Selected Articles in Finance Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Selected Articles in Finance - Term Paper Example For example the CAC 40 Index gets its name from the 40 top stocks dominating the French stock exchange. The index rises and falls in line with the volume of stocks traded and the prices at which the trades are made. When the trend of prices is falling, the market is said to be bearish and when the trend of prices is rising, the market is said to be bullish. Like a business cycle with its peaks and troughs, the stock market also has similar tendencies (www.abcsofinvesting.net). The article by Joe Weisenthal dated 27 Sep 2010 claims that Apple and Microsoft have broken the Stock Market indices. He bases his claim on the Nasdaq 100 index and states that it gives a weight of 20 percent to Apple, and 80 percent to all the other stocks. Similarly it is claimed that the DJIA gives too much weightage to Caterpillar and since it is trading at three times the value of Microsoft, the DJIA is similarly affected. This also impacts on the value of Exchange Traded Funds of ETF, which track the valu e of an index. Michael Corkery in his article of 04 August 2011 comments on the failure of city municipalities in the wake of the financial crisis that has swept America and states that cities like Central Falls in Rhode Island are benefitted by a new State Law that places bondholders ahead of other claimants. Its principal problem remains the pension payments that are due to retired workers. On the other hand, the head of the workers union feels cheated that bondholders are being given a preference over workers in this connection (Corkery, 3). Besides firing workers and raising taxes to create funding, municipalities are now being assisted by firms like New York’s Class Green Capital Partners who not only help cities mortgage their public buildings but also part of the bond proceeds to help promote energy efficiency, which also helps them get around some restrictions regarding public building mortgages. However their opponents maintain that it is just a way to cover deficit financing (Corkery, 3). Raice and Smith in their piece covering technology stocks as of 04 August 2011 write that the lackluster market is making firms reconsider offering their IPOs right now. The US Government too is considering cashing in its share of 26.5 percent of GM owned stock as the auto manufacturer’s stock has performed poorly. Meanwhile there is lack of investor demand and shares of newly floated IPOs like Pandora and LinkedIn –down 22% and 17% respectively- are also taking a beating (Raice & Smith, 1). Talking about interest swap deals, some 700 business entities in Pennsylvania alone had made such deals in the wake of rising interest rates in 2003 and beyond. Under such a deal, the bank would pay them a higher fixed interest rate while the businesses paid back the bank a lower, floating rate of interest. But this scheme backfires when market interest rates begin falling, and the price to get out of such deals can also be prohibitive. Addressing the partic ular case of State College of Pennsylvania, the college had agreed to a swap of $58 million with Royal Bank of Canada in 2007 at a fixed rate of 3.884 percent, while it paid RBC

The title must be interesting,attracted Assignment

The title must be interesting,attracted - Assignment Example The humans were treated as any other commodities of trade, for example, like glass and beads. Kathleen says â€Å"†¦ To sell, and truck with us, for glass, beads and other trifles†¦ †1 They exchanged the slaves for other commodities of trade. It was a kind of a friendly treatment among the business men since it was a form of wealth creation that all those who ventured would gain while the slaves would to suffer. Slave trade was also, on the other hand, viewed as an act of brutality where the slaves were mistreated and killed on the worst case scenario. Those who practice slave trade were in-human people who cared less about the lives of the others people. The dead bodies were treated without respect as they would be dragged with contempt. This mistreatment came as a form of revenge as reveal in the following quote; â€Å"†¦destroy them who sought to destroy us.†2 The recount of Edward Waterhouse gives the evidence that servants were beaten and killed. The same servants were forced to drag the bodies of the dead ones without any kind of respect to the dead. This recount ends by the Edward swearing of revenge that they will invade and take the Indians property as a way of revenge.3 The people in England viewed slave trade as a kind of venture where one would put at risk of their lives with an aim that after the struggle the benefits would be worth it. They view the venture in a manner that came with so much suffering in their part, since there was no food in the regions that they adventured such as Nigeria. This made them to invest much on the venture activities that included even debts with the aim that there would be huge product of the venture that would enable them settle their debts.4 The slaves were viewed as inferior beings that would not, at any time, be equated to their master. The people in England believed that the slavery activities not only benefited the masters, but

