Comprehensive Balance Sheet and Income Statement

Course Project Comprehensive Balance Sheet December 31st 2012 Assets Current Assets Cash $42,485 Account Receivable$165,824 Allowance for Doubtful accounts 1,850 Net Accounts Receivable 163,974 Inventories 499,493 Securities (available for sale/at fair market value) 28,250 Notes Receivable (due next year) 23,000 Prepaid Expenses 16,252 Total Current Assets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦$773,454 Non-Current Assets Investments in Warren Co. $87,500 Land 125,000 Building$975,800 Accumulated Depreciation 341,200 Net building 634,600 Goodwill 100,000 Patents 125,000Copyrights 105,000 Trademarks 80,000 Deposits with Vendors 50,000 Total Noncurrent Assets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ $1,307,100 Total Assets $2,080,554 Liabilities and Stockholder’s Equity Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts Payable $197,532 Income Taxes Payable 62,520 Salaries Payable52,000 Notes Payable to Banks50,000 Mortgage Payable-current portion18,000 Accrued Liabilities 9,500 Accrued Interest on Notes payable 500 Customer Deposits (expected to be paid next year) 420 Total Current Liabilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. $390,472Non-Current Liabilities Mortgage Payable $290,000 Twenty-year, 12% Bonds, due 1/01/13500,000 Total Non-current Liabilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. $790,000 Total Liabilities$1,180,472 Stockholder’s equity Preferred Stock, 7%$300,000 Common Stock 400,000 Additional Paid-in Capital 37,500 Retained Earnings 162,582 Total Stockholders’ equity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ $900,000 Total Liabilities and stockholders’ equity$2,080,554 Income Statement For the Year ending December 31st 2012 Sales Revenue$2,000,000 Sales Discounts 120,000 Net Sales Revenue $1,880,000 Costs of Goods Sold 1,000,000Gross Profit $880,000 Less: Operating Expenses Selling Expenses Selling Expenses$300,000 Depreciation Expenses 60,000 Total Selling Expenses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 360,000 Administrative Expenses Administration Expenses$350,000 Depreciation Expenses 40,000 Total Admin Expenses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 390,000 Total Operating Expenses 750,000 Total Operating Income $130,000 Other Operating Income Rental Income$50,000 Dividend Income 30,000 Interest Revenue 25,000 105,000 Earnings before taxes $235,000 Income Tax expense 82,250 Net income $152,750

Riordan Manufacturing Accounting Systems, Part Ii

RiordanManufacturingAccounting Systems, Part II Business Systems I/BSA 500 November 19, 2012 LiseHautzinger Riordan Manufacturing Accounting Systems, Part II Comprehensive accounting systems and practices assist companies in monitoring cash flow expenses and investments as well as identify new sources of income. Riordan Manufacturing’s current accounting system lacks consistency across multiple locations and basic accounting modules. Each location has a closed system and dos not incorporate other department systems such as Marketing and Sales, Production, and Operations.Streamlining each accounting system to include the basic accounting modules and incorporating other company systems will help to ensure compliance and identify spending costs and potential capital investments. With the three operating entities (Georgia, Michigan, and California) and the joint venture in the People’s Republic of China, Riordan Manufacturing has a complex accounting setup. All information gathered from the operating entities is compiled at their corporate office in San Jose, California.Similar to that of other companies, Riordan Manufacturing must ensure that there is cohesion between the various entities by instilling basic use of accounting functions and methods. Although the accounting configuration and distribution is transparent to their customers and suppliers, the aggregation process is complex. The recommendations presented by Team A will help to build an integrated approach to their accounting and distribution setup. At a minimum, the basic components of each operating entity accounting system include the following functions: General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Inventory.The company has published balance sheet information that shows this level of data by comparing fiscal year ending September 30, 2010 vs. September 30, 2011. Assets for the Riordan Manufacturing include the following: information received from General Ledger, Accounts P ayable, Accounts Receivable, and Inventories. Fiscal year ending September 2011 yield total assets of $47,409,137 compared to fiscal year 2010 numbers of $34,825,498. That is an increase of $12,583,639 or approximately 26. % in 2011 compared to 2010 assets. In addition to the aforementioned accounting functions, Riordan Manufacturing uses the standard accounting methods of cash and accrual. Both methods are similar, but one of these methods will be used based on timing. In financial reporting, the cash method of accounting is used when accounting records revenue when cash from customers is received, and records expenses when they are paid in cash (Sanker, 2012). Therefore, cash basis does not recognize accounts receivable or payable.Conversely, accrual method of account include items when they are earned in addition to claiming deductions when expenses are incurred (Sanker, 2012). There are plenty of software programs available to help an organization’s accounting needs. With so many available finding the right software program can be a burden. Evaluating the needs of an organization as well as the size of the organization will help one find the correct software program. When selecting the software program it should be upgradeable for future needs as well as be able to troubleshoot and fix any errors in the program.The cost of the accounting software will also play a huge part in deciding on an accounting program. Riordan Manufacturing has multiple divisions of the company. When it comes to accounting software there are different programs used throughout Riordan Manufacturing. The San Jose plant use a different accounting software program than the Michigan and Georgia plants. This often causes a delay in financial reporting, which has caused Riordan Manufacturing investor’s confidence to decrease. The delay will also impact the outcome of future capital investments.When are there errors in accounting and financial documents this will often lead t o errors and spark costly audits (Perry, 2006). The different departments of accounting such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, and order entry need to be maintained by one system and an individual server with mirroring will suffice for the above needs and of course, a proper backup solution will be for safekeeping of this data (Perry, 2006). Microsoft produces a program that can meet the needs of Riordan Manufacturing. Solomon Great Plains program is the recommendation for Riordan Manufacturing.The functions needed by Riordan Manufacturing and pricing makes this the logical choice for accounting software. This program will allow all divisions to report back to the central point, therefore providing instance reports. One must find a compatible program that works well with the system currently in place. Riordan Manufacturing requires certain systems to create an effective and efficient accounting system. Systems such as sales, accounting, financing and human resources need to have access to the accounting system (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2012).Point of sale and cash register systems must continuously, during business hours, be connected to the accounting system. Reason being, sales are tracked and verified instantaneously. Inventory must also be considered within the accounting system to make certain that all inventory levels are monitored and replenish without user input. Monetary needs for inventory replenishing is tracked within the accounting software system. Billable hours must be tracked for cost purposes to make certain the company is working within budgetary and time constraints.The accounting systems directly connected to accounting software must also contain the general ledger accounts, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. Purchase orders for plastics orders must generate bills to customers. Collections must also have access to the company's accounting system because many times bills do not get paid, therefore collection action must be pursue d. These requirements must also be as secure as possible, behind a firewall, and virtual local area network (VLAN). Expense accounts must also be tracked within the accounting software to make certain every expense is accounted for.Finally, payroll, which includes salary and wages, payroll taxes, and deductions must be accounted for and budgeted. Integrating different modules provide a well-rounded accounting software package with the ability to keep management informed of the financial status of the company. Riordan’s current system does not include basic accounting departmental functions or modules. The company must devote funds and time to generate accurate Income Statements, Balance Sheets and the General Ledger in a consolidated effort with external auditors.As a result, a coordinated effort should be made to consolidate systems, link associated databases, and purchase appropriate accounting software. Purchase or development of software will reduce data redundancies and increase efficiency and productivity. By undertaking these measures Riordan will be able to ensure compliance, therefore cutting costs, and focus on identifying new sources of revenues and cost savings initiatives. References Apollo Group, Inc. (2012). Riordan manufacturing – intranet. Retrieved on November 4, 2012, from https://ecampus. hoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Riordan/index. asp University of Phoenix. (2010). BSA/500 course notes. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, BSA500 – Business Systems I website. Perry, Cornell. (2006). Riordan Manufacturing Proposal. Retrieved November 18, 2012 from http://www. scribd. com/doc/48198199/Riordan-Manufacturing-Proposal Sanker, S. (2012). Accounting Methods: Cash vs. Accrual. Small Business Chronicle. Retrieved November 19, 2012, from http://smallbusiness. chron. com/accounting-methods-cash-vs-accrual-3732. html

Country Music and Patsy Cline Annotated Bibliography

Country Music and Patsy Cline - Annotated Bibliography Example Ching's book has been found one of the chief resources in any researches relating to country music, and it is greatly effective in this study on the life and works of Patsy Cline. The book focuses on the various characteristics of country music including the importance of lyrics. The subject area incorporated in the book can be a useful in an understanding of Patsy's country music, particularly with regard to the lyrical qualities of her music. Therefore, this resource proves to be an added advantage to an investigation in Patsy's musical merits. This is one of the most useful collections of articles which deal with the various aspects in the life and works of Patsy Cline. The different articles in the edited version focus on some of the most essential features of Patsy's music. In one of such articles, Jensen points to teh quality of Patsy's music who celebrated country music to the fullest.

