Monday, April 6, 2020

Sons of Liberty free essay sample

The name Sons of Liberty came from a speech given to the British parliament by Colonel Isaac Bare where he referred to the colonials as sons of liberty . The motto of the group was no taxation without representation. The groups first formed in Boston and New York City in the summer Of 1765. The leaders were mostly middle class artisans, traders, lawyers and local politicians although it is widely believed that several influential men like Samuel Adams , Benjamin Des, a printer, and John Gill of the Boston Gazette were behind the steady stream of news and opinions that ere published in the local papers .The newspapers spread the word throughout the colonies and common folk as well the educated and influential were swayed by the reports and editorials, especially those written by Samuel Adams who published under a pen name for the Boston Gazette. Within a year, there were Sons of Liberty organizations in every colony. We will write a custom essay sample on Sons of Liberty or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One of the first well known acts of the Sons of Liberty was the hanging of a likeness of Andrew Oliver, the Distributor of Stamps for Massachusetts, in a tree on Newbury Street. The effigy had a boot with a devil coming out of it. The display was meant to establish an evil connection between Oliver and the Stamp Act .The effigy was beheaded and burned and Olivers house ransacked. Many colonists were appalled by the violence but happy that it was deterring the enforcement of the Stamp Act taxes. Many of the stamp officials fled in fear for their lives. Although the Sons of Liberty were inciting riots and violence, they continued to profess loyalty to the King during the Stamp Act crisis because most of them had a fundamental confidence in the expectation that Parliament would do the right thing and repeal the tax As emissions mounted during the late sasss and early 1 asss, chapters of the Sons of Liberty were everywhere. The intent was to stop the implementation of any of the tax acts imposed on the colonists by Britain. They did this by intimidating British officials and running them out of the cities and towns. The Sons were successful in many situations, with British officials fleeing for their lives. The most famous resistance effort was that of the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773. The Sons put out a formal declaration in New York City which formally stated their opposition to the Tea Act passed by the British parliament.The declaration said that anyone who assisted in helping to enforce the Act was an enemy to the liberties of America and that whoever shall transgress any of these resolutions, we will not deal with, or employ, or have any connection with him . To emphasize their intent, members of the Sons dressed as Indians and boarded English ships in the Boston harbor, seized tons of tea and dumped it into the water. The Sons were responsible for resistance movements against British rule in Colonial America on the eve of the Revolution, primarily against what they perceived s unfair taxation and financial limitations imposed upon them by Britain .Through the use of mob rule, tactics of fear, force, intimidation, and violence such as tar and feathering, and the stockpiling of arms, shot, and gun powder, the Sons of Liberty undermined British rule . The Sons of Liberty helped create an atmosphere of nationalism in the colonies. As the Revolutionary War came to an end, most of the groups of Sons of Liberty disbanded and evolved into more formal and qualified Committees of Safety . These committees eventually became the governing body of all of the colonies as he British were expelled. Sons of Liberty free essay sample A good citizen is some who respects others and their property. He/she is helpful and considerate, willing to put others first. He/she listens to the views of others and thinks about what they have to say. He/she helps people who are not in a position to help them. In my opinion the sons of liberty were good citizens because they fought for what was right. The sons of liberty were an underground resistance organization, that was made up of men and women (known as the daughters of liberty) from the New England colonies that protested the acts that the British government put on them.Some out rent members of the organization were Paul revere and Samuel Adams. Most of the members came from middle to upper class families, so they had money. They relied on public demonstrations to get support on their positions against the British government. Mostly nonviolent acts, such as boycotts On taxed goods. We will write a custom essay sample on Sons of Liberty or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However they were not above using violence The Sons of liberty sparked a nation into rebelling and overthrowing the government. Americans who felt oppressed by Britain cheered them on, while Loyalists to the crown didnt. In reality, they could be considered terrorists and were actually seen as such by Britain and other countries.This is because they led anarchism. The Sons of Liberty were great citizens of America, because they stood up and fought for what they wanted America to be, which was free. On the other hand, if you get technical about it, they were supposed to be citizens (or loyal) to England, so in that case, no they were not the best citizens of England. Fortunately for the Americans, the sons of liberty were there to support them. To conclude, The Sons of Liberty broke laws and did bad deeds but are considered by me as well as many to be good citizens. This is because they were on the American side and fought for what they wanted America to be free.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Free Essays on Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism Abstract Expressionism is a modern art movement that flowered in America after the Second World War and held power until the dawn of Pop Art in the1960's. With this movement New York replaced Paris as the center of the art world. Abstract Expressionism has its roots in other earlier 20th century art movements such as Cubism and Surrealism that promoted abstraction rather than representation. The psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Carl Jung provided the intellectual context in this quest for new subject matter. Abstract Expressionism is a form of art in which the artist expresses himself purely through the use of form and color. It is form of non-representational, or non-objective, art, which means that there are no concrete objects represented. This movement of abstract painting that emerged in New York City during the mid-1940s and attained singular prominence in American art in the following decade; also called action painting and the New York school. It was the first important school in American painting to declare its independence from European styles and to influence the development of art abroad. â€Å"Arshile Gorky first gave impetus to the movement. His paintings, derived at first from the art of Picasso, Mirà ³, and surrealism, became more personally expressive. Jackson Pollock's turbulent yet elegant abstract paintings, which were created by spattering paint on huge canvases placed on the floor, brought abstract expressionism before a hostile public. Willem de Kooning's first one-man show in 1948 established him as a highly influential artist. His intensely complicated abstract paintings of the 1940s were followed by images of Woman, grotesque versions of buxom womanhood, which were virtually unparalleled in the sustained savagery of their execution.