Discourse Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Discourse Analysis - Essay Example These advertisements promote an ideal way of life and manipulate the audience into accepting those ideals as their reality. This analysis intends to break down how agencies have reformed the idea of beauty through countless magazine articles, billboards and other media. They do this by enforcing the stereotype that those beauty products are a better way of life. They send the message that youth is beauty, and that beauty is very important yet they set the bar for beauty so high that clients would always depend on their products. The people behind these advertisements have found ways of controlling peoples’ minds using language in the advertisements. The focus on this study is print advertisements done by Nivea, a company synonymous with the manufacture of beauty products allover the world. They portray a message that they care deeply about the real people and their beauty through their advertisements. Introduction â€Å"Discourse refers to the codes, rules and systems that un der-gird a particular message and thus shapes its meaning and interpretation†. Language is all around us whether written or spoken. It is a core part of our day to day activities and has a profound effect on people and how they behave. This influence is seen in the field of advertising and marketing. Language is employed in these two fields to relay certain messages to the public. Language is used as a tool to not only pass on information about a product but also convince and influence the product choice of the customers. The competition for consumers is very high among product manufacturers. This has led to the revolution of how advertisements are designed. They use not only words but color, pictures and lighting to appeal to the consumer. It is the use of such tools as visual and linguistic means to persuade their audience that has led many a scholar to argue that, â€Å"advertising is the most influential institution of socialization in modern society† (Jhally, 1995) . Cook (2001) points out that advertisements inform, persuade, remind, influence and perhaps change opinions, emotions and attitudes. It is used to emphasize the uniqueness of a product and give reasons why a person should consider it over others already in the market. Advertising can be seen on food packages, billboards, newspapers, magazines, on buses and the Internet just to list a few. This kind of aggressive advertising ensures the audience is aware of a product at all times and remembers it. Advertising is â€Å"any type of form of public announcement intended to direct people’s attention to the availability, qualities and/or cost of specific commodities or services† (Fairclough, 2001). The stakeholders of the products are responsible for what we see in these advertisements. They reserve the power to use advertising to further their goals, good or otherwise. They pick advertising media according to their target audience. Magazines are popular with the youth and a slightly older demographic. The Internet on the other hand is popular with the younger generation. The language and depictions used in advertisements is also influenced by the target population. Advertisements have evolved from direct methods being shouted by mouth to the public in open spaces to being transferred indirectly form of print, videos, audio messages in the radio or sound and video together.

A Rose for Emily Essay Example for Free

A Rose for Emily Essay The short story begins by telling the end of it; the story begins with the funeral of the aristocratic Miss Emily Grierson during the time period of the civil war. The funeral turnout so big, the whole town of Jefferson attended. The town felt responsible for Miss Emily because they felt that she was a â€Å"tradition, a duty and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town† (287). â€Å"The men of the town respected Miss Grierson and viewed her as a fallen monument† (287), whereas the women of the town haven’t been in the house for years and was viewed by the narrator to have attended the funeral just to get a peek of the inside of Emily’s home to see how she lived. The house sits on a street that was once the town’s most prestigious areas. With all the other homes replaced with garages and cotton gins Miss Grierson’s house was the last one standing. The house was described as â€Å"a big, squarrish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street† (287). Now, time has taken toll, and neglect of the maintenance has distorted its once beautiful structure. The main conflict in the story was Emily facing reality, she didn’t know how to let go of her past â€Å"I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained it to me. Perhaps one of you can gain access to the city records and satisfy yourselves† (288). Agitated by her tactics, the town is getting tired of taking care of her, â€Å"So the next day, â€Å"She will kill herself†; and we said it would be the be st thing† (291). The townspeople think she is stuck up and arrogant because she thinks that everything revolves around her. Isolation from the society caused her to become depressed, unhappy and crazy, leading up to her destroying Homer. Emily was a heavy set woman â€Å"She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water and of that pallid hue† (288). She was an old, secretive woman, who was devastated and alone in a growing society, forcing her to stay