Born Too Short

Thirteen year-old, five-foot one Matt Greene has one problem. He also has many talents that go unnoticed. He is very intelligent and can play the guitar. But, he does not get the respect due to him because of his height. He does not play sports, and has gotten rejected by girls he wants to date. They do not want a boyfriend who is the size of a dwarf. Unlike Matt, his best friend, Keith, was the coolest most popular guy. He is everything that Matt is not. He stands a towering six feet three inches tall and is captain of the basketball team. He does not have any problems getting dates with the girls. Matt aspires to be like him, but he just does not have the same effect as Keith. Matt became very angry one day and confessed his jealousy of Keith to himself. He wished that bad things would happen to Keith. He wanted Keith’s girlfriend to dump him. He wanted him to be bad at sports. He also wanted Shania Twain, who was going to star in Keith’s father’s movie, to look like a horse. Suddenly the next day, all of his wishes started coming true. Keith’s girlfriend cheated on him. Keith missed the last point in the championship game, thus causing his team to lose. Shania Twain had a car accident, and had to have plastic surgery on her face, and in the newspaper, she looked like a horse. Good fortune fell upon Matt. He has a scholarship to Paris for music and found himself a girlfriend, named Jose. After realizing what happened to Keith, Matt feels guilty. He feels that his secret envy has ruined his best friend’s life. He wanted to make every thing go back to normal. He had to talk to Keith to resolve the conflict. After a heartfelt conversation with Keith, Matt learns that he does not need to be like his friend. He realizes that every person is different and that is what makes people unique. He appreciates the friendships that he shares with Keith and Jose. Now, Matt is more careful in what he thinks about people without knowing how they may be feeling.

Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Management and Strategic Fit

