Sunday, January 26, 2020
Capital Structure And Cost Of Capital For Morrisons Finance Essay
Capital Structure And Cost Of Capital For Morrisons Finance Essay It is very essential in todays modern age to upgrade and promote business in such a way that functioning can take place smoothly. This assignment is about the capital structure and cost of capital for Morrisons PLC. Also in this project an analysis on if I was a project manager and had to design a new project for the company what all stages and things I would have to do; are mentioned. This study is based on facts taken from the company website and annual report of 2009/10. Other information is gathered from educational case studies, website and core textbooks on this topic. Introduction According to www.wisegeek.com [1] Corporate finance is a broad term that is used to collectively identify the various financial dealings undertaken by a corporation. In other words we can say that corporate finance is a division within a particular company that deals with financial operations of the company i.e. raising finances for various projects, analysis of various mergers and acquisitions etc. In the present world scenario, one of the most profitable sectors is retailing. Large scale retailers have become very powerful, in some ways even more powerful as companies than manufacturers. The British layman is highly dependent on these retailers like ASDA, Morrisons, Morrisons, Tesco etc so as to buy everyday use products and services. Even these retailers have broadened their scope of activity and have diversified into more than just everyday goods. One such retailer is WM Morrison Supermarkets PLC also referred to as Morrisons. Morrisons was a company started at Bradford market by William Morrison in the year 1899. Today it is termed as the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. With almost 124,000 employees working in 403 stores across the nation, Morrisons has an operating income of  £671 million in 2010. The different types of products that Morrisons has to offer are as below:- Groceries Consumer products Fuel and Oil Pharmaceuticals Alcohol and beverages These are the major areas of business for Morrisons but apart from these also certain services are offered at different locations which are store specific. Morrisons has not yet set up base outside the United Kingdom but according to the company website and also the annual reports, the business can be divided into 6 main regions, namely Scotland with 51 stores North UK with 72 stores Midlands with 75 stores South East including Gibraltar at 63 stores South Central with 62 stores South West with 51 stores To discuss on the size of its business relative to its industry we can look at the report prepared by Edward Garner, 2008 [3] as shown below (certain areas deleted as appropriate):- TOTAL TILL ROLL Great Britain Consumer Spend Includes all expenditure through main store tills and excludes petrol instore concession 12 Weeks to 12 August 2007  12 Weeks to 10 August 2008 change  £000s %  **   £000s %  ** % Total Till Roll    26,615,239          27,621,890 3.8  Total Grocers    18,733,701 100.0%          20,076,033 100.0% 7.2   Total Multiples    17,402,359 92.9%          18,719,527 93.2% 7.6     Tesco     5,962,922 31.8%           6,351,531 31.6% 6.5     Asda     3,142,151 16.8%           3,410,431 17.0% 8.5     Morrisonss     3,016,586 16.1%           3,175,543 15.8% 5.3     Sainsbury     2,042,026 10.9%           2,233,137 11.1% 9.4   Total Coops        815,208 4.4%              846,405 4.2% 3.8   Total Independents        516,134 2.8%              510,101 2.5% -1.2     Total Symbols        183,349 1.0%              181,137 0.9% -1.2     Other Independents        332,785 1.8%              328,964 1.6% -1.1  ** = Percentage Share of Total Grocers According to this report we can clearly say that in comparison with other supermarkets, Morrisons is ranked as #4 in this sector. The performance over the last few years can be summed in by the use of a table as shown below: (all figures are in million  £) Year Turnover Profit or loss before tax Profit or loss after tax 2009 14,528 655.0 460.0 2008 12,969 612.0 554.0 2007 12,462 369.0 247.6 2006 12,115 (312.9) (250.3) According to the figures shown in the table above we can say that although 2006 was a tough and bad year for the company, its recovery process was efficient and planned. Through 2007 the company improved methods so as to maximize profits. The entire tenure has shown an increase in turnover for the company but although the turnover in 2009 was at its peak the company failed to achieve a higher profit which might be due to a variety of reasons that will be discussed in the project ahead. Morissons though been facing problems in 2006 2007 they have been winning awards and earning high percentage of profits with the production units of morissons as with special brewing, wines and bakery unit. they also have been The Oracle Retailer of the year 2009,The Oracle Retailer Week Awards, March 2009 Morissons have been pioneering in the retail sector comprising The Own Grocer Label awards, with gold and silver allocades among the retailers wining The Cloudy Apple Juice The Best Toffee Popcorn offering wide range of fresh farm products to freshly prepared breads and confectioneries within the nested units of morissons along with wide range of wine cellars and brewed beers and cafà © outlets within Financial structure The financial structure of a company is known by the balance sheet of the company. In what areas changes are required and in what ways are all known through the balance sheet of the company. For a person to analyze the balance sheet appropriately one must understand the basic concepts of the balance sheet as a financial analyst. After going through the financial report (balance sheet as well as the annual report) for Morrisons, I have come to a point where a conclusion can be made on the financial structure with relevance to turnover and operating profits, capital expenditure, earning per share, tax payable, return to shareholders and dividend cover. All these factors will help to calculate the standing of Morrisons. A brief study is also done on the basis of the return on assets to compare Morrisons with other retailers. Turnover and operating profit 2008/09 2009/10 Changes Turnover  £14528m  £15410m 6.07% Operating profit  £671m  £907m 35.17% Capital expenditure the capital expenditure has increased by  £228m and now is  £906m. This is due to the recent buying of the new co-operative and Somerfield stores at a cost of  £223m and a refurbishment cost of  £102m. Apart from this we can see a fall in the previous made capital expenditure. This is a healthy growth projector. Earnings per share the earnings per share has increased from 17.4pence per share to 22.8 pence per share. This is mainly due to the increase in underlying profits. There have been no other significant factors that would affect the earning per share. Tax payable the tax paid during the year is  £209m. In comparison to the tax paid in the previous year i.e.  £104m there has been a vast increase, this is mainly due to the effective tax rate that was increased and made 30%.This represents 50% of the tax for the year ended 1 February 2009, as well as 50% of the expected tax for the year ended 31 January 2010, and repayments of previous years. Return to shareholders the final dividend paid during the year is 7.1pence which shows an increase of 2.1pence per share in comparison to last year. This makes the entire dividend paid during the year 8.2 pence and the dividend cover 2.5 times. The calculation is as shown below Comparative study According to a study by Biz/Ed [4] the following information can be gathered on the return to assets and profit margins. As we can clearly observe in the table underneath, Morrison has the highest return on assets in comparison to any other retailer of food and the profit margin is also comparative higher than any other retailer. Company Return on Assets Profit margin Marks and spencers 4.43% 3.91% Morrisons 5.60% 3.61% Morrison 12.93% 5.87% Tesco 9.99% 5.72% Working Average Cost of Capital An average representing the expected return on all of a companys securities. Each source of capital, such as stocks, bonds, and other debt, is assigned a required rate of return, and then these required rates of return are weighted in proportion to the share each source of capital contributes to the companys capital structure. The resulting rate is what the firm would use as a minimum for evaluating a capital project or investment. According to www.investorwords.com [5] . The calculation for this is as shown below. All data is sourced from the annual report of 2009/10:- Current share price =  £277.50 (P1) Previous years share price =  £237.75 (P0) Dividend for previous year = 5.80 (D-1) Dividend for this year = 8.20 (D0) Increase in dividends = 41.37% The formula for calculating the cost of equity is as follows: Re = D1/P0 +G Therefore cost of Equity (Ke) = 10.6/326.25 + 41.37% = 41.40% Cost of debt (Kd) = Interest Paid/Average debt = 260/924 = 28.13% Therefore, WACC = Ke*(proportion of equity) + Kd*(proportion of debt) = 41.40*0.28 + 28.13*0.71 = 11.59+19.97% = 31.56% This shows that the average return that the company must pay to its investors is 31.56 % Project analysis If I were appointed as a project manager for the company, several roles would need to be fulfilled by me. For any new project to be successful the project manager is the key. The focus and aim success depends highly on the manager. The main functions for me in such a case according to Duncan Haughey [6] are as follows:- Planning and Defining Scope Activity Planning and Sequencing Resource Planning Developing Schedules Time Estimating Cost Estimating Developing a Budget Managing Risks and Issues Creating Charts and Schedules Risk Analysis Morrisons is a large retail firm which operates and sells almost all consumer goods. The latest expansion plan was too diverse into household furniture. The project being evaluated is the introduction of Morrisons into the furniture segment. The aims of such a project would be to beat Morrisons that has already started into this sector. The final objective of beating the other retailers would almost be fulfilled in such a way. Key determinants Initial Investment In order to conclude the early speculation for mounting into the manufacturing segment a careful research will be required on part of Morrisons. This would occupy looking at a business plan of a medium to large scale furniture producer. It will also involve hiring of an actuary to decide several costs. The recognition of accurate expenses necessary will involve hiring of engineers as well. An in depth study into the accessible furniture industry would be the best source of identifying the primary investment. Annual Revenue The quantity of cost to be incurred can be recognized with logical accuracy, however, annual revenues cannot. This is because of the fact that revenues are based upon demand for the product. Since Morrisons has been always selling furniture its growth in the furniture production will have reasonable sales if the quality is maintained. It can also be seen from the intensity of sales of Morrisonss own range of product labeled Morrisonss Basics. Annual Operating Costs The present level of operations of Morrisons is based upon buying and reselling. This indicates that there is a low level of in service cost. In order to make out the correct level of operating cost an imminent into the financial statements of a furniture company will be mandatory. Additional transport costs will require to be assessed as Morrisons operates in a number of locations of UK. In order to reap the profit of economies of scale Morrisons will have to generate a central production facility. This will add to the set cost and help to reduce the operating costs. Rates of Inflation Rates of price rises straight affect retailers like Morrisons. Specific inflation of raw materials like wood will unfavorably affect the company directly. General inflation will also have an outcome as the price paid by consumers will reap lower value in the future. This has to be accounted for in the project assessment. The sources of inflation will be in print data provided by the government. These will include national financial plan and forecasts. Rates of Taxation/ payment and Relief Rates of taxation are significant elements of capital budgeting as they affect the cash flow. The tax rates are always particular by the government. So there are no problems identifying them. Other than taxes several allowances can be obtained when investing in a fresh project. There are special release programs that promote investors to invest rather than take dividends. Furthermore the fixed equipment bought is also eligible for capital allowance which is a taxation relief. Risk When any project needs to be taken up, an analysis on the risk involved needs to be done. Risk can be known as the possibility of making a loss. If we wish to analyse this in terms of money then, we can use the formulae:- To manage the risk effectively I would carry out the following steps:- Identify threats the risk can be of various types i.e. overshooting costs, interest fluctuations, jobs taking too long etc. Estimate risk using the formulae given above, we can calculate the amount of risk for the proposed project. Managing risk you can manage risk by either utilizing the present assets or by creating new assets. Review testing systems and plans must be used effectively to check on the progress to manage risk. Due to lack of data, the figures that are shown below are fictitious. The assumption that the project will function in the way of the product life cycle. Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 Sales Revenue 1500 2000 2350 2550 Variable cost 620 680 720 860 Contribution 880 1320 1630 1790 Fixed Costs 500 500 500 500 Net Cash Flow 380 820 1130 1290 Taxation 30% 114 246 339 387 After Tax Cash Flow 266 574 791 903 8% Discount Factor 0.926 0.857 0.794 0.735 Present Value 246.31 491.91 628.05 663.70 Assumptions Initial investment is  £3000 Fixed cost is  £500 Variable cost is at 40% of sales Discount factor is 8% Tax rate is fixed at 30%  £ Sum of Present Values 2029.97 Written down Allowance 400.03 PV after 4 years 4000 Less: Initial Investment 3200 Net Present Value 3230 Quarterly report format Following is the table assumed for the year with four quarters considering the assumed forecast for the year 2011 Year Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Budget Actual Budget Actual Budget Actual Budget Actual Sales Revenue Variable cost Contribution Fixed Costs Profit The per quarter report starting for the first month of year for a quarter will be as follows Quarter 1 January February March Budget Actual Budget Actual Budget Actual Sales Revenue Variable cost Contribution Fixed Costs Profit The above comparative statement is for all 4 quarters of the financial year. Each quarter is divided into Budgeted and Actual. The report I would be sending to the directors if I were a manager the report would be in this format because it can be easily understood by the directors. If there is a difference between the budget and the actual amount in the statement then, this can be for a variety of reasons such as interpretation of budgets. If the difference is high then I would have to try and re-modify the budget for the next quarter and try and improve actual figures by all ways possible. References The role of a project manager; Duncan Haughey; 2009 a snapshot of the UK grocery market(2008); Edward Garner; TNS World-Panel http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-corporate-finance.htm http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Corporate/About-Morrisons/Company-history1/ http://www.bized.co.uk/compfact/ratios/ror12.htm http://www.investorwords.com/5849/WACC.html
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Creating Respectful Classroom Environments Essay
The article starts with notion that children are taught to respect others for position and age. Children are taught to respect elders and teachers, etc. This type of respect does not teach the true meaning of respect- appreciation of ideas, traditions, rituals and cultures of others. The authors suggest that children today are not taught enough of values and are bringing a wide range of behaviors to the classroom. It is important to create a respectful environment in the class and to teach children how to truly respect others. Literature is reviewed to define respect and what are desirable behaviors and moral values to be taught in schools and to point out the role teachers must play. The rest of the article discusses requirements for creating a respectful environment, especially the teacher’s role. Before the teacher can create this environment and teach these values, he must examine his own beliefs and values. He must then know and understand a lot about other cultures and backgrounds. The variables that constitute a respectful environment are then discussed. These include a) the emotional climate in the classroom where the students feel emotionally safe and valued, and b) respect for every person especially by interrupting degrading comments. Teachers must first be good models of respectful behavior and secondly teach the children how to respect each other and the materials and equipment. The article then provides a detailed and useful checklist to determine whether or not a classroom climate is respectful. Respect as a value once learned must be carried from year to year. The article presents suggestions for deepening the teaching of respect to increase the likelihood that it will be permanent. The suggestions include teaching cooperative learning, showing examples of co-operation and respect among teachers and administrators, involving parents and the community in the process and including multicultural education and diversity training in teacher preparation. This article was rich and informative. The explanation of respect and teaching respect was clear and helpful. The distinction of teaching children respect for age and position and its limitations was enlightening. I learned that teaching respect includes â€Å"appreciation of ideas, traditions, rituals and cultures of others†, and also â€Å"exploration of the viewpoints of others that might lead to the genuine tolerance of peoples of diverse cultures†. The major learning from this article is about how to create the respectful environment in the classroom. The importance of self-reflection as a teacher and of being a strong model of respectful behavior, especially to other teachers and administration was noted. The respectful classroom inventory, divided into three categories- the teacher, the students and the classroom, is a very helpful way to check regularly to make sure that appropriate practices are in place everyday. The suggestions to involve parents and community in the process also provide new information. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, what should be included in teacher preparation- multicultural education, diversity experiences and strategies in inclusive teaching to convey respect, fairness and high expectations, was not something previously learned or thought about. This article stimulates interest in creating a respectful classroom environment. It is hoped that appropriate behaviors are usually modeled and children are treated with respect. However this article motivates me to use cooperative learning groups to teach the children how to work together and respect for each other. These small groups can be set with children of various backgrounds and abilities to work on activities together. As they work together I will accomplish at least two things- help them to learn how to share and respect each other, and learn from my modeling as I interact with the groups. Reference Miller, R. and Pedro, J. (2006) Creating Respectful Classroom Environments. Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 33, No. 5. pp. 293-299
