Tata Steel Case Study Analysis Essay Example

Tata Steel Case Study Analysis Paper Introduction The Tata Group is a very large group of businesses that dominate markets in India. The organization has established itself as a leader in markets such as the airline industry, hotel, software, investment, and steel industry. There is a long history of corporate responsibility within the group, and it is no surprise that all Tata companies have adopted a Tata Code of Conduct as well as many international standards. Tata Steel is one of twenty-eight major corporations within the Tata Group. Founded in 1907, it is the largest private sector steel company in India. Operations are spread across the country, with the steel manufacturing unit at Jamshedpur, and other manufacturing and mining activities situated in the states of Jarkhand and Orissa at eight locations. The Tata Group headquarters is based in Mumbai, Maharastra. This paper provides an overview and analysis of the accounting problems that Tata Steel is faced with after acquiring a foreign company. Company Profile Tata Steel, incorporated in 1907 by Shri Dorabji Tata, is Indias largest private sector steel company belonging to the Tata Group. The company manufactures finished steel, both long and flat products like hot and cold rolled coils and sheets, galvanized sheets, tubes, wire rods, construction re-bars, rings and bearings. The company markets its products in brands like Tata Steelium, Tata Tiscon, Tata Pipes, etc. The company is among the lowest cost producers of steel in the world. Its main plant is located in Jamshedpur, having a manufacturing capacity of 5 MTPA (million tonne per annum) while its processing units, captive iron ore and coal mines are located in the states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal. We will write a custom essay sample on Tata Steel Case Study Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tata Steel Case Study Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tata Steel Case Study Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer With its head office located in Mumbai, the company functions through a network consisting of trading arms and operation and projects sites spread across countries in the continents of Asia, Europe and America. Apart from Steel there are six Strategic Business Units or divisions for Bearings, Ferro Alloys and Minerals, Rings and Agrico, Tata Growth Shop, Tubes, and Wires. It operates in more than 20 countries and has a commercial presence in over 50. In the past few years, Tata Steel has invested in Corus (UK), Millennium Steel (renamed Tata Steel Thailand) and NatSteel Asia (Singapore). With these, the company has created a manufacturing and marketing network in Europe, South East Asia and the Pacific-rim countries Problem Tata Steel Faces Tata Steel is faced with a very serious, and somewhat complex, problem. The company has global ambitions. By that I mean the company wants to establish itself as a power and contender in the global marketplace. Tata Group acquired UK based Corus Group, a well established steel company in its own right, by way of a $12. 1 billion deal. The deal was partly funded with a $6. billion dollar loan that was primarily denominated in Euros. The currency in which the Corus Group earned most of its revenues was Euros. It made sense for the Tata Group to fund the deal in Euros in order to avoid exposing the debt to currency risk. The problems that the Tata Group would face due to this deal brought about an issue that the organization really did not have much experience in dealing with. Because of the currency denomination issues with this dea l, the Tata Steel would have a liability of over $600 million on its financial books. Although, the reality of the situation is that Tata Steel has a sound and balanced financial structure and accounting practices. Because of international accounting laws that India and the Tata Group have adopted, on the books it looks as if Tata Steel is carry more liabilities or debts than it really is. This is significant because an investor or shareholder would look at the company’s financials and think that the organization is not as financially stable as it really is. Tata Steel used Indian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (IGAAP) to prepare their financial statements. IGAAP merged with the global accounting system known as the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The problem with this is that by IFRS standards the merger, or natural hedge, was not recognized. IGAAP and IFRS both mandated that foreign currency loans be denominated in the borrowing company’s home currency for accounting purposes. This created a reporting problem for Tata Steel when in reality there was no financial problem with the deal. SWOT Analysis of Tata Steel Strengths Global position in steel industry Tata Steel is one of the most prosperous and profitable steel companies in the world. The acquisition of Corus and other global steel companies have bolstered Tata’s position in the marketplace and made it one of the top steel companies in the world. Corporate governance Tata Steel has had a very good record for corporate governance. It has set the benchmark in global corporate governance principles of accountability, transparency, and equity for others to follow. Tata Steel has been consistently receiving prestigious awards at both the national and the international arena. The company was awarded the Best Governed Company Award in 2006 for corporate practices presented by Asian Centre for Corporate Governance. Brand value The Tata Steel brand, owing to its highly ethical and a socialistic approach to business, has made its name synonymous to trust. The acquisition of Corus made Tata Steel an even more reputable and powerful company. Tats Steel was a well known brand even before the acquisition of Corus. The addition of Corus makes Tata Steel one of the most well known and productive companies in the world. Innovation of Tata Steel Tata Steel has the