Tuesday, December 24, 2019

O and Othello Comparison - 929 Words

‘Othello is one of the brilliant plays written by William Shakespeare. It is the story of man named Othello and how his mind was twisted and manipulated by a man named Iago and how Iago made Othello think that his wife Desdemona was cheating on him with his lieutenant Michael Cassio, which results in many deaths. Tim Blake Nelson has creatively restructured ‘Othello’ into a film to appeal to a teenage audience. It still contains the same central ideas which are racism, jealousy and deception which will be analysed on how they are portrayed in ‘Othello’ and are creatively reshaped in ‘O’. Jealously is one of the main central ideas and is shown through many character but mainly Iago and Hugo and Othello and O. In act 4, scene 5 Othello†¦show more content†¦In ‘Othello’ Desdemona call him the Moor and she is his loving and faithful wife whereas when Iago says it, it is offensive. In the film ‘O’ there is a lot of racism, Odin and Desi jokingly discuss their different races. When she disapproves of his use of â€Å"nigga,† he tells her that he is allowed to say it but she cannot even think it. Despite his apparently shallow answer, Odin is â€Å"haunted†¦by a profound self-consciousness about his own blackness†. When Hugo tells Odin that Desi and Mike called him â€Å"the nigga,† This is extremely offensive to and he begins to act out his rage and self-loathing. In ‘Othello the word ‘Moor’ has been replaced by with a the word ‘nigga’ to appeal to younger audiences. Deception can also be seen throughout both texts and especially when Iago sets Cassio up to make Othello hear the Cassio has been sleeping with Desdemona. In ‘Othello’ this scene is set in a jail area whereas in ‘O’ it is set in Iago’s bedroom and Othello is hiding outside the room listening in on the conversation. Nelson has creatively reshaped this scene from early times to the 20th century. During this scene in ‘O’ Cassio talks about Desi as a floosy and talks badly of Odin calling the name Nigga, this in use of language from Michael is the language that teenagers use which is another way Nelson has creatively reshaped Othello. Overall, Nelson has creatively reshaped the central ideas jealousy, racism and deception into theShow MoreRelatedEssay on A Comparison of Othello and the Movie O1548 Words   |  7 PagesA Comparison of Othello and the Movie O When Shakespeare composed the tragedy Othello televisions were not. Along with no televisions, life in the late 1500s had many different qualities than it does today. This time period had no war on drugs and no high school shootings. Peer pressure was not an issue. The audiences of Othello in the 1500s did not face the circumstances that we, American high school students, face today. With these significant differences in daily life, come the attemptsRead More The Use Of Animal Imagery In Othello Essay1040 Words   |  5 Pages In William Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Othello† the use of animal imagery was evident throughout the telling of the story. Shakespeare explained several characters actions by comparing them to similarities in animals. The characters in â€Å"Othello† were often depicted as having animal-like characteristics. Some characters were even compared to animals by other characters in the play. By defining characters in terms of these characteristics one can get a clear description of what the character isRead MoreJealousy and Race in Othello 1430 Words   |  6 PagesOthello is one of Shakespeare’s tragedies; originally written as a play and performed to an Elizabethan audience. Othello and many of Shakespeare’s other plays have been performed to various audiences since, and have been adapted into Opera, Ballet, Film and television productions. 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Bradley rejects the ancient’s accusation that Cassio is an inexperienced soldier: That Cassio, again, was an interloper and a mere closet-student without experience of war is incredible, considering first that Othello chose him for lieutenantRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare963 Words   |  4 Pagesaware of the scheme he is putting into action and plays on Othello’s weakness â€Å"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on† (Othello. 3.3.167-169). Iago takes advantage of his own wife, Emilia, retaining Desdemona’s scarf from Othello from her and placing it in Cassio’s possession. By doing, this Iago is able to prove his allegations of Desdemona and Cassio. Othello expresses jealousy and believes that Desdemona has been unfaith to him with

Monday, December 16, 2019

Book Review of “Cheaper” by the Dozen Free Essays