Music Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Music Anthropology - Essay Example And since the 1930s there has been a rebellious sub discipline of sociology called 'critical theory' whose avowed purpose is to expose the workings of ideology in everyday life, revealing 'uncritically' accepted beliefs and so returning to individuals the power to decide for themselves what they will believe for, by presenting themselves as simply 'the way things are', ideologies suppress the very existence of alternatives. Critical Theory developed to become a comprehensive mode of culture critique whose effects have been felt in disciplines as varied as literary studies, film and media studies, art history--and, more recently, musicology. Theodor Adorno, one of the founders of critical theory, was not only a sociologist but also an accomplished musician (he studied composition with Schoenberg's most famous pupil, Alban Berg), and he wrote as much on music as he did on sociology. Critical theory is in essence a theory of power, and it sees power largely in terms of the institutions through which it is channeled. In musicology, this approach has stimulated historical research into the formation of the canon (the repertory of masterworks on display in the musical museum) and the role of musical institutions in constructing, maintaining, and naturalizing this canon. But you can see the process at work today in the most important of such institutions, those at which music is taught (schools, conservatories, and universities). It is most obvious in the repositioning of rock within the academy. Pittman evoked the specific, pre-existing ideological discourse of rock and roll. While on the surface 'rock music' is a neutral label that distinguishes a particular kind of music, it also comprises a set of ideological assumptions about music creation and social life. Rock emerged as not only a musical genre, but a system of discourse through which the effects of the commercialization of music and the industrialization of music production can be negotiated, and by which social inequalities can be activated in a cultural arena. In an ideological division reminiscent of the high culture or popular culture distinction, rock discourse forged a hierarchy within popular music by creating a structure of value against which 'pop' music could be devalued. Rock was made to stand as a higher form of popular music, as the representative of art and artfulness. The commercialization and industrialization of music has dramatically changed the way in which music is created. Music production is organized around the segmenting of creative processes and a hierarchical form of collective production that involves more creators and more stages of creation. To make music within the music industry, musicians work with a number of people songwriters whose songs are chosen for their repertoire (in the event the musician does not write the material); producers of albums; engineers of songs; record company officials who dictate release dates of albums and singles and handle marketing and distribution; and, most recently, directors of video promotion. The separation of individual creators into categories of creative work is a function of the industrial mode of divided labor and helps industry maintain control over production. It is important to the

Anything relate to economic Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anything relate to economic - Research Proposal Example Therefore, it has become very important for researchers and policy makers to evaluate whether economies relying on currency devaluation to improve their output, have the potential to achieve long term benefits or they are compromising on their long term benefits to achieve short term gains. A huge literature work has been done to study the impact of currency devaluation and depreciation on output growth of economies. Various economic models such as Keynesian model argue that devaluation of currency has an expansionary impact on domestic output (Lai & Chang, 1989). This traditional view has been disproved by various researchers. Research study of Abdel-Haleim (2008) in Egyptian showed that devaluation has an initial contractionary effect on output however; this effect lasts for four years after which expected positive impact of devaluation starts to become significant. The impact of currency devaluation may also vary from economy to economy as found by the research of Kalyoncu and his co-researchers. Kalyoncu, Artan, Tezekici, & Ozturk (2008) found that currency devluation has a signitficant impact on output in nine out of 23 countries and out of nine, in six countries, depreciation reduces the output growth whereas, in three countries it improves the output growth. Upa dhyaya in 1988 found that currency devaluation has a neutral effect on output level in the long run and Upadhyaya and Upadhyay in 1999 found that currency devaluation does not have any impact on output in six Asian countries (Upadhyaya, Rainish, & Phelan, 2009). Therefore, this research study has been proposed to reach a conclusion based on empirical study. Where, Y is the dependent variable and in this research study, dependent variable is â€Å"real GDP† and x is independent variable, which is real exchange rate. The alphabet ‘a’ represents intercept and ‘b’ represents the slope. The secondary data of real exchange rate and real GDP of ten countries will be collected from electronic

Statment of Purpose Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Statment of Purpose - Personal Statement Example Despite various hardships, especially in my first year which could have seen me drop from the course, I decided to struggle and pursue the course and through the effort, I graduated from King Khalid University with a bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences in 2012. In the course of my learning, I studied many fields including Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pathology, Histopathology, Microbiology, Virology, and Immunology, and was chosen as a group leader in the last two years of my course, a position I held until graduation. I started my one year internship in a central hospital, training in twelve sections inside the lab. During the same period, I attended some medical related conferences where I gained further insights in the medical field, while also working for four months in another hospital as Lab Manager. After the internship, I obtained a scholarship from my country to continue my higher education in United State of America. Here, I have been studying English at the University of Oregon, and I would like to combine my science background and English language to pursue a higher level education in my specialization, of which I discovered that Cytopathology program is where my interest and competency are positioned, and I really believe that I will be successful in this field. Therefore, I am seeking enrollment in Cytopathology Masters

Birthday Project Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Birthday Project Assignment - Essay Example So my natural curiosity to research the historical importance of my year of the birth had become vital part of knowledge that would reveal how the year has significantly contributed towards making history. The research has divulged a plethora of information that has significantly shaped the future. The year started with it being declared as the World Communication Year (UN). The United Nations realized the importance of communication for socio economic development of under developed and developing countries. 1983 was proposed as World Communication Year for developing effective communication infrastructure across the globe. The computer giant, IBM also introduced PCDOS operating system for home computers and Microsoft had launched the MSWORD, the user friendly word processing software(IBM; Microsoft). Apple Computers also introduced new home computer, LISA with graphic interface (Apple Lisa). But the most important event of the year was the launch of first 1G network in Chicago, US with the first hand held mobile handset, Motorola DynaTac (bbc, 2003). The leap into the new communication system became the highlight of 1983. The cellular phone was accessible to the common man. This year will also go down in history for many of the Congress decisions for its serious commitment to eliminate racial discrimination. It was a year when the President Ronald Reagan signed a bill for declaring a public holiday to commemorate the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Junior is one of the greatest leaders of twentieth century who was able to make significant contribution to the civil rights of the African Americans. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi of India, his belief in the value system and intrinsic faith in non violence became his biggest strength. He took up the cudgel to fight for the equal rights for all human being and became an

Great Works of Western Philosophy pre-final paper Essay

Great Works of Western Philosophy pre-final paper - Essay Example The theory of recollection is also discussed in this dialogue along with the Socratic philosophy on the immortality of the soul. Socrates offers four arguments to explain the immortality of the soul: Considered to be one of the earliest dialogues, Plato’s Euthyphro provides Socrates’ argumentation on the notion of piety. Socrates uses analogical arguments to explain the meaning of piety. In order to understand what is piety, it is important to analyze logically the difference between good and bad, just and unjust, beautiful and ugly. In other words, piety is not about religious reverence. Socrates insists on careful reasoning to be considered as the main motivating factor of intellectual independence. While defining the parameters of piety, the concept of morality is also discussed at length. Morality is about individual choices and practices. That means there can be no goodness or badness in the abstract. Because, the definition of goodness or badness can differ from person to person, society to society. The relativist argument explains that a true definition of morality includes the very essence of the term because its notion differs from people to people. Theref ore, a universally accepted definition of morality will encompass all the essential characteristics possessed by it. Perceived in the same light, the concept of piety also cannot be an abstract idea. The notion can be defined universally only when it encompasses all the essential qualities of the term. Aristotle’s philosophical theories are most importantly derived from his Metaphysics. Here, Aristotle addresses various primary philosophical ideas in different books named by Greek letters such as Alpha or A (Book 1), little alpha or ï  ¡ (Book 2) and so on. Aristotle contemplates that the highest form of knowledge is wisdom, the knowledge of causes and principles. His logical theory distinguishes between homonymous (multiple unrelated meanings), synonymous (several related meanings)

Earnings per share for xyz Company Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Earnings per share for xyz Company - Term Paper Example They normally give Earning per share a certain distinction among the financial ratios. Earnings per share are considered very important in a business since it allows the investors to know how much the business earned in their stock share investment. In other words, EPS shows how much in terms of net income did the business earned for each stock share owned. Basic EPS Ratio The essential EPS is given by the equation; EPS = Net Income / Total number of stock share (Wiley, 2013). For example, in the following income statement, the company’s $32.47 million net income is divided by the 8.5 million shares of stock it owns to get the $3.82 EPS. Income statement for the year 2010 Sales revenue $457,000 Cost of goods sold expense $298,750 Gross Margin $158,250 Sales, Administration and general expense 102, 680 Earnings before interest and income tax $55,570 Interest expense 6,250 Earnings before income tax $49,320 Income tax expense 16,850 Net income $32,470 Basic earnings per share $3 ,82 Diluted earnings per share $3,61 EPS = 32.47million/8.5million = $3.82 For the stakeholders of businesses whose shares are publicly traded, EPS becomes extraordinarily important. The stakeholders therefore need to pay close attention to the market price per share. In such cases, the stakeholders would prefer their net income to be communicated to them in terms of per share so that they can be able to compare it with the market price of the stock per share (Bryan, 2011). Unlike publicly owned companies, the stock shares of privately owned companies are not traded actively. This is because they do not have to report their EPS according to the GAAP. This exemption is explained by the fact that their stockholders do not focus on per share values but are instead interested in the business’s net income. The Diluted EPS Ratio The XYZ Company could be listed in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) given the assumption that its shares are traded at $70 per share. Well known as the B ig Board, requires that requires that the market capital which includes the total of the shares issued and the outstanding shares, should be at the least, $100 million and the number of shares available for trading should be at least 1.1 million. The Company’s market capital is $595 million with the 8.5 million shares trading at $70 per share and this is well above the NYSE’s minimum. By the end of the year, this company has 8.5 million shares just outstanding. This number refers to the number of stock shares that have been issues and are now owned by its stakeholders. Therefore, the Earnings per share is $3.82 as has been computed. Nevertheless, a complication sets in when the business is committed to issuing additional capital stock shares in the future for stock options granted to the executives by the company, and it has funds borrowed on the basis of debt instruments. This particularly gives the lenders the right to convert the debt into its capital stock. Followi ng that, the business may have to issue 500,000 additional capital stock shares in the future under terms of its management options as well as its convertible debts. When we divide the net income by the number of the outstanding shares plus the additional shares that could be issued in the future, the following EPS computation emerges; $32.47million net income ? 9million capital stock shares issued and potentially issuable = $3.61 EPS This second computation, as can be seen, has higher number of stock shares and is therefore referred to as diluted earnings per share. The term diluted is used to refer to thinned out or spread over a large number of shares. That notwithstanding, the

Art Museum of Denver and Clyfford Still Museum Essay

Art Museum of Denver and Clyfford Still Museum - Essay Example One day, during the semester, I went to Clyfford Still Museum. I can say that the trip there was very illuminating and also very interesting. I saw many things and drawings that looked so complicated to understand or make sense of it. One man who works over there told me that the drawings really represented faces of people. I was really puzzled because they didn’t look like human faces. The man told me that symbolic drawing can be complex, but artists get used to it. He showed me a simple drawing, because as he said, compared to other pieces the piece was easy to analyze and understand. The piece was about three people sitting with a woman standing behind them. The colors were very attractive, and that was a switch from symbolic art. The piece really caught my eye and I liked it a lot. It was a canvas oil painting with real thick coat of paint. I took my time analyzing and reflecting on the painting to understand if there was any hidden explanation. Actually, the woman was not really standing. She was kneeling down next to the men. Looking closer always clarifies things in art. When I looked in the back of the picture I noticed that the sky was very dark and gloomy because the colors were dark blues and dark grays with some orange or red in the horizontal scope. Finally, I realized because of the orange and red colors that the time of the setting of the painting was at down or dusk, because we see this mix of colors at those two times.

