The Nightmare of the American Dream Essay Example for Free

The Nightmare of the American Dream Essay The â€Å"American Dream†, an idea that success, freedom and equality exists according to each mans capabilities regardless of social status and ethnicity, is one that appeals to every American from all walks of life. After the Great Depression, the importance of realizing success, freedom and equality became a priority in the lives of many, including the Native Americans. The belief in the â€Å"American Dream† was deeply embedded in their hearts in a quest to dispel stereotypes about their community such as being poverty- stricken and primitive warriors who belonged in the jungles as they began to assimilate into the urban culture of a white dominated society. However, as one examines the American society today, such stereotypes still exists and may have been influential in the opportunities presented to the Native American communities or the lack thereof. In the story â€Å"The Red Convertible†, Louise Erdrich employs images associated with freedom as ironies in order to argue that the â€Å"American Dream† is a farce as the stereotypes attached to individual communities, in this case, the Native American communities will never be broken and the believe in such dreams will eventually lead to life-altering and undesirable outcomes. Erdrich consistently uses the image of the convertible that the brothers bought which would usually represent freedom and status connected with the ownership of an automobile in an ironical manner to show that the brothers will never be free and revered in society as a result of their ethnicity. Its colour, â€Å"of course it was red† (1-2), is a reminder of how Native American communities have lived with the stigma of being call Red Indians for centuries thus suggesting they will never be free of such derogatory labels. The brothers bought the car â€Å"reposed, calm and gleaming† (34) just as they bought into the promising idea of equality in the â€Å"American Dream†. Paralleling the journey of the gleaming car to Henry who had to leave for the war as many Native Americans were drafted to fight on the frontline, Lyman â€Å"had it up on blocks in the yard or half taken apart, because the long trip did a hard job on it† just as light-hearted Henry returns from the war a broken man, needing â€Å"repairs†. The ultimate irony is in the tragic ending of the convertible sinking into the river, representing the crushed dreams of equality and success as Henry returns to the same poverty-stricken life of the reservation which he assumed would change at the end of the war. To further illustrate the irony of the â€Å"American Dream†, Erdrich compares Henry to the rabbit which is essentially an animal that exists freely in the wild but who exists to be preyed just as Native Americans believing that they were equals in society but were actually preyed upon the stereotype that they were brave, natural warriors who would have skills to fight ruthlessly in the war. When Henry came back from the war, he was â€Å"jumpy and mean† (123) and when he was still, â€Å"it was the kind of stillness that you see in a rabbit when it freezes before it will bolt† (128-130). Henry was used as a prey in the war based on a stereotype without any regard for his humanity, now would bolt to protect himself as he realizes that the dream of equality he believed in was a lie which exploited his ethnicity instead of protecting it. As Lyman narrated another stereotype of Native Indians in the story: â€Å"We liked to tease him that they really wanted him for his Indian nose† (91-92), has more truth to it as many Native Americans were made to fight in the front line during the war resulting in an alarming rate of deaths. Lastly, Erdrich ironically uses imagery of nature as embodiments of hope and new beginnings and juxtaposed them against the brothers dreams of a better life which was tragically crushed. Lyman describes of the day when Henry suggests to take the car out for a spin after he fixed it: It was spring. The sun was shining very bright. My only sister, Bonita, who was just eleven years old came out and made us stand together for a picture. (194-196) The imagery of springtime which symbolizes hope and life and the Sun which symbolizes a gleaming future is what the brothers had believed in as they bought into the idea of the â€Å"American Dream† as a means of escaping their poverty stricken lives in the reservations. However, after  Henry â€Å"squint against the glare† (212) of the Sun in the photo as he could no longer believe in the dream after being exploited in the war. As Lyman later examines the picture, he realizes that Henry â€Å"might have drawn back , because the shadows on his face are deep as holes† (214-215) suggests that Henry will never again be the person that he was even in the hopeful time of Spring, he will always be a victim of the war and stereotypes hence unable to pursue forward to achieve success as promised in the â€Å"American Dream† he had believed earlier. In the later part of the story, Erdrich uses the image of the sun again, only this time in a deference to the tragedy of Henrys drowning as he is unable to live the life of poverty and despair as well as to the failure of the American dream which did not deliver its promise of equality and freedom as â€Å"the sun is down†(294). The ironical use of images of freedom in â€Å"The Red Convertible† shows that the â€Å"American Dream† did not deliver its promise of equality regardless of social status and ethnicity as stereotypes regarding the Native Americans continue to exist and such stereotypes not only has the ability to hurt an individual but can also have tragic consequences such as deaths of Native Americans in alarming numbers in the war as well as the death of Henry as he no longer believed in the dream.

