Comparing Numeracy Theorists

There are several theorists that link to mathematical development; their views are very distinct as to how mathematical understanding develops. One theorist that is linked to this development is Jean Piaget, in his research he discovered that children’s thoughts develop through taking in information. His researches also lead him to believe that children learn in stages according to an estimated age range. These stages are as follows: * Sensori-Motor – age 0-2 years (using senses) Pre-Operational – age 2-7 years (using symbols and language) * Concrete Operational – age 7-12 years (logical thought) * Formal Operational – age 12+ years (abstract thought) He also devised the concept of schemas for children to develop, for example some children relate to the rotation schema where they learn by rotating things such as turning taps on and off, watching the wheels on toy cars and stirring water and other resources in a circular motion.Another example of a s chema is transporting, these children will enjoy moving object around the room in different ways for example moving blocks from one side of the room to the other in a bag. Another theorist linking to mathematical development is Jerome Bruner, he believed that children learned by doing and then reimagining what they have done by drawing, writing and copying symbols such as numbers.Bruner believed that children in stages, these stages are as follows: * Enactive – age 0-1 – learning through doing physical movements * Iconic – age 1-7 – developing mental images * Symbolic age 7+ using symbols such as language to transfer thoughts He believed that a child is prone to learning and there are certain procedures for the child to follow for cognitive process.

Free Essays on Metamorphosis Essay

Like many of the classics, The Metamorphosis deals with a few distinct characteristics. Firstly, a classic is original. Secondly, they tend to have plots that throw a character into a dilemma or some situation with which they must cope. These two significant characteristics can be seen in such works as Melville’s Moby Dick, Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and it is these characteristics which entitle a book to be considered a classic. What do these books have to show for their classicism? Not only are they original, but they share common motifs present in past and current societies. With Hester’s story and bastard child, The Scarlet Letter brings us the feeling of alienation. The destruction of the families Montague and Capulet gives us (the readers) a feeling of grief. Finally, Melville’s Moby Dick, demonstrates how someone must adapt to a situation in order to survive it. These are prime examples of realism. Not because they focus on the day to day workings of society, or show us the daily routine of a person, but rather because they show the reader the emotions and feelings that the characters, and in fact, contemporary people have when put into certain situations. For that very reason, Kafka’s Metamorphosis is considered a classic by many. Kafka’s writing shows us the plight of a family through their eyes. We can see the grief in Gregor’s mother. â€Å"He isn’t trying to make fools of us, is he? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦already in tears, â€Å"maybe he’s seriously ill and here we are torturing him..† Grief-stricken, Gregor’s mother has a tough time adjusting to Gregor’s new found condition. We can see the adaptation of the family Samsa to Gregor’s illness when his parents go back to work and his sister becomes the caretaker of Gregor. Similar to how Ishmael must cope and get along with Queequeg, here we see the family finding jobs, supporting themselves, and adapting to the new s... Free Essays on Metamorphosis Essay Free Essays on Metamorphosis Essay Like many of the classics, The Metamorphosis deals with a few distinct characteristics. Firstly, a classic is original. Secondly, they tend to have plots that throw a character into a dilemma or some situation with which they must cope. These two significant characteristics can be seen in such works as Melville’s Moby Dick, Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and it is these characteristics which entitle a book to be considered a classic. What do these books have to show for their classicism? Not only are they original, but they share common motifs present in past and current societies. With Hester’s story and bastard child, The Scarlet Letter brings us the feeling of alienation. The destruction of the families Montague and Capulet gives us (the readers) a feeling of grief. Finally, Melville’s Moby Dick, demonstrates how someone must adapt to a situation in order to survive it. These are prime examples of realism. Not because they focus on the day to day workings of society, or show us the daily routine of a person, but rather because they show the reader the emotions and feelings that the characters, and in fact, contemporary people have when put into certain situations. For that very reason, Kafka’s Metamorphosis is considered a classic by many. Kafka’s writing shows us the plight of a family through their eyes. We can see the grief in Gregor’s mother. â€Å"He isn’t trying to make fools of us, is he? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦already in tears, â€Å"maybe he’s seriously ill and here we are torturing him..† Grief-stricken, Gregor’s mother has a tough time adjusting to Gregor’s new found condition. We can see the adaptation of the family Samsa to Gregor’s illness when his parents go back to work and his sister becomes the caretaker of Gregor. Similar to how Ishmael must cope and get along with Queequeg, here we see the family finding jobs, supporting themselves, and adapting to the new s...