in her role. Emily sunk into a deep mental depression and limited others to see her true identity by remaining hidden,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"When we next saw Miss Emily, she had grown fat and her hair was turning gray† (292). She lived most of her life in isolation and was intimidated by her controlling father. When Miss Emily was alive, the townspeople considered her as a financial obligation because she never paid taxes. She hadn’t paid in years, and she wasn’t forced to pay â€Å"See Colonel Sartoris, I have no taxes in Jefferson† (288). Her nonpayment dated back to 1894 when the mayor of the town, Mayor Colonel Sartoris, told the story that her father loaned the town money and as payment back to her father they allowed her not to pay taxes. Her father died and left Miss Emily with no money to live off of and the inheritance of a decaying house. As time passed and generations came and went, the arrangement became a discontent with the people so they made many attempts to collect the long time debt but as adamant as they were, so was Emily. She would not respond to their efforts. Finally after numerous failed notifications, the town’s board decided to make a trip to her house hoping to get an agreement to satisfy the debt. Emily hadn’t had visitors in years, but greeted by her old house servant, the board was permitted to enter into the damp stenched home and waited in the room until Miss Grierson was summoned. When Emily enters; small, round and dressed in black, not nearly as appealing as she was once described, the visitors affirmed their purpose. They requested compensation for her taxes, but Emily’s harsh and bold demanded that she didn’t have taxes and instructed Tobe, her house servant, to escort them out, â€Å"I have no taxes in Jefferson. Tobe!† The Negro appeared. â€Å"Show these gentlemen out.† (288). Emily always wanted a home where she can feel loved and free in, but it didn’t turn out that way as the complaints poured in from neighbors and townspeople about a smell lingering around the home and demanded the new mayor to take action. Judge Stevens, old in his years, didn’t know what he could do to fix the problem. He thought the smell might have been a dead rodent that the caretaker must have killed in the yard, â€Å"It’s probably just a snake or a rat that nigger of hers killed in the yard† (289). To quiet down the complaints, he said he would send the message to Ms. Emily’s servant. As more complaints came in and the problem persisted, a group of men decided to take matters into their own hands and made a visit to Miss Emily’s house, â€Å"They broke open the cellular door and sprinkled lime there, and in all the out buildings† (289). After some time, the smell went away. During her younger years, people felt bad for Miss Emily. Her great-aunt old lady Wyatt had gone mad and her father sheltered her so much that he didn’t allow her too far from his sight. He drove everyone away. He felt that there was no young man good enough for his Emily, so she never married and didn’t have any friends. The Griersons believed they were a higher class than most. Emily didn’t have a relationship with her family in Alabama because her father had a fallen out with them over Aunt Wyatt’s property. When Mr. Grierson died, Emily denied he was dead and left him in the house for three days. After many failed attempts by the townspeople to persuade her to get rid of his decomposing body, she let go and buried her father. Now she was all alone and didn’t come out much. Time passed and it was a long time before anyone had seen Emily, â€Å"When we saw her again, her hair was cut short, making her look like a girl with a vague resemblance to those angels in colored church windows† (290). Emily’s new look made her seem younger. After Emily’s father’s death, the town paid a construction company to pave the sidewalks. The foreman, Homer Barron, was from up north and grew to know the townspeople. He was â€Å"a big dark, ready men, with a big voice and eyes lighter than his face† (290). Homer was Emily’s secret lover, â€Å"Miss Emily and her lover Homer Barron, had been carrying on for the better part of two years† (Scherting398), whether that meant he was dead or alive. Rumors in the town said Homer would not get married, â€Å"Homer himself had remarked-he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elks Club-that he was not a marrying man† (291). When Emily requested arsenic from the druggist, the town started to become curious whether she was going to kill herself or not, â€Å"I want some poison,† she said to the druggist† (290). Little did they know that it was for Homer, â€Å"Emily feels so disillusioned and desperate th at she manages to poison him, feeling that in this way she can keep him forever with her† (Yang 73). People often saw Homer and Emily together on Sunday afternoons driving in a buggy. Some of the town’s ladies weren’t too pleased with the sight. As Homer and Miss Emily spent more time together, the ladies thought it was a dishonor to the town and a terrible example to the young folks so they reached out to her family in Alabama to see if they can come and stay with her. During the cousins stay, Emily went to the store and bought jewelry, a toilet set,  men’s clothing and a nightshirt. They were thought to surely be married now with Emily preparing for his stay, but while the cousins were at the house, Homer left. Soon after her relatives left Homer returned. After