To Kill A Mockingbird Essays: Great Courage -- Kill Mockingbird essays

Courage in To Kill A Mockingbird Courage is shown within the characters of To Kill A Mockingbird in several situations. The characters are challenged to face danger or pain without fear. The courage they display gives them strength and deepens their self-understanding as the novel progresses. Early in the novel, Scout illustrates the courage she embodies. On her first day of school, Scout acts as an ambassador for the entire class. She takes the duty of informing Miss Caroline of Walter Cunningham's situation. Miss Caroline had just scolded Scout for her ability to read, however, Scout still feels the classes' need for leadership. Most children at her age would fear speaking to the teacher is such a bold fashion. Scout shows advanced maturity for her age, and this allows her to successfully act upon her courage, rather than suppressing its existence. Walter Cunningham, himself, was shy and fearful of speaking to the teacher. Scout over came the petty fears that plagued the remainder of the class, and acted out of Walter's best interest. Her courage spoke in Walter's absence, and inability to express his monetary situation. Jem is faced with a courageous situation in regards to the Radley house. His courage stems from fear of receiving a whipping from Atticus, and more important, his disapproval. Jem is willing to risk his life in order to save his father from showing disappointment. The threat of Mr. Radley waiting for the intruder with his gun instils fear within Jem. However, Jem overcomes this fear in order to sustain Atticus' faith. Being the only and eldest son places pressure upon Jem to set an e... ...re you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." (112). Within all the examples of courage there is not a situation when the courage did not stem from a need within the character. Courage is the inner desire to succeed and to do what is righteous, no matter what humiliation or consequences that plague you because of your decision. Scout, Jem, Atticus, Calpurnia and Mrs. Dubose understood the risks they faced but continued with their actions because it was moral. They did not all enter their personal situation expecting to win. Scout still faced further scolding from Miss Caroline. Jem eventually told his father what he had done to the Radley's. There were winners and losers but they do not regret the courage they showed for the sake of good intentions.

Accounting & information Technology Essay

How the process of computerising accounting information systems (AIS) and telecommunicating accounting information over the web actually help the accounting functions in an organisation operating globally? However, the counter-claim is that the breaching of the security of such systems will be a great risk that needs to be properly managed in various ways. The purpose of the essay is to identify how the process of computerising accounting information and telecommunication accounting information over the web can help the accounting functions in an organisation operating globally and to find out how large firm can protect their system and information by using different methods. Also, in this assignment the main function of computerizing accounting information system (AIS) and telecommunicating accounting information over the web will be discussed along with successful examples and failure examples. Also, it will link and explain why these functions will help the accounting functions to operate globally. Also, in this assignment it will explain the main threats of using such system and will point out how large organisations able to manage these potential threats. See more: Strategic Management Process Essay Accounting Information System is vital to all organisations (Borthick and Clark, 1990). The process of computerizing accounting information systems (AIS) is a system of collection, storage and processing of financial and accounting data that is used by decision makers. The result can be used internally by management or externally by other interested parties including investors and creditors. Organisations depend on information systems to stay competitive, they see information as important as a resource such as plant and machines. Therefore, in order to stay competitive, organisations may have to computerising their AIS, to make the process automatic in order to; reduce effort, save time, improve efficiency and reduce labor cost. However, many organisations are not enjoying the benefit of computerization of accounting system as they have continued to be inaccurate due to increased number of interruptions due to system failure or breakdown and untimeliness with its reliability left in the question. So how computerising accounting information system helps the accounting functions in an organisation operating globally? In a computer system, processing is carried out electronically, usually with little or no intervention from a human user. The components of a computer system include hardware and software. Hardware describes the physical components of a computer system. Example: Monitor, bar-code reader, Web camera and speakers. And software is a series of detailed instructions that control the operation of a computer system. Software exists as programs that are developed by computer programmers. Example: systems software and applications software. (Khaled Abdala, Financial accounting & information technology, p.510). But how they actually help the accounting functions in