This report covers the performance of Ford Motor Company over the past 10 years and analyzes the results of its â€Å"One Ford† business plan. The main question this report answers is whether Ford’s resent actions match the supply chain strategy of the new plan. There is also a short comparison between Ford and it closest competitor in the United States, General Motors. Data was collected from different sources such as, annual and quarterly reports, company websites, organizations such as the United Nations, along with independent sources.This data was review and non-financial and financial computations were performed to see it if Ford’s overall performance had improve since the implementation of â€Å"One Ford† and the assignment of new management. The results show that the company has made improvements to it performance both financial and quality based off forecasting, employee efficiency, contribution and cost margins, net income, and higher prices dema nded for their products. Table of Contents Industry Overview In their industry report, First Research (2011) describes both the United States and global automobile manufacturing industries.The industry in the United States is comprised of about 200 companies . In 2010, two of the larger manufactures, Ford and General Motors, had combined annual revenues of approximately $235 billion & . The automobile manufacturing industry is a global industry with players from several major countries. Some of the larger global companies based outside the United States include Toyota (Japan), Volkswagen (Germany), Hyndai (South Korea), Peugeot (France), Fiat (Italy), and SAIC (China) .Although these manufacturing companies are  foreign based a few have manufacturing facilities inside the United States. Some of these include Honda, Nissan and Toyota . While other manufactures have facilities here in the United States, Ford and General Motors have located facilities in other countries. Companies th at locate facilities in foreign countries are attempting to maximize profits by taking advantage of lower labor costs, locate near suppliers and customers, and lower tariffs and other taxes. There are other challenges that are faced by the automobile manufactures besides the distance between their facilities and customers.These challenges include world economic conditions, fuel prices, regulatory standards, and the amount of loanable funds available to consumers . To combat macroeconomic issues such as these, firms must find other ways to increase profitability. Ford Motor Company is one of the automobile companies that has been able to do just that. Ford Motor Company Brief Overview, Products and Services The following information was compiled from Ford Motor Company’s 2010 Annual Report (2011) and www. Ford. com. Ford Motor Company manufactures and distributes automobiles across six continents, employs about 164,000 people at approximately 70 plants.The major bands manufact ured by Ford Motor Company are Ford and Lincoln. Ford Motor Company also owns approximately 30% of Mazda that is located in Japan. Besides automobiles, the company also sells parts and offers financial and repair services for their products to the consumer. In its car segment the Ford brand offers economical and sports cars, and a sedan. The economical cars include the Focus, Figo, Fiesta, and Fusion. The sports car and sedan are the Mustang and Taurus, respectively. MSRP of these cars rang from just over $13,000 to almost $26,000.The SUV and crossover segment includes the Escape, Flex, Explore, Edge, Kuga, Expedition, and the EcoSport. MSRP for these two types of automobiles from Ford ranges from $21,000 to $38,000. Ford brand also has a truck line that includes the F-Series, Ranger, Transit Connect, Super Duty, and E-Series Wagon. MSRP for the truck line ranges from $18,000 to $29,000. Ford Motor Company also has a domestic luxury car segment. The Lincoln brand of automobiles incl udes sedans, crossovers and an SUV. The sedans include the Town Car, MKZ, and MKS. These cars range from $35,000 to $47,000, MSRP.The crossovers include the MKX and MKT and range in MSRP from $40,000 to $45,000. Lincoln’s SUV is the Navigator and starts at an MSRP of almost $58,000. Ford Motor Company’s Changes in Their Supply Chain Strategy Over the past decade Ford Motor Company has had its financial ups and downs and had not been able to maintain a stable net income (See graph below). To combat this problem in the middle of the last decade Ford made some management changes to try and improve their industry position. They addressed supply chain efficiency problems that the company was facing.Some of the needed changes included closing plants, retooling, building flexible manufacturing facilities, and contracting with new logistics firms. The plan to make the transformation was coined â€Å"One Ford† . â€Å"In September of 2006 William Clay Ford, Jr. was name d CEO of the Ford Motor Company. . In Liker and James’ journal article (2011) they noted that Ford brought in Allan Mulally whose job it was to use borrowed monies to bring Ford Motor Company back to a more stable and profitable state. Mulally had to decide where to use the borrowed $23 billion and where to cut cost.To help with this he appointed Derrick Kuzak, former vice-president of Europe’s product development. Kuzack was appointed as the vice-president of global product development . To combat cost Ford has closed approximately ten of its facilities since 2006 . In addition to closing facilities, Ford had to pare down supplier to bring all of its production facilities and products across the globe into alignment. In 2010 James Tetreault, vice-president of North American manufacturing stated, â€Å"[it was] expensive to maintain separate product and supply chains† .The company in 2006 started working on standardizing the architecture of the all it body panel s, vehicle plat forms, die designs and processes . In addition to making manufacturing changes Ford addressed it logistics problems in the United States. From 2000 and into 2009 Ford had used United Parcel Services (UPS) as its logistics partner for transporting both inbound and outbound inventory . Since then, Ford contracted with Penske to be its logistic partner. Penske works with Ford not only in the United States but also in Europe, South America, and United Kingdom .In addition to internal process challenges, there are other internal and external challenges that the automotive industry faces. External Challenges to Ford’s Changes In the middle of all of its changes Ford Motor Company had many different challenges besides its, financial and process changes to make the â€Å"One Ford† concept work. First, it had communication issues from upper levels to lower levels, and they could not get past â€Å"improvements† fully implemented. Second, relationships wit h vendors needed improvement. Third, the world was about to enter into a recession starting in 2008.Even though the world’s GDP was falling, there was continuous inflation all over the world. Finally, iron ore price continue to rise even during the recession. In their case study, Liker and Morgan (2011) said information dissemination was described as â€Å"hand grenades† and â€Å"scud missiles. † To improve this, two types of meetings were started inside the company. First, were the â€Å"Skip-level† meetings that allowed engineers and upper level management to communicate. Second, they had â€Å"All-Hands† meetings twice a year where the entire organization gathered to discuss the status of the improvements.Liker and Morgan (2011) also quoted Mulally as saying â€Å"supplier were treated like enemies† and not partners of Ford. To fix the battles between Ford and its suppliers â€Å"a process of dialogues between matched pairs of Ford engi neers and buyers in purchasing who were responsible for the commercial side of working with suppliers† was put into place . This can help the buyers know what, how much, and when supplies are needed, and hopefully this will increase the supplier confidence in the processes at Ford.Shortly after Allan Mulally came on in 2006 the world was about to enter into a recession that some news reports were saying could be the next Great Depression. According to a United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 report, the rate of growth for GDP in most, if not all, countries began to decline in 2007 and actually entered into declines sometime in 2008. Although GDP was falling, inflation continued without any period of dis-inflation, meaning that prices were still on the rise but just at a slower rate .See the two graphs below for a graphical view of the United Nations data. These results show that the cost of living (prices) were still on the rise, but the amount of producti on (income) is in decline between 2007 and 2009. This makes it harder for consumers to purchase products like automobiles. Even with the upturn in the economies between 2009 and 2010, there is still a likelihood that people are going to be reluctant to purchase expensive durable goods. Unfortunately for the automobile industry its greatest commodity is steel.Over the past ten years world iron ore prices have been on the rise, except for a dip in prices between mid-2008 and the first quarter in 2010 . â€Å"About 98% of iron ore is used to make steel† . These price increases will drive the price of inputs for the car industry up because everything from the nuts and bolts, engine, frame and body panel, on most cars, are made from steel. Higher input prices means either lower gross profits and/or higher prices to the final consumer. The graph below shows the price changes of iron ore from 2001 until the end of 2010.Ford’s Forecasting, Inventory, Transportation, and Revenu e Management To compete, keep cost down, be profitable, and stay in business Ford has had to address the fore mentioned internal and external issues even after getting its â€Å"Ford One† plan in place. To do so it appears that management has addressed the forecasting, inventory, transportation, and revenue management functions of their operations. First, Ford had to address its forecasting so that it would not over or under produce its product to a level that would be detrimental to profitability.Second, inventory and transportation was outsourced to capitalize on the knowledge inside a firm that specialized in logistics and also had the physical resources. With an improvement of the first and second topics in this section the third topic’s, revenue management, tasks are made much easier. After a review of the company’s quarterly reports from 4Q 2007 to 3Q 2011 and the 2001 to 2010 annual reports, it can be determined that Ford uses historical quantitative info rmation in its aggregate forecasting. Some of this information is not automobile industry specific but macroeconomic information that affects sales inside the industry.It appears that Ford’s aggregate demand forecast uses historical data and the macroeconomic information for world production forecasting and then they base their production off of recent market share percentages they control. Ford also recognizes that there is seasonality to its customers purchasing patterns and adjust projection levels. In the notes of the â€Å"Outlook† section of the 1Q 2008 report (2008) Ford commented that â€Å"results generally have been stronger in the first half of the year, with the first quarter being the strongest† .After having forecast errors in 2008 and 2009 that totaled 1.9 million units, Ford’s forecast for 2010 was only off 149,000 units worldwide. As addressed earlier, Ford had shifted its logistics in 2010 from UPS to Penske Logistics. Penske claims that they have lowered Ford’s domestic plant inventory by 15% with the use of Order Dispatch Centers (ODC) and training suppliers on a uniform set of carrier procedures . With the ODCs Ford’s suppliers were no longer delivering to the plant facilities but to the ODC where supplies were cross-docked. This was done because Penske found that delivery trucks were traveling at 50% capacity and crossing routes.Penske now reports that â€Å"most trucks are at 95% capacity when they depart for a plant . On their website, Penske states that they have setup other logistical functions to streamline Ford’s transportation portion in its supply chain activities which include information technology and finance management systems. Their information technology system communicates schedules and shipment information up and down the supply chain and the finance management handles all of the freight bill payments, claim processing and resolutions throughout the supply chain .We have al l seen the ads on television and in newspapers that start around October and run through the end of the year. The manufacturers and dealers give them titles like â€Å"Year End Blowout† and â€Å"Year End Clearance. † The specials they are running are to clear out the previous year models. These sales are a form of revenue management used to increase sales during the upcoming holiday months when consumers are more focused on Christmas and vacations. Specifically, it is a form of dynamic pricing. Dynamic pricing is used to sale inventory that is becoming less valuable as time persists .Ford is one of those automobile companies that partake in such pricing practices. They also offer discounts to consumers that finance through their Ford Motor Credit Company. Visit Ford’s website www. fordspecialevent. com and you will see the special interest rates, some even at 0%, and rebates that are offered on select units from the previous year models to help move them off of the dealer lots. This type of sales practice is an example what happens with an inventory push system. The Performance and Financial Results of â€Å"One Ford†After just over three years from when Alan Mulally took the helm as CEO for Ford Motor Company, how have they performed? To determine if Ford’s changes have actually worked we can look at several metrics. First, we will look at the aggregate forecasting numbers from 2008 to 2010. Next, the utilization of employees that are working in the automobile sector of Ford will be analyzed. Finally, we will look at some financial performance numbers to see if the plan has had an effect on Ford’s bottom line. Ford’s forecasting has greatly improved over the past several years.When forecasting, an organization, such as Ford, must take into account its existing inventory and base its production forecast on expected demand that exceeds inventory. In 2008 Ford had forecasted that it would produce just over 4. 5 m illion units, but actually produced only 3. 8 million. Sales that year totaled 5. 5 million units. This means that the annual forecast had an error of 1. 7 million units. In 2009 the total production forecast was 3. 7 million units, but the actual production was 4. 6 million. Sales in 2009 were almost 4. 9 million units. That’s a forecast error of -247 thousand units.In 2010 Ford’s forecasting improved even more. Production was forecasted at 5. 4 million units, but actual was 5. 6 million units, and sales were 5. 5 million units. This results in a forecasting error of 149 thousand units. Ford has lowered its forecasting error by more than 10 times from 2008 to 2010 (See chart below). It has also lowered its mean average deviation between quarters from 1Q 2008 to 4Q 2010 a total of 367 units (See chart below). These kinds of results could show that Ford is moving from a push to a pull type of inventory control system.Since 2003 Ford has reduced the number of employees t hat are in their automobile sector. Along with a reduction of employees, the implementation of the above discussed â€Å"One Ford† plan to improve and standardize production processes has had a positive effect on the company’s financial performance. Between 2003 and 2010 employment went from approximately 279,000 down to 157,000, a reduction of 44%. But with this reduction in employment, production per employee rose from 24. 1 to 35. 2 or 46%. The increased number of units per employee has had a positive effect on the company’s revenues from auto sales and gross profit margin.Revenue from the sale of automobiles per employee has risen 53%, $495. 56 million to $759. 75 million. The total employment at Ford has dropped from 328,000 down to 164,000. This includes both the manufacturing and service sectors of the company. The effect on total net revenue per employee has increased from $501. 75 million to $786. 3 million or 57% from 2003 to 2010. See the graph below for a depiction of the above employee utilization and contribution results. Now we will look at how Ford’s change in their business model has affected the unit contribution and cost, and gross profit margin of the company.The average contribution per unit between 2001 and 2010 was $18,668 and $21,593, respectively. That is an increased contribution of 16% per unit. In 2001 the average cost to produce one unit for Ford was $18,324. This rose to a high of $23,558 in 2007, but the company was able to reduce this cost back down to $18,908 in 2010. The percentage reduction in cost per unit from 2007 to 2010 is 16%. The negative correlation between contribution and cost per unit has a positive effect on the gross profit margin for the company. Ford’s gross profit margin from 2003 to 2010 increased 100% from 6% to 12%.That is after dipping to lows of -4% and 1% in 2006 and 2008, respectively. See the below graph to see how the changes in Ford’s operations has affected the above mentioned financials. To analyze the total effect the â€Å"One Ford† plan has had on the company’s bottom line let us look at the revenue and income side of the financials. First, we need to take into account that the world has been in a recession since about 2008. This has had an effect on the total sales and revenues that Ford has experienced over the last several years, and the difference between 2001 and 2010 results are $160 billion and $129 billion, respectively.To understand how the changes (One Ford) have affected the net income for the company we must look at the trend between sales and cost of goods sold. Starting in 2006 the cost of goods sold for Ford trended downward, as did total sales and revenue starting in 2007, but in 2009 there started to be a change between the rate of growth between sale and cost of goods sold. The rate of growth from sales increased at a faster pace than cost of goods sold. From 2008 to 2009 the change in sales was a re duction of 19%, and the cost of goods sold fell by 22%. Between 2009 and 2010 sales rose 15% while cost of goods only increased by 6%.These differences are a result of the above mention average contribution and cost per unit. Other changes that could be making this difference are the outsourcing of its logistics and relations with suppliers. These increases in gross profits from operations have been enough to offset the reduced revenues (22%) from the financial sector and have resulted in a 141% increase in net income between 2009 and 2010. (All of the above employment, production and financial data was collected from annual and quarterly reports published by Ford Motor Company and can be found on their website, www.Ford. com, and the Securities and Exchange’s website, www. sec. gov. ) Comparison of Ford and General Motors Performance To compare General Motors to Ford Motor Company we will look at worldwide sales revenues, cost of goods sold, and net income. In its 2010 Annua l Report (2011), General Motors claims to lead Ford in worldwide sales . This is true, in the number of units sold. In 2010 General Motors did out sales Ford by almost 2. 8 million units.This has been the trend even back to 2004 where the difference was in General Motors favor at 2.2 million units. Even when it comes to some financial performances General Motors has the advantage. In 2010 average unit cost for a General Motors unit was $14,200 dollars and Ford’s average unit cost was $18,900. That is a difference of $4,700. Between 2006 and 2010 General Motors was able to reduce their average unit cost by 28%. Ford only reduced its average unit cost by 19% in the same period. The big differences that gives Ford the advantage between the two companies are the average gross profit per unit and the net income.Ford is able to demand a higher average price, $21,600 versus $16,100, than General Motors. This has given Ford the advantage in net income with a difference of almost $1. 9 billion in 2010 alone. Plus, Ford has done this all without a bailout from the United States government like General Motors. Conclusion Over the ten years this report covers, Ford has been able to make major improvements in its operations. It has been able to make architectural changes to the body assembly and tooling that makes their production facilities more flexible.Penske was able to come in and reduce waste in the inventory and logistics that was not found by their previous logistics company. The big hurdle that Ford overcame was the implementation and communication issues they had in-house and with suppliers. With all of these changes Ford has been able to alleviate some of the financial woes it was experiencing several years back. Finally, the result of the automobile sector and the total company shows that Ford Motor Company as a whole is moving in the right direction with its â€Å"One Ford† plan. Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Management and Strategic Fit AbstractThis report covers the performance of Ford Motor Company over the past 10 years and analyzes the results of its â€Å"One Ford† business plan. The main question this report answers is whether Ford’s resent actions match the supply chain strategy of the new plan. There is also a short comparison between Ford and it closest competitor in the United States, General Motors. Data was collected from different sources such as, annual and quarterly reports, company websites, organizations such as the United Nations, along with independent sources. This data was review and non-financial and financial computations were performed to see it if Ford’s overall performance had improve since the implementation of â€Å"One Ford† and the assignment of new management. The results show that the company has made improvements to it performance both financial and quality based off forecasting, employee efficiency, contribution and cost margins, net income, and higher pr ices demanded for their products.Industry OverviewIn their industry report, First Research (2011) describes both the United States and global automobile manufacturing industries. The industry in the United States is comprised of about 200 companies. In 2010, two of the larger manufactures, Ford and General Motors, had combined annual revenues of approximately $235 billion & . The automobile manufacturing industry is a global industry with players from several major countries. Some of the larger global companies based outside the United States include Toyota (Japan), Volkswagen (Germany), Hyndai (South Korea), Peugeot (France), Fiat (Italy), and SAIC (China) .Although these manufacturing companies are foreign based a few have manufacturing facilities inside the United States. Some of these include Honda, Nissan and Toyota . While other manufactures have facilities here in the United States, Ford and General Motors have located facilities in other countries. Companies that locate faci lities in foreign countries are attempting to maximize profits by taking advantage of lower labor costs, locate near suppliers and customers, and lower tariffs and other taxes. There are other challenges that are faced by the automobile manufactures besides the distance between their facilities and customers.These challenges include world economic conditions, fuel prices, regulatory standards, and the amount of loanable funds available to consumers . To combat macroeconomic issues such as these, firms must find other ways to increase profitability. Ford Motor Company is one of the automobile companies that has been able to do just that. Ford Motor Company Brief Overview, Products and Services The following information was compiled from Ford Motor Company’s 2010 Annual Report (2011) and www. Ford. com. Ford Motor Company manufactures and distributes automobiles across six continents, employs about 164,000 people at approximately 70 plants.The major bands manufactured by Ford M otor Company are Ford and Lincoln. Ford Motor Company also owns approximately 30% of Mazda that is located in Japan. Besides automobiles, the company also sells parts and offers financial and repair services for their products to the consumer. In its car segment the Ford brand offers economical and sports cars, and a sedan. The economical cars include the Focus, Figo, Fiesta, and Fusion. The sports car and sedan are the Mustang and Taurus, respectively. MSRP of these cars rang from just over $13,000 to almost $26,000.The SUV and crossover segment includes the Escape, Flex, Explore, Edge, Kuga, Expedition, and the EcoSport. MSRP for these two types of automobiles from Ford ranges from $21,000 to $38,000. Ford brand also has a truck line that includes the F-Series, Ranger, Transit Connect, Super Duty, and E-Series Wagon. MSRP for the truck line ranges from $18,000 to $29,000. Ford Motor Company also has a domestic luxury car segment. The Lincoln brand of automobiles includes sedans, c rossovers and an SUV. The sedans include the Town Car, MKZ, and MKS. These cars range from $35,000 to $47,000, MSRP.The crossovers include the MKX and MKT and range in MSRP from $40,000 to $45,000. Lincoln’s SUV is the Navigator and starts at an MSRP of almost $58,000. Ford Motor Company’s Changes in Their Supply Chain Strategy Over the past decade Ford Motor Company has had its financial ups and downs and had not been able to maintain a stable net income (See graph below). To combat this problem in the middle of the last decade Ford made some management changes to try and improve their industry position. They addressed supply chain efficiency problems that the company was facing.Some of the needed changes included closing plants, retooling, building flexible manufacturing facilities, and contracting with new logistics firms. The plan to make the transformation was coined â€Å"One Ford† . â€Å"In September of 2006 William Clay Ford, Jr. was named CEO of the F ord Motor Company. . In Liker and James’ journal article (2011) they noted that Ford brought in Allan Mulally whose job it was to use borrowed monies to bring Ford Motor Company back to a more stable and profitable state. Mulally had to decide where to use the borrowed $23 billion and where to cut cost.To help with this he appointed Derrick Kuzak, former vice-president of Europe’s product development. Kuzack was appointed as the vice-president of global product development . To combat cost Ford has closed approximately ten of its facilities since 2006 . In addition to closing facilities, Ford had to pare down supplier to bring all of its production facilities and products across the globe into alignment. In 2010 James Tetreault, vice-president of North American manufacturing stated, â€Å"[it was] expensive to maintain separate product and supply chains† .The company in 2006 started working on standardizing the architecture of the all it body panels, vehicle pla t forms, die designs and processes . In addition to making manufacturing changes Ford addressed it logistics problems in the United States. From 2000 and into 2009 Ford had used United Parcel Services (UPS) as its logistics partner for transporting both inbound and outbound inventory . Since then, Ford contracted with Penske to be its logistic partner. Penske works with Ford not only in the United States but also in Europe, South America, and United Kingdom .In addition to internal process challenges, there are other internal and external challenges that the automotive industry faces. External Challenges to Ford’s Changes In the middle of all of its changes Ford Motor Company had many different challenges besides its, financial and process changes to make the â€Å"One Ford† concept work. First, it had communication issues from upper levels to lower levels, and they could not get past â€Å"improvements† fully implemented. Second, relationships with vendors need ed improvement. Third, the world was about to enter into a recession starting in 2008.Even though the world’s GDP was falling, there was continuous inflation all over the world. Finally, iron ore price continue to rise even during the recession. In their case study, Liker and Morgan (2011) said information dissemination was described as â€Å"hand grenades† and â€Å"scud missiles. † To improve this, two types of meetings were started inside the company. First, were the â€Å"Skip-level† meetings that allowed engineers and upper level management to communicate. Second, they had â€Å"All-Hands† meetings twice a year where the entire organization gathered to discuss the status of the improvements.Liker and Morgan (2011) also quoted Mulally as saying â€Å"supplier were treated like enemies† and not partners of Ford. To fix the battles between Ford and its suppliers â€Å"a process of dialogues between matched pairs of Ford engineers and buye rs in purchasing who were responsible for the commercial side of working with suppliers† was put into place . This can help the buyers know what, how much, and when supplies are needed, and hopefully this will increase the supplier confidence in the processes at Ford.Shortly after Allan Mulally came on in 2006 the world was about to enter into a recession that some news reports were saying could be the next Great Depression. According to a United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 report, the rate of growth for GDP in most, if not all, countries began to decline in 2007 and actually entered into declines sometime in 2008. Although GDP was falling, inflation continued without any period of dis-inflation, meaning that prices were still on the rise but just at a slower rate .See the two graphs below for a graphical view of the United Nations data. These results show that the cost of living (prices) were still on the rise, but the amount of production (income) is in decline between 2007 and 2009. This makes it harder for consumers to purchase products like automobiles. Even with the upturn in the economies between 2009 and 2010, there is still a likelihood that people are going to be reluctant to purchase expensive durable goods. Unfortunately for the automobile industry its greatest commodity is steel.Over the past ten years world iron ore prices have been on the rise, except for a dip in prices between mid-2008 and the first quarter in 2010 . â€Å"About 98% of iron ore is used to make steel† . These price increases will drive the price of inputs for the car industry up because everything from the nuts and bolts, engine, frame and body panel, on most cars, are made from steel. Higher input prices means either lower gross profits and/or higher prices to the final consumer. The graph below shows the price changes of iron ore from 2001 until the end of 2010.Ford’s Forecasting, Inventory, Transportation, and Revenue Management T o compete, keep cost down, be profitable, and stay in business Ford has had to address the fore mentioned internal and external issues even after getting its â€Å"Ford One† plan in place. To do so it appears that management has addressed the forecasting, inventory, transportation, and revenue management functions of their operations. First, Ford had to address its forecasting so that it would not over or under produce its product to a level that would be detrimental to profitability.Second, inventory and transportation was outsourced to capitalize on the knowledge inside a firm that specialized in logistics and also had the physical resources. With an improvement of the first and second topics in this section the third topic’s, revenue management, tasks are made much easier. After a review of the company’s quarterly reports from 4Q 2007 to 3Q 2011 and the 2001 to 2010 annual reports, it can be determined that Ford uses historical quantitative information in its aggregate forecasting. Some of this information is not automobile industry specific but macroeconomic information that affects sales inside the industry.It appears that Ford’s aggregate demand forecast uses historical data and the macroeconomic information for world production forecasting and then they base their production off of recent market share percentages they control. Ford also recognizes that there is seasonality to its customers purchasing patterns and adjust projection levels. In the notes of the â€Å"Outlook† section of the 1Q 2008 report (2008) Ford commented that â€Å"results generally have been stronger in the first half of the year, with the first quarter being the strongest†.After having forecast errors in 2008 and 2009 that totaled 1.9 million units, Ford’s forecast for 2010 was only off 149,000 units worldwide. As addressed earlier, Ford had shifted its logistics in 2010 from UPS to Penske Logistics. Penske claims that they have lowe red Ford’s domestic plant inventory by 15% with the use of Order Dispatch Centers (ODC) and training suppliers on a uniform set of carrier procedures . With the ODCs Ford’s suppliers were no longer delivering to the plant facilities but to the ODC where supplies were cross-docked. This was done because Penske found that delivery trucks were traveling at 50% capacity and crossing routes.Penske now reports that â€Å"most trucks are at 95% capacity when they depart for a plant . On their website, Penske states that they have setup other logistical functions to streamline Ford’s transportation portion in its supply chain activities which include information technology and finance management systems. Their information technology system communicates schedules and shipment information up and down the supply chain and the finance management handles all of the freight bill payments, claim processing and resolutions throughout the supply chain .We have all seen the ads on television and in newspapers that start around October and run through the end of the year. The manufacturers and dealers give them titles like â€Å"Year End Blowout† and â€Å"Year End Clearance. † The specials they are running are to clear out the previous year models. These sales are a form of revenue management used to increase sales during the upcoming holiday months when consumers are more focused on Christmas and vacations. Specifically, it is a form of dynamic pricing. Dynamic pricing is used to sale inventory that is becoming less valuable as time persists .Ford is one of those automobile companies that partake in such pricing practices. They also offer discounts to consumers that finance through their Ford Motor Credit Company. Visit Ford’s website www. fordspecialevent. com and you will see the special interest rates, some even at 0%, and rebates that are offered on select units from the previous year models to help move them off of the dealer lot s. This type of sales practice is an example what happens with an inventory push system. The Performance and Financial Results of â€Å"One Ford†After just over three years from when Alan Mulally took the helm as CEO for Ford Motor Company, how have they performed? To determine if Ford’s changes have actually worked we can look at several metrics. First, we will look at the aggregate forecasting numbers from 2008 to 2010. Next, the utilization of employees that are working in the automobile sector of Ford will be analyzed. Finally, we will look at some financial performance numbers to see if the plan has had an effect on Ford’s bottom line. Ford’s forecasting has greatly improved over the past several years.When forecasting, an organization, such as Ford, must take into account its existing inventory and base its production forecast on expected demand that exceeds inventory. In 2008 Ford had forecasted that it would produce just over 4. 5 million units, b ut actually produced only 3. 8 million. Sales that year totaled 5. 5 million units. This means that the annual forecast had an error of 1. 7 million units. In 2009 the total production forecast was 3. 7 million units, but the actual production was 4. 6 million. Sales in 2009 were almost 4. 9 million units. That’s a forecast error of -247 thousand units.In 2010 Ford’s forecasting improved even more. Production was forecasted at 5. 4 million units, but actual was 5. 6 million units, and sales were 5. 5 million units. This results in a forecasting error of 149 thousand units. Ford has lowered its forecasting error by more than 10 times from 2008 to 2010 (See chart below). It has also lowered its mean average deviation between quarters from 1Q 2008 to 4Q 2010 a total of 367 units (See chart below). These kinds of results could show that Ford is moving from a push to a pull type of inventory control system.Since 2003 Ford has reduced the number of employees that are in thei r automobile sector. Along with a reduction of employees, the implementation of the above discussed â€Å"One Ford† plan to improve and standardize production processes has had a positive effect on the company’s financial performance. Between 2003 and 2010 employment went from approximately 279,000 down to 157,000, a reduction of 44%. But with this reduction in employment, production per employee rose from 24. 1 to 35. 2 or 46%. The increased number of units per employee has had a positive effect on the company’s revenues from auto sales and gross profit margin.Revenue from the sale of automobiles per employee has risen 53%, $495. 56 million to $759. 75 million. The total employment at Ford has dropped from 328,000 down to 164,000. This includes both the manufacturing and service sectors of the company. The effect on total net revenue per employee has increased from $501. 75 million to $786. 3 million or 57% from 2003 to 2010. See the graph below for a depiction of the above employee utilization and contribution results. Now we will look at how Ford’s change in their business model has affected the unit contribution and cost, and gross profit margin of the company.The average contribution per unit between 2001 and 2010 was $18,668 and $21,593, respectively. That is an increased contribution of 16% per unit. In 2001 the average cost to produce one unit for Ford was $18,324. This rose to a high of $23,558 in 2007, but the company was able to reduce this cost back down to $18,908 in 2010. The percentage reduction in cost per unit from 2007 to 2010 is 16%. The negative correlation between contribution and cost per unit has a positive effect on the gross profit margin for the company. Ford’s gross profit margin from 2003 to 2010 increased 100% from 6% to 12%.That is after dipping to lows of -4% and 1% in 2006 and 2008, respectively. See the below graph to see how the changes in Ford’s operations has affected the above menti oned financials. To analyze the total effect the â€Å"One Ford† plan has had on the company’s bottom line let us look at the revenue and income side of the financials. First, we need to take into account that the world has been in a recession since about 2008. This has had an effect on the total sales and revenues that Ford has experienced over the last several years, and the difference between 2001 and 2010 results are $160 billion and $129 billion, respectively.To understand how the changes (One Ford) have affected the net income for the company we must look at the trend between sales and cost of goods sold. Starting in 2006 the cost of goods sold for Ford trended downward, as did total sales and revenue starting in 2007, but in 2009 there started to be a change between the rate of growth between sale and cost of goods sold. The rate of growth from sales increased at a faster pace than cost of goods sold. From 2008 to 2009 the change in sales was a reduction of 19%, and the cost of goods sold fell by 22%. Between 2009 and 2010 sales rose 15% while cost of goods only increased by 6%.These differences are a result of the above mention average contribution and cost per unit. Other changes that could be making this difference are the outsourcing of its logistics and relations with suppliers. These increases in gross profits from operations have been enough to offset the reduced revenues (22%) from the financial sector and have resulted in a 141% increase in net income between 2009 and 2010. (All of the above employment, production and financial data was collected from annual and quarterly reports published by Ford Motor Company and can be found on their website, www.Ford. com, and the Securities and Exchange’s website, www. sec. gov. ) Comparison of Ford and General Motors Performance To compare General Motors to Ford Motor Company we will look at worldwide sales revenues, cost of goods sold, and net income. In its 2010 Annual Report (2011) , General Motors claims to lead Ford in worldwide sales . This is true, in the number of units sold. In 2010 General Motors did out sales Ford by almost 2. 8 million units.This has been the trend even back to 2004 where the difference was in General Motors favor at 2.2 million units. Even when it comes to some financial performances General Motors has the advantage. In 2010 average unit cost for a General Motors unit was $14,200 dollars and Ford’s average unit cost was $18,900. That is a difference of $4,700. Between 2006 and 2010 General Motors was able to reduce their average unit cost by 28%. Ford only reduced its average unit cost by 19% in the same period. The big differences that gives Ford the advantage between the two companies are the average gross profit per unit and the net income.Ford is able to demand a higher average price, $21,600 versus $16,100, than General Motors. This has given Ford the advantage in net income with a difference of almost $1. 9 billion in 20 10 alone. Plus, Ford has done this all without a bailout from the United States government like General Motors. Conclusion Over the ten years this report covers, Ford has been able to make major improvements in its operations. It has been able to make architectural changes to the body assembly and tooling that makes their production facilities more flexible.Penske was able to come in and reduce waste in the inventory and logistics that was not found by their previous logistics company. The big hurdle that Ford overcame was the implementation and communication issues they had in-house and with suppliers. With all of these changes Ford has been able to alleviate some of the financial woes it was experiencing several years back. Finally, the result of the automobile sector and the total company shows that Ford Motor Company as a whole is moving in the right direction with its â€Å"One Ford† plan.

