The Red Symbol in The Handmaids Tale Essay -- Literature, Margaret At

In the dystopian novel, "The Handmaid's Tale" written by Margaret Atwood, the color red is a reoccurring, significant symbol throughout the book. The dominant color of the novel, the color red is paired with the Handmaids. The Handmaids are always seen in their red uniform, even down to their red shoes and red gloves. From the opening pages of the novel we are informed that they are trained at the â€Å"Red Centre,† and we are introduced to the importance of the red imagery as Offred, the narrator and protagonist of the novel, describes herself getting dressed: â€Å"The red gloves are lying on the bed. Everything except the wings around my face is red.† Which reveals to us how the handmaid’s are required to wear all red, representative of the way they are visually defined, and therefore confined within their role in the caste system as sexual servants to their Commanders. Red is worn only by the handmaids; the color red indicates sexuality, fertility and childbirth, accordingly outlining their function as a sexual object; their sole purpose being to bear children for their Commanders. One of the most reoccurring symbols throughout the novel, red is interrelated with all things female (the Handmaids.) Inversely, red is furthermore a symbol of death, violence and blood, which Offred portrays as a color which â€Å"defines us.† The reoccurring appearance of the color red creates a thought-provoking parallel between femininity and power, as it signifies the religious â€Å"sinfulness† of promiscuous sex between the handmaid’s and their â€Å"married† commander. Offred later states: â€Å"I never looked good in red, it’s not my color,† implying the sacrifice of her individuality due to the roles Gilead has forced her into. It is not their intellige... ...ed tulips in place and keeping them alive, there are human beings under the white bags, but Offred is beginning to neglect what is under her red dress. Offred aches to reminisce about the life she once knew, yet now images are enforced into her mind and she understands them how her cult/society now requires her to perceive this different world. Red is a scandalous and dishonorable color, outlining the Handmaids as such. Everything correlated with the handmaids is red; Offred’s own name, for instance, which so distressingly epitomizes dualism can be read as "Of Fred," signifying her ownership to her commander-yet furthermore can be read as "Off Red,† suggesting off with the red dress, symbolizing her yearning for nonconformity from the red dress and all the afflictions correlated with red in her life- blood, death and violence, which have come to â€Å"define† her.

Percy B. Shelley :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Percy Bysshe Shelley was born on August 4, 1792 to the extremely conventional Sir Timothy, who, being a man of influence, no doubt wanted his first born son to follow in his footsteps (Richards 671). Shelley, however, had much less conformist views, and was even â€Å"ragged† at Eton for expressing such (Matthews 196). He did not care to learn what his â€Å"tyrants† taught, but was interested rather, in science (which was outlawed from Eton at the time), Godwin, and the French skeptics. The rebellious nature persisted as he grew older and he developed a â€Å"delight† for controversy (Matthews 195). This â€Å"delight† ultimately lead to his expulsion from Oxford because of his writing â€Å"The Necessity of Atheism.† His patience for authority continued to diminish, until he eventually developed a passion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shelley wanted to fight tyranny, as well as slavery. His ultimate goal was to lead men to a â€Å"life of freedom, love, and apprehension of the beautiful† (Richards 672). Shelley felt that repression exist because mankind instituted and tolerated it (Matthews 200). He believed that â€Å"Mankind only had to will that there should be no evil, and there would be none† (Ford 161). This idealistic view of the world is evident in the majority of Shelley’s literary works.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1819, Shelley wrote â€Å"Song to the Men of England† (Editors 610). This poem was written for the same purpose as many of his others: to urge the working class of Great Britain to rebel. The imagery of a bee hive is evident throughout this piece. In stanza II, for instance, the â€Å"tyrants† are referred to as â€Å"Those ungrateful drones who would / Drain [the] sweat - nay, drink [the] blood.† In stanza III, a reference is made to the working class as the â€Å"Base of England.† The metaphor is picked up again in stanza VII, when Shelley orders the â€Å"Men of England† to â€Å"shrink to [their]...cells† (Editors 611).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most rebellion-inspiring lines are found in stanza VI:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sow seed - but let no tyrant reap;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Find wealth, - let no impostor heap;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weave robes, - let not the idle wear;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Forge arms, - in your defense to bear. (21-24) This is the second time, in this poem alone, that Shelley refers to the aristocrats and rulers of England as tyrants. This is evidence of his strong desire for political reform. He sincerely felt that the only way to gain freedom was by overthrowing â€Å"entrenched order† (Matthews 199).