† Other important artists were Hans Hofmann and Robert Motherwell. A painter such as Philip Guston and Franz Kline turned to the abstract late in... Free Essays on Abstract Expressionism Free Essays on Abstract Expressionism abstract expressionism movement in painting that emerged in New York City in the mid-1940s and attained prominence in American art in the following decade; also called action painting and the New York School. Given impetus by the work of Arshile GORKY, abstract expressionism is marked by an attention to surface qualities, i.e., brushstroke and texture; the use of huge canvases; the harnessing of accidents that occur while painting; and the glorification of the act of painting itself. The first important school in American painting to declare independence from European styles and to influence art abroad, abstract expressionism enormously affected the kinds of art that followed it, especially in the use of color and material. Major artists in the movement include Jackson POLLOCK, Willem DE KOONING, Hans HOFMANN, Robert MOTHERWELL, Franz KLINE, and Mark ROTHKO. Abstract Expressionism Abstract Expressionism, movement in mid-20th-century painting that was primarily concerned with the spontaneous assertion of the individual through the act of painting. The movement contains a variety of styles and is characterized more by the concepts behind the art than by a specific look. Generally, abstract expressionist art is without recognizable images and does not adhere to the limits of conventional form. The roots of abstract expressionism are in the totally nonfigurative work of the Russian-born painter Wassily Kandinsky and that of the surrealists (see Surrealism), who deliberately used the subconscious and spontaneity in creative activity. The arrival in New York City during World War II (1939-1945) of such avant-garde European painters as Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Marc Chagall, and Yves Tanguy inspired the use of abstract expressionism among American painters in the 1940s and 1950s. American painters were also influenced by the subjective abstractions of the Armenian-born painter Arshile Gorky, who had immigrated to the United States in 1... Free Essays on Abstract Expressionism Abstract Expressionism Abstract Expressionism is a modern art movement that flowered in America after the Second World War and held power until the dawn of Pop Art in the1960's. With this movement New York replaced Paris as the center of the art world. Abstract Expressionism has its roots in other earlier 20th century art movements such as Cubism and Surrealism that promoted abstraction rather than representation. The psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Carl Jung provided the intellectual context in this quest for new subject matter. Abstract Expressionism is a form of art in which the artist expresses himself purely through the use of form and color. It is form of non-representational, or non-objective, art, which means that there are no concrete objects represented. This movement of abstract painting that emerged in New York City during the mid-1940s and attained singular prominence in American art in the following decade; also called action painting and the New York school. It was the first important school in American painting to declare its independence from European styles and to influence the development of art abroad. â€Å"Arshile Gorky first gave impetus to the movement. His paintings, derived at first from the art of Picasso, Mirà ³, and surrealism, became more personally expressive. Jackson Pollock's turbulent yet elegant abstract paintings, which were created by spattering paint on huge canvases placed on the floor, brought abstract expressionism before a hostile public. Willem de Kooning's first one-man show in 1948 established him as a highly influential artist. His intensely complicated abstract paintings of the 1940s were followed by images of Woman, grotesque versions of buxom womanhood, which were virtually unparalleled in the sustained savagery of their execution.† Other important artists were Hans Hofmann and Robert Motherwell. A painter such as Philip Guston and Franz Kline turned to the abstract late in...

Friday, February 21, 2020

Supply and Demand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Supply and Demand - Essay Example As such, if the price change leads to an equal change in commodity demanded then that results to a uni elastic demand (Ferguson, 1972) Elastic demand refers to the demand for which the price elasticity is greater than 1. As such, if the demand elasticity is greater than 1 it means that the percent change in quantity is much higher than the percent change in price. Unit elastic demand occurs if the quantity demanded is directly proportional to the price change meaning the coefficient of elasticity is equal to 1. While inelastic demand, occurs when elasticity coefficient is less than 1. This implies that the percentage change in the amount of quantity is less than the price change. Cross price elasticity of demand is the rate of change the quantity required due to the price change of the other commodity (Gillespie, 2007). As such, when two good are substitutes, consumers tend to purchase more of one good due to increase in the other substitute. Similarly, for complementary commodities, price increase in a commodity causes a reduced demand for all goods. Moreover, cross elasticity of demand points out the sensitivity of a particular commodity to price change. For a normal good, increase in income results in an increase in the demand. This is seen as the coefficient of elasticity of N>0 (Ferguson, 1972).For an inferior, an increase in price leads to a decrease in demand. In this case, the coefficient of elasticity is N1. Notably, a superior good exhibits the same coefficient of elasticity similar to normal good. Demand

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Unruly Spider Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unruly Spider - Case Study Example The major problems lay in the fact that the subcontracted company worked with inadequate drawings and inadequate tools. There was not a clear order from the engineer and this should have been communicated more effectively. The 1 1/8-inch-diameter holes had a rough finish on the bore. The magnaflux mark was not clearly legible. The inspection department rejected it. Extra money must now be spent by Mr. Speed to get the right tools and additional labor to finish the job right. If he does not raise the price on each unit he could lose money. A. The gears that were rough cannot be repaired but they could possibly be recycled and the money received from that could go to furnishing new equipment to make the grinding operation more efficient. B. Mr. Speed could raise his price to compensate for his expenditures of over $25,000 in repairing the tooling and redo with order with finished bores. C. The old gears can be recycled to decrease the extra costs and Mr. Speed should raise his prices to compensate for the difference. D. The advantages of recycling the gears are that it will offset some of the cost and the disadvantage of this would be that the costs will not meet the total expenditures. Mr. Speed raising his price per unit could result in extinguishing his output and making him a profit. The disadvantage of this would be that the price per unit may not be economical for the customer. The best choice would be for Mr. Speed to raise his price per unit and receive his profit on the back end. The process of salvaging the rough bores is not economical because it would require the operation of expensive chrome plating. It is best to raise the price and get the necessary equipment needed to complete all future jobs efficiently.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Significance Of The English Language English Language Essay