10 points about three different materials Essay

10 points about three different materials - Essay Example The author had reviewed many Hollywood films before writing the book centering the developments identified since the early ages till the current era 3. Earlier, movies depicted the Arab lifestyle as backward in comparison to the western cultures, reflecting upon the magic inspired traditional values of Arabian businessmen travelling in the floating carpet for the purpose of trade 4. During the year 1979-2000, the Hollywood movies used to cast an Arab personality in their movie where the Arabs were portrayed to travel to the US and spent a lot of money to lead a luxurious life, showing non-negligible obsession for the American women in the US 5. Jack Valenti, the Chairman of the Motion Pictures of America denoted that Washington and Hollywood come from the same DNA 6. Unlike the previous ones, the recent Hollywood movies show terror created by the Arabs residing in the America involving female members of the society as participating in terror activities such as kidnapping and killing of the US soldiers. 7. One of the movies also showed an incident, where the Arab Muslims had burned the national flag of the US in front of the US Embassy Reflecting upon the conflict placed today between the two cultures 8. The Hollywood movie, titled â€Å"The Delta Force† released in the year 1986, revealed an incident where an American aircraft was hijacked containing Jewish passengers majorly 9. The most dreadful situation observed in the article was that in a certain period, the Palestinians had to stay as a refugee in America and were brutally treated by the US soldiers 10. The other movie titled â€Å"Rules of Engagement† in 2000 also reflects a major fight among the Palestinians and the US Armed Force, strongly conveying the absence of humanity among the people engaged in war (YouTube, â€Å"Reel Bad Arabs - How Hollywood Vilifies a People†) QUESTION 2 The news article, titled â€Å"50 Amazing Mosques From Around the World (PHOTOS)†, reflects on how a place of worship, symbolized with a mosque, was constructed in the ancient era. Usually, the design of the mosque contained minarets and the domes, which add beauty to its complex, geometric designing. When describing the beauty of a holy place, the 13th century Persian poet, Rumi described that mosques are surrounded with beauty everywhere. By the end, Yasmine Hafiz, in this article intends to create a comparison among the two holy places of Islam and Christianity (Hafiz, â€Å"50 Amazing Mosques From Around the World (PHOTOS)†). Unlike Yasmine Hafiz, Aroosa Shaukat has emphasized the unity within Christians and Muslims in front of the St. Anthony’s Church rather than highlighting the differences amid them. This article thereafter, bases on historic evidences with the intention to advocate that the Muslims have stood beside the Christians in the time of their need. The article narrates that there was a suicide attack on the Saints after the end of the Sunday mas s, which was marked as one of the biggest attacks on the Christians in the history. Shaukat has also given a view where it can be observed that the Muslims can also stand beside the Christians in time of need; thus, pointing to a fluctuating relationship within the two cultures (Shaukat, â€Å"Pakistani Muslims Form Human Chain to Protect Christians during Mass (PHOTOS)†). In the third article â€Å"Jews vs. Muslims†, author Rabbi Levi Welton has described about the fight between the Jews and the Muslims with the motive to attain political benefits. The article thus argues that at often instances, the corrupt leaders tend to compromise citizens’ welfare needs to meet their personal benefit, which is irrespective of their religious stance. It further argues that the real purpose of the religion is the peace and love persisting among people, rather than the

