Corporate finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 6

Corporate finance - Essay Example Company’s capital structure can comprise of majority of equity or debt component, an equal combination of both or only one of them. Each approach includes its own advantages as well as disadvantages. The hypothesis on capital structure from the Modigliani & Miller is considered as one of the significant developments or progress in the area of corporate finance (Miller, 1988). The report will highlight the main foundations and implications of Modigliani & Miller approach towards the capital structure. It will also focus on how this theory is related to the purpose of weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for a company. Further, the report will take into consideration the practical applicability and usefulness of the theory in real life business. There are five assumptions of this approach which involves: no taxes; transaction price/cost for selling and buying securities and also the cost of bankruptcy is nil; there is evenness of information which means that the investor will have the right to use the similar information that the corporate would and it also means that the investors are required to behave rationally; the borrowing cost is same for companies as well as investors; and financing of debt does not involve any effect on the firm’s earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). The approach of Modigliani & Miller signifies that the value of leveraged company (i.e. the company having the mixture of equity and debt) is similar to the unleveraged company’s value (i.e. the company which is completely financed by means of equity) if the future prospects and the operating profits are same. It further explains that if the investor buys leveraged firm’s share, it would rate him on the same scale as purchasin g the unleveraged firm’s share (Casamatta, 2003). The theorem of Modigliani & Miller makes the basis of contemporary corporate finance. It defines that this

Louisiana vs. Kennedy Essay Example for Free

Louisiana vs. Kennedy Essay Louisiana vs. Kennedy was a petition to the case that involved a death penalty that was imposed to a 42 year man who had raped his stepdaughter. The petition took place on June 2008. It was a punishment that was sentenced to him by the Louisiana court for having been convicted of committing the crime. In accordance to the law, the murders are supposed to be sentenced to death but for the past three decades, only two cases that did not involve murder were registered one for Patrick Kennedy and another one. He was sentenced to death penalty by the Louisiana court on 22nd May 2007 in a case No 05-KA-1981 Louisiana vs. Kennedy. In 2008, Patrick Kennedy decided to challenge the decision by the Supreme Court that was reached in 2007 citing that the sentence was a violation of the 8th constitutional amendment which stated that depending on the rarity of the case, death penalty may not be imposed. Was it in order for the supreme court of America to sentence to death a step father who raped his 8 year old stepdaughter? This is what this research paper will discuss about. Patrick Kennedy was sentenced to death after he was convicted by the Supreme Court to have raped his step daughter who was less than twelve years old. Initially the girl had refuted the claim that he was raped by his step father but after further investigations were done, the girl changed her story and said that it was her step father who raped her and told her to say it was the two boys that were her neighbors. It was established that the victim was assaulted for three times but the last time involved sexual intercourse. Even blood stains that Patrick had tried to clean were seen in her â€Å"After police were called to investigate the rape of the girl on March 2, 1998, Kennedys stepdaughter initially told them that two neighborhood boys had raped her after dragging her from her garage to a side yard. Police, however, found evidence of blood in her bedroom that Kennedy apparently had tried to clean up. The stepdaughter testified later that Kennedy had raped her and urged her to relate a false account. † (The Supreme Court in the Kennedy case, O7. 373. PDF) Ever since the death penalty was reinstated in US about 30 years ago, justices have been looking for ways to revoke the death penalty on child rapists which according to them was unconstitutionally imposed on Patrick Kennedy. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, (2008) of about 3,350 inmates in the death row because of murder, only two cases were different and they involved rape. Patrick Kennedy could not understand which statutes were used to sentence him. In his argument, it was a violation of the 8th amendment of the constitution. In another rape case, Coker vs. Georgia, the offender was accused of raping a 16 year old lady but on this case, the Supreme Court ruled that this case was not punishable by death because the victim was more than twelve years old. In the light of the above ruling, it was asked if the stepfather who raped his stepdaughter but did not kill her was bound by the constitution to be sentenced to death. (Hamilton, 2008) According to the Louisiana state, committing such a crime was equal to killing and the only appropriate sentence was death penalty. The majority of the United States had not passed the law but five of them namely Montana, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and South Carolina had already passed it and were in use for example, it was the one that was used in Louisiana to sentence Patrick to death. Though these laws existed in books, they were limited to persons who were in the past convicted of committing