The Hollywood Studio System Film Studies Essay

The Hollywood Studio System Film Studies Essay In the 1930s Hollywood was dominated by The Big Five which included Warner Bros. Pictures, Paramount, RKO,MGM and Fox . There were also a number of smaller studios such as Universal Pictures, United Artists and Columbia Pictures , but in the early 1930s they never got to the same level of power as the others. The idea of a Studio system was set up between 1910 and 1920 and it stems from the fact that the studios had control of every aspect of the film industry. In the late 1800s and the early 1900s when the film industry was just starting out, production, distribution and exhibition were actually controlled by different companies. But by the 1930s the Studios actively controlled all aspects of the film industry from production to exhibition. They did this through a large number of trade agreements and through working together to help their joint issues. While according to records during 1900-1925 there were 64 film studios by the 1930s 95% of all revenue from Film was controlled by e ight studios, The Big Five and the Little Three. The start of the studio system was in 1910 and was started by Adolph Zukor. Zukor used his Famous Players company to make films and then distributed them around the world using his Paramount cinemas. It was Zukor that started the studio system and saw how best to sell film. Zukors aim was to make a stable system for selling and distributing films. Zukor first act was to take a look at the star system that been growing in American theatres, mainly in the Vaudeville theatres which held shows that were made up of a number of different acts. To help sell these shows, they would advertise which stars would be at the show . Zukor was also very interested in the French company Pathe. Pathe was the largest of the French film companies and was the first to have a global film empire and by 1906 they had offices in New York, London, Berlin, Vienna, they also had offices in south-east Asia,South America and Africa. The Pathe company was also the first to set up a system of mass producing films . Being able to create so many films so quickly meant they were able to flood the market with their products. Zukor also created a factory-like setting for the creation of his films, where each bit was handled by a different part of the company such as a set and costume. This allowed him to streamline the movie making process by having a number of movies being worked on at one time. By 1915 Zukor distributed all his movies using his Paramount cinemas. Now Zukor owned every aspect of his films production, distribution and exhibition and the studio system was born but, he still did not have a proper distribution network set up. When World War 1 broke out Pathe and a large number of other European film companies lost a large amount of their power and distribution networks. The war did not stop US companies who did not suffer at the disruption in Europe but actually grew from it. It was during this period that Zukor developed a system for distribution. He created a system based on runs, cinemas would be give a run such as first-run, second-run etc. The larger cinemas in large cities were given first-run status which meant that the film would be shown there first, it would then be shown in the second-run cinemas and overseas. The film would then not be shown for a period of time, which gave the film a chance to build up hype and demand. Without the intervention of Te levision the cinemas were the only place a person could see a film, if you missed the first run you would just have to wait and once there was demand the film would run for a second time. Zukor did this for as many runs as there was demand for. This in essence meant he would be able to get as much profit from the movie as possible. Due to the war many of the European companies could not catch up to the American companies and many such as Pathe sold their US and international businesses and actually left film making. By 1920 Zukor had set up a set of principles in which to govern the film industry. Hollywood was made up of a number of corporations that were able not only to produce films but also to distribute them and present them in a way that would make the maximum amount of profit for their corporation. Their aim was through the studio system to maintain all power in all aspects of the film business through careful strategies. Along with changes to the distribution and the exhibition this new studio system also changed the way these companies made their films. The first change was the sheer number of films being made. Through the new changes to distribution the companies had to make more money due to larger overheads. Before the Famous Players Company had made six to eight films a year but this only gave the exhibition side of the company less than a new film a month. It soon rose to 30 films a year giving the exhibition side two and a half new films a month. There was also a change in the actually size of the films themselves. When Zukor started in film he was fascinated by the larger films coming out of Europe. His goal was to change the image of film and make it more for the middle class. Before the studio system most films where one or two reels long. When Zukor tried to get The Passion Play (1910) shown he was told people who not sit through films that were more that two reels long. By 1914 many film such as Wraith of Gods (1914) were reaching around six reels. Maybe the largest change to film production was the film stars themselves. Zukor himself had actually foreseen the star system when he had hired James Hackett, a famous theatre star at the time. Zukor created the base for the star system when he signed Mary Pickford to work for his Famous Players company. He saw the need to contract stars , meaning if people wanted to see those stars they had to watch his films. By the 1930s the idea of movie stars had taken off. Films could be sold to theatres just by telling them who was staring in it. RKO was in fact saved by the selling power of two of its stars, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Due to the selling power of stars the companies made sure they put there top stars in as many films as possible, Shirely Temple was in around four films a year. With the cost of stars and the increase in the reel length of the average films and the invention of sound the cost of actually making a movie vastly increased. With this came a greater need to make profit on each film. The studios soon found out that the narrative films made the most money, the only time this was not true was in the case of Max Schmeling versus Joe Louis where the short of the boxing match was a bigger draw than the feature films that where shown after it. The key for the Hollywood studios was to create a system to make as many profitable narrative film as possible , they needed to make a narrative style which was formulaic and therefore easy to reproduce. If they where able to standardize they would have greater control over the qualities of the film and the standard of the product. They had already created a factory-like setting in the early 1900s and were able to create large numbers of one-reel films. While the streamlined manufacture did allow them to standardi ze things such as the quality of stars, sets, locations and create films quicker its main draw was it was able to keep the costs of films down. Due to its formulaic nature it was much easier to predict how much a future film would make. One of the key aspects of Classic Hollywood narration was the invention of the moving camera and while this greatly helped the filmmakers, it was actually created due to economics. With the invention of sound, cameras had grown larger and heavier, It was therefore a lot harder to move them around the set. So the studios created cranes and dollies to carry the camera, this made them a lot easier to move around the set. This actually saved money for the companies, as the cameras were more mobile it meant less time was taken moving them around meaning more of the days time could be done filming. The production side of the industry was always the most public and what many people think of when they think of the studio system. But the studio system was born of the need to control the market. It was primarily led by the exhibition and distribution side of the business. When Zukor started to develop the studio system he was mainly interested in finding a way to distribute films with out having to get approval of the Trust, who were the primary distributors of the period . The studio system created by Zukor was created to make sure that the studios got the most about of profit as they could from their films. The runs and clearance were set up with this in mind. They made sure a film would only stop being shown once the maximum amount of profit had been gained from it. The star system was also just created for economical gains, with stars being contracted to studios the only way to see that star was in that studios films at there cinema. The production side of film was also changed to help maximise profit. The factory like system of creating films in the 1920s was set up to not only keep production values constant but to keep cost down. Many of the changes to the production side such as the change to cameras or the classic Hollywood narrative where created to help keep costs down or to help create more movies in a shorter time. In 1910 Zukor had wanted to show longer films of 3-5 reel but could not, he saw that to show the films he wanted he would have to control the distribution and exhibition side of the film as well as the production.