Friday, January 10, 2020
Whispered Social Change Essay Topics Secrets
Whispered Social Change Essay Topics Secrets Social problems aren't universal to each society and have a tendency to change rapidly. They arise due to various factors. The issue of poverty can be brought on by the nation which one finds his or herself. Issues with the environment are almost directly linked to poverty and difficulties with education. Folks must actively talk about the condition, which then attracts attention from the general public. They say that certain changes in the society need to be made in order for the country to move forward. Social networking is a brilliant approach to connect people with others across the planet. The exact same is true with homosexuals many of us do not understand them since they have other views, feelings, and other nature overall. It is very important to stay objective whilst writing this kind of assignment and convince your audience on facts as opposed to opinions. Whenever you have so many topics to speak about, choose what you're passionate about and it is going to be super-easy that you develop a considerable argument for it. The actual individuals highly praise our essay help site. Even when you have a personal liking or disliking for a specific topic, you should make sure that you give enough evidence to prove it. Social issues transcend almost every facet of the society, and thus, given the undertaking of writing an essay on social issues, one is indirectly given the opportunity to select from the plethora of topics within the area. Our site is just one of the most appropriate for essay help. The social issues research papers may appear easy to write in comparison with different topics, but still it demands an extremely creative strategy, a massive quantity of curiosity and capability to think beyond the box and search info in unconventional sources. Writing and societal issues. For instance, the qualifications required to be a professional social worker is among the principal fields in the overall discussion of social work. Given such a job, make sure that you understand or have a notion about a particular social issue you desire to manage. There are lots of problems, even on your own campus, that should be resolved. For members of a society to relish superior life, the above mentioned problems need to be handled seriously. For a social issue to be classified as an issue, it has to be getting attention from the general public. If there's absolutely no method of changing what's happening, it isn't a social matter. Should you look around, you will observe social difficulties that affect society each day. One other important issue is providing parents with a chance to track their kids' progress. Whispered Social Change Essay Topics Secrets The cost of an essay is dependent upon the total amount of effort the writer has to exert. It is suggested to look for the one which has a great reputation and offers high-quality papers at economical prices. The issue with the weak ties in which make up the It Gets Better campaign is the dearth of motivation for a considerable number of participants. It could be a result of politician actually wish to have no social change and keep the ignorance of the common Filipino to be able to further their corruption of the government. Although the governments of the vari ous nations are adopting plans to prevent deforestation and lessen the temperature of earth, a strong public consciousness is strongly needed. Specifically, it's regarded as a severe type of sexual exploitation and a sort of slavery. As stated by the structural perspective, society is seen as a complicated system of structures that interact so as to execute various necessary functions. Survey research within the field of psychology isn't a differentit is rife with potential for social shift.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Is Our Society to Dependent of Computers - 1924 Words
Is Our Society too Dependent on Computers? Computers have found their way into just about every aspect of our lives, and in most cases, they make things easier for us. They allow people to work from home, socialize with friends and family, and they provide an ever-welcome stress relief from school or work. Since their invention, people far and wide have become increasingly dependent on computers. Children today are growing up in a world where computers are needed to do everything from controlling vicious heat seeking missiles to saving lives. The computers role in education is growing with increasing investments and technological innovation. The computer is a good thing, but the world must proceed with caution and a critical eye. As†¦show more content†¦Many end up in landfills. These are just examples of issues with household computers. Instead of writing a check, people whip out their debit/ credit cards to pay for things when they are short on cash. What happens when the internet goes down and they are stuck in the checkout line with two hundred dollars worth of groceries, and no way to pay for them because they do not have a blank check? What happens when everyone is driving their fancy, futuristic cars that run on a computer chip and something goes wrong? In a few hundred years, will anyone know how to drive the cars of today? People put their computers through a lot of grief because they dont quite know what theyre doing when they decide to fix a problem or clean up their hard drive, but there are also errors in programming, bugs that need to be fixed long after the product is out on the market, and there are always people trying to ruin a perfectly good thing with