Scene anylasis Fifth element Essay Example

Scene anylasis Fifth component Essay The film opens with a dose of what shows up as the watcher flying through a space rock belt, at that point the name of the film is uncovered, slicing to the watcher drifting in space with a blue and white planet being noticeable above. The camera container and pivots and an outsider spaceship gradually inches itself onto the scene. We as the watcher are promptly mindful that the film that we are going to watch is situated In sci-fi. Be that as it may, looking nearer, the boat that enters the casing, looks run down, old, practically organic, and Its creation Its way towards what has all the earmarks of being earth. A space rock gleams through the dark night sky scenery, shining with stars, and the camera skillet down towards the planet. Split seconds after the fact we find that the planet is, truth be told, earth, and that we are in Egypt in the year 1914. Promptly we have a Juxtaposition of the old and new, the old otherworldly component and the cutting edge sci-fi that we were given minutes prior. The scene keeps on indicating a little kid. Close to 10. Riding in on a jackass towards what has all the earmarks of being a type of mountain cavern. This is a case of transmission discourse ND dietetic sound. As the youngster approaches they start to comprehend that it is in actuality an archeological site being revealed, something like a sanctuary or sanctum. He is welcomed by other youngsters yelling out to him. The yelling is in, what I accept that is Egyptian, anyway it doesn't make a difference, the idiosyncrasies of the youngsters give us the setting of what's going on, they give off an impression of being yelling for the child to give them something, they are walling and you, the watcher, start to comprehend that the child riding the jackass is a type of currier. We will compose a custom article test on Scene anylasis Fifth component explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now We will compose a custom article test on Scene anylasis Fifth component explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer We will compose a custom article test on Scene anylasis Fifth component explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer The child gets off, runs up the inclined Atari of the sanctuary, he is plagued by different kids and they figure out how to take from him something like a gourd, or old conceal skin drinking sack. The child runs into the cavern like sanctuary structure, goes between certain segments of antiquated Egyptian plan, and looks around a corner to discover a man who Is analyzing the divider, with another man sitting In a seat, composing something. The kid utilizes textural discourse by shouting to Aziza who is another child who utilizes a huge brilliant or metal platter to hold himself up as he seems, by all accounts, to be snoozing, counterbalancing his weight with that of the enormous platter. The scene movements to the man contemplating the divider, and he yell to Aziza to create light, the child is surprised conscious, and we see that the platter Is utilizing the impression of the sun to deliver light on the divider. The man sitting In the seat denotes a different line for what seems, by all accounts, to be a how frequently Aziza get the man analyzing the divider and clarifying what he trusts it implies. We currently observe that he is analyzing images and symbolic representations on the divider, he is telling Billy, whom we presently accept that is his right hand to ensure and draw and record their find. Billy, showing up boarded, excuses the man and keeps on drawing a boat. The scene proceeds with a dismal hooded figure drawing closer behind the child conveying the conceal drinking sack, he gets him by the shoulder surprising the kid. The dismal hooded man shouts that the child has brought the water, adulates him, and sends him off on his way with divine beings endowments. The child runs out and we start to accept that this dismal hooded figure is progressively likened to a strict minister as opposed to the foreboding figure we thought of him minor seconds back. The scene moves back to the man looking at the divider, whom we can now securely say s a paleologist or researcher examining old sanctuaries and symbolic representations. The prehistorian utilizes dramatic discourse to clarify that the images speak to gatherings of individuals assembling around what seem, by all accounts, to be sections of components, fire, water, wind, and earth, and he goes on the clarify that the individuals and components are additionally accumulated around one peculiarity in the center, the fifth component, the incomparable being. Hearing this we switch back to the cleric in the hood, he pulls out a vial, approaching the master for excuses as they definitely know excessively. At that point the cleric drops the vial on the lour this made scansion sound as it made realized that it broke on the hard stone floor. The inclination moves back to us accepting that this minister, is truth be told, looking for trouble. In the wake of pouring the fluid from the vial into the shroud drinking sack the hooded minister ventures out from behind the columns and makes himself noticeable. Again we dont recognize what to think as he is welcomed with merriments from both the classicist and Billy the collaborator. The two of them clearly hold the hooded man in high view and consider him to be a strict individual calling him Father. The hooded minister approaches looking ere apprehensive, he is welcomed by the energized prehistorian who is disclosing to him that they have discovered what could be the most significant find in mankind's history. Out of sight the sign music set a dubious pace for the scene. At that point the dad anxiously pours them beverages of water, looking apprehensive, this persuades, and among his past explanations that the water has been harmed by whatever was in the vial he had poured in it. The prehistorian keeps on becoming energized guaranteeing that this find will put him on the map, and the minister recommends they toast to the find. As they are going to drink the harmed water the prehistorian suddenly stops, the pressure and apprehensive vitality originating from the minister is so acceptable you can nearly taste it now. The prehistorian spills the water out and shouts that water is nothing they can toast to and sends his right hand to bring diagram, which gives off an impression of being a type of champagne or white wine. The state of mind in the room abruptly switches, you can hear the youngsters giggling and yelling outside, the room starts to diminish and rapidly develop dim. The pries ventures towards the camera with a look of both veneration, dread, and amazement shouts that they re here. The following edge reintroduces the huge outsider boat, and we start to comprehend its size and scale, as it overshadows the mountain sanctuary cavern, the thing is enormous. Billy the aide has now seen it and he is groveling in interest and stunningness attempting to process the sight he is observing. The excavator disappointed at the together, sparkle in from the outsider boat into the sanctuary grounds, which enlighten the room massively. Satisfied with the light the prehistorian shouts much better to witch Aziza is stunned and stunned by, and we are given an exceptionally loving scene, that Juxtapositions all that we have seen up until now, magic, history, science, religion, and obviously, the sci-fi. Seconds after the fact the space ships sound entryways open and a few outsider animals start to land, they are moderate moving, huge, turtle like creatures shrouded in exceptionally dirty and old, old in any event, looking defensive layer or space suits. Despite the fact that they appear to be mechanical we don't know what they are as of now, Billy franticly gets for a pencil and starts outlining what he sees before him. The cleric tumbles to his knees and we currently realize that he holds a veneration towards these creatures. Apparently the creatures are muttering to one another as they are entering the scene then they approach the excavator who despite everything has not seen them, as he pivots lastly observes the creatures, we are treated with another entertaining scene, he asks are you German, to which the being before him shakes his head. This scene sets up the sound of the outsiders. One of the creatures starts to talk with the cleric, it shouts that the minister and those before him, apparently in his request, have served them well, however he expresses that the stones are not, at this point safe on earth and that war is coming. We at that point see one more of the outsider creatures approach the divider that the prehistorian was examining, a four pronged key like article projects from the creatures fingertip and he drives it into the divider to witch it opens, in this manner this gives off an impression of being a key, a vital aspect for opening mystery entries in the sanctuary. This scene is extremely intriguing on the grounds that we are currently given setting, anyway slight, to who or what these animals are. They clearly have the way in to the sanctuary which implies that they have comprehension and information on its structure. They have either manufactured it, or know the progress that did, whichever way we comprehend that these creatures hold some old information about humankind and the historical backdrop of our planet, if not our race. The paleologist is puzzled now he gives off an impression of being in a condition of stun, shouting this truly is incredible, to which the outsider animals appear to flag one another, one of them moves toward the excavator from behind and its eyes gleam, making the paleontologist swoon and tumble down. This is negating on the grounds that the outsiders expressed that the earth individuals have served them well then a couple of moments later takes out the educator oblivious with he sparkling eyes. The animals enter through the entryway and stroll into a kind of chamber, the chamber contains four columns encompassing one focal column in a square, the camera focuses in on the focal column and we start to make out its shape, it's anything but a column at everything except rather looking like a man with his mouth open to the sky. The cleric after seeing the man formed sculpture in the focal point of the chamber shouts that it is or speaks to the fifth component, whatever that might be, as we despite everything don't have the foggiest idea. One of the outsiders advises the others to take the stones, so they approach the four columns encompassing the chamber and evacuate long triangular stones, one from every column, th