History of French Cuisine from Conventional to Extraordinary Essay Example for Free

History of French Cuisine from Conventional to Extraordinary Essay Derived from the French language, bon appetit has been a familiar saying known around the world. Meaning good appetite or enjoy your meal, bon appetit exemplifies the French culture. The French have been known for centuries of elegant and exquisite cuisine especially gourmet desserts. Located in Western Europe between Italy and Spain, France has been a hotspot of enriched ancient culture. France flourished into a tourist location which ignited a change in Frances commercial kitchens. Chefs were obliged to create dishes that appealed to a growing audience. French cuisine has evolved extensively over the centuries. However, centuries of bliss and creativity was dampened with years of anguish and turmoil, when Germany occupied France during the Second World War. France’s once plentiful food supply quickly turned scarce. This forced cooks to utilize new substitutions for ingredients and start practical meal planning. The hardships the French cuisine faced during 1940-1944 simultaneously changed the French lifestyle. Modern French food now embodies simplicity yet class; rustic yet modern. Once having everything then being stripped away to nothing, France needed to rebuild a cuisine embracing the past, present, and future. Therefore beginning from World War II to modern day, French cuisine has experienced many changes whereby impacting French culture. An adversary of Germany, France sustained a significant setback when Germany took control. Prior to the German occupation, French food was known has haute or grande cuisine. Traditional haute cuisine is highly noted all around the world. The food is well known due to the immense amount of preparation and presentation that goes into each dish. Precision plays a crucial role in creating an exquisite haute meal (Franklin). However, haute cuisine ceased to exist under German occupation and subsequent food shortages. Lines were long in front of French shops as people hoped to purchase depleted foods and staple products. Burdened with these difficulties, the French government instituted food charts and tickets which were to be exchanged for French staples. Items such as butter, bread, and meat were being rationed. Traditional cuisine then became obsolete due to citizens skimping on spices and decorations. Although the government tried to provide food subsidies, hunger still existed affecting the youth in urban areas. With the absence of standard foods normally seen in their diet, the French people searched for new European dietary substitutes (Beaufort). They ate unusual vegetables, such as Swedish turnip and Jerusalem artichoke. Products such as sugar were replaced by alternatives such as saccharin. In lieu of coffee, toasted barley mixed with chicory became the beverage of choice (â€Å"French Classics†). Scams and trickery got the best of people who were desperate for a meal during this time. Some people utilized the black market. There people could sell food without government tickets. Resulting in the prices being extremely high. Counterfeit food tickets were also in circulation. Along with the black market there was also direct buying from farmers in the countryside. The above activities carried the risk of fines and punishments as they were strictly prohibited by the government. In remote country villages vegetable gardens, the availability of milk products, and illicit animal slaughtering provided better survival for the people verses those living in the large cities (Beaufort). Wine played a key role during World War II as well. Wine is commonly consumed during festive occasions it has been utilized during war as well. Over the years, wine has made an unusual appearance on the battlefield. Commanders have allowed their troops to consume wine on the front lines hoping for an increase in performance and moral. During World War II, the combination of wine and war played out in a heartfelt way. The French army did everything in their power to keep their wine and their national identity out of the hands of the invading German forces (â€Å"Saving†). Although, the German forces did invade France, the consumption of wine on the frontline gave hope to the French soldiers that traditional French culture was being preserved during and after the war. The liberation of France began on June 6th, 1944. The Allied forces put forth into to action their plan, D-Day which was the invasion of France. After World War II, tourism signaled a new beginning for French cuisine. Tourism introduced the demand for haute cuisine at a reasonable price. Japanese, Middle Easterners, British, Americans, and even French travelers were yearning for new food experiences. French chefs were now determined to start a new style of cooking, one that would keep some traditional recipes but implement new ones. New cuisine was a counteraction to the classic haute cuisine (Franklin). New cuisine or Nouvelle was the answer that chefs from all parts of the world were looking for. Nouvelle cuisine had several characteristics. For example it was important that high quality and fresh products were utilized for cooking. The chefs would travel to markets every morning and look for the freshest products. These new and improved cooks would not fathom the idea of using any product that was not absolutely fresh or needed preservatives. Chefs simplified menu cards deleting a long list of dishes. Smaller quantities and choices meant no leftovers guaranteeing freshness. Chefs were looking for quality and became more attracted by unfamiliar products. Foreign influences prevailed and chefs began to use exotic products from Asia, North Africa and Italy (â€Å"Nouvelle Cuisine†). In new cuisine recipes, fewer ingredients were used to enhance purity and light sauces substituted creamy, thick ones. Flexible preparation methods and more experimentation with non-traditional flavors allowed new cuisine to become popular (Franklin). Fortunately, this new cooking style is said to be less fattening. Chefs used limited meat in new recipes which stems from the shortage of meat during World War II. It is perfect for those seeking a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, the new cuisine was prepared with lighter ingredients such as herbs, quality butter, lemon juice, and vinegar. This flexible and less expensive cuisine mainstreamed into restaurants and other eateries (Beaufort). One byproduct of the new cuisine is the menu de degustation or tasting menu that was offered in many restaurants. Achieving notoriety, diners were eager to sample all of the dishes of the new cuisine. Each member in a group had the opportunity to order a different appetizer, main course, and dessert. Tasting menus gave the diners the convenience to experience many varieties. Another byproduct of new cuisine is the choice of a la carte. It is a menu in which the patron makes individual selections from various menu categories and each item is priced separately. Serving single portions was seen as a rare new talent to chefs (Olver). The French culture was launched and savored by people around the world. World War II impacted French living for the better by reevaluating French values and introducing new French cuisine ideas. French cuisine influenced other cultures as well and many countries adapted new French cooking methods. Throughout the centuries, France was noted for its grandiose and eccentric lifestyle. Rich foods and lavish feasts were an integral part of the France culture. Chefs prepared French cuisine with the finest ingredients. Wine was served and enjoyed at every meal. Food was plentiful for all. All of this changed rapidly with the German Invasion in 1940. A ravaged and war torn country left the French people forced to explore new and less expensive ways to provide meals solely for survival. Yet, despite the devastation and hardship the French citizens endured, they utilized these cost effective measures and the importation of ingredients into the development of the nouvelle cuisine. Tasting menus and ala carte menus, not to mention exquisite appetizers and desserts, created the ultimate dining experience enjoyed by patrons. Thus emerged the world renowned and delectable French cuisine that is so popular today.

The Chrysalids Essay Example for Free

The Chrysalids Essay Despite what many might think, It is a clear fact that The Chrysalids has been written, read and acknowledged as a warning for today’s society in many ways as I will elaborate more within the following paragraph such as; different types of racism still in our society, we still have this fear that god might be sending us a message through actions like disasters and This book is well known across hundreds of nations all over the world. Chrysalid has been around for several centuries and has a very important meaning in the lives of many. It would be safe to assume that this specific piece of Wyndham’s work is going to be around for a long time and have an enormous impact on the lives of many people. If a person or community fears change and diversity in my opinion they are refraining themselves from a better tomorrow, instead of creating a convergence to create and work towards a better future. In the chrysalids the Waknukian community is inhumane to any deviation by showing inflecting rejection and degradation, in simple terms the waknukians are racist. In the Chrysalids, by john Wyndham, the people of the frontier community are those who discriminate against those who are different in any way both physically and mentally, this act of discrimination has done nothing but foster and nurture a society that is cruel and inhumane. They think anything different is blaspheme, which is sent by the devil to misguide them into another tribulation. I think even people in today’s society still act in this way, maybe not to this extreme or obviousness but to an extent. For example, when someone is overlooked for a job because of the color of their skin, nationality or their appearance, it might not evident or they might not be straight forward

SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of Samsung

SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of Samsung Samsung was founded by Lee Byung-chul. In 1938 Samsung was born as a company that was dealing with fruit vegetable and dried fish. The company was exporting its product from South Korea to Beijing in China. In 1969, Samsung Electronics was born. From there, the company started acquiring and creating different business establishments including a hospital, paper manufacturing plant, life insurance company, department stores and many others. The company was destined to become a household name starting in its mother country and spanning its reach to many other cities internationally. http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/116664/electronics/the_history_of_samsung.html In 1974, electronics started catering to the international market in the seventies kicking off with the corporations acquisition of half of Korea Semiconductor which made it the leading electronics manufacturer in the country.The success of Samsung as a technology provider continues to grow through the eighties as Samsung Electronics was merged with Samsung Semiconductors and Telecommunications. This paved the way towards a stronger hold on the international market with high-tech products that will become a staple in every home. This development continued on through the next decade as Samsung kept on going beyond its boundaries and restructuring its business plan to accommodate the global scene. Adopting a new form of management proved to be a wise move for the company as its products made their way on the list of top must-haves in their various fields. TV-LCDs, picture tubes, Samsung printers and other high-tech products became popular acquisitions due to their high quality. When Sa msung ventured into the LCD industry in 1993, it became the worlds best. http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/116664/electronics/the_history_of_samsung.html To date, Samsung continues to maintain its status as the worlds best technology provider. Its highly qualified workforce is still striving for excellence in their respective fields making the whole company a huge success in the making. The secret to the companys continuous success is in the constant improvement of its management structure and the application of its philosophies: We will devote our human resources and technology to create superior products and services, thereby contributing to a better global society. http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/116664/electronics/the_history_of_samsung.html MICRO ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS OF SAMSUNG The aim of this section is to conduct an internal environment analysis of Samsung which will investigate the environment in which Samsung operates in. components of the analysis will be those in which the company has control over, as known as internal environment. Organisation Size Strengths Samsung is the second biggest telecommunication industry in the world through its innovation smart phone. Samsung has wide range of product includes Cell phones, Tables, Tvs Cameras, Home appliances, laptops, etc. Samsung have increase their brand value in this past three to four years Samsung is leading in design features. For example Samsung was the first one produce dual screen phones, and they have a thinnest and lightest note pad ever. Their design are attractive and stylish at the result their sales are moving in high volumes Weaknesses Their prices are low, hence their product loss value easy in the market They launch a new phone after another that can cause confusion to the customers. Poor creativity in terms of software, mostly they steal Apples software ideas Their products are not use friendly, as compare to Nokia phones They are leading in hardware but they have too much dependence for their software from other parts. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS OF SAMSUNG This section will focus on the Macro environment of Samsung and I will explain how the external factors affect the company by looking in their opportunities and threats also go through PESTEL analysis. Opportunities Samsung need to introduce user friendly products and educate their market about their product, because there is a big market in Africa yet the majority is uneducated, Here in South Africa they need to open their own stores, where they go to sell only their own products Samsung could launch no name brand like MTN and Vodafone whereby they will take the out date old model, change only a cover and sell with cheaper price. Threats Low cost competitors from China can affect Samsung All Samsung competitors bought their product parts in Chine that can lead a future fall to Samsung. The war between Samsung and Apple might contaminate the image of Samsung Samsung was banned from importing their products in a Euro Zone Apple use Chine to fight Samsung Amalgamation of Apple and Nokia could be a threat to Samsung http://www.marketing91.com/swot-analysis-samsung/ PESTEL ANALYSIS The PESTEL analysis is an analysis of the external macro environment in n n which an which an organization operates. These are often factors which are beyond the control or influence the business (RapidBi, 2013). PESTEL will be used as a tool to analyze the Macro environment of Samsung. Political environment Looking at the political environment, how the impact of politics affecting Samsung globally, As much as Samsung is a good company not everybody see like that, due to the strong competition between Apple and Samsung it ended up involving government in other countries. American government trying to stop Samsung influences the Euro zone to block Samsung to have market around Europe. Specifically in German Samsung was forced to withdraw its Galaxy tablet. Also South Korea stops Samsung to operate in there due to the political differences between Japan and South Korean government. Economic environment Samsung has expanded its business to more than 58 countries. Samsung mostly they invest heavily to the infrastructure in each end every country they have a business in. Here in South Africa they bought a land whereby they going to build the big plant, whereby it will manufacture or assemble its products for whole Africa, it means there are employment opportunities coming and there is an opportunity for South African economy. This plant is expected to employ more than 3000 people. Social Environment Social trend in South African environment are constantly changing as new innovation technology and services have impact to the needs and wants of South African communities. The stats show that there is an increase attraction to the technology which has become the primary means of communication. Samsung find that gaps to improving peoples lives. The challenge is that many people do not know how to use Samsung products in a proper way especially these new tablet phones. People steal need to be educated on how to use these tablets phone that is a challenge of our societies. Technological environment Technology in South Africa has advance and grown rapidly over the years and has affected the way we do things here in South Africa. Technology has change the way the business is done as social media has a crucial role in sustainability strategy of most businesses. Samsung find a way of take a business out of the building structure to the pocket. By introducing Galaxy Note 2 is more tablet like than phone like, it mean that you can do you work in the public transport, in the restaurants, anywhere, without filling intermediated of carrying big machine. Ecological environment Samsung Electronics is operating its own voluntary take-back system across Korea (Republic), using a network of 130 of service centers and Anycall Plaza retail outlets (exclusive outlets for Samsungs Anycall brand). End of Life mobile phones are collected either free of charge, or in some cases with a customer reward. The returned phones are then sorted and transported to recycling facilities for scrapping. They makes an effort to develop environment-friendly product that minimizing an impact to environment through whole process from getting raw materials, production, transportation, usage and end-of-life disposal by adding environment on function, price, quality, design that were the essence for product development, Samsung reporting the recycling amounts for Korea and Japan from 2004, for Europe from 2005, and for the United States from 2006. For 2006, they have forecasted an estimate of volumes they expecting to recycle this year. http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/corpcitizenship/environmentsocialreport/environmentsocialreport_VoluntaryPrograms.html Legal environment The South African government has decided in April of 2011, the Consumer Protection Act68 of 2008 should come in operation. This might have a negative impact to the company like Samsung because they have a tendency of dumping their low quality product in third world country to maximize their profit as they did in India. There are strong labour laws in South Africa which might have a strong negative impact to Samsung operating in South Africa as they intend to open a big factory in Johannesburg as a distribution center for Africa; it will be a challenge to them if they think they are going to exploit people in South Africa. MARKETING ENVIRONMENT This section will be focusing on the Marketing Environment in which Samsung operates and I will be evaluating its effects on the new Tablet in term of the competitive in the industry. Industrial Challenges This section will be broken into three parts: Porters 5 forces, competitive analysis by comparison and industry trend Michael porters porters fives forces Porter five forces analysis is a framework for industry analysis and business strategy development formed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It draws upon industrial organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An unattractive industry is one in which the combination of these five forces acts to drive down overall profitability. A very unattractive industry would be one approaching pure competition, in which available profits for all firms are driven to normal profit. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Porters_five_forces.PNG http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Porters_five_forces.PNG http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Porters_five_forces.PNG This model will be used to analyse the Industry Challenges faced by Samsung The threat of potential new entrants (Low) High capital is required to compete in technology industry. Capital to buy the equipments and capital to carry out the marketing activities and other expenses should be available. However, Microsoft will release its new first Tablet soon, this mean Microsoft will be a new threat to Samsung. Microsoft will lavage on the success of their software Product Differentiation So far theres no different on how the market design its software, hence the market hope that Microsoft will bring something new in the market, if not they will not survive in this industry because this only way they can differentiate themselves Even then, overcoming issues such as customer loyalty and switching costs would be another large barrier to entry such as Microsoft. The threat of substitutes (High) The threat of substitute products within the industry, however, is low. Even though there is an increased popularity of Tablets, they are busy doing same thing. However Samsung is the one who inventing a new trend that shift from tablet to galaxy phone which it have all feature that tablets has and smart phone features. This is the only direction the market goes. The bargaining power of buyers (High) Reliability is one of the area the companies should concentrate in, however if an organisation loss its focus on customer wants, it is easy for customer to move to another company. Companies should know how much the customer is will to pay. Buyers easily switch cost with the increased of choices of mobile companies because this products are similar to one another; If the company does not beat market, the buyer will switch to those companies that have better features or better price. However Samsung is sitting on top of the game, they always want to beat the market by releasing designs and they consider their prices they offer their customers, even now Samsung is the one have a cheaper tablet in the market. Bargaining power of supplier Samsung is its own supplier of most components. Samsung also happens to be its own supplier for raw materials and they design for themselves. The bargaining power of suppliers is high because suppliers goods are critical to the buyers marketplace success, for example Samsung is a supplier of Apple which is the have a significant role in Apple prices. (The intensity of competitive rivalry (High) The smart phone industry has many competitors that are equally balanced, and thus rivalry is high. The market for smart phones has slowed in growth since its boom, so pressure to take customers from competitors is also high. Differentiation in the smart phone industry is also at a point where it is very short-lived (Huvard et al, 2011, p.9)

A Poverty Stricken Paradise - Original Writing :: Papers

A Poverty Stricken Paradise - Original Writing On arrival in a small village called Wamba in Northern Kenya, the first thought that struck me as I stepped out of the Land Rover was the intensity of the midday sun blazing down upon me. As I took in the sights around me, a huge crowd of inquisitive children appeared from their huts and flocked towards the vehicle. So many happy faces in such a deprived village. This image will stay in my mind forever. To experience what life was really like in this small, but highly populated village, I stayed in a basic hotel among the villagers. The hotel was not a five star, luxury hotel, but was simply a bed and an integrated shower and squat toilet. For the villagers this would have been luxurious, as they lived in mud huts using whatever discarded plastic materials they could find to act as a roof. For me, this was like taking a trip back to the Stone Age. Everything was so basic. The most extraordinary view was one child's favourite toy. This was not some computer game, but an old car tyre. The poverty that these people were enduring was overwhelming, yet they were so happy with what little they had. The smiles on their faces were there constantly, even though they may not have eaten for many days due to the continuing drought that was affecting the area. When I asked one woman how she coped with not eating for so long, she replied, "When I feel hungry, I tighten my belt." This was horrific to hear, but for her it was a way of life. Because of the ongoing drought, water was becoming very scarce. To such an extent that their beloved cows and goats, which were their sign of wealth, were starting to die, leaving their owners with no food and no milk to drink. This leaves the people frail, but they are still both physically and mentally strong. The best example that showed this was one small boy, around twelve years old, carrying a

