finally take us back to October, 1957 (Seventh Transition). Its 5:30am, and Frank, Charley and Mary are on the roof of an old apartment house waiting for the first-ever earth-orbiting satellite. Suddenly, Sputnik is there in the sky, and for the three young friends, anything is possible (Our Time). The Last Five Years Jason Robert Browns one act musical The Last Five Years premiered in Chicago and was later produced off-Broadway in 2002. The story explores the five year relationship of Jamie Wellerstein and Cathy Hyatt. Like Merrily it also makes use of reverse-linear motion, but just for one character; so Jamies story moves chronologically through their relationship, but we begin at the end of Cathys story moving chronologically backwards. Their relationship begins in their early twenties; Jamie is an up and coming novelist, Jewish and intense. Cathy is a struggling actress, catholic and insecure. Browns score is diverse and he is not afraid of writing catchy melodies with much of the material being pop-driven and wedded to intelligent lyrics that explain who these characters are. The show was met with high acclaim, with critics praising the Browns genuine, smart, humorous and moving writing . The show begins with Cathy alone in her apartment as her marriage to Jamie has ended, and he has just moved out (Still Hurting). When the song finishes, Jamie appears. It is five years earlier and he is on their first date. We learn that Jamie is Jewish and Cathy is not. Despite this, Jamie is completely smitten with his Shiska Goddess The scene then switches to Cathy sitting on a pier in Ohio with Jamie, who has come to visit her for her birthday while she does summer stock theatre (See Im Smiling). It is clear that she is not happy about spending her time away from Jamie and is enthusiastic about fixing their marriage. She becomes very angry when Jamie announces that he has to return to New York. They argue, and Cathy claims that he spends all of his time thinking only of himself, singing you and you and nothing but you. During interludes in the music, Jamie, several years earlier, talks to a literary agent about the book he has just written. His future looks promising. The play moves away from their argument, and Jamie tells a friend that he is moving in with Cathy. Everything seems to be going right for him; his book is being published and the Atlantic monthly is printing the first chapter. Even though his work and his relationship with Cathy seem to have taken on lives of their own, hes too happy to get worried (Moving Too Fast). Cathy, meanwhile, is making a call to her agent. Though we only hear her side of the conversation, it is obvious that she is struggling with her career. Cathy sits at Jamies book signing party. She sings about her life with him, asserting that even though he often obsesses over his writing and ignores her, she is terribly in love with him (A Part of That). Cathy confesses that she does not act independently anymore, but instead follows in his footsteps. Jamie celebrates his first Christmas with Cathy. He tells her a fable (which he has written, new and unpublished) about an old tailor named Schmuel whose encounter with a magical clock gives him infinite time to realize the dress of his dreams. Jamie reveals the parallel between Schmuel and Cathy: she needs to take the time to unlock her dreams. He presents Cathy with her Christmas present: a watch (The Schmuel Song). Cathy sits in Ohio and writes a letter to Jamie. They have just been married and she is missing him dreadfully. She describes to Jamie her quirky life in Ohio among her eccentric cast members (A Summer in Ohio). Jamie is sitting with Cathy in a boat on the lake in Central Park. He proposes. Cathy enters and Jamie presents her with the engagement ring and, for the first and only time in the musical, their stories meet and they sing together (The Next Ten Minutes). They exchange vows and rings, promising to stay together for the next ten lifetimes. They kiss before Jamie escorts Cathy to the rowboat, where she has the other side of the conversation that Jamie had before her arrival. Jamie watches her go. The newly-wed Jamie is facing some temptation issues. He feels like he is constantly bombarded by attractive women, especially since his writing career has taken off (A Miracle Would Happen). Cathy, meanwhile, embarks on a series of audition for the job in Ohio (When You Come Home to Me). She is frustrated with the audition process and discusses her sense of inadequacy with her father (Climbing Uphill). Jamie, on the phone with Cathy, does his best to convince his wife that his relationship with his editor, Elise, is purely platonic. Cathy doesnt believe him. Jamie wants to celebrate a book review in The New Yorker, but Cathy isnt in the mood to go out. She sings passionately about her desire to be independent, refusing to trot along at the geniuss heels. Jamie is reading an excerpt of his book. It is obviously about his relationship with Cathy. In the next scene, Jamie is fighting passionately with Cathy. It is toward the end of their relationship and he is trying desperately to just get her to listen to him. He wonders aloud if they will ever get to the point where things are easy, where there arent so many obstacles facing their marriage. He accuses her of