Using the Word Humility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Using the Word Humility - Essay Example Applying this term can assume different articulation with the same effect of being modest and lowly. The word often has a positive connotation because it meant being non-offensive and is neither rash nor arrogant. Humility also has the religious connotation that it is considered a virtue. Taking on its religious meaning, humility meant the acknowledgment of his or her defect and shortcomings being a mere creature of a Supreme Being. Being such, humility is the acceptance of a divine grace for assistance, guide, wisdom, etch of a deity of an organized and hierarchal religion. Humility is often a precursor of any divine grace because it makes one a loyal servant deserving of God’s grace of any religious affiliation. Humility can also be taken as deference to a god or Supreme Being that our talents, capabilities and whatever we have come from Him. The philosophical meaning of humility can take in the form of ethics. Philosophically, being humble or modest meant being non-offensive to those who do not possess exemplary characteristic or those who do not have much in life. It is the modest estimation of one’s capability or worth so as not to intimidate or make others uncomfortable. In short, humility is also taken as a way to level down to others so as to make them feel welcome or not to intimidate them with one’s stature or bearing. Humility can be taken as a way to subordinate to oneself to authority. This is the realization that the act of submission to a higher authority will be good to everybody and thus humble enough to submit. This can be observed in government, organizations, and associations of people. For example, we can cite the government and its subjects on how humility assumes a different meaning. The people must humbly submit before the law that governs society to establish order. This is to subordinate the individual’s caprices to the greater good of society.

Preserve the luxury or extend the brand Case Study

Preserve the luxury or extend the brand - Case Study Example ?s fellow grand cru classà © owners complained about the nà ©gociants’ margins whom Gaspard accepted because they have a ready buyer even in their bad years. What Gaspard missed is that their brand had been classified by de Vallois had in 1855 as a Premier Grand Cru Classà © (First Growth) making their brand already saleable at a commanding price even without a nà ©gociant who would readily buy it. Sticking to their two brands, this may not be enough to secure the chateau in the long run because new wine makers with cheaper wine are already coming in the market. These new competitors’ offer an alternative to their products that could shrink their market share and pose a real threat to Gaspard’s business. Gaspard must adapt to the new realities in the wine industry. Extending the brand has many advantages. First, Gaspard can widen their market share to include the younger market who could not afford their high end wines. This market is already a captured market and there is a greater probability that they would come to them when they are ready to purchase high end wines. Second, Gaspard has the advantage of being classified by de Vallois had in 1855 as a Premier Grand Cru Classà © which they could use in marketing their branded wines. Claire was right, they could either buy grapes or land and mention that its either ‘Bordeaux origin’ or that the de Vallois team is in charge of making it in case they would buy cheaper lands abroad to grow grapes. This option will not harm the brand of Gaspard’s premiere wine because they will not be mixed up. In fact, the de Vallois brand can complement the upcoming branded wine by suggesting quality and class by association. In addition, these branded wines can easily adapt to the changing tastes of the younger market and make the most profit by catering to what they want. When this younger market can already afford the high end wines, they can also graduate to the Vallois team’s high end wine. True there is

Why was World War One a necessary war for the United States Essay

Why was World War One a necessary war for the United States - Essay Example According to the lecture notes, the WWI was inevitable because â€Å"it protested our trade and alliances as well as stopping a super power from taking over (Lecture notes, October 21, 2013).† Several factors contributed to the inception of WWI, whereby some of them were key and necessary for the USA to join besides protecting their interests in various regions globally as a super power. Germans were the central factors that prompted the inception of the war. Before the WWI, Germany employed diverse ways intended to enhance communism in the USA neighboring regions, which the latter felt there was a launched threat that entailed immediate action. Germany directly attacked USA allies using distractive communists’ movements during that time. USA during then could not stand seeing Germany taking over states where it had invested its interests. For instance, colossal amount of money that the state had parted with to ensure its allies succeeded in subduing their adversaries ( October 23, 2013). This prompted the USA to engage in WWI besides it being a strong anticommunist state that ensured the progress of democracy. This could have degraded the trustworthiness of the US military. According to Mooney, the American government had the obligation to fight and â€Å"†¦.make the world safe for democracy (Mooney, 83).† USA also had in mind how it had gave its allies colossal amount of money. The 2.3 billion cash was very vital for the communities that owed the USA. According to lecture notes, â€Å"allies war debt to American bankers. Ninety nine percent of the money load to Allies, if Allies lose the war, America would not get the money back (lecture notes October 23, 2013). Therefore, WWI could act as a stumbling block in enabling allies to repay what they got from US. According to Mooney, American investors worried they might lose the money loaned to Allies if the Central Powers won the war (Mooney, 80). Under this circumstance, the United Stat e of America found it vital in securing the amounts of money that the allies would release to them by engaging their adversary. The shipping business, which USA during then undertook was also a factor that prompted it to decide waging fierce battle against communists. The United States of America during then was increasingly gaining naval strength, hence trying its best to prevent the entry of some unwanted merchandise into the county, which were basically weapon and military items. They were also using the shipping activities to import and export food items within the country. These actions would hinder the supply of essential commodities to the United States. According to Senator George, â€Å"the enormous profits of munitions manufacturers† during then was to extent US market and other similar networks (Senator George, 4 April 1917).† On the contrary, Germans were trying to block the entry of boats into Britain. This moved the United States of America to wage war aga inst them, which was an apparent reason why the USA resolved to join the WWI in 1917. This is because Germans were interfering with USA’s economic progress as well as security system. Hence, Germans actions being a threat the policy of Franklin Delano, which was to protect security systems of United States of America. During the period of the WWI, there was a quest for power among the nations. Each nation wanted to be the controller in some extent. Therefore, USA being in a position of superpower supported other nations in different ways, which gave them enormous prestige. According to Thomas J. Fleming, US was supplying some of the big powers with ammunition approximating â€Å".40 percent of their war materiel†

Toyota international business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Toyota international business - Essay Example The decision to operate and expand in Poland compared to other EU countries is dependant on a lot of factors, however we can look at some major aspects of investment decisions. Poland has been one of the most successful transition economies of the last decade thanks to consistently sound economic policies (DTI). It has consistently produced growth in GDP which slowed down in 1999-2000 which was mitigated with the prospects of closer integration with EU. Poland has dynamically converted from state capitalist economy to privately owned market economy. Even though conversion to private market economy and focus on EU increased consistency in economic policies, unnecessary red tape still needs to be eliminated. However until Poland joins the Eurozone, which is expected approximately by 2010, companies operating in Poland will be exposed to foreign currency risks. Considering the stringent requirements that have to be met in order to become a member of EU e.g. trade deficit of less than 3% and maximum government public debt of 60% of GDP, it is expected that until Poland joins Eurozone, the exchange rate will be stable enough so as not to effect investment and trade decisions by companies such as Toyota. Since the establishment of European Union and introduction of Euro, economic environment has dramatically changed. The EU represents a market of over 450 million people with minimal barrier’s to trade and movement of factors of production. The market size is expected to be effected due to inclusion of new member states into EU, however it is expected to normalize and increase by 2010 (DTI) and not only provide a larger target market but also skilled human resource – which is available at competitive cost compared to other European countries. Owing to the market size and purchasing power of the consumers, Toyota has posted 12% YoY increase in sales in

My Father's Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Father's Life - Essay Example His mother felt the need for change and so to upgrade him from their not so good financial background, sent him off to a school in San Francisco, where he was to put up with an aunt while attending a public school since she could not afford him the luxury of studying in a private school. The Second World War broke out while my father was still in school, and like most of his friends and all young strong and loyal men of the day, he was drafted into the army to fight for the cause of the nation he believed in. There, he drove an ambulance though his preference was to fight in the front line. He could penetrate war fields and employ skills and extraordinary tactic in missions to rescue injured solders, and once, he almost got himself killed when the ambulance he was driving was bombed by an enemy tanker missile while on a rescue mission to save the life of some seriously injured colleagues. His friends said that his cleverly wit survived him through the war. Immediately after the war, my father returned to Connecticut and decided to settle there. He later met my mother, a shy strong girl from Jamaica, with a large doze of innocent and a tremendous appetite. My father always said that he fell for her because of that gigantic appetite. They got married in a local church and were blessed with two kids: my sister and I. We grew up fast and all took after their father's strength and an outgoing character. As a young couple, my parents loved bowling and so they spent most of their spare time together on the game. My father liked partying a lot, and I can recall once my mother referring to him as a 'party animal' after he came home drank after a night of partying and playing cards with his friends. He worked hard though, and he always had two jobs going, at a minimum, all the days of his youthful life. For example, I remember he took a job as a factory worker for eight hours ever day and then took a four hour break then reported for another job in an apartment store for another six hours. Despite the heavy responsibility of supporting his young wife and the kids, he managed well enough and placed us in good private schools and at the same time affording him self a good and exciting life. He loved baseball and at one point he trained a local club which never did too well anyway. My mom once told me that after my sixth birthday, dad thought that I was old enough to know the game and so he took me along for a trial on the league. Mum came along to watch her men play. She recalls that the ball came to me and as I struggled to concentrate on the ball so had that I missed and it hit me on the face, right between my eyes, I was so embarrassed. He was a good father and had time for the kids, taking them swimming twice every week and for ice cream every Sunday afternoon. They would take the 'wife' along once in a blue moon just to keep the whining away for lack of due attention from the hubby. Sometime in her late thirties, in his late forties, one of my father's friends offered him the chance to cruise on a cruiser leaving Florida to the island. My father's wish has always been to be able to support his family without having to rely on either loans or on borrowing from the family. And so he took the