Edgar Degas and his influence on the art of Mary Cassatt Essay

Mary Stevenson Cassatt's Miss Mary Ellison (1880) and Edgar-Hilaire-Germain Degas's Mademoiselle Malo (1877) are two paintings that, when compared and contrasted, shows numbers of influences that Degas had on Mary Cassatt's art. Both of these paintings are portraits done in tbe standard  ¾ point of view. Even at a mere glance, it is easy to see the striking similarities between the two portraits. It is not too farfetched to assume that Degas had a lot of influence on Mary Cassatt's work because it is known that he was one of her biggest inspirations (Wallis, 14). Furthermore, even within the Impressionist group the bond that Degas and Cassatt shared was an important one to her, since she looked up to him as a model artist (Englemann, 80). Mary Cassatt was born in Philadelphia to Robert Simpson Cassatt and Katherine Johnston Cassatt in1844 (Mathews, 9). Her father was a wealthy banker and her mother was well-educated and spoke french fluently (Wallis,14). They were both part of the upper circles of the Pittsburg Society (Mathews ,9). As such, they had a vested interest in providing their children with the best of educational and cultural experiences (Mathews, 9) Cassatt's interest in art, seems to originate from a 5 year sojourn that the family took in 1851 (Wallis, 14). Although only a mere child at the time, it seems the expatriate life appealed the young Cassatt; furthermore, the sights she saw must have deeply affected her because she would soon return to the life abroad (Mathews,9) As a teenager she studied art privately and later as an adult she attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine arts (Wallis, 14). She was able to practice art and complete her studies with the support of her father's finances. Alt hough he d... ...ferent continent, the paths of Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt intertwined much. In her second stay in Europe as an expatriate, Degas took his role as her guide and mentor. She, having been inspired and motivated by Degas's work â€Å"accepted with delight† (Wallis, 14). Degas took an active role in encouraging her and inspiring her, he often worked with her and alongside with her, and sometimes he even helped her with the artwork; such was the case with Little Girl in a blue armchair, Degas worked on the background. (Mathews, 45). The two had a long professional relationship that survived all the way until Degas's death and even in his death â€Å"she revered him as an artist† (Mathews, 45). Since Degas was her mentor and guide, it is expected that he had influenced her art, and he did. However, it is surprising that he begun influencing her art, even before the two ever met.

Literary Realism in Editha :: William Dean Howells Papers

Literary Realism in Editha After World War I, American people and the authors among them were disillusioned by the effects that war had on their society. America required a literature that would expound what had happened and what was happening to their society. The realistic movement of the late 19th century saw authors accurately depict life and its problems. This realistic movement evolved because of many changes and transitions in American culture. In the late 1800's, the United States was experiencing swift growth and change because of a changing economy, society, and culture. The increase of immigrants into America was one of the reasons. Realists endeavored to give a comprehensive picture of modern life by presenting the entire picture. The true definition of literary realism as defined by Encyclopedia Britannica is an approach that attempts to describe life without idealization or romantic subjectivity. Although realism is not limited to any one-century or group of writers, it is most often asso ciated with the literary movement in 19th-century France, specifically with the French novelists Flaubert and Balzac. George Eliot introduced realism into England, and William Dean Howells introduced it into the United States. Realism has been chiefly concerned with the commonplaces of everyday life among the middle and lower classes, where character is a product of social factors and environment is the integral element in the dramatic complications. In relation to that, William Dean Howells, while opposing idealization, made his comic criticisms of society. He did this by comparing and contrasting American culture with those of other countries. He did not try to give one view of life but instead attempted to show the different classes, manners, and stratification of life in America. He believed that novels should present life as it is, not as it might be. Howells was a champion of realism in American literature. He has written more than one hundred books. Among them is; The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885), A Modern Instance (1882), A Boy's Town (1890) and My Year in a Log Cabin (1893). Throughout his writings, Howells attempts to make his characters real with faults and fears as are commonly found in reality. Howells utilizes literary realism in his short story Editha to communicate the reality of war and to portray the romanticism Americans had created around the concept of war.