Langston Hughes Essay Example for Free

Langston Hughes Essay Of the significant dark scholars who previously showed up during the energizing time of the 1920s normally alluded to as â€Å"the Harlem Renaissance,† Langston Hughes was the most productive and the best. As the Harlem Renaissance offered path to the Depression, Hughes resolved to continue his profession as an artist by carrying his verse to the individuals. At the proposal of Mary McLeod Bethune, he propelled his vocation as an open speaker by setting out on a broad talk voyage through the South. As he wrote in his personal history: â€Å"Propelled by the discharge of the â€Å"Harlem Renaissance† of the mid twenties, I had been floating along enjoyably on the wonderful awards of my sonnets which appeared to satisfy the extravagant of merciful New York women with cash to support youthful essayists. . . . There was one other dilemmahow to get by from the sort of composing I needed to do. . . . I needed to compose truly and just as I thought what about the Negro individuals, and make that sort of composing gain me a livin† (Hughes, 1964:31). Alain Locke, the main example of â€Å"The New Negro,† reported that the dark masses had discovered their voice: A genuine people groups artist has their balladry in his veins; and to me huge numbers of these sonnets appear to be founded on rhythms as prepared as folksongs and on states of mind as profound situated as society melodies. Dunbar should have communicated the laborer heart of the individuals. In any case, Dunbar was the artist of the Negro masses; here is their representative (Killens ed. 1960:41). Despite the fact that a great part of the verse Hughes was to write in the thirties and a short time later was to contrast extraordinarily regarding social substance from the verse he was creating in the twenties, a cautious assessment of his initial work will uncover, in germinal structure, the essential topics which were to distract him all through his profession. Hughes’s development as an artist can't be seen separated from an amazing conditions which push him into the job of artist. Surely, it was Hughes’s consciousness of what he actually viewed as a somewhat interesting youth which decided him in his drive to communicate, through verse, the sentiments of the dark masses and their inquiries of character. In â€Å"The Weary Blues†, Hughes introduced the issue of double awareness cunningly by putting two incidental explanations of way of life as the opening and shutting sonnets, and titling them Proem and Epilog. Their initial lines propose the polarities of awareness between which the writer found his own persona: â€Å"I Am a Negro† and â€Å"I, Too, Sing America. † Within every one of these sonnets, Hughes proposes the interrelatedness of the two characters: the line â€Å"I am a Negro† is resounded as â€Å"I am the darker brother† in the end sonnet. Between the American and the Negro, a third character is recommended: that of the writer or â€Å"singer. † It is this last persona which Hughes had accepted for himself in his endeavor to determine the problem of partitioned cognizance. Therefore, inside the bounds of these two sonnets rotating around personality, Hughes is introducing his verse as a sort of salvation. In the event that one looks all the more carefully at Hughes’s association of sonnets in the book, one finds that his actual opening and shutting sonnets are concerned not with personality however with examples of patterned time. The Weary Blues (the principal sonnet) is about a dark piano man who plays profound into the night until finally he falls into rest like a stone or a man that is dead. The keep going sonnet, then again, recommends a resurrection, an enlivening, in the wake of the difficult night of tired blues: â€Å"We have tomorrow/Bright before us/Like a flame† (Hughes 1926:109). Hughes saw the poet’s job as one of duty: the artist must endeavor to keep up his objectivity and masterful separation, while simultaneously talking with energy through the medium he has chosen for himself. In a discourse given before the American Society of African Culture in 1960, Hughes asked his individual dark authors to develop objectivity in managing darkness: â€Å"Advice to Negro essayists: Step outside yourself, at that point think back and you will perceive how human, yet how wonderful and dark you are. How dark in any event, when you’re integrated† (Killens ed. 1960:44). In another piece of the discourse, Hughes focused on craftsmanship over race: â€Å"In the incredible feeling of the word, whenever, wherever, great workmanship rises above land, race, or nationality, and shading drops away. In the event that you are a decent author, at long last neither darkness nor whiteness has any kind of effect to readers† (Killens ed. 1960:47). This way of thinking of masterful separation was basic to Hughes’s contention in the a lot prior paper The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain, which turned into a revitalizing call to youthful dark authors of the twenties worried about accommodating imaginative opportunity with racial articulation: â€Å"It is the obligation of the more youthful Negro craftsman on the off chance that he acknowledges any obligations whatsoever from pariahs, to change through the power of his specialty that old murmuring I need to be white covered up in the yearnings of his kin, to Why would it be advisable for me to need to be white? I am a Negro and excellent! ’† In this extraordinarily considered pronouncement, Hughes endeavored to coordinate the two aspects of twofold cognizance (the American and the Negro) into a solitary vision-that of the artist. His verse had mirrored this thought from the earliest starting point, when he distributed The Negro Speaks of Rivers at nineteen years old. Arna Bontemps, in a review look at the Harlem Renaissance from the separation of very nearly fifty years, was alluding to The Negro Speaks of Rivers when he remarked: â€Å"And nearly the primary articulation of the recovery sent out a vibe that upset wonderful convention. † (Addison ed. 1988:83). In Hughes’s verse, the focal component of significance is the attestation of darkness. Everything that recognized Hughes’s verse from the white writers of the twenties spun around this significant certification. Melodic expressions, jazz rhythms, Hughes’s uncommon brand of â€Å"black-white† incongruity, and lingo were all reliant on the need of dark selfhood: â€Å"I am a Negro/Black as the night is dark/Black like the profundities of my Africa† (Hughes 1926:108). Hughes wrote in his collection of memoirs: My best sonnets were totally composed when I felt the most noticeably awful. At the point when I was upbeat, I didnt compose anything (Hughes 1991:54). At the point when he initially started composing verse, he felt his verses were too close to home to even think about revealing to other people: Poems came to me now unexpectedly, from some place inside. . . . I put the sonnets down rapidly on anything I had a hand when they came into my head, and later I replicated them into a scratch pad. Be that as it may, I was hesitant to demonstrate my sonnets to anyone, since they had become intense and especially a piece of me. Also, I was apprehensive others probably won't care for them or get them (Hughes: 34). These two articulations with respect to his verse propose profound basic passionate strains just like the wellspring of his innovativeness. But the individual component in Hughes’s verse is on the whole lowered underneath the persona of the Negro Poet Laureate. On the off chance that, as Hughes proposed, individual despondency was the foundation of his best work, it at that point follows that, so as to keep up the singleness of direction and commitment to his craft, he would be required to forfeit some level of passionate strength. The persona of the writer was the job Hughes received in his absolute initially distributed sonnet, as the Negro in The Negro Speaks of Rivers. It was a persona to which he would stay loyal all through his protracted profession. The connection between his own encounters and his verse has been constantly apparent. References Addison Gayle, Jr. , ed. (1988). â€Å"Negro Poets, Then and Now,† in Black Expression: Essays by and About Black Americans in the Creative Arts, New York: Weybright Talley Langston Hughes (1964). I Wonder As I Wander, New York: Hill Wang Langston Hughes (1926). The Weary Blues, New York: Alfred A. Knopf Publishing, republished, 1982 Langston Hughes (1991). The Big Sea: An Autobiography. 1940. New York: Hill Wang Killens, John O. ,ed. (1960). â€Å"Writers: Black and White†, The American Negro Writer and His Roots: Selected Papers from the First Conference of Negro Writers, March. New York: American Society of African Culture

The Short Guide to Getting Rid of Your Crap

The Short Guide to Getting Rid of Your Crap I recently teamed up with one of my favorite writers, New York Times-bestselling author Julien Smith, to write an essay, The Short, 16-Step Guide to Getting Rid of Your Crap, for his popular blog. I hope you enjoy it. Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.

Active and Passive Euthanasia - 1012 Words

PHI 2630- Introduction to Ethics April 20, 2013 Active and Passive Euthanasia Most moral codes state that killing another human being is morally wrong. I would agree that to kill another human being in the heat of anger, for material gain or in the event of committing a crime would be morally wrong. But I feel that our moral codes are lacking in certain areas and do not take into account some situations where killing another human being would be morally acceptable. This type of killing would be to end the person’s suffering only. These cases the killing would be called active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia â€Å"taking a direct action to kill someone, to carry out a â€Å"mercy killing†. (Vaughn, 2010) â€Å"Passive Euthanasia is†¦show more content†¦I would argue in favor for the case of active euthanasia where a patient, bedridden, in excruciating pain from cancer, to end their suffering. The patient knows they are terminal and they have no happiness to look forward to, their days are limited to endless pain. The pa tient feels they are a burden to their family both financially and physically, as the family members are handling all the daily care of the patient. If the patient asks for medication to end their life it should be given. It is not so different than Hospice care, where medications are given to keep the patient comfortable from the pain. As the pain increases, so does the dosages of the pain medicines, until eventually the patient slips into a coma due to organ failure from the pain medication or overdoses. The patient is able to choose the moment to end their suffering if allowed to determine when they would ingest the medicine. The major concern in any cases of euthanasia would come if a person were in such a state and had not left any instructions. Would the person want to die in this case? Is there a possibility of recovery? If recovery is possible, is the personal representative or family member requesting euthanasia going to benefit from the person’s death? Ca ses such as these give argument to not allowing either active or passive euthanasia. In conclusion, we know the human body only survives for a finite amount of time. Our cells are constantlyShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia And Passive And Active Euthanasia1335 Words   |  6 PagesEuthanasia, with a Greek origin meaning â€Å"good death† or â€Å"easy death,† has been a controversial topic for a fairly long time. In more lexical terms, euthanasia is known as the act of ending a life due to an incurable disease or a suffering that one should not bear. In this paper, I will be providing an in depth look of what passive and active euthanasia is. The lexical distinction between passive and euthanasia is one actively killing another, and the other being the act of allowing one to die. IRead MoreActive Euthanasia And Passive Euthanasia917 Words   |  4 Pages Active euthanasia Active euthanasia is also known as â€Å"assistant suicide.† Euthanasia is usually used for people suffering from terrible pain and incurable disease. Some people relate euthanasia to suicide. However, euthanasia is very different than suicide and taking someone off their life support. I believe active euthanasia is better than passive euthanasia and will demonstrate my opinions. The different between active euthanasia from passive euthanasia is let the patients less suffering, lessRead MoreActive and Passive Euthanasia1976 Words   |  8 PagesSection: Philosophy 1318 Article: â€Å"Active and Passive Euthanasia† by James Rachels Author’s Thesis: There is no principal difference between active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Argument for Rachel’s Thesis: Active euthanasia is in many cases more humane than passive euthanasia. Intentions and actions are two separate ideas which cannot be compared. He also explains how inaction is still an action because there is a consequence. When performing euthanasia, no matter the intentions, someoneRead MoreActive Euthanasia And Passive Euthanasia Essay2120 Words   |  9 Pages Active euthanasia is a subject that is raising a lot of concern in today’s society on whether or not it should be legalized and under what circumstances should it be allowed. This is a very tricky subject due to its ability to be misused and abused. There are a wide variety of things that need to be considered when it comes to who should be allowed to request active euthanasia such as, is it an autonomous choice, do they have a terminal illness, is their quality of life dramatically decreased, andRead MoreEuthanasi Active And Passive Euthanasia1634 Words   |  7 Pagesof Alaba ma, wrote a paper called Active and Passive Euthanasia where he argues against the distinction between killing in letting die. He says that the distinction is made on morally irrelevant grounds. He says that the distinction between passive and active euthanasia should not be based on whether or not wanted more morally permissible then the other. To prove his point Rachel uses three dif-ferent examples, which included different circumstance where euthanasia is involved. He looks at each exampleRead MoreEuthanasi Active And Passive Euthanasia995 Words   |  4 Pagesabout euthanasia in such depth until this assignment. It isn’t something completely new to me because I have heard about it, it happens everywhere, even if you or I don’t see it. But, I never gathered my thoughts about such a serious topic. Reading such opinions from these authors made me find out more about this topic but I cannot say I have came to a clear and set decision or opinion about euthanasia. As James Rachels states, â€Å"I can understand why some people are opposed to all euthanasia, and insistRead MoreEuthanasi Passive Euthanasia And Active Euthanasia Essay1927 Words   |  8 Pageschoosing euthanasia. The family or caregiver may pressure the patient into choosing euthanasia just so they could be relieved of the burden of caring for said patient. This may happen because the family or caregiver has had a lot of pressure put onto them. Financial burden being a leading factor. Although there is no data that completely verifies this possible problem, opponents argue that it can be a possible issue and that it should be addressed. (Ezekiel 637). There are two types of euthanasia. PassiveRead MoreEuthanasi Active And Passive Euthanasia1562 Words   |  7 PagesEuthanasia, also known as voluntary or assisted suicide, is used for terminally ill patients to end their lives instead of undergoing painful treatments and torment of waiting for death. There are, however, two different ways in which A can bring about B’s death. In this essay I will present the distinction between active and passive euthanasia as explained by James Rachels in his article called â€Å"Active and Passive Euthanasia†. I will also debate whether euthanasia is justified or not by presentingRead MoreActive And Passive Euthanasia Essay1739 Words   |  7 Pages Rachels and Brock In â€Å"Active and Passive Euthanasia† Rachels demonstrates the similarities between passive and active euthanasia. He claims that if one is permissible, than the other must also be accessible to a patient who prefers that particular fate. Rachels spends the majority of the article arguing against the recommendations of the AMA. The AMA proposes that active euthanasia contradicts what the medical profession stands for. The AMA thinks that ending a person’s life is ethically wrongRead MoreThe Argument Of Active And Passive Euthanasia1240 Words   |  5 Pagesarticle, Active and Passive Euthanasia,† In his article Rachel’s argues that both passive and active euthanasia are morally permissible and the doctors that is supported by the American Medical Association(AMA) is believed to be unsound. In this paper I will offer a thorough analysis of Rachel’s essay then so offer a critique in opposition of his arguments. In conclusion I will refute these op positions claims by defending Rachel’s argument, and showing why I believe his claims that both active and passive