his last sighting entering Miss Emily’s house, Homer was never seen again as well as Miss Emily, but from time to time she would be seen by her window. People thought Miss Grierson went crazy. It was years before she would be seen again, â€Å"When we next saw Miss Emily, she had grown fat an d her hair was turning gray† (292). Emily got ill and died downstairs in one of the rooms. The funeral was held days after Miss Emily’s death. Her family and the townspeople came to make their final view. Ladies all about, men in their confederate uniforms, on the porch and in the yard, they waited after Emily was buried before they went in the room that hadn’t been visited in decades. When the door was broken down, dust filled the room. Inside, it looked like a preparation for a wedding; decorated with faded rose color curtains and lights. Across the room stood a dressing table with crystal set in row and a man’s tarnished, silver toilet set. There also rest a collar and tie. Hanging on a chair, a suit cautiously folded and accompanied by some shoes and socks. To the spectators surprise, lying amongst everything rest Homer. Underneath his nightshirt, his body was molded to fit an embrace. Imprinted on a pillow next to his decayed remains; caressed by time, laid an indentation of a head. In the crest of the indentation rest a single long, gray strand o f hair from Miss Emily head. It was not until her final day of death that the readers could fully picture Emily as being insane. Having being denied male companionship by her father, she was desperate for love. She was so crazy that she killed the man she loved and used her aristocratic position to cover up the murder. By killing Homer, she didn’t realize that she was sentencing herself to total isolation, no contact with anything or anyone from the outside world. The narrator persuaded the reader to believe that Emily killed Homer and then preserved his body in the moment of her most anticipated day. To her, she sealed her love, preventing the stroke of loneliness. Always being comforted by his touch, she laid with him until she became ill and overcome by death. Work Cited SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on A Rose for Emily.† SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2013 Dliworth, Thomas. â€Å"A Romance to Kill For: Homocidal Complicity in Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily.† Studies in Short Fiction 361999 251-62. 21 Nov 2008. Yagcioglu, Semiramis. â€Å"Language, Subjectivity and Ideology in â€Å"A Rose for Emily†.† Journal of American Studies of Turkey 2(1995) 49-59. 21 Nov 2008. Faulkner, William. â€Å"A Rose for Emily.† In The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 2160-2166. New York: W.W. Norton, 2003.

The Character of Caliban in The Tempest Essay examples -- Tempest ess

The Character of   Caliban in The Tempest      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban is the only authentic native of what is often called 'Prospero's Island'. However, he is not an indigenous islander, his mother Sycorax was from Argier, and his father Setebos seems to have been a Patagonian deity. Sycorax was exiled from Argier for witch-craft, much like Prospero himself, and Caliban was born on the island. Caliban's own understanding of his position is made eloquently plain when we first meet him:    I must eat my dinner. This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother, Which thou tak'st from me. When thou cam'st first, Thou strok'st me, and made much of me, would'st give me Water with berries in't, and teach me how To name the bigger light, and how the less, That burn by day and night. And then I loved thee, And showed thee all the qualities o'th'isle, The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile. Cursed be I that did so! All the charms Of Sycorax - toads, beetles, bats light on you! For I am all the subjects that you have, Which first was mine own king; and here you sty me In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me The rest o'th'island. (1.2.330-344)    We can clearly sense Caliban's resentment of what he sees as a colonial occupation of his island. The story of his upbringing is not so simple, however. It seems that when Prospero and his infant daughter arrived on the island twelve years before, Caliban was an orphan, his mother having died. This is not entirely clear: in conversation with Ariel (formerly Sycorax's spirit) Prospero recalls the 'blue eyed hag', 'The foul witch Sycorax, who with age and envy, Was grown into a hoop' (1.2.258-259), but it is not clear wheth... ...pression to both sides of the question, and leaving much to the interpretation.    Works Cited and Consulted: Davidson, Frank. "The Tempest: An Interpretation." In The Tempest: A Casebook. Ed. D.J. Palmer. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1968. 225. Kermode, Frank. Introduction. The Tempest. By William Shakespeare. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1958. xlii. Palmer, D. J. (Editor) The Tempest - A Selection of Critical Essays London: MacMillan Press Ltd., 1977. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans, et. al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974. Solomon, Andrew. "A Reading of the Tempest." In Shakespeare's Late Plays. Ed. Richard C. Tobias and Paul G. Zolbrod. Athens: Ohio UP, 1974. 232. John Wilders' lecture on The Tempest given at Oxford University - Worcester College - August 4th, 1999.      