The Significance Of The English Language English Language Essay English language is really considered as a significant language since it has been used for communicating worldwide. Therefore, learning English is very common in many countries and language learning styles, especially reading styles are learned differently by students in globalization. More importantly, language learning styles are the core factors that help decide how the students learn a foreign language. In the article by (Rebecca, 2003), a foreign language is a language studied in an environment where it is not the major vehicle for every day communication and where input in the language is classified. In an article by Mulalic et al. (2009), students learning styles have been unnoticed as an irrelevant module in the learning process. Apparently, once lecturers become aware that different students learn various styles, they try to accommodate those learning styles in the classroom. When looking into lecturers teaching practices, it is possible to understand that the majority of the lecturers are not sensitive with their students learning styles. The problems occur when lecturers are not aware of the significance to create and explore learning styles. In second language teaching or learning situations for academic goals, especially in higher education in English universities which make far-reaching use of academic materials written in English, reading is vital. Surely, without reading proficiency, second language readers cannot achieve at levels they study. Consequently, successful reading in a second language is important. Also, professional in second language education should take into consideration with approaches which can develop the learners reading skills. Interactive approaches to reading are crucial for recognizing the complicated nature of reading, specifically when it happens in a second language and culture (Carrell, Devine Eskey, 2000). In the beginning of 1970s, researchers became aware that learning strategies, styles, and personal characteristics could have significant influence in language acquisition. Michael OMalley and Anna Chamot and their colleagues conducted a lot of learning strategies (reading, writing, speaking, listening, vocabulary, etc) and grouped them into three main categories. The first category was metacognitive strategy, which included organization, comprehension, and evaluation in gaining knowledge. The second category is cognitive strategy, which emphasized in learning assignments and its applications. The third one was socioaffective strategy, which focused on interpersonal interaction and social-mediating activity (Brown, 2000). In a globalized world, reading serves as a primary medium for information transmission and communication. Beneficially, reading improves cognitive capacity, sharpens critical thinking ability and enhances problem-solving skills, and it may even transform the development of individuals. Stanovich (1986) suggested that good readers will read more and read better while poor readers read less, and in turn obstruct further growth in reading ability. Since English language has been introduced in Cambodia, EFL students learning styles have adapted to the language acquisition. In the past students were likely to get knowledge through listening to the teachers while teachers lacked specific training about teaching methodology. In the study by (Nguyen 2001), the learning style of Cambodian students is typically memorization at the expense of realistic purpose. Consequently, they would rather learn grammar and reading than on listening and speaking. Specifically, most Cambodian learners feel more comfortable and enjoyable with having things which are written on the whiteboard in order that they can write them down and study at home. Hopefully, students hope to get handouts of summaries or lecture outlines. Furthermore, some Cambodian learners reveal that they face a lot of pressures of how to adapt the new cultural environment and how to get on with their peers in class. Some feel lonely because the ways they dress or talk are so diff erent. As for the case of EFL Cambodian classrooms, Keuk (2009), found that most teachers use practical habitual teaching methods such as vocabulary translation from second language to first language. As a result, students are taught to remember chunks of English language with mainly focused on grammar and vocabulary. 1.2 Research Problems Without recognizing proper learning styles, particularly reading styles students seem not to achieve better results in their academic performance and their English proficiency seems to be slow. Furthermore, students are less likely to improve their language acquisition very quickly, as they do not know the effective learning reading skills. In spite of the variety of academic courses which the EFL undergraduate students take in English, and the tough efforts universities and lecturers apply to develop students language skills, the students language performance, unfortunately, has been tedious. This could be recognized to the diverse learning styles and habits which are used by students in studying English, including preferring having things written on the whiteboard to listening to the lecturers explanation, nervousness of speaking in classroom, preferring working individually and personally to working in pairs or groups, and translating the words they do not know into their own lang uage while reading the text. Frequently, encountering new words in reading is common for learners, especially L2 learners. It may not obstruct the general understanding of the text, but if too many words are not known, then intellectual capacity might suffer a lot. Pedagogically, most of the lecturers practice traditional teaching method, grammar translation method form first language to second language while teaching English language. The final noticeable problem is that large classes pose some significant challenges in class room setting and reduced effectiveness of classroom management. In a study by Nuttal (1982), students learning English seem to be slow due to the fact that they do not have opportunities to read a lot. Most of the class time is devoted to learning about the language, that is learning grammar and learning to read through translation. Students are taught in a traditional way. They approach their reading assignment by putting all their effort and concentration into the passages they read. They carefully read the passage word by word. When reading and encountering an unfamiliar word, they stop reading and look up the meaning of the word in a dictionary. This reading behavior not only slows down their reading speed, but also hinders their reading comprehension. 1.3 Objectives of Study This study aims specifically to identify the learning reading of EFL undergraduate students in Cambodia. An additional aim of the research is to explore the affects and the outcomes of undergraduate students in learning reading in English as a foreign language. 1.4 Research Questions This research aims to investigate the effective factors in learning reading skills in English as a foreign language. The following research questions can be formulated for the study. Are there any differences in learning reading among Cambodian undergraduates? Is there a correlation between learning styles and learning outcomes? 