nasty computer viruses. Perhaps the most convincing argument, however, is the issue of safety. Aside from the issue of sharing personal information such as full names and addresses, there is also the bigger issue of stolen personal information. As our dependence on computers grows , so does our comfort level with them, people are more likely to save personal information to our computer. While it would be nice to think that it is always perfectly safe to do so, the fact is thatShow MoreRelatedSocietys Addiction to Computers Essay781 Words  | 4 Pagestechnology, computers have developed to be the leader of the world. Increasingly, computers are playing more roles in helping people to remember a friend’s birthday or maintain relationships with others. Therefore, they have contributed positive to the development of relationships and improvement of the general knowledge of the society. Critics however argue that the society is becoming progressively more dependent on computers. In this essay, the arguments for the dependency on computers will be presentedRead MoreEssay about Societys Dependence on Computers919 Words  | 4 PagesComputers are everywhere, and they are used for everything, and in every type of business have we become too dependent on computers? The younger generation particularly has seized on the strange communication through the Internet. Using chat groups on different subjects they are taking in school, they conduct live conversations by keyboard through the internet. Since computers have been invented, so many people everywhere find themselves dependent on computers. Computers are appearing almost aboutRead MoreWe Are Too Dependent On Computer Systems Essay952 Words  | 4 Pages We Are Too Dependent on Computer Systems It is said by Ray Kurzweil that in 15 years, computers will be smarter than the whole human race (Khomami). Is there any shred of truth to that statement and if so is it a problem? 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Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Two Kinds - 1409 Words
The story starts off with the daughter narrating the story talking of her mothers tragedy in China; The mother who lost her mother, father, husband , and her two twin babies was trying to start over and give her child the American dream. The daughter the one telling the story was very as the story began about becoming famous. The mother on the other hand goes to all lengths to try to find her daughters talents. The characters in the story are the mother who played a huge role, although her name was never mentioned. She is a mother who got a second chance at having a family and is very controlling thinking she is doing what is best or her child. The narrator which is the daughter; she starts off as a normal child in the story, but†¦show more content†¦The mother was so determined even know they could not afford lessons the mother made arrangements to trade work for piano lessons. I think the mother felt that at this point the daughter would see how hard she was willing to work for her and maybe appreciate it and work harder. The little girl felt differently she was angry towards her mother and felt as if her mother did not except her for who she was and she wanted to get back at her. The daughter practiced every day with Mr. Chong not even trying her mind wondering in other places. Mr. Chong was a deaf man who could only see her hand movements, so that is how he taught her. The girl caught on fast that Mr. Chong eyes could not keep up with her hands so she used it to her advantage not to learn. Mr. Chong so proud thinking she was listening to him he was very excited because she learned how to fake him out. The mother bragged about her daughter playing the piano everyday to her friend, although the mother never herd her play until the recital. The mother wanted so bad to see her child in front of the room making her proud like all of the other mothers before her, but when the little girl went up on stage the mother didn t know that she had been just wasting her time. The little girl even had her self fooled she for a second thought maybe she could play, well maybe if Mr. Chong thought she could play maybe it was true. As she played she seen the embarrassment on her parents face; the onlyShow MoreRelatedTwo Kinds2009 Words  | 9 Pagess story Two Kinds is a battle of wills between the narrator, a young Chinese American girl, and her mother, a Chinese immigrant. Two Kinds is a coming-of-age story, in which the narrator, Jing-mei, struggles to forge her own sense of identity in the face of her strong-willed mother s dream that she become a prodigy. Jing-mei is caught between her Chinese mother s traditional ideas about how to raise a daughter, and her own development as a Chinese American girl straddling two cultures. Read MoreTwo Kinds822 Words  | 4 PagesID# 1723801 English 103-276 January 17, 2011-01-17 Two Kinds Amy Tan In the short story â€Å"Two Kinds†, Amy Tan uses the narrator’s point of view to share a mothers attempt to control her daughters dreams and ambitions. Tan`s short story is an example of how differing personalities cause struggles between a parent and child. Children often fall victim to a parent trying too hard or expectations being too high, and in the case of Two Kinds, we see Jing Mei’s mother trying to live her life throughRead MoreTwo Kinds1095 Words  | 5 Pages Two Kinds is a wonderful little short story about a immigrant Chinese woman in the mid 1950’s to early 1960’s that moved to Chinatown in California to give herself a better opportunity to make it in America. In the story we see the Amy’s mother as a woman who already has dealt with her fair share of pain and disappointment. Jeng-mei mothers entire family seemed to have been wiped out before she came to America from China Jeng-mei explains â€Å" she had come to S an Francisco in 1949 after losingRead MoreEssay on Two Kinds1194 Words  | 5 PagesThe story â€Å"Two Kinds,†written by Amy Tan, has a plot that many people can relate to while growing up as a child. The theme of the story is that there are two kinds of people: the one the mother wants her to be and the one Jing-mei (the protagonist and narrator of the story) strives to be. Both mother and daughter in the story have a very complicated relationship. The mother believes that you could become anything you wanted in America. The author emphasizes that Jing-mei’s mother tries to dominateRead MoreTwo Kinds