crime of assaulting a minor but this only applied to the four states with the exception of Louisiana. The other states were contemplating to extend the death penalty to child rapists. According to the statistics given by the Death Penalty Information Center, death sentence has been on the decline in America for the past years. â€Å"The number of executions has dropped steadily since, hitting a 10 year low of 53 in 2006. † (Lithwick, 2008) According to a survey that was done by Gallop in 2006 concerning the preference between death penalty and life without parole, it was established that more people prefer life sentence to death sentence but this was due to a number of factors for example, some people were sentenced to death judging them on their race. Despite this, majority advocated for murders to be sentenced to death. The decision to review the decision to impose death penalty on child rapists was due to Patrick Kennedy’s case and the pressure that was amounted by the National Association of Social Workers, the Louisiana Foundation against Sexual Assault, and the Texas Association Against sexual assault as well as the National Alliance to end Sexual Violence. These organizations pressurized the supreme court of America to review its ruling on the case. In Patrick’s petition, it was stated that Patrick, â€Å"is the only person in the United States who is on death row for a non-homicide offense. He has been sentenced to die for the crime of rape, an offense for which no person has been executed in this country for over forty years since Missouri executed Ronald Wolfe in 1964. † (Denniston, 2008) The arguments that were put forward by these organizations were that death penalty for child rapists worsen the problem in that many cases of sexual abuse went unreported. Secondly, they argued that no child molester would leave his victim alive to avoid being reported therefore this acted as an incentive to kill victims. The third argument was that those statutes subjected the raped child to many trials and appeals thereby keeping those memories a fresh instead of them being repressed. (Death Penalty Information Center, 2008) It is for these reasons and the appeal that was made by Patrick that led to the reviewing of the ruling by the Supreme Court on 16th April, 2008 in a case between Louisiana and Kennedy. (Hamilton, 2008) It is in this case that it was ruled that the decision to execute Patrick Kennedy for raping his stepdaughter was a contravention to the 8th constitutional amendment that bans death penalty on rare and cruel cases. The majority’s argument was that the penalty should be reserved for the few offenders who are most egregious. (Linda G. , 2008) According to Justice Anthony Kennedy, death penalty was to be imposed on murders. He also differentiated between the first degree murder which is also referred to as intentional murder and the non homicide crime such as rape. He said that the later was more devastating in terms of moral depravity but he said that murder cases due to their nature, severity and irrevocability could not be compared with non homicide. The dissenting judges led by Samuel Alito objected to this observation arguing that, â€Å"The harm that is caused to the victims and the society at large by worst child rapists is grave. †(Biskupic, 2008) In justifying its decision, the state of Louisiana in its briefs argued that raping a child under twelve years is not different from other crimes because its results are devastating and lasts for a life time but in his argument, Justice Kennedy argued that the Supreme court’s decision to nullify Patrick’s case was reached objectively by the judges and this was backed by the fact that many American states were not in agreement with the statute and that was why they had not passed it. (Richey W. 2008) In response to the conclusion reached by Justice Kennedy, Justice Samuel objected to this arguing that many judges and lawyers misinterpreted the 1977’s Coker’s decision on capital punishment. They understood that death sentence should not be applied on any rape cases but that was not the case because in that case the victim was married and had assumed the status of an adult thus she was no longer a minor. He noted that due to this reason, the state’s legislatures have not understood the societal standards in terms of decency. â€Å"Evolving standards of decency must embrace and express respect for the dignity of the person and the punishment of criminals must conform to that rule. † (The Supreme Court in the Kennedy case, O7. 373. PDF) According to the Supreme Court’s statutes, rape is said to be committed where anal sex or virginal sexual intercourse is done without the consent of the victim and if the victim is less than twelve years, lack of knowledge of her age is no defense. If convicted of having committed aggravated rape, punishment should be life imprisonment without parole, suspended sentence or probation but the offender could be punished by death if the District Attorney seeks for capital verdict. In the light of the above, Patrick Kennedy’s case was a rare occurrence and thus he did not deserve the death sentence but deserved life sentence without parole. (Biskupic, News Washington 2008). The decision to reject death penalty was greatly opposed by the conservative judges. Even the two presidential candidates were opposed to the move though no one had been executed since 1964. Justice Kennedy argued that of all the 3300 people on the death row, only two were there for the reasons apart from murder. Justice Samuel questioned this majority logic that murders are more morally depraved than child rapists. â€Å"I have little doubts that the eyes of ordinary Americans, the very worst child