Hamlet Essay -- essays papers

Hamlet Hamlet Critique Hamlet, a play by William Shakespeare, was written in approximately the middle to late 1590's, while Shakespeare's work was flourishing, and his company was putting up the Globe Theater. Shakespeare was a profound writer, and Hamlet is considered to be his most prolific writing, and is a favorite among the readers. It is a tragic tale of conspiracy, death, disease, and a young man's struggle to avenge his father's murder. I would like to set apart Hamlet from the array of characters in this play, as to analyze him from a formalist point of view. To start off, Hamlet was, of course, the main character. As a promising king, his life is suddenly torn apart by his father's death, and his mother, Gertrude's hasty marriage to the late king's brother, Claudius. Hamlet is soon there after, visited by the ghost of his late father, who tells him the gruesome tale of his true death-poisoned by Claudius, his own dear brother. The ghost tells Hamlet he must remember, and thus avenge his death rightfully. Though the tale was horrifying, Hamlet agrees, and begins ... Hamlet Essay -- essays papers Hamlet Hamlet Critique Hamlet, a play by William Shakespeare, was written in approximately the middle to late 1590's, while Shakespeare's work was flourishing, and his company was putting up the Globe Theater. Shakespeare was a profound writer, and Hamlet is considered to be his most prolific writing, and is a favorite among the readers. It is a tragic tale of conspiracy, death, disease, and a young man's struggle to avenge his father's murder. I would like to set apart Hamlet from the array of characters in this play, as to analyze him from a formalist point of view. To start off, Hamlet was, of course, the main character. As a promising king, his life is suddenly torn apart by his father's death, and his mother, Gertrude's hasty marriage to the late king's brother, Claudius. Hamlet is soon there after, visited by the ghost of his late father, who tells him the gruesome tale of his true death-poisoned by Claudius, his own dear brother. The ghost tells Hamlet he must remember, and thus avenge his death rightfully. Though the tale was horrifying, Hamlet agrees, and begins ...

