DOZIER industri Essay

Richard Rothschild, the chief financial officer of Dozier Industries, returned to his office after meeting with two officers of Southeastern National Bank. He had requested the meeting to discuss financial issues related to Dozier’s first major international sales contract, which had been confirmed the previous day, January 13, 1986. Initially, Rothschild had contacted Robert Leigh, a vice president of the bank, who had primary responsibilities for Dozier’s business with Southeastern National. Leigh, feeling that he lacked the international expertise to answer all the questions Rothschild might raise, had suggested that John Gunn of the bank’s International Division be included. The meeting had focused on the exchange risk related to the new sales contract. Dozier’s bid of (British pounds) GBP1.175 million to install an internal security system for a large manufacturing firm in the United Kingdom had been accepted. In accordance with the contract, the British firm had transferred a 10% deposit (GBP117,500), the balance due when the system was completed. Dozier’s production vice president, Mike Miles, had assured Rothschild that there would be no difficulty in completing the project within the 90-day period stipulated in the bid. As a result, Rothschild was planning on receiving GBP1.0575 million on April 14, 1986. Company History Dozier Industries, a relatively young firm specializing in electronic security systems, was established in 1973 by Charles L. Dozier, who was still president and the owner of 78% of the stock. The remaining 22% was held by other members of management. Dozier had formerly been a design engineer for a large electronics firm. In 1973 he began his own company to market security systems and began by concentrating on military sales. The company experienced rapid growth for almost a decade. But in 1982, as Dozier faced increased competition in this market, management attempted to branch out to design systems for small private firms and households. Dozier’s  inexperience in this market, combined with poor planning efforts, slowed sales growth and led to a severe reduction in profits (see Exhibit 1). The company shifted its focus to larger corporations and met with better success. In 1985, the company showed a profit for the first time in three years, and management was This case was prepared by Professor Mark R. Eaker. It was written as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright  © 1986 by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All rights reserved. To order copies, send an e-mail to sales@dardenbusinesspublishing.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the Darden School Foundation. ââ€"ŠÂ  confident that the company had turned the corner. Exhibit 2 contains the balance sheet at the end of 1985. The company’s management believed that sales to foreign corporations represented good prospects for future growth. Consequently, in the spring of 1985, Dozier had launched a marketing effort overseas. The selling effort had not met with much success until the confirmation of the contract discussed previously. The new sales contract, although large in itself, had the potential of being expanded in the future because the company involved was a large multinational firm with manufacturing facilities in many countries. Foreign Exchange Risk and Hedging On January 13, the day the bid was accepted, the value of the pound was (U.S. dollars) USD1.4480. But the pound had weakened over the previous six weeks  (see Exhibit 5). Rothschild was concerned that the value of the pound might depreciate even further during the next 90 days, and it was this worry that prompted his discussion at the bank. He wanted to find out what techniques were available to Dozier to reduce the exchange risk created by the outstanding pound receivable. Gunn, the international specialist, had explained that Rothschild had several alternatives. First, of course, he could do nothing. This would leave Dozier vulnerable to pound fluctuations, which would entail losses if the pound depreciated, or gains if it appreciated versus the dollar. On the other hand, Rothschild could choose to hedge his exchange risk. Gunn explained that a hedge involved taking a position opposite to the one that was creating the foreign exchange exposure. This could be accomplished either by engaging in a forward contract or via a spot transaction. Since Dozier had an outstanding pound receivable, the appropriate hedging transactions would be to sell pounds forward 90 days or to secure a 90-day pound loan. By selling pounds forward, Dozier would incur an obligation to deliver pounds 90 days from now at the rate established today. This would ensure that Dozier would receive a set dollar value for its pound receivable, regardless of the spot rate that existed in t he future. The spot hedge worked similarly in that it also created a pound obligation 90 days hence. Dozier would borrow pounds and exchange the proceeds into dollars at the spot rate. On April 13, Dozier would use its pound receipts to repay the loan. Any gains or losses on the receivable due to a change in the value of the pound would be offset by equivalent losses or gains on the loan payment. Leigh assured Rothschild that Southeastern National would be able to assist Dozier in implementing whatever decision Rothschild made. Dozier had a USD3 million line of credit with Southeastern National. John Gunn indicated that there would be no difficulty for Southeastern to arrange the pound loan for Dozier through its correspondent bank in London. He believed that such a loan would be at 1.5% above the U.K. prime rate. In order to assist Rothschild in making his  decision, Gunn provided him with information on interest rates, spot and forward exchange rates, as well as historical and forecasted information on the pound (see Exhibits 4, 5, and 6). Rothschild was aware that in preparing the bid, Dozier had allowed for a profit margin of only 6% in order