rapists-predators who seek out and inflict serous physical and emotional injury or defenseless young children are the epitome of moral depravity. † (Barnes, 2008) In conclusion of this research paper, it is okay to say that the decision by the Louisiana’s Supreme Court to execute Patrick Kennedy for raping his step daughter was harsh and was a contravention to the 8th amendment. Of all the inmates in the death row, only two inmates whose cases were not murder. Patrick’s case was one of those rare cases that were addressed in that amendment. The appeal acted as an opportunity to interpret law as it is this was because according to Justice Samuel, most legislatures misunderstood the decision that was made on Coker’s case and assumed that he meant that death penalty should not be applied on rape cases. References. The Supreme Court in the Kennedy case. Accessed at http://www. supremecourtus. gov/opinions/07pdf/07-343. pdf Linda G. 26th June, 2008. Supreme Court Rejects Death Penalty for Child Rape. Available at http://www. nytimes. com/2008/06/26/washington/26scotuscnd. html? _r=2hpor ef=sloginoref=slogin Scotus Blog. June 25th, 2008Commentary: Death penalty options narrow. http://www. scotusblog. com/wp/commentary-death-penalty-options- narrow/#more-7553 Barnes R. June 26, 2008. High Court Rejects Death For Child Rape Penalty Reserved for Murder And Crimes Against State. Available at

The Human Impact On Environment

The Human Impact On Environment In many peoples opinions mans impact on the environment is a big issue in our life which is easily neglected, as humans are responsible for a staggering amount of damage on the earth. Nature manages its own components. Since the outbreak of technology and industrialisation humans have greatly had a negative impact on the environment, such as; air pollution, habitat destruction, water pollution, the burning of rainforests and land pollution. In this essay I intend to give facts and discuss the effects and causes on these topics and discuss the solutions being carried out to improve the conditions. Air pollution effects people in areas of emission sources, such as, power plants, local industry and major roads. Humans contribute to pollution by the use of machinery in industry causing pollution to the environment. More effects of air pollution on the environment involve using diesel fuel for vehicles and coal for power along with the lack of emission controls for vehicles and industry. Another cause of air pollution is the greenhouse gas CO2, this gas warms the earth through living things as they emit CO2 when breathing which contributes to humans also, as we add to this statistic through breathing also. CO2 is usually thought to be involved with cars, aeroplanes and power plants, in the past 150 years , CO2 has been polluting our atmosphere through the sources mentioned, this is the highest CO2 emissions recorded for a long time. More causes of air pollution is methane gas which comes from swamps which are contributed to man through flooding. Cfcs are another major cause of air pollution by man through the use of fridges and deodorants (aerosols) which harms the earths ozone layer. Solutions to Air Pollution Solutions to air pollution include driving and flying less, recycling, and conservation. Governmentsare limitting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases through the Kyoto Protocol;this is an agreement between countries that they will cut back on carbon dioxide emissions. Another method being put into practice is to put taxes on carbon emissions or higher taxes on gasoline. ( http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview.html ) Acid Rain Acid rain has a big effect on the environment and is caused through men by the emission if nitrogen oxides through road transport, power stations and industry, over 2000 tonnes of nitrogen oxide was polluted into the air in 1990 along with over 3000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide through power stations and industry. Sulfur dioxide is known primarily as a cause of acid rain. But they also reflect light when released in the atmosphere, which keeps sunlight out and causes Earth to cool. Another adverse effect of these gases being emitted into the atmosphere by humans is the weathering of buildings, particularly those made from limestone, marble and sandstone. For example sulphate-rich precipitation reacts with limestone and is easily eroded. Many method have been used to reduce the effects of acid rain, one is to add powdered limestone to lakes to increase their pH values, however the only real effective and practical solution is to reduce fossil fuel consumption by using alternate energy so urces that do not produce nitrate or sulphate gases (hydropower or nuclear power). Water Pollution Asian rivers are the most polluted in the world. They have three times as many bacteria from human waste as the global average and 20 times more lead than rivers in industrialized countries. Thirty percent of Irelands rivers are polluted with sewage or fertilizer. The King River is Australias most polluted river, suffering from a severe acidic condition related to mining operations.100, 000 marine mammals, 1 million sea birds and other aquatic lives are killed due to plastic waste in water and coastal area. Bangladesh has some of the most polluted groundwater in the world. In this case, the contaminant is arsenic, which occurs naturally in the sediments. Around 85% of the total area of the country has contaminated groundwater, with at least 1.2 million Bangladeshis exposed to arsenic poisoning and with millions more at risk. Pollution of freshwater is a problem for about half of the worlds population. Each year there are about 250 million cases of water-related diseases, with roughly 5 to 10 million deaths. The main problem of water pollution is that it kills life; Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches, killed by pollutants. Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Pollutants such as lead and cadmium are eaten by tiny animals. Later, these animals are consumed by fish and shellfish, and the food chain continues to be disrupted at all higher levels. humans are affected by this process as well. People can get diseases such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned. Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution. Many areas are now being affected by careless human pollution, Solutions to Water Pollution  · stabilising wetlands to act as a buffer zone to runoff and to assist in filtering pollutants  · Drive less to reduce the amount of air pollution being emitted into the environment and minimize the amount of nitrogen deposition.  · Improve the sewage treatment system to stop the leaks in the pipes.  · Conserve water  · Improve storm water management.  · Monitor watershed  · Stop deforestation to soak up the rain water and prevent runoff from occurring. Land Pollution The human impacts related with land pollution involves the Increase in urbanization as Construction uses up forestland. More constructions means increase in demand for raw materials like timber. This leads to the exploitation and destruction of forests, the Increase in agricultural land As the human population grew there was a greater demand for food. This caused more land allocated to agriculture. Forests were cut down for this purpose, Agricultural activities Besides domestic waste, pesticides and herbicides used by farmers to increase crop yields also pollute the land when they are washed into the soil and Industrial activities are also a contributing factor to land pollution. For example, in open cast mining, huge holes are dug in the ground and these form dangerously deep mining pools. Heaps of mining waste are left behind and these waste often contain several poisonous substances that will contaminate the soil. The effects on humans is that the Pollution is likely to affect over a billion people around the world, with millions poisoned and killed each year.The World Health Organization estimates that 25 percent of all deaths in the developing world are directly attributable to environmental factor. Some researchers estimate that exposure to pollution causes 40 percent of deaths annually. Many people are not aware of the impact that such industrial pollution can have on the earth. By helping to make it known, you can be one of the voices that will draw attention to the issue thus helping to inspire change. Solutions to Land Pollution New laws and regulations such as, reduce use of plastic, recycle and reuse have greatly reduced the amount of commercial and industrial pollution, Habitat Destruction/Deforestation Habitat destruction is happening all over the world and closer to your home than you might think. Tropical rain forests in Central and South America and in Southeast Asia and Oceania are being threatened. Rainforests now occupy less then  ½ of the land that they did 100 years ago (thats less than 2% of the earths surface). Humans are a major cause of habitat destruction. The causes include, logging, agriculture, the building of roads and cities, and forest fires. Logging involves Humans cutting down the forests and rain forests for wood and wood products. Usually, only large prime trees are cut down, such as mahogany. However, smaller trees can be destroyed in the process and never replaced. Logging can cause soil erosion, and the logging roads that are built can damage rivers and streams. Agriculture involves Wild lands being cleared for crops and domestic animals. The single biggest cause of deforestation is farming. Animals that are used to living in a biodiverse habitat cannot survive in an area with one crop. Humans impact on habitat destruction is majorly involved in the building of roads and cities, although essential for life, this still causes a problem for biodiversity as Humans are clearing trees and wild lands to make room for roads and cities. Cities replace the natural habitat of many species of plants and animals. Highways and freeways can destroy plants and also keep animals from safely travelling through their natural habitat. Recent effects of humans on the environment Humans have recently had a massive impact on the environment with the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan following the biggest earthquake/tsunami ever recorded cooling systems failures that led to radiation escaping from a reactor at one location. The emergency declarations, which include five reactors at the two plants, followed Fridays 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the countrys northeast coast. In a troubling announcement, Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official Ryohei Shiomi said a monitoring device outside the plant detected radiation that is eight times higher than normal and an evacuation zone has been expanded from three kilometres around the plant to 10 kilometres. ( http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/03/12/038218/Nuclear-Emergency-Declared-At-2-Plants-In-Japan?from=rss ) The impact this had on the environment was really frightening as fears of people being exposed with radiation which was life threatening and people were even evacuated from their homes and told not to go outside, there is now fears that the food produced there may be contaminated with radiation and they are stopping all exports. This radiation from Japan has the potential to cause worldwide biological disruption Referencing/Sources Buz/ed Causes and effects of land pollution [Online] Available: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-and-effects-of-land-pollution.