being unsupportive of his career just because hers is failing. Though his words are harsh, he promises her that he believes in her unconditionally, and that if he didnt he wouldnt love her (If I Didnt Believe in You). Some time into the relationship, Cathy drives Jamie to her parents house in the suburbs. As she drives, she babbles happily about her past relationships and her desire not to end up in the same small town life as her best friend from high school: married with children and living in a little cute house on a little cute street with a crucifix on the door (I Can Do Better Than That). At the climax of the song, she asks Jamie to move in with her. Towards the end of the marriage, Jamie wakes up in the apartment beside a woman who may or may not be his editor, Elise (Nobody Needs to Know). He tries to defend his actions and blames Cathy (who is away in Ohio) for destroying his privacy and their perfectly balanced relationship. Jamie promises not to lie to this woman and tells her, just as he told Cathy in Shiksa Goddess, that I could be in love with someone like you. Cathy is at the end of her first date with Jamie. She sings goodbye to him (Goodbye Until Tomorrow). She proclaims that she has been waiting for Jamie her whole life and is ready for this romance. Simultaneously but five years forward, Jamie sits in their shared apartment writing a farewell note (I Could Never Rescue You). As Cathy waves Jamie goodbye until tomorrow, Jamie wishes Cathy simply goodbye. So what do these two musicals have in common apart from the obvious manipulation of time used in each story? Well it becomes apparently clear on examination of both the shows and their creators that these stories are more than just something to be told, but in fact stay perilously close to home and stem from a more personal elements of the world of both Sondheim/Furth and Jason Robert Brown. In Merrily the character, composer Frank Shepherd, advises an aspiring writer Dont just write what you know Frank says as he points to his head. Instead, he encourages to write what you know, pointing to his heart. Despite Sondheim always being very avid that he never writes himself into any characters, there was a clear choice made to change the original Kaufman and Hart play from playwright and painter to composer and librettist who write musical comedies together. There are further similarities established by making the librettist a native of Chicago and graduate of Columbia University. Also we note that the theatre in which Frank and Charleys hit show is produced is The Alvin, which was home to Sondheim and Furths first great hit Company in 1970 and later Merrily itself in 1981. Where the characters and contemporary settings in Company were directly forcing the audiences to acknowledge and confront the themes presented, Merrily also challenges Sondheim and Furth themselves to acknowledge their own world, their own relationships and the industry they find themselves in. Putting the characters in the familar surroundings of Broadway productions allows Sondheim and Furth to make a real statement about the industry; What kind of people fill this world? What kind of pressures do writers and composers face throughout their careers? What do producers want? Can one walk the fine line between commercial success and artistic integrity? Perhaps it is this demystifying of the Broadway illusion was what led to the original production of Merrilys early closure? Jason Robert Brown is more open about his obvious personal link to the character of Jamie and the similarities of the Jamie/Cathy relationship to that of Brown and his failed marriage to actress Theresa ONeill. We see how the rise of Jamies career as a writer mirrors that of Brown as a composer and the troubles it gave in marriage. Indeed, ONeill even threatened legal action before the opening of the off-Broadway production, claiming the piece came too close to real life. Brown made some changes, disclosing them, he states, would violate the settlement but we know that one of the major changes was the inclusion of the Shiska Goddess instead of I Could Be In Love With Someone Like You. The fact that both shows deal with a certain type of person an artist, a creator, trying to make a professional career in New York dictates the musical and lyrical style of the show; In Merrily the fact that the show deals with two friends who write Broadway musicals leads to a traditional book musical with a score widely considered to be one of Sondheims most accessible scores with many ironically hummable melodies. With the characters of Frank and Mary, Sondheim and Furth have the chance to have some verbal fun as they enforce their characters abilities as writers. We see with that Mary has a habit of taking other peoples clichà ©d conversation and turning it into unexpected meanings, for example in the opening party seen: Ru: So what do you do? Mary: I drink. Ru: No, what do you really do? Mary: I really drink. Also, when Frank tells everyone that he and Mary go way back, she continues, but seldom forward, not only a comment on their stalling friendship but also a clever inside joke on the narrative structure of the piece. Verbally, Mary keeps taking people places they dont expect to go. Sondheims lyrics in That Frank show this ability to take the listener down