Nature good or bad

This is partly because human nature can e regarded as both a source of norms of conduct or ways of life, as well as presenting obstacles or constraints on living a good life. The complex implications of such questions are also dealt with in art and literature, while the multiple branches of the Humanities together form an important domain of Inquiry Into human nature, and the question of what It Is to be human. Is It good or evil? The nature of humankind has been explored endlessly, with no definitive answers. What people believe the nature of humans to be is a very personal belief.That belief s shaped by the religion they follow, the culture they grew up in, and by their life experiences. What people believe has a large elm[act on the way they live their lives. It Is the pylons of this writer that people are Inherently good. This writer's pylons that people are Inherently good has developed gradually over time. One reason for this viewpoint is the fact that I believe we are all crea ted in God's image by God to serve him. If that is truly the case, then I feel that people would be inherently good, as God is. It is this writer's belief that God would not create someone who was inherently evil.People do sin, and some people could even be considered ‘evil,' but overall I feel that most people do try and lead a good life by being kind to others and helping those In need. Another reason for my belief Is the culture that I have grown up in. This may seem strange, since many people complain that our society is too filled with violence and other ‘bad' things. However, the very presence of such arguments about our society shows this writer that most people do not find violence at violent programming or acts, society tells people what it rely values: love and peace.If violence did not bother people, then there would not be the debate that exists today. Therefore, the belief that people are inherently good is supported by the culture that I grew up in. The exp eriences that one has throughout their life also shape their belief. In my life, I have had many experiences that reinforce my belief that people are inherently good. I have seen people unselfishly helping others in many circumstances. Many people give blood to save some stranger they will never meet.A woman Just donated part of her liver to a young girl she did not know so that the girl could live. Others donate millions to feed starving children , donate their time to teach people the bible so they could have a better life. These people undergo pain to help others; with no reward for themselves other than knowing they did a good thing. When people have tragedy strike them, the community will surround them with support. One example was the earthquake in 2010 that destroyed my country people came from almost every where to help with many different things, from food to clothing to shelter.In daily life, one can usually find many examples of people helping people, I my self donate my time regularly my time to teach the bible o others to help them bring changes it sir lives and I know more than 9 millions are doing the same thing, and this has been an important factor in shaping my belief. If people were not good, then I do not feel that one would be able to find these things occurring with such frequency. But why are we in that situation where we some times have a tendency of doing ABA things? What the scientist think?SCIENTISTS are hard at work to try to find genetic causes for alcoholism, homosexuality, promiscuity, violence, other aberrant behavior, and even for death itself. Would it not e a relief to find that we are not responsible for our actions but are merely victims of biology? It is human nature to blame someone or something else for our errors. If the genes are to blame, scientists hold out the possibility of changing them, eliminating undesirable traits through genetic engineering. The recent success in mapping the entire human genome has given such aspirations new impetus.This scenario, however, is based on the premise that our genetic endowment is, indeed, the villain responsible for all our sins and errors. Have the scientific detectives found enough evidence to make a case against our genes? Obviously, the answer will profoundly affect how we see ourselves and our future. Before examining the evidence, though, a look at mankind's origin will prove enlightening. How It All Started Most people are familiar with, or at least have heard of, the account about the fall of the first human pair, Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden.Were they made with some intrinsic defect in the genes right from the start, a sort of design flaw that predisposed them to sin and disobedience? Their Creator, Jehovah God, whose works are all perfect, proclaimed that his crowning earthly creation was â€Å"very DOD. † (Genesis 1 :31; Deuteron 32:4) As further evidence of his satisfaction with his work, he gave the first couple his blessing and i nstructed them to be fruitful, to fill the earth with human creatures, and to take charge of his earthly creation?hardly the actions of someone uncertain of his handiwork. ?Genesis 1:28.Regarding the creation of the first human pair, the Bible tells us: â€Å"God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God's image he created him; male and female he created in physical appearance, for â€Å"God is a Spirit. † Noon 4:24) Rather, it means that human returns were endowed with godly qualities and a sense of morality, a conscience. (Romans 2:14, 15) They were also free moral agents, capable of weighing a matter and deciding on the action to take. However, our first parents were not left without guidelines. Rather, they were warned of the consequences of wrongdoing. Genesis 2:17) So the evidence indicates that when Adam was faced with a moral decision, he chose to do what to him seemed expedient or advantageous at the time. He followed his wife in her wrongdoing instead of con sidering his relationship with his Creator or the long-term effects of his action. He also tried later to shift the blame to Jehovah, saying that the wife He had provided misled him. ?Genesis 3:6, 12; 1 Timothy 2:14. God's response to the sin of Adam and Eve is revealing. He did not try to correct some ‘design flaw' in their genes.Rather, he carried out what he told them would be the consequences of their actions, which led to their eventual death. (Genesis 3:17-19) This early history sheds much light on the nature of human behavior. The Evidence Against Biology For a long time, scientists have been tackling the monumental task of finding genetic causes and cures for human pathology and behavior. After ten years of work by six teams of researchers, the gene linked to Huntington disease was isolated, although the researchers have no idea how the gene causes the disease.However, reporting on this research, Scientific American quoted Harvard biologist Even Balkan, who said that i t would be â€Å"almost infinitely harder to discover genes for behavioral disorders. † In fact, research attempting to link specific genes to human behavior has been unsuccessful. For instance, in Psychology Today, a report on efforts to find genetic causes for depression states: â€Å"Epidemiological data on the major mental illnesses make it clear that they can't be reduced to purely genetic causes. The report gives an example: â€Å"Americans born before 1905 had a 1 percent rate of depression by age 75. Among Americans born a half century later, 6 percent become depressed by age 24! † It thