Individual project Essay

Andy Rexford has started a cottage industry in his garage for catering for the niche market. Soon that market grows and so does his business. With this fast pace growth in the business Andy has expanded his business from one stitch machine to six stitch machine in the short period of time. Recently, Andy has developed a business plan which clearly states the good future growth and lots of financing required. Andy does not have much money of his own to invest in the business, so he is looking for the external financing sources. In this report, I will be discussing the different sources of external financing along with their advantages and drawbacks, and then I will be decided which source is the best for the Andy’s business. Sources of financing: There are various sources of financing the business but the most critical aspect is to understand which sources are appropriate for that particular business and how much finances do we needed. The assessment of sources is totally judgmental. Along with the judgment, it is also dependent on how willing he is to share the information about his business and ownership with others. Sources of finances are divided into 2 broad categories: -Internal financing -External financing. Andy’s savings and income are already been exhausted in the process of growth, and he requires more financing. To help Andy to take the decision wisely I will be discussing few external financing sources. External sources: External financing includes ownership capital and non-ownership capital. These two categories are divided into other several categories. For the business like Andy’s following three non-ownership capital financing is suitable. †¢ Banks †¢ Venture investors †¢ Small business association (SBA) Banks: They are the financial institution who lends the money to the businesses and individuals and charges an amount of interest against it. They are the hardest place to find the finances as the bank does not grant the loan very easily but the time is been changing now bank has come up many different loan schemes against which people are been given loans. A bank loan is considered as most desired mode of financing. People considered it as the most desirable because it is at times very speedy if you have good credit standing in the market you can get a loan in no time. Moreover, you can use that money in various ways and accountable for none. Although there are some advantages in getting a loan from the bank but there are some disadvantages as well. Disadvantages like, some loans carry a prepayment plenty so the borrower could not pay the amount early (Scarborough, 2006). Venture investors: Venture investors are those people who wealthy individuals, corporate and formal institutions who are willing to invest in the new business and growing businesses. In return for providing the capital to the businesses, they usually require a percentage of ownership in the company along with control over the strategic direction and payment assorted fees. â€Å"Private equity provides capital and access to a network that can transform a company into an industry player,† Karen E. Klein noted in Business Week. â€Å"But the price is high: a chunk of your business. † Like every other financing source, there are some advantages and disadvantages as well. The main advantage for the start-up business is that they are not obligated to repay the money. And the involvement of the high profile businessmen can also increase the credibility of new business. The main disadvantage an entrepreneur can have from the venture investor is that they become the part owners of the business, and thus they have the rights have a say in the decisions. The business owner faces a dilution of their position as owners and possible loss of power of controlling the business (Scarborough, 2006). Small business association: Small business association is the organizations in United States formed by the government that helps the entrepreneurs to start up their business. Small business association acts as the guarantor of loans for the people who do not qualify for the commercial loans. The advantages related to the small business association are that since it’s a government formed organization to encourage the businessman, they are charging very low interest rate as in comparison to the commercial banks. SBA takes a very quick decision regarding the approvals of loans to the people. There are many advantages attached to the SBA that makes it is desirable for the businessman but there is a gloomy side of this loan as well. Since its government loan no matter what happens to your business you have to pay off this loan before any other debt. Moreover, there is more paper work required than in commercial bank. The government wants to make sure that you are truly eligible for this particular loan or not. Andy’s source of financing: Andy should opt for the bank loan as it suits to the requirements of his business. Future of his business is very bright and there is a guarantee that his business will get double the size within next two years. So giving the ownership in his business would not be advisable if he wants to have all the profit, and he can have them as the matter of fact. As for the SBA, they have very long repayment schedule though the rate is a low but 20-30 years time period does not worth for that kind of loan. Since Andy only needs $700,000, which can be repaid within 2 years because the annual profit of Andy is 750,000. He can easily pay off this loan with 2 years. Hence it is suitable for Andy to take the bank loan. Conclusion: There are various sources of finances. Some financing can be done internally while some can be borrowed from others. In the case of Andy his earning is already been consumed in the expansion of the business. So it is suggested to him that he should take the bank loan because he does not need to give the ownership to the venture investors and does not need to give whole life to pay that loan. Bank loan will be the most desirable suggestion as Andy can pay this loan payoff this loan within two years. Moreover, he does not need to give any ownership to anyone.

Primal Fear Essay

Primal Fear (1996) is a film adaptation of William Diehl’s novel; it is a story about an altar boy portrayed by Edward Norton who is allegedly accused with murder of a city archbishop. Richard Gere was the defense attorney who holds his case. Martin Vail (Gere) is a well-known defense attorney in Chicago who seizes the opportunity to represent Aaron Stampler (Norton), a young altar boy who is charged with the city’s archbishop’s murder, in order to get some exposure. Stampler was caught during a foot chase right after the archbishop’s killing with his clothes drenched in blood. Frances McDormand (Molly Arlington) is the psychologist who examined Stampler for the court. Stampler stated to be present at the time of the killing of the archbishop, although he declared that someone in the room do the killing whereas he had a blackout or as he says he had a â€Å"lost time†. In the beginning Vail was only interested in the publicity and media hype that the case will create in his career, but then as the story goes he is determined to prove that his client is really innocent and above suspicion. He also believed that every defendant ought to have an experienced defense just like him. As the story progresses, Vail happened to get hold of data about the influential community leaders, together with the District Attorney, undergone a real estate investment wherein they lost millions because of the Archbishop who discontinue to develop certain land property of the church. And as a result the archbishop constantly received death threats. Vail also discovered that the altar boys, including Stampler were sexually exploited by the archbishop. Together with his (Stampler) girlfriend, Linda, the archbishop told them to have sex while the latter filmed them. Vail presented this data, along with the video tape as evidence. He figured out that it would create a sympathetic and approving impression to the jury for Stampler and would help them to win the case. However, the trial does not progress agreeably for the defense, since there is substantial proof of evidence against Stampler. In addition, the people judgment considers him roughly without a doubt guilty. On one occasion Vail confronts Stampler and charge him of being a liar, Aaron breaks down and transforms into a new personality who identifies himself as â€Å"Roy. Different from the meek and modest Aaron, Roy is an aggressive individual. He admitted that he is the one who murdered the archbishop and hurls Vail against the wall, that wounded him. Subsequent to the incident, Aaron has no memory of it. The psychiatric specialist examining Aaron’s behavior believes he have a medical condition called multiple personality disorder. However, as they are by currently in the middle of the court case, they cannot change the appeal to not guilty by grounds of insanity. Therefore, Vail makes a decision to put up an argument at the hearing. When harshly cross-examined by the prosecutor, Janet Venable, who is an ex-girlfriend of Vail, Aaron becomes Roy and attacked at her, threatening to break her neck if anyone approaches him. Court marshals were able to calm Aaron down and returned him back to his cell. From what had happened, Aaron’s evident mental illness, which is now apparent to the jury, the judge dismisses the case and ordered that Aaron will be sent to a mental institution wherein he will remain under assessment, and to receive therapy for his illness then will possibly be released in due course. In the closing scene of the film, Vail went to see Aaron to inform him this information. Aaron remembers nothing of what occurred in the courtroom, experiencing once more â€Å"lost time. † After hearing the judge’s decision that he will probably be freed soon, Aaron embraced him with extreme gratefulness. Although, as Vail is on his way out of the cell, Aaron asks him to say to Ms. Venable that he hopes that her neck is okay, which is not what would Aaron be supposed to have remember and recall if he had â€Å"lost time. † When Vail took into account what Stampler had said, he questioned the boy about it. Stampler hesitant at first, begin to clapped his hand and congratulate his lawyer for discovering his secret. He then admits that he was only acting as an insane person right from the start. Aaron/Roy said that there never was an Aaron; he also added that Aaron was his invented persona, and that he is really Roy all along. Stampler further declared to have slaughtered the archbishop, and even Linda, his girlfriend. Taken aback and disappointed from what he heard Vail walks out of the cell room, with Roy nastily annoyed him from his chamber. The mental disorder that was acted upon by the actor Edward Norton/Aaron Stampler is called Dissociative Personality Disorder or DID. Formerly identified as the Multiple Personality Disorder or MPD, it is referred to as a mental disorder involving dissociation of the self wherein the self becomes divided into two or more distinct personalities each with their separate thoughts, characteristics and memories. As with the movie, Edward Norton possess a second character with whom he called Roy. Alternation of control by the personalities can also be seen in a MPD person. It is when a bodily control and access to consciousness switches between the personalities, although some may be more dominant than others and thus spend more time in control. In the movie Roy is the dominant personality of Aaron. The identities or personality state, sometimes called alters, self-states, alter identities, or parts, among other terms, differ from one another in that each presents as having its own individuality proportional to the continuing pattern of perception, connecting to, and view about the surroundings and identity. Amnesia and unconscious barriers between personalities are also apparent. There may be a mutual or one-way lack of conscious awareness and memory access between personalities. Some may experience ‘blackouts’ or lost time when others take control, some can be directly aware of other personalities’ existence, thoughts and memories. In the case of Aaron, he said to his lawyer, Richard Gere/Martin Vail that he was there when the bishop was killed but then he wasn’t able to see the killer because he blacked out and was lost in time. Clinical manifestations of DID can be perplexing and harrowing for a therapist. Switching of personalities may produce diverse physical appearances such as strikingly different facial expressions; permutations in posture and body language, change in handedness, different hair styles, and reversals in out-ward gender presentation, significant weight gain or loss over short periods of time, and voice changes. Alternate personalities may demonstrate the behaviors that manifest their perceptions of themselves. They may speak in different accents and even different languages; their handwriting may be different; some may be creative in different arts, others not at all; and some may be male, others female in their self-perceptions, life histories and dress. In Aaron’s case while he was being harshly crossed-examined by the prosecutor Janet Venable/Laura Linney, Roy was able to come out into his personality. His behavior changed from being a meek person into an aggressive individual one. His tone of voice was loud and angry rather than modest and reserved as what Aaron is. To diagnose a person with a dissociative personality the DSM-IV-TR are used by therapists in order for them to identify if the person really suffers the said mental illness. There should be an existence of two or more distinctive characteristics or personalities; there is also should be at least two of these personalities periodically are in charge of the person’s behavior. As well as, the inability to remember personal information that cannot be accounted for ordinary forgetfulness and the disturbance is not a cause of physiological results of a substance such as the alcoholic beverages (Kluft & Fine, 1993). Clinical studies report female to male ratios between 5:1 and 9:1 for diagnosed cases. Etiology of this mental illness is strongly linked to severe experiences of early childhood trauma, usually maltreatment and abuses and about 85 to 97 percent of cases are the reported rates of severe childhood trauma. Physical and sexual abuses are the most frequently reported sources of childhood trauma. In the film, Aaron was sexually abused by the bishop, and he also experienced physical abuses from his father when he was young, which may have been the cause why an alter personality of Roy emerge in time when the bishop was killed. It was further described that dissociation as an unconscious defense mechanism in which a group of mental activities split off from the main stream of consciousness and function as a separate unit. The purpose of dissociation as what Aaron and Roy did in the film is to take memory or emotion that is associated with a trauma. It is a creative way of keeping the unacceptable out of the picture, it is to keep the secrets and constantly learn to get used to the environment, a lifesaving defense. It also maintains the attachment to the abuser and permit strong, sometimes contradicting, emotions to be kept in separate compartments of the mentality. Many said that DID could be faked, they claimed it is only the way a person will make in order for him to avoid responsibilities and stress. Evidences stated that some criminal offenders used this mental illness as their defense in order to escape the verdict that the law will give to them, as what Aaron said to Vail. However, a number of studies shown that DID cannot be faked. Wherein, the changes in Aaron to Roy’s persona is hard to act as what S. D. Miller concluded in his study that optical changes, including measures of visual perception, apparent refraction, and eye muscle stability which are unconsciously differ when an alter emerge are hard to fake. Nowadays, up-to-date EEG and MRI can also be used because it shows the changes in brain function when one personality switches into another. A number of subsequent studies confirm that various alters have unique psychophysiological profiles. Various treatments are now used to cure DID such as Psychotherapy, Cognitive Therapy, Hypnosis, Psychopharmacological Interventions Other therapies are Electroconvulsive Therapy, Group Therapy, and Family Therapy.

Case study Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study Questions - Essay Example Terra Firma gained a good reputation for providing some of the leading medical technology equipment in the world. The good reputation helped to increase their goodwill value of these firms. Another way that these customers benefitted was from the increasing profits due to high level of demand of their products. This was because of the efficiency that they got from Terra Firmas products. The products also used some little time to scan and get the results. In addition, they were cost effective. Beneficiaries such as patients who required some x rays paid little money for the services that used little time. Terra Firma is facing challenges in order to stay put in the market. Just as the firm perceived its operation to be ongoing in the right direction, it has faced a number of challenges. One thing that the company has realized is that the router nose-dives once it is overfed with connection request packets, which prompts a chain of response that has led to botch of both primary and secondary network switches in the main data center. Another challenge that Terra Firma is facing in order to stay put in the market is the challenge of testing its products. Since its shift to medical software development, the company has been experiencing this challenge. This is because it requires people to be tested therefore, providing a bigger challenge to the firm. The other challenge is bringing back online the missing log files, corrupted database tables, and inconsistent application data. These challenges requires weeks of dreary effort and execution of manual recovery procedures. One of the goals of the company is to have a worldwide reach in order to gain a large market share. The strategy Terra Firma has put forth is to open as many branches as it could in order to gain the global reach. As a result, Terra Firma has opened branches in countries such as US, UK, japan, Germany, Australia and Singapore. Terra firma

Power of Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Power of Communication - Assignment Example Both theories help in arriving at the true meaning and essence of a play. This is the only way in which the audience of a play gets in touch with the writer, and clearly gets the message that the writer of the play intended to pass across. This paper, therefore, goes a long way to critically analyze â€Å"the importance of being Earnest† in light of Aristotle’s six elements of a play. First and foremost is the plot of the play. According to Aristotle, plot simply refers to the flow of incidents through which a protagonist progresses (Aristotle paragraph one). It talks more of the arrangement of events, and how they follow each other from the beginning to the end of the play. When analyzing plot as an integral element of a play, it is very critical to establish the relationship between and among different scenes or acts. The events in the play at hand truly agree with Aristotle’s theory. In Act one, we are introduced to both Jack and his fictional brother (Wilde act 1). Jack lives a double life and this is known to no one else but himself. The second Act brings us to the real reasons why jack lives a double life, while the third Act leads us in discovering the whole truth suggested in the second Ac t. The second element is Character. This is how the actors or figures in a play relate to each other, in a bid to achieve their different goals and motives (Aristotle paragraph two). Understanding the character helps in the identification of the conflict, since conflict is created by the goals, motives and desired pursued by each of the characters throughout the play. In the case at hand, the desire of Cecily is to get married to Ernest, which is also the desire of Gwendoline (Wilde act 3). This creates a conflict between them, a conflict that leads to the discovery of the truth. Gwendoline, in her desire to strengthen her relationship with Jack, decides to pay him a surprise visit. Gwendoline’s mother, Lady Bracknell, is not pleased by this and follows

Sustainable Development in Iran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sustainable Development in Iran - Essay Example Renewable energy (RE) and related technologies are popularly viewed as solutions to the growing issues of pollution, global warming and climate change. The development of new technologies in this domain is thus viewed across the world as a way to diversify the range of energy sources available and secure the growing needs in the coming decades. RE is also a key driver for sustainable development and to reduce our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels (Magoha, 2009). Despite the importance of developing RE technologies and encouraging their use through sustainable strategies, various technological and economic constraints have impeded its development in the Islamic republic of Iran. Given that the country is home to over a tenth of the world’s crude oil reserves and a fifth of the global natural gas reserves, the Iranian government has been quite negligent towards promoting alternate sources of energy (Kelly, 2009). Apart from government assistance in RE, the nation has been affected by decades of international economic sanctions, which has restricted access to some of the most efficient technologies in the RE domain. Thus, the technological infrastructure used for exploiting the fossil fuels within the nation remains inefficient and there is a need to devise ways to address these issues through favorable energy policies, technological research and efficient management. Other issues such as stagnation of social development and poverty are also preventing the government from giving any long-term thought to RE (Kelly, 2009). Iran is one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide which has nearly doubled since 1990 to over 400 MMT in 2009. Kelly (2009) identifies numerous factors including low efficiency and utilization rates of energy among various industrial sectors, rising wealth and an increase in the consumption of fossil fuels as primary contributors to this alarming trend, which is also aided by the relatively cheap energy prices. Magoba (2009) further adds to these concerns by stating that the major polluters in this context are the country’s biggest cities. Migration of the rural population to bigger cities in search of employment and livelihood has led to rapid urbanization resulting in a surge in the number of vehicles, consumption of fuels, inefficient public transportation networks and the use of old vehicles that are incapable of burning the fuel efficiently. Studies by Chaturvedi (2008) have established that Iran is currently underdeveloped in harnessing energy from wind turbines. In fact, the country has a huge potential of up to 15000 Megawatts of electricity generation by tapping vast amounts of energy from wind. Given the fact large parts of Iran are categorized as windy regions, harnessing energy from this medium is not only an elaborate possibility, but can also prove financially profitable in the long run. The region also enjoys a long period of sunshine on an annual basis. The average annual exposure to sunshine in Iran has been estimated at about 3000 hours per year (Chaturvedi, 2008). However, most solar energy projects are currently in a research phase and are yet to be commercialized. Thus, there is a need for the government to hasten the process of development and research in these areas. Iran primarily lacks any sound policy frameworks that can aid in the sustainable development of renewable energy technologies. Policies are required not just to support any research initiatives in this area, but are also necessary to facilitate a successful and wid espread adoption of RE sources across the country. Any few directives that have been framed in this context have not been helpful in guiding stakeholders towards implementing RE in specific areas. Thus, Iran currently lacks a consistent approach in implementing any longstanding RE framework. Currently, a mere 9% of Iran’s energy needs are met by RE sources primarily due to lack of policies and supporting infrastructure (Magoha, 2009). Companies that operate in the RE sector in Iran are facing

About Articles Of Confederation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

About Articles Of Confederation - Essay Example The confirmations by the 13 states involved were accomplished in early 1781. Before the ratification was complete, the article provided local and international legality for the continental congress to direct America evolutionally war. In addition, the article could conduct mediation with Europe and also deal with territorial affairs. However, the feeble government produced by the article became an issue of concern for nationalists involved. The confederation article had a lot of weaknesses. Firstly, it had a unicameral legislature which allowed a single vote per state. This unicameral legislature left the countries with only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. This was because the majority could not vote to pass legislation and amend the articles as they wanted. The article left the 13 states and the central government without the separation of powers. In additional to these problems, central government had no power to collect taxes, raise an army, or even control trade. With the one vote per state to change or amend the article, it left the 13 nations plus the central government without the division of powers. With a 2/3 majority need to pass laws made the changing of the article difficult. In order to make the changes on the article, they needed 9 of the 13 states to approve which was very difficult. 