lowest operating cost for steel manufacture in the world. Further it has displayed effective means in adopting an eco-friendly and sustainable approach towards the manufacture of steel thus proactive measures are undertaken to ensure the employees health and productivity through ergonomically designed work stations and by protecting them from occupational hazards. Adaptability to the fast changing global business environment Tata Steel has displayed immense agility in the recent past during the global financial crisis. Its virtuosos of various fields have adopted various methods like lowering production and even shutting down steel plants due to the lack of demand, managing the balance sheet efficiently etc. The company has 70% of its procurement of raw materials for its operations in Asia through long term contracts and so its margins can be shielded from the nuances of the volatility of the financial markets. Management Team Tata Steel has a highly credible management team who has displayed their skills in expanding the company through various innovative methods. The company has successfully acquired Nat Steel of Indonesia, Millennium Steel of Thailand and more importantly UK based Corus. The company’s virtuosos of finance have been able to find innovative ways to tackle the company’s debt and keep the bottom line in the green zone despite lower demand and a lot of accumulated debt. Weaknesses Debt burden Tata Steel has a total debt of $9. 8 billion USD on its books, much of it from the Corus acquisition. The company plans to refinance $6. 5 billion of its long term debt. It has an unfavorable debt to equity ratio which means the assets of the company are largely financed through debt. With the steady increase in inflation most countries are beginning to tighten credit and liquidity in the money markets. As a result of inflation increases, interest rates are on the rise as well. An increase in interest rates means an increase in the company’s liabilities. This will further add to the degradation of Tata Steel’s balance sheet. Conservative accounting practices India has very conservative accounting standards. The system works within the country but lacks flexibility and adaptability when it comes to reporting differences in currency. Because the Tata Group has global aspirations, the company must deal in various currencies when doing business with global companies. The problem lies in the rules governing the accounting practices within India. All foreign currencies must be converted to the home countries currency when reporting on financial statements. Technology Many steel companies have implemented different technologies into their plants to make production and productivity more efficient. There is a new fluorescent x-ray technology that some companies have adopted. Tata Steel is lacking in this area. Tata Steel has failed to adopt new technology to lower cost, improve production, and improve employee safety standards. Procurement philosophy of its subsidiaries The largest subsidiary of Tata Steel, Corus, has high exposure to spot prices and a higher operational gearing among the larger European steel companies. Hence it has the risk of volatility associated with pricing, one of the key elements in determining profitability of a commodity company. Opportunities Competitive position Tata Steel is the second largest producer of steel in India and the sixth largest producer in the world. Over the years Tata Steel has been acquiring various steel companies around the world, the latest being Corus. There is a lot of room for Tata to grow and further establish itself as a perennial power in the global marketplace. Technological advances Tata Steel has shown immense integration abilities in the past. With the acquisition of Corus it has been able to integrate the high end technological knowledge into its production facilities. The company has also been able to produce high quality steel at lower prices and significantly improve its operating margins. Infrastructure opportunities India has geared up for rapid expansion in the field of infrastructure. The Government of India (GOI) has earmarked Rs. 1, 70,000 crore for infrastructural spending for the fiscal year 2010- 2011 and the trend is set to escalate up to the fiscal year 2025 when India is slated to become the third largest economy in the world. Further many private players either independently or by undergoing public private partnerships (PPP) has also come into the fray. The consumption of steel has been steadily increasing with the rapid investment in the infrastructure and real estate projects. The annual steel production of India has touched 200MT and according to governments steel policy is expected to touch around 250 MT by 2013-2014. The demand for Indian made steel is escalating overseas out of the 200 MT of steel currently produced in India around 50% of it is exported. In the first six months of the fiscal year 2009-2010 the Indian steel export almost doubled to 9. 3MT from 4. MT in the same period the previous fiscal year. The country’s iron ore exports during April-October 2009 period grew 20 per cent over the year ago period to 53 million tons. Accounting practices India’s accounting regulations does a disservice to many of the companies who operate globally. Because of the reporting regulations, Tata Steel has a liability on its balance sheet that realy doesn’t exist. The currency conversion rules hinders Tata Steel from putting together a balance sheet that reflects its actual holdings and activities. Tata Steel has an opportunity to help change the accounting standards in India to allow companies to report their financial activities accurately so that shareholders will have an accurate view of the financial position the company is in. Demand for steel The demand for steel is on arise both domestically and internationally as a result of the enhanced focus upon infrastructural development. Secondly with other steel projects of international giants POSCO, ARCELOR MITTAL stalled due to land