Education has undergone a paradigm shift

Education has undergone a paradigm displacement in recent old ages with accent traveling towards larning instead than learning. Learning is no longer regarded as a unidirectional procedure of cognition transferral/distribution, but instead is considered a transformational procedure in which scholars get facts, theories and rules as conceptual tools for problem-solving and concluding within meaningful contexts. Distance acquisition ( DL ) has non been immune to this displacement and the technological developments of recent decennaries has hastened the rate of alteration. Distance acquisition is defined by the separation of scholar and instructor in infinite and/or clip ( Teaster and Blieszner, 1999 ) and Keegan ( 1995 ) considers that it consequences from the technological separation of scholar and instructor which removes the necessity of â€Å" going to a fixed topographic point†¦ at a fixed clip†¦ to run into a fixed individual†¦ in order to be trained or educated à ¢â‚¬  ( p.7 ) . Although distance acquisition might be thought of as a comparatively new term, it has existed in assorted signifiers for over a hundred old ages, get downing life through correspondence classs and go oning in this manner until being superseded by instructional telecasting and wireless in the mid twentieth century ( Imel, 1996 ) . While it is acknowledged that DL continues to take topographic point through diverse media, and that on-line bringing is merely one of these methods, the groundswell in synergistic engineerings in recent old ages has concomitantly fostered the development of new methodological analysiss which engender ( societal ) constructivist attacks, and it is the issues which surround these developments, and in peculiar some of the ways in which constructivist ideals can be realised in DL that will be the focal point of this assignment. One of the salient characteristics of DL is that it enables larning to be clip and topographic point independent, big scholars are able to set up larning around their mundane modus operandis without being constrained. In the age of IT a diverse scope of instruction ( and other ) engineerings exist to ease distance instruction where teacher and scholar are spatially separated and on-line media are used to cross the educational spread. As engineering has advanced, so the definition of DL has changed, videotaped talks were the standard signifier of bringing in university/professional DL classs in the 1980s and 1990s ( Moore and Lockee, 1998 ) and this theoretical account of spacial and temporal separation continued until the Internet, electronic mail and compressed picture moved DL into new waies and allowed it to happen in real-time. Ongoing technological developments: confab suites, wikis, treatment boards, weblogs and videoconferencing have continued to cut down the distance in DL as societal media engineerings have enabled an addition in engagement through coaction. The usage of Web 2.0 tools has accelerated the acceptance of two-way, synchronal, collaborative e-learning experiences that are get downing to replace the top-down, unidirectional instructional theoretical account. These alterations have led many observers to propose that DL requires a new, qualitatively different teaching method built upon this emerging relationship between te achers and scholars. Pedagogical considerations must recognize that the practical schoolroom possesses a typical social-interaction context and that, although engineerings may be considered transformative, they can non, of themselves, transform the acquisition experience and pedagogues must understand that â€Å" distance instruction is truly about making a different sort of construction for acquisition and instruction, non the usage of engineering † ( Kearsley 1998, no page no. ) . Petraglia ( 1998 ) has suggested that educational engineers may hold misunderstood the challenges which are posed within the DL scene by â€Å" the effort to do learning stuffs and environments correspond to the existent universe prior to the scholar ‘s interaction with them † ( p.53 ) . These efforts at pre-authentication hazard sabotaging the epistemic dimension of constructivism since the pedagogue pre-determines what reliable acquisition is, and this may be in struggle with the scholar ‘s ain perceptual experience of what is reliable for them. This effort at contextualising larning bounds constructivism ‘s application since â€Å" we need to convert scholars of a jobs genuineness instead than advance environments that deliver pre- authenticated jobs † ( Ibid. , p.13 ) . Knowles, Holton and Swanson ( 1998, p.23 ) have criticised ‘chain-like ‘ sequencing of larning events as being elemental instead than holistic, and yet some online acquisition theoretical accounts still use ‘chain-like ‘ sequencing which fail to integrate constructivist elements or take advantage of grownup larning theories to heighten the acquisition environment. Since DL operates in a different environment from the traditional schoolroom, distance pedagogues must utilize typical perceptual experiences and techniques to guarantee success, and some educationists ( Moller, 1998 ; Petraglia, 1998 ; Jonassen, Davidson, Collins, Campbell and Haag, 1995 ) have proposed that constructivism is most relevant to this context. Furthermore, grownup scholars have peculiar demands and demands compared with striplings and kids, hence, distance pedagogues must cognize how adults might larn best because of their peculiar demands. Therefore, this assignment will try to analyze the impact that constructivism has in the distance acquisition environment when focussed upon grownup scholars, and the ways in which new engineerings are back uping the development of constructivist and societal constructivism ideals within this environment. From behaviorism to constructivism Conventional instruction has normally relied upon an objectivist epistemology, this position presumes that cognition can be transferred from coach to student via direction and pattern, and that ‘true world ‘ can be discovered by the amassing of facts ( Kelly, 1970 ) . Teaching underpinned by this doctrine discourages diverse apprehensions and positions, disregards the different contexts/experiences of the person, and considers pupils to be the inactive receiving systems of cognition. Although the didactic, information-giving technique may be appropriate for some acquisition manners and in some contexts, its continuance as a dominant teaching method has stifled acknowledgment of diverse acquisition penchants. In this context accent is placed on teacher-control and student-compliance, in contrast, an recognition that adult scholars bring their ain peculiar larning features to any learning state of affairs leads effectual pedagogues to recognize these features when planning and presenting acquisition. DL has a different scene from the traditional schoolroom ensuing non merely from the spacial separation of instructor and scholar, but besides from the differences in instructional design ( Moore, 1991 ) . Since DL can non ease face-to-face interaction in the same manner that the conventional schoolroom does, and as Moore ( Ibid. ) has noted, group or single interaction is influenced by the educational doctrine in usage, assorted research workers ( McHenry and Bozik, 1995 ; McDonald and Gibson, 1998 ; Comeaux, 1995 ) have focussed upon the survey of interaction in DL. Constructivists ( e.g. , Dewey, 1916 ; Bruner, 1966 ; and Vygotsky, 1978 ) see cognition as socially constructed through scholar ‘s interaction with others. However, Knowle ‘s ( 1970 ) grownup larning theory ( andragogy ) might be viewed as conflicting with the ideals of collaborative larning due to its focal point on learner-centred direction and single acquisition aims and penchants. Collaborative teamwork is likely to be regarded every bit antithetical to these ideals unless the grownup scholar can see positive benefits from engagement. The theories relevant to this country will now be considered. Constructivist and Adult Learning Theory reviewed. Constructivism In recent old ages educational discourse has challenged the objectivist position, with an increasing apprehension that there are many ways of understanding world. Whilst constructivist authors have described assorted signifiers of constructivism, all recognise the active function which the scholar plays in construing the universe ( Larochelle and Bednarz, 1998 ) . Constructivism contests objectivism ‘s position that cognition reflects ontological world ( Ibid. ) , and alternatively proposes that our buildings and universe positions are non stable, but instead are in a province of flux as we build upon old experiences. These alterations signify acquisition, and back up the apprehension that we are ne'er inert, but alternatively are ever larning and interacting ( Kelly, 1970 ) . The Hagiographas of Dewey ( 1916 ) , Vygotsky ( 1965 ) , Bruner ( 1966 ) and Piaget ( 1926 ) have all proposed that pupils learn actively and organize new apprehensions based upon anterior cognition, and these positions view the function of the teacher altering from â€Å" a sage to a usher † ( Mason, 1998, p.4 ) . Dewey ( 1916 ) believed that larning state of affairss represent the experience ( s ) of the environment which affect the scholar, and that interaction occurs between the scholar and the environment. Therefore cognition is predicated upon active experience. Both Dewy and Piaget considered that pedagogues have a function to play both in determining the pupil ‘s experience from the environment, and understanding which milieus are likely to breed experiences that will take to growing. Dewey ( 1916 ) believed that instruction ‘s chief map was to develop the logical thinking procedure, and that jobs to be studied should be drawn from the scholar ‘s ain involvements. He viewed it as indispensable, hence, that â€Å" there be a uninterrupted activity in which he is interested for its ain interest † ( P.163 ) and that â€Å" †¦ a echt job develop within this state of affairs as a stimulation to thought † ( Ibid. ) . In this manner, constructivist methods underscore the development of the scholar ‘s ability to work out real-life jobs, and in making so ‘free-discovery ‘ and ‘problem-solving ‘ come together. As a consequence, cognition is dynamic and constructed upon the find proce dure ( Dewey, 1916 ) , and the teacher is viewed as a usher alternatively of as a manager of larning since acquisition allows for originative interaction instead than being purely outcome-based. Vygotsky ( 1965 ) moved beyond concentrating upon the person, interpreting and building significances of world, alternatively seeing single acquisition as grounded in the socio-cultural context, and symbolically mediated through language/dialogue. For Vygotsky, the scholar ‘s societal interactions, including those with instructors and other scholars, are critically of import to cognitive development, ensuing in Vygotskian theory frequently being referred to as societal constructivism. Vygotsky ‘s Zone of Proximal Development ( ZPD ) describes how engagement with another ( instructor or equal ) enables scholars to polish their thought or public presentation and do it more effectual ; this thought was taken farther by Bruner ( 1966 ) in developing the construct of scaffolding. Bruner ( Ibid. ) views instruction as a procedure of personal find, with cognitive growing happening as pupils progress through three larning phases: enactive, iconic and symbolic. In order to bring f orth apprehension, pupils must travel through the phases in turn, bring forthing new constructs and thoughts in a procedure of find acquisition, or, with the aid of another, through guided find. Knowles et Al. ( 1998 ) contend that this find should take topographic point in real-life state of affairss in order to be genuinely effectual and argue that much grownup acquisition is informal. Knowles is best known for his proposal of a theory of grownup larning which will now be reviewed. Adult larning theory Andragogy as an political orientation of constructs, thoughts and attacks for grownup instruction and acquisition was introduced by Malcolm Knowles in 1968 in acknowledgment of the different demands and motives of grownups compared with younger scholars. Conventional pedagogical theoretical accounts do non take history of these differences and so may bring forth tenseness, opposition and feelings of bitterness ( Knowles et al. , 1998 ) Six rules of grownup acquisition have been outlined: Need to cognize – grownups want to cognize why something should be learned, â€Å" what acquisition will happen, and why acquisition is of import † ( Ibid. , p.133 ) . The objectivist theoretical account assumes that pupils will larn what they are told to larn. However, grownups are used to commanding and understanding what they do, hence they want to cognize why something should be learnt and what benefit ( s ) larning will convey. Self concept – â€Å" Adults resent and resist and resist state of affairss in which they feel others are enforcing their volitions on them † ( Ibid, p.65 ) . Whilst they feel the demand for liberty, old educational experiences may hold made them dependent. It is the grownup pedagogue ‘s function to promote pupils to go self-directing, taking duty for their acquisition. Role of experience – Adult scholars are more heterogenous than immature pupils, their anterior experiences impact on acquisition, and they want to do usage of bing foundations of cognition, using them to new learning experiences. Readiness to larn – Adults are merely prepared to larn if/when their life state of affairs creates a demand to larn ( Knowles, 1970 ) . Orientation to larning – Adults favour problem-solving orientations, larning best when real-life contexts are used to show cognition. Motivation to larn – Internal precedences are more of import than external incentives, grownups are motivated to larn when the cognition can be utilised to work out jobs in their lives. Brookfield ( 1995 ) besides considered attacks to andragogy, holding with Knowles that grownups need to be autonomous and take control of their acquisition, and that this acquisition should be grounded in experiences. Additionally, Brookfield identified as of import critical refection – focusing on how adults thinks contextually and critically, and larning to larn. Brookfield ( Ibid. ) describes the instruction of grownups to larn how to larn as an â€Å" overarching intent for those pedagogues who work with grownups † ( no page no. ) Distance acquisition and ( societal ) constructivism Behaviourist educational schemes, trusting on the development of instructional sequences with results that are predetermined, have formed the footing of capable development for a figure of old ages. Constructivists are critical of this theoretical account because of its delegating of the function of the pupil to one of inactive receiver, and it reliance upon ‘drill and pattern ‘ larning activities with small attending paid to mental schemes or the significances behind them. This attack does non do allowances for negotiated shared significances, and fails to recognize the value of larning from errors made ( Williams and Burden, 1997 ) . Constructivism, in contrast to behaviorism, focuses on pupil ‘s innate efforts to do sense of the universe as the footing for the acquisition procedure, and recognises that persons use their anterior experiences in this procedure. The burden on the pedagogue displacements, hence, from being the ‘mechanic ‘ of cognition transportation, to going the ‘midwife ‘ in understanding ‘s birth ( von Glaserfield, 1996 ) with duty for making rich acquisition environments which provide the chance for meaningful experiences. In sing the function of constructivist theory in distance acquisition, Jonassen et Al. ( 1995 ) suggest four rules for constructivist environments that â€Å" engage scholars in cognition building through collaborative activities that embed larning in a meaningful context and through contemplation on what has been learned through conversation with others † ( p.5 ) . The rules propose that on-line distance larning environments should b e built with a focal point upon: Context, including a real-world component to avoid ‘chain-like ‘ sequencing ; Construction, leting active cognition building through articulation and contemplation ; Collaboration, happening amongst scholars to back up the development and rating of beliefs and hypotheses, and Conversation, for the dialogue of solutions to jobs. The acknowledgment of the importance of coaction and conversation amongst scholars as cardinal elements in the acquisition procedure is rooted in constructivism ‘s outgrowth: societal