to increase the likelihood of winning the bid and, hence, developing an important foreign contact. The bid was submitted on December 3, 1985. In arriving at the bid, the company had estimated the cost of the project, added an amount as profit, but kept in mind the highest bid that could conceivably win the contract. The calculations were made in dollars and then converted to pounds at the spot rate existing on December 3 (see Exhibit 3), since the U.K. company had stipulated payment in pounds. Rothschild realized that the amount involved in the contract was such that an adverse move in the pound exchange rate could put Dozier in a loss position for 1986 if the transactions were left unhedged. On the other hand, he also became aware of the fact that hedging had its own costs. Still, a decision had to be made. He knew that no action implied that an unhedged position was the best alternative for the company. Exhibit 1 DOZIER INDUSTRIES (A) Sales and Income Summary Year Ended December 31 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 Sales (in thousands) 456 631 890 1,610 3,860 7,242 11,338 15,138 20,371 21,455 22,501 23,986 25,462 Net Income (in thousands) 41 54 73 151 324 760 1,162 1,488 1,925 712 (242) (36) 309 Exhibit 2 DOZIER INDUSTRIES (A) Balance Sheet as of December 31, 1985 Assets Current assets: Cash and securities Accounts receivable Inventories Total current assets Properties, plants, and equipment: At cost Less: Accumulated depreciation Net plant Other assets: Investments and loans Total assets Liabilities and Equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable Notes payable – bank Total current liabilities Long-term liabilities: Notes payable Common equity: Common stock Reserves Retained earnings Total equity Total liabilities and equity USD294,572 1,719,494 2,227,066 4,241,132 8,429,812 2,633,404 5,796,408 450,000 USD10,487,540 934,582 652,800 1,587,382 550,000 2,253,410 627,244 5,469,504 8,350,158 USD10,487,540 Exhibit 3 DOZIER INDUSTRIES (A) Bid Preparation Materials Direct labor Shipping USD847,061 416,820 70,000 Direct overhead* 208,410 Allocation of indirect overhead 100,492 Total cost Profit factor 1,642,783 USD98,567 Spot pound rate on December 3: USD1.4820 Pound value of the bid: GBP1,175,000 * Based on 50% of direct labor. Exhibit 4 DOZIER INDUSTRIES (A) Interest and Exchange Rate Comparisons January 14, 1986 Three-month money* Prime lending rate Three-month deposits (large amounts) EUR/USD 3-month (LIBOR) EUR/USD 3-month (Paris) 3-month treasury bills in London United States United Kingdom 7.65 13.41 9.50 13.50 8.00 12.90 8.3 13.2 12.2 The spot rate for the pound: USD1.4370 Three-month forward pound: USD1.4198 * Prime commercial paper in the United States; Interbank rates in the United Kingdom. Source: The Economist. Exhibit 5 DOZIER INDUSTRIES (A) Historical Spot and Forward Pound Rates in U.S. Dollars 7/9/85 7/16 7/23 7/30 8/6 8/13 8/20 8/27 9/4 9/10 9/17 9/24 10/1 10/8 10/15 10/22 10/29 11/5 11/12 11/19 11/26 12/3 12/10 12/17 12/23 12/30 1/7/86 1/14/86 Spot 1.3640 1.3880 1.4090 1.4170 1.3405 1.3940 1.3900 1.3940 1.3665 1.3065 1.3330 1.4200 1.4120 1.4155 1.4120 1.4290 1.4390 1.4315 1.4158 1.4320 1.4750 1.4820 1.4338 1.4380 1.4245 1.4390 1.4420 1.4370 Source: Chicago Mercantile Exchange Statistical Yearbook. 3-Month Forward Rate 1.3490 1.3744 1.3963 1.4067 1.3296 1.3828 1.3784 1.3817 1.3553 1.2960 1.3226 1.4089 1.4005 1.4039 1.4007 1.4171 1.4270 1.4194 1.4037 1.4200 1.4628 1.4704 1.4214 1.4249 1.4114 1.4260 1.4284 1.4198

Darden case study Essay

1. Using the full spectrum of segmentation variables, describe how Darden segments and targets the sit-down dining market. The types of segmentation include geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral segmentation. For geographic segmentation, Darden has all of its Longhorn Steakhouse restaurants in the eastern half of the United States but they are trying to expand to the west coast. This is a great idea because out west is an untapped market with great potential for lots of earnings. Darden has a chance to redefine the image of steakhouses as is currently being done like the classiness that is being added to the brand. The customer traffic is increasing and Longhorn Steakhouse could potentially even overtake Outback Steakhouse as the premier steakhouse type of restaurant. For demographic segmentation, Red Lobster represents the opportunity Darden has to fill the gap between the young fast food concept and the upscale white-tablecloth restaurants. Red lobster is even making many changes to accommodate for the changing times around America which is causing sales to fall. With innovative concepts such as wood fired grilling resulting in a â€Å"taste of wood-grilled seafood† and investments in equipment and training, Darden is putting itself back in the spotlight to becoming recognized and respected. You can also never go wrong with fried shrimp so Red Lobster will always have that marketing card to play. The Psychographic segmentation is shown by how people want to feel positive emotions when they go out to restaurants such as the concept of a happy family and namely the mythical Italian family. Customers want to feel emotionally satisfied as much as they want to be physically satisfied by the food. Creating an authentic menu hits close to home because people get that warm and happy feeling when they see the authenticity. Even Olive Garden’s commercial â€Å"When you’re here, you’re family† and slogan show the feelings of connection that Americans want to feel and would be willing to come in for. Behavioral segmentation is shown in how less frequently Americans want to sit down at restaurants to eat their meals. With all of our financial constraints we are choosing different and more cost effective ways to eat out and have a good time with the family. Darden needs to use more cost effective ways to lower the meal prices so that family’s will once again be willing to eat out at a sit down restaurant on a regular basis.

