The Great Gatsby Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Great Gatsby - Research Paper Example An analysis of the novel ‘Great Gatsby’ is imperative without taking a closer look at the character of Nick as it is through him that the reader gets to meet and know about the other characters as well as understand the mysterious life of Jay Gatsby. This paper analyzes on whether Nick is a morally upright honest narrator who gives the reader an unflinching look at the consequences of decadence or if he is untrustworthy and blinded by his admiration of wealth and glamor? Fitzgerald uses Nick as a point of reference to all the other characters in the novel and its setting. The novel kicks off in the summer of 1922 when Nick moves to New York. He is originally from Minnesota and moves to the city to learn on the bond business. He rents a house in the fictional West Egg district of Long Island which gets displayed in the novel as unfashionable (Fitzgerald 2). The area is populated by a newly rich group of individuals who have made their fortunes just recently (Fitzgerald 18). This group of the newly rich is not shy to show off their wealth. Living next door to Nick in a gigantic gothic mansion is Jay Gatsby who is mysterious and throws lavish parties every Saturday night. Unlike the other populace of West Egg, Nick is socially connected in East Egg, a more fashionable are of Long Island and home to the established upper class. his cousin is Daisy Buchanan who is married to Tom, a classmate of Nick’s at Yale. Nick is introduced to Jordan Baker, w ith whom he starts a romantic relationship, by Daisy and Tom. Through Jordan, Nick gets to learn of Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s love. Through the progression of the summer, Nick gets invited one of Gatsby’s legendary party’s where he finally gets to meet him. As a cousin to Daisy Buchanan and next door neighbor to Gatsby, Nick proves the perfect choice of narrator for the novel. He is at a position where he is able to

Large classes Essay Example for Free

Large classes Essay When students are in large classes it is very hard for the teacher to give every student individual attention. What can educational authorities do about this? It is quite obvious that when the students are in very large numbers in a class, the teacher can’t pay individual attention. I think as far as students are attentive in the class, teachers attention to individual hardly matters. Not all students in a class need personal attention, because they are smart and grasp the lessons quickly by themselves. However some of the students who are a little weak can surely get personal attention of the teachers. Nevertheless for the teacher to be able to monitor progress of all students of a class, it is necessary that proper student teacher ratio is adhered to. Student-Teacher ratio refers to the number of teachers in a school or university with respect to the number of students who attend the school or university. For example, a student teacher ratio of 10:1 means that there are 10 students for every one teacher available. The term can also be reversed to be teacher-student ratio. If one classroom has a 30:1 ratio and the other has a 10:1 ratio, the school could claim to have a 20:1 ratio overall. But if the ratio is 50:1, the school needs to hire more teachers. In a way 40:1 is the ideal ratio where all students can get proper attention of the teacher. Summarizing, this is the responsibility of the educational authorities to inspect schools and universities periodically to ensure a right student-teacher ratio and in the event of this ratio changing due to greater number of students, educational authorities must strictly advice schools to hire more teachers and maintain appropriate student – teacher ratio. This shall help all students get better attention of the teachers if not individual attention.