an organisation operate globally? When a firm has grown globally, they then have to deal with billions of information per day from many different countries, and the only way they can process the information is by using computer system, today’s computer system come in variety of sizes, shapes and computing capabilities. Categories such as mainframe, midrange and microcomputer systems are still used to help an organisation which operates globally, such as IBM, to express the relative processing power and number of end users that can highlight the major uses of particular types of computers. Telecommunications is on a national or global scare, in order to allow telecommunications to operate it consist both software and hardware to set up these links. Hardware include; satellite and microwave transmissions. Telecommunications help the accounting functions in an organisation operating globally by enable a business that operating from different locations to run as a single unit. . (Khaled Abdala, Financial accounting & information technology, page. 571). This means that the information can be managed centrally and control maintained from a central location. Also, an organisation can use telecommunications to collaborate with other companies such as their suppliers by using electronic data interchange or web-based e-procurement with partners. One of the main advantages of using telecommunication is improving the communications within and outside a business. Due to poor communication, diseconomies of scale maybe appear where there is too much information to deal with at the same time and leading to some information are being ignore. This will then increase the cost per unit and may pull down the shareholder’s interest and may lead to a business failure. Also Electronic business (e-business) and Electronic commerce (e-commerce) are also included in the telecommunication, where the term e-business is credited by the former IBM CEO Lou Gerstner. E-business involves several key activities: improving business processes, enhancing communications and providing the means to carry out business transactions securely. And e-commerce is not only a type of industry where buying and selling of product or service is conducted over electronic systems such as the internet and other computer networks also e-commerce encompasses the entire online process of developing, marketing, selling, delivering, servicing, and paying for products and services transacted on internetworked, global marketplaces of customers, with the support of a worldwide network of business partners. (James A.O’Brien, management information systems. P.284). A great example of e-business and e-commerce is ASOS.com, ASOS is the UK’s largest online-only fashion and beauty store. ASOS is a global online fashion and beauty retailer and offers over 50000 branded and own label product lines across women wear, menswear footwear, accessories and jewelry. ASOS has websites targeting the UK, USA, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia and also ships to over 190 other countries from its central distribution in the UK. (Online, Available at: http://www.asosannualreport2008.com/Doc/pdf/AnnualReport2008.pdf). Without a single shop, they able to automating many of the administrative tasks associated with ordering, supplying and delivering goods, therefore the cost of a typical business transaction can be reduced significantly. Also, due to operating their business through internet, they are able to operating at any time of the year, this then lead them to have an advantage of having a much flexible time and place to sell their products than the tradition international organisation such as Topshop. However, is there only advantage of using AIS and telecommunicating accounting information for organisation to operate globally? Is there anything stopping organisations using it? Yes, is the answer. There is no question that the uses of information technology in an organisation presents major security challenges, poses serious ethical questions, and affect society in significant ways. (James A.O’Brien, Management information systems, p.439). Computer crime is a growing threat to society caused by the criminal or irresponsible actions of individuals who are taking advantage of the widespread use and vulnerability of computers and the internet and other networks. Also, natural disasters can also be a great risk to a system. All information systems are susceptible to damage caused by natural phenomena, such as storm, lighting strikes, floods and earthquakes. For example, in Japan and the United States took the great care to protect critical information system from the effect of earthquakes. There are five major categories of controls that can be applied to information systems. There are: physical protection, biometric controls, telecommunications controls, failure controls and auditing. (khaled Abdala, Financial accounting & information technology, page. 627) Physical protection is simple, this involves the use of physical barriers intended to protect against theft and unauthorized access. Lock, barriers and security chains are examples of this form of control. Secondly, biometric controls, these type of controls make use of the unique characteristics of individuals in order to restrict access to sensitive information or equipment, this can be achieve by using scanners that can check finger-prints, voice prints or even retinal patterns. Thirdly, the telecommunications controls, this type of control involve identity