Technology, Educational Purposes, Communication, And Other...

Today technology can have many different uses. People use technology for entertainment, educational purposes, communication, and other everyday uses. In 1984, Big brother uses telescreens, a speakwrite,memory holes, microphones, and helicopters to secure control throughout Oceania. By using these technologies, Big Brother has raised fear and awareness in his citizens to keep them in line. Big Brother also uses technology to control their minds in certain ways. Telescreens are the primary way Big Brother uses technology to secure control in Oceania. Telescreens are large screens that are placed in homes and public venues. Telescreens work as two way mirrors, because whoever is looking can see out but not in. In 1984 it says,†¦show more content†¦In 1984 it says, â€Å"By sitting in the alcove, and keeping well back, Winston was able to remain outside the range of the telescreen, so far as sight went. He could be heard of course, but so long as he stayed in his present position he could not be seen. It was partly the unusual geography if the room that had suggested to him the thing that he was now about to do.† (pg. 6) This quote is describing Winston’s flat and how everything is positioned. Winston notices that the telescreen, in his flat, is positioned in away that he can sit somewhere else and not be seen. The unordinary position of Winston’s flat had quite the influence on him doing what he was about to do, which was writing in a journal . The fact that Winston felt a little bit of excitement, when noticing that he’s able to be out of the telescreen range, shows the heavy weight being lifted off of Winston’s shoulders. Big Brother uses telescreens to secure control by causing the citizens of Oceania to be aware of being watched and heard. The presence of a telescreen is just a physical reminder that’s saying â€Å"Watch what you do and say.† winston , who realized his hidden space o the telescreen, started disobeying they unspoken rule, which is to not write in a diary, and started writing in a diary. The telescreen ensures control by making sure no one breaks the rules. Along with telescreens, microphones and helicopters also

Woolf and Mcewan How the Modern Became Postmodern Free Essays

Ian McEwan’s Atonement draws inspiration from and alludes to a vast number of 20th century modernist authors and works, both stylistically and thematically. For a novel to be considered a successful culmination to the reading of a large body of works, however, it must not be content with merely echoing the themes, styles, and forms of the past. Rather, it must extend them, add to them creatively, and attempt to pull them into contemporary readership. We will write a custom essay sample on Woolf and Mcewan: How the Modern Became Postmodern or any similar topic only for you Order Now While his thematic and stylistic allusions to 20th century greats such as Virginia Woolf show his intellectual knowledge of and debt to 20th century modernist writing, it is McEwan’s ability to transform these stylistic and thematic elements and mold them into a postmodern classic that makes Atonement a more than adequate culmination to the readings of a 20th century British Literature course. Stylistically, McEwan draws most heavily from the works of Virginia Woolf for the opening portion of Atonement. The slow pace of the opening, allowing for the painstakingly detailed description of nearly every scene, in addition to the examination of the psychological motives of multiple main characters, closely mirrors the style of Virginia Woolf, which she incorporates into the majority of her works. To quote a characteristically slow paced, though psychologically enriched, passage from the opening of Woolf’s Between the Acts, â€Å"Mrs. Manresa bubbled up, enjoying her own capacity to surmount, without turning a hair, this minor social crisis—this laying on of two more plates. For had she not complete faith in flesh and blood? and aren’t we all flesh and blood? and how silly to make bones of trifles when we’re all flesh and blood under the skin† (Woolf 39). The passage, to one unfamiliar with the stylistically innovative style of Woolf, seems to meander under the weight of an overly descriptive narrative and, more prominently, under the psychological musings of a character that, until a few pages previous, was nonexistent to the reader. The majority of Between the Acts contains passages of a similar style, of which this is only one randomly chosen example. As is true of many of the passages that can be found in any Woolfian novel, advancing the storyline is secondary to fleshing out the motives, thoughts, and feelings of the characters. With the plot safely set behind in-depth psychological examination in rank of importance, Woolf is free to experiment with a stream-of-consciousness style narrative in which psychological elements of the story feature more prominently than physical elements. In addition to the stream-of-consciousness for which she is well known, there are other characteristics common to much of Woolf’s work. For example, she has the tendency to describe a scene, more often than not, a natural scene, in painstaking detail, reluctant to add action that would too quickly further the narrative. Another passage from Between the Acts provides and adequate example of this, reading, â€Å"Here came the sun—an illimitable rapture of joy, embracing every flower, every leaf. Then in compassion it withdrew, covering its face, as if it forebore to look on human suffering. There was a fecklessness, a lack of symmetry and order in the clouds as they thinned and thicked. Was it their law, or no law they obeyed? † (Woolf 23). This description of nature essentially is of no consequence to the narrative yet the full passage describing the weather proceeds for almost a full page. The flowing, exceptionally detailed descriptions coinciding with an apparently lacking story line and an in-depth psychological view that the reader is privy to as a result of the stream-of-consciousness style, are all aspects of Woolfian literature that McEwan attempts to draw from and mold to his own postmodernist designs. While McEwan draws inspiration from Woolf in a way that would be just as simple for an author of less talent to do, his aims are far deeper reaching than an author who simply wishes to garner a comparison to Virginia Woolf. McEwan does borrow quite clearly from the stylings of Woolf, even commenting it upon it himself, writing, â€Å"we wondered if it owed a little too much to the techniques of Mrs. Woolf† (McEwan 294). Rather than be content with merely keeping her modernist conventions intact, however, he completely alters their meaning within the context of his own novel. In the opening portions of Atonement, for example, McEwan, in quite a similar way as Woolf, attempts to gain entry to the psychological depths of his characters. With the exception of a few broad passages required to move the story forward through dialogue or action, the majority of the opening is devoted to the internal monologues of the characters and an examination of their needs, desires, and feelings. This is clearly defined in the earliest pages as the ovel provides passages such as, â€Å"She wanted to leave, she wanted to lie alone, facedown on her bed and savor the vile piquancy of the moment, and go back down the lines of branching consequence to the point before the destruction began† (McEwan 14). This passage, one of many in a similar style throughout Atonement, attempts, in a stream-of-consciousness in the classic Woolfian sense, to examine the inner psyche of the character rather than force any sort physical, tangible action to occur. In this way, the storyâ€⠄¢s narrative may seem slow paced while the characters’ motives become more well known to the reader. This borrowing stylistically from Woolf is not necessarily important or groundbreaking, and is certainly no deciding factor in whether this novel should be viewed as a classic in coming decades. There have been many authors who have devoted the entirety of their works to the stream-of-consciousness fiction that Woolf helped to pioneer. As mentioned above, what makes McEwan an author deserving of longevity in his works is that the allusions are not merely presented, but are completely altered from their original meaning by the context of Atonement. He takes deeply alluded to modernist conventions and makes them Briony’s primary source of inspiration, seen most clearly when she ponders the new school of authors and realizes, â€Å"She no longer really believed in characters. They were quaint devices that belonged to the nineteenth century†¦Plots too were like rusted machinery whose wheels would no longer turn†¦It was thought, perception, and sensations that interested he, the conscious mind and how to represent its onward roll† (McEwan 265). There is a certain depth and complexity in the fact that McEwan represents these modernist conventions not as his own, but as those of a thirteen year old girl, the central character of his metanarrative. What McEwan does next with these modernist principles of writing is attempt to show that they too are vestiges of the past, doomed to fall in the face of a more ethical and moral fiction. Just as Briony rejects the realism of the authors of the nineteenth century, McEwan is rejecting the modernism of the 20th century in favor of a postmodernism. One of Briony’s internal monologues to which the reader is privy, begins, â€Å"The interminable pages about light and stone and water, a narrative split between three points of view, the hovering stillness of nothing much seeming to happen—none of this could conceal her cowardice† (McEwan 302). These characteristics, all of which have been shown to influence Woolfian literature, have all failed Briony’s attempt to hide what she knows she has done. The monologue continues in a similar vein with, â€Å"Did she really think she could hide behind some borrowed notions of modern writing, and drown her guilt in a stream—three streams! —of consciousness? †(McEwan 302). Her guilt and the moral and ethical implications of what she has done cannot be fixed through some outdated ideas of modernist fiction, which has no ethical consequences. There are allusions from dozens of modernists authors sprinkled throughout the length of Atonement. Unfortunately, the scope of this paper can give only one of the most prominent. In a similar fashion as with the Woolf example, however, McEwan nearly always thoughtfully engages the text to which he is alluding, but is not content to merely allow these allusions to sit idly in the novel with no sense of purpose. Rather, each of his numerous allusions has some greater purpose in Atonement as McEwan artfully transforms them into something that fits the overall scope of what he attempts to accomplish. Still, the question remains whether or not this book is an adequate culmination of all the readings in a 20th century British literature course. The fact that Atonement not only draws from modernist writers, many of whom are the focus of the aforementioned course, but attempts to extend them creatively and transform them from the 20th century modern to the 21st century postmodern makes Atonement an excellent novel and a fine culmination of a semester of 20th century British literature. Works Cited McEwan, Ian. Atonement. New York: Anchor Books, 2001. Woolf, Virginia. Between the Acts. New York: Harcourt, 2001. How to cite Woolf and Mcewan: How the Modern Became Postmodern, Essay examples