The aeration of the mixture of microorganisms

Water treatment is the removal of harmful pollutants in the water so that it can be used domestically and agriculturally. It is conducted through the use of chemical, biological and physical processes. Wastewater treatment enables the recycling of water so that it can be used for various uses. Main body Secondary water treatment method involves the removal of fine and dissolved wastes that are organic by the use of a biological process of treating water. The common approaches to biological water treatment process are the activated sludge and trickling filter.Activated sludge through the aeration of the mixture of microorganisms, which are also referred to as biological sludge, and wastewater. The microorganisms are subjected under an environment that facilitates their growth (Neary, 2009). The wastewater is continuously run into the aeration tank so that the provision of oxygen is enabled. Through the provision of oxygen, the microorganisms are in a position to break down the polluta nts that are organic. In the end, the activated sludge remains in the bottom.The sludge that is in excess is removed and put into disposal. The other approach is the trickling filters that uses a bed of stones, or the plastic material that is perforated. Oxygen is picked up by the waste water and gets sprayed through the filter so that it can pass through the micro organisms . The organic materials present in the waste water are fed on by the micro-organisms due to the high amounts of oxygen. These methods bring together aerobic micro –organisms, oxygen and organic matter.Biological oxidation takes place in the water treatment system, other than in the lake or in a stream when the organic wastes are discarded there. The tertiary water treatment has many processes that include; removal of nutrient, which include Nitrogen and Phosphorous, and toxic materials removal. Tertiary treatment process combines physical and chemical treatment; however, there are still biological treatme nts that remove Nitrogen and Phosphorous.Water is pumped through carbon filters that are activated. Charcoal is activated carbon that has been treated so that it can increase the chemical bonding potential. It is after this filtration that Nitrogen and Phosphorous are removed. However, the water has to pass through chemical treatment that is specialized in order to remove some chemical pollutants. An example of the pollutants is hexavalent chromium, which is toxic and can lead to cancer. Reclaimed water is water that has been treated .this water can be used for irrigation, generation of power, controlling dust, recharging of aquifer, cooling in some of the industrial process and restoration of the natural system. This water cannot be used for drinking, cooking, swimming and irrigating vegetables. This water is beneficial because its cost is low compared to the water used for drinking. Reclaimed water reduces the use of fertilizer because Phosphorous and Nitrogen remain (Neary, 2009) . To ensure that household reclaimed water is safely used, people should become extremely aware of the hazards that may result from reclaimed water.Upon known knowing the hazard, the people should adopt strategies that are in order to manage the prevailing hazards. Conclusion I would recommend tertiary water treatment because it removes pollutants such as hexavalant chromium that is harmful to the human health and the natural environment. Tertiary water treatment is the final treatment of water and hence it is the safest method. REFERENCE Neary, J. (2009). Water Quality for Ecosystem and Human Health. Culver City, CA: Earthprint

Mexican American Approaches to Health Essay

Mexican American, or Latino, traditional views on health and healing practices are influenced by several other cultures that they have historically had some kind of contact with, such as the Spanish colonizers, indigenous Indian populations, and Western medical practitioners. This varied background accounts for their holistic healing methods and their belief that good health stems from internal balance, a clear conscience, and a strong spiritual relationship with God. The underlying theme in traditional Mexican American health is that there needs to be a balance between the body and Earth’s elements. Equilibrium of each element–fire, water, air, and land–leads to an overall healthy state. (Molina, 1994) Traditionalists tie this balance concept in with the idea that all health states are associated with either hot or cold, and one may be used to heal the other. A state of health is characterized by a warm, wet body, and any exposure to extreme conditions on either side of this scale leads to illness. It is important to point out that the generalizations assumed in this paper are based on very traditional Mexican American individuals and do not span the entire population within the US. In regards to healthcare, traditional Mexican Americans hold the belief that their healing methods are either superior to or the same as those practiced by Western providers, so they tend to rely primarily on home remedies and cultural healers before seeking out other forms of medicine. Furthermore, their healing approach is firmly rooted in their specific values. It is important to be aware of Latino cultural values in order to understand their views on healthcare, as the latter is based on the other. In general, there are three basic values that crucially exists within most Mexican American relationships—personalismo, respeto, and dignidad. (Molina, 1994) Personalismo is the trust and rapport that is established with others. Latin Americans respond better to warm, friendly interactions, and prefer personal relationships to professional ones. Therefore, the best ways to earn trust is for a provider to show interest in the patient’s personal