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” Research Paper Example

Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† Paper Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† Paper A Guilty Conscience Shown in Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is an intellectual murder story told from a first-person perspective of an eccentric narrator who kills a man because he is so frightened of the man’s eye. The mad narrator ultimately is unable to maintain his innocence to the deed. The narrator is obsesses with the vulture eye of the old man who he lives with. He describes the eye as evil, like the eye of a vulture, a pale blue eye, with a film over it. The narrator has a good relationship with the old man but decides that he must kill him in order to rid himself of the eye forever. During the events of the story it is obvious that the narrator is a man in fear of the evil eye with conscience eating away at him in the events of killing the old man. Even though the narrator focuses on the evil eye and tries to justify his actions, in the end he cant escape his own conscience. The narrator has a loving and friendly relationship with the old man. He states I loved the old man. The old man had never wronged him nor insulted him and he had no desire for the old mans money. He says For his gold I had no desire. The narrator is also sure to state to the readers that he was kind to the old man, I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. He was careful not to disturb the old mans sleep each of the seven nights that he watched him and every morning he spoke courageously to him, called him by name in a hearty tone, and inquired how he had passed the night before. The old mans evil eye seems to have power over the narrator. He states I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold. For an unknown reason, the old mans evil eye has provoked insanity in the narrator though the narrator argues that he is not crazy. He says You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded with what caution with what foresight with what dissimulation I went to work! And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense? The narrators obsession with the evil is shown by his extreme precision on how he watched the old man in order to catch a glimpse of the vulture eye. Every night at midnight he would turn the latch of the old mans door and opened it oh so gently. When he had made a sufficient opening for his head he put in a closed dark lantern so that no light shone in, then he thrust his head in, I moved it slowly very, very slowly and It took (him) and hour to place (his) whole head within the opening so far that (he) could see him Then when his head was well in the room he undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously cautiously (for the hinges creaked) I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights every night just at midnight And on the eighth night he describes a watchs minute hand as being quicker than his own. All of this shows how the narrator used such vigilance in how he went about carrying out his plan to kill the old man. The extreme precision and mindfulness that he went about doing these things in order to see the old man’s vulture eye illustrates the extent of the narrator’s obsession and fear of the evil eye. Although the narrator is so cautious about how he goes about killing the old man he begins the story by letting the reader know that he was very nervous about what he had planned to do. The narrators first sentence says TRUE! nervous very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am. This is the first indication to the reader that the narrator does have a conscience. He even says that his idea to kill the old man haunted him day and night. When the narrator is hearing what he believes to be the old mans heart beating he is really just so nervous that he is hearing the beat of his own heart. The beat becomes so loud that he begins to worry; But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me the sound would be heard by a neighbour! After the killing is done and the officers have not found anything suspicious they sit over the dead body and begin in chat. As they are chatting the narrator, now the killer, grows anxious and his guilty conscience begins to overwhelm him. He says I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. This caused him to begin to hear his own heart beat louder and louder again. The noise drove him to agony and he began to think the officers were making a mockery of his horror. His guilty conscience overwhelmed him so much that he couldnt bear it any longer until he finally admitted to doing the deed to the officers. Edgar Allan Poe indicates that the narrator is a mentally ill man with an extreme fear of the old mans vulture eye. Or should he be viewed as a mentally ill, mad man? Throughout the events of the story, the narrator is unaware that his plan to kill the old man simply to rid himself of the evil eye is wrong. Poe wants readers to see that this man, the narrator, does indeed have a conscience though. It just doesnt overpower his obsession with the eye and his plan to get rid of it. The evidence of the narrator’s existing conscience throughout the story shows that his natural instincts were present in knowing that even the idea of killing the old was wrong. In the event of the officers sitting and chatting for such a long period of time after he has killed the old man, the narrators guilt and anxiety becomes an extreme factor overwhelming him and causes his big plan to hurt himself in the end by telling the officers what he has done. Subconsciously the narrator hurts himself in the because of the decisions that he made to carry out his plan as a result of his guilt. : Poe, Edgar Allan. â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart. † Literature, Reading, Reacting, Writing. Eds. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Compact 7th Edition. Mason, OH: Cengage, 2009. Print.