Research writing an Example of the Topic Psychology Essays by

Research writing Introduction Much research has been done in the field of academic achievement and many authors have given their suggestions about the factors that influence students within the school environment. Two of these factors include student attitudes and school context. Against this theoretical background, it is necessary to look at how important these two factors are and exactly how those factors affect student outcomes. The aim of the research is to; Need essay sample on "Research writing" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Establish a relationship between students attitude and academic performance Establish a relationship between school context and academic performance Determine the most influential factor that affects academic success Theory Research has shown that a large number of students' performances are affected by their attitudes towards specific subjects, education and academics in general (Bowen & Richman, 2000). It has been suggested that when students demonstrate week commitment to their academics then they are bound to under perform. Additionally, some students with an unrealistic view of themselves may perform poorly too, for instance, those who tend to be overconfident or naive about the requirements of their academics may register very poor performance. (Broughton,2003). Conversely, when students do not believe in themselves or when they have low self confidence, then chances are that they will underachieve (Powers, 2006). Sometimes some students may think of themselves as people who cannot control their own destiny. They imagine that they are victims of the system and this can lead to academic failure. In other scenarios some students may be too proud to ask for help when they encounter a problem in their studies. (Bowen & Richman, 2000), also, some students find it difficult to grow or develop because they tend to resist change and this impedes their academic progress. In other situations, a student may not work well in groups yet this is a necessary part of the academic environment. Lastly, some students tend to avoid those areas where they perform poorly such as in science or mathematics. These and many more aspects of student's attitudes can be causes of academic failure. School context is depicted through certain avenues. These avenues can either lead to excellent performance or poor performance depending on how they are implemented (Powers, 2006). In certain schools, the system may be too bureaucratic to the point that both teachers and students cannot do their jobs. This eventually leads to poor performance (Bowen & Richman, 2000). In other situations, teachers lack the skills to impart knowledge and this may cause failures, likewise, some teachers may be disengaged with thei r students and this brings about problems in the end (Broughton, 2003). Additionally, there are certain school environments that are influenced by the external world to such a large extent that the students cannot concentrate on what they are meant to do, such schools lack discipline (Broughton, 2003). Some school environments may have certain levels of segregation and this impedes academic success (Broughton, 2003). Literature Review Academic Achievement Academic achievement is an issue that involves the school context and the students. Students have to show some effort in academics to achieve academic excellence and the school too has roles to play in academic achievement. Several ways or programs have been put in place just to improve the performance in schools, colleges and other learning institutions. These programs are based on elimination of the factors that affect academic performance or to prevent reduced performance due to the very factors that affect academic performance (Lopez-Lee, 2007). Identified factors that affect academic achievement are such as student attitude, school context, racism, students social life and so many others. The two major ones are student engagement influenced by attitude and school context. These two factors will always affect academic achievement in any kind of education institution whether for the disabled, the blind or just normal educational institutions (ERI C, 2006). In order to ensure academic success, the causative factors have to be identified and eliminated (Lopez-Lee, 2007). Academic excellence involves all parents, teachers and the students. Students have to put required effort as well as the teachers, while parents play the role of supporting the students so that family matters do not affect the performance. If a student is stressed due to family problems, the performance is affected too. It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure these are eliminated in collaboration with the teachers or the professionals (Seidman and Tinto, 2005). Physiological and Contextual Factors of Academic Success Academic achievement has been indicated in most research to be controlled by teachers in the various educational institutions. It is the responsibility of a teacher to make the student realize her/his abilities and develop confidence in it. As it has been noted earlier, the performance of a student is affected by so many factors, one of them being the attitude of the student. A teacher is charged with the responsibility of being supportive to the students to make the students have the important competence in academics (Seidman and Tinto, 2005). It has always been, or it is hypothesized that the attitudes of students affect the academic achievement and this attitude is always build by the teachers. The teacher plays a very important role as it is evident that they influence the behavior and attitude of students which in turn affect the performance. Teachers therefore affect performance indirectly (Seidman and Tinto, 2005). School context involve teachers instructions, supportive activities and consistent clear and high expectations. If the school context has developed good behavior and required attitudes in students, then it is with no doubt that the performance will also be positive. If the mediators are positive, then the result becomes positive (Seidman and Tinto, 2005). Importance of Student Attitude in Academic Performance In any kind of academic setting, there will always be learning activities. These require a student to be engaged in the activities, which is the reason why they are formulated in the first place. In engagement in learning, a student or a learner participates in the learning activities or is said to have some interest. This interest and participation differs from one student to the other. It is the work of the attitudes and behaviors that are also different and so produce the different engagement. Engagement in learning activities be it in the classroom or outside lead to success in academics (Alexander and Winne, 2006). This is the reason why attitude is always an important role in the academic achievement since it forms part of a student's engagement in learning activities. Research shows that students who engage more learn more and therefore academic achievement is high (Willms, 2003). Motivation improves engagement and this is another area of concern in academic achievement. For the students to be engaged, it requires the efforts of the teachers, as well as their own. School context therefore is important in academic achievement in supporting student engagement in good performance. Importance of School Context in Academic Performance Student engagement is influenced by the school context. The factors of school context that influence a student's engagement are, the support the teachers give towards building a positive attitude towards learning, the support given to encourage high clear, consistent behavioral expectations, the quality of instructions that the school offer which should improve the performance of the students, and the academic expectations the school sets for the students (Willms, 2003). Both behavioral and academic expectations should be set high, clear and consistent if the school targets academic achievement in a certain area of learning, the instructions should be of high quality and the relationship with teachers be positive towards achievement of academic excellence of the specific target of education. The Relationship Between Student Attitude and School Context. Mediators Students attitudes and school context are mediated by certain psychological factors. The degree of competence and confidence of a student is one of the factors that come in between the school context and student attitude. When a student is confident and believes in his/her competency to be successful in education, the student will perform well. A student who is not confident will not perform well based on the lack of confidence in his/her ability to perform. This affects the attitude of the student and may end up dropping out of school or giving up on performance (Coleman, 1980). The belief in competence and confidence affects the engagement of the student in school activities hence academic performance. This is the reason why students who believe that they cannot perform well in certain subjects fail, and it also affects their behavior. Engagement as had been indicated, is the much effort the student puts to the learning activities with his/her attitude and behaviors. If a student has less interest in a subject due to belief of incompetency, the attitude and the behavior towards working hard for the subject changes too. The change is negative since it does not support a successful performance target. School Context Success Factors School context relationship to the student engagement affects the academic achievement. There are three factors that need special attention when it comes to student engagement which will in turn affect academic achievement. These are; caring and showing a sense of belonging, consistent, clear and high expectations, and creation of challenging and meaningful educational environments. In showing a sense of belonging, teachers need to be supportive by motivating the students (McInerney and Van Etten, 2004). High clear and consistent expectations builds the students confidence in various learning activities hence influencing the academic achievement positively. The last factor, which is meaningful educational environments, improves students performance by encouraging their participation in learning activities. When teachers develop strategies that challenge the students, make them learn new things and encourage them to show their ability, the students get encouraged and get used to the learning activities to the extent that confidence is built (McInerney and Van Etten, 2004). Significance of Study Upon completion of this study the research may lay out clear causes of academic failure thus facilitating change in school environments. The research may assist teachers in formulating strategies to deal with attitudinal and contextual problems. Additionally, the research will transform traditional ways of thinking about education. It might remove stereotypical notions or ideas held by stakeholders in education. The research may also encourage greater investment in the psychological development of the student because it will review some of the pre-existing psychological attitudes that could be hindering academic excellence. Methodology The research is based on the latter mentioned literature. Consequently, the purpose of the research is to affirm pre-existing theory on factors that affect academic success. Due to the nature of this investigation, it will be necessary to perform a qualitative rather than a quantitative study. This study will entail the use of two types of methodology. The first will be through primary research while the second will be through secondary research. In the primary research, data will be obtained through face to face interviews. Students, teachers and administrators will be asked about the aspects of students' attitudes that affect academic achievement. Additionally, the latter groups will also be asked about the role of school context in academic achievement. Thereafter, they will be required to give their opinions about the most influential factors among the two in their respective schools. The second part of the research will be done through an examination of student reports in a specific school. This will entail obtaining requests from the school administration to utilize their resources in the research. Academic achievement of the participating students will be analyzed for one year while comparing that to certain indicators of school attitude and school context. A relationship will then be established between these factors (Powers, 2006). Limitations Qualitative interviews are generally more difficult to analyze because responses obtained are quite varied, however, answers will be clustered into similar groups to try and establish a relationship between the parameters. Additionally, student attitude and school context are both complex parameters, i.e. they are denoted by other sub-factors. It will be difficult to determine which factors are most important and which ones are not. Delimitations Since the secondary aspect of the research will involve only one school, then it may be difficult to transfer results for the relationship between student attitude and respective student achievement to the entire student population. In relation to this, the issue of school context will also be a problem in secondary research owing to the fact that there will be no comparison with others schools. Conclusion The research's major aim is to establishing a link between school context, student attitude and academic achievement. This might enable teachers/ administrators/ stakeholders to look for ways of enhancing academic achievement. The major limitations of the study revolve around data analysis and data collection while the delimitation will be brought by secondary research which be conducted in only one school. References Alexander, P. A. and Winne, P.H. (2006). Handbook of Educational Psychology. New York: Routledge. Bowen, L. & Richman, M. (2000). Middle Schools Student's Perceptions of the School Environment, Journal of Social Work in Education, 13 (22), 69-82. Broughton, A. (2003). The School Success Profile, Technology in Human Services Journal, 21(1), 11. Coleman, M. T. (1980). Locus of Control and Student Perceived Structure of Classroom Learning Environments as Predictors of Academic Performance and Attitudes. Syracuse University. Educational Resources Information Center (ERI C). (2006). Research in Education. Michigan, U.S: Michigan University. Lopez-Lee, D. (2007). The Cal-State, L.A., Chicano Student: A Study of Academic Performance of EOP Chicanos, Non-EOP Chicanos, and Anglos, and the Relationship of Attitudes to Academic Performance. California State College: Educational Opportunity Program. McInerney, M. D. and Van Etten, S. (2004). Influences on Motivation and Learning. IAP. Powers, J. (2006). Assessing the Functioning of Schools as Learning Organizations, Journal for schools and children, 13 (29), 208 Seidman, A. and Tinto, V. (2005). College Student Retention: Formula for Student Success. Greenwood Publishing Group. Willms, D. J. (2003). Student Engagement at School: A Sense of Belonging and Participation: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Programme for International Student Assessment. OECD Publishing