acquisition problems the prices of steel are slated to soar. In the month of April 2010 the steel prices were increased by Rs. 2500/ton and this is just the brink of the U-Shaped economic recovery and the prices are slated to rise further in the near future. Acquisitions In the aftermath of the financial crisis various mineral assets are available globally at a price which is just a fraction of their prime value. The government of various countries has been putting up coal blocks under the hammer. Tata Steel has been very active in the asset acquisition space and has bagged various coal blocks in Asia, Africa etc. which is essential for its security of raw materials. Threats International competition Companies like the Indian Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal’s Arcelor Mittal and Posco have landed on the shores of India. These are amongst the largest steel producers in the world and have a high chance of eating into the market share of Tata Steel. Indian market is also plagued with cheaper Chinese made steel which is ubiquitously available and is significantly digging into the market-share of all Indian steel makers including Tata Steel. Down Economy Tata Steel has a very large debt of 9. 8 billion USD on its books and has a huge interest burden. With the volatility of the financial markets and the tightening of credit and liquidity by the banks, interest rates are slated to go up and would further increase the interest burden of the company. Regulatory issues in India The government of India has chalked a strict norm for the clearance of a plant through environmental impact assessment (EIA). To get clearance from the concerned authority demands more than eight months thus leads to delay and project cost escalation. Albeit the governments’ steel policy has been pro industry in order to increase the steel capacity at a brisk pace.

Integrative Intercultural Communication Paper Essay Example

Integrative Intercultural Communication Paper Essay Example Integrative Intercultural Communication Paper Essay Integrative Intercultural Communication Paper Essay Organizations that are viewed as biased against Hess groups will not attract the competent workforce and can face not only legal troubles also the life span of their business can be greatly reduced. Today, it is vital that organizations prove their ability communicate intercultural in order to be successful in a constantly changing business environment. This is why it is important that we train our management to deal with people from many different places. Many believe enhanced communication abilities will prove profitable, in which case its in the companies own interest to support it. Communication is necessary if the organization is to prosper. Intercultural communication in the global business world is accomplished by adding diversity and understanding of the many different cultures that are in the work force. Potential contributors are most often not naturally attracted to an enterprise that they do not perceive as having a culture and micro society that would be comfortable, interesting and supportive. When we talk about intercultural communication we mean all the differences between people, whether they are gender, religion, race or any other differences that connect with each other and commutate whether verbally or nonverbally. It can also be seen as culture within the workplace, culture relates to gender, age, language, ethnicity, cultural background, sexual orientation, religious belief and family responsibility. Intercultural communication also explores to the ways we are different in other respects such as educational level, work experience, socio-economic background, personality profile, geographic location, marital status and whether or not one has career responsibilities. As well as the widely recognized ethnicity an gender variables of diversity, being able to communicate with all kinds of people regardless of location is important to creating and keep important relationships with companies across the world. Diversity, performance and the competitive advantage we have all heard the old saying, variety is the spice of life. But are we taking full advantage of that as we look to meet our business goals? More and more businesses are finding a direct connection between a diverse workforce and competitive advantage. A diverse workforce gives companies competitive advantage by enabling them to better meet TFH needs of their customers, successfully compete in the global marketplace an ire from an expanded labor pool. Providing opportunities for people of all backgrounds is the right thing to do from an ethical standpoint. But it is also great for business. So this is why communication within organizations are important. This allows each person to be able to feel comfortable within thee work environment no matter where they are. For instance, if your company does business in Asia, having Asian Australians on your negotiating team will greatly improve your chances of success. The best way to do that is by recruiting a diverse workforce that mirrors your customer base. This allows someone from that culture to connect with others in the global business environment that will allow they to be productive and everyone benefits fro it. Hiring those from other cultures can create a competitive advantage for a company. Training employees to work with people of different cultures is beneficial to every organization no matter how large or small. Intercultural communication in the workplace is achieved by promoting and creating a more inclusive word environment that is leveraged and maximizes the understanding of others and their way of life. The leverage intercultural communication is almost impossible to achieve without effective training. Communication training aid in understanding how the human differences can effect or influence relationships in the workplace between peers, subordinates, supervisors even customers. The modern workforce is made up of many people who are of different