Balance Sheet and Annual Financial Statements

The directors are responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the annual financial statements of the Company and Group, comprising the directors’ report, the statements of financial position as at June 2013, the statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the year then ended, and the notes to the financial statements, which include a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory notes, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and the requirements of the Companies Act of South Africa. The directors are satisfied that the information contained in the annual financial statements fairly represents the financial position at year-end and the financial performance and cash flows of the Company and Group. The directors are also responsible for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and for maintaining adequate accounting records and an effective system of risk management as well as the preparation of the supplementary schedules included in these financial statements. The directors believe that the Company and Group have adequate resources to continue trading as a going concern in the foreseeable future. The annual financial statements support the viability of the Company and the Group. The Group’s external auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers Incorporated, audited the Company and Group annual financial statements, and their report is presented on page 5. The external auditors were given unrestricted access to all financial records and related data, including minutes of all meetings of shareholders, the board of directors and committees of the board. The directors believe that all representations made to the independent auditors during their audit are valid and appropriate. Approval of Annual Financial Statements The Company and Group annual financial statements of Shoprite Holdings Ltd, as identified in the first paragraph, were approved by the Board of directors on 19 August 2013 and signed on its behalf by: CH Wiese Chairman JW Basson Chief Executive Officer Certificate of the Company Secretary In terms of section 88(2)(e) of the Companies Act no 71 of 2008 (as amended) I, PG du Preez, in my capacity as Company Secretary, confirm that for the year ended 30 June 2013, the Company has lodged with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, all such returns as are required of a public company in terms of the Companies Act and that all such returns and notices are true, correct and up to date. PG du Preez Company Secretary 19 August 2013 Directors’ Report Shoprite Holdings Ltd and its Subsidiaries 2 NATURE OF BUSINESS Shoprite Holdings Limited (â€Å"Shoprite Holdings†) is an investment holding company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Limited (â€Å"JSE†) in the â€Å"food retailers wholesalers† sector. Secondary listings are also maintained on the Namibian and Zambian Stock Exchanges. supermarket premises or developing new shopping centres to accommodate one of the Group’s supermarket formats. New retail developments and the redevelopment of existing properties are supervised through every stage of the planning-, design- and construction process. SHOPRITE INVESTMENTS LTD: SHOPRITE HOLDINGS COMPRISES OF THE FOLLOWING MAIN SUBSIDIARIES: As a wholly owned subsidiary of Shoprite Holdings, Shoprite Investments conducts the Group’s treasury function and financing of credit sales to third parties. SHOPRITE CHECKERS (PTY) LTD: Supermarkets: Serves a broad customer base through our Shoprite, Checkers, Checkers Hyper and Usave store formats. Supply Chain Management: Supplies the Group’s outlets in South Africa and 16 Non-RSA countries. The Group prides itself in running a state-ofthe-art distribution operation and became the first South African retailer to receive the ISO 9002 accreditation for import and export handling. Fast Foods: The Hungry Lion chain now boasts modern, well-designed stores with an inescapable focus on fried chicken and operates outlets within South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Franchise: The OK Franchise Division’s stores offer a wide range of perishable and non-perishable food items and liquor under the OK, Friendly Grocer, 7-Eleven, Megasave en Sentra brands. Freshmark: Freshmark is the Group’s fruit and vegetable procurement and distribution arm and supplies fresh produce to the Group’s retail outlets. As one of the largest buyers of fresh produce in South Africa, Freshmark also imports fruit and vegetables to ensure a wide variety and continuity of traditionally seasonal fresh produce. Liquor Stores: Trading under the Shoprite and Checkers LiquorShop brands respectively, the liquor shops have extended the Group’s offering by providing a selection of wines, beers and a wide range of premium spirits to its customers. Meat Markets: The Group’s meat market division is the largest retailer of fresh meat on the African continent. Customers are served through in-store butcheries that employ qualified butchers and technicians. Money Markets: Money Markets offer a comprehensive range of financial services and products to the Group’s customers through dedicated in-store service counters. Furniture: The Furniture division offers furniture, electrical appliances and home