constructivism, which emphasises larning ‘s societal and collaborative nature ( Vygotsky, 1978 ) . McLoughlin and Oliver ( 1998 ) see that the constructivist position fails to to the full recognize that societal procedures, for illustration coaction, peer interaction and linguistic communication usage, have an of import impact on larning. Social constructivist believing positions cognition as constructed when scholars engage in conversation or activities about common undertakings or jobs. Meaning is constructed through a dialogic procedure and acquisition occurs as pupils are enculturated by better skilled equals ( Driver, Asoko, Leach, Mortimer and Scott, 1994 ) . Through this procedure, cultural tools are acquired via engagement in cultural activities. Wells ( 1999 ) considers that Vygotsk ian theory supports this thought of a teacher-led collaborative community in which â€Å" all participants learn with, and from, each other as they engage together in dialogic question † ( p. twelve ) . Therefore, it is possible to see larning non as the teacher-directed lone activity of making specific responses to precise cues as behaviorism suggests, nor as an independent manner of researching the universe and doing sense of the experience as Piaget proposes. Rather societal constructivism positions larning as a socially synergistic procedure in which persons make significances through interactions with others. Mediation, hence, can be seen as an indispensable component in the societal constructivist larning procedure. A go-between is another who is more knowing or experienced than the scholar ( i.e. instructor, parent or equal ) who assists the scholar in doing sense of their experiences in order to manner new apprehensions. By adding the factor of mediation to the construct of constructivism, Jonassen et Al. ( 1995 ) and Williams and Burden ( 1997 ) have proposed that four factors influence acquisition, these are: instructors, scholars, undertakings and contexts, and Williams a nd Burden ( Ibid. ) consider that â€Å" they all interact as portion of a dynamic, on-going procedure † ( P. 43 ) . In this manner, societal constructivism regards the instructor as usher or facilitator working with scholars in a collaborative group working within real-world contexts to make significance from problem-based undertakings. Constructing communities and contracting the distance The challenge for the distance pedagogue is to unite these factors into a successful acquisition environment and diverse issues of constructivism and andragogy demand to be considered. Palloff and Pratt, ( 2007 ) suggest that making successful distance instruction utilizing on-line methods will affect reassigning our best patterns from the schoolroom into a new sphere, â€Å" in this new sphere, nevertheless, the patterns may non look precisely the same † ( p.6 ) . The on-line medium obliges DL pedagogues to believe otherwise in order to use its learning-enhancing functionality and pedagogic/andragogic potencies. It poses the challenge, and presents the chance, of making a sense of community which can breed societal constructivist acquisition. Within instruction, sense of community includes larning community and societal community ( Rovai, Wighting and Lucking, 2004 ) , and community-building has been identified as a factor in cut downing or forestalling the feelings of disaffection and isolation which may lend to student abrasion in DL ( Rovai, 2002 ) . Learning community comprises of how members perceive group rank with respect to shared norms/values and to the ability to run into educational aims/expectations ( Rovai et al. , 2004 ) . Social community is representative of the feelings of community members towards their connection, coherence, safety, mutuality, common trust, and sense of belonging ( Ibid. ) . The DL pedagogue Fosters this sense of community through the creative activity of a safe environment wherein pupils do non experience threatened when showing thoughts, by advancing socialization, exposing regard for diverse backgrounds, supplying feedback which directs and keeps communicating fluxing, reacting to pu pils ‘ educational demands, and keeping an obvious online interceding presence. Brown ( 2001 ) links the grade of community experienced by scholars with the degree of battle and duologue within the category and this is a position shared by Moore ( 1993 ) who considered the dealing of distance acquisition. Transactional distance theory defines the distance in DL as more than merely the spacial disjunction of instructors and scholars, but instead as a distance of perceptual experiences and apprehensions which is partly caused by geographic separation ; this separation must be reduced if effectual acquisition is to happen. Transactional theory evolved from work by Dewey and Bentley ( 1949 ) , and â€Å" connotes the interplay among the environment, the persons and the form of behaviors in a state of affairs † ( Boyd and Apps ( 1980 ) , cited in Barbadillo, 1998, no page ordinal number ) . The DL dealing takes topographic point between scholars and instructors within an environment with the typical feature of spacial separation and the attendant array of part icular acquisition and instruction behaviors. Transactional distance is engendered by the physical separation which creates a communicational spread, or psychological infinite – an country of possible mistake between the inputs of the instructor and scholar ( Moore, 1993 ) . Moore ( 2007 ) considers that transactional distance is comparative, non absolute, and that larning programmes are non ‘distance ‘ or ‘not distance ‘ but instead they have â€Å" more distance or less distance † ( p.91 ) . Transactional development is influenced by three factors: duologue, construction and liberty ( Moore, 1993 ) . The nature and extent of duologue may be affected by diverse factors ( class design, teacher/learner personalities, capable affair, environment etc. ) , but the medium of communicating is besides an of import factor. Programs with small or no dialogic interplay have a greater transactional distance than those which foster dynamic duologue. The usage of synergistic, electronic media supports this dynamism and so help the shortening of transactional distance. Structure is evaluated by Moore ( Ibid. ) from the position of the class ‘s flexibleness or rigidness in footings of the constitution of learning techniques, educational ends, appraisal processs and the grade to which single demands are met. Finally Moore ( Ibid. ) views liberty as the extent of scholar control exercised over acquisition processs – the sum of pick the pupil has over issues of larning ends, rate of advancement, mode of instruction and assessment methods. Moore ‘s theory has obvious analogues with constructivist, societal constructivist and grownup acquisition theories, and it is evident that as andragogical and constructivist elements are introduced, transactional distance will diminish. Transactional distance and duologue are reciprocally relative, therefore a lessening in duologue will ensue in an addition in transactional distance, whilst an addition in dialogue reduces distance. Although Moore ( 1993 ) focussed upon the dialogic interplay between instructor and scholar, using constructivist attacks in combination with societal package Fosters dialogue amongst equals every bit good as between scholar and instructor in the spirit of Williams and Burden ‘s ( 1997 ) socially-constructed, dynamic procedure. Dialogue is besides relative to class construction, an addition in construction lessenings duologue and accordingly increases transactional distance ( Moore, 1993 ) ; Moore speculated that grownup scholars of course exh ibit independent behavior and this liberty relies upon decreased degrees of transactional distance e.g. low degrees of construction and high degrees of duologue. Constructivist ideals can further the decrease of transactional distance and so increase liberty in the spirit of Knowle ‘s self-conception. Interaction plays an of import portion in this procedure, and the ways in which engineering can help this must be considered. Interaction There are basically two types of interaction in a learning state of affairs. One consists of the scholar interacting separately with content, while the other involves societal activity – the scholar ‘s interactions with others ( equals or instructor ) about the content. A DL environment that is to supply affectional and effectual acquisition whilst making a sense of community and contracting the transactional distance must breed both sorts of interaction. In the yesteryear, societal interaction about content chiefly took topographic point between the pedagogue and scholar, but emergent engineerings have made it progressively executable for scholars to interact with each other and this interaction gives learners the chance to reflect, reconsider and cooperate in reliable problem-solving ( Lave and Wenger, 1991 ; Berge, 1995 ) . Social interactions which would usually happen in the conventional schoolroom ( e.g. sharing, treatment, group activities, equal reviewing, etc. ) must alternatively take topographic point via tools and engineerings in distance acquisition environments. However, some of these tools/technologies have restrictions which may impact the kinds of interactions that are possible or likely to go on. Online engineerings provide affordances that can be utilised for larning through substructures which allow connexions to objects and people that are in other environments ( Ryder and Wilson, 1996 ; Harasim, Hiltz, Teles and Turnoff, 1995 ) . Although these engineerings can further good interactions, they may besides impede them since pupils can non interact efficaciously unless they are easy able to use the media that they have been tasked with utilizing ( Kruper, 2002 ; Salmon, 2001 ) . Web 2.0 engineerings, which encompass a diverse scope of constituents that can be used to heighten the constructivist larning procedure, may offer a solution to this job. These tools are characterised by their celerity of deployment/ease of usage, enabling powerful information sharing and breeding constructive coaction ( Boulos, Maramba and Wheeler, 2006 ) . The minimum accomplishments needed to entree the characteristics of these engineerings allow scholars to concentrate upon information exchange and collaborative undertakings without the distraction of an environment which is technologically complex ( Kirkpatrick, 2006 ) . These tools – wikis, web logs, RSS provenders and podcasts etc. have been jointly called ‘social package ‘ and encapsulate a scope of coaction and information-sharing characteristics which may move as cognitive contemplation tools, helping building of significance as scholars develop content. The collaborative nature of societal package allows for the edifice of cognition both with and for others, concentrating upon the community instead than the single scholar. Collaborative acquisition may be synergised by happening in a community of pattern context – with scholars engaged in corporate acquisition within a shared sphere ( Lave & A ; Wenger, 1991 ) . Social package tools can move as cognition platforms for such a community, enabling information-sharing, treatment and coaction therefore helping the development of a constructivist environment. However, Marjanonic ( 1999 ) has criticised synchronal collaborative tools for enabling â€Å" communicating†¦ instead than computer-mediated coaction † ( p.131 ) . Hesse, Garsofsky and Hron ( 1997, cited in Pfister and Muhlpfordt, 2002, p.1 ) delineate the possible restrictions of utilizing synchronal text-based tools for collaborative discourse: deficiency of societal consciousness, deficient group coordination a nd lacking coherency of parts ; Pfister and Muhlpfordt ( 2002 ) besides stress the troubles that there may be in breeding consistent communicating, and equalizing parts within synchronal discourse. However, even in the schoolroom environment collaborative acquisition is non without its jobs, there may be, for case, pupils who dominate, inactive pupils, pupils who are loath to show their thoughts ( peculiarly if these contradict the instructor ‘s ) , or pupils making no work at the disbursal of others. The on-line environment may really assist to extenuate some of these jobs and lead pupils to comprehend online group treatments as more democratic and just than the traditional schoolroom ‘s opposite number ( Swan, 2001 ) . Some ( e.g. Jonassen and Kwon, 2001 ; Lai, 1997 ) assert that topics affecting treatment, brainstorming or contemplation are peculiarly suited to the online environment, and brooding acquisition – attacks that enable scholars to reflect on their acquisition and their acquisition processes – may be particularly effectual in this context. An of import component of brooding acquisition is that of reflecting upon cognition in order to do i t explicit. Social package, for illustration wikis, enables this contemplation to take topographic point collaboratively, conveying larning closer to the societal constructivist ideal. Employing tools which foster contemplation and self-assessment is a type of meta-cognitive staging that assists pupils in associating larning procedures to aims, and motivates them to presume duty for their ain acquisition. The usage of scaffolding as an foil of pupil acquisition was proposed by Bruner ( 1966 ) edifice upon the work of Vygotsky ( 1965 ) and in its original signifier viewed the instructor as the most likely scaffolder, making support systems for the pupil. However, in a technologically supported, constructivist environment where the pedagogue ‘s function as guide/facilitator is emphasised, equals, support tools or computing machine coachs are merely every bit likely to supply scaffolding. Beed, Hawkins and Roller ( 1991 ) see that scaffolding must take topographic point within a collaborative context, runing across the scholar ‘s ZPD, and be withdrawn as the scholar develops competence. From this it is clear that scaffolding within a DL environment may be an inherently societal procedure within which supportive interaction occurs in a collaborative context. Decision Much has changed in distance acquisition since its birth, rooted in correspondence classs, in the 1800s. Early classs were extremely structured, with minimum duologue between instructor and taught, and accordingly the distance between them – Moore ‘s psychological and communications gap – was great. Subsequent developments in communications engineering narrowed this distance, but the objectivist doctrine underpinning the exchange remained basically the same. Whilst it has been recognised for a figure of old ages that constructivist attacks may better the quality of instruction and acquisition in our schoolrooms, it has merely been in recent times, with the widespread usage of broadband and the development of tools which take advantage of its capablenesss, that constructivist ideals have been to the full capable of integrating into DL programmes. The new capablenesss afforded by societal package engineerings and the on-going development of online synchronal communi cations enable advanced staging and breed societal acquisition. However, distance pedagogues should non be tempted to utilize the advantages that engineering offers to try to animate the traditional schoolroom virtually, or to make state of affairss which pre-determine acquisition. This risks restricting the application of constructivism, and fails to admit that distance larning occurs in a typical socio-interactive context which requires a alone attack to learning and acquisition. Recent decennaries have seen important alterations in the bringing of DL as a consequence of new apprehensions about how grownups learn, and prefer to larn, every bit good as the rise of engineerings which enable the distance pedagogue to be ‘present ‘ even though temporally or spatially separate. The application of constructivist and andragogical theories combined with emergent engineerings have enabled the creative activity of practical schoolrooms within which collaborative communities can develop together, with the pedagogue presuming the function of facilitator in the group ‘s co-construction of cognition and significance. This interactive combination of theory and engineering has allowed distance larning to offer the grownup learner the ability to larn without clip or topographic point restraints whilst besides supplying the benefits – sense of belonging and collaborative endeavor – which the conventional schoolroom may offer. As a consequence, p upils no longer hold to ‘trade-off ‘ the advantages of synergistic acquisition against the convenience of distance survey, but instead can bask the benefits of both.