life, exercise empathy, and avoid formal interactions. It is also important for a provider to show respeto (respect) by dressing according to their profession and addressing the patient with the formal greeting â€Å"usted†. This makes the patient feel as through they are taken seriously and cared for at the same time. A Latino patient tends to want a provider to embrace and exemplify their role as a professional; they simply prefer more intimate interactions. And although they appreciate empathy, they expect a blatant regard for their digidad (dignity); as with many individuals, Latinos place an emphasis on being treated as equals and human beings. Furthermore, Mexican Americans value family and thrive off their interdependent relationships with them. (Molina, 1994) In fact, most traditional Latinos rely more on their relatives for health advice than healthcare providers; as a result, it is common for a family member to accompany a patient to their visit with a provider. Mexican Americans’ cultural definition of health is outlined by the three major states that they believe are the causes for all illness and disease. Additionally, poor health is culturally associated with imbalances within the body’s natural states that lead to problems. According to traditional beliefs, poor health can be attributed to one or more of the following: (1) Psychological State, (2) Environment and Natural Causes, or (3) Supernatural beings. (Molina, 1994) The psychological state includes any mental state that may be disrupting one’s peace of mind, including worry, anger, envy, or stress, all of which can lead to the dangerous state of susto (â€Å"fright†), or soul loss. Natural causes fall under environmental elements, such as dust, pollution, or germs–all of the things that Western medicine believes to be the only causes of illness. Finally, supernatural beings include malevolent spirits, witchcraft, or â€Å"mal de ojo†, the bad eye, any of which can cause disease or illness. Because Mexican American views on health differ from those of mainstream US medicine, there are several â€Å"folk illnesses† that exist within the culture that have no diagnosis within Western medicine, and are, therefore, remedied by traditional methods. Many of these illnesses fall under the idea of their imbalance theory. For example, an imbalance or conflict within social relationships opens one’s spirit up to â€Å"mal de ojo†; symptoms include fever, headache, and sleeplessness. The traditional treatment for this is rubbing the entire body with egg yolk. Empacho is an illness characterized by stomach pains, and results from feeling psychological stress while eating. Ataque de nervios literally translates to â€Å"attack of the nerves† and is caused by extreme emotional stress brought on by a traumatic event. Those suffering from this illness often engage in fits of swearing and convulsions. The treatments are praying over the affected individual and rubbing alcohol over their face. Caida is an infant disease that occurs when the fontanelle is dislodged from the child’s skull, and can result in death. (Molina, 1994) In Western medicine, providers may equate this with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which even in the most skilled American facilities has no biological explanation. Since many of the illnesses recognized in the Mexican American culture are undiagnosed and not understood in Western medicine, a majority of this group employs home remedies or purchases medicines in a botanica, or a store that sells folk medicine and herbal treatments. (â€Å"Profiles of Health†, 1994) Although some recent studies have shown that many Latinos view cost as the number one barrier to healthcare in America, most traditionalists prefer to seek out the assistance of their cultural healers through a healing practice known as Curanderismo. (â€Å"Profiles of Health†, 1994) This practice is one of the most prominent healing practices in the Mexican American culture. It approaches health from a holistic point of view and encompasses physical, social, psychological, and spiritual healing. (Johnston, 2006) A Curandero is a revered, spiritual being that treats those suffering from biologically inexplicable illnesses and can have gifts in several areas, including massage, midwife, counselor, spinal adjustment (similar to a Chiropractor), or espiritualista–someone who channels help from spirits. (Molina, 1994) They specialize in a number of areas of medicine, such as naturopaths, herbalists, palm readers, or psychotherapists. Some research suggests that Curanderos arose out of a need for health care from poverty stricken communities that could not afford it. Traditionally, many sought out the help of Curanderos; however, according to recent studies, very few Mexican Americans utilize the services of a Curandero, and those who do use it as supplemental treatment to Western medicine. The main differences between Mexican American cultural healing methods and Western medicine are the varied definitions of similar illnesses, as well as the explanations for the causes of diseases. However, since most illnesses that are recognized in Latino culture also exist within the framework of American healthcare, then treatment can be applied uniformly. Therefore, the emphasis needs to be placed on cultural competence, which would incorporate a system for understanding other point of views of health. It is imperative for providers to develop both trust with and respect for their patients in order to treat them and to increase adherence to medical plans. Western medical providers must learn to listen to and understand the traditions of the Mexican American patient population so that they will be better equipped to serve them. Once this is accomplished within the American healthcare system, society will see health disparities begin to diminish.