entertainment products to customers for cash or credit through its OK Furniture, OK Power Express and House Home outlets in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zambia, Mozambique and Angola. Pharmacies and wholesale distribution: MediRite’s in-store pharmacies offer consumers an easy access to affordable healthcare and healthcare professionals. These in-store dispensaries currently operate throughout South Africa and also in Angola and Swaziland. The Group’s pharmaceutical wholesaler, Transpharm, sells and distributes a wide range of pharmaceutical products and surgical equipment to hospitals and clinics, dispensing doctors, veterinary surgeons and private and corporate pharmacies. Properties: This division is tasked with the responsibility of expanding the supermarket portfolio through the identification and leasing of new SHOPRITE HOLDINGS LTD ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2013 COMPUTICKET (PTY) LTD: As a premier ticketing solution provider and one of the most recognised brand names, Computicket offers theatre, concert, festival, sport and cinema tickets along with bus tickets and gift vouchers through a network of outlets located across South Africa and Namibia, a call centre as well as the Computicket website. Computicket also offers travel packages. SHOPRITE INTERNATIONAL LTD: Incorporated in the Republic of Mauritius, Shoprite International is the holding company for the majority of the Group’s non-South African retail and property investments. SHOPRITE INSURANCE COMPANY LTD: Provides first and third party short-term insurance to the Group and its customers. OTHER GROUP SUBSIDIARIES: The interests of Shoprite Holdings in other subsidiaries are set out on page  69 of the Annual Financial Statements. FINANCIAL REVIEW The Group’s headline earnings per share amounts to 675,4 cents for the year (2012: 607,0 cents). Details of the profit of Shoprite Holdings and its subsidiaries are contained in the statement of comprehensive income on page 7 with reference to the operating segment information on page 23. The financial position of Shoprite Holdings and its subsidiaries are recorded in the statement of financial position on page 6. Further details are furnished in the notes to the annual financial statements on page 10 to 68. The Group’s net asset value per share as at 30 June 2013 was 2  837 cents (2012: 2  382 cents). DISTRIBUTION TO SHAREHOLDERS PREFERENCE DIVIDENDS Details are reflected in note 27 to the Group’s Annual Financial Statements. ORDINARY DIVIDENDS An interim cash dividend (no. 128) of 123 cents per share was paid on 18  March 2013. A final dividend (no. 129) of 215 cents per share, is payable on 16 September 2013, bringing the total dividend for the year to 338 cents (2012: 303 cents) per ordinary share. 3 SHARE CAPITAL The authorised share capital of Shoprite Holdings remained unchanged at 650 000 000 (six hundred and fifty million) ordinary shares of 113,4 cents (one hundred and thirteen comma four cents) each. There was no movement in the number of issued Shoprite Holdings ordinary shares which remained at 570 579 460 shares of 113,4 cents each. On 28 June 2012, shareholders approved the issue of an additional 13  803  405 non-convertible, non-participating, no par value deferred shares in the share capital of Shoprite Holdings to Thibault Square Financial Services (Pty) Ltd pursuant to the issue of 27  100  000 ordinary shares during the previous reporting period. These deferred shares were however only issued on 25 July 2012. As at 30 June 2013, 35 436 472 (6,2%) ordinary shares were held as treasury shares by a wholly owned subsidiary of Shoprite Holdings. GOING CONCERN The annual financial statements of the Group were prepared on a going concern basis. The Board has performed a formal review of the Group’s results and its ability to continue trading as a going concern in the foreseeable future. The directors of Shoprite Holdings confirm that they are satisfied that the Group has adequate resources to continue in business for the foreseeable future. During the reporting period the following special resolutions were passed by main Group subsidiaries: SHOPRITE CHECKERS (PTY) LTD – Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation; and – Special resolution number 2: Financial Assistance to Subsidiaries, Related and inter-related entities. SHOPRITE INVESTMENTS LTD – Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation. COMPUTICKET (PTY) LTD – Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation. SHOPRITE INTERNATIONAL LTD Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Constitution. SHOPRITE INSURANCE COMPANY LTD – Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation. BORROWINGS DIRECTORS AND SECRETARY Shoprite Holdings has unlimited borrowing powers in terms of its Memorandum of Incorporation. The Group’s overall level of debt increased from R4  035 million to R4  151 million during the financial year under review. The directors’ names and details are furnished on pages 8 and 9 and the company secretary’s name, business and postal address on page 67 of the Integrated Report. In terms of the Memorandum of Incorporation of Shoprite Holdings (â€Å"the MOI†), no less than one third of the non-executive directors shall retire by rotation at each Annual General Meeting. Dr CH Wiese, Messrs EC Kieswetter, JA Louw and JF Malherbe retire as directors, in terms of paragraph 33. 