Gender :: essays research papers

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, May 1997 v36 n9-10 p551(22) Advertising's effects on men's gender role attitudes. Jennifer Garst; Galen V. Bodenhausen. Author's Abstract: COPYRIGHT 1997 Plenum Publishing Corporation We posited that media images of men influence the gender role attitudes that men express soon after exposure to the images. A total of 212 men (87% European American, 7% Asian or Asian American, 3% African American, and 3% other) viewed magazine advertisements containing images of men that varied in terms of how traditionally masculine vs. androgynous they were and whether the models were the same age or much older than the viewers. Men who had initially been less traditional espoused more traditional attitudes than any other group after exposure to traditionally masculine models, although they continued to endorse relatively nontraditional views after exposure to androgynous models. These findings suggest that nontraditional men's gender role attitudes may be rather unstable and susceptible to momentary influences such as those found in advertising. Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1997 Plenum Publishing Corporation In the average American household, the television is turned "on" for almost seven hours each day, and the typical adult or child watches two to three hours of television per day. It is estimated that the average child sees 360,000 advertisements by the age of eighteen (Harris, 1989). Due to this extensive exposure to mass media depictions, the media's influence on gender role attitudes has become an area of considerable interest and concern in the past quarter century. Analyses of gender portrayals have found predominantly stereotypic portrayals of dominant males and nurturant females within the contexts of advertisements (print and television), magazine fiction, newspapers, child-oriented print media, textbooks, literature, film, and popular music (Busby, 1975; Durkin, 1985a; Leppard, Ogletree, & Wallen, 1993; Lovdal, 1989; Pearson, Turner, & Todd-Mancillas, 1991; Rudman & Verdi, 1993; Signorielli & Le ars, 1992). Most of the research to date on the effects of gender-role images in the media has focused primarily on the female gender role. A review of research on men in the media suggests that, except for film literature, the topic of masculinity has not been addressed adequately (Fejes, 1989). Indeed, as J. Katz (1995) recently noted, "there is a glaring absence of a thorough body of research into the power of cultural images of masculinity" (p. 133). Katz suggests that studying the impact of advertising represents a useful place to begin addressing this lacuna.

