English Composition Essay Example for Free

English Composition Essay The term juvenile delinquent is best defined as young defender, or a wrongdoer. A person who transgresses moral or civil law. (Audioenglish. net) There are many different theories on the causes of crime and bad behavior. Youth crime is a major issue and receives a great amount of attention from the news media and many politicians today. A juvenile delinquent is one who continuously commits crimes. Usually a juvenile will sometimes commit the same crimes that were done to them to others. An example would be bullying in school. Maybe the juvenile was bullied as well. They also sometimes have mental disorders or behavioral disorders. Students who experience excessive suspension and expulsion are more likely to become part of the school to prison pipeline (Fenning Rose, 2007). Now being examined is the issue of the school to prison pipeline and trying to understand how students who drop out (or are pushed out) of high school are more likely to enter the prison system (Fine, 1991). Students feel pushed out of school because of actions or barriers put up by their school. The student may end up feeling like they don’t belong in school, or do not fit in, or they are not smart enough to be in school. This then pushes them towards the streets and into bad behavior that leads them to becoming a juvenile delinquent. According to Brownstein, the zero tolerance is a failed approach. This policy is used to mandate predetermined consequences for rule infractions, regardless of the circumstances; its initially aimed at making schools safe. The best way to prevent serious violence at school, the theory went, was to ban any and all weapons of threats of violence, and accept no excuses. Browstein, 2010). Zero tolerance policies may be contributing to teen violence. Suspensions and expulsions in public schools have increased dramatically. Between 1974 and 2006, the rate at which U. S. students were suspended and expelled from school nearly doubled from 3. 7% of students in 1974 to . 1% of students in 2006. It is estimated that over 100,000 students were expelled and 3,300, 000 students were suspended at least once in the 2005-2006 school year which is an 8% increase in suspensions and a 15% increase in expulsions since the 2001-2001 school year. Brownstein, 2010) Today schools are getting carried away with the zero tolerance policy somewhat. Instead of helping to resolve a simple conflict in which they would call home for, they are now calling law enforcement. Too many school incidents that can be handled by the school are now being taken care of by the police and courts. ( Brownstein, 2010) An example given in the article talked about how a Columbus, GA teen student was expelled for violating school rules by talking to his mother whom he had not spoken to in thirty days, on his cell phone while at school. His mother was on deployment as a soldier in Iraq. It is common sense that the choice of disciplinary action was extremely harsh. There is no way to justify expelling this student given the circumstances of the phone call. Therefore, this example surely helps you to see exactly how this zero tolerance policy is indeed failing our children. Trying to get you to understand that yet the policy is put in place to protect the school faculty and other students from violent behavior from certain students, it is also being used in incidents that do not need to be presented to law enforcement. Expulsion and suspension disciplinary action is not making our schools safer or more academically sound. In fact, schools with high rate expulsion and suspensions usually have less satisfactory school ratings according to the American Psychological Association. This suggests to me that it also contributes to children becoming juvenile delinquents due to harsh punishment and the things that they are currently dealing with in their personal lives. I will point out how African American students are suspended at nearly three times the rate and expelled at 3. times the rate of white students, according to the U. S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights. Latino students are 1. 5 times as likely to be suspended when compared to white peers. It seems that the white students get referred to the office at a higher rate than students of color for offenses such as smoking, vandalism, leaving without permission, and obscene language. African-American and Latino students are referred for discipline at a higher rate than their white peers for disrespect, excessive noise, and loitering. Brownstein, 2010) These behaviors you would think would seem to rely on subjective judgment on the part of educators. Maybe this is part of the reason why most students of color are failing in school and become juvenile delinquents somewhere along the line. They are hardly allowed the chance to stay in class if they are consistently disciplined harshly over fairly minor infractions that can be handled by the parents and teacher alone. Educators need to take the time out to think about what they are disciplining a student for, and how they are disciplining them and the consequences that lie ahead if you are too harsh. It is the same way when it comes to a parent raising children. You must know when you are being too excessive when it comes to punishment. Conclusion Promote the students positive behavior more and maybe the outcome will be different. Behavior begins at home. Parents come first when it comes to making sure your child/children act accordingly in public. It is a group effort also if you are taking on the responsibility of teaching someones child. You cant just give up on the child, or take the easiest route such as harsh discipline. There has to be a system put in place in the home and in the schools to turn around bad behavior to avoid our children being introduced to the jail system turning them into juvenile delinquents. There also must be a system put in place in the home and school to look at certain incidents that happen in school not all in the same light. How we raise our children will be the result you get out of the situation. Strive to raise them the right way, and educators should stop relying on law enforcement to handle what can be handled between themselves, the student and the parents.