The autobiographical book Cheaper by the Dozen was written in 1949. Since then, it has been reprinted numerous times, most recently in 2003. The book, written by Frank B. We will write a custom essay sample on Book Review of â€Å"Cheaper† by the Dozen or any similar topic only for you Order Now Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, two of the twelve children of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, is about Frank Jr. and Ernestine’s recollections of growing up, in the company of ten other siblings and two high-powered engineers as parents, in a huge house in Montclair, New Jersey, around the turn of the 20th century. Much of the humor within this book is because the father of this huge family, Frank, is a good-hearted man who loves his twelve children and their antics, but is also an engineer (as is his wife Lillian) by profession, and an â€Å"efficiency expert†. Frank Sr. likes to believe problems and conflicts can be solved in a sort of mechanical way, and sometimes with just one quick solution for every problem (at least that is his theory). Many funny and ironic situations arise from this questionable premise. Still, as the authors of Cheaper by the Dozen recall, â€Å"Dad was happiest in a crowd, especially a crowd of kids† (p. ). But since, as an engineer, Frank Sr. owns a scientific management company, he continually tries to apply his various principles of â€Å"scientific management† at home, with mixed results. In one incident, he does so by taking motion pictures of his children washing dishes and doing other household chores, which he calls â€Å"motion study† (p. 3) in order to study their efficiency at these tasks (or the lack thereof), and then hopefully apply what he has learned from these homemade â€Å"motion studies† to other workplace situations. Frank Sr. lso has each of his twelve children chart their weights and other progress each day, on a â€Å"progress and weight chart† (p. 3) he has put up on the bathroom wall, as soon as they can physically write (which is early, since the father has high expectations of his children in every respect). There is sometimes disagreement between Frank Sr. and the children’s mother, Lillian, which points out some of the differences between them. For example, Lillian wants to save a spot on the â€Å"progress and weight charts† for recording the children’s daily prayers, but Frank Sr. ever the practical man of action rather than contemplation, insists there is no room for that. Many of the funniest episodes in the book derive from these types of conflicts (always rather gentle ones) between the parents, especially since their mother, Lillian, is more relaxed in terms of her personality, and sees everything more individually and perhaps, at times, more clearly as well (although Lillian never directly insists on this to Frank Sr. , but just lets things happen until the truth becomes apparent on its own). Although both Lillian and Frank Sr. re brilliant engineers, Lillian seems to have more personal insight into her children as individuals. And, despite Frank Sr. ‘s considerable â€Å"efficiency†, Lillian often has more common sense. This is perhaps reflected in the way Frank Sr. and his philosophies of â€Å"efficiency† are joked about, much more in the book, than Lillian or her actions or beliefs are joked about. Lillian was an early career woman, and one of the other themes of this book is how she handled, so well, especially for those times, a high-powered career and raising twelve children. Lillian Gilbreth herself, although not the main focus of this book, is very inspiring in that way. The main reason, overall, that I liked this book is because the humor within it is good natured, and the high-powered Gilbreth family, even though it is so large and chaotic, and has its own share of challenges and setbacks, is not â€Å"dysfunctional† in any way, like so many, even smaller, families today. That, in and of itself, is amazing. Whatever is happening, inside or outside the family, there is always love, solidarity, and teamwork within the family itself. The authors also mention how Frank Sr. would never criticize his family to anyone outside the family. Obviously, this book was set in far simpler times than today. For example, as the now grown up Gilbreth siblings first describe their father: â€Å"Dad was a tall man, with a large head, jowls, and a Herbert Hoover collar†¦ † (p. 1). This tells us right away that the book takes place many decades ago, since Herbert Hoover was President in the 1920’s. Even the conflicts and disagreements detailed within the book, which are always described truthfully and in detail, seem humorous, good-natured, and reasonable, especially compared to many kinds of family conflicts today. Also, these conflicts are always agreeably resolved, without any lasting damage to any of the children or their egos. This, also, is truly amazing, since both parents are so busy, not only inside but outside the home. Also, the mother and the father are