races, genders, sexuality, culture, and ages leading to a vast cultural differences. Many companies have recognized this fact and are beginning to pay close attention to the need for intercultural communication training as a number one priority. Employees should be educated on how to deal with people who have different traits than themselves. They also gain skills necessary to deal with and function in a diverse world. Intercultural communication in the workforce has been growing steadily over the years. Prior to the sasss, there was a very different profile in the workforce, in boot demographics and attitudes. It was more harmonious, with a large majority a few visible cultural differences. The individuals who were different were either assimilated into the workforce, isolated from the majority Of workers or ignored. The average member of the workforce from past was male, white, approximately twenty-nine years old and had fewer than two years of higher education. These men were usually married to homemakers and generally worked in the region of their birth. The global workforce of today does not look, act or think like the workforce of the past, nor does it pursue the same needs and desires. The global workforce has changed significantly from many different perspectives such as age, gender, culture, education, disability, and values. A new model of a diversified workforce is needed before the Rockford of the new millennium becomes even more discouraged, potentially creating further declines in productivity. In these times of slower labor growth, competent, high demand workers are choosing to move to companies that will accommodate and support their lifestyle requirements, and through management practices that enhances their dignity. In order to achieve this ideal place of employment that provides a comfortable and welcoming environment, intercultural communication training is a necessary tool. Training is usually divided into two sections: one or top-down employee and the other is middle managers. In most cases, it is only required for targeted groups in the company. Of the companies who take part in the training, almost half of them reported spending thousands, even millions of dollars on training. A small percentage reported that they really do not have the funds to support the training. The claims are that money spent went to resources, salaries, and consulting fees. Intercultural communication programs have been considered as good investment whose returns have been very beneficial to an organization. Successful professionals are learning to demonstrate the contribution of intercultural communication abilities to the business on many levels. We have to remember that having diversified workforce is not something a company should have, actually it is something that has happened or is soon going to happen due to the fact that we have a more diversified population. There are so many different people in the world that work in many different places of the world. Diversity in the workplace is becoming more and more prevalent. Corporations in all industries are encouraging minorities, women, men, and people with disabilities as well as foreign workers to join the dominant workforce in the workplace around the world. Diversity of the workforce is clearly here to stay. Business owners and managers, experts say, will still need to maintain or step up efforts to recruit and advance ethnic minorities so everyone should know how to effective communicate with one another to ensure productivity is not lost. Essentially, because having a diverse work force and managing it effectively will simply be good business for various companies across the oral. During a training session, topics such as valuing diversity, biases, the philosophy Of the company, and action planning are covered. Employees learn about diversity through films, speakers, and exercises so that they may have a greater impact on any situations that may develop. After receiving the training, many employers have noticed a significant difference in the way the staff behaves and its sensitivity towards each other. People develop a broader definition of intercultural communication after going through the training sessions. The word wide web was used to develop the facts from rebellions in the global business world. Organizational communication in the global workplace can bring up an employment equality issue. Although, intercultural communication in the workplace can be a benefit in the success of an organization. The understanding of cultural differences goes beyond employment equality, it provides an environment that respects employee differences. Diversity nurtures an environment that values the differences and maximizes the potential of all employees. Intercultural communication IR the workplace is important in many ways. In order to create an organization ultra that supports diversity, you must have management commitment, education with training, and follow up evaluation. First, you must adequately determine workforce and organizational needs for creating a comfortable workplace for those of all cultures. Find out what employees are concerned about. Management can form focus groups. The needs and expectations Of a global workforce vary by organizational and functional levels. You may determine if the organization has trouble communicating and being sensitive to employees that would add to the diversity. In an organization with cultural preferences, which, if any, areas of the workforce are being treated inappropriately. Administrative and management of global businesses commitment is crucial for intercultural communication efforts. Senior management must provide leadership through example. To gain support from administration you need to directly link diversity to the business when dealing with people from another culture. Be specific as to where any cultural issues lie. Are they employee or customer issues? Or both? Provide data regarding the opportunities in the global marketplace for diversity.