1.5 Significance of Study As a part of educational development, this study is significant for four reasons. First, exploring students learning styles in reading in English in Cambodian higher education will help improve students language acquisition. Second, the study will shed light on the effective learning reading of EFL successful Cambodian undergraduates, which can be used as a model of learning reading in English. Third, this research will help to contribute to the usefulness of appropriate reading teaching and learning techniques in order to promote reading skills, particularly in EFL Cambodian context. In addition, from a methodological perception, it is also hoped that the findings from this study will be useful for providing second language reading and several strategies for reading comprehension based on Brown (2001). More importantly, the findings will help to develop the students capability of dealing with unknown words in their English vocabulary learning process, help to improve their reading c omprehension, and conduct more beneficial suggestions for both English teaching and English learning. 1.6 Definition of Terms In an attempt to better understand this study, some key terms are defined as follows. EFL students learning styles mean techniques, behaviors, actions, habits and steps employed by learners learning English as a Foreign Language to improve and develop their different language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Moreover, the term learning style refers to the general approach preferred by the student when learning a subject, acquiring a language, or dealing with a difficult problem (Oxford 2001; Reid 1998) Extensive reading refers to the improving well habitual reading, increasing knowledge of vocabulary and structure, and motivating a connecting in reading (Richard Schmidt, 2002: 193-194). 1.7 Proposed Chapter This paper will be chronologically composed of five main chapters. Chapter one is the introduction, consisting of background of the study, researcher problem, research objective, research question, significance of the study, and definition of key concepts. Chapter two is literature review, which discusses on the problems and solutions of the study. Chapter three is methodology, which consists of research design, participants, method, instruments, tools data collection, data analysis, ethnical consideration, strengths and limitation of research. Chapter four is discussion and findings, presenting the findings related to the effective learning reading skills to make students learn effectively. Chapter five is conclusion and recommendation, summarizing the problems and findings of the study and suggesting some strategies to help improve the weaknesses. Moreover, these five chapters are followed systematically by references and appendices. 1.8 Conceptual Framework Since English has become popular and international language for communicating, many learning styles are applied in a broader educational context in Cambodia. In Cambodian universities, students learning reading skills inside and outside the classroom are identified as follows: skimming and scanning, semantic mapping or clustering, previewing and predicting, strategies for reading comprehension, interactive reading model, three-part model of reading, extensive reading. Cambodian undergraduate students learning reading skills Skimming and Scanning Previewing and Predicting Strategies for Reading Comprehension Interactive Reading Model Three-part Model of Reading Extensive Reading Metacognitive Knowledge and Self Monitoring Teaching Second Language Reading Skills The Affects of Students Learning Styles and Learning Outcomes CHAPTER2 LITERATURE REVIEW Reading involves a variety of factors which may have an impact on learners reading ability. Weaver (1988) defined reading as the process of constructing meaning through the energetic interaction among the readers existing knowledge, the information recommended by the written language, and the situation in reading context. In a study by (Miller Yochum, 1991; Donnell Wood, 1999), maintained that the reading difficulties students face may be related to inaccurate knowledge of the reading process, lack interest and motivation, fluency, concept density, organization, and difficult vocabulary. Heffernan (1999) as cited in Aqel (2006), determined that many studies on language learning styles applied and gained differently base on motivation and outcome, level of language , years of learning language, teaching methods, difficult content, and students background and sex. He also added that successful language learners use various styles in learning language, and the teacher can help in increasing learning styles through teaching strategies that probably help weak students to choose the appropriate learning styles for dissimilar educational tasks. 2.1 Reading Skills 2.1.1 Skimming and Scanning In their book More Reading Power, Mikulecky Jeferies (1996) stated that skimming and scanning are the two important strategies. Skimming is high-speed reading which can save students a lot of time. Students skim to get the broad idea or gist of a text or a book, the main topic, and some of the supporting ideas. Students should read the words which help them gain the sense of the passage. Also, teachers can train students to skim passages by giving those 30 seconds to look through a few pages of material, close their books and then tell you what they learned. More importantly, there are three effective strategies for skimming: (1) Read quickly as you can; (2) keeping in mind the reason for skimming; (3) be flexible while you are skimming the passage (pp.132-133). Scanning, however, is very high-speed reading. Students should have a question in their mind when they scan the text; they do not read every word, only the words which answer the question. Practicing scanning will help students learn to skip over insignificant words in order that they can read more rapidly. For example, teachers ask students to look for names, dates, to find a definition of a key concept or to list a certain number of supporting details. For academic English, scanning is absolutely essential. In general English, scanning is important in dealing with genres like schedules, manuals, forms, etc (pp.15-16). 2.1.2 Previewing and Predicting Mikulecky et.al (1996), students should make a difference before they read. They can get some ideas about what they are going to read. As a result, they will start to process the information faster as well as they will be able to catch the ideas of the writer better. Even though it takes two or three minutes to preview and predict, those minutes are well invested. Later, they will find that they save lots of time in reading and improve comprehension. Here are the hints for previewing and predicting about language text: (1) read the title of the passage; (2) decide what sort of the text it is; (3) look at the organization of the text; (4) read very fast the first line of each paragraph or sub-division; (5) notice repeated names, numbers, dates, and words; (6) read rapidly the very last few sentences in the last paragraph. 