How does Arthur miller show Abigails character in The Crucible Essay

Throughout act one Abigail is the only character that is omnipresent. At first she seems to be an innocent child however it soon changes. As the play goes on we learn that Abigail is manipulative and cunning to get her own way. In addition she does this to persuade her uncle that she is innocent, and she has nothing to do with Betty or witch craft. Therefore the audience are confused and don’t know how to respond to her. Abigail behaves differently with different characters, with John Proctor she is more open and every emotional also he is her weakness; he makes her feel loved but not the way Abigail thinks or wants. â€Å"You loved me John proctor and whatever sin it is, you love me yet.† The words â€Å"Love, sin† are oxymoron’s as well it shows that Abigail is bewildered, utterly puzzled and her emotions are taking over her. However with Betty she is powerful, strong and contently controlling. She is extremely manipulative to get her own way. On the other hand she clearly display her desperation to be with John proctor and shows how she can face vulnerability. This shows she can expose her true self and does not seem as strong and powerful by this the audience realise that she is not the leading power as it seems to the other girls, however she has a different side to her. Furthermore, this damages the opinion of the audience in the later play as she accuses people including John proctors wife, Elizabeth Proctor. Arthur miller uses short sentences to show Abigail’s innocence. Short sentences in the crucible are dramatic. This quotation has dramatic affects â€Å"I’m a good girl I’m a proper girl†. This quotation also has a repetition of the word â€Å"girl† which also shows Abigail’s innocence. Abigail is presented as a very manipulative character. â€Å"Smack’s her across the face.† This quotation sows Abigail’s extreme violence. Arthur miller also shows Abigail as a deferential girl. â€Å"I will uncle† Lastly she is shown as a strong powerful young women â€Å"I saw Indians smash my dear parents heads on the pillow next to mine† The word â€Å"I saw† represents that she’s not afraid however she could be lying because no one could be that strong to watch their parents be killed. However do not eternally believe this statement as she is already lying in the play about the previous night. Moreover she uses these statements to scare the other girls. Arthur miller relates to his messages and ideas about America through Abigail in a few different ways. Firstly by the themes like religion â€Å"You loved me John proctor, and whatever sin it is you love me yet†. The word she has repeated â€Å"love† shows that she is pleading and asking in desperation for John proctor’s company. This shows the audience that she may need him as she is lonely. However it’s not just Abigail that he shows his message through. It’s also Hale who stands for Senator McCarthy. In conclusion Arthur miller shows Abigail’s character as a desperate and emotional. She is also a manipulative person.

A previously written monologue of ‘Our Sammy’, which is from the Blood Brothers play

For our development section of the course we are asked to perform a monologue. This could either be a previously written monologue of ‘Our Sammy', which is from the Blood Brothers play, or to write up our own monologue which relates to the play ‘Blood Brothers'. I decided to write my own monologue, because It gave me the chance to be original, and to express what I interpret what the characters are feeling, so that I could put it into my own words and to block the piece how I wanted it to be performed. The ‘monologue' word comes from the Greek words â€Å"mono† and â€Å"logos† which means â€Å"one word†, it is a linguist act designed to transport/convey information by one person directly addressing the audience. In a monologue the thespian needs to be alone, however, none of the other cast speaks. Although when an actor/actress is alone, perhaps thinking out loud, this is a soliloquy, not a monologue. There are two basic types of monologue that can be performed, these are a; Exterior monologue: Whereby the actor speaks to another person, who is not in the performance space and who is not in the audience. Interior Monologue: This is where the actor speaks to himself or herself. It is examining their own sensory and perceptual experiences and reveals the inner motives/thoughts to the audience. This is commonly used in stream of consciousness (stream of consciousness indicates a library technique (works of fiction using certain techniques to tell a story)) writing. A monologue is an art form in and of its self, but it is always part of a bigger, dialogue-based play. It is a provision of another point or angle in relating to the audience and revealing the character's inner life, motives and emotions. My own written monologue is about Edward just after he's meet Mickey, it shows his emotions towards Mickey, how incredible the coincidence is that they have the same birth date and how angry/annoyed he feels toward Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone when whenever they meet they instantly split them up and stop them playing. My Monologue: Born on the same day, fancy that? July the 18th, so we made a pact Blood brothers forever joined by blood Forever more standing by him And he's standing by me He's a jolly old chap, he's smashing great The F word, a plate in his head But most of all being PISSED OFF!! He's super fun but dead careful he knows How to play count to ten and you'll be on your way†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ That's his favourite game But I'm not allowed to play anymore Because mummy says so Whenever we meet, Mrs Johnstone or mummy splits us up An excuse, bed time or something like that But I don't mind because were blood brothers Blood brothers forever and ever so it's all alright. So when mummy comes and spoils the fun I really†¦. really want her to†¦to†¦ F off!!!! But it's not fair she always wins And anyway I'm only seven Only seven and a bit†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