of Interpretations in Amy Tan’s Short Story Two Kinds1285 Words  | 5 PagesOften times mothers can be pushy, annoying, and a bit overbearing but in the long run they always just want what is best for their child. Everyone wants their child to be the best, most popular and overall number one. In Amy Tan’s short story â€Å"Two Kinds†we see this type of fame hungry mother. The short story is about a Chinese family who lost everything. The mother had lost her entire family full of children except for the one in the story. With the belief â€Å"you could be anything you want in America†Read More`` Two Kinds By Amy Tan1460 Words  | 6 Pages       â€Å"Two Kinds†by Amy Tan is a story that shows a battle that starts with the narrator and her mother, for control over the narrator’s life. Her mother wanted her to become a prodigy, but she wanted to be anything other than that. So, throughout the short story â€Å"Two Kinds†she’s determined to not quit the fight. â€Å"Two Kinds†is filled with different forms of conflict which allows for the narrator to realize that her mother’s crazy antics were to help her find what she was good at. Which leadsRead MoreThe Two Kinds By Amy Tan1272 Words  | 6 Pagesimmigrants, experience a cultural conflic t between that of their parents and that of mainstream U.S. society†(Wikipedia 1). Amy Tan the author of â€Å"Two Kinds†, and the young character in the story both are a second generation immigrants, who have struggled in their life with parents, about the culture they assimilating and their real culture. In the â€Å"Two Kinds†story the author illustrates the struggle between her American cultural identity, and her mother’s Chinese culture, as like the characters inRead MoreTwo Kinds by Amy Tan968 Words  | 4 PagesTwo Kinds The story Two Kinds by Amy Tan represents the theme that parents cannot control their children, but can only guide them. A Chinese mother and daughter Ni Kan are at odds with each other in story. The mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy of some sort, her daughter does try to follow her mother s orders but has she gets older she realizes she wants to find her own self and not to be what her mother wants her to be. They both have conflicting values, which is the theme of theRead MoreTwo Kinds Point of View637 Words  | 3 PagesThe short story, â€Å"Two Kinds†, written by Amy Tan, is written from the point of view of the character named Jing-Mei. There are three experiences which demonstrate her viewpoint. In the first experience, Jing-Mei is being told by her mom about the â€Å"American dream†. At first, she strives to pursue this prodigy. Her mom would test her every night after dinner. Through Jing-Mei’s eyes, she starts to realize that it was not the life she wanted to live. Lines in the story illustrate this when he says â€Å"IRead MoreTwo Kinds By Amy Tan859 Words  | 4 PagesEssay on â€Å"Two Kinds†Type your essay on â€Å"Two Kinds†below: Title The short story â€Å"Two Kinds,†written by Amy Tan, focuses on the struggles of a young protagonist named Jing-mei trying to find herself without the influences and pressure of others. Aldous Huxley once said, â€Å"One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them.†This relates to the story in significant ways because when Jing-mei’s mother moved to America in hopes of a better future, Jing-mei is pushed to be the
Monday, December 16, 2019
Extra Curricular Activities Free Essays
Megan Gilmore Mrs. Jones AP English 11 January 30, 2012 Students’ Behavior and Extra Curricular Activities Over the course of my high school career, I have encountered many different types of people and have learned that the opinions of each are as varied as the individuals they correspond with. Every single one has his or her own perception about staying after school for a multitude of reasons and activities. We will write a custom essay sample on Extra Curricular Activities or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some, like me, have a stronger opinion than others. I maintain the belief that, when a student stays after school, he not only experiences benefits mentally but also physically. A number of researchers have questioned, hypothesized, and examined the effects of after-school activities on children’s health as well as on their grades. Studies have been completed over the past few decades, and many interesting facts have been discovered. One example being â€Å"a big increase in the number of school children participating in after-school programs: 8. 4 million youngsters compared with 6. 5 million in 2004,†according to Home Alone. This dramatic increase in the number of students staying after school can be the result of several things. One possibility is that transportation is readily available to the students if a parent or guardian is unable to pick up the child. Students could also be coming to the realization that staying after school gives them energy to go home and actually finish the homework that was assigned. For example, let’s say that a student loves playing basketball but the school doesn’t offer a team. This student is missing out on the opportunity to exercise both his body and his mind. Now if the school did offer a basketball team and the student joined, every time he had to stay after to practice, he stimulates his body, which includes his brain. Then, when practice was over, he would have the energy and brain stimulation to finish his homework. When choosing a school for their children, many parents have to take into consideration the charges for education, in addition to any fees for participation in an after-school program. In fact, cost is one of the major factors that play into the reasons why parents keep children from participating in after-school functions. Costs can include actual charges for the program, either in time or dollars, and expenses incurred for providing transportation. However, according to Home Alone, â€Å"After-school programs are a cost-effective way to boost student achievement, reduce juvenile crime and help overstressed working parents. †Yes, if parents pick up their children from the school, the expenditure for gas money is less than the outlay to pay a babysitter every day or to arrange weekly accommodations at a daycare center for watching the children. A more constructive alternative would be to let them stay at school to either continue their education or play a sport to release built up stress; then parents could