very different from one another by nature, but as the authors point out, they work well together and do everything well as a team. They are always supportive of each other and their children. Dr. Lillian Gilbreth seems the true hero of the Cheaper by the Dozen family. Frank Gilbreth Sr. died before any of his children had reached 20 years old. Lillian continued raising the children on her own, while working and lecturing full-time. Moreover, she managed to put them all through college. Lillian Gilbreth, amazingly, given both the time and the large number of children she had, also had a very distinguished career in her own right when few women had such careers, and even fewer were also mothers of such large families. Still, Lillian Gilbreth managed to be a loving and attentive mother to all of her children. I found Cheaper by the Dozen to be a very inspiring book, and always very honest and humorous. Cheaper by the Dozen conveys the message that family members who love one another, stick together, and have a sense of humor about things that happen in families, and in life, can make it through anything. Therefore, I highly recommend the book Cheaper by the Dozen as an excellent reading experience for everyone. How to cite Book Review of â€Å"Cheaper† by the Dozen, Essay examples

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Financial Statement Analysis of Barratt Developments Plc. Sample

Question: Required to produce a financial analysis report for the business managers and owners (investors). The report should examine the financial health of the business and evaluate the business performance by summarising the financial performance and applying financial ratios to further analyse the business financial health. Your report will provide recommendations to the business managers and investors. Answer: Introduction Barratt Development Plc is a leading house builder in Britain. The company carries out its operations through four brands namely Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes, Barratt London and Wilson Bowden Developments. Three of them are house building brands and the last one is a commercial developments brand. The company employs 5971 employees as on 2015 and has delivered a total of 16447 homes as of 2015. The company has the capability to deliver housing developments ranging from standard houses to highly complex housing schemes. The purpose of this report is to analyse the financial information of Barratt Development provided in the financial statements for the year ending June 2015. The financial position of the company is determined on the basis of the above reports and is further analysed with the help of ratios calculated from the above information. This analysis can be used by the managers to the performance of the company and by the investors to decide whether to buy or sell the shares of Barratt Developments. Financial Statements Year 2015 has been a very good year for the company in terms of profits and the company has also been able to maintain a strong balance sheet. A summary of the change in major items of the profit and loss account, balance sheet and the cash flow statement in the year 2015 as compared to 2014 is shown below: Particulars 2014 2015 % change Revenue 3157 3760 19.10% Cost of sales 2628 3045 15.87% Gross Profit 529 714 34.97% Profit from Operations 410 577 40.73% Net Profit 305 449 47.21% Current Assets 3896 4703 20.71% Non - current Assets 1248 1208 -3.21% Total Assets 5144 5911 14.91% Current Liabilities 1160 1412 21.72% Non - current liabilities 638 796 24.76% Equity 3346 3702 10.64% Net Cash flow from Operations 242 184 -23.97% Net Cash flow from investing activities -36 42 -216.67% Net Cash flow from financing activities -226 -140 -38.05% Net change in cash during the period -20 86 -530.00% From the above table, we see that the net profit has improved remarkably by 47%. This is due to an increase in the revenue accelerated by the growing demand for housing in Britain. Recently, Britain is recovering from an economic slowdown which has led to an increase in demand for houses so much so that supply is falling short of demand. Also there is easy availability of low interest mortgage finance which has led to an increase in the prices of the houses, thus increasing the revenue for the company. Even the operating costs have reduced owning to efforts made by the company to reduce the cost of raw materials procured and improving the overall operational excellence. The selling and administrative expense shave also reduced couples with a fall in the interest expense, thus increasing the net profits. The balance sheet has been strong in 2015. The cash and cash equivalents have increase by 30% leading to an increase in current assets by 21%. Other items which led to an increase in current assets are inventories and receivables. The