Actions that the MLRO of BCD should take

Introduction A Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) is an officer within a firm or practice that has been nominated to make disclosures to the National Crime Agency (NCA), formerly the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), under the Proceeds of Crimes Act (POCA) 2007 and the Terrorism Act (TA) 2000. It is provided under Regulation 20 of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 that if an MLRO receives an internal disclosure of suspected money laundering or terrorist financing, they are required to consider the disclosure and decide whether the grounds of suspicion are sufficient enough to pass the disclosure onto NCA (Ellinger et al; 2011: 98). Since the MLRO of BCD Bank has received an internal money laundering suspicion report from Christian, they will be required to consider whether the matter should be passed onto NCA. Given that Radovan Rankovich (RR) is allegedly wanted by the authorities in the Ukraine for criminal actions against the state, and has received a recent transfer of ?15 mil lion from a Corporate Service Provider in Cyprus, it is likely that this would warrant a disclosure to NCA for investigation. In accordance with this, the MLRO will be required to file a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) with NCA and subsequently liaise with them to deal with this matter accordingly (Ellinger et al; 2011: 97). Part 7 of POCA makes it a requirement for banks to make a disclosure to NCA if they reasonably suspect that a person is involved in money laundering (s. 329). If the MLRO fails to make such a disclosure then he or she may be found criminally liable under this Act for a failure to disclose (s. 331). This is because a person commits an offence under s. 329 if they; acquire, use or have possession of, criminal property. Since a bank would fall within the scope of this section, it is possible that BCD Bank would be subject to criminal proceedings if they failed to take the appropriate action and thus make the relevant disclosures. If the MLRO does not believe that the grounds of suspicion are sufficient to report the matter to NCA, then the MLRO will be required to make further inquiries (International Monetary Fund, 2011: 65). Once the MLRO has made a report to NCA, the report will be ‘protected’ under s. 337 so that nothing in the report shall be taken to breach any restriction on the disclosure of information. Given that BCD Bank may have engaged in money laundering by allowing RR’s transactions to take place, they may have a defence under s. 338 if they make demonstrate that they made the disclosure as soon as possible. Similar provisions also apply under th e TA if the person is also suspected of terrorist financing. As Christian has received a text message stating that RR is wanted by the authorities in the Ukraine for criminal actions against the state, it is likely that the MLRO will also be required to comply with the provisions under the TA for a reasonable suspicion of terrorist financing. An obligation to report under the TA will therefore arise which means that the MLRO will be required to disclose the identity of RR, any information that relates to the matter and the whereabouts of the laundered property. There are two different types of report that may be made by the MLRO, namely protected reports and authorised reports. A protected disclosure is made by a person during the course of their trade, profession or employment. This type of disclosure is generally made by a person who is carrying our professional activities. An authorised disclosure is made by a person who is about to commit a prohibited act or has already committed a prohibited act (Bastable and Yeo, 2011: 108). Since the bank has already dealt with the property that is suspected of being laundered, it is more appropriate for an authorised disclosure to be made. The MLRO will also be required to obtain consent from NCA under ss. 335 and 336 to determine whether Christian can action any further transfers out of RR’s account. This will be done by making a ‘consent report’ to NCA, which will then block any transactions for seven working days. If NCA gives consent to the MLRO, the MLRO will then be able to give consent to Christian to carry out the transactions (Bastable and Yeo, 2011: 108). If NCA refuse consent, however, the proposed transactions will be frozen for a further 31 days, unless consent is granted during that period; R (on the application of UMBS Online Ltd [2007] WL 1292620. The Risks and Issues for the Bank This particular issue regarding RR is likely to be problematic for the BCD Bank as they will want to act in the best interests of their customer, namely RR, so that they remain in business with them whilst at the same time they are required to fulfil certain obligations imposed upon them by law. Because BCD will be required to disclose their suspicions even if RR has not acted in a criminal manner, this will have a damaging effect upon RR’s reputation and as put by Hislop (2009); â€Å"absent bad faith, little more than a â€Å"bad feeling† can trigger a banks disclosure obligations under POCA 2002, with in some cases catastrophic commercial consequences for the customer and a damning of his hitherto â€Å"good name† in the business community.