Property Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Property Law - Case Study Example After the relationship broke down, Ms Oxley claimed that the proceeds of sale of this property should be distributed in equal shares. She argued that as there was no discussion on the financial issues, although she had inferred that the sales proceedings would be equally shared for beneficial ownership. Mr Hiscock appealed that there has been no discussion on intended shares so Ms Oxley's presumption should be displaced. This case shows the extent to which cohabitation could be considered as a condition for equally distributed shares in property being considerably important within property law and analysis of equity and trusts. Trust law falls under the broader topic of property law and family law and relates to wills, trusts and property that are shared or distributed. The importance of this case of Oxley v Hiscock lies in the fact that it shows the limitations applicable in distribution of property or shares even in case of cohabitation or marriage. The case and its judgement provi de insights into the nature of family law particularly in relation to trusts and property share. The proceedings were brought to the court under section 14 of the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996. The appeal and the judgement highlight the question of how 'proceeds of property in which an unmarried couple have been living as man and wife should be shared between them when the relationship comes to an end'2. The 3. Facts of the Case The facts of the case could be summarised as follows: Mr Hiscock, the appellant purchased a property at 35 Dickens Close, Hartly, Kent in April 1991 under his name. Mrs. Oxley formerly occupied a house at Dartford as a secure tenant but by September 1987 exercised her rights under Part V of the Housing Act 1985 to acquire this property with a discount of 20,000 she could buy the property for 25,200. At the end of 1990, Mr Hiscock purchased his home in 35 Dickens Close for himself, Mrs Oxley and her children from a previous marriage for a purchase price of 127,000 which was funded by a building society advance, proceeds from sale of 39 Page Close and balance of Mr Hiscock's own savings. Thus some amount of money 61,500 has been obtained from the sale of 39 Page Close the property acquired by Mrs Oxley who was a secure tenant in local authority housing. The property at 39 Page Close was documented as being bought with assistance of funds from Mr Hiscock and purchased under the sole nam e of Mrs Oxley3. Thus Mr Hiscock was definitely associated with interests in the property but although the property 39 Page Close could have been transferred to joint names after a three year period, this was not done and remained in Mrs Oxley's name. After the sale of the property at Page Close for which Mr Hiscock claimed nothing, Mr Hiscock contributed 25,200 to the purchase of 35 Dickens Close and Mrs Oxley contributed the balance, 36,300. Following sale of 35 Dickens Close in 10 years, the proceedings began with the claim that under section 14 of the 1996 Act, there is a declaration that the proceeds of sale of 35 Dickens Road were to be held by Mr Hiscock upon trust for himself and Mrs Oxley, in equal shares; alternatively, in such shares as the court should determine. The judgement was given in favour of Mrs Oxley and Mr Hiscock appealed against the decision. 4. The Issues of the Case (Consequences of the Law) The

Leonardo da Vinci Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Leonardo da Vinci - Research Paper Example Leonardo had designed a helicopter, a tank, as well as a calculator. He had often made important discoveries on hydrodynamics, civil engineering, as well as optics. During his lifetime, he was also well reputed for his skills in engineering. The bridge was later made to span an inlet at the mouth of Bosporous, which is also known as the Golden Horn. Beyazid did not approve the project since he believed that such a bridge would not work out. Leonardo was often called as the â€Å"renaissance man† since he was extra ordinarily talented in different streams. He was a versatile genius in every sense. Leonardo was engaged in the construction of bridges for most of his life time. His revolving bridges were able to transport armies over water bodies. The bridges he designed, and got constructed for the armies, had made it easier for the armies to cross quite a vast numbers of rivers. Leonardo’s statue was erected in 2001, when a small bridge was constructed in Norway. The Turk ish Government on 17 May decided to construct Leonardo’s bridge (which he designed earlier) to span the Golden Horn. The bridge becomes a reality 500 years after its designing. It was Vebjorn Sand, an artist in Norway, who took the initiative to construct it. He saw the sketch and the miniature form of the bridge at an exhibition of Da Vinci’s architectural and engineering designs. ... â€Å"The Mona Lisa of bridges† as what people call it today was sketched by Da Vinci 500 years ago, though many thought the implementation of such a design would be impossible. Vebjorn Sand’s version of it is like this. â€Å"This is the first time any of Leonardo's architectural and civil engineering designs has been built. There have been models, but this is the first in full size," (Da Vinci Comes to Life 500 Years on, 2001). Sand was the ideal person to take up the project of the Golden Horn bridge since he was not only a famous painter but was also the one who was acclaimed for his gigantic public art installations. Now Golden Horn has become the famous water way in Istanbul and it separates England from Asia. It is quite unbelievable that the bridge was designed in 1502, and that it took 500 years for someone to convert it into a reality. Vebjorn Sand deserves accolades for it. Sand was purely influenced by the traditions of Renaissance and Baroque, and believed that â€Å"we shouldn’t live in the past, but the past should live in us† (Sahlins, 2007). For the next few years, Sand spent most of his time and effort in transforming the dream design into a reality. In 2001, the project was completed. The original version of the design was 240 meter or 720 feet stone structure, which was intended to span Golden Horn as an inlet between Istanbul and Pera. This project could not achieve its form during Da Vinci’s period since the technology of the period was not that efficient. Leonardo bridge was an elegant project with 100 meters or approximately 300 feet length. Moreover it is remarkable in its perfection of pressed-bow construction. In accordance with Da Vinci’s original plan, Sand is creating a

Consumer behavior Essay Example for Free

Consumer behavior Essay 1. Why would someone shop on the internet ? buy an ipad ? eat at T. G. I. Fridays frequently ? -Because of the fast-paced world that we live in it would be more practical to shop through the internet because of its accessibility. Through online shopping customer can get the product and avail the services they need in just a simple click of button it saves them time and energy. An ipad is a tablet computer developed by Apple. It is smaller than a typical laptop, but significantly larger than the average smartphone. The iPad does not include a keyboard or a trackpad, but instead has a touchscreen interface , which is used to control the device. Due to it’s portability, accessibility, ease of use, and the great applications you can avail with it millions of people around the world are ipad user and hundreds are still planning to get their self one, so they can ride along in the bandwagon and be one with the trend. Having an ipad can also defined one’s social status so, even though it is expensive with it’s benefits and the image it can give to a person we find iPAD’s as a practical thing to buy. T. G. I. Fridays is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. It offers it’s customers good food and an American dining experience though it maybe expensive compared to other restaurant but, it is a great place to relaxed after a hard days work. a) Why would someone else not make those purchases? -Other People find it much more complicated to shop through the internet and prefer the old fashion way of shopping, some find iPad’s expensive and impractical and other people find eating at an expensive restaurant just a waste of time and money and they just prefer to eat home cooked meal. b) How would you choose one outlet, brand and model over the others? If they have a good ambiance and feel of their store, the sales person offers good service and if their product are worthy and reasonable enough for their price. c) Would others make choice the same way ? -I guess not, because other people prefer to go with products with cheaper prices.

Learning English In The Vietnamese Context

Learning English In The Vietnamese Context English has become a vital and mandatory communication language in Vietnam since the opening of its doors to the world in 1986. Many English-speaking foreigners from across Asia, Australia, America and Europe started coming to invest in Vietnam. This has motivated the people of Vietnam to learn English to facilitate efficient and effective communication among their counterparts. The importance of English was immediately acknowledged by the Vietnamese government and as a result the English language programs were made compulsory beginning with the secondary schools and subsequently the high schools and finally university. The teaching of English in secondary and high schools strongly focus mainly on grammar, sentence structures and vocabulary. In such a teaching format, conversational English was not taken into consideration. In addition, English learning and teaching is purely examination-based. Examinations were mainly grammar-focused. As a result, the teachers and academicians teach only the bare necessity which is required to pass the examination and is not linked to the learning needs of individual students. This has caused students to become de-motivated because English is just another subject at school, not part of their life. Many students eventually fail to see the importance and pride in being able to speak fluent English. At university level, students who are motivated to develop their competencies in English can pursue a Bachelorà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s degree in English Language Teaching or a Bachelor of English degree. After graduation, they can work as teachers of English within the Vietnamese education system or as an English translator/interpreter depending on their capacity and proficiency. Students in these programs normally study for four years, course subjects among others include lessons about language structures, linguistics and teaching methodology. While this may sound theoretically sufficient, the learning and teaching of English in Vietnam today is purely limited to teacher-focused classrooms or in other words teaching methods that do not create opportunities for learners to satisfy their communicative needs. The English syllabus in Vietnam is very Grammar-focused. Therefore, it is very difficult for Vietnamese learners to communicate fluently and effectively in English sinc e it is rarely spoken in Vietnam with the exception of some special places and events such as offices of multinational corporations and English language clubs. In fact you will hardly see Vietnamese speak English unless absolutely necessary. This is a far cry from neighboring countries like Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines where English is spoken even during casual conversations with friends and family. In recent years, the teaching methodologies of English has been through an enormous amount of changes and improvements especially in the areas of how the communicative approach is being widely applied and integrated into the English learning language classrooms. In classrooms of today, we see more and more learner response taking place. As a result, the English curriculum has also been revamped to generate youths which are able to communicate holistically in English and not merely in grammar theories. Problem statement The result of poor learning and ineffective teaching methodologies of English in Vietnamese classrooms today (due to the lack of genuine communication experience and examination à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ centric lessons) are generating many students that achieve relatively good grades in their exams but on the other hand unable to communicate effectively in the real world. According to Cunningham Una (2009) Vietnamese-accented speech in English has been informally observed to be notably unintelligible for native English-speaking listeners and even for Vietnamese listeners. There are extremely limited opportunities for proper hearing and speaking of English in Vietnam. It is undeniable that the pronunciation of English presents severe challenges to Vietnamese learners but they were not trained on how to pronounce English phonetics accurately and nobody corrected their mispronunciations in the early years of learning English. In addition, students mainly learn English pronunciation from Vietnamese English teachers who sometimes encounter difficulties themselves. Students are likely to imitate their teachersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ pronunciation. This is somehow a kin to the Blind man leading another Blind man across the street. The concern here is that we are unsure if Vietnamese students can recognize common pronunciation errors which they make on a regular basis. The purpose of the study This paper explores to what extent Vietnamese learners recognize common pronunciation errors in their spoken English and the reasons why they do not or are unable to correct their own mistakes. Suggestions will be made on how to improve the methods of teaching and correcting English pronunciation flaws in the Vietnamese context. The significance of the study This study will paint honest picture of the difficulties in learning and improving the English pronunciation of Vietnamese students. The students will have opportunity to self-assess their own English speech and recognize their mispronunciation with support from a native English-speaker. In the event a native speaker is unavailable, an equally competent and qualified speaker of English will be invited to observe and act as a point of reference. The scope of the study The primary focus of this study is to present an overview on the major difference between English and Vietnamese phonology and the capacity of a Vietnamese speaker to recognize common English pronunciation errors in his/her own speech. The students for this study will consist of English Language undergraduate students from the Foreign Languages Faculty at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City. The correlation between theory and practice in the learning of English pronunciation will also be studied. The study will contribute some suggestions that will further enhance the accuracy in pronouncing the English phonetics. Methodology The experiment will be conducted using qualitative methods. The speech of three students during a speaking test at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City will be recorded and analyzed. All three students will get to listen to their own speech again respectively to see if they are able identify their pronunciation errors. A native/competent English speaker will also get listen to the studentsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ speech to identify their mistakes in pronunciation.