Should Australia Become A Republic? :: essays research papers

I believe that Australia should not become a republic. I think that there would be no point in becoming a republic, because we live without the intervention of the Queen at the moment, so becoming a republic would achieve nothing. If we were to become a republic, we would lose the support of England in times of war, famine or other disaster. I think that becoming a republic would achieve nothing, lose our links with England and waste the parliament's time when they should be concerned with more important issues.If we were to become a republic, the governor general would be replaced by a president who would have the same powers and responsibilities as our Governor General, so only the name and the person holding the position would change, wasting important parliament time and achieving absolutely nothing. At the present time, there is nothing wrong with the constitution, and if there was anything wrong with it, it could be changed by referendum, once again proving that becoming a republic is pointless. Currently, we are not tied down at all by the monarchy, and although the Queen does have the power to intervene in the running of our country, she doesn't out of tradition, and therefore, probably never will, bound by the tradition. If we become a republic, we would lose valuable ties with England and perhaps part of our heritage that goes with it. England can support us through many unfortunate events that we may face and England, being on the other side of the world may not, putting them in a position to offer us financial, military or other support. If we were to become a republic would we forget that the English were the first people to colonise our country, and instead of learning about the colonisation of our country, learn about the way in which we broke free from England and the monarchy? We owe our existence in Australia to the English and we are treated very well by them - they let us manage our own affairs and don't interrupt in the running of the country, while still offering their support if we should ever need it, and if we were to break free from this "tight rein" by the monarchy, would they still offer their support when we needed it?Becoming a republic would achieve nothing and we would lose our valuable ties with England and the monarchy.

How Does One Achieve the American Dream?

How does one achieve the American Dream? The answer undoubtedly depends upon one’s definition of the Dream, and there are many from which to choose. John Winthrop envisioned a religious paradise in a â€Å"City upon a Hill. † Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of racial equality. Both men yearned for what they perceived as perfection. But, the definition of the American Dream is an idea which suggests that all people can succeed through hard work, and that all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives. It matters not who you are and what ethnic group you’re from, you can achieve the American dream. Lets look at Martin Luther King Jr. He turned the world up-side-down by going against the odds, (during the time of the Civil Rights Movement) proclaiming ‘that all men are created equal’. He was a well known civil rights leader who stood up for his beliefs in a non-violent way. Through perseverance and determination, he was able to maintain his focus of letting America know that he deserved to be treated with dignity and respect. Although, his untimely death of assassination, it was though his actions and dedications that can be pronounced Martin Luther King to be an excellent example of one who achieved the American dream. His struggles paved the way for others, to become a part of the great â€Å"melting pot† regardless of nationality or background. These include Oprah Winfrey and our newly elected 44th president of the United States of America, Barack Obama creating a new day and time this country, America. Oprah Winfrey is a prime example of someone who achieved the American Dream. As a child her life was not a fairy tale at all. At a young age Winfrey's parents separated and sent her to live with grandparents in very poor surroundings. Later, at the age of six she moved to live with her mother. She was consequently sexually molested by male relatives at a young age and endured the hardship up until she was 14. She moved to live with her father in Nashville Tennessee. Living with her father did not eliminate her problems even though he was loving (yet strict) towards her. She struggled with drugs and rebellious behavior and even the loss of a baby after giving birth to it prematurely. Wild behavior conflicted with her father's strict rules and high standards. After being awarded a University Scholarship she eventually began to settle down. Winfrey studied at the Tennessee State University and received a BA in Speech and Performing Arts. It was her father's high standards that inspired her to aim for and achieve more from life. Winfrey became involved in several groups and pursued her interests in media and journalism while at University. Even though her early years in life where filled with hardship, she was always gifted with intelligence and she graduated as an honors student. Winfrey's career really began to take off after moving to Chicago in 1984 to host â€Å"AM Chicago†, an early morning talk show at WLS-TV's. It went on to become the number one ranked talk show shortly after she started and it was renamed â€Å"The Oprah Winfrey Show† after one year. The Oprah Winfrey Show went on to become one of the most successful and highest ranked television talk show programs in history. Oprah Winfrey continues to follow her dreams through her many business and media interests. She is one of the wealthiest women in the United States of America and is regularly placed high up on the Forbes magazine Rich List each year. Winfrey continues to influence and inspire people worldwide with her example of overcoming great odds to achieve great success financially, spiritually and socially. Barack Obama is such an exceptionally, smart, African American man. On January 20, 2009 Obama became the first African American president of the USA. He accomplished the American dream without a doubt. He proved to the black society as well as the white, that what was sought out to be the â€Å"impossible† could be possible. He achieved it because he has what everyone wants. For instance he has a nice house, car, beautiful family and he’s just such a beautiful person altogether. Obama has proved to all that the American Dream is not just an â€Å"Alice in Wonderland† type of fairy tale. Indeed the American Dream is a reality with its own symbol and that symbol is Barrack Obama, the 44th and fist black president of the United States of America. In conclusion, it just goes to show that the â€Å"American Dream† is possible and nothing is out of your limits when it comes to dreams. For instance look at Oprah—a multi-billionaire, African American woman, who wasn’t raised with the finer things in life. She had to work hard for success. Also President Obama got to where he is now because of hard work, discipline and determination. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. †-Martin Luther King Jr.