one road and then take an unexpected turn in another direction. Singing about Franks guest she says: These are the movers, these are the shapers These are the people who give you vapors And in Now You Know she makes the surprising point that you should burn your bridges every now and then, turning around the conventional idea that burning bridges is a negative thing. Similarly there is some further beautiful wordplay highlighting her knack with words as she advises Frank that bricks can tumble from clear blue skies, and that people love you and tell you lies Charley sometimes plays a similar verbal trick. Whilst being interviewed on TV he is asked, What comes first, the words or the music? he replies, Generally the contract. Infact, the song Franklin Shepherd Inc is a complete show piece for Charley, highlighting both his talents with words and having only been introduced to the character, the audience are made aware of the dynamics of his character who seeks purity of purpose, dedication and the rewards of keeping it simple. On the other hand, composer Frank is inarticulate in comparison. We find that when he opens his mouth he tends to create some clichà © like the worst vice is advice or she is the raft that keeps me from drowning. Also, we note that he only sings one solo number in the show Growing Up, where we become aware of the characters ability to think he is rationalising his hopes and beliefs when he really means compromising. Both shows seem to have a sense of honesty with the creation of real, multi-layered storyline and flawed characters. Maybe it is the close relationship of creator(s) and story that manages to generate scenes and songs which capture a moment in time or an emotional snapshot which sets these shows apart. Furthermore, both shows also centre on the fragility of relationships, with the manipulation of time constantly conditioning and changing the audiences view of the relationships and where their sympathies lie. **

German Expressionism Essay -- Essays Papers

German Expressionism German Expressionism is a kind of art that is supposed to make you feel something. When you look at a painting such as â€Å"The Scream† by Edvard Munch (1863-1944), you ask yourself what kind of emotions does this painting give you. A group of early 20th century German artists used the term â€Å"expressionism† to desribe the way they produced art. The title later turned into â€Å"German Expressionism†. This art movement was prominent during 1905-1925. In German it is known as â€Å"Die Brucke† and â€Å"Der Blaue Reiter†. Unlike Impressionism, its goals were not to reproduce the impression by the surrounding world, but to express the artists feelings on the surrounding world. Expressionism comes from the route word â€Å"expression† which means to make known or reveal or show. The text b...

Pepsin and Protein Essay -- Papers

Pepsin and Protein Question Is the rate at which Pepsin digests protein affected by temperature? Prediction I predict that it is affected by temperature. The optimum temperature will be between 30 °C and 40 °C. This is because the average human body temperature is 37 °C. At 0-20 °C (which includes the groups 0-10 and 10-20) the pepsin will not digest the protein for a long time. This is because it is a too cold environment for the enzyme to work most effectively and quickly. At 20-30 °C the pepsin will work slightly more quickly than at 0-20, but not as well as at 30-40, because it is reaching the optimum temperature, though it is not quite there yet. At the higher temperatures (i.e. 40-70 °C) the enzymes will not work as well. You may think that, using the pattern up to 30-40 °C, the higher the temperature, the quicker pepsin works. But this is not the case because when it gets too hot, the enzymes start to lose their shape. Enzymes use a very precise "lock and key" method to digest food. For example pepsin, which is a protease enzyme, has a shape exclusive for digesting protein molecules, and as soon as it changes its shape (in this case due to heat) it cannot digest the molecule it was originally designed to digest. Once it has changed shape it cannot change back again. The "lock and key" is demonstrated below with diagrams. The pepsin molecule locks onto the Glucose molecules are very glucose molecule and breaks it complex but they still need down into smaller particles. specially designed enzymes that fit the molecules perfectly to break them down. If the temperature is too high and the enzyme changes ... ...ironment pepsin works quickest in. (see prediction). The independent variable will be the temperature range - 0-70 °C in jumps of 10 °C.This is what to change for the investigation. Nothing else must change, because then it would be an unfair test. The dependant variable will be the rate at which pepsin digests the egg white suspension - in other words how long the mixture takes to go clear. This will give you the results. For a fair test the controlled variables will be the amount of egg white suspension (25cm ²), the amount of pepsin (5cm ²) and the amount of hydrochloric acid (5 drops from the pipette) used. Also how often the mixture is checked will be a controlled variable. To make the results as accurate and reliable as possible, each temperature range will be repeated 5 times, and an average will be taken.