2.1.3 Strategies for Reading Comprehension Comprehension or reading strategies show how readers conceive of a task, how they make sense of what they read, and what they do when they do not understand. In short, such strategies are processes used by the learner to improve reading comprehension and conquer comprehension failures (Singhal, 2001). In a second language study, Hosenfeld (1977) used a think-aloud procedure to identify relations between certain types of reading strategies and successful or unsuccessful second language reading. The successful reader, for instance, kept the meaning of the passage in mind while reading and skipped less important words but the unsuccessful reader lost the meaning of the sentences when decoded and seldom skipped unimportant words. In an article by Youngmee Suh (2005), one of the helpful strategies for reading comprehension is to be aware of the purpose in reading. Teachers should direct students how to get information through reading, to follow directions to do a task, for pleasure, to get in touch with friends and classmates, to know what is happening around the world, to discover out when and where things are, and for being interested about a topic. Furthermore, clear recognition of the intention in reading something is necessary for effective reading. Doing this, we know what we are finding out and we are not disturbed by other information. Consequently, it is compulsory for English reading lecturers to make sure students know their purpose in reading something. 2.1.4 Interactive reading model Whilst a reader constantly moves from a top-down approach to guess feasible meaning to bottom-up approach to prove all the details in interactive reading, interactive-compensatory model. Based on the study by Stanovich(1986), any stage functions interactively with any other stage. Readers are thought to increase the reading processes efficiently. In this model, less-automatic processes cooperate recurrently, and automatic processes activate independently. Therefore, reading difficulties are overcome by both interaction and compensation. According to Youngmee Shu (2005) stated that the reader brings information, knowledge, emotion, experience, and culture to the text. There are two types of schemata, content schemata and formal schemata. Content schemata include our knowledge about people, the world, culture, and the universe, however, formal schemata include knowledge about discourse structure such as illustration, cause-effect, or comparison are broadly studied because reading comprehension is a subject of developing proper, proficient comprehension strategies. Some of the strategies are associated with bottom-up processes and others with the top-down processes, each of which can be practically applied to classroom techniques 2.1.5 Three-part Model of Reading According to Song et.al (1999), there is a positive relationship between reading strategies and successful reading. Moreover, a reading class should be planned focusing on three-part model of reading with interactive activities. Lecturers should present different techniques to teach effectively reading in three various levels of reading, pre-reading, while- reading, and post-reading. Based on Youngmee Shu (2005) identified that In pre-reading level, schema of the text should be activated. Teachers often introduce a topic and ask questions about the text. Students skim the text for an overview of main ideas. Students tune in to the context and topic of the text and consider how the while-reading activity will be done. While-reading is for purposeful reading. Students work on certain facts or rhetorical devices to have a sense of purpose for reading 2.1.6 Extensive Reading In their book Extensive Reading in the Second Language classroom, Day and Bamford (1998) state the following characteristics for the Extensive Approach: reading as much as possible, book after book, where the meaning is the focus, students select their own readings, students cover a variety of materials and topics, students read for pleasure, information and general understanding, reading is its own reward, reading materials are within the range of the students linguistic competence, reading is individual and silent, reading speed is usually fast, reading teachers are guides and facilitators, and teachers are role models of a reader for students. This approach can be very beneficial and rewarding to student readers. Day and Bamford mention the following benefits: developing good reading habits, encouraging a liking for reading, developing structure and vocabulary, increasing general second language competence, developing automaticity, enhancing background knowledge, improving compreh ension skills, and promoting confidence and motivation. In an article by Ming-yueh Shen (2008), reading extensively is to expose students to a great amount of reading materials, enhance students reading fluency, and develop a good reading habit. 2.1.7 Metacognitive knowledge Metacognitive knowledge and self monitoring are the significant elements of fluent reading skills. Knowledge about cognition including knowledge about language, relating to identifying patterns of structure and organization, and using appropriate strategies to achieve specific goals (e.g., comprehending texts, remembering information). Connected with reading this will consist of recognizing the vital information in a text; adjusting reading rate; using context to deal with a misunderstood part; skimming portions of the text; previewing headings; pictures, and summaries; using search strategies for finding specific information; formulating questions about the information; using a dictionary; using word formation and affix information to guess word meanings; taking notes; underlining; and summarizing information. Monitoring of cognition regarding to recognizing problems with information presented in the texts or incapacity to accomplish expected aims. In addition, the ability to use me tacognitive skills successfully is broadly recognized as a critical component of reading skills. The Affects of Studentslearning Styles and Learning Outcomes Since the learning of students is likely to accomplish the better outcomes, there are some effective learning styles and strategies are applied to students learning. As stated by Youngmee shu (2005): Bottom-up models are based on text- or data-driven operations. In bottom-up processing, the letters, words and language features in the text are decoded while reading, and through this process, readers understand intensive and local meaning of the text. The reader is considered as a scientist with a magnifying glass examining the details. On the other hand, top-down models are based on meaning- or conceptually-driven operations. The reader is compared as a person with an eagles eye view of a landscape below. Schema (prior) knowledge for prediction is an important operation for a reader to understand and infer the meaning of the text. More recent research on teaching reading has shown that a combination of top-down and bottom-up processing called interactive reading is important. The interactive model suggests that the reader constructs meaning by the selective use of information from all sources of meaning (graphemic, phonemic, morphemic, syntax, semantics) without adherence to any o ne set order. The reader simultaneously uses all levels of processing even though one source of meaning can be primary at a given time. CHAPTER3 METHODOLOGY 3.1Research design Unlike the qualitative approaches, quantitative research is conducted to test the theory of natural setting (Fraenkel Wallen, 2000). Since the intent of this study significantly is to identify the differences of learning reading skills of Cambodian undergraduate students, the researcher will use a cross-sectional survey research. The researcher will explore the learning reading styles of EFL Cambodian undergraduate students. 