Great Gatsby in Comparison to Catcher in the Rye Essay

Great Gatsby vs. Holden Caulfield The Great Gatsby written By F.Scott Fitzgerald is a novel about people, mainly Gatsby’s idea of the ‘American dream’ which can be compared easily to The Catcher in the Rye By J.D Salinger. Nick and Jay Gatsby are similar to Holden Caulfield. Nick is like Holden in the fact that they both share ideas of having expectations of people and hope, even though society constantly lets them down with multiple examples showing how people act in their natural state. Gatsby and Holden are much alike because they both have these fond ideas of women and their illusion of their American dreams, with Holden its Jane and with Gatsby its Daisy but they are both disappointed when they realize their ideas are just ideas†¦show more content†¦It was one of Those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it †¦it understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood , believe in you as you would like to believe in yourself and assured you that it had precisel y the impression of you that, at your best, you hope to convey. (Fitzgerald 48)† Even though Gatsby bootlegged liquor and ran over a lot of people to get where he was, he was viewed as in overall good person because he had a heart and had passion to do all those unjust activities just to get to daisy. A good example of this is although Holden had ‘bad’ self image , he was careless ,switched schools often and had little self respect they liked to view him as a good person overall because he wanted to save the innocence of children. â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye is a genuine initiation tale, even though it is only the candidate undergoing the ordeal who is conscious of what his final decision means; the real evidence of the decadence of his world is that the initiators who impose the ordeals upon him are too much wrapped up in themselves even to understand the meaning of their actions. (French)†. In the book, there are many people that have affected Holden’s life so deeply and they are unaware of this fact, like Allie. Allie is what makes Holden the way he is because of him Holden has taken a likeness to contain the innocence of children for them no to go out into reality because he doesn’t want to see children’s dreams to be shattered likeShow MoreRelatedEssay on Comparison Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye1331 Words   |  6 PagesIn F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a man who can be compared to Holden Caulfield from J.D Salinger’s Catcher i n the Rye. Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield are both caught up in their unattainable dreams and first love and as a result struggle with an obsession of their past. It is a natural tendency for all men and women to dream but sometimes these dreams may be unattainable. In J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has a desire to preserve the innocence ofRead MoreThe Character Charlie From The Novel And How His Growth757 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Perks of Being a Wallflower† to other novels in order to better understand the story. This article discusses the connection’s between â€Å"The Perks of Being a Wallflower† with other popular novels like ‘To Kill a Mockingbird†, â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, â€Å"The Catcher in The Rye† and â€Å"Hamlet†. This article discusses the different genres of many novels and how they apply to â€Å"The Perks of Being a Wallflower†. The author focuses on Intertextuality through out the whole article, which creates a better understandingRead More Mythology and Archetypes in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird2536 Words   |  11 Pagesa ll the various approaches to criticism, the Mythological/Archetypal achieves the greatest impact over the entire literary scope, because the themes and patterns unearthed apply universally to all works, yielding results that can be applied to a great many texts. This is because the very nature of the Mythological/Archetypal approach is the exploration of the canon for widespread and pervading symbols, plots, and characters. These are all greatly extant in Harper Lees classic novel To Kill aRead MoreMedia Magic Making Class Invisible2198 Words   |  9 Pagesparents were not so successful and only made about minimum wage, that child did not achieve a much higher status than their parents did. This supports Mantsios statement that what class you are born into affects you throughout your while life. He does a great job at convincing you, because he shows you real lifestyles. In another article, (Media Magic- Making Class invisible), Mantsios also gives a strong argument with ex amples, about how the media portrays the poor. He argues that the media only portraysRead MoreHow To Write Literary Analysis4174 Words   |  17 Pagesany contradictions or ironies? Great works of literature are complex; great literary essays recognize and explain those complexities. Maybe the title (Happy Days) totally disagrees with the book’s subject matter (hungry orphans dying in the woods). Maybe the main character acts one way around his family and a completely different way around his friends and associates. If you can find a way to explain a work’s contradictory elements, you’ve got the seeds of a great essay. At this point, you don’tRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 PagesFaustus Orlando Don Quixote A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man A Gesture Life Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Ghosts The Scarlet Letter Great Expectations Sister Carrie The Great Gatsby The Sound and Fury Gulliver’s Travels Sula Heart of Darkness The Sun Also Rises Invisible Man Their Eyes Were Watching God Joe Turner’s Come and Gone The Things They Carried King Lear The Turn of the

The Toxic Organizational Culture at Wal-Mart - 3272 Words