1. This shows that the article left the central government weak since the states maintained a majority of power. Limits in the article The delegates to the first and second congresses did not fix the terms of service. However, the members of the congress under the confederation articles were selected by state legislature annually. With the restriction that, no single person would be able to become a representative for more than three years. This is found in confederation article (v). This made the first national legislative body in the United States to operate with term limitations. During the time of confederation article existence, the service of delegate who had violated the term restrictions was challenged many times. The congress organized a committee on qualifications to determine whether any of the members were tarrying beyond their appointed terms. One of the delegates found was Samuel Osgood of Massachusetts. He was found ineligible for the service because he had served for three years after the ratification of the Articles. This caused Osgood to withdrawn from the office 3. Other del egates were investigated, primarily for serving beyond the one year for which they had been elected. Other controversies ensured that over the exact date of electing the delegates from Rhode Island, and they refused to vacate from their seats. The concern was that prolonging the controversy would disrupt the proceedings of congress; the Committee of Qualification dropped the matter. In many ways, the limit of the confederation article has helped the operation of the congress today. Firstly, it has come up with good constitution that governs citizens in a better way. Presidents now cannot exceed certain term set by the constitution. This allows more people to participate in the offices and bring change in the country in question. It has also improved the democracy of citizens where they are able to vote for the leaders they desire and think they will rule them the best 3. The limitation on raising an army has led to reduction of war among states because the nation had lived together for a long period without fighting. Article 10 made provision for functioning of the committee of state and for the possible admission of Canada 4.This shows that, if this article was carried out, Canada

Music, Performance and Authenticity in Films Essay

Music, Performance and Authenticity in Films - Essay Example In addition, rock film performance has been encrypted from Quadrophenia, the album of the group The Who, to the film bearing the same name as the album. This transformation of recorded audio music pieces into films did not bring any disparaging change in the rock culture; rather, it boosted and made rock performance more livelier and entertaining, attracting more and more enthusiasts. Initially, rock artists recorded music without the inclusion of videos and other display features that would make it more appealing. While rock music performance concentrates on the rock culture promotion through recording the audio pieces, the film performance is greatly involved in the use of visuals to promote the same culture. This paper will critically compare and contrast the differences and similarities in the music, the authenticity, and self-conscious film performances of Pink Floyd and The Who. Pink Floyd – The wall The film Pink Floyd-The Wall was adapted from the album The Wall. The w riter of the film utilized the music lyrics to convey different themes as represented in the original songs. Some of these include the theme of isolation, cruelty, insanity, fascism, and hard mentality as fashioned by the wall. Notably, throughout the film, there is an expression of a sad and brutal mood of the music as depicted by the author’s feelings in his school day poems. ... While music metaphorically illustrates this social alienation, the film projects the character into the real emotional situation (Kaarki 2002, p. 184). There is an illustration of severe emotional suffering that revolves in the abyss of loss and isolation resulting from fatherless childhood (due to his father death in the British war) and the domineering, overprotective, and phobia-filled love of his mother. As noted, Pink built a mental wall that could allow him to live a life free of the emotional troubles caused by the failing education system which concentrated on producing societal compliant sycophants, by police brutality, estranged marriage, and uncontrollable drug abuse (Pink Floyd 1982). Remarkably, not only does the film performance demonstrate the ability of the writer to describe the moods of the song but also evokes the emotions of the film viewers. Through the evaluation of the harmony of the film performance, viewers are able to observe the relevance of the musical per formance which develops and maintains the psychological wall built by Pink to run away from his pains. Significantly, the film performance brings out a better understanding of the music themes with an illustrative depiction of the continuous piling of problems as one runs away from their effects rather than finding solutions. In the film, the author excellently matches the themes present in the music with the film performance, giving insightful, enigmatic, and arresting images. Factually, critics have been of the view that the lifestyle as described in the song perfectly suits the film performance with its spectacular ability to conjure captivating and memorable images that elicit lingering and