3.2 Participants The target population in this study will be students in three private universities in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The simple random sampling will be employed in order to obtain information. The participants will be selected through the help of table of random numbers. The sample consists of 100 students, who are studying English Literature in those universities. Also, the researcher will choose 40 female and 60 male students. Before conducting interviews, the researcher will make an appointment and notify the reasons of visit to the Rector of University. 3.3 Research instruments With the purpose of getting trustworthy information, the researcher will use written questionnaire and structured interview to obtain data from participants. The questionnaire will consist of 2 parts. In part 1, there are 42 Likert Scale items. The students will be asked to provide their responses about learning reading both inside and outside classroom. As for part 2, there are four open-ended questions, which a researcher will use to ask them to provide their answers based on their ideas. To ensure content validity, the researcher discussed the problem with the English language teachers who have had experience in teaching English. Reading test will be used to measure to outcomes of the students and questionnaire contains the common learning reading skill of students. Apart from this, interview will be utilized to get information about perception of students on a variety of students learning style. 3.4 Data collection The pilot test will be distributed to participants before conducting interview. Prior to carrying out the interviews, the researcher will ask permission from university rector and students. The researcher expects interview will take 30 minutes and occur in the universities or outside the universities. The options for selecting site for interview will be provided for the participants because it helps reduce the participants difficulties. Moreover, the study objective will be verbally informed to participants before conducting interviews. The researcher might ask different participants to answer the questions based on their preferences. The students will be asked to provide their responses about the learning reading of EFL Cambodian undergraduate students based on their ideas. 3.5 Data analysis After collecting data from the field setting, the researcher will identify any information about the number of members of participants who will not return the survey or response in any questions in order to prevent any respondent bias. The data will be carefully analyzed through SPSS in an attempt to explore scores, percentages and means of students reading skills. The scores of students will be converted into mean in order to compare students with students who use different styles of learning and their learning outcomes. 3.6 Ethical consideration To successfully conduct this study, the researcher will take into consideration about some safeguards. First, the consent form will be given to the participants to sign if they really agree to join in the study. Second, the purpose of this study will be clearly informed to participants in order to build mutual understanding and rapport. Third, the researcher will profoundly tell the participants that their participation will be voluntary and stopping from interviews will be the participants choice. Finally, the researcher will keep data collected in secret place which no one besides researcher will have access to get it. Furthermore, I will bring together the names of participants but keep them confidential. Personal identifiers will be released to the public in a way that protects the identification of participants. 3.7 Limitation of research This study is guided with the following limitations, which affect the generality of the finding. First, the study focuses three universities English students in Department of English. Second, the study may be limited in its analysis or generality as it will be conducted in three private universities, in which 100 students will be selected randomly. Third, since this study will mainly explore only important learning reading, some points might be ignored. However, the purpose of this study is not to provide the broad generalization but to explore the learning reading of Cambodian undergraduate students in three universities in Phnom Penh. Therefore, the above-mentioned compounding circumstances might limit understanding and evaluation; however, these are generally overwhelmed and controlled by the research design.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Essay --

Introduction As seen above, a large number of people live below poverty line and over one-half of these people depend on agriculture. These rural households may not be directly involved in the agricultural labor but their income sources are linked with the success of the agricultural production. They may be exposed to the financial risks following natural disasters or climate change, which affect the products of agriculture. 1. Agriculture in India and Major Risks 1.1. A review of Agriculture in India This section covers the significant government policies that aimed at the promotion of agricultural development. There were many principle changes that have been introduced since the Independence of India. At the time of Independence, the agricultural sector consisted of a stagnant backward economy with low resource availability, inadequate government support and most importantly, severe poverty. Daniel Thorner, a well-known economist remarked â€Å"India was left with perhaps the world’s most refractory problem† (ANTHONY P. D'COSTA). Land reforms were introduced as an immediate measure to deal with the skewed distribution of land and the reforms led to the abolition of intermediaries and giving land titles to farmers. Along with these reforms, the Community Development Programme was set up in 1952 (NAYAR, 1960). This programme aimed at the development of the rural people by the co-ordination of the activities related to agriculture, animal husbandry and irrigation, which was executed and evaluated by officials at district level to village level. National Extension Service was also introduced along with the Community Development Programme, which also aimed at the initiati on of rural development activities under the sponsorship of the ... ... their chances of default either by borrowing money from lenders at atrocious interest rates or by selling their assets alongside poor investment in future seasons. Therefore, yield risk is one of the most important agricultural risks. Rainfall is a major yield risk factor especially in the Indian economy, as it is heavily dependent on monsoon. A recent study has shown that there is a positive correlation between rainfall and the crop yields in rural India (Kirtti Ranjan Paltasingh, 2012). Hence, the risk is more dominant in certain regions such as arid regions when compared to high rain-fed regions. High temperature also affects plant growth and decreases the yield significantly. 1.2.2 Market/Price risk: Agriculture is subjected to many uncertainties and this even includes the price of the agricultural products. The input and output prices are volatile in nature.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Harvey Norman