Client Needs Analysis Essays

Client Needs Analysis Essays Client Needs Analysis Essay Client Needs Analysis Essay Name: Course: Lecturer: Date: Client Needs Analysis 1. Introduction Currently, learning goes on everyday and everywhere. However, the formal learning is evaluated through examination. Examinations require a lot of work, starting from issuing of the examination, marking and compiling results for the students. With the increase in number of students and amount of work going up, this becomes quite hard. However, with the advancement of information technology, examination can be done online and results marked immediately to produce the score as soon as possible. Therefore, examinations being part of the learning process where normally students sit for them in classes, with information technology they can be taken from anywhere, and instead of waiting for long before results are out, they can also be gotten immediately after examination is done. Thus, it shortens the time it takes to take an exam and get results. However, to do this, it requires a strong software and program to support the whole process. The testing system should be in a position to: maintain a stock of multiple choice questions as well as answers, identify students’ details, and randomly generate tests on any subject area. The system should also be in a position to take answers from the students to the tests issued and store them as well as mark the results and generate reports while it notifies students of their results. The system should also keep all record of he tests including re-sit tests and the results. The documentation of the above-described systems is as follows. 2. Documentation The online testing system is a web-based application, which can be modified as well as customized in accordance to needs of any education institution. The software is designed to conduct tests or examinations to students from teachers without having them in examination rooms, for examinations such as admission exams, and it is time efficient. It provides a fully automated web-based tests software, online registration of students, automated creations of random questions tests, and a centralized control for the administrator. The system works by maintaining details of each student and provides an option of editing details when necessary. Each student has a password for accessing answers sheet, results and tests. The password is stored in the database in an encrypted form (MD5 hash) and provides authentication through sessions. Students can apply for their examinations and tests through the internet. The applications are evaluated and admissions from the qualified students are sent back to them. The candidates register for the tests, and after taking them, they send them in to wait for results. The examiners issues the results after the tests are submitted, and send back the results. This is an aim to reduce costs of examinations as well as time taken for examinations, resulting in efficacy of taking examinations. 2.1. Features of the system The system has many features considering most of the operations and applications can be customized depending on each individual institution. The features of the product or the necessities provided by the system are as listed below access of the database from anywhere anytime A question database built specifically for issuing tests and examinations, where the exams can be timed or un-timed. This requires one to answer questions within a specified time for the timed questions. an easy to navigate exam formatted database Administrators can upload questions to the database any time from anywhere The database generates the examinations automatically and randomly depending on student selection There is an option for editing, deleting or even re-using the tests whenever needed. study materials can be uploaded by the administrator for reference by the students students are in a position to view their results online through their passwords it offers a discussion boars for students to discuss issues and challenges Administrators are able to maintain blogs that can regularly update students on new studies as well as issues to look out. Students can post their questions on the blogs for the teachers to respond. This can also be posted to the discussion board for other students to contribute. Quantitative data can be gotten from the results since compiling and deriving graphs is easier, and any trend can be noted. The graphs can be for certain purposes such as showing how many students passed in the individual assessments, number of students passing in topical tests among others. It can offer an analysis through different parameters or even combine several parameters to make an analysis of students by the administrators. 2.2. Users This system is meant for students as the biggest user and the teachers, educators, and administrators. Students use the system for taking tests that otherwise would have to be taken in class or in examination rooms. The students will need to have access to the internet and have profiles in the database through which to access the examinations. The teachers on the other hand are the ones to upload the questions and answers to the database. They also require good skills in computers and languages in order to post what students can understand. Administrators and educators can use the system in the same way. The users of this system are not required to have technical knowledge of the system since all that is required is uploading and accessing information for the teachers and students. 2.3. Environment of Operation To make it possible to access the database from anywhere, it will require the system to run on the web, meaning users will access it using their browsers such as the Mozilla Firefox. Therefore, the system should be capable of running from any remote device of students or teachers using connection to the internet. However, this will be dependent on where the data is stored, whether in a local server, or external server. For a local server, the program will be run through a local machine that all can have access. However, for an external one, it will require using the browser. It will also be through ASP.Net, the 3.5 HTML versions together with JavaScript. The software can run by the Pentium 4 2.4 GHz hardware, with Windows Vista, or nay other compatible Windows such as SQL server 2008 Express Edition to be used as the database system while the development environment can be the 2008 visual studio. This can be used together with an inbuilt Microsoft Internet Information Services server in the whole process. 2.4. System requirements The interface of the external server can be designed using standard tools of the 2008 Microsoft Visual Studio Professional Edition. Macromedia Flash components contained in some interfaces could also be used, as well as message boxes where error messages can be shown. The hardware has also its requirements in order for the system to work with ease as listed below. there has to be a CPU, Central Processing Unit contained in a personal computer or a laptop, which is internal. A monitor for the CPU has to be present to show the information gotten by the computer. There has to be a keyboard and a mouse used for entering data and highlighting specific places on the monitor to issue commands to the computer. A printer could also be needed in case one needed to keep record of their results. Any printer as long as it is compatible with the computer in use it is okay. The other requirements are the software ones, which include the Microsoft Windows software, which could either be he 95, 98, XP Vista, and all the OS Microsoft windows. The system is compatible with most of the Microsoft software programs. The other software requirement is the ASP.Net. In addition, for the system, to work it requires some communication software, which can be the World Wide Web browsers, such as the Mozilla, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera among others that are available. In addition to this, SMTP server and LAN Connection is required There are some non-functional requirements for the system that are designed to ensure quality and efficiency among the users. One of them is the performance requirement that requires the system to be capable of allowing access to its users, and synchronizing each user’s information with the database. Other requirements include security, where the system is supposed to ensure that only those with access can have access to the database, and no students can access the results of another student.