Historical Significance of Mona Lisa Painting

Historical Significance of Mona Lisa Painting Mona Lisa is a 16th-century painting made from oil and popular wood. Due to the paintings mystique and technical mystery, it is one of the worlds most famous paintings. Mona Lisa is also known as La Joconde or La Giocondo was made by a Renaissance Man, an Italian artist known as Leonardo Da Vinci (Sassoon, 2002).The painting was later bought by the France King at that time King Francois. Mona Lisa presently hangs in the museum in Musee de Louvre, Paris and is currently a French Government property. Many theories have been brought up regarding the woman sitting on the painting and the painting itself. The painting has been reproduced and can be found at almost every museum. THE MONA LISA HISTORY According to Vasari, Leonardo first took four years to make the painting after which he set it aside (Barolsky 22). He thereafter moved to France to paint at Clos Luc à © upon King Francoise request. Where he resumed working on the Mona Lisa. It took Leonardo three more years to complete the painting. The painting according to Farago (1999) is said to have been commissioned by Francesco Del Giocondo, a wealthy silk merchant and his wife Lisa. In spite of the continuous debate. It is a common belief that the lady in the portrait could as well be Lisa Del Giocondo. The couple requested the painting at the birth of their second child since they wanted it for their home (Van Dyke, 2008). A contrasting theory suggests Da Vinci did not paint a picture of a woman but his own portrait in feminine clothing. Mona Lisa painting shows a woman whose facial expression is enigmatic. The half-length portrait shows a woman who is gazing at the viewer with a smile (Farago 184). The smile has raised many questions with many people arguing that the smile has a hidden mystery. Most people who had seen the portrait say that her eyes follow someone across the room if you gaze at her. The painting has been an object of continual fascination due to the ambiguous expression of the woman, the half-figure composition monumentality, the atmospheric illusionism and the subtle modelling forms (Sassoon, 2002). Da Vinci used a rare design of a pyramid to place Mona Lisa calmly and simply in the paintings space. On the front corner of the pyramid, he placed the form of her folded hands. Lighting was well used as her neck, breast and face glow with similar light as the one that models her hands (Van Dyke, 2008). Da Vinci used the formula used for the image of seated Madonna that was popular at that time to creat e the seated female figure. He used a modification of this formula whereby he created a distance between the observer and the seated woman through visual impression (Farago 216). SIGNIFICANCE Mona Lisa and the viewer are divided using the armrest of the chair. Mona Lisa shows a reserved posture as she sits markedly upright her arms folded across the chest. She welcomes a silent communication to the observer through her gaze, which is constantly fixed to the viewer. The viewer is greatly attracted to Mona Lisas face by the brightly lit face that is framed practically by darker elements of the veil, hair and the shadows. Da Vinci created Mona Lisa in such a way that her composition will evoke an ambiguous effect to the observer. The painting shows a divine creature with a lot of mystery (Farago, 1999). The observer is attracted to her but her divinity and mystery create a distance. The painting depicts no kind of dialogue between the woman and the observer (Van Dyke 268). MONA LISA AND FASHION DESIGN Mona Lisas clothing indicated the fashion design of that time (Titians) which was well designed to suit her personality, her social status and physical condition (Barolsky 78). Mona Lisa is a figure of a woman, dressed in the fashion of her days known as Florentine fashion. The painting represents Lisa Del Giocondo a wife to a Florentine silk merchant who was wealthy (Farago 202). Therefore her dressing represents class and wealth. Her dressing signifies magnificent enigma and mystery especially the dark silk swathes. The Florentine fashion worn by Mona Lisa presents a challenge to the modern fashion design some wishing to replicate her costume. Her garment which is made of sheer dark silk has some gathers around the neck (Barolsky 93). The garment has loose sleeves that roll back at the elbow embroidery or gold braid trimmings at the neck. Beneath her garment seems to be a well-structured garment that supports her bosom. A strip of white gathered fabric is visible beneath silk rapin g at her left shoulder. Further at the shoulder are sleeves that have a different color from the rest of the garment tied to an invisible garment (Van Dyke 63). Mona Lisa is wearing a veil made of finest black silk. The veil is stopped from falling by a line at the back of her head. Mona Lisa style of dressing and fashion had several controversies. The white linen that was visible from the shoulder suggested that she had worn a chemise beneath. Her outer garments showed a type of garment known as guarnello which was made of linen worn by pregnant women and children of those days. Mona Lisa had made such a garment made of silk (Van Dyke 208). When Leonardo made the painting Francesco and Lisa were celebrating the birth of their third child. It is therefore very significant in the type of Lisas dressing. The use of the fabulous sheer silk dress, the veiling on her shoulders portrays wealth and promotion of Francescas business (Sassoon 108). Leonardo da Vinci made Mona Lisa clothing design to match with her pregnant body and her social status as a wife to a wealthy silk merchant. Leonardo explains his design and the reasons why he used the specific materials. The gown was made from black silk damask so that it would not show through the guarnello which was made of sheer silk (Van Dyke, 229). To show that the woman was recently pregnant, da Vinci used black velvet bands to edge and frost-fasten it. Her bodice was lightly boned and stiffened and then linen lined and fastened with concealed rings. A single ribbon was drawn from the bodice and a pleated trained skirt and cartridge pleated to it. During the time women were wearing full chemise with raglan cut sleeves and gathered neckline (Herald, 1981). This could be indicated through painting such as Titians The Woman with the Mirror. Leonardo decided to use a less full chemise which was less bulky. The Titians women also wore sashes which Leonardo used to fold the sheer si lk guarnello and draw in the gathers in order to give the gown in painting a controlled form (Sassoon 88). The major aspect that measures female beauty is physical attractiveness which specifically covers fashion design. Mona Lisa was one of Da Vincis numerous works which are a masterpiece to marvel at to date. The picture of Mona Lisa has also been used to date to grace many magazines, objects such as cups and souvenirs among others (Farago 267). Da Vincis work has challenged fashion design industry especially is construction and couture execution. A good fashion designer does not need to only be artistic but also a critical thinker. Most people argue that Leonardo da Vinci created a picture of himself as a woman and from what can be seen he was a good fashion (Barolsky 73). According to Farago (1999) Leonardo da Vinci through the Mona Lisa painting creates a challenge to the modern designers, especially in fashion. Fashion design involves having an inherent talent and passion for fashion. Fashion design is known to be the art of designing and sketching attractive and beautiful dresses (Sassoon 188). A good fashion designer should have traits that are significant in order to produce exemplary designs. The figure of Mona Lisa is said to be one of the exemplary ancient works because da Vinci used the right materials to design it. Van Dyke (2008) aptly states that choosing the right materials plays a very crucial role because even if a designer is good on paper, using substandard wrong materials could result to a substandard design. The perfect way that Leonardo has combined the rare design of a pyramid and sfumato to create Mona Lisa indicates that a good designer should be an expert in mixing colors and designs (Van Dyke, 266). Da Vinci portrays that a designer should have an aesthetic sense such that he/she can gamble with colors. A good designer should be sensible enough to design something that is suitable for the clients body type and personality. Da Vinci portrays this character by painting a picture of Lisa Del Giocondo (Barolsky 63). CONCLUSION Mona Lisa was one of Da Vincis numerous works, which is a masterpiece to marvel at to date. Mona Lisa, which hangs on the walls of Musee de Louvre currently, depicts a feminine mystique of a mysterious woman. Although controversies have risen over the identity of the woman on the painting and the significance of the painting, many art historians and scholars have appreciated Mona Lisas enormous success. People from all over the world often gaze and wonder at the mysterious and smiling painting of Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa also means Lisa, of bare eyebrow. The picture of Mona Lisa has also been used to grace many magazines, objects such as cups and souvenirs among others.