Running Head: TOXIC ORGNAIZATIONAL CULTURE The Toxic Organizational Culture at Wal-Mart TOXIC ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE The Toxic Organizational Culture at Wal-Mart Organizational culture is not a new concept in the world of organizational behavior. Yet despite its age, it still has many varied definitions as well as philosophies on its importance and impact to the success of a company. One definition is that organizational culture is a cognitive framework consisting of attitudes, values, behavioral norms, and expectations shared by members of an organization (Greenberg, 2013, p. 368). Greenberg (2013) further explains organizational culture through an analogy of a tree. Organizational culture are similar to the roots of a tree.†¦show more content†¦Numerous suits have been filed for subjects such as child labor, illegal immigrant employment, wrongful termination, religious discrimination, and illegal blocking of unions. In California, a class action suit was filed over Wal-Mart’s refusal to abide by state law and provide employees with an unpaid thirty minute break for lunch when working a six hour shift. Colorado and Oreg on have filed similar suits. Healthcare has been another hot topic for Wal-Mart. Despite claims by the corporation that they are providing healthcare to employees at significant savings, many have argued the plans are not adequate. So much so that states like Maryland and New Jersey have created laws requiring Wal-Mart to provide more healthcare to their associates. The same company that makes over $15 billion in annual profits, also only pays the average associate $11.75. This number is below the national average for retail employees. Annually, a person making this wage will earn $20,744. That is below the poverty line set at $22,000 (Blodget, 2010). This is yet another example of the issues seen today with Wal-Mart. Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is a very simple concept in organizational behavior. It is simply a yes or no question. Is an individual satisfied with their current employment.Show MoreRelatedEssay about The Walmart Case Study2799 Words   |  12 Pagesï » ¿ Wal-Mart Case Study 1 What threats and challenges is Wal-Mart currently facing Wal-Mart Wal-Mart, is an American retail corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores. The company is the worlds second largest public corporation, according to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2013, the biggest private employer in the world with over two million employees, and the largest retailer in the world. The company was founded by Sam WaltonRead MoreThe Distribution Of A Product Essay2235 Words   |  9 Pagesthe raw material to the company for the production. Walmart have good relationship with there each supplier and the supplier of the Walmart also provide them quality and cheap product. 3. Every business also focusing to the costumer requirement so Wal-Mart should also focus on bringing in a higher-income consumer. He added that some of the retailer s recent initiatives, mainly its improving online shopping capabilities, could bring in a new demographic. But he also pointed out that it s incrediblyRead MoreNature and Scope of Marketing Ethics6686 Words   |  27 Pagescustomers, but other stakeholders such as the media, investors, regulatory agencies, channel members, trade associations, as well as others. It is important when addressing marketing ethics to recognize that it should be examined from an individual, organizational, and societal perspective. Examining marketing ethics from a narrow issue perspective does not provide foundational background that provides a complete understanding of the domain of marketing ethics. 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Through his, â€Å"customer centric thinking, Amazon has grown into the largestRead MoreProcter Gamble Case Study4269 Words   |  18 Pagespharmacies, salons and e-commerce(Procter amp; Gamble, 2011). Recently, the increasing number of competitor companies has forced Procter amp; Gamble to implement new initiatives that aim to produce changes in terms of the company’s organizational culture, work processes, culture, production, and operations. Nevertheless, Procter amp; Gamble has a good grasp on its strengths and a strong knowledge of its available opportunities that will allow it to enter gracefully into the options that lie ahead forRead MoreWal Mart Annual Report Analysis Essay examples31762 Words   |  128 PagesEXECUTIVE OFFICERS Eduardo Castro-Wright Vice Chairman, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. M. Susan Chambers Executive Vice President, Global People Brian C. Cornell Executive Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sam’s Club 2 010 Financial Report 15 Five-Year Financial Summary 16 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 30 Consolidated Statements of Income 31 Consolidated Balance Sheets 32 Consolidated StatementsRead MoreBusiness Ethics and Global Economy10535 Words   |  43 PagesCHAPTER OUTLINE Ethical Perceptions and International Business Culture as a Factor in Business Adapting Ethical Systems to a Global Framework Global Values The Multinational Corporation Sexual and Racial Discrimination Human Rights Price Discrimination Bribery Harmful Products Pollution and the Natural Environment Telecommunications Issues Intellectual-Property Protection World Trade Organization To understand the role of culture as a factor in business ethics To discuss cultural relativism andRead MoreOrganisational Behavioure23151 Words   |  93 Pagesapproach is that some emotions are too complex to be easily represented on our faces. Take love, for example. Many think of love as the most universal of all emotions,15 yet it’s not easy to express a loving emotion with one’s face only. Also, cultures have norms that govern emotional expression, so how we experience an emotion isn’t always the same as how we show it. And many companies today offer anger-management programs to teach people to contain or even hide their inner feelings.16 It’sRead MoreCompetitive Forces for the Iphone5604 Words   |  23 Pages Tangible Assets Currently, Apple possesses the resources and capabilities necessary to thrive within the highly competitive consumer electronics industry in the U.S. A tangible asset crucial to its strategic competitiveness is its effective organizational structure that utilizes established infrastructures in order to market, distribute and cater to consumer needs. The company also benefits from its wide national chain of retail stores that are located in strategic high traffic commercial locations

Edgar Allan Poe and Gothic Imagery in The Cask of...