Major General John B. Gordon, American Civil War

Major General John B. Gordon, American Civil War The son of a prominent minister in Upson County, GA, John Brown Gordon was born February 6, 1832. At a young age, he moved with his family to Walker County where his father had purchased a coal mine. Educated locally, he later attended the University of Georgia. Though a strong student, Gordon inexplicably left school before graduating. Moving to Atlanta, he read law and entered the bar in 1854. While in the city, he married Rebecca Haralson, daughter of Congressman Hugh A. Haralson. Unable to attract clients in Atlanta, Gordon moved north to oversee his fathers mining interests. He was in this position when the Civil War began in April 1861. Early Career A supporter of the Confederate cause, Gordon quickly raised a company of mountaineers known as the Raccoon Roughs. In May 1861, this company was incorporated into the 6th Alabama Infantry Regiment with Gordon as its captain. Though lacking any formal military training, Gordon was promoted to major a short time later. Initially sent to Corinth, MS, the regiment was later ordered to Virginia. While on the field for the First Battle of Bull Run that July, it saw little action. Showing himself to be an able officer, Gordon was given command of the regiment in April 1862 and promoted to colonel. This coincided with a shift south to oppose Major General George B. McClellans Peninsula Campaign. The following month, he ably led the regiment during the Battle of Seven Pines outside Richmond, VA. In late June, Gordon returned to combat as General Robert E. Lee began the Seven Days Battles. Striking at Union forces, Gordon quickly established a reputation for fearlessness in battle. On July 1, a Union bullet wounded him in the head during the Battle of Malvern Hill. Recovering, he rejoined the army in time for the Maryland Campaign that September. Serving in Brigadier General Robert Rodes brigade, Gordon aided in holding a key sunken road (Bloody Lane) during the Battle of Antietam on September 17. In the course of the fighting, he was wounded five times. Finally brought down by a bullet that passed through his left cheek and out his jaw, he collapsed with his face in his cap. Gordon later related that he would have drowned in his own blood had there not been a bullet hole in his hat. A Rising Star For his performance, Gordon was promoted to brigadier general in November 1862 and, following his recovery, given command of a brigade in Major General Jubal Earlys division in Lieutenant General Thomas Stonewall Jacksons Second Corps. In this role, he saw action near Fredericksburg and Salem Church during the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. With Jacksons death following the Confederate victory, command of his corps passed to Lieutenant General Richard Ewell. Spearheading Lees subsequent advance north into Pennsylvania, Gordons brigade reached the Susquehanna River at Wrightsville on June 28. Here they were prevented from crossing the river by Pennsylvania militia which burned the towns railroad bridge. Gordons advance to Wrightsville marked the easternmost penetration of Pennsylvania during the campaign. With his army strung out, Lee ordered his men to concentrate at Cashtown, PA. As this movement was in progress, fighting began at Gettysburg between troops led by Lieutenant General A.P. Hill and Union cavalry under Brigadier General John Buford. As the battle grew in size, Gordon, and the rest of Earlys Division approached Gettysburg from the north. Deploying for battle on July 1, his brigade attacked and routed Brigadier General Francis Barlows division on Blochers Knoll. The next day, Gordons brigade supported an attack against the Union position on East Cemetery Hill but did not take part in the fighting. The Overland Campaign Following the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, Gordons brigade retired south with the army. That fall, he participated in the inconclusive Bristoe and Mine Run Campaigns. With the beginning of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grants Overland Campaign in May 1864, Gordons brigade took part in the Battle of the Wilderness. In the course of the fighting, his men pushed the enemy back at Saunders Field as well as launched a successful attack on the Union right. Recognizing Gordons skill, Lee elevated him to lead Earlys division as part of a larger reorganization of the army. Fighting recommenced a few days later at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. On May 12, Union forces launched a massive assault on the Mule Shoe Salient. With Union forces overwhelming the Confederate defenders, Gordon rushed his men forward in an attempt to restore the situation and stabilize the lines. As the battle raged, he ordered Lee to the rear as the iconic Confederate leader attempted to personally lead an attack forward. For his efforts, Gordon was promoted to major general on May 14. As Union forces continued to push south, Gordon led his men at the Battle of Cold Harbor in early June. After inflicting a bloody defeat on the Union troops, Lee instructed Early, now leading the Second Corps, to take his men to the Shenandoah Valley in an effort to draw off some Union forces. Marching with Early, Gordon took part the advance down the Valley and the victory at the Battle of Monocacy in Maryland. After menacing Washington, DC and forcing Grant to detach forces to counter his operations, Early withdrew to the Valley where he won the Second Battle of Kernstown in late July. Tired of Earlys depredations, Grant sent Major General Philip Sheridan to the Valley with a large force. Attacking up (south) the Valley, Sheridan clashed with Early and Gordon at Winchester on September 19 and soundly defeated the Confederates. Retreating south, the Confederates were defeated again two days later at Fishers Hill. Attempting to recover the situation, Early and Gordon launched a surprise attack on Union forces at Cedar Creek on October 19. Despite initial success, they were badly defeated when Union forces rallied. Rejoining Lee at the Siege of Petersburg, Gordon was placed in command of the remnants of the Second Corps in December 20. Final Actions As the winter progressed, the Confederate position at Petersburg became desperate as Union strength continued to grow. Needing to force Grant to contract his lines and wanting to disrupt a potential Union assault, Lee asked Gordon to plan an attack on the enemys position. Staging from Colquitts Salient, Gordon intended to assault Fort Stedman with the goal of driving east towards the Union supply base at City Point. Moving forward at 4:15 AM on March 25, 1865, his troops were able to quickly take the fort and open a 1,000-foot breach in the Union lines. Despite this initial success, Union reinforcements quickly sealed the breach and by 7:30 AM Gordons attack had been contained. Counterattacking, Union troops forced Gordon to fall back to the Confederate lines. With the Confederate defeat at Five Forks on April 1, Lees position at Petersburg became untenable. Coming under attack from Grant on April 2, Confederate troops began retreating west with Gordons corps acting as a rearguard. On April 6, Gordons corps was part of a Confederate force that was defeated at the Battle of Saylers Creek. Retreating further, his men ultimately arrived at Appomattox. On the morning of April 9, Lee, hoping to reach Lynchburg, asked Gordon to clear Union forces from their line of advance. Attacking, Gordons men pushed back the first Union troops they encountered but were halted by the arrival of two enemy corps. With his men outnumbered and spent, he requested reinforcements from Lee. Lacking additional men, Lee concluded that he had no choice but to surrender. The afternoon, he met with Grant and surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia. Later Life Returning to Georgia after the war, Gordon unsuccessfully campaigned for governor in 1868 on a staunch anti-Reconstruction platform. Defeated, he achieved public office in 1872 when he was elected to the US Senate. Over the next fifteen years, Gordon served two stints in the Senate as well as a term as Governor of Georgia. In 1890, he became the first Commander-in-Chief of the United Confederate Veterans and later published his memoirs, Reminiscences of the Civil War in 1903. Gordon died at Miami, FL on January 9, 1904, and was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. Selected Sources Civil War: John B. GordonNew Georgia Encyclopedia: John B. GordonCivil War Trust: John B. Gordon

Analysis of an Interview with Immigrant Children in Quebec Case Study

Analysis of an Interview with Immigrant Children in Quebec - Case Study Example In a situation where the parents choose to stick with the initial culture then the children’s identity does not change. These children will still identify with the Brazilian culture; however, this is different if the parents decide to completely depart from their indigenous culture. Unfortunately, this cannot be said in the case of a language. Children will by default adopt the language widely used by the larger society, this explains why in the interview the children attested to be slowly forgetting Portuguese but developing their use of French and to some extent English. This observation is best explained by a look at the sociocultural perspective which identifies social context as critical to learning. Further, it stresses the importance of social interaction, communication and instruction to learning not to mention that the social environment is identified as not only a place where learning takes place but one that is critical to the learning process (Johnson & Golombek, 2010). These children perceive language as a mere means of communication. To them, using Portuguese at home or French/English in school does not represent anything but is only an enabling element. The language enables interactions and social contact with their classmates and teachers. This is different from the parents who view language as a source of identity which explains their insistence on the children’s use of Portuguese at home. Perhaps the parents are afraid that failure to use the language will mean losing their identity. Additionally, the children view biliteracy as more of an advantage as it allows them to have a taste of both worlds (Rivera & Huerta-MaciÃŒ as, 2008). This feeling is not shared by the parents as these look at biliteracy as a way of draining the children’s prowess in the indigenous Portuguese language. The children perceive the Portuguese language as a barrier to

Marketing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Report - Essay Example This myth or common assumption in the field of marketing has largely contributed to low focus on the market segment of the over 50s in terms of personalized products, services, and marketing campaigns. By overlooking this particular market segment, it means that most companies are unable to diversify, increase their market share, and overall revenues because they are not tapping the opportunity presented by this market segment. This present paper is a briefing paper prepared from the standpoint of the Marketing Director of Nestle breakfast cereal division for the United Kingdom. This briefing paper will outline the key elements of a marketing strategy that is designed to target the market segment of the over 50s. The outline will entail the market opportunities, product strategy, and the next steps that should be undertaken before drawing up a formal marketing plan. Market opportunities To begin with, the report presented by Shaw (2008) on behalf RIAS insurance company, noted that st atistics from the Office for National Statistics reveal that the population for the over 50s is bound to increase in the coming in years and in particular they are bound to reach 27.2 million by the year 2031. According to the writings by Morgan and Levy (2002), this statistics reflect a market segment that will record increased demand over time and therefore, companies focusing on this particular segment will be able to record a continued growth in terms of revenue from the sales arising from this expanding market segment. Therefore, based on the estimated population growth for the over 50s, the Nestle breakfast cereal division for the UK will record continued increase in demand and subsequent revenue arising from the breakfast cereal that is specially prepared for the over 50s population. Another factor that demonstrates the true potential of the market segment for the over 50s is the fact that both Shaw’s (2008) report and the report by Kellogg’s indicated that the over 50’s are wealthier and have high disposable income or high spending power as compared to the other generations. Under the RIAS’ report, Shaw (2008) noted that the over 50s have substantial financial assets. In particular, their personal wealth has risen by 45.6% over the past 5 years to surpass the ?5 trillion mark, secondly, they account for 75% of UK’s total wealth and on average the persons above the age of 65 years has a life savings of ?11,660.85. The report by Kellogg’s noted that persons above the age of 65 years are wealthier and they make up 20% of cereal consumers. The findings from these two reports further validate the true potential of the over 50s market segment since it was noted that they have a high spending power which means that demand for Nestle’s breakfast cereals, which are specifically prepared for this market segment will experience high demand. According to Morgan and Levy (2002), a viable market segment that can gener ate high revenues for a business is usually made up of consumers with high spending power and therefore, by strategically focusing on creating breakfast cereals for the over 50s market segment, Nestle is bound to record increased revenue. In terms of food