Annual Report Analysis for Adidas

2011 Annual Report Analysis for Adidas Prepared for Professor Tabor Prepared by Jena Howell 2011 Annual Report Analysis for Adidas Prepared for Professor Tabor Prepared by Jena Howell Table of Contents Introduction2 Annual Report Analysis of Adidas2 Auditors2 Subsequent Events3 Trends in Total Assets and Total Liabilities3 Three Largest Assets and Liabilities for Recent Year4 Stock Options4 Income Statement4 Net Income5 Comprehensive Income5 Direct or Indirect Cash Flow Statement5 Items Included in Cash from Investing Activities5 Summary6 Introduction Adidas is a name brand that most people know about. Have you ever wondered though, what goes on behind the scenes? Well, that is what is going to be discussed in this paper. Some of the main ideas we are going to look are who the auditors are, the trends in assets and liabilities, the largest assets and liabilities, the types of stocks that are available, the type of income statement that is used, the trend of net income, the type of cash flow statement that is used, and the two largest items included in cash from investing. The purpose of this document is to get you better informed on the current standing of the Adidas Corporation. Annual Report Analysis of Adidas Let’s first discuss who the auditors are and what opinion they have on the company’s financial statements. Auditors The KPMG AG group is who audits Adidas. They audited Adidas on Feb. 15, 2011. Kozikowski & Wolper (2010) stated, â€Å"In our opinion, based on the findings of our audit, the consolidated financial statements comply with IFRS, as adopted by the EU, the additional requirements of German commercial law pursuant to  § 315a (1) HGB and give a true and fair view of the net assets, financial position and profit or loss of the Group in accordance with these requirements. The Group management report is consistent with the consolidated financial statements and as a whole provides a suitable view of the Group’s position and suitably presents the opportunities and risks of future development. † So, yes the auditors provide a clean opinion the financial statements. In the auditor’s opinion, the company complied with all the standards that were required. So, have there been any subsequent events that have had a material effect on the financial statements? Let’s take a look. Subsequent Events Since the end of 2010, there have been no significant organization, management, economic, socio-political, legal or financial changes that have had a material effect on the financial statements. This shows that this is a stable group that can be relied on. Now, let’s see what kind of trends in assets and liabilities there have been in the past two years. Trends in Total Assets and Total Liabilities At the year of the fiscal year in 2008 Adidas group had â‚ ¬ 9,533,000,000 in total assets. Now, at the end of the 2009 fiscal year, Adidas group had â‚ ¬ 8,875,000,000 in total assets. This is a 6. % drop in total assets. At the end of 2008 fiscal year, Adidas group had â‚ ¬ 6,133,000,000 in total liabilities; and at the end of the 2009 fiscal year, Adidas group had â‚ ¬ 5,099,000,000 in total liabilities. That is a â‚ ¬ 1,034,000,000 change in liabilities. The current ratio for the 2008 fiscal year was 1. 55. The current ratio for the 2009 fiscal year was 1. 74. Wha t were the three largest assets and liabilities? Let’s see. Three Largest Assets and Liabilities for Recent Year The three largest assets for the 2009 fiscal year were the following: * Cash and cash equivalents * Accounts Receivable * Inventories The three largest liabilities for 2009 fiscal year were the following: * Long-term borrowings * Accounts payable * Accrued liabilities Now that we know what the three largest assets and liabilities Adidas group has, why don’t we look at their stock options. Stock Options Adidas group offers registered no-par value shares. There are currently 209,216,186 shares outstanding at the end of the 2010 fiscal year. Income Statement Adidas group uses a multi-step income statement. There were no separately reported items. Gross profit dropped by 10. 4% and operating profit dropped by 52. 6% between 2008 and 2009 fiscal years. Net Income Adidas group had a major drop in net income between the 2008 and 2009 fiscal years. At the end of the 2008 fiscal year, net income was â‚ ¬ 645,000,000. At the end of the 2009 fiscal year, net income was â‚ ¬ 245,000,000. This was a 61. 9% drop. The main reason for such a drastic drop in net income was a decrease in sales and financial income. Comprehensive Income Adidas group had net loss of â‚ ¬132,000,000 in 2009 and a net gain of â‚ ¬149,000,000 in 2008 on cash flow hedges. Also, there was an actuarial loss of â‚ ¬12,000,000 in 2009 and a gain of â‚ ¬2,000,000 in 2008 of defined benefit plans and asset ceiling affect (IAS 19). Direct or Indirect Cash Flow Statement Adidas group uses the direct method because on the cash flow statement they report disbursements from operating activities. Items Included in Cash from Investing Activities The two largest items in cash from investing activities are the following: * Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment * Proceeds from sale of other intangible assets The proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment brought in â‚ ¬16,000,000 in net cash in 2009 and â‚ ¬27,000,000 in 2008. The proceeds from the sale of other intangible assets brought in â‚ ¬10,000,000 in 2009 and â‚ ¬8,000,000 in 2008. These numbers are net cash. Summary So, we have learned that the Adidas group that they offer registered no-par value stock. There were major differences between 2008 and 2009 when it came to net income. They made a lot more money in 2008 than they did in 2009. They use the direct method when it comes to cash flow statement. The corporation uses the multi-step income statement. Total assets and liabilities both declined from the 2008 fiscal year to the 2009 fiscal year. Works Cited (2010). Consolidated Balance Sheet. Adidas Group. http://adidas-group. corporate-publications. om/2009/gb/en/consolidated-financial-statements/consolidated-balance-sheet. html (2010). Consolidated Cash Flow Statement. Adidas Group. http://adidas-group. corporate-publications. com/2009/gb/en/consolidated-financial-statements/consolidated-statement-of-cash-flows. html (2010). Consolidated Income Statement. Adidas Group. http://adidas-group. corporate-publications. com/2009/gb/en/consolidated-financial-statem ents/consolidated-income-statement. html Kozikowski, M. , & Wolper, A. (2010). Auditors Report. http://adidas-group. corporate-publications. com/2009/gb/en/consolidated-financial-statements/independent-auditors-report. html