† If the banks suspicions are incorrect, this can be significantly detrimental for RR. As such, the bank will need to be careful that they are striking a balance between the interests of RR with its duties to disclose . In the recent case of SHAH and another v HSBC private bank (UK) Ltd (2009) EWHC 79 (QB) the implications Part 7 has upon the rights of the individual and the banking business was clearly highlighted. Here, it was demonstrated that where a bank makes a SAR in respect of a suspicious transaction, they may not be provided with protection if the customer decides to challenge the banks suspicions in the future. This is so, despite the fact that a criminal offence may have been committed if the bank failed to make such a disclosure. Customers will have a right to challenge the banks suspicions with the bank then being required to prove that the suspicion was reasonable. It may be difficult to determine how the bank can justify making a disclosure since it was made clear by the court in this case that â€Å"the defendant must think that there is a possibility, which is more than fanciful, that the relevant facts exist. A vague feeling of unease would not suffice.† The bank will therefore be taking a risk in many any disclosure, especially this one since it will have to be shown that the text message was sufficient enough for a disclosure to be made. Furthermore, even if the circu mstances do render a disclosure justified, the bank’s decision may still be challenged which can be costly and time consuming. In K Ltd v National Westminster Bank plc [2007] 1 WLR 311 it was noted by the Court that; â€Å"to intervene between a banker and his customer in the performance of the contract of mandate is a serious interference with the free flow of trade. But Parliament has considered that a limited interference is to be tolerated in preference to allowing the undoubted evil of money-laundering to run rife in the commercial community.† Therefore, even though such a disclosure may interfere with the relationship between the bank and RR, such interference will be necessary if it will be likely to prevent money laundering from taking place. The bank needs to be clear that an interference of RR’s account is appropriate on the circumstances, since a frozen bank account for a period of time has in the past been considered a ‘grave injustice’ in the case of Squirrell Limited v National Westminster Bank plc (Customs and Excise Commissioners intervening [2006] 1 WLR 637. Here, the customer’s funds were frozen resulting in the customer being unable to afford the legal fees it would cost to challenge the decision. Therefore, if RR’s funds were frozen, which subsequently prevented RR from challenging the decision; it is unlikely that this would be deemed appropriate by the court. In accordance with this, it has been said that the test for suspicion is â€Å"a purely subjective matter† ( Medroft, 2010: 190). The decision as to whether the suspicion is reasonable will therefore depend upon whether Christian actually believed that the transaction was suspicious. If it cannot be found that this is the case, the interference cannot be considered justifiable and a breach of the customer’s human rights may also be established as in K Ltd. The bank will therefore be required to consider whether ‘reasonable grounds’ do actually exist, having regard to the elements constituting market abuse offences (Hudson and Hutchinson, 2009: 1). There are many inherent risks that are associated with disclosures and as such, it is vital that the bank is aware of its exact rights and obligations. In SHAH the court found that the bank did not act in an unreasonable manner which is likely to be the case in the instant situation. As such, it will most likely be difficult for RR to show that the bank had not acted in good faith. However, it could be argued that there was an unreasonable delay by the bank to make the disclosure under s. 338(2). As a result of this, the bank could be exposed to liability for breach of its duty of care (Medroft, 2010: 190). Whether this is acceptable remains an arguable subject but as expressed by Benjamin (2007: 62); â€Å"here the objective is not informed consent to risk but combating crime.à ¢â‚¬  Accordingly, it is therefore generally accepted that a bank’s interference will be justified on public policy grounds. The bank will still be subjected to many risks when making a disclosure, nonetheless, and must therefore consider whether the consequences of making a disclosure can be justified (Ellinger et al. 2010: 114). In addition, if the bank decides to make a disclosure, they must be careful not to allow the customer to find out as they can be found liable for ‘tipping off. This is another issue that may arise since a customer could become aware that a disclosure has been made simply due to the fact that their account has been suspended. It could be said that the bank is in a difficult situation as whatever option it takes, sanctions may still be imposed. As one judge noted in Governer & Company of the Bank of Scotland v A Ltd [2000] Lloyd’s Rep Bank 271, 287; â€Å"the bank may commit a criminal offence if it pays or if it refuses to pay.† Furthermore, if the bank makes a disclosure based on its suspicions, which later turn out to be unfounded, the bank risks civil liability for breaching its contract with its customer (Ellinger et al: 2010: 114). This is because the bank will have frozen the customer’s account which would have prevented payments from being made in and out of the account. Because the banks have a significant burden imposed upon them when it comes to dealing with money laundering, some attempt has been made to ensure that banks acting in good faith will not face criminal liability. For example, it was held by the court in C v S [1999] 2 All ER 343 that â€Å"it would not normally be an abuse of process to prosecute a bank which was doing no more than obeying a court order for disclosure.