Letter to school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter to school - Essay Example We plan to remain in London for the next decade and thought that this would be an excellent opportunity to provide high quality education for our children. Our daughter Ekaterina will turn seven on June 3, 2013 and our son Mikhail will turn four on January 5, 2013. They are now attending the IB school in Kiev, Ukraine, with English as the medium of learning. Ekaterina has been studying in the English medium for the past three and a half years. She has taken up ballet and gymnastics. She is also learning to play the piano and has enrolled for artistic gymnastics at the school of a Ukrainian Olympic and World Champion in gymnastics. She also has a good aptitude for mathematics and science and she is interested in chess. Our son, Mikhail, has just started his IB program this September. He shows a high level of independence, adaptation and learning progress. My husband and I are both well educated and we believe that a good education helps a child more than anything else does. My husband and I have graduated from leading schools and universities in Moscow, Russia. We have also both acquired MBA degrees from INSEAD, one of the world’s top business schools. We completed the MBA degree from the campus in France and Singapore followed by an internship in Switzerland. My husband has worked with international advisory firms such as Price Waterhouse Coopers and McKinsey & Company. I have worked for Fleming Family & Partners private equity fund and I have served as a Director of Investments in one of the largest real estate investment and development companies in Ukraine. My husband holds positions on the boards of many large Ukrainian firms belonging to Mr. Rinat Akhmetov, one of the biggest entrepreneurs in Eastern Europe. We are eagerly waiting to settle down in London and enrol our children in a top educational institution like Eaton House Group of Schools. We give an assurance that all

Explain the nature and implications of one of the challenges in Research Paper

Explain the nature and implications of one of the challenges in managing the global workforce - Research Paper Example People pertaining to different areas tend to reflect certain behavioural attributes that bear linkages to their social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Perception level of the people starts differing from each other in relation to their beliefs, attitudes towards events or issues and also owing to religious and linguistic differences. Social or cultural dogmas emerge among the people owing to differences in their styles of communication or the differences relating to their lifestyles. Thus herein the confluence of diverse cultural groups within an organisational setting tends to render a challenging task for the manager to confront with. Organisations working along international boundaries embracing people from different cultural and social backgrounds thus need to enhance their way of understanding and incorporating of such to earn due effectiveness. One significant challenge imposed by the existence of cross-cultural people in organisations relates to the problem of communication. Failure of understanding of different languages and styles of communication tends to create a challenge behind effective modes of interaction among organisational people. Similarly another significant challenge owes to the differences in traits reflected by the people pertaining to decision-making and interaction styles. Examples can be cited relating to cases of British personnel declining to share their personal matters with colleagues and managers. Likewise again interaction and decision-making styles also tend to significantly differ between American and Japanese personnel. These types of behavioural and cultural differences tend to create ethnic barriers within the organisation (Bhatia, 2009, p.269-270). In addition to the above challenges organisations now-a-days tend to encompass people pertaining to different educational, age and sexual backgrounds. Inclusion of people pertaining to different age groups and sexual orientations tend to enhance the challenges relating to the management of organisational workforce in global concerns. Moreover introduction of new policies relating to work-time flexibility has also led to the development of new cultures helping people to work in a home-office environment. This process of rendering work-time flexibility creates new organisational challenges for the human resource managers in terms of enhancing their administrative focus. Modern business organisation policies tend to gain inclusion of such diverse workgroups along different organisational levels that thereby amounts to the cultivation of a new system of workforce management. Failure to device organisational policies focusing on inclusion of such culturally diverse workforce tends to contribute to the enhancement of ambiguity and confusion in the concern. Managers working in such diverse cultural settings are required to largely empathise with the different feelings reflected by the different cultural groups thereby encouraging them to work in a productive an d creative fashion within the company. Challenges faced by human resource ma

Memories of childhood in Looking For Dad Essay Example for Free