Google and Microsofts Financial Management

Google and Microsofts Financial Management Business Model Core Business Google has ads, search and apps as the main core businesses, search is the main core technology of Google; ads are their essential business proposition; while apps are their umbrella over their web-based software, which can be assessed anywhere and at anytime (Google.com, 2011). Google search produces index of web pages that can be found and returns most applicable outcomes by assessing at least 200 quality aspects.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Google and Microsoft’s Financial Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The search and ads are separated in that when searching ads appear where they are applicable, the ads offer helpful information for commercial enquiry. While apps are online set of collaboration and communication tools that enable all the users’ data and applications to be stored online (Google.com, 2011). Microsoft core business on the other hand, in clude: Server and Tools, Microsoft Business Division, Windows and Windows Live Division, Entertainment and Devises Division and Online Services Division (Microsoft.com, 2011). The company’s segments offer management with complete financial outlook of the key businesses. These segments facilitate alignment of objectives and strategies across sales, development, marketing as well as services organizations, they also offer a structure for rational and timely allocation of sales, development, marketing as well as services resources in the businesses (Microsoft.com, 2011). Plant and/or services Google’s products and services include; first, search that has items like Rich Snippets, Music Search, Google Suggest, Real-Time Search, Integrated tools, video, Finance, Images, News, Book, Groups Information, and Blogs among others (Google.com, 2011). Secondly, advertising that includes Google Search, Google Display (Google-owned Sites, and DoubleClick ad Exchange), AdSense, Google Mobile, and Google Local. Finally, applications products like Google Docs, Google calendar, Gmail, Google Groups, Google Reader, Google Sites, YouTube, and Blogger among others (Google.com, 2011). On the other hand, services and products of Microsoft includes; phones, servers, intelligent devices and PC’s operating systems; server applications meant for the disseminated computing environments; solution applications for business; productivity applications; server and desktop management tools; online advertising; video games; and tools for software development (Microsoft.com, 2011).Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Besides the firm designs and also sells hardware together with accessories for Xbox 360, hardware products for Microsoft PC, Xbox 360’s Kinect, and Xbox 360 entertainment and gaming console (Microsoft.com, 2011). The firm also offers pro duct, solution and consulting support services as well as training and certifying computer system developers and integrators. Microsoft provides cloud-based solutions, which offer clients with services, software and content via the internet through pooled computing resources situated in centralized data hubs (Microsoft.com, 2011). Management style Gates has managed Microsoft from its establishment up to now as a â€Å"software giant† through the use of rather unorthodox leadership style. The achievement of Microsoft and Google is attached to philosophy as well as practice of the servant leadership. The most popular advice is â€Å"it is all about surrounding yourself with intelligent people and getting out of the way,† as stated by Bill Gates, Microsoft’s Co-founder (Brown, 2007). It appears that Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google founders, have also implemented this management strategy for Google, which has made it to be successful by launch new services and pr oducts as discussed above, making the Google’s stock to increase from its IPO’s price of around $85 to the most current of about $588.19 (Elmer, 2011). Microsoft is also doing well. Innovation track record Google is perceived as the biggest search engine in the world, since it offers an easy-to-use, and free services, which repeatedly returns applicable outcomes at a very high speed. But the heart of it is advertising which is highly profitable, highly successful as well as highly innovative business model for improving advertising industry. Along with an ever growing range of numerous new service and product establishments at the centre, Google’s main concentration is to utilize many of these in order to drive improved traffic to Google ever-increasing mobile, online, and soon-to-be offline, income flows from advertising. Google commands almost 32% of the market share through AdWords and AdSense in the online advertising. As a result the firm’s stock pri ces have significantly increased (Innovationleaders.net, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Google and Microsoft’s Financial Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Given the Microsoft’s scale, size as well as its success level, it is predictable for Microsoft to draw criticism. For instance, the year 2007 was a bad year for the firm since European Commission and US Justice Department took action opposing the firm’s â€Å"monopolistic† practices as well as the media giggling about Zune, music offering, along with malfunctions in Vista whilst all together making threatening noises on the rise in unsettling rivalry from Google (Innovationleaders.net, 2010). In spite of this, Microsoft earned $51 billion as revenue and carried on with innovation, remaining among the top 10 companies investing in Research and Development internationally. Microsoft has a leading track record in th e sector in acquisition of patents, keeps continued organic growth, provides work for about 79,000 individuals in 102 nations and is currently exploiting expertise as well as transformation through acquisition (Innovationleaders.net, 2010). Financial ratio analysis The liquidity ratio as measured by current ratio shows an increase in Google’s