† Still, it is necessary for the bank to consider all of the risks before considering whether to make a disclosure or not. Overall, it is necessary on the facts for the MLRO of BCD Bank to make a disclosure to NCA since it does appear that the suspicions are reasonable. This is based upon the transaction of ?15 million that was made recently as well as the text message that Christian has received. Whilst the bank would be required to examine the potential issues with disclosing such information and freezing the account of RR this appears necessary and in the public interest. It will most likely prevent money laundering activities from taking place and will ensure that Christian, the MLRO and the bank are complying with their obligations. References Bastable, G., and Yeo, N., (2011). Money Laundering Law and Regulation: A Practical Guide, Oxford University Press. Benjamin, J., (2007). Financial Law. OUP Oxford. Ellinger, E. P., Lomnicka, E., and Hare, C., (2011) Ellinger’s Modern Banking Law, (Oxford University Press. Ellinger, E. P., Lomnicka, E., and Hare, C., (2010) Ellinger’s Modern Banking Law. 5th Edition. OUP Oxford. Hislop, D., (2009). ‘Banks, SARS & the Customer’ 159 New Law Journal 1099, Issue 7380. International Monetary Fund., (2011) Banking and Insurance, Business & Economics. Medcroft, N., (2010). A Banker’s Liability for Damages Arising from Compliance with PT 7 POCA’ 4 Journal of International Banking and Financial Law 227, Issue 4. Medcroft, N., (2009). Refusing to Execute Payment Instructions Where a Bank Suspects Money Laundering. 4 Journal of International Banking and Financial Law 190, Issue 4. Hudson, D., and Hutchinson, K., (2009). Suspicious Transactions Reports: Reporting Obligations of Financial Institutions in the UK. Complinet, [Accessed 07 June, 2014]. Cases C v S [1999] 2 All ER 343 Governer & Company of the Bank of Scotland v A Ltd [2000] Lloyd’s Rep Bank 271, 287 K Ltd v National Westminster Bank plc [2007] 1 WLR 311 R (on the application of UMBS Online Ltd [2007] WL 1292620 SHAH and another v HSBC private bank (UK) Ltd (2009) EWHC 79 (QB) Squirrell Limited v National Westminster Bank plc (Customs and Excise Commissioners intervening [2006] 1 WLR 637

How essential is the measurement of personality for organisations Essay

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Juvenile Justice - Essay Example Income inequality within America has haunted the masses because it provides them more problems than solving any issues for them in the first place. It aims to study the very basics related with the distribution of income towards the rich lot rather than bringing any suffice to the people who form up the majority within America today. The income inequality measures do not stand as a hindrance for the elites who form up as a very minute fraction of the American populace yet they end up paying less in taxes and eat much of the bulk of market share by usurping heavy salaries, perks and privileges. It is for this matter that the issue of juvenile delinquency has come up because the masses have not been able to feed their children, and hence the children have started to commit crimes that are unbecoming of their tender age and stature. An important matter that remains to be understood here is the fact that income inequality makes the very significant of matters to go down the drain and hence the element of juvenile delinquency is one subject which has suffered on more counts than anything else. The young ones are unaware of the extent of their acts which they are committing at the end of the day. It is for this reason that they are made scapegoats by the society and its differing economic standards, which are outright abysmal to state the least (Author Unknown, 2010). This is the reason why many young ones find themselves in prisons more often than not and thus find little help from the society as far as resurrecting their life domains are concerned. As the lady in the video suggested, America no matter being the richest country in the world is unable to provide for the basics of having a proper and decent life. The impact gap within America is severe to say the least. This is because since the rich are getting richer with each passing day, the brunt is falling upon the shoulders of the not so rich which are indeed the masses. They are unable to provide for their

Is case study a good way to analyze financial dissertation topic Essay

Is case study a good way to analyze financial dissertation topic (about risk reduction using derivatives) - Essay Example The paper tries to answer this question, and present the suitable research method if there is one that is better suited than the case study method. In particular, the paper addresses the following questions: One, does the case study design for the research apply for undertaking a financial dissertation involving the reduction of risks with the use of derivatives? Two, if the answer is yes, why is this so, and if not, why is this so? Three, if the answer is yes, what are the recommendations for the utilization and deployment of the strategies for research and the methods of research tied to the case study research design/method? Four, if the answer is no, what would be the most appropriate research design, and why is this the most appropriate? As a continuation to question four, what would be the recommendations for the utilization and deployment of the research methods and strategies tied to the most suitable research design/method identified as being more suitable than the case stud y method? II. ... Derivatives to hedge risks and to manage the risks would naturally lend itself to quantitative research methods. How does the case study method fare in this respect? We get from the literature that the case study method is essentially a qualitative research method. By qualitative is meant that the case study method excels where the dissertation involves situating the research topic in a certain sociological or network context. By this is meant that subjective people and relational factors are important considerations. The definition below captures some of the flavor and some of the relevant contexts for the proper use of the case study method, and it is noteworthy that this definition below makes references to organizational contexts, social contexts, subjective user contexts, and other relational contexts (Jones 2000): Case studies are particularly valuable for understanding complex phenomena in context, and according to Yin (1989) when â€Å"users’ intentions, technology us e patterns, and social impacts – cannot be clearly separated from the social, technological, and organizational contexts in which they occur.