Critical Thinking â€Factors that Influence Adult Learning Essay

Being able to read and understand research studies requires quantitative reasoning. The purpose of this assignment is to help you get accustomed to identifying the various parts of a research study. Be sure to review the module homepage and background information before you begin any of the assignments in this course. In general, the best way to approach the assignment is to read the article through rather rapidly in order to get an impression of its general content; then read it more slowly and make appropriate notes so you can complete the assignment as directed below. Organize your paper using these headings, in this order. Your paper should look like the following list/outline, with these same subheadings listed in the same order. Just provide the information for each section. I already know that the authors of the article can identify their purpose, hypothesis, etc. so you will not earn credit for copying the information from the article. Show me what you understand after reading the article. Explain each section very briefly so I can see what you learned from reading the article. Your summary of each section must be written in your own words. Do not copy or simply paraphrase. Reference: This should be so accurate that the reader can go directly from your abstract to the original article. Give a complete APA style reference. (Hint: the reference above is in APA style, so your reference should like that) Purpose of the study: Sometimes the purpose is stated as an aim, an objective, or a goal. At other times, it is incorporated in a statement of a problem, leaving the reader to infer the purpose has a stated problem, a purpose, or both. If the purpose is inferred, you may state it in your own words. Participants: The term â€Å"participant† refers to the sample studied. Under this heading, you should include a description of ages, sexes, socio-economic status, school grade, mental level, number, and/or any other demographic characteristics given in the article to describe the particular sample used in the study. Type of Study: Was it a quantitative or a qualitative study? Or were both types of data used? Please explain why you think so. Hypothesis: What is the hypothesis of the study? If the hypothesis is inferred, you may state it in your own words. Procedure: Sometimes the procedure is referred to as the â€Å"method† and includes a description of control techniques, measuring devices, materials used and ways of proceeding, in attempting to achieve the purpose or purposes of the study. Statistical Tests: Identify the statistical tests used in the article; examples might be chi square (x2), t-test, f-test, Mann-Whitney, etc. Results or Findings: What actual data was reported by the author of the study? Explain the results — don’t just copy them. Conclusions: What does the author of the research article believe the results or findings mean? Critique: In each of the previous sections, you have been reporting what the article said. Now, I want you to think critically about what you’ve learned, and give me your own thoughts. Briefly describe your reaction to the article. For example, was it well-organized? Easy or difficult to understand (please explain why)? Did it present diverse perspectives about the topic? Don’t limit yourself to just these questions — be reflective about what you read. Critical Thinking –Factors that Influence Adult Learning Reference: Vonderwell, S. , & Zachariah, S. (2005). Factors that influence participation in online learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(2), 213-230. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/274761283? accountid=28844. Park, J. , & Choi, H. J. (2009). Factors influencing adult learners’ decision to drop out or persist in online learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 12(4), 207-n/a. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/1287038599? ccountid=28844 Purpose of the study: Vonderwell and Zachariah conducted a study to look at the factors that influenced learner participation. They looked into several sections at the Midwestern University. They found that for online comprehension must have common goals as all the members are dependent on each other for success creating a learning community and not just an individual (Vonderwell, S. , & Zachariah, S. 2005). P articipants: This study encompassed 147 learners that discontinued in one to three online courses between the fall of 2005 through the summer of 2007. This study was conducted with males and females from the ages of 20 to over 40. Type of Study: This was a quantitative and a qualitative study. This study was a quantitative study as it showed the number of learners that drop out due to varies variables: scheduling conflicts, family and personnel issues, financial problems, managerial support. This study is also expressed as a quantitative as its goal is to show the dropout rate and change the behavior from a broader perspective and a more personable way as to check on the students and see their status. Hypothesis: I believe from this study that adult online learners are more likely to drop out when they do not receive support from their internal and external structures and sources that lead guide and motivate their lives independently along with enrolling in course that are able to effect and are relevant to their lives. Procedure: The method of this study was conducted was population and sample Statistical Tests: This study used the longitudinal process of dropout distance education test, the estimated marginal means of relevance, estimated marginal means of satisfaction. Results or Findings: This study showed that there are many factors that affect online learners such as external factors (family), internal (to themselves) and the difference in what the learners desires in an online course and resolving to remain motivated in the course if it is relevant to their life in some way. Critique: As I am not best person with reading comprehension and am a bottle line up front (BLUF) this article was a dry read to me and rather difficult to pick out all the test that were conducted. Although, the overall result were very plainly stated that online learner has outside influences that guide them in the completion of a course and their motivation to remain. I thought it was interesting that the study addressed administrators and instructors roles strictly to support the student on all levels where possible. Conclusions: This study concluded that online learns are more likely to drop out when they don’t receive support (weather internal, external, and personal). Also, it showed that online student are less likely to drop out when they are motivated by the course and are content with and the practicality to their own lives.