5. 1 of the MOI of the Company, at the Annual General Meeting. Dr CH Wiese, Messrs EC Kieswetter and JA  Louw have offered themselves for re-election as directors of Shoprite Holdings. The board supports the re-election of these directors. SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS At the Annual General Meeting of Shoprite Holdings held on 29 October 2012, shareholders approved the following special resolutions: – Special resolution number 1: Remuneration payable to Non-Executive Directors; – Special resolution number 2: Financial Assistance to Subsidiaries, Related and inter-related entities; – Special resolution number 3: Financial Assistance for Subscription of Securities; – Special resolution number 4: General Approval to repurchase shares; and – Special resolution number 5: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation as proposed by the Board. Directors’ Report (continued) The company’s directors are responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these consolidated and separate financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and the requirements of the Companies Act of South Africa, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of consolidated and separate financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. AUDITOR’S RESPONSIBILITY Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated and separate financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing. Those standards require that we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated and separate financial statements are free from material misstatement. An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgement, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion. OPINION In our opinion, the consolidated and separate financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated and separate financial position of Shoprite Holdings Limited as at 30 June 2013, and its consolidated and separate financial performance and its consolidated and separate cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and the requirements of the Companies Act of South Africa. OTHER REPORTS REQUIRED BY THE COMPANIES ACT As part of our audit of the consolidated and separate financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2013, we have read the Directors’ Report, the Audit Committee’s Report and the Company Secretary’s Certificate for the purpose of identifying whether there are material inconsistencies between these reports and the audited consolidated and separate financial statements. These reports are the responsibility of the respective preparers. Based on reading these reports we have not identified material inconsistencies between these reports and the audited consolidated and separate financial statements. The  most significant assumptions and estimates used in applying the Group’s accounting policies relate to the following: a) Impairment of assets: The Group performs a review of loss-making stores and considers the need for the impairment of assets under these circumstances. This determination requires significant judgment. The Group evaluates amongst other things, the duration and extent of the losses, the near-term business outlook for the store, and the possible redeployment of the assets between stores. Refer to notes 3, 9 and 26. Useful lives of assets: In determining the depreciation and amortisation charge for property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, management applies judgment in estimating the useful lives and residual values of these different asset classes. Refer to notes 3, 9 and 21. c) Income taxes: The Group is subject to income taxes in numerous jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining the worldwide accrual for income taxes. The Group recognises liabilities for anticipated uncertain income tax positions based on estimates of potential additional taxes due. With regards to deferred income tax assets for unutilised income tax losses, judgment is also required to whether sufficient future taxable income will be available against which these losses can be utilised. Refer to notes 1. 11 and 28. d) Allowances for doubtful debts: Trade receivables include instalment sale debtors and franchise debtors for which allowances for impairment are made in accordance with the accounting policy in note 1. 15. These calculations involve the discounting of projected future cash flows and require the use of estimates. Details regarding the allowances are set out in note 12. e) Employee benefit accruals and provisions: Various assumptions are applied in determining the valuations of post-retirement medical benefits, share based payment accruals and long term employee benefits as set out in notes 1. 20, 1. 