† Interpretive field studies are often based in turn on the â€Å"soft case† study approach, described by Braa and Vidgen (1997) as a research framework for organizational study in information systems research. They demarcate between methods appropriate for prediction, understanding, and change; and soft cases are adopted when the research intent warrants understanding phenomena. Recognizing that many studies address more than one of these intents in varying degree, research approaches are mapped to the outcomes desired by the research intents. For predictive outcomes, reduction approaches are used; understanding necessitates an interpretive approach;

Macbeth, a Play Full of Darkness Essay Example for Free

Macbeth, a Play Full of Darkness Essay Macbeth is a play full of darkness, evil, and tragedy. It is the story of a man who goes against his conscience and commits a horrible deed which leads to his destruction and loss of everything he has around him. This includes the relationship he has with his wife, Lady Macbeth. In the beginning we see Lady Macbeth playing the more superior, more dominating role of the two. She comes across as a woman, who is persuasive and manipulative. She seems willing to trample anyone in order to get what she wants. She lays all the plans and all Macbeth has to do is obey her commands. Macbeth on the other hand is fickle-minded and unsure. We discover that the man, who is praised so highly by the public is actually a weak man. We see that he is not the brave loyal man he is portrayed to be in the beginning. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have a very strong relationship but this later deteriorates. Act 1 Scene 5 is a key scene which shows just how close Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were at the beginning of the play ;it shows their original relationship. Macbeth has written a letter to Lady Macbeth telling her of everything and in this letter states â€Å"my dearest partner† which shows that she helped him and they are in it together. . The following speech where Lady Macbeth doubts that he can get to the title of King he is too full of the milk of human kindness shows just how close they were. It establishes the fact that she knew him so well, she knew what he was like and it emphasises the closeness of their relationship. She speaks of how he has enough ambition but not enough courage. His overiding ambition is not enough. When Macbeth and Lady Macbeth speak, they speak to eachother with such closeness and bond ;he calls her his dearest chuck, his partner of greatness. She knows that he is too weak to do anything and states her position in the murder leave the rest to me. In Act 1, Scene 7 shows the force and power that Lady Macbeth has over her husband. Upon hearing of Macbeths decision not to kill Duncan, she is outraged and starts to work her force and power upon him. She knows where he is most vulnerable and attacks him at his weak spot. She strikes him at his manhood and courage. This of course works on Macbeth and she knows that it will. No one calls Macbeth a coward. She says that he is a coward and attacks his manliness. to be more than what you are, you would be so much more the man. She challenges his love for her and says that she would rather dash the brains out of her own child than break such a promise as Macbeth has to her. At this point in the play, Shakespeare re-confirms just how close the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is and that she has the power and he listens to whatever she has to say. Lady Macbeth is s major influence on Macbeth, but this of course changes later. After the murder, Macbeth is still carrying the daggers and he seems to be quiet and uneasy. Lady Macbeth has to clean up what he has done wrong and has to return the daggers herself. Lady Macbeth is still very much in control. Here, Shakespeare defines both Lady Macbeth and Macbeths strong and weak characters. Lady Macbeth being the strong one yet as a duo, he tones them down to be nothing but two whispering, frightened villains. Later on, when Macduff discovers the body of Duncan, Macbeth acts suspiciously and draws attention to himself. It is then that Lady Macbeth has to help him out and draw the attention away from him and to her by fainting. She does this later too, during the banquet scene. Lady Macbeth is always there to take the attention away from Macbeth. However, towards the end of the play, Lady Macbeth, comes across as one who has succumbed to her guilt. She discovers that nothing that she does could rid her off her guilt, by admitting that even the sweet-smelling erfumes of Arabia would not be able to remove the stench of blood from her little hand. She now takes up the role of the weak, submissive partner in the relationship, who is unsure of herself and very frightened of the future. Macbeth, on the other hand, now makes all his decisions by himself, and reaches the extent whereto he does not even bother to inform his wife of his plans. He gains false confidence from the witches second predictions and builds castles in the air. He becomes a tyrant and a man, despised and hated by his public. He becomes insane and goes out of control.