Harvey Norman Holdings Limited Group case study [pic] Tutor: Dr. Mahesh Joshi Group members: JIN CHEN 3350416 MINGFENG CHI 3316768 JINGHAN REN 3365087 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive summary3 Introduction4 Source of Finance and financial segments4 Industry and competitor analysis5 Key highlights of financial and operational performance5 Highlights and change of financial performance5 Highlight of operational performance5 Change in accounting policies6 Assets – PPE and Intangibles6 eased assets and liabilities9 Auditor and auditor report11 Reference13 Executive summary Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd, a public company, is one of the most successful retail companies in Australia. They use a unique franchise model with granting franchises to independent business operators, and there are approximately 700 franchisees in Australia. As a retailer, their products include electrical, bedding, computers & communications, bathrooms & home improvements, furniture, small appliances, carpet & floor ing and lighting.In recent years, the company has begun expanding the international market, and there are an increasing number of Harvey Norman stores in New Zealand, Ireland, Slovenia, Malaysia and Singapore. The aim of this report is to show an overview of Harvey Norman’s business based on the 2011 Annual Report of Harvey Norman. This report will mainly focus on their core business, industry, operating activities, financial performance, PPE & intangible and leased assets & liabilities. Finally, independent auditor’s report will discuss their compliance with the AASB standard.COMAPNY Introduction Being a leader in retail stores of electrical, computer, furniture, entertainment and bedding goods, Harvey Norman was founded in 1982, Australia. At first, it is only a single store which sells electrical goods and appliances; however, the opening has proved to be a great success. With more and more stores open, Harvey Norman changed its operation into superstore format at t he beginning of the 1990s. After that Harvey Norman has been expanding its business globally and keepsincreasing the diversity of its products.In the financial year of 2011, Harvey Norman has gained an after tax net profit of 252. 26 million. And this makes it to be ranked at the 126th position out of 2000 large companies in Australia. (IBIS World, 2011) Source of Finance and financial segments Harvey Norman Holding LTD generally generates its revenue from those four segments below: †¢ Franchisee: with holding 195 franchise stores in Australia, it contributes the largest part to its company’s sales revenue. This revenue is consisting of the franchise fee and interest of franchise loans.However, due to the downturn of the whole economic environment, the franchisees themselves are struggling to keep their business alive. In my opinion, it is dangerous for Harvey Norman to be too rely on the franchising revenue. †¢ Retail store: excluding the 195 franchise outlets with in Australia, the company is running 96 complexes department by the time of 30 of June 2011, which are 26 more than 2010. †¢ Property: the property income Harvey Norman LTD is mainly coming from the rental of the franchisees and some other outlets who are renting their complex. Other businesses: as a public listed company, Harvey Norman also earns a good amount of revenue from trading its listed securities. Industry and competitor analysis As the main services the company is retailing. The industry it involves would be retailing industry of computer and software, household appliances and furniture. However, as the integrating of online services and strength of Australiandollar, the retailing industry has been very much affected. Even the chairman of Harvey Norman had commented the macro-environment to be challenging and difficult.Fortunately, as introduced above, although retailing has always been the core business activity of the company, it does not constitute the major part of its financial performance. The diversity of business activities leads a multiple option of financial growth. The main competitors of Harvey Norman Holding LTD is the group of J B HI-FI, who has declared a sales revenue from 2. 73Bn to 2. 96Bn as an increase of 8. 3% (P. 2, JB HI-FI annual report 2011), compares to the increase of 9% of Harvey Norman.According to the figure,it seems Harvey Norman is doing better than J B HI-FI, but the business segment for J B HI-FI is much less diversified than Harvey Norman, therefore, J B HI-FI is actually doing better in just viewing the computer and software segment. Key highlights of financial and operational performance †¢ Highlights and change of financial performance There is no significant increase or deduction in terms of financial performance. There is a slightly downturn showing in the franchising sales revenue from 5. 9bn to 5. 08bn contributed by almost the same amount of outlets. Basic earnings per share have increased from 21 . 78c to 23. 75c whilst a decrease of 2c in dividend per share compared with 2010. After closing date of report, the company announced 7 Clive Peters and Rick Hart may close and the rest of 18 stores will be changed into Harvey Norman format. The shutdown of 7 stores is to estimate to incur a charge around $10 million in the financial report of 2012. †¢ Highlight of operational performanceA very significant key operational activity occurs after the reporting date of 2011, which is Harvey Norman, launched its online retail store in the October of 2011. The company has fully confidence in this action and believes it will make a good difference in the financial report of 2012 Change in accounting policies According to Australian Accounting Standards, a few accounting policies have been put out recently but have not yet shown its effect on the report of 2011 will result an impact on 2012. Assets – PPE and Intangibles PPE 1. The carrying amount of each class of PPE, at report ing date, of Harvey Norman a. PPEIn accounting system, property, plant and equipment are belong to tangible asset and recorded as non-current asset if they are kept for more than one year or beyond the normal cycle of the entity. According to AASB116, if the cost of an item can be measured reliably and the future benefit will flow to the entity, then the items of property, plant and equipment can be recognized as PPE. b. Each class of PPE It can be seen from the HN’s note 12 that the PPE of HN was classified into: (1) Land and Buildings; (2) Plant and Equipment; (3) Lease make good asset. And the carrying amount of each class of PPE is showed in the below table: Category |Land and buildings | Plant and Equipment ($’000) |Lease make good asset |Total | | |($’000) | |($’000) |($’000) | |Year | | | | | |2010 |230,595 |206,563 |1,875 |439,033 | |2011 |257,765 |254,714 |500 |512,479 |According to the table, the total amount of PPE was about $512 million in 2011, which was much higher than the amount of 2010 about 73 million. 2. The accounting policies relating to PPE adopted by Harvey Norman. HN used cost model, under the AASB116. 73, to disclose items on PPE that each item was measured at historical costs or deemed costs less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses. (Statement of Significant Accounting Police 1(d)(v)) The land and buildings were measured at fair value, then less the accumulated depreciation.After that, the impairment loses were recorded when the revaluation was done. Besides, the straight- line method was used to calculate the asset’s depreciation during the estimated useful life. According to AASB116. 