The Modigliani And Miller Theory Finance Essay

The Modigliani And Miller Theory Finance Essay The Modigliani Miller Theorem is a linchpin of modern corporate finance. At its core, the theorem is an irrelevance proposition: The Modigliani Miller Theorem provides circumstances under which an enterprises financial decisions are independent on its value. Modigliani (1980, pxiii) explains the Theorem as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ with well-functioning markets (and neutral taxes) and rational investors, who can undo the corporate financial structure by holding positive or negative amounts of debt, the market value of the firm debt plus equity depends only on the income stream generated by its assets. It follows, in particular, that the value of the firm should not be affected by the share of debt in its financial structure or by what will be done with the returns paid out as dividends or reinvested (profitably). There are four distinct results that are understood from the Modigliani Miller Theorem and they are as follow: The debt-equity ratio does not affect its market value under certain conditions. The second proposition inculcates that a firms debt-equity ratio is unaffected by its weighted average cost of capital that is the cost of equity capital is a linear function of leverage. Firms market value is sovereign of its dividend policy. Stock-holders are non-chalant about the firms financial policy. The modern theory of capital structure started with Modigliani Miller(1958) on the plight of capital structure irrelevance. The distinct results shown above were based on the following assumptions: Market prices cannot be influenced by scale of an individuals transactions that is all investors are price-takers. Firms and investors being market participants can lend or borrow at the same riskless rate. Income taxes are neither paid on the corporate level nor at a personal level. There are no transaction charges or allowances. Investors are all rational wealth-suitors. Enterprises are grouped into homogeneous risk classes such that all members of the group obtain the same return. Similar expectations about future company earnings are formulated by investors ( normal probability distribution). The assets of a company that can no longer carry out its business( insolvent) can be sold at full market values. Criticism of the Modigliani and Miller theory There is a common argument that Modigliani Miller provides a means of finding reasons why financing may matter but does not provide a reasonable description of how firms finance their operations. This is supported by a number of researchers such as Hamada (1969) and Stigiltz (1974). The theorem has given rise to a lot of questions. How do firms choose their capital structure? Do firms have target leverage? What are the determinants of firm capital structure decisions? Many researchers have tried to answer these questions in their studies but the results are still enigmatic. The most frequent hypotheses used to address capital structure are static trade-off, pecking order and market timing theory and many others. The criticism against this theorem can be grouped into two types: Papers that deal with the limitations of the arbitrage conditions. Arbitrage process is the operational justification for Modigliani and Miller hypothesis. Arbitraging can be defined as the process of buying a security in a market where the price is low and selling the security in another market where the price is higher. In so doing, an equilibrium is achieved and it implies that the security cannot be sold at different prices. According to the MM hypothesis, the total value of homogeneous firm that differ only in the debt-equity ratio will be similar due to the artibraging condition. The later is no longer smooth due to institutional restrictions and it is also affected by transaction cost due to the limitations of the MM hypothesis. The MM leverage irrelevance proposition bumped much controversy and criticism on the methodology section. Their proofs are based on a more appropriate and fundamental notion than a competitive equilibrium. This is where the arbitrage argument comes into play. When the arbitrage is absent, the economy becomes standard to price repetitive securities and Black Scholes (1973) depended on the MM- type arbitrage argument which was rather clumsy as it was engaged with the comparision of firms whose cash flows had similar risk characteristics. According to Stiglitz ( 1969)  [1]  , firms do not issue much debt as there is the consequence of bankruptcy. The focus switched from the idea of risk class to the importance of bankruptcy. Studies that analyse the effect of market imperfections on the firms choice of capital structure. Taxes, bankrypcy costs, transaction costs, adverse selection and agency conflicts are all part of the major explanation for the use of debt in corporate. Trade-off Theory The various costs and benefits of an alternative leverage plans are assessed by a decision maker who runs a firm. The trade-off theory is originated from a debate over the Modigliani and Miller theory. This is due to the addition of corporate taxes to the primitive irrelevance proposition. A debt benefit is seen to be created which serve as a shield before the takes. Bankruptcy is the offsetting cost of debt that is needed. The optimal debt-equity ratio mirrors a trade-off between the tax benefits of debt and deadweight costs of bankruptcy Myers (1984). A firm that anchors a target leverage ratio and gradually moves towards the target is a firm that follows the trade-off theory. The determination of the target is made by stabilizing the tax shields against the cost of bankruptcy Jensen and Meckling (1977); Harris and Raviv (1990); Taggart (1977). It also weighs up the advantages and disadvantages of using debt. As discussed earlier, there is a shield benefit that acts as a barrier to taxes DeAngelo and Masulis (1980). In addition, there is a reduction of the free cash flow problem Stulz (1990). However, the pitfalls of debt include the feasible cost of financial distress Kraus and Litzenberger (1973); Kim (1978) and the agency cost arising between the shareholders and the creditors. Frank and Goyal (2005  [2]  ) take the Myers earlier notion of trade-off to a new position namely the static trade-off theory determined within a single period and a target adjustment behavior. Agency Cost Theory Jensen and Meckling (1976) launched the agency cost of free cash flow theory. The theory is hinged on the conflict between managers, outside shareholders and bondholders. The conflicts can be either between the bondholders and shareholders which is a result of moral hazards or between managers and shareholders.. According to this theory, the managers do not always use the funds of the firm for the benefit of the company but rather for their own benefits. The managers exploit the powers they have and the abuse can be categorized in three different varieties. Foremost, managers possess ground on which they can enjoy the full value of anything they get from the firm such as private jets since they hold only a fraction of these allowances on the job consumption. Second, they might assay for the entire building as large firms have a tendency to give managers prestige, power and compensation for the work they do just to encourage them. Lastly, they have the power to tyrannise the firm acco rding to their own preferences and make themselves prerequisites by investing in projects which others cannot manage. This negates the wealth of the shareholders.. Harris and Raviv (1990); Bodie and Merton (2000) agency cost is seen to be more relevant to firms in mature industries. As these firms tend to generate cash which exceeds their investment needs. The availability of free cash in mature industries is higher and easily used for the management of the firms. Nyborg (2010). Therefore, it is true to say that agency cost is more relevant to larger firms. Market Timing Theory The market timing theory is based on the fact that enterprises prefer to issue stocks when the prices of the stocks are high and repurchase the stocks when the prices are falling. The assumption they make is that the market can be timed and managers really try to time market. The issue of debt and new equity can be made based on past price movements Marsh (1982). In a survey of British firms, CFOs harbor that they try to time the equity market. Those who considered the issue of shares reported that the amount by which the stocks are undervalued and overvalued is an important factor Graham and Harvey (2001). The shocks of equity price have an inexhaustible effect on the corporate capital structure. Following increments in stock prices, firms tend to issue equity and repurchase shares when the stock prices decline which is actually the opposite of what one might expect if corporate tended to equalize their structures towards a target Welch (2004). Fischer, Heinkel and Zechner, (1989) observed that with new debt and equity issues over time, firms tend to return to their preferred leverage range. More specifically, firms are forced to march out from the preferred level of debt to equity ratio by embrassing more debt as a source of financing to new projects or as a way to self- defend themselves against take-overs show a transcendence to paying down debt to rebound to a more acceptable mix of leverage. Muscarella and vetsuypens, 1990. The Pecking Order Theory Donaldson (1961) had been the first one to describe the prominent story based on a financing pecking order. He monitored: Management strongly favoured internal generation as a source of new funds even to the exclusion of external funds except for occasional unavoidable bulges in the need for funds.  [3]  According to the picture that Donaldson framed, companies quietly complied retained earnings, becoming less tilted when they are lucrative and gather debt, becoming more uplifted when they are unprofitable. If companies are otherwise heedless about their capital structures as suggested by Miller (1977) then they will not make future capital structure selections which compensate the effect of their earnings history. But the common pecking order theory branches out from Myers (1984). A firm pursues the pecking order if it prefers  [4]  internal financing and debt equity if the external financing is used. The pecking order theory is proposed by Myers and Maljuf (1984) and is an application of asymmetric information theory. Following this theory, the managers of a firm who are considered as insiders are likely to posses private information about the firms quality and investment projects. Ergo, the choice of a firms capital structure strikes the outsiders who are actually the investors the information to managers. Because outsiders have less information than the managers regarding the value of the firm, the issued equity will be underpriced by the market. Financing the project through a security will prevent such a situation to crop up that is the security will not be undervalued by the market. The securities used can be in the form of retained earnings as internal funds and risk-less debts. Hinged by the argument set by Myers and Maljuf (1984) , Myers (1984) suggested that the pecking order theory propose that firms finance their projects by firstly using internal funds in the form of retained earnings, secondly through the utility of debts ( risk-less debts are used first and when there is a shortage or there is no more of the risk-less debt, risky debts are used) and finally equity is issued. Pecking Oder Theory speculates that managers do not take into consideration an optimal capital structure when making financial decisions.  [5]  They unpretentiously choose what seem to be the low cost financing devices. Why do firms prefer debt to equity? In corporate finance, asymmetric information refers to the fact that firm insiders, routinely the managers have better information than market actors on the value of their firms asset and investment opportunities. The possibility that the market will wrongly price the firms claim is created by this asymmetry thus providing a positive role for financing decisions of companies. Let us think of a firm who wants to make new investments by making use of its growth possibilities. Given that this firm solicits to supply the resources, it needs to issue stocks. The stocks cannot be fully valued by the investors Myers (2001). Pecking order theory is born due to mispricing which comes to light as a consequence of not knowing the actual values of equity. The existence of asymmetric information lies in the middle of mispricing Halov N and Heider F (2005). As a result of the asymmetric information, the firms quality as good issue stock to find resources, the issued equity are undervalued by investors koupoulos (2006). Since a price cut is liked to be observed from the investors and to avoid this situation internal resources are preferred rather than issuing equity to finance investment without incurring any cost that arises from asymmetric information. Fama and French (2002) found that later supply resources used in investment financing are debts as they bear a low risk. Due to the problems that are initiated by asymmetric information, firms hash external resources use as a cheaper policy as compared to the issuance of equity. There are several reasons why firms consider external financing as a better option to finance investment. One of them is the position of organizational sales. Enterprises with sturdy sales line gives the supremacy to finance through debt for their needs by availing form market trust towards them. These firms, therefore, have no trouble in repaying their debts due to the stable sales and their earnings. They are also liable to having recourse to debt more easily. Additionally, size and structure of firms is another factor to be considered. Firms having more accessorized assets put borrowing first in line of their resources list since they will easily get debt. Tax advantage is as well a factor that can be added to the above list as it prioritize debt financing. A correction on the original model has been suggested by Modigliani and Miller (1963). In the new model, they clearly incorporate the corporate income tax, while the other assumptions were kept untouched. Assuming ceteris paribus, the value of the firm (VL) will be maximized as it is a function of the market value of debt. In theory when the levered firm reaches its maximum market value as it is financed entirely by debt. To finance their needs of financing, the firm should use as much debt as possible. To further relax the