just pick them up on their way home from work. Now there are some parents that, even if they have the time or money, will not let their children stay after school. Reasons for this include not wanting to expose the children to the delinquents that have to stay for detention afterwards. Some even say that playing sports will distract children from his/her studies because the student will focus on the game and not the school work. According to Bill Varian, â€Å"Students involved in extracurricular activities receive better grades than those who are not involved in extracurricular activities. In addition, activities improve the overall student. Therefore, they help students to receive better grades by teaching them character building lessons, teaching them lifelong skills, saving some at-risk students who would possibly drop out of school, and helping students develop social skills. †We can reasonably ascertain, then, that after-school activities not only help children grow and develop now, but participating in the undertakings also prepare them for a better, more fulfilling future. Another major factor that plays a role is the effect that the programs would have on a student’s life. Each and every student has a different life when he/she leaves school. Some have to go to work to help their parents pay the bills, while others can sit back and relax while a butler makes a snack, finishes their homework, and cleans the house. I have even seen some children go home to parents who think the child was a mistake and want nothing to do with him/her. According to Lee Shumow, â€Å"The children that are the most prone to actually gaining anything, in particular educational achievement, from after-school programs are the ones from high-risk backgrounds. Although, children that come from these backgrounds are the ones to have the least availability to the programs. †Many of the children that are classified in the high-risk background are the ones that people think will be the troublemakers in the community. But, if you take these children off the streets and keep them after school a few extra hours a day, they can develop bonds with other children so that ultimately they will stay away from drugs, alcohol, weapons, and the people who would tempt them to encounter and develop such habits. According to Mary Rombokas, including high-risk children in after-school activities â€Å"lessens the number of disciplinary problems later down the line. †Some parents turn to the school to provide a â€Å"day care†in essence. So that if the parents are not home, then they can let the children stay at school a few extra hours so that they don’t have to worry about leaving them at home. According to Home Alone â€Å"In 2009, over 15. 1 million children were left home alone and unsupervised after the school day had finished. This is more than a quarter of America’s school children and an 800,000 increase from 2004. These statistics includes 4 percent of elementary and 30 percent of middle school students. †Many of these parents more than likely don’t like leaving their children at home, but they have no other choice; it may be the only thing they can do unless more programs became available to students. â€Å"Parents of 18. 5 million students say they would enroll their children in an after-school program if one were available. These numbers represent a hugely missed opportunity. A majority of publicly financed after-school programs serve low-income students. They offer help with schoolwork, sports activities, and other enrichment known to translate into improved school attendance and higher graduation rates and lower rates of teenage pregnancy, drinking, delinquency and drug use,†according to Home Alone. I realize that there are some parents who, no matter how much documentation is provided, will never change their minds about allowing their children to stay after school. However, there are alternative options for their children to having them staying on school grounds after the school day has ended. Some students have the buses drop them off at facilities that will look after the children and have them play games or do homework in groups so that social skills can be developed. In addition, playing sports or group games help the children use their mental abilities by having them think on their feet so that later in life they will be able to overcome a problem not only with better results but also more quickly. Many of these places cost little to no money at all. Some parents may want to personally take some time to play or work with their children. There are places available to help them in their endeavors. Almost every community has a center called the YMCA. For a nominal fee, parents can share a variety of activities with their children. Or, if a student is having difficulties in school that a parent cannot help with, older children can provide tutoring while the parents work out in another room. In a case like this, both sides benefit. Works Cited â€Å"Home Alone. †New York Times. 20 Oct. 2009: A30(L). Infotrac Newsstand. Web. 5 Jan. 2012. Lee, Shumow. â€Å"Academic Effects of After-School Programs. Champaign, IL:ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Print. Narine, Shari. â€Å"Federal funding for after school program. †Alberta SweetgrassOct. 2010: 6. Infotrac Newsstand. Web. 5 Jan. 2012. O’Dea, James. â€Å"The Effect of Extra-Curricular Activities on AcademicAchievement. †Drake University; 1994. Print. Varian, Bill. â€Å"Kid programs returning; Commissioners agr ee to draw up a plan forafter school programs in 18 more parks. †St. Petersburg Times[St. Petersburg, FL] 25 Aug. 2011: 1B. Infotrac Newsstand. Web. 5 Jan. 2012. How to cite Extra Curricular Activities, Essay examples
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Music Guitar Essay Example For Students