ENG 341-Studies in Literary Genres | The Significance of Imagery | In Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† | Lauren Grilli 6/7/2010 | Imagery is described as the ‘mental pictures’ one interprets from reading any type of literature; this can be done using any of the five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and sound. Edgar Allan Poe is notorious for his use of dramatic imagery in the gothic genre. â€Å"Gothic literature has a number of conventions, including evocations of horror, suggestions of the supernatural, and dark, exotic locales such as castles and crumbling mansions† (Canada, 1997). In this paper, I will examine the imagery Poe has chosen in The Cask of Amontillado, and explain why it is vital to the furthering of†¦show more content†¦The suspense builds when it becomes clear Fortunato has no clue about his fate. Montresor informs the intoxicated Fortunato of the Amontillado stored in the vaults below. After a little ego-trip, Fortunato convinces himself he must go and sample this grand vintage wine. As the story progresses, so does Montresor and Fortunato’s hell-li ke descent into the vaults, and also the â€Å"nitre† which â€Å"hangs like moss upon the vaults† (DiYanni, 2004). Montresor tells Fortunato â€Å"We are below the river’s bed† where â€Å"The drops of moisture trickle among the bones† and warns him to â€Å"Come, we will go back ere it’s too late† (DiYanni, 2004). The foulness of the air around them had â€Å"caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame†, and created a feeling of suffocation (DiYanni, 2004). By using simple but descriptive passages such as these, the reader is transported to the chilly vaults and can feel what the narrator and his companion sense. Every detail of the caves is explored through dialogue and as one scholar noted, â€Å"Poe’s strict attention to the geology and chemistry of the subterranean passages of Montresor’s chateau serves a much larger purpose than a simple description, the creation of atmosphere, and the selection of a n ideal place to conceal a murder† (Benton, 1991). With the centuries of buried dead around them and the dripping walls, it is literally a place of death and the reader becomes aware of this evenShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe s The Cask Of Amontillado1559 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe, a famous romanticism writer, created a gothic tone in his stories by describing the setting of his stories with vocabulary that helped create the dark plots of stories such as â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, â€Å"The Raven† and â€Å"The Pit and The Pendulum†. Poe’s own foster father, John Allan, stated that â€Å"His (Poe’s) talents are of an order that can never prove comfort to their possessor†. How did Poe create such gothic tones in his stories with only describing the foul settings and wickedRead MoreThe Masque of the Red Death vs. the Cask of Amontillado1564 Words   |  7 PagesThe Masque of the Red Death vs. The Cask of Amontillado â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe are somewhat different. The major themes of these stories differ significantly, as does the emphasis placed on each character which dealt more to The Cask of Amontillado† than to â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† Regardless of this, the stories are similar in many ways. For instance, both belong to the literacy of the gothic genre, it shared a small theme, andRead MoreEdgar Allan Poes Use of Gothisism891 Words   |  4 PagesEdgar Allan Poe is a well-known fixture in American literature; whose stories have made sizeable contributions to the Gothic literary element. Many of Poe’s stories contain more than one Gothic element. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† is a prime example of this. In this story Poe presents the themes of death and the accompanying supernatural. Poe often uses his proficiency in Gothic to invoke deep reading. For many, th is proficiency causes Poe’s stories to be difficult to fully understand at firstRead MoreStyle Of Edgar Allan Poe881 Words   |  4 Pagesdo! In fact, Edgar Allan Poe, also known as the â€Å"Master of Horror†, is a well known author known for his style and the effect it has on his readers. Edgar Allan Poe is a poet and an author. He writes terrifying short stories and poems that can give the reader nightmares. For the same reason, his style is very gothic and ominous. He uses several literary devices that help create such creepy effects. In three of his most well-known works, â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart,† â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† and â€Å"The RavenRead MoreRole of Realism in Edagar Allan Poe ´s The Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amortillado1014 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe are dark short stories relevant to murder, revenge, and mystery. Poe writes both stories in a Gothic style in order to deal with ideas of realism. One may ask were the murders and punishments justifiable in either short story? One may also ask did Poe accurately depict realism in each story? Realism, defined as a technique in literature that accurately represents everyday life, is questioned in Poe’s works: â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Cask ofRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart1538 Words   |  7 PagesPotentially Mad, Potentially Genius: Edgar Allan Poe’s Style â€Å"True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?