current liabilities have increased in proportion to the current assets i.e. by 22% mainly due to trade payables, deferred taxes, and payable taxes. The company has decreased its short term debt by repaying a part of it. The non- current assets have not changed much, there is only a marginal fall by 3.2%. The non current liabilities have increased by 25% due to an increase in long term debt by 1 million. The share capital also increased by 1 million, thus increasing the equity by 10.5%. The position of cash balance has improved in 2015 with an increase of whopping 216% in cash flow from investing activities. This is on account of increase in the investments accounted for using the equity method. These investments were reduced by 59 million in2014 and as such 2015 shows an increase in value. Cash flow from financing though being a negative figure but is still better than what it was in 2014. The inflow from financing activities is in the form of share capital valuing 1 million and outflow includes payment of dividends and repayment of loan. Cash flow from operating activities has reduced by 58% in 2015 on account of an increase in inventory and taxed paid. The net cash has however increased by 500% amounting to a cash balance of 86 million, thus making Barratt Developments a cash rich company. Looking at the above analysis, we can therefore say that Barratt Developments has had an improved Profit and Loss Statement and Cash flow Statement and a more or less stable balance sheet. Financial Ratios Profitability Ratios Profitability Ratios 2014 2015 Gross Profit Margin 16.8% 19.0% Operating Margin 13.0% 15.3% Return on Equity 9.1% 12.1% Return on capital employed 10.3% 12.8% From the above table, we see that all the profitability ratios have improved in 2015. The gross profit margin has increased due to an increase in revenue and a less than proportionate increase in cost of sales. The operating margin has increased due to a fall in operating expenses in the form of marketing and distribution expenses and also a fall in interest expense as the company has repaid all of its short term loans. Return on equity has also improved due to an increase in the profits belonging to the equity shareholders. Though the equity has also increased by 1 million, but the net profits have increased by 47%, thus improving the return on equity. The companys return on capital employed has also increased mainly due to an increase in the companys EBIT by 41%. The total capital employed has reduced in 2015 due to a decrease in the capital in the form of loan. The company has repaid loans amounting to 24 million whereas it has issued share capital amounting to 1 million. Even wit h a reduced capital employed, the company has managed to improve its return on capital employed which is remarkable. The highest ever profit before tax has been achieved by the company in the year 2015 thus making it a highly profitable year. Liquidity Ratios Ratios 2014 2015 Current Ratio 3.4 3.3 Quick Ratio 0.3 0.4 Interest Coverage Ratio 6.9 10.5 The liquid ratios indicate good liquidity of the company in terms of current ratio. The current ratio is more than 2 for both the years. However, since most of the current assets are in the form of inventory, the quick ratio falls below 1. This shows the actual liquidity of the company is low i.e. if the company were to pay for all its current obligations, it would not be able to do so since inventory is not easily convertible. However, the low quick ratio is justified by the nature of the industry in which Barratt Development operates i.e. the construction industry. The process of building homes may take months together and thus place a lot of WIP and also a lot of funds is tied in already built homes as one home is of high value. Even if one house/product is sold, it reduces the inventory by a great extent. Another liquidity ratio i.e. the interest coverage ratio has increased to 10.5 from 6.9 in 2014. This is on account of reduction in debts as the company has repaid all of its sh ort term debts in 2015, thus reducing the interest expense of the company. The company can easily pay all its fixed charges from its operating income, thus making it a liquid company. Efficiency Ratios Ratios 2014 2015 Asset Turnover 0.61 0.64 Inventory Turnover 0.75 0.73 Inventory Turnover days 487.4 500.3 Receivables Turnover 30.6 24.6 Receivables Turnover days 11.9 14.9 The total assets turnover ratio measures the efficiency of a company to utilize its assets in generating sales. The turnover has remained the same for the company in both the years. Even though the revenue has increased by approx 20%, still the asset turnover has not changed much as the total assets have also increased by the same proportion. The asset turnover ratio for a construction industry is said to be 0.8 on an average, but the turnover