22, 14, 17 and 35. Estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying value of assets and liabilities in a subsequent year relate to the following: income taxes; allowances for doubtful debts and employee benefit allowances. All estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis of judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised and any affected future periods. Use of adjusted measures The measures listed below are presented as management believes it to be relevant to the understanding of the Group’s financial performance. These measures are used for internal performance analysis and provide additional useful information on underlying trends to equity holders. These measures are not defined terms under IFRS and may therefore not be comparable with similarly titled measures reported by other entities. It is not intended to be a substitute for, or superior to, measures as required by IFRS. a) Trading profit on the face of the statement of comprehensive income, being the Group’s operating results excluding foreign exchange rate differences and income or expenditure of a capital nature. b) Income or expenditure of a capital nature on the face of the statement of comprehensive income, being all re-measurements excluded from the calculation of headline earnings per share in accordance with the guidance contained in SAICA Circular 3/2012: Headline Earnings. The principal items that will be included under this measure are: gains and losses on disposal and scrapping of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and assets held for sale; impairments or reversal of impairments; any non-trading items such as gains and losses on disposal of investments, operations and subsidiaries. c) Interest received on the face of the statement of comprehensive income, being only interest received on call and operating bank account balances. Subsidiaries Subsidiaries are entities (including special purpose entities) which are, directly or indirectly, controlled by the Group. Control is established where the Group has the power to govern the financial and operating policies of an entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities. The existence and effect of potential voting rights that are currently exercisable or convertible are considered when assessing whether the Group controls another.

What Does It Mean To Be a Democrat an a Republican in 2012 Research Paper

What Does It Mean To Be a Democrat an a Republican in 2012 - Research Paper Example The United States first began to experience what could be termed political parties nearly as soon as our government was established. At this time we had many political debates between what were deemed federalists and anti-federalists. Ironically, this would serve as a harbinger of the two party system that invariably developed within the United States. Although third parties existed and successfully sought office as last as the 1830s, their lifespan was short-lived by the emergence of two leviathans of political power that have successfully dominated the political environment in the United States for the better part of the past two hundred years. For the casual observer, party affiliation has a strong connotation with regards to what belief systems the voter identifies himself/herself with. However, party affiliation is a figment of a given election cycle. This is mainly due to the fact that there are no discernible party values or issues which can be definitively traced throughout h istory and once analyzed – deemed as either firmly Republican or firmly Democratic issues/values. This intrinsic lack of definable/discernible values has disheartened many voters and forced them to become apolitical and/or apathetic. The Republican Party (Grand Ole Party) as we know it today hardly resembles the party that was born in 1854 out of an opposition to slavery. Elements of the nation’s political forces, fed up with the â€Å"sin of slavery† and determined to forge a path ahead for the United States that was free from this vice, opted to create their own political entity. This Republican Party elected its first President in Abraham Lincoln. What is interesting to note, as far as an irony is concerned, is that the Republican Party’s slogan in 1854 read, â€Å"Free Labor, Free Land, Free Men†. This slogan had strong connection with the time due to the ongoing battle over slavery; however, there appeared within it a uniquely socialist concep t that most individuals have not considered. The statement â€Å"free land† referred to the fact that rich plantation owners were buying up all of the good farm land and leaving the poorer farmers left with the unwanted scraps and rejects/unviable land. The fact that the original Republican Party was entirely against the ability of a few wealthy individuals to lord over and control the fate of the poor was, at that time, an issue worthy of polarization between the Democratic and Republican Party; interestingly, this is no longer the case as it appears as if both parties only perennially work towards the benefits of those entities and corporations/individuals that bankroll their electoral campaigns. The Democratic Party on the other hand was born out of the Anti-Federalist movement of the 1790s. The Democratic Party of that time was of course defined by its rabid disagreement with Hamiltonian economics. Similarly, the party was promoted originally as what would become known as the â€Å"Democratic-Republican Party† and had a decidedly constitutionalist approach as well as one that advocated the supreme authority of state’s rights as a doctrine of further self-determination among the young republic. This traditional understanding of the Democratic party survived more or less in tact up until the Civil War. At this time, the Democratic Party, under the leadership of key firebrands in the South, pushed for the continuation of slavery as well as