Managing Change

In any organization change is something which is inevitable therefore it is the responsibility of the manager of any given organization to ensure that the change is managed effectively.   One major mistake managers do make is that most of their times they tend to impose the change in the organization such that every employee has to abide by it.   The point is, we have to understand that change does occur but employees have to be made to go through the change gradually. Basically a change cannot take place at once; it is something which has to come gradually.   Therefore managers should not assume that once a change is started then every employee is to use the common sense to know that the change is either taking place or has taken place. What is important before change is adopted and incorporated in daily operating procedures of an organization is the individual differences in the organization.   This will help managers improve their leadership styles especially in institutions where democracy prevails.   In any business environment the main aim is to maximize the profit and minimization of losses.   If the change is going to bring positive results then it is as good as a rest. Before any restructuring or change take place in an organization, I believe it is good to understand why the change takes place, where it is from and the target group of people it is to affect.   This is because in problem solving situation, the root cause of the problem has to be identified is when possible solutions are identified.   Individual employees operating in the organization has to be made aware of the change and things explained to them more widely. The following are some of its methods followed in individual change process according to Robert Bacal(nd).   Generally there are three phases that are followed for change to take place.   The first phase is the preparation phase which is subdivided into two stages, namely: the contact and awareness stage. The contact stage is the beginning of change process. It is the sensing or predicting that change is either taking place or has taken place.   It is the preliminary state of change process.   The awareness stage is where an individual in an organization become well informed about the change.   The change is being contemplated in this stage.   The second phase of change is the acceptance phase which is also subdivided into understanding stage and positive perception stage. The understanding stage is where the individual is to conceptualize the subject matter that is analysis of the change.   This helps one to understand its nature and why it occurs. It can only take place when a detailed research has taken place.   The positive perception stage then takes place.   This is where an individual is made to view the change positively for it will help the organization improve the results it produces. Results in this case may be products produced by a company or services provided.   For this to happen change has to be given positive judgment and perception. The last phase in change process is commitment phase, which is further subdivided into four stages namely: the installation, adoption, institutionalization and internalization stage.   The installation stage is very important because it deals with the implementation of the change.   Question like how are people made to accept the change is very important.   A change which is not effectively managed will be rejected. So this becomes a crucial stage when it comes to change process.   Installation has to do with ensuring the change works in the organization and all the resources has to be used. After implementation, the change is then adopted. In the adoption stage, change now becomes something that everyone in organization is used to.   Could be its positive effects has been seen or   it might have added some value to the organization therefore   it is worthy.   The third stage in this phase is the stage of institutionalization.   The change is now taken to have a long history and regarded to be useful to the organization. It is viewed as durable, having some value and therefore it is incorporated into the daily operating procedures of the organization.   The change is made official and unanimously accepted in the running of the organization.   The last stage is the internalization where each individual is suppose to be dedicated to change.   This is because the change now becomes something which has been tested, experimented, tried and trusted by the organization. Any change should be made clear to the whole group of employees in a business organization.   This is when the employees will have faith in their leader.   It is believed that team work is the key element for good results to be obtained.   So dealing with individuals in an organization means the leader/ manager is trying to use divide and rule method and this will demoralize employees.   So for spirit of team work to be maintained things must just be done together and discussed. The change in this case must be known to everybody so that they can react to it before implementing it or else some members will not be comfortable with the change.   Piloting should be done before the actual implementation to judge whether it will bring negative or positive impact to the organization.   The feelings and interest of employees must just be considered because they always work as a team. Sources of information also matters a lot in any organization.   For example rumors spreading will confuse and misdirect the employees.   This normally occurs when information is leaked to a click of individuals.   The information should be made official from the top most person preferably the manager.   Otherwise when it comes to large companies, top most managers tend to use mass media such as television and radio system this is because the information is targeting  Ã‚   a large number of people and very much effective when the information is to be passed very fast. In conclusion effects of change will largely depend on how effective the change was implemented and the managers’ ability to ensure that the employees take the change more positively.   Therefore, he has to know the feelings and interests of employees before change take place.   He also needs to explain in time why the change is necessary. Bibliography Luecke R. (2003) Managing Change and Transition.Havard Business School press Gianna M., Enach & Herbert W. (1998) Embracing and Managing Change in Tourism.Routledge:Taylor&Francis Group publishers Peter E. & Amanda C. (1999) Managing Change: Changing the Role of Top Public Servants. Commonwealth Secretariat publishers. Ingham, G. (2000) Managing Change: A Guide to British Economic Policy.Manchester