73 (e), each class of PPE should disclose a reconciliation of the carrying amount at the beginning and end of the period, and the changes include additions, disposals, impairment and amortization. In the HN’s report, the assets’ residual values, useful lives and amortization methods were adjusted in the end of financial year.Intangible assets 1. The intangible assets reported by Harvey Norman and their composition and relevance to this company’s business. Intangible assets are usually treated as non-monetary assets without physical substance. Therefore, they must be separately stated in company’s financial statement. By following the accounting standard, HN’s intangible assets are classified into three categories: (a) Computer Software; (b) Goodwill; (c) Licence Property; Category |Computer Software ($’000) |Goodwill |Licence Property |Total | | | | |($’000) |($’000) | |Year | |($’000) | | | |2010 |23,745 |11 |473 |24,229 | |2011 |57,791 |9 |494 |58,294 |HN’s report demonstrated that there was about $58 million in intangible assets in 2011, which showed a huge increase when compared to $24 million in 2010. Besides, it is clearly showed in the table that the Computer Software took the most part of t he intangible asset 2. The accounting policies relating to Intangible Assets adopted by Harvey Norman. All the disclosed intangible assets should comply with the AASB 138. 3/4/9, and the intangible asset which has an infinite useful life cannot be amortized in the annual report, based on AASB138. 107. Furthermore, in accordance with AASB 136. 08, an entity is required to test an intangible asset with an indefinite useful life for impairment by comparing its recoverable amount with its carrying amount annually or there is an indication of impairment. In the annual report, the intangible assets of HN in its annual report consist of two parts: (a) Identifiable intangible assets:Computer Software and Licence Property (which have a finite life and are amortised using the straight-line method over the useful lifes, computer software is no greater than 7. 5 years). (b) Unidentifiable intangible assets: Goodwill which accounts for only a little proportion of its total intangible assets. Goo dwill is not amortised, but it should be tested about impairment on an annual basis). The gains or losses from both two kinds of intangible assets are measured as the difference between the net disposal amount and carrying amount. 3. The items of impaired PPE or Intangible Assets of Harvey Norman According to AASB116, under cost model, the carrying amounts of assets should be reviewed during every financial reporting period to determine whether there is impairment. An impairment gain or loss should be recognized immediately if the carrying amount is lower or higher than the recoverable amount. PPE (a) Impairment of Plant and EquipmentUnder this standard, a review of the recoverable amount of assets resulted in an impairment gain of $968,000. Intangible Assets The computer software has a finite life and is amortised over the useful life, but goodwill has an infinite life, then, it is only subject to impairment test if there is an indication of impairment. (a) Impairment of Computer S oftware Under this standard, a review of the recoverable amount of assets resulted in an impairment loss of $674,000. leased assets and liabilities The lease liabilities consist of finance leases, AASB 117 – par 11, and operation leases, AASB 117 – par 12.This paper will analyze finance leases first, and then followed by operation leases. Firstly, the detail of the finance leases, numeric disclosure required by AASB117. In 2011 are: [pic] (Annual Report 2011, p104, p105) Secondly, the detail of operating leases, numeric disclosure required by AASB 117. In 2011 are: [pic] (Annual Report 2011, p105) Finance lease receivables are reconciled to amounts receivable in respect of finance leases as follows: [pic] (Annual Report 2011, p77) According to the information illustrated in 2011 Annual report page 63, amounts due from lessees under finance leases are recorded as receivables.Finance lease receivables are primarily recognized at amounts equal to the present value of any unguaranteed residual value expected to accrue at the end of the lease term plus the minimum lease payments receivable. Finance lease payments are apportioned between reduction of the lease receivable over the term of the lease and interest revenue so that it can reflect a constant periodic rate of return on the net investment outstanding in respect of the lease (Annual Report 2011, p63). Leases where the lessor retains substantially all the rewards and risks of ownership of the asset are recognized as operating leases.Initial direct costs incurred in negotiating an operating lease are added to the carrying amount of the leased asset and recognized over the lease term on the same basis as the lease income. Operating lease payments are classified as an expense in the income statement on a straight-line basis over the lease term (Annual Report 2011, p63). Auditor and auditor report Ernst & Young is the independent auditor which is appointed to Harvey Norman Ltd. They have high reputat ion to satisfy the credible auditor requirements. We can find the auditor’s opinion on page 140 of annual report.According to the content in the auditor’s report and opinion issued by the auditor. This annual report is definitely an unqualified report because the auditor claims in their report that the financial report of Harvey Norman Ltd complies the Corporations Act 2001 and Australian Accounting Standards by giving a true and fair view of the company’s financial position. The financial report is also in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards. An unqualified opinion also represents that any differences between management and auditor with accounting matters have been resolved to the auditor’s satisfaction.Conclusion This report states a lot of important information about the business performance of Harvey Norman, which can be compared with competitors and within the retail market. As one of the most successful retail companies in Au stralia, Harvey Norman’s core business include leasing properties, granting franchises to independent business operators who retail all kinds of products for home and office. In the financial year of 2011, Harvey Norman has gained an after tax net profit of 252. 26 million. Its financial statements complied with the accounting standards and the accounting methods were generally discussed.PPE and Intangible assets were also explained to associate with all the related requirements of AASB involving their disclosures. Moreover, the company followed the Corporations Act as well as International Financial Reporting Standards, and disclosed all the information required, which can be proved by unqualified auditor report issued by Ernst& Young. All the information given by 2011 Annual report can be relied by public to make decision on general purpose. Reference Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd, IBIS World (2011) Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd-Premium Company Report Australia, viewed 20 August 2012,J B HIFI, J B HIFI (2011) J B HIFI ANNUAL REPORT 2011 P. 2, viewed 20 August 2012, < http://www. jbhifi. com. au/documents/reports/110_2011-09-09_4-04-34. pdf> Harvey Norman Holdings Limited, Harvey Norman Holdings Limited Australian Packaging Covenant Action Plan 2010 – 2015 Revised March 2012, viewed 23 August 2012, Harvey Norman Holdings Limited, Company Profile, viewed 23 August 2012, Australian Standard Aboard, AASB 116, 117, 136, 138 2011 Accounting standards, viewed 23 August 2012, Harvey Norman Holdings Limited, Annual report 2011, p63, p77, p104, p105, viewed 22 August 2012,