liquidity position from the year 2008 to 2009 but in 2010 the liquidity position declined implying that the firm was using more of the current liabilities. On the other hand, Microsoft’s liquidity position improved throughout the three years (2008 to 2010) implying that the firm’s liquidity position was improving as it was using less of its current liabilities. In 2010, both firms’ liquidity positions were satisfactory since the ratio was more than one but Google was more liquid. The profitability ratio as measured by Return on Assets shows that Google’s profitability position improved in 2009 by a margin of 2 .79% to 16.10% while in 2010 the profitability declined to 14.70%. This means that in 2009, Google’s efficiency in the use of the firm’s asset to generate returns to the owners had improved but in 2010, Google was less efficient in generating returns to the providers of funds as shown by the drop in the ROA.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While as measured by Return on Equity, Google’s profitability increased from 14.97% to 18.11% in 2009, thus the firm’s ability to generate returns to equity shareholders from owners’ supplied funds had increased. The increase in profitability also increased in 2010 to 18.39% thus the firm’s efficiency with which it used the shareholders’ funds to generate returns had improved. On the other hand, ROA ratio shows that Microsoft’s profitability position declined in 2009 by a margin of 5.58% to 18.71% this means that the firm’s efficiency of utilizing the owners’ assets to generate returns had declined. But in 2010, the ratio improved implying that the firm’s efficiency with which it utilized its assets to generate returns to the providers of funds had improved. Similarly, ROE indicates the same trend of decline in 2009 and an improvement in 2010. This means that there was a decline in profitability of the firm in 2009 and t he firm’s inability to generate returns to shareholders from the owners’ supplied funds and vice versa for 2010. In general, Microsoft is more profitable than Google considering that the higher the ratio the higher the profitability of the firm. The leverage ratio as measured by debt ratio indicates that Google’s gearing had increased throughout the three years. In 2008, 2009 and 2010 the firm raised 11.11%, 11.09% and 20.07% of debt from the total capital employed respectively. Google gearing level was satisfactory since the ratio in the three years was less than 50%. Its increase throughout the period was as a result of increase in liabilities. Conversely, Microsoft was highly geared in 2008 as the ratio was more than 50% but the gearing level reduced in 2009 and further in 2010. Thus, in 2009 and 2010 the firm was not highly geared and the gearing level was satisfactory in the two years since it was less than 50%. Therefore, Microsoft is more geared compared to Google, implying that Microsoft has a higher financial risk. Google’s efficiency with which it used its assets to generate sales increased in 2009 and declined in 2010 as measured by Fixed Asset Turnover ratio. This implies that in 2008, 2009 and 2010 the firm generated $1.88, $2.09 and $1.80 of sales from every dollar invested in fixed asset. Conversely, Microsoft utilization of the assets to generate sales remained constant in 2008 and 2009 at $2.04 of sales for every dollar invested in fixed asset but in 2010 it increased to $2.05, indicating an improvement in efficiency with which the firm was converting assets into sales. Thus, based on the higher the ratio the more efficient the firm is this means that Microsoft is more efficient in managing its assets than Google. The evaluation ratio as measured by Dividend Payout ratio indicates that Google does not pay dividend this may be due to the reason that it is in the growth stage in its Life Cycle and it needs more cash t o finance growth particularly in innovation. While as measured by Price/Earnings ratio, Google’s investors in 2008, 2009 and 2010 would take 22.86, 30.07 and 22.25 years to recoup their initial investment in shares from the earnings generated by that investment in Google. Conversely, Microsoft paid 23.16%, 31.90% and 24.41% of the earnings attributable to equity shareholders inform of dividends in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and retained 76.84%, 68.1% and 75.59% respectively. P/E ratio indicates that Microsoft’s investors in 2008, 2009 and 2010 will take 9.54, 17.85 and 12.77 years respectively, to recoup back their initial investment in the Microsoft’s shares from the firm’s earnings. In general, Microsoft will withstand a major recession considering that interests are reduced at this time by the government, thus the firm will benefit from the use of more debt and its profitability and efficiency of managing assets will strengthen it during recession than Google . Profitability As discussed above Microsoft is more profitable than Google, this means that Microsoft’s management is more effective in generating returns from the assets employed as well as from the owners’ supplied funds. This means that it is able to meet its short term obligations and shareholders will obtain reasonable returns on their investments in form of dividends as well as capital gains. On the other hand, Google is less profitable than Microsoft but it is able to meet its short term obligations; however, Google’s shareholders will not obtain reasonable returns on their investments in form of dividends, since Google is in its growth stage and its share price is very high with high volatility implying that the investors can benefit from the capital gains. Therefore, this information can influence investors’ decisions in that those investors seeking long-term investments in order to earn dividends will go for Microsoft while those who are specul ators and are not interested in dividends will go for Google in order to benefit from capital gains as a result of taking advantage of arbitrage pricing. Financial-based guidelines To select which of the two firms to invest in the investor should carry out a fundamental