High Level Customer Satisfation and Competitive Advantage Essay

High Level Customer Satisfation and Competitive Advantage - Essay Example Amazon UK has been in the front line in ensuring that its market is diversified (Chaffey 2012). This paper is going to evaluate how Amazon has continued to achieve high-level customer satisfaction and competitive advantage. Service Operations Concept Amazon UK has been a key player in the electronic commerce. Its vast market has been as a result of application of high levels of management and customer satisfaction (Chaffey 2012). Generally, electronic business has evolved over time to include all aspects of interworked technologies. The company’s stated strategy is to focus on customer experience by offering low prices, convenience and wide selection of merchandise (Chaffey 2012). First established as a pure online book retailer, Amazon decided to expand its products and services offering. As a result of new expansion strategies, new business models were introduced in 1999. When Amazon went online, the book industry was highly fragmented with the largest retailer Barnes & Nobl e only representing 11% of total book sales (Chaffey 2012). Amazon redefined traditional books retailing through a radical different approach: online through the internet. This move can be termed as a strategic one with Amazon analysing traditional book retailing drawbacks and focusing on new approaches that would revolutionalise the market (Hunt 2000). With the traditional book retail market, it is impossible to provide a customerised store for every customer. One of the key issues Amazon considered before venturing into online book retailing was advantages accrued from this approach. For example, internet retailers have advantages of centralized inventory management and low occupancy costs. On the other hand, a large number of global customers can be reached from a single central location (Chaffey 2012). Competitive Objectives Competitive objective is realised by a company that operates more efficiently or in a high quality way as compared to its competitors, which then results to the benefits that the company will realize (Barney and Clark 2007). It can also be defined as the benefit realized by a company and one which can provide the same value as that of its competitors but at a lower price, or setting a higher price and provide greater value by way of differentiation (Barney and Clark 2007). It is a result of the match of core competencies of the organization to its opportunities. An organization can also be said to have competitive advantage over its competitors if it realizes greater profits as compared to the average profits realized in the industry it is in (Grant 2005). Most businesses have the goal of achieving sustainable competitive advantage. In order to achieve this, Amazon can be argued to have utilized the concept of competitive objectives in order to conquer the market (Chaffey 2012). However, the underlying principle is quality and customer satisfaction. One of the most important concepts in achieving high levels of customer satisfaction is through track of customer purchasing patterns and need to evaluate their consumption behavior (Hunt 2000). This helps anticipate demand and to provide personalised services. All these can be achieved through online retailing approach. Amazon offers more than one million titles online, but only stores less in its warehouse. This was a big venture and success Amazon experienced unlike when it could have concentrated

Outlining serves Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Outlining serves - Coursework Example Having the outline in place helped me overcome the initial blocks encountered in writing. The outlines helped in breaking down the writing into its main ideas with supporting details. The outline helped in the identification of weaknesses in the argument. It helped in realizing where the supporting details to the main idea were insufficient. The outline was of great importance in tracking points that were misplaced as supporting arguments that were in the fourth paragraph instead of the second paragraph (Working Center Staff n.d.). The outline further helped in motivating me to write and stay focused on the writing process. That resulted in organizing the ideas in a manner that made the most impact. The organization involves including strong supporting details at the start and end of paragraphs that will help capture the reader’s attention. Some strong details were omitted in some parts of the paragraphs to use them at the end of the essay so that it could have a strong bang t o the reader. The outline was of value in creating a guide that results in the writing being easy and time-saving. Finalizing the outline helped in approaching each section with known intentions of what to include. The outline helped in ensuring my draft has balance. Looking at the outline, it is easy to tell some parts of the writing that are less or more substantial than others. The outline, therefore, helped in organizing the draft in a way that the ideas were balanced both in quality and quantity against each other (Working Centre Staff n.d.).