† Poe wrote this line in his â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† and he very well could have been speaking about himself. Many generations have debated on whether or not Edgar Allen Poe was a mad. Reviewers and readers have looked at Poe’s work for nearly two centuries, trying to pick it apart and see if it’s the ramblings of a mad man or well piecedRead MoreEdgar Allan Poes Writing Style598 Words   |  2 PagesMaster of suspense and horror, Edgar Allan Poe is known for his Gothic writing style, as demonstrated in two of his well-known short stories, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† His style is created by his use of punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, imagery, and tone. First off, punctuation-wise, dashes, exclamation marks, semicolons, and commas are a favorite of Poe. All this is shown in t he first sentence of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, â€Å"True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervousRead MoreAnalysis of Edgar Allan Poes Writing Style Essay776 Words   |  4 PagesA virtuoso of suspense and horror, Edgar Allan Poe is known for his Gothic writing style. His style is created through his use of punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, tone, and figurative language. Punctuation-wise; dashes, exclamation marks, semicolons, and commas are a favorite of Poe. His sentences vary greatly; their structures are influenced by punctuation. Much of his word choice set the tone of his works. Figurative language colors his writings with description. Such is observed inRead MoreA Gray Atmosphere By Edgar Alan Poe1404 Words   |  6 PagesA Gray Atmosphere Edgar Alan Poe is the father of Dark Romanticism. He brought out the ‘gothic’ of literature and with that said not many of his pieces had a happy ending. When thinking of Poe a chill comes over me, the brute force, imagery and vocabulary that he used was enough to make any reader shudder, yet keep reading. Poe talks of dark things such as murder, insanity and betrayal; he certainly had a different perspective when it came to writing. The culture and ethical value in his storiesRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Cask Of Amontillado2043 Words   |  9 PagesMy tentative thesis states that Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is the single most perfect short story through a number of masterful techniques in order to drive home the point that the whole story is a confession to his priest in his dying hour. In order to help prove this, I attempted to gather articles mentioning religious imagery within this piece as well as other Poe works and looked i nto biographical information so as to have a number of sources from which to choose. The first set

The Role Of Accounting In The Collapse Of Game Group Free Essays

string(108) " are important in determining how the market will value the price of the equity of a firm \(Penman, 2007\)\." Introduction The Game Group plc is a UK based Investment Company. It is specialised in the retail of video games and personal computers through retail outlets and eCommerce sites (Google Finance, 2013). On the 21st of March 2012, the company officially filed for administration as it became evident that it could no longer continue as a going concern (Robinson, 2012; BBC, 2012). We will write a custom essay sample on The Role Of Accounting In The Collapse Of Game Group or any similar topic only for you Order Now Past experience suggests that accounting has contributed to many cases of corporate failure. This was the case with the failures of Enron, WorldCom and many other companies. The objective of this paper is to discuss how accounting contributed to the failure of The Game Group plc. The paper begins by presenting theoretical and empirical evidence on how accounting can contribute to corporate collapse in section 2; section 3 discusses how accounting contributed to the collapse of the Game Group by making reference to the evidence presented in section 2; section 4 provides a summary and conclusion of the paper. Accounting and Corporate Collapse Creative accounting has been cited as one of the principal causes of corporate collapse. Companies like Enron, WorldCom and Tyco International filed for Bankruptcy under Chapter 7 as a result of poor accounting. The managers of these companies were involved in lies, deceit, cover-up and above all shoddy accounting, which could not be sustained for long. As a result, the share prices of the companies were bound to fall and thus the companies themselves were bound to file for bankruptcy under chapter 7 of the US Bankruptcy Code. Creative accounting involves the use of accounting techniques that may or may not be in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAPs) but that certainly deviate significantly ethical standards (Ghosh, 2010). When involved in creative accounting, managers often make use of novel approaches to reporting income so as to influence the outcome of contractual agreements that are determined by financial reports (Ghosh, 2010). Creative accounting involves systematically misrepresenting the true earnings and asset values of companies. Creative accounting has been responsible for a number of high profile cases of corporate failures such as Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia and Tyco International. One of the most commonly used forms of creative accounting is earnings management. Earnings management occurs when management employ judgment in financial reporting and transaction structuring with the intent of altering financial information either to influence the outcome of contractual agreements that depend on financial reports or to mislead interested parties about the performance, changes in financial position and financial position of the company (Healy and Wahlen, 1999). Earnings management represents â€Å"a purposeful intervention in the external financial reporting process, with the intent of obtaining some private gain† (Schipper, 1989). Most of the