Memories of childhood in Looking For Dad Essay Memories from our childhoods are often remembered for the rest of our lives. They can range from small things like playing in the park or a birthday party to important milestones such as a first kiss or the first day of school. Now matter how small or insignificant these events seemed at the time, they will be treasured for ever and looked back on as some of the best times of your life. The memories are normally reminders of good times and the joys of childhood. But for some people, their childhoods are looked back on in sadness and remorse. In the poems Looking For Dad, My Grandmother and The Sick Equation, the narrators explore the darker sides of childhood. Each poem tells a different story, but are all about tragic memories from shattered childhoods that will scar forever. Looking For Dad is about a boy whos father leaves home. I think the author chose the title because not only does it explain the main theme of the poem, but the phrase looking for maybe refers to the soul searching the boy has to do while looking for what is missing in his life. When reading the poem, you notice that it is written in quite an upbeat tone even though it is obviously a sad poem. I think the narrator has done this because the poem is from a childs perspective. The main themes of this poem are dis-functionality and grief. Lines such as I had not tidied up my room, because I was too full of gloom and hope he will come back soon clearly show the despair that is put across by the narrator. Another theme of the poem is self-denial. The narrator doesnt want to face up to the fact that his dad has gone. Dad was hidden beneath the things Id been given and flying about my underwear but could not find him anywhere are two quotes that show that the character still believes his dad is still apart of his life even thought it is obvious he is not. The fact that he dreamt about his dad not being with him anymore shows that sub-consciously he knows his dad has gone forever and isnt going to return. The character believes that his dad simply vanished because he didnt tidy his room. At the end of the poem it says hope he will come back soon and admire my very tidy room. This shows the self-blame the character has put upon his conscience and how he now regrets taking his father for granted. The structure of the poem is strange. It has a nursery rhyme feel to it and this feel good rhythm doesnt really fit in with the other wise sombre mood of the poem. This could however represent the fact that the poem is seen through a childs eyes and he maybe does not fully understand what is going on around him. The quick feel to the poem is mainly down to the fact that it has a loose rhyming scheme and short lines. The Sick Equation is also written by Brian Patten. It is about a broken home and tells us how the narrator has been scarred for life due to his home situation. The title of the poem can be looked at in many different ways. I feel the author chose this title because people often think an equation will be confusing and complex. This is exactly what the narrators life is like. He may also have chosen to use the word equation because it can represent that when all these different factors are added together there can only be one outcome. Unlike Looking For Dad, the rhythm of this poem is slow and the lines are a lot longer with no real flow. One of the themes represented in this poem is isolation. With his parents fighting all the time, the narrator was convinced that it is better to stay one. The narrator decided to grow up alone and if anyone tried to get close to him he would make sure they quickly disappeared. The phrase I came to believe how it was best, that one remained one not onl y backs up my point, but also shows that he is maybe scared of love. Another theme which is shows quite a lot in this poem is regret. As the poem goes along, you can slowly notice how the narrator changes his attitude towards love. In the first paragraph, lines such as For by becoming two, one at least would suffer so shows that he is strongly against being loved or loving anyone at all. In the final stanza the line I am better off for knowing now, that given love, by taking love all can in time refute proves that the narrators mood towards love has changed dramatically as he has now learnt that not all love is painful. The second stanza really shows regret and anger. Believing this I threw away so many gifts- I never let love stay long enough to take roots but by thinking myself of too little worth, I crushed all its messengers. It shows that the narrator feels he has missed out on so much and is angry that he didnt learn his lesson sooner. I was wrong of course, just as  those who brought me up were wrong is another quote that shows anger and rese ntment towards his childhood, in particularly the way his parents brought him up. I grew or did not grow is a phrase that shows that the narrator feels that while he was un-loved, he could not grow as a person. It could also mean he thinks he has missed out on his childhood and started off with the harsh feelings only and adult could understand and no child should have to feel. And as you cannot grow past being an adult, in that sense he has not grown. The narrator also tells of how even a new couple cannot possibly, in his mind, escape the shadow of divorce. When conveying this view, he makes reference to an albatross. This could also have different meanings. The most obvious meaning that springs to mind is because the albatross has