of a particular user. Common type of communications controls includes passwords and user validation routines. As an example, when a new network account is created for a given user, they may be asked to supply several pieces of personal information. The fourth control is failure control, failure controls attempt to limit or avoid damage by the failture of an information system. Typical examples include recovery procedures and regular backups of data. The last type of control is auditing, Auditing involves taking stock of procedures, hardware, software and data at regular intervals. With regard to software and data, audits can be carried out automatically with an appropriate program. Auditing software works by scanning the hard disk drives of any computers, terminals and servers attached to a network system. In conclusion, we can see that organisation have to be carefully managed with their AIS and information due to natural disasters and individuals who are taking advantage of the widespread use and vulnerability of computers, because if you don’t take care of your accounting information system, others will take care of it for you. But if can be carefully manage, we can say that computerising accounting information systems (AIS) and telecommunicating accounting information over the web can actually help the accounting functions in an organisation operating globally, with great example of ASOS. References: 1. Borthick, A.F.; Clark, R.L. (1990). Making accounting information systems work: An empirical investigation of the creative thinking paradigm. Journal of information System, p. 48-62 2. Khaled Abdala, Financial accounting & information technology. Page. 284) 3. (Khaled Abdala, Financial accounting & information technology, page. 571) 4. (Online, Available at: http://www.asosannualreport2008.com/Doc/pdf/AnnualReport2008.pdf) 5. (James A.O’Brien, Seventh edition, Management information systems, p.439) 6. (Khaled Abdala, Financial accounting & information technology, page. 627)

Managing Financial Resources and Decisions - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1253 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Level High school Did you like this example? Managing Financial Resources and Decisions Table of Contents Introductions-3 2.1 a) Calculation for the Cost of Ordinary Share Capital-3 2.1 b) Calculation for the Cost of Preference Capital3 2.1 c) Calculations for the Cost of Debenture Capital after Tax3 2.1 d) Calculation for the weighted average Cost of Capital of the company4 2.2 Importance of the financial planning4 2.3 Informational needs of Directors, Senior Managers and Junior Managers5 2.4 Impact of the financial statements6 Bibliography7 2.1 Introduction The financial Report is provided by Brian Harris Chartered Accountants to assist our client, X Limited, in understanding the results of financial condition and operations calculated in order to facilitate better and more effective decision making. 2.1 a) Calculate the cost of Ordinary Share Capital: Dividend Growth Model: Po =  £2 = 200 p Po=market price for each share Do = 10 p Do= Company payment g =8% = 0.08 g= growth rate in dividend 2.1 b) Calculate the Cost of Preference Share Capital: Pp =  £ 1.20 each Dp= annual dividend of preference share Dp = 12 % = 12/ 100 =0.12 Pp= market price of the preference stock Kp= cost of preference share capital 2.1 c) Calculate the Cost of Debenture Capital after tax: I = 10 %=  £ 1, 000 I= interest rate Taxation= 20% t =taxation Pd =  £125 Pd = price of debenture Kd= cost of debenture capital after tax 2.1 d) Calculate the weighted average cost of Capital of the company: . Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Managing Financial Resources and Decisions" essay for you Create order MV (market value) CDC % OSC (Ordinary share capital) 2000 x 2 =4000 13.40 PSC ( Preference share capital) 1000 x 1.20 = 1200 10.00 D (debenture) 125% x 1000 = 1250 6.40 COC (cost of capital) 6450 WACC= WACC= 2.2 Importance of financial planning The financial plan is considered by all marketers the cornerstone or the spine of the business, without the company cannot run properly and profitably. So there are some important points that need to be followed to understand why the financial plan is important and how it helps the business. First of all, a plan is put in place in accordance to the goal the business has set and is working to reach those goals. For instance, the income in the business can be administered better, between the tax payments, any expenditures and even savings. The cash flow can be controlled and budgeted properly in the businessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ favour. A raise of the cash flow means a raise of the capital; that will help with investing in the business to increase the financial situation of the business. With an appropriate financial plan, proper investments can be chosen to adapt to the tasks and goals of the business. Also, the investments are useful for educational reasons, can be used to train the staff, or in times of emergency. The financial plan needs to include: a completed and up-to-date balance sheet, income statement and cash flow forecast; without all of those, the business will not be able to persuade any lender for a loan or any other financial assistance the business will need in the long-term. Secondly, the financial plan helps the business to determine the assets that can become a worry in the future because of the liabilities they come with. The assets are very important for the business; they can determine the solvency of the company. In the third place the financial plan that includes a proper insurance coverage is a worry less for the ownerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s family protecting their investment. All the saving, created because of the good planning, can be benefic in crucial times. To put together a proper financial plan, the business owner should seek guidance and assistance from a financ ial advisor, who will assess the financial situation of the business and can evolve a strong financial plan that should meet the businessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ objectives and goals. 