A correlational study on music preference

A correlational study on music preference INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Music has long been said to have influenced the lives of every individual in ways which are more than the imaginable. More than setting the mod, it makes us remember things which happened long time ago and it makes us imagine a bright future through its melody and rhythm. Overtime, based on the philosophical traditions in the world, music is said to be promoting harmonious living not only for the individual, but for the society as well in general. Furthermore, it is also said that this idea has long been forgotten by the traditions in the Western philosophy although some still argues that music has more to offer in our ethical lives and reflection. Music is particularly important in the social lives of the adolescents. They do cruise in streets with their cars fully set-up with subwoofers and speakers as they favorite genre of music plays along normally rock, electric, or heavy metal. Various researches have shown that music is very important and essential in the lives of the adolescents especially on how they were able to satisfy social, emotional, and developmental needs. This only goes to show the big influence of music preference on the major decisions and activities in which the adolescent is inclined.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Suicide has long been a global threat to the human race especially among adolescents. In the United States alone, suicide has been said as the third leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15-19. The same case is also true globally. Although this phenomenon is said to ba a major alarming global problem, such has been still identified as preventable through a series of measures and practices which should be observed in order to prevent the occurrence of such. Part of this preventive and management of suicide attempts in the society include measures which are geared towards collaboration with community leaders or the proper authorities including health professionals, researchers, and all levels of the government which are concerned with the threat of this issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the course of the study to be conducted, the researcher will present the correlation between the adolescents preference of music and their attempts to commit suicide. The research operates on the notion that the choice of music has a variable effect on why teenagers are inclined into attempting to end their lives. The study will look into psychological aspects which are associated to choice of music and how such incident can trigger an individual to commit suicide. The purpose of this research is to be able to identify such correlation and relate it to actual incidences of attempted suicide and how such can be prevented. The questions which the research will try to answer will include those reason on why music has been associated to an adolescents attempt to commit suicide, what kind of music triggers such occurrence, what other factors does music does aside from what has been mentioned, and. how can such incident be prevented. The researcher expects that these research questions will be answered at the end of the research through the help of data and relevant information which will be presented and extracted from reliable sources of study in order to strengthen the foundation of this paper and to gain more insights regarding the issue at hand. It is the expectation of the researcher to know what exactly is the correlation between the two variables of study: music preference and suicide attempts among adolescents. This study is of utmost important to be bale to give enlightenment on the issue and to be able to come up with various recommendations on what music should be played in order to lessen the occurrences of suicide, provided that there is a recognizable correlation between the two variables. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to successfully carry out the main purpose of the study, the researcher will make use of relevant data which are available to gain more insights regarding the issue. One of the main sources of information for this study will include secondary data sources. These sources will include references extracted from books, academic journals, scholarly articles, internet, and other form sof media which will provide the researcher with more insights regarding the topic. The secondary sources will be useful in providing the research with a strong foundation and also to be bale to back-up and strengthen the claims and the hypotheses of the author regarding the issue. Furthermore, although the researcher recognizes the difficulty of such measure, an individual who attempted suicide will also be interviewed and asked regarding his music preferences. By this, the study will be able to provide insights on the correlation between suicide and teenagers choice or preference of music which they listen to. More than the individuals themselves, another valuable source of primary data for this research will be psychologists and behavioral doctors who will also be interviewed and asked about how music relates to the possibility of the occurrence of suicide attempts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the process of this research, the research design which will be used by the researcher is exploratory research. This classification of research design is concerned with providing insights into, and an understanding of, the problem confronting the researcher. This type of research design is normally used on cases where the problems need to be defined more precisely, identify relevant courses of action, and gain additional insights or information before a particular approach can be developed. Moreover, the sample which will be chosen for the purpose of this study will only be small and at the same time non-representative. The primary and secondary data which will be gathered will be qualitative in nature rather than being quantitative. Given this, the fact that the research design is exploratory, the researcher submits this study to the fcat that once it is completed with all the findings and recommendation, the research is still subject to further study typicall y followed by conclusive research. As mentioned, the data will be collected from both primary and secondary sources through interviews and extensive research to gain the desired results. Furthermore, these data will be carefully analyzed by the researcher and will be only used in the study if the researcher sees such data as relevant and helpful in the conduct of the study. Lastly, ethical considerations will be considered as well in doing this research. No plagiarism must be tolerated. All sources will be properly identified and acknowledged. All interviews will be authentic and will come only from the individuals who can best give insights and relevant information on the topic. The confidentiality of the interview sources, particularly those who have already attempted to commit suicide, will also be of primary consideration. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It has always been said that music is the universal language of mankind. Indeed such is true. Through music, regardless of the language, we feel the rhythm, we feel the beat. And in one way or another we were touched by the tune, and by the time we know it we can either be already crying because of it or dancing crazily because of the beat. Such instance only goes to show that music has indeed a great influence in the lives of mankind. In our everyday lives, it plays a great role which at times, we are not even aware of.