the biggest wing span, it would create a huge shadow over any marriage. But a more in depth analysis could link the albatross back to the poem Rhyme of the ancient mariner. The tone of the poem is a lot more depressing than the first poem. The structure is also cleverly devised by the author. The first stanza has a disorganised and erratic rhyme scheme which represents the confusion and disorder in the narrators life. But as the poem progresses, a more organised rhyme pattern starts to appear and the emergence of rhyming couplets maybe shows the narrators life is calming down and becoming more organised. The narrator also uses irony when he says home, sweet home. The final poem I studied was My Grandmother. This poem is about the narrators grandmother. The title was chosen mainly because it explains what the poem is about. The word my may seem small and unimportant, but when people are proud of something they often emphasise and make it known they are linked with the person or object by using this technique. For example, when people use the phrase Thats my boy it is a way of saying, hes with me and I want everyone to know. The title could therefore mean the narrator is proud of his Grandmother and wants everyone to know this. Once again the main theme of this poem is regret. I remember how I once refused, to go out with her, since I was afraid and Though she never said, that she was hurt, I could still feel the guilt are phrases that back up this point. Another theme of the poem is isolation and loneliness. She kept an antique shop   or it kept her and She watched her own reflection is the brass are quotes that show the Grandmother was lonely and obviously didnt have any close friends or family. I think the use of an antique shop is meant to represent old age. When reading the poem, you notice it is quite fast and up beat. This is because of the rhyme scheme A, B, A, B, C, C, which is used in each stanza. The poem also uses iambic pentameter. This gives it a quick tempo and makes it free flowing. The speed of the poem is again in contrast with the themes of the poem. This is maybe due to the fact that the narrator admits when she died, I felt no grief at all. This means that the narrator has nothing to be sad about and therefore keeps the poem quite up beat. Each stanza tells a different part of the story and the first and third stanzas are explaining events, where as the second and fourth and primarily about the feelings of the narrator. Each of these poems outlines different experiences of childhood. Looking For Dad talks about divorce and separation, The Sick Equation discusses the affects of domestic arguments and My Grandmother is about the death of a loved one. But the themes that are constantly mentioned in all the poems are regret and isolation. This shows that maybe bad memories are more memorable than the good ones and the scars left by these experiences will always remain fresh in the minds of the characters

Julius Caesar :: essays research papers

Julius Caesar was born on the thirteenth day of the month Quintilis in the year of 100 BC. His full name was Gaius Julius Caesar, the same as his father’s. Gaius was his given name and Julius was his surname. He was a strong political and military leader who changed the history of the Greco-Roman world. This paper will answer the following questions: What happened during his early political career? How did he become a strong dictator of the Roman Empire? What events led up to the making of the first triumvirate? What happened during his reign as dictator of Rome? What events led up to his assassination? Julius Caesar is probably the most famous leader in history. (Grant, table of dates p.1, and foreword p.xxi)When he was young, Caesar lived through one of the worst decades in the history of Rome. The city was assaulted and captured by Roman armies twice. First, in eighty-seven BC by the leaders of the populares. (Caesar’s aunt and uncle, Marius and Cinna.) Cinna was killed the year that Caesar married Cornelia. The second attack against the city happened in eighty-two BC. Marius’ enemy Sulla, leader of the optimates, carried out the attack. On each occasion the massacre of political opponents was followed by the confiscation of their property. (Fowler, p.24)Caesar knew that his public speaking needed improvement, he therefore announced that he was leaving to study on the island of Rhodes. His professor was the famous Greek rhetorician, Apollonius Molon. When he was off the coast of Anatolia pirates kidnapped him. They demanded a large ransom for his return. Caesar broke free from the pirates and captured a large number of them. He then returned to Rome to engage in a normal political career. (Grant, p.9-11)In the Roman political world Pompey and Crassus challenged the dominance of the optimates. Quintus Latatius Catulus and Lucius Licinius Lucullus led the optimates. Sulla was responsible for creating their careers. Caesar married Pompeia after Cornelia’s death. Then, in sixty-five BC he was appointed aedile. The aedile was in charge of the programs of the city such as games, spectacles, and shows. As aedile, Caesar gained claim to the leadership of the populares. (Grant, p.12)Before leaving Rome to govern Spain for a year, Caesar divorced his wife because of an allegation that she had been involved in the offense of Publis Clodius. Clodius was awaiting trial for breaking into Caesar’s home the previous December.