2.3 Informational needs of Directors, Senior Managers and Junior Managers The executive of the company, responsible with the strategic and tactical management of the business is formed by the directors, senior managers and junior managers. The director (or directors of each department in a large company) is responsible with the strategic management. He needs large amount of information from a broad range of sources: markets, products, competitive environment, supply chain, new technology on the market, and about personnel and Human Resources, ready for a very good decision making. The director must acknowledge what information or raw data is needed to rule efficiently the company. Senior managers are responsible with the tactical management in the company, monitoring operations and finances. T here are five demanding areas that are in the senior managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ attention: The public policy perspective related with informing the stakeholders and public about the important issues of the day Client perspective-related with people that sponsor work in the company, or those that make arrangements about pilot projects, researches and other type of projects, and how to meet their expectations. Internal business perspective refers at managing successfully any activities based on communication with staff, researches conducted in the company. The Innovation and Learning perspective refers at the training the staff should take to reach the skill level that is in accordance with the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s policies, to work efficiently, and how to overcome the cultural barriers in the company, by building the inclusive culture. The Financial Perspective à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" refers at the rising funds that are imperative to support the researches are made by the company, and controlling and managing in an efficient way the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s resources. Junior Managers are part of the projects and support their senior managers in their operational responsabilities, collecting data and analyse the results, handling interviews with clients from inside the company, presenting the analysed results of the collected information in front of the project manager and the whole team; they can even lead projects when they have the necessary experience. 2.4 Impact of finance on the financial statements Financial statements make the support for understanding the financial position and performance, and also the liquidity of a business. They are considered like a map that gives a good direction to achieve the objectives of the business, and also to attract new investors. Financial statements refers at: income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, statement of changes in equity, an annual report, a 5 years report and summary of financial data, financial report, stock prices, auditorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ report, accounting policies, management discussion and analysis, just to name the most important ones. The business must collect correct financial information, must process it in different financial statements and then issued them regularly to the investors of the company. Because it has a huge impact on the future of the business, all the information in the statements must be accurate. Financial statements can have a radical effect on the Stock Price. The investors take the information released on the financial statements and make assumptions about their investment decisions. Depending how the information on the financial statements is presented, the Stock Price can go up or down. A dramatic effect the financial statements can have on the Financial Decisions, on how easy is for the business to get financing. The lenders want to invest in the businesses with good figures, so they look at the financial statements before they lend money to the company. If the financial statements are not favourable, the effect is negative, resulting in no loan borrowed by the company. Good figures in the financial statements will attract New Investors. They are interested in new shares of stock issued from the companies with very good earnings. After a thoroughly examination of the financial statements, the new investors can determine if is a good investment to put money into a company, or not. Bibliography https://www.agualtiplano.net/the-financial-plan.php https://www.blueshorefinancial.com/ToolsAdvice/Articles/FinancialPlanning/TenReasonsWhyFinancialPlanningIsImportant/ https://www.ukessays.com/essays/finance/sources-of-finance-and-impact-on-financial-statements-finance-essay.php https://smallbusiness.chron.com/impact-financial-statements-23794.html https://gbr.pepperdine.edu/2010/08/what-directors-need-to-know/ Carmen Parolea-MogaPage 1