Abortion in Australia Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essay

Abortion in Australia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our world today is full of unsolved, devisive and controversial issues. Most of them relate to our morals, ethics and religion, thus creating a very strong ‘yes’ and ‘no’, or ‘good’ and ‘bad’ side. Like the Chinese Yin and Yang sign, abortion has a very prominent ‘black’ and ‘white’ side but also contains traces of each in the alternating colour. This shows that if you were to come to any kind of conclusion on abortion, there would still be a downside to it, and that is primarily why the world cannot agree on this sensitive and emotional issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being female myself, I can understand why a woman would want to have an abortion. Being pregnant and wishing you weren’t is probably the worst feeling a woman can have. Knowing that if you brought a child into the world and you didn’t want it, or you would have to give it up for adoption is such a disheartening way to start off, and you and the un-born child would be so much better off if you were to terminate the pregnancy and wait for a more appropriate time, or in the case of rape, put the past behind you and move on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society has attached a stigma to abortion. When we hear of women having abortions, we seem to automatically think that she wasn’t careful enough, or she didn’t use contraception. We forget to stop and think about the other possible reasons she may have accidentally become pregnant. Just forgetting to take one pill per packet can reduce it’s effectiveness and also taking anti-biotics, or being ill can also undermine the way the pill works. Condoms can tear or be forgotten, and emergency contraceptives like the ‘morning after’ pill are underprescribed and not readily available. Would it surprise you that over 50% of women getting an abortion in Britain used some form of contraception when they got pregnant? This obviously shows that women are having huge problems with using contraception, and something needs to be done about it now. Starting by educating women more on the pill and the way it works, the after effects of abortion, and the risks of having an abortion. We don’t want abortion to become the easy way out though. People just need to know more about it and have to satisfy specific criteria before having the pregnancy terminated, for instance by interviews with doctor’s, given unbiased advice, and consultations with peop... ...at Justice Menhennit ruled that abortion was legal in Australia, to protect the life or health of the woman. This has made abortion available to all who need it, and women can go to Family Planning Centres all over Australia and receive the advice and support that they need. So far about 20,000 Victorian women have an abortion in a year, but that doesn’t compare to the statistics in Britain where 1 in every 4 women will have an abortion at some stage. Lets just keep abortion as the very last option and not travel down the path in which Britain and the USA are heading. We don’t want babies getting thrown out in bins like vegetable waste now do we Works Cited: 1) â€Å"Doctor quits, cites anti-abortion threats† http://www.washingtonpost.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic 2) â€Å"Half UK Women seeking abortion used contraception† http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/999013/sc/health_contraception_2.html 3) Abortion Information http://www.medico.abort.jk24/ss_health.com 4) â€Å"Scotland Church Chided on Abortion† http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/19991011/wl/scotland_pregnancy_4.html 5) Abortion at Family Planning Centres 171 Berkeley Street, Carlton, 3053 Melbourne, Australia

Materialism In Hong Kong :: essays papers

Materialism In Hong Kong Is the Materialism serious in Hong Kong? Do people in Hong Kong dream of wealth and bodily comfort rather than spiritual and intellect things? Absolutely. Living in a thriving, busy and booming city which dreams for wealth and treat the luxuries as a sign of success through the effect of media and the attitude of enjoy-the-life-the-most, misery and impoverished characteristics are dishonoured, however, it makes the whole society in Hong Kong falls into an unlimited cliff, people would never remember what the reality and the value of their life. The most obvious way of proving materialism in Hong Kong is the flooding of advertisement and quick develop of luxuries, brand-named goods companies. The idea of become "rich" is hot around Hong Kong. There was a survey states that almost 70% of the undergraduate student looking for the goal of a better job, high salary and higher living standard after they graduate rather than study for their interest or fulfilment of their unlimited field. Theory of success has been distorted by the over loaded mass media in Hong Kong. It is easy to know where you can buy the brand-named and expensive clothes and usually they strongly mention about which successful person or movie stars have them. People then agreed with the message comes from the mass media and make themselves "look like" a successful person rather than being a "real" successful person. The dreams of wealth has the first position in Hong Kong atmosphere. Most of the children who are raised in a high living standard family and bathing in the pool of parents' adore has been receiving over loaded information from television and advertisements. Before a child enters first grade class, and before entering in any real way into our religious ceremonies, a child will have soaked in a large amount of advertisements. The time Hong Kong teenagers adsorbing advertisements more than their total stay in high school. Especially in the small area residence environment in Hong Kong. Most of the small sized families have their corresponding small sized flats since the price of real estate in the market was in hyper inflation few years ago and never fall down its price. Children spend their time in watching TV instead of going outside, doing sports or reading books compared to the other countries. They have been raised and built up their mind mostly by the commercial TV programmes such as advertisements where children receive their ethnic value, their basic grasp of worlds' meaning and therefore create the habit of buying luxury

Palestine and Israel Essay -- Middle East War Palestin Israel Essays

Palestine and Israel On the day of January 18th, 2004 Israeli forces rushed through the Gaza strip and attempted a dangerous raid. The effects of the raid left eight Palestinians civilians dead in cold blood. Within twenty-four hours a young Palestinian police officer by the name of Ali Jaara climbed onto a Jerusalem bus and detonated a bomb, killing him and ten Israeli passengers. This is a very sad but common example of the never ending war that takes place not only on the battlefield but now on the streets and in homes of innocents. The war between Palestine and Israel may be able to date back to Biblical times and there seems to be no end in sight for either side. (Winder) The war in the Middle East is a great one. The cause for the fighting between both sides has changed repetitively. One of the earliest problems dates back to the bible. It is said that an angel promised the exiled slave Hagar that her son Ishmael would be the father of a country and his descendants would be hated and against everyone. Ishmael’s descendants did become the Arabs and would be hated by many especially the Jews. But in fact the Jews would face much more persecution and hatred than the Arabs ever did until recent events. From 1250 BCE to 138 CE the Jews fought many wars against the Roman Empire, the Babylonians, and the strength of Alexander the great. Over this time period the Jews were exiled, revolted, and then after a Jewish revolt in 133 CE, Jerusalem was destroyed and all of its inhabitants were exiled, banished, and forced into labor and slavery. (Porat) Thousands of years later in 1897 the first Zionist congress met in Switzerland to make plans for a Jewish state. Their dream was finally realized in 1917 the British Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour agreed to establish a national home for Jews in Palestine. He informed a leading Zionist and this became known as the Balfour Declaration. This was the first action that may have led to the rekindling of the rivalry between Jews and Arabs. After The Declaration over the next 15 years many Jews began to immigrate to British Mandate Palestine. This caused a lot of unrest among the Palestinian Arabs, and caused a strike by the Arab population, this was countered by the Irgun Zvai Leumi who was a Zionist group that attacked not only Arabs but also British targets. The Zionist groups hoped to liberate themselves... ...they affect a lot of people who want nothing to do with the brutality and violence they are forced to face everyday. Some like the Father of the policeman who became a suicide bomber had to face many consequences. With the death of his son his family mourned and was unable to support itself. On top of those problems days after the suicide bombing Israeli forces stormed into his house and destroyed it leaving it lying in mere rubbles and stones. Now his family is forced to live in tents and on the streets to starve with it being no fault of there own. So many chances of peace have been ignored or just completely forgotten, it’s an eternal and never ending war. Works Cited Mallison, William Thomas. The Palestine problem in international law and world order. Essex: Longman, 1986. â€Å"The Origin of the Palestine Israeli Conflict.† THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS. 6 Jan. 2005. Jews for Justice in the Middle East. 6 Jan. 2005 . Porat, Dina. The blue and the yellow stars of David : the Zionist leadership in Palestine and the Holocaust. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990. Winder, Rob. â€Å"My son the suicide bomber.† BBC News Online. 2 Mar. 2004. 6 Jan. 2005

CRITIQUE OF CURTIS’ A NOTE TO STUDENT ART DIRECTORS

Hal Curtis’ â€Å"A Note to Student Art Directors† is an inspirational, simple to read article about the need for greater creativity in the advertising world.   The author believes that there are formulas that are already in place and known to sell.   The art director’s job is to add more originality to the simple formulas.   To put it another way, the author advises the budding art director not to forget about the word, ‘art,’ once he or she has managed to land a dream job in an advertising agency used to selling advertisements created with standard formulas.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most essential portion of the article driving the point home begins and ends thus: â€Å"Here’s the thing†¦. But not the art part.†[1]   To encourage art directors to remain connected to originality and creativity – central to being an artist – Curtis offers several pointers toward the end of the article.   He mentions â€Å"execut ion† before this.[2]   According to him, art directors must not only remain focused on fine arts but also able to convey their originality and creativity in the advertisements that they play a role in creating.   These portions of the article persuade the reader to believe in the message of the author.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the author does not provide evidence of lack of creativity in the world of advertising, nearly everybody in the worlds of art and business is aware of the importance of creativity and innovation.A formula that sells does not ask for anything else unless an art director has risen above mediocrity to help in the creation of an advertisement that is entirely unique.   Even though Curtis does not mention this – it is quite possible for the art director’s originality to be rejected at first.   Then again, as the author would advise, it is for the art director to remain loyal to art.BibliographyCurtis, Hal. â€Å"A Note to Student Art Di rectors.†[1] Hal Curtis, â€Å"A Note to Student Directors.† [2] Ibid.