figures in the balance sheet and income statement are based on accrual accounting which arises because not all transactions are settled in cash at the time they are entered into. Therefore, accrual accounting must be used to record assets and liabilities that arise as a result of the time difference between the inceptio n of the transaction and the time the transaction is settled. This has resulted in the use of discretionary accounting. Managers employ discretionary accrual accounting to satisfy their selfish desires (Heemskerk and Va der Tas, 2006). The use of discretionary accruals is considered earnings management when managers employ it to influence the share price of their company or to obtain some other benefit that is of a personal nature. Earnings management has been an important subject of debate in the accounting literature with most studies focusing on understanding the factors that motivate managements to manae earnings. A bonus-maximisation theory has thus been suggested which states that managers manager earnings to maximise bonuses. For example, evidence suggests discretionary accruals are employed by managers to maximise short-term bonuses (Healy, 1985). Similar evidence is suggested in Gaver et al. (1995) and Hotlthausen et al. (1995) who observe that managers make use of accrual accounting to reduce earnings when earnings are above their maximum bonus level. However, such accruals are not employed when the minimum bonus level has not been attained (Holthausen et al., 1995; Gaver et al. (1995). An income smoothing theory has also been suggested which argues that managers like to observe a smooth pattern in earnings. Consequently a number of accounting techniques are employed to ensure that earnings are smooth over time. Gaver et al. (1995) provide evidence that is consistent with the smoothing theory. In addition, Guidry et al. (1999) and Tao (2007) observe that earnings management is carried out because managers do not want significant differences to occur between actual and predicted earnings. It has also been argued that managers hate reporting a decline in earnings. Consequently, accounting techniques are employed to ensure that the change in earnings over time is positive. Burgstahler and Dichev (1997) provide evidence that is consistent with this incentive by observing that managers tend to emphasise an increase in earnings in the Annual Report Section titled: â€Å"Management Discussion†. In Tenneco’s 1994 Annual Report for example, the CEO Dana Mead stated as follows: â€Å"I must emphasise that all our strategic actions are guided and measured against this goal of delivering consistently high increases in earnings over the long term† (Burgstahler and Dichev, 1997: 99). In addition Eli Lilly laid so much emphasis which lasted for a period of 33 years before being broken. Some firms emphasise the importance of increasing earnings during press releases or the announcement of earnings. The CEO of Bank of America for example, Richard Rosenberg in 199 4 stressed the importance of increasing earnings in a press release by stating that â€Å"Increasing earnings per share was our most important objective for the year† (Burgstahler and Dichev, 1997: 100). The foregoing indicates that managers are more inclined to reporting an increase in earnings rather than a decrease. Barth et al. (1995) for example suggests that firms tend to maintain an upward trend in earnings so as to improve valuation ratios such as the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, the price-to-book (P/B) ratio, etc. P/E and P/B ratios are important in determining how the market will value the price of the equity of a firm (Penman, 2007). You read "The Role Of Accounting In The Collapse Of Game Group" in category "Essay examples" Therefore, managers will be motivated to maintain high P/E and P/B ratios through earnings management so as to benefit from a high market valuation of their firms’ equity. Similar evidence is provided in DeAngelo et al. (1996) who observe that a distortion in a firm’s upward trend in earnings results in significant declines in the stock price. Accounting and the Collapse of the Game Group Section 2 above focused on understanding how accounting can lead to corporate collapse. The evidence shows that managers tend to make use of creative accounting techniques which results in an inflation of earnings and thus the share price. Given that the share price does not reflect its intrinsic value, the long-run effect is a significant decline in the share price with the ultimate effect being the collapse of the company. This section is concerned with whether there was any use of creative accounting in the Game group which led to its collapse. So far, the evidence shows that accounting had nothing to do with the collapse of the group. Rather, the company’s collapse can be attributed to a variety of other factors including poor strategic planning, declining video game industry, and the cyclical nature of the video games industry . 3.1 Poor Strategic Planning It was rather, poor strategic planning on the part of the company that resulted in its collapse. The company failed to anticipate and plan for changes in its external environment. The company continued using strategies that were no longer relevant in the context of its external environment. In addition, the Game group had a poor pricing strategy. Prices of Game Group’s games were too high compared to prices of competitors such as Amazon and Play. Many customers are migrating from store shopping to online shopping. According to Administrators at Price Water House Coopers, Game Group’s collapse can be attributed to its ambitious overseas expansion and the closure of proximity stores. Game Group’s strategy was characterised by two fundamental problems. Firstly, the company expanded massively into different countries (Yin-Poole, 2012). This means that the company had significantly high levels of fixed costs which could not be sustained. When fixed costs are significa ntly high, the business risk of the firm increases significantly. Secondly, Game and Gamestation stores were in close proximity. This resulted in the cannibalisation of sales of one store by other stores (Yin-Poole, 2012). Therefore, many stores were simply incurring fixed costs which could not be covered by sales revenue. 