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Biodiversity lectures [Online] Available: www.uws.ac.uk National Geographic Air pollution [Online] Available: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Goudie, A. and Viles, H.(1997) The Earth Transformed An introduction to human impacts on the environment Images Radioactive waste [Online] Available: http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/u0852279/Docs/Radioactive.html Picture (accessed 20th march) Air pollution [Online] Available: http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/u0852279/Docs/Air.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Land Pollution [Online] Available: http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/u0852279/Docs/Land.html (accessed 20th march 2011 Water Pollution [Online] Available: http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/u0852279/Docs/Water.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Image [Online] Available: www.imagesfrom.co.cc (accessed 20th march 2011) Water Pollution [Online] Available: http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environmental_Problems/water_pollution_-_effects.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Habitat Destruction [Online] Available: http://www.library.thinkquest.org/08aug/00473/habitatdestruction.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Japan Earth Quake [Online] Available: http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/03/12/038218/Nuclear-Emergency-Declared-At-2-Plants-In-Japan?from=rss (accessed 21th march 2011) Water Pollution [Online] Available: www.peakwater.org (accessed 22nd march 2011) University of the West of Scotland (n.d.) Student Services Mini Guide: Hamilton Campus. s.l.: UWS

My Philosophy of Life Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I can remember as a child always asking myself the â€Å"why† questions of life. What is the purpose of life? Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? Why do certain things happen? And is there really a God? I had always kept these questions to myself and eventually pushed them out of my mind altogether. I was raised in a Christian household and you just were not allowed to ask questions of that nature and doubt the faith. The world is the way it is because God made it that way and that is all there is to it. I was really excited to take this class because it would finally give me the opportunity to exercise my personal thoughts and beliefs. I have come to agree with Socrates that â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living.† In my opinion life is a combination of philosophical ideas such as morality, respect, free-will and scientific issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The study of philosophy is a very complex and complicated task. There are so many different questions on many different topics and philosophy tries to explain them all. It tries to provide answers to the many questions that science and religion cannot explain. And from this it urges you to think about issues that may otherwise be ignored.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I agree with the goal of autonomy, that philosophy is having the freedom to make your own decisions and beliefs by using your own reasoning capabilities. I believe that we all have the God-like quality of reasoning ...

Gogol’s Namesake Essay

Immigrants moving to the United States are faced with the pressing question of whether or not to assimilate into American culture. Many of those involved in diasporic situations feel that adapting to the social norms of their new surroundings is an act of betraying their roots in which their heritage and all preexisting traditions will be lost. Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake highlights this struggle through the eyes of the Ganguli family. The novel ultimately shows us that one can simultaneously belong to two cultures, in this case Indian and American culture. Many scholars are hung up on the fact that protagonist Gogol must belong to one culture or the other. Heinze’s â€Å"Diasporic Overcoat?† suggests that Gogol puts on an â€Å"overcoat† through the switching of his name to represent the switching of his identity across various relationships and social situations. In doing so, he says â€Å"by implication one is never totally free of an overcoat, there is no such thing as a pristine and authentic identity†¦ (Heinze 197-198)† This quote demonstrates Heinze taking a stand and stating that there is no fixed identity. I suggest that Gogol does indeed obtain a national and cultural identity. The characterization of Gogol’s identity can be viewed as a spectrum that is continuously changing. At one end of the spectrum is his Indian cultural identity and the other is his American. At different points in his life Gogol has different degrees of American and Indian cultures present within him. So rather than arguing Gogol has no set identity, instead his identity is classified by his movement along his hybrid cultural spectrum. Other scholars that write on the issues of cultural hybridity focus on the idea that the person involved in diasporic situations are caught some where between their two given cultures. The author of an article applying concepts of cultural hybridity in music, particularly Arabian Jazz states that those with hybrid identities create a new â€Å"imagined community’ in which cultures may interact and influence each other in a state of co-existence and a â€Å"third space† is created. He defines this third space as