and technical analysis. Fundamental analysis considers factors like foreign and domestic economic and political events, government policies, weather and change of trade prospects as well as company’s financial statements. While technical analysis considers the share price movement and utilizes this data to forecast price movements in the future. Investor should also consider own financial objectives, these objectives describe the investor’s expected returns and investment timeline (long-term or short-term). Finally, investor should consider risk-reward tolerance by determining their risk level and whether to diversify the risk by investing in both firms (Maxinvest.com, 2010). References Brown, K. (2007) . Servant Leadership- A new model for the 21st century. Retrieved from http://leadershipgurus.net/modl_servantleadership02.html Elmer, V. (2011). What would Larry Page do? Leadership lessons from Google’s doyen. Retrieved from http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/04/18/what- would-larry-page-do-leadership-lessons-from-google%E2%80%99s-doyen/ Google.com. (2011). Business overview. Retrieved from google.com/about/corporate/company/business.html Innovationleaders.net. (2010). Innovation leaders. Retrieved from innovationleaders.net/google_company_profile.html Maxinvest.com. (2010). How do I choose a company to invest in? Retrieved from maxinvest.com/article_text.php?topic=choose Microsoft.com. (2011). Company information. Retrieved from microsoft.com/about/companyinformation/en/us/default.aspx Appendix Google Inc. Microsoft Corporation 2010 2009 2008 2010 2009 2008 Liquidity measurement ratio Current ratio Current assets/ current liabilities 4.16 10.62 8.77 2 .13 1.82 1.45 Profitability indicator ratios Return on Assets (ROA) Net profit after tax/ Total Assets 14.70% 16.10% 13.31% 21.79% 18.71% 24.29% Return on Equity (ROE) Net profit after tax/ Shareholders equity 18.39% 18.11% 14.97% 40.63% 36.83% 48.73% Debt ratio debt ratio Total liabilities/ total assets 20.07% 11.09% 11.11% 46.38% 49.21% 50.15% Operating performance ratio Fixed asset turnover ratio Sales/ Net fixed assets 1.80 2.09 1.88 2.05 2.04 2.04 Cash flow indicator ratio Dividend payout ratio Dividend per share/Earnings per share 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 24.41% 31.90% 23.16% Investment valuation ratio Price/Earnings ratio Market price per share of common stock/ earnings per share 22.25 30.07 22.86 12.77 17.85 9.54

The Definition of a Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV)

The Definition of a Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) ULEV is an acronym for Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. ULEVs release emissions that are 50 percent cleaner than the current average years models. ULEVs take the LEV, Low Emission Vehicle, standard a step further but dont yet qualify for Super-Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV)  status. Although already a concept in car manufacturers wheelhouse, the rise in popularity of ULEV vehicles came after a ruling by the California courts in 2004 that all new cars sold in the state must have at least a LEV rating. Similar measures passed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on vehicle emissions regulations have also given rise to the popularity of eco-friendly vehicles.   Origins of Low Emissions As a result of the EPAs 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act of 1970, light-duty vehicle manufacturing began to undergo a phased implementation of cleaner emissions standards. Typically restricting the output of too much carbon monoxide, non-methane organic gasses, oxides of nitrogen, formaldehyde, and particulate matter, these regulations sought to downsize the carbon footprint of the automobile industry in the United States. The phases of this plan rolled out Tier 1 classifications from 1994 through 1999 with Tier 2 implemented from 2004 to 2009.   As part of Californias 2004 low-emissions vehicle initiative, which provided much stricter regulations for qualifying as a low-emission vehicle, the tiers were further broken down into six sub-classifications: Transitional Low-Emissions Vehicles (TLEV), LEV, ULEV, SULEV, Partial-Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) and Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV). In 2009, President Barack Obama announced a new initiative to further decrease emissions outputs for American auto consumers. This included expanding the classifications definitions as well as standardizing Californias 2004 bill as a federally mandated program, requiring manufacturers to produce a net emissions output of their vehicles (meaning the combined average of each vehicles emissions rating) that equaled  more than 35.5 miles per gallon. Common Examples The number of ULEVs on the road has exponentially increased annually since 1994, though it wasnt until the 2010s that the market for LEVs really took off. Still, decades of experience have taught car manufacturers one thing: eco sells. More and more, companies are rushing to meet requirements for their vehicles to qualify as LEVs.   Examples of these Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicles have begun cropping up more and more frequently starting with 2007s Honda Odyssey minivan, the 2007  Chevrolet  Malibu Maxx and the 2007  Hyundai Accent. Prices are typically midrange for these mid-range low-emissions autos, encouraging more consumers to be eco-conscious with their driving habits.   Fortunately, the advent of such fuel economy measuring tools as the instant fuel economy display  also helps further combat fuel waste by alerting drivers to the real-time miles per gallon fuel consumption their car requires to operate given the drivers handling of the vehicle. Most cars produced in the United States now qualify at the very least as LEVs, with emissions across the board now down to less than one percent of emissions allowed in the U.S. in the 1960s.   Soon, hopefully, we will move further away from gasoline-reliant vehicles and instead switch to electric or hydro-powered engines.