3.2 Declining Video Games Industry The company suffered significantly because of poor developments in its external environment. Wallop (2012) observes comments by the CEO of the company Mr Shepherd who claims that in 2012, the size of the video game market had declined by 40% from its 2012 figure. This contributed negatively to the performance of the company. The company’s share fell by 2.44 to 4.31p and resulting in a decline to less than ?15million. Customers made significant changes in their consumption of video games. Most customers were interested in buying only new releases such as Fifa 2012 and Modern Warfare. Lesser known titles could not perform well because of declining demand Wallop (2012). The Game Group could not survive because it had a lot of games in stock that did not meet the current tastes and preferences of consumers of video games. 3.2 Cyclical nature of the Video Games Industry Despite making a profit of ?90million in 2009, the Game Group recorded a loss of ?15million in 2011 (Wallop, 2011). The main reason for this loss was the intense cyclical nature of the video games industry (Wallop, 2011). The market lacks exciting new hardware. In addition, the industry has been suffering from piracy. Lack of new hardware and an increase piracy has resulted in declining demands which has eroded industry profits. As a result the Game Group could no longer survive in the industry. The Game Group was also affected by the introduction of digital games, which can be regarded as a perfect substitute for video games. For example, in 2010, sales of digital games totalled ?411m representing an increase by 23 percent from the 2009 figure. On the contrary, the video game industry witnessed a decline in sales by 17 percent to ?1.53billion between 2009 and 2010 (Wallop, 2011). In addition, the development of smart phones and the IPAD has affected the video games industry. These devices come with free digital games. This resulted in the decline in video games sales and thus contributed to the collapse of the Game Group (Wallop, 2011). Summary and Conclusions The objective of this paper was to analyse the impact of accounting on the failure of Game Group. The above analyses show that Game Group’s collapse was in no way related to accounting failure. There was no evidence to suggest that managers at Game Group were involved in creative accounting. Unlike the case of Enron, and other major corporate failures, the Game Group had no special purpose entities which enabled it to high liabilities off the books. Game group’s failure can be attributed to poor strategic planning rather than to accounting failure. Based on the analysis, there is no evidence suggesting that Game Group was involved in inappropriate accounting. Rather, the evidence shows that Game Group simply did not plan properly. Game Group did not put in place strategies that would enable it respond adequately to changes in its external environment. The company failed to analyse the threat of substitute products, new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers and customers as well as industry rivalry. References Healy, P.M., Wahlen, J.M., 1999. A review of the earnings management literature and its implications for standard setters. Accounting Horizons, 13, pp. 365-383. Hayn, C., 1995. The Information Content of Losses, Journal of Accounting and Economics, 20, pp. 125-153 Heemskerk, M., and L. van der Tas. 2006. Veranderingen in resultaatsturing als gevolg van de invoering van IFRS. Maandblad voor Accountancy en Bedrijfseconomie: 571-579. Holthausen, R. W., Larcker, D. F., Sloan, R., 1995. Annual Bonus Schemes and the Manipulation of Earnings, Journal of Accounting and Economics, 19 (1) pp. 85-100 Epstein, B. J., Jermakowicz, E. K., 2007. Interpretation and Application of International Financial Reporting Standards, Wiley and Sons Inc. Penman, S. H. (2007) Financial Statement Analysis and Security Valuation, 3rd ed. Irwin: McGraw-Hill. Schipper, K. 1989. Earnings Management. Accounting Horizons, pp. 91-102 Robinson, A. (2012) GAME officially files for administration Retailer fails to find â€Å"a realistic prospect for a solvent solution for the business†, available online at: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/340810/game-officially-files-for-administration/ [accessed: 29th March 2013]. BBC (2012) Game Group to file for administration, available online at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17455742 [accessed: 29th March 2013]. Wallop, H. (2012) Game shares slump on profits warning, loan breach fears, available online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9004248/Game-shares-slump-on-profits-warning-loan-breach-fears.html [accessed: 29th March 2013]. Wallop, H. (2011) Can Game Group survive?, available online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8895015/Can-Game-Group-survive.html [accessed: 29th March 2013]. Yin-Poole, W. (2012) Why Game Collapsed: PwC cites â€Å"unfortunate† proximity of stores and â€Å"ambitious† overseas expansion, available online at: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-26-why-game-collapsed [accessed: 29th March 2013]. How to cite The Role Of Accounting In The Collapse Of Game Group, Essay examples