Modigliani-Millers assumption, Miller (1977) introduced personal taxes together with corporate taxes into the model assuming that all enterprises have similar tax r ates. According to him, the relatively higher personal income tax paid on bonds by firms should be grossed up by any differential that bondholders will pay on their interest income otherwise, bonds will have no value and no one would want to hold bonds. Therefore, in equilibrium the debt advantage is negligible. De Angelo and Masulis (1980) brought in the recognition of the existence of a non- identical marginal tax rates among different firms and the outcome of tax-shield items in the financial statement other than interest expenses. As far as capital structure is concerned, they brought in two implications. First, in equilibrium a firm who is considered as a borrower benefits from a positive gain from leverage if the tax rate is higher than the marginal firm because of a low pre-paid interest rate they pay. Moreover, items such as depreciation, oil depletion allowances and investment tax credits are defacto non cash charges. They predicted that there is a positive relationship bet ween the level of debt and the effective tax rate and a negative relationship to the amount of non debt tax shields available to them. The interest rate of debt users is deductible from tax base which in turn relinquishes the importance to debt instead of equity. Equity financing confers rise to transaction costs and to avoid this problem financing through debt is viewed as another reason Fama and French (2004). In addition to that, uncertainty of control that might be experienced in enterprises is seen as a plausible factor. The presence of new shareholders confirms the fact that they will prefer stock financing as a lack of resources and will eventually give rise to risk of management control in firm whilst in financing via debt, there is no such risk of control loss. Lamont (1997) evaluates that more than three-quarter of corporate investments in US are made through internal financing. Further, Fazzari, Hubbard and Perterse  [6]  n (1988) has shown the delicacy of investment to internal cash flow, accenting the cost advantage of internal resources and thus explaining the fact why firms have recourse to external funds. Leary and Roberts (2005) also found that firms will not have recourse to external capital markets if they have sufficient internal funds but they are more likely to make use of the external funds when they have big investment needs. Event studies also provide a significant amount of evidence indicating that information is conveyed. Repurchases made through debt had larger announcement returns than those financed with cash thus representing larger increases in financial leverages Masulis (1980) and Vermaelen (1981) ). Heinkel and Zechner (1990) analysed an expanded catalogue of risky securities that include preferred stocks. Assuming a given capital structure and asymmetric information about investment quality, they showed that in an amalgamated equilibrium, all stock firms tend to overinvest and accepted some negative NPV projects. The overinvestment can be eliminated by issuing an initial debt which resulted in an optimal leverage ratio. Besides, an underinvestment problem is created if managers make use of more debts considering the tax advantage of debt. Nevertheless, a kindred issue of preferred stocks will enable the firm to issue a higher level of debt desired without creating the problem of underinvestment. Therefore, managers develop an optimal capital structure with debt, preferred stocks and common r which is consistent with the pecking order theory. There are also researchers that went through adjustments of capital structure around long run optima.  [7]  Marsh (1982) was one of them as he predicted that firms that have a leverage ratio below the average for the last 10 years are more likely to issue debt. Jalilvand and Harris (1984) is consistent with the results of Marsh (1982) as he shows that 108 of US manufacturing firms tend to issue long term debt when the long term debts are below average. The Pecking order theory is tested on both large firms and small firms. Most of the studies have been carried out on large firms. Few studies focused on small and medium sized firms. Since SMEs confront more information asymmetry problem, it is said that the financing decisions of SMEs are better explained by the pecking order theory. Consequently recent studies have attempted to explain the financing decisions of small firms in the context of the pecking order theory. They also argue that there is a lot of differences between large and small firms. It is not only a matter of size, this is why accurate models are used to study the decisions of the latter. The problem of information asymmetry is more persistent within small firms than in large firms. This is due to the scarcity and informality of information that is available. The financing structure of small firms is explained by using a financial growth cycle by Berger and Udell (1998). (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) in which financial needs and option change as the business grows, gains further experience, and becomes less informationally opaque. For the first two years namely the initial stage or the infant stage, companies face more information asymmetries as their main source of funds are from friends and relatives, trade credit and investors. As the age and size of companies become large enough, credit from financial institutions become more available. This is a typical view of pecking order where the degree of information asymmetry decreases as the firms grow in size and experience. Small firms find external equity costly due to the fixed costs of initial public offerings. Chittenden et al (1996). A SME pecking order was described by Zoppa and Mc Mahon (2002).  [8]  As pecking order theory prescribes, the internal funding is the first choice. In second position, the company uses short -term debt which includes trade credit and personal loans. Long-term debts are then used which include loans from owners, family and relatives. The last alternative is equity. The study of Gebru (2009) is found to be consistent with other studies as pecking order theory holds to be true for SMEs. The sample used is from Tigray and it is seen that the educational level of owners decreases and there is less intrusion in the form of ownership. Ownership type, acquisition type and owners level of education are found to be the major determinants of MSE financing preferences. However, Murray and Goyal (2003) demonstrated that pecking order theory fails where actually it should be liable and this applies for small firms where the main problem is information asymmetry. Various studies have been carried out to test the validity of pecking order theory. Evidences have shown that many researchers are for the theory and the others are against and they are as follow: Shyam- Sunder and Myers (1999) proposed to investigate the pecking order theory in the US market. According to them, the pecking order was described as an excellent first order caption for financial behaviors of companies. The slope of a firms deficit is alleged to be equal to one and the coefficient of the intercept is zero if the pecking order holds. The regression is made to the change of debt in year t. Besides, results unveil that pecking order shows a greater confidence when tested with the target adjustment model. However Chirinko and Singha (2000) examined the interpretation of Shyam- Sunder and Myers (1999) regression test as it showed that the hypothesis test used by the later suffered from statistical power problems. These problems mustered the questions about the validity of inferences hinged on their new testing strategy. The former found out that the assumption of the slope of the deficit being one was not a necessary assumption for pecking order theory to be valid. The slope coefficient would equal to one if pecking order holds and will fall short to unity if the pecking order is not valid. Coupled with the above, the importance of information asymmetry as a determinant of capital structure as proposed by pecking order theory is tested by Bharath, Pasquariello and Wu (2009). It is seen that for the period, the test was carried out, information asymmetry did actually affect the capital structure decisions of US firms. They estimated that for every dollar of financing deficit to cover, firms in highest adverse selection decile issue more debt than those in the lowest decile. They also found out that its only when information asymmetry is to its minimum that firms will prefer to issue equity. These evidences explain the partial relevance of pecking order theory. Besides, Lemmon and Zender (2006) tested the modified version of pecking order theory. The debt capacity of a firm is taken into consideration. They wrangled that the financing choice of firms may depend on its debt capacity. This is because they believe that to fulfill financing needs, some firms may save on the debt capacity. Internal funds remain first on the financing list for all firms. Firms that are flexible to debt capacity will chiefly use debt to fill their financing deficit. Hinged on these findings, they came to the conclusion that the firms debt capacity is a good descriptor of financial behavior and goes along with the modified version of pecking order theory. Tong et al (2011) tested the static trade off theory against the pecking order theory for US firms. According to them, pecking order theory produces issuance of debt until the debt capacity is attained. Their evidence indicated that pecking order is a better headline for US firms issue decisions than the static trade off theory. The Australian case was evaluated by Suchard and Singh ( 2006). The Australian market can be distinguished from typical US and European markets as it has many distinct characteristics. They found out that listed debt market was limited. This is mostly where firms obtained bank debt, debts that are convertible but not callable and stand alone warrants which are used to raise capital. They examined the determinants of security choice for hybrid issuers based on these differences and claimed that the results supported the pecking order theory. Coupled with the above, the linkage between managerial optimisim and corporate financial decisions was verified by Lin et al (2008)  [9]  . The evaluation was carried out by testing the Heatons (2002) model. Apart from information asymmetry, managerial optimism also contributes in the pecking order theory. Lin et al (2008) wanted to know if the pecking order preference was better when the managers were more optimistic. Listed Taiwanese companies were used in their sample and a stronger relationship was found between the issuance of debt and the financial deficit which is consistent with the model used by Lin et al (2008). In contrast, Faulkender and Wang (2006) provide restrained evidence for the pecking order theory. According to them, approximately a value of $1.43 is placed on companies cash holdings by investors of equity firms. This is done as it prevents a company from paying costs when raising capital in the market. Since, external financing becomes more difficult and costly to obtain, the cash value is higher for firms facing hindrance on additional financing. However, the cash value decreases as cash holdings become larger, high leverage, better cash to capital markets and larger cash distributions through dividends rather than the repurchase of shares. Next, many individual financing decisions of firms were screened by Fama and French (2005).  [10]  They found that these decisions were in contradiction with the important prognosis of pecking order theory. To give an example of the contradictions, pecking order theory states that equity issues should be the last option to be used but yet, it is observed that most firms issue some sort of stocks annually. Leary and Robert (2010) contended that pecking order theory was no way able to meticulously classify more than half of the observed financing decisions of US firms. They also suggested that the little pecking order behavior that was seen was due to incentive conflicts rather than information asymmetry. Further, Gonenc (2008) studied to verify the extent to which pecking order theory was incorporated in corporations in the US, the UK, Germany and Japan. They speculated that investors from the UK and US had an asymmetric information problem which was caused by the large spread of equity being owned. He proponed that in these countries, two managers and insiders have more information than outsider investors. German and Japanese investors faced the same asymmetric information problem mainly due to the less information flows. But evidences have shown that US, UK and Germany firms were not very supportive when it came to the pecking order theory while Japan supported the pecking order theory during the 1980s and 1990s. The impact of industry membership on the capital structure dynamics were scrutinized by Tucker and Stoja (2011) over the period from 1968 to 2006. They recommended that pecking order theory could explain only a few aspects of UK corporations capital structure policies, but it does not give an adequate explanation of their behaviours in the real world. More explicitly, they perceived that in the short run, old economy firms followed the standard pecking order theory but the new economy corporations prefer equity to debt when external funds are required. The incremental financing decision for 150 Dutch firms was estimated for the period of 1984 to 1997 by Haan and Hinloopen (2003). A distinction is made between internal financing and three types of external funds: bank borrowing, debt issues and equity issues. They concluded that Dutch companies had ingrained financing preferences namely, internal financing was preferred in the first position, bank loans are used secondly, thirdly equity are issued and finally bonds are issued. In addition, an investigation was carried out by Delcore (2007)  [11]  as to whether capital structure determinants in emerging Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries followed the traditional capital structure theory. The explanation of capital structures in CEE cannot be made by the pecking order theory. They came to the conclusion that there are factors that influenced the leverage decisions for CEE countries and they were: the difference of banking systems, disparity in legal systems governing corporate operations, shareholders and bondholders rights protection and corporate governance.