ratio is poor in that comparison. The company should work towards better utilization of its assets. The inventory turnover for construction industry is more than 1; however, Barratt has a lesser inventory turnover. The turnover has not varied in both the years. There was an increase in inventory in 2015 but so was an increase in the sales also. Hence we can say that the company is managing its inventory well and the number of days of inventory turnover has also remained more or less the same. There is a decrease in the receivables turnover in 2 015. This is due to an increase in the receivables which is more than the increase in sales. The industry standard for a receivables turnover is 15, since Barratt has a turnover more than 15 in both the years, hence it can be said to have an efficient receivables management. Receivable turnover days has increased from 12 days to 15 days which means the company is able to recover its payments in 15 days, though there is an increase but the increase is not significant enough. Hence we can say that the company has an efficient inventory and receivables management systems, it only needs to strengthen its assets utilization. Financial Stability Ratios Ratios 2014 2015 Debt Equity Ratio 0.06 0.05 As compared to its equity, the company has very low debt. This means that the company finances its operation expenses as well as growth and expansion through internal sources of funds i.e. retained earnings and equity. The company has only 6% debt in its total capital structure in 2014 and the same has further reduced to 5% in 2015 as the company has repaid part of its short term debt in 2015 and also issued share capital amounting to 1 million. Both reduction in debt and increase in equity have led to a fall in debt equity ratio, making the company highly stable as it does not have fixed obligations like interest payment etc. Investment Ratio Ratios 2014 2015 Dividend Yield 1.5% 2.2% Dividend Payout Ratio 0.18 0.26 The dividend yield has improved in 2015 as compared to 2014. This is due to an increase in the market price of shares of Barratt Developments. The dividends paid has also increased significantly in 2015, it has been almost double of what was paid in 2014. The dividend paid is more than the increase in market value of the shares. This is good news for potential investors looking for a stable cash returns on their investment. However, it may be said that the company is not reinvesting its profits in the business to fuel growth and expansion and hence capital gains to the investors will be less. The dividend payout ratio has also increased owning to an increase in dividends paid. The increase in dividends paid is higher than the increase in profits. Recommendation and Conclusion From the above analysis, it is advisable to buy the shares of the company. This is looking at the financial performance in the years 2014 and 2015 and also since the housing market seems strong in Britain and the company is equipped with all necessary policies to carry out its business efficiently and thus make the most of the growing demand for houses, thus it is expected that the market value of the shares of Barratt Developments will further rise in the future. The profitability, liquidity, efficiency, financial stability and the investment ratios all show a positive result and hence gives the investors all the more reason to invest in the company. The managers of the company would be happy with the analysis as it shows increasing profits, it should only try to work on its efficiency ratio and also look at paying less dividends and rather reinvesting the profits to increase capital gains for the investors. References Morningstar, Barratt Developments Plc Financials, https://financials.morningstar.com/ratios/r.html?t=BDEVregion=gbrculture=en-US, 2015, (accessed 15th March, 2016) CSImarket, Construction Services Industry: Efficiency Information and Trends, https://csimarket.com/Industry/industry_Efficiency.php?ind=205, 2016, (accessed 15th March, 2016) FRC, Lab Project Report: Operating and Investing Cash Flows, the Financial Reporting Council Limited, 2012 Barratt Developments Plc, Barratt Development Plc Annual Report and Accounts, 2015, 2015 Ive, G., Murray, A., Trade Credits in the UK Construction Industry: An Empirical Analysis of Construction Contractor Financial Positioning and Performance, BIS Research paper no. 118, Department of Business Innovation and Skills, 2013 FRC, Disclosure of Dividends policy and practice, The Financial Reporting Council Limited, 2015 FRC, Lab Project Report: Reporting of Pay and Performance, The Financial Reporting Council Limited, 2013 Yahoo finance, Barratt Developments Plc, Historical Prices https://in.finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=BDEV.La=05b=30c=2014d=05e=30f=2015g=m, 2016, (accessed 15th March, 2016)