â€Å"the inter- the cutting edge of translation and negotiation, the in between space that carries the burden of the meaning of culture† (Al-Joulan 640). Rather than being part of one culture or the other he is saying that identity of ones culture is defined as being in this third space. For the sake of my argument Gogol’s third space is the area on between his Indian culture and American culture. Gogol’s position in his third space changes at  different points in the novel. Gogol’s birth not only marks the start of his life but it also marks the start of his movement away from the Indian side of his hybrid cultural spectrum. Although it is clear the presented naming process for the Ganguli baby is one that typically appeals to Bengali tradition, American pressures results in the vanishing of those traditions. â€Å"Ashima’s grandmother has mailed the letter herself, walking with her cane to the post office, her first trip out of the house in a decade. The letter contains one name for a girl, one for a boy. Ashima’s grandmother has revealed them to no one.† (25) This quote indicates the importance of naming in Bengali tradition, particularly done by an elder in the family. The fact that the grandmother is leaving the house for the first time in ten years to personally see the letter off shows it is of great importance. However, when the letter does not arrive in time, his parents fail to name him according to Bengali tradition. â€Å"For they learn that in America, a baby cannot be released from the hospital without a birth certificate. And that a birth certificate needs a name.† (27) The Ganguli’s must abide to American laws even if it means abandoning essential Bengali traditions and we see young Gogol’s position on the spectrum of two cultures sway away from his â€Å"Indian-ness.† Perhaps this is Lahiri’s way of communicating to her audience that sacrifices must be made in order to establish a hybrid cultural identity. During the infancy stage of Gogol’s life another series of events instills his divergence from the Indian side of his identity spectrum. The Ganguli’s invite their Bengali friends over in celebration of Gogol’s first consumption of solid food. Gogol is also offered a number of items to represent what profession he will grow to attain. â€Å"Gogol frowns, and his lower lip trembles. Only then, forced at six months to confront his destiny, does he begin to cry.† (40) This quote demonstrates how Gogol’s refusal to participate in traditional Indian rituals, begins at an early age. He does not reach for any of the items symbolizing his rejection of Indian culture ultimately pushing him further towards American assimilation. Throughout adolescence and early adulthood Gogol’s movement along the spectrum continues away from the Indian side. During this stage in his life the movement is represented through the rejection of his name to mimic his rejection of his Bengali heritage. Despite the fact that the pet name given  to him at birth is in fact a Russian name, the concept of having a pet name and good name all together is the â€Å"Bengali way† and not typical for Americans. We see this in Gogol’s petition to his parents to change his name when he asks â€Å"Why do I have a pet name in the first place? I don’t get it†(Lahiri 99). His mother responds simply with â€Å"It’s our way, Gogol. It’s what Bengali’s do†(Lahiri 99). When Gogol is asked by his new college suitemate whether Gogol is his first name or last name, he gives a new answer that is of great significance. â€Å"Normally that question agitates him. But today he has a new answer. ‘Actually, that’s my middle name,’ Gogol says by way of explanation, sitting with them in the common room to their suite. ‘Nikhil is my first name. It got left out for some reason’†(Lahiri 103). We know this statement is false due to the fact that in a previous passage of the novel Gogol’s mother explains to his principle that he does not have a middle name at all, he has a good name and a pet name. In Judith Caesar’s article about Gogol’s namesake she says, â€Å"Although Nikhil is an Indian name, it enables him to try on a sophisticated identity he thinks he wants, sexy, cool, ‘normal’†(Caesar 110). I believe what Caesar is referring to as â€Å"normal† is in fact â€Å"more American†. Making the claim that Gogol is his middle name marks his attempt at appearing like a typical American kid with a first, middle, and last name. In essence he is rejecting his pet name to represent the rejection of his Indian heritage. Conversely the acceptance of this so-called â€Å"middle name† represents his acceptance of American culture continuing his movement away from the Indian side of the spectrum. It is not until the adulthood stage in Gogol’s life that he comes full circle and begins his movement in the other direction, back towards the Indian side of his hybrid cultural identity spectrum. The first way in which he does this is through the development of his relationship with Moushumi. Moushumi, being a childhood family friend also of Bengali heritage, first met Gogol as Gogol rather than Nikhil. It is â€Å"the first time he’s been out with a women who’s once known him by that other name†(Lahiri 193). The fact that Gogol goes through with meeting a girl who already knew his pet name, a Bengali custom, represents a step towards accepting his name and a willingness to begin his movement in the other direction towards his â€Å"Indian-ness.