Music Guitar Essay It can be adjusted and tweaked, but you never have to go into a lesson thou a clear overall picture of where your student is at, and where they need to go, in terms of topics and concepts being covered. Think of it as going to a college class and being handed a syllabus. It tells you (usually) everything youre going to cover, when youre going to cover it and what youll know when its all over. Most teachers use that syllabus to craft their lesson plans, which is what well do here. Well use the structure to cover some practical advice for what a good guitar lesson should include. Topics versus Application One thing I always like to draw a distinction between when it comes to learning attar is topics and applications. It helps to put a little bit of skin on some of the other things were going to talk about, so lets go ahead and define both, as they relate to guitar lessons: Topics: Concepts or ideas that are new to the students Me chord, pentatonic scale, etc. Application: The use of topics to create something musical tabs, songs or improvising. Every good guitar lesson will have both of these elements, in one form or another. Whats difficult, is getting people to know how to move from topical learning, into musical application. This is part of why a lot of guitar seasons stop with learning chords and scales. Learning chords and scales is fine, but its Just the beginning. Youve got to do something with those topics, instead of Just learning them and then moving on. If you dont use them, then its going to be harder for the student to recall them in the future. The Responsibility of the Student I know some of you might be thinking, Isnt it the students responsibility to use what theyve learned? Yes it absolutely is. Www. Actuarial. Com To use a tired cliche, the real learning will take place while the student is playing n their own during the week. If they dont do that, or if theyre not interested, then the topics will likely never take root. However, I would also say that far too many students avoid application on their own, because they dont know how to do it and theyre never able to see the connection between the topics theyve learned and the music theyre hearing on their Pods. As the teacher, you need to illustrate that connection to them and show them how Music 101 -Guitar By Benches Its difficult certainly more difficult than going over a chord sheet, but it can be done. Ordering Guitar Topics A few months ago I wrote a post called Practice and Progress: How a Guitar Player Advances and included an anaphoric to illustrate the post a little more succinctly. The post basically covered how I would recommend ordering guitar topics in the early stages, where different goals (rhythm or lead guitar, etc) dont really come into play. Now what Im not trying to say is that the order needs to be the same for every teacher. Not every history teachers syllabus is the same, so not every guitar teachers topic order will necessarily be the same either. What you should do is sit down and plan out several months of lessons. If you have to adjust, no big deal Just make sure youve got something on paper. Well do a template after this next paragraph. Student-by-Student Considerations Feel free to reference the Practice and Progress post, but also keep in mind that those are beginner topics that dont take into account variables that are unique to certain students. This is something youll have to be aware of, so we need to at least mention them here. 1. Goals Rhythm or Lead Guitar: Not every student will even now the answer to which one theyre more interested in, but the learning path for each side is a bit different. . Skill-Set Complete Beginner or Prior Knowledge: What your student already knows will have a lot to do with how you schedule and plan their lessons. It might save you a few steps. 3. Musical Interests: This one usually wont have a great deal of bearing on what you teach them until later in the process, after youve covered the gene des of the guitar. Making a Syllabus So now well set about the process of making a generic syllabus that gets us through ten weeks of guitar le ssons. Protest Music Tupac Shakur EssayProvide a few of your own improvised tabs for the student to practice soloing techniques. Assign the student to come up with their own improvised lead piece by using a scale of their choice and at least five improvised (or added) notes based on intervals. Week IX Additional and more complex scales should be covered, while discussing the correlation between scales and improvising a little more specifically. Cover some more complex pentatonic and blues patterns and provide more theory and detail about how those scales help you improvise by giving you a structure and inundation by which to work. After memorization the student should be able to work in and out of the scale and know when theyre improvising as opposed to playing within the structure of the scale itself. Week X Address rhythm and song dynamics. Discuss how rhythm impacts your strumming technique, while also covering how the dynamics and intensity of a song should impact how the guitar is played. Application Assign songs for the student to listen to that exemplify the dynamics of the guitar and help the student hear when they need to pull back or play heavier. Have the student work on their ability to play softer and louder on command by making use of effects and their own technique. So this is essentially what I would consider a rough skeleton of a ten-week syllabus for teaching guitar, with plenty of room to adjust if you need to. If we go back to the variables I mentioned earlier, youll probably have a few of those coming into play. For example, a student might know some of this stuff already, particularly the more basic stuff like how to hold, tune a guitar, etc. When that happens, you can obviously Just skip ahead. Whats not quite so straightforward is when you have a student with a specific goal or focus. Lets say youve got someone who really wants to be a rhythm guitarist and is interested in Jazz. When that happens, you change your syllabus in terms of emphasis not necessarily in terms of content. That means that youll focus more on beat and counting, along with chords and chord changing mechanics. As you cover the more basic topics, youll be ready to start incorporating Jazz specific lessons that will be much more interesting to the student. Concluding Its tough to understand what someones ideal learning patterns and situation might be. As a guitar teach, youve got the advantage of usually having a I-to-I student to teacher ratio. Take advantage of that by having a structure in place that you can work off of, rather than Just winging it and hoping for the best. A student will be more confident in what theyre learning if youre confident and assertive about when and how it needs to be taught. Hopefully, this can help by giving you a framework to start from thanks for reading. Email suggestions and lesson requests to [emailprotected] Com.
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