Characteristics of a White Collar Criminal Essay

Anyone that has taken a class or even worked a â€Å"hint† of a white collar crimes understands that Edwin H. Sutherland is responsible for coining the term. In his book, White Collar Crime, Sutherland defines white collar crime as â€Å"[a]pproximately as a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.† (Benson & Simpson, 2009 ) While that definition may have held true in when he made the public definition in 1939, there are many examples in modern times that would argue against Dr. Sutherland’s characterization of the white collar criminal. In her paper to the U.S. Justice Department, Cynthia Barnett explains that even though the definition of white collar crime is , â€Å"hotly contested†, there appears to be three major categories white collar crime fits into. Those crimes are categorized by either the type of offender, the type of offense and those based upon organizational structure rather than offender or offense (Barnett, 2000). Barnett’s statement alone should tell us that the characteristics of a white collar criminal may be far too long of a list to generate. According to Barnett, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has decided to define white collar crime as â€Å"[t]hose illegal acts which are characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust and which are not dependent upon the application or threat of physical force or violence. Individuals and organizations commit these acts to obtain money, property, or services; to avoid the payment or loss of money or services; or to secure personal or business advantage† (Barnett, 2000). With a slight understanding of what white collar crime is, it is important  to highlight the characteristics of the typical white collar offender in order to establish profile when conducting an investigation. Reverting to what we have learned in previous psychology classes, we know that there are dozens of traits in an individual’s personality. It is virtually impossible to narrow down exactly which one(s) produce fraudulent behavior. Obviously, there are red flags that stick out for every behavior trait. It is important for business executives to be able to recognize or have trained personnel who can recognize these traits and develop appropriate risk management plans. According to Bauwens and Egan, there are five personality traits that are common between most individuals. Rather than define them all, it is most important to note that people who possess all five traits are what many would consider as â€Å"normal†. Those who exhibit more conscientiousness and agreeableness have the most direct influence on whether executives will or will not participate in fraudulent activity (Bauwens & Egan). According to our text, there are other characteristics that the â€Å"common† white collar offender may exhibit. White collar offenders tend to be, on average, sum 10 years older than non-violent offenders who commit common crimes (Benson & Simpson, 2009). While there are probably many theories why this may be, one could conclude that business executives may spend many years working their way up the corporate ladder and into a position opportunity. Another characteristic Benson and Simpson note is that many white collar offenders are college graduates. Again, many theories are possible; it can be assumed that a higher level of education must be achieved in order to move into a position of opportunity. Finally, it is important to consider the rate of employment between white collar offenders and offenders of non-violent, common crimes. In order to commit many of the offenses that are considered white collar, the offender must be employed by or have an extremely close relationship of trust with the victim organization. Therefore, steady employment is a necessity in order for the white collar offender to be successful. For many of the non-violent common offenders, their crimes are their employment. It can be  said that when a common criminal wakes up each day and begins committing their crimes, they are actually going to work. References Barnett, C. U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. (2000). The measurement of white-collar crime using uniform crime reporting (ucr) data. Retrieved December 8, 2013, from website: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/nibrs/nibrs_wcc.pdf Bauwens, A., & Egan, V. (n.d.). Are white-collar criminals a homogeneous or hetrogeneous group?. Home Team Journal, 91-101. Retrieved December 8, 2013, from http://www.academia.edu/832919/Personality_and_white-collar_criminals Benson, M., & Simpson, S. (2009). White-collar crime. (pp. 5-32). New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.