† Ironically the very thing they bond over is their identical  hybrid identity situation. â€Å"They talk about how they are both routinely assumed to be Greek, Egyptian, Mexican – even in this misrendering they are joined† (Lahiri 212). Neither Gogol nor Moushumi ever thought they would date another Bengali due to the fact that it is what their parents had continuously drilled into their heads as their wishes. They know that their blossoming relationship will please both their parents, and they each find some comfort in this surprising thought. The reason the two met up after not seeing each other since childhood was a result of a request by Gogol’s mother. She is the one who suggest he call Moushumi. Gogol proceeding with the call and arranging to meet Moushumi marks the start to his movement and reconnection to his Indian culture. The second way Gogol begins his journey of moving back towards the Indian side, is through his exploration and acceptance of what his pet name meant to his father. In the final chapter of the novel we see adult Gogol returning to his family home in which he goes into his old bedroom, discovering the book by author Nikolai Gogol that his father had given to him years ago. He opens the book to find what his father had written in it â€Å"For Gogol Ganguli†¦ the man who gave you his name, from the man who gave you your name†(Lahiri 288). It is only out of respect for his father that he takes the time to explore what the name meant to him. Had Gogol’s father not have passed away, he may have again snubbed the book and its significance to his father as he did when he first gifted it to him. This may be Lahiri’s way of conveying to readers that although it is too little to late in the aspect of reestablishing a relationship with his father, it is not yet too late to reconnect with his Bengali heritage. The moment Gogol begins to read â€Å"The Overcoat† marks just the beginning of his exploration and acceptance of his Bengali heritage and finding its role in the grand scheme of his double-sided identity spectrum. In conclusion we see different degrees of Indian and American culture present within Gogol representing his continuous changing position across his hybrid culture identity or â€Å"third space†. In the early stages of his life we see his divergence from â€Å"Indian-ness† through his parents failure to name him according to Bengali tradition, his own rejection of important  Bengali ceremonial traditions and the rejection of his pet name. Finally in adulthood he begins his journey in the other direction, his journey at exploring at reconnecting with this Indian roots marking the start of his movement back towards â€Å"Indian-ness.† This movement is achieved through his developing relationship with Moushumi, another Bengali-American character, as well as his acceptance to explore the meaning of his name given to him by his father. Works Cited Al-joulan, Nayef. â€Å"Diana Abu-Jaber’s Arabian Jazz: An Orphic Vision of Hybrid Cultural Identity.† Neophilologus 94.4 (2010): 637-52. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. Heinze, Ruediger. â€Å"A Diasporic Overcoat? Naming and Affection in Jhumpa Lahiri’s the Namesake.† Journal of Postcolonial Writing 43.2 (2007): 191-202. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. Caesar, Judith. â€Å"Gogol’s Namesake: Identity and Relationships in Jhumpa Lahiri’s the Namesake.† Atenea 27.1 (2007): 103-19. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

Overview of Political Geography

Overview of Political Geography Political geography is a branch of human geography (the branch of geography concerned with understanding the worlds culture and how it relates to geographic space) that studies the spatial distribution of political processes and how these processes are impacted by ones geographic location. It often studies local and national elections, international relationships and the political structure of different areas based on geography. History of Political Geography Politische Geographie Another early theory in political geography was the heartland theory. In 1904, Halford Mackinder, a British geographer, developed this theory in his article, The Geographical Pivot of History. As a part of this theory, Mackinder said that world would be divided into a Heartland consisting of Eastern Europe, a World Island made up of Eurasia and Africa, Peripheral Islands, and the New World. His theory said that whoever controlled the heartland would control the world. Both Ratzel and Mackinders theories remained important before and during World War II. By the time of the Cold War, their theories and the importance of political geography began to decline and other fields within human geography began to develop. In the late 1970s however, political geography again began to grow. Today political geography is considered one of the most important branches of human geography and many geographers study a variety of fields concerned with political processes and geography. Fields within Political Geography European Union Modern political trends also have an impact on political geography and in recent years sub-topics focused on these trends have developed within political geography. This is known as critical political geography and includes political geography focused on ideas related to feminist groups and issues gay and lesbian as well as youth communities. Examples of Research in Political Geography Ellen Churchill Semple Today political geography is also a specialty group within the Association of American Geographers and there is an academic journal called Political Geography. Some titles from recent articles in this journal include Redistricting and the Elusive Ideals of Representation, Climate Triggers: Rainfall Anomalies, Vulnerability and Communal Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Normative Goals and Demographic Realities. To learn more about political geography and to see topics within the subject visit the Political Geography page here on Geography at About.com.