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the 5th International Conference on Adolescent Health and Welfare and the World Youth Forum, there has been a relevant discussion regarding the influence of music on the life of the youth. Such discussion focuses on the notion that every sonsg and every artists or every genre to which the individual is inclined, there is a corresponding influence, either good or bad, to that individual and will manifest either long term or short term effects. The conference holds that music affects our body in various ways. We either feel the music as vibration to our bones, tissues and lungs and they also act as sound box playing inside our system. Because of such influences of music to our system, it can be said that we are indeed influenced by its beats and rhythms and as well as our actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Pouliot (1998), â€Å"selectively chosen and carefully designed musical compositions can help fortify our immune system, reduce our feeling of pain, and enhance certain higher mental functions†. In the journal which he wrote the author supports the claim of other researchers that there is an ultimate connection between the function of an individuals body and to music. Aside from that, in his work, the author also mentioned that music helps an individual to have freedom from pain and suffering. Musically fluctuating vibrations have been said to have string influence on the individuals perception of pain and on the over-all well-being. Furthermore, his work concludes that his work and other researches do not actually prove the concept that music is embedded with the ability and capacity to make us happier, healthier, and smarter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furthermore, according to Roberts et al., although much debate in the past and even up to the present have shown focus on the effects of media on youth violence particularly that of television, there is also a need to put an emphasis on music. Furthermore, with todays popular music, criticism has been aimed towards the assumption that such music has contents which may influence how young listeners think or act. And more often than not, these influences are said to be violent and not giving any good to the adolescent population. It emphasizes the negatives which include violence, racism, Satanism, substance abuse, and suicide. Such musical aspects affecting such include heavy metal music and violent lyrics. The author also wrote some comments regarding music preference and suicide attempts and actual suicides. The work argues that the most common preference of music among those who committed suicide would be heavy metal music. The author mentioned that there is tru th to the fact that a number of adolescents who committed or attempted to commit suicide have been found listening to heavy metal music few hours before taking away their own lives. The author also mentioned that for the individual to immerse himself with angry, desperate, and depressing music is indeed a poor strategy to be able to cope with problems associated with anger, despair, and depression. Neuroscience also suggests that brooding or the ability of the individual to dwell on his current emotional state, is more likely to just deepen or worsen the situation rather than being able to alleviate it. This could carry an addictive and anti-social behavior until it could lead to potential suicide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In an article which was published in Americas Mental Health Channel, it has been said that suicide has increasingly become much more common among adolescents that how it used to be in the past years. It has been also identified that the main way of the adolescents to be able to end their respective lives is highly dependent on what lethal means are available in their country of residence and at their given age. In countries where guns are readily available, these are the main instruments which are used to commit suicide. However, in some places, strangling and food poisoning are the more causes means of committing or attempting suicide. Many literature have also been written identifying that the main cause of suicide attempts among adolescents would be the fact that they ae actually trying to manipulate others or as a way of crying out for help as brought about by depression or other problems which they perceived as too heavy already that suicide is their only opt ion on that particular moment. Moreover, when asked after their suicide attempts regarding the reasons on why they attempted to commit suicide, their reasoning would be like that of an adult. One of the reasons which they often stipulate is that they simply wanted to die, they no longer have the desire to live. Another reason which they normally state is that they just want to escape from a hopeless situation or get rid of their horrible state of mind. Other reasons include substance abuse, being victims of different forms of abuse be it physical or emotional, psychological disorders, and relationship problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Various researches have shown that the type of music which we listen to reveals a lot about our personality. Such type of music also influences a great part of our daily life and our actions as well. In a research which was conducted by Rentfrow and Gosling (2002), they have identified that the personality of an individual have a big impact on their preferences for their choices of music. Aside from these, the self-esteem and the mood of the individual also have a great effect on their taste for music. The impact of music in our lives, especially the violent ones have garnered notable attention and scrutiny in the past, especially heavy metal music. Performers like Slayer, Marilyn Manson, and Metallica have been brought into courts after parents of various adolescents claimed that their music have influenced their children to attempt to commit suicide. Furthermore, Center for Suicide Prevention (1999) also identified the adolescents preference to listening to heav y metal music as a factor affecting their attempt to commit suicide. Moreover, aside from heavy metal music they also identified other genres such as folk, pop-rock, country, and opera as having an effect on the desire of the individual to commit suicide. According to their study, the content analysis of some country songs reveals that there are some themes of the songs which can foster suicide such as those related to dissolution of marriage of parents, alcohol and substance abuse, financial strain, and social isolation. Moreover, the opera is said to have influenced suicide because of the death of the characters which might actually prompt adolescents to actually do the same. With relation to heavy metal, the study claimed that some lyrics are insinuating suicide and some even advocate the act of doing such. Stack and Gundlach (1992) also supports the theory that country music has an effect on the adolescents attempt to commit suicide. The authors identified the suicidal themes of most country songs as the main reason on why they are said to be contributory to suicide attempts of the younger population.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After having reviewed the relevant literature related to the topic at hand, the researcher could see that indeed the type or preference of music has a strong effect on the gullible personality of adolescents; therefore, such might actually prompt them to commit suicide. However, it is also suggested to look at other factors which might actually reveal why the preference for music has led to such choices and not to just directly correlate music preference with the attempt of adolescents to commit suicide. REFERENCES: Americas Mental Health Channel; Suicide and Children; Healthy Place; 2009 Center for Suicide Prevention; Music and Suicide; 1999 Documents for Small Business and Professionals; The Influence of Music Higgins, Kathleen Marie; The Music of Our Lives; 2001 Newfouldland and Labrador Center for health Information; Attemptempted Suicide Among Adolescents; 2004 Pouliot, Janine S.; The Power of Music; 1998 Roberts, Donald F., Christenson, Peter G., Gentile, Douglas A.; The Effects of Violent Music on Children and Adolescents; 2008 Schwartz, Kelly D., Fouts, Gregory T.; Music Preferences, Personality Style, and Developmental Issues of Adolescents. Stack, Steven, Gundlach, Jim; The Effect of Country Music on Suicide; 1992