Monarchial constitution Essay

Under the milkweed solelyterflyial ecesis of the United Kingdom (UK), the majority of perk personnels atomic number 18 now make outd by the presidency in the wee of the Cr induce. in that location are two principle definitions of Royal perk (RP) that of Sir William Blackstone and that of Professor A. V. Dicey. According to Dicey, RP is defined as the resi due(p) of discretionary or discretional authority, which at all given term is legally left in the pass on of the Crown.RP has some(prenominal) defining char make outeristics RP is inherent to the Crown, derived from vulgar justness, actd by the organisation on behalf of the crown, the powers are residual and RP legitimises establishment satisfys without the need for an make a motion of fantan (AOP). Before the 17th century, the monarch had all three powers, the legislative, executive and discriminative powers. The judiciary started gaining independence since the Case of Prohibitions 1607 and was amply i ndependent after the typify of resoluteness 1700, which effectively removed the power of the monarch to remove a judge at get out.The independence of the legislature started with the Case of resolve 1611 and culminated in the Bill of Rights 1689, which curbed future irresponsible behaviour of the monarch and guaranteed sevenss power vis a vis the Crown. With these changes made to the UK piece of music and as support grew for a pop organization, RP seemed out of place in the custody of the monarch and was slowly transferred into the hands of the government to be customd in the name of the Crown.It is possible for RP to be systematise i.e interconnected into an AOP, as terminate be seen from the built-in Reform and Governance deport 2010 (CRGA). The CRGA codified some(prenominal) RPs, such(prenominal) as the RP to substantiate treaties. The codification of RP meant that it would be under parliamentary control and not the Executive. In the UK today, the UK governmen t makes certain decisions based on the RP if they are not covered under any statutes. However, at that place aim been several cases regarding the use of RP brought to the chat ups, spearheaded by Darnels case as headspring up as the Case of move Money.The accompaniment that these cases could be judged by the tribunals showed that the government (on behalf of the monarch) could exercise the immunity power disposed(p) by the courts. Therefore, the courts live the power to desexualize whether that immunity power exists and the extent of the power exercised by the government. Codifying the RP ensures that courts would not have the power to pay back its existence, as they are un able to determine the logicality of an AOP, as directed by captain Reid in Pickin v British Railways Board.It would also prevent combats with statutes, as well as promote greater induction and accessibility in the im pctiality. However, codifying the RP would make it more rigid, which may affec t the reflexes of the government in responding to situations which are time-sensitive. Nevertheless, the current practice of the UK government with regards to such RP would be to consult Parliament first. Thus, it would be desirable to codify the RP. The RP has unceasingly been a part of common law in the UK Constitution. In the Case of proclamation 1611, thence King James I view asd two royal proclamations without the live with of Parliament.When the case was brought before the court, superior puff held that the King hath no prerogative, unless that which the law of the land allows him, meaning that the King could hardly exercise the prerogative power granted by the courts. Following the judgment, there were several cases which involved the use of the RP which the courts upheld. In Darnels case, the defendant was imprisoned due to a kisser issued from the King in which there was no reason for the imprisonment. The court held that the arrest was valid as this was the exerc ise of the monarchs prerogative power to arrest.The Case of Ship Money also exemplified how the court could fix if use of RP was legitimate. Hampden had ref employ to pay taxes to the King, upon his RP to raise gross in an emergency situation. The court later upheld the power of the Crown. Lastly, the judgment in Lord Advocate v University of Aberdeen upheld the RP that things lost, abandoned or ownerless belongs to the Crown. However, the courts have also held several decisions which restricted the RP. In BBC v Johns, BBC claimed there was a prerogative to grant granting immunity to them so as to avoid nonrecreational taxes.This case was famous for the dictum of Lord Diplock who verbalize that it is 350 old age and a well-bred war too late for the barons courts to broaden the prerogative. whatever feel that the exercise of prerogative powers was extracurricular judicial review. Lord Devlin (in Chandler v DPP) agreed, but in his obiter statement stated that the courts ex it not review the proper exercise of discretionary power but they go forth intervene to correct excess or abuse. Despite this, not all prerogative powers are subjected to judicial review, the reviewability is dependent on its subject affair and not the citation of power.In the GCHQ case, Lord Roskill mentioned that Prerogative powers such as those relating to the making of treaties, the defence of the realm, the prerogative of mercy are not, I think, subjected to judicial review because of their nature and subject matter is such as not to be amendable to the judicial process. Thus, with RPs, courts would have the ability to judge whether they are implemented legitimately or not, dependent on the scope of the prerogative in question, but in the case regarding AOP, courts would not be able to question its validity, as stated by Lord Reid in Pickin (as above).This would be desirable as it would smoothen the dealing amidst the Judiciary and Executive, with fewer conflicts between t hem. There are also situations whereby RP testament be in conflict with statutes. As such, the Crown would not be able to exercise the prerogative power due to the doctrine of parliamentary Sovereignty. In AG v De Keysers Royal Hotel, the Crown utilize the Royal Hotel during the First World struggle and the hotel later claimed for pay under defending team Act 1842.Although the Crown argued that no compensation should be paid since there was an RP to dramatise any land of the subject during wartime, the court held that when the statutory power and prerogative power co-existed, statutory power would override that of prerogative. Similarly, in R v Secretary of show for the Home Department, ex parte Fire Brigades Union, the immoral Injuries Compensation Scheme set up under diplomatic ministerial Prerogative powers was used instead of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, so as to save property by awarding less compensation. The court held that if there is a statutory scheme, it canno t be replaced by the RP.To prevent these scenarios from happening, Parliament has interpreted steps in recent years to incorporate some RP into statutes. For example, the Treasure Act 1996 states that the prerogative right of treasure trove has been abolished and replaced by this Act. The Human Rights Act 1998 protects citizens against arbitrary use of prerogatives, and the Fixed-Term Parliament Act 2011 has structured the RP of dissolution of Parliament. Hence with these recent developments, RP will be in less conflict with AOPs and more consistent with them, enabling them to be more certain and accessible to the public.There are naysayers of codifying the RP that argue that such an act would increase the rigidity of the process to reach out the intended result. Indeed, this is true as can be seen in the prerogative to declare war on other countries. For such a result, the government would need the operative flexibility and speed of deployment that the RP provides. By incorporat ing it into a statute, not only will the cogency of the government be reduced, excess packaging that the AOP will bring would undermine the triumph of the operation.In addition, there will be situations where the government cannot await parliamentary blessing due to time constraints. Be that as it may, in practice, the government in advance(a) times have looked for Parliaments approving regarding the issue of war. In 2006, then Prime Minister Tony Blair, following his own vote over Iraq in 2003, acknowledge that he could not conceive of a situation in which a government is going to go to war turf out in the circumstances where immediate action is required without a full Parliamentary turn.The Iraq war vote was a evidential precedent that Parliament should give its approval regarding such matters. Following which, Prime Minister David Cameron in 2011 held a Parliamentary debate on whether UK should establish a no-fly regularise in Libya after the outbreak of force actio n. Lastly, in September 2013, a Parliamentary debate was called to discuss the possible force intervention in Syria after chemical substance weapons were allegedly used on civilians. By calling a vote, the government was ensuring proceed adherence to the practice that Parliament should have a say in such issues.Hence, even if codifying the RP does increase rigidity, the process of ensuring Parliaments approval is already established. both(prenominal) might feel that codifying the RP would be sacrificing UK fib as they would be forgoing part of their culture which makes their unwritten constitution laughable in todays cosmos (inclusive of New Zealand and Israel). Nevertheless, the RP is considered by many to be an outdated power and is such an essential one that it should not bypass egalitarian representation.