Financial Outcomes Paper Essays (1249 words) - Dividends, Dividend

Financial Outcomes Paper Essays (1249 words) - Dividends, Dividend Financial Outcomes Paper FIN/419 October 26, 2015 Sarah Newton Introduction Dividends Dividends are meant to be a great thing for shareholders because this is when companies give out returns on the profit that was made throughout that year. There are three important things to consider with dividend such as dividend dates, the distribution date, record date, and the ex-distribution date. These dates tell shareholders when dividends will be distributed (distribution date), list of when shareholders that will receive a payout (record date), and a date for pending transactions to be completed (InvestorGuide, 2013). Apple is paying their shareholders a quarterly dividend but in comparison to other companies it is not nearly the amount as they should. In 2012 Apple made its first dividend payback in almost 17 years. Apple gave out 2.5 billion to shareholders quarterly and has been taken in 10 billion in cash flow quarterly. Now for the shareholder when trying to figure out whether or not to invest one must consider the product and the growth of the company. Jared Cummans fr om Dividend.com wrote an article in which he compared Apple to other companies. It should be to no surprise that Apple gave the least back to its shareholders while Intel paid 30-40% of its free cash flow and Microsoft paid out 20%. What does that say about Apples growth? Apple doesnt offer a low cost phone and companies like Samsung and Microsoft are killing the competition. How many ways can Apple reinvent the iPhone? Companies are appealing to the consumer when Samsung is creating an android phone that is lower in cost and does the same thing. We believe that profits Apple is buying back from its shareholders should be reinvested in creating a new, low cost products to consumers. This will increase Apples cash flow which will in return allow for larger payouts for shareholders. Beats- Positive or Negative Outcome? In todays financial market for a business to have continued growth and remain profitable they have to provide consumers with products and services that benefit their lifestyles. Many consumers have become attached to music services such as iTunes, Spotify, and Beats, Apple has seen that the market for this product and service has had a dramatic increase in the last ten years. By paying attention to global consumer trends they were able to acquire a company that related the music to the users choice, not only providing a service but products that enhanced their experience. When Apple decided to purchase Beats Music and Beats Electronics for three billion dollars, they attracted a large amount of attention from the technological industry. The co-founders of Beats, Dr. Dre and Iovine, had a small following of users for their live streaming service and a larger audience for their electronics that are satisfy both fashion and function. There is a problem however, with the acquisition of Beats they expected an increase in market share and that has not been the case. While their overall company shows The tremendous customer demand for our products and services in the March quarter drove revenue growth of 27 percent and EPS growth of 40 percent, ("Apple Reports Record Second Quarter Results", 2015). While many analysts say that they made a purchase unworthy of the sale price the group feels that the numbers agree with the prediction. This is a 19 billion dollar industry and digital music sales in iTunes were down even more nearly 14% worldwide in 2014 (Neiger, 2015). Its sales of books, music, movies, and TV shows in the iTunes Store actually declined by 4% for the third consecutive quarter, and 5% in the first six months of fiscal year 2015 (Neiger, 2015). The outcome of this decision has not led to extra profits for the company, but an overpriced acquisition that has yet to prove that it can increase their market share. Overall, this financial investment was overpriced and unwarranted as the revenue could be used toward research and development. This company has taken many risks financially, but since they have a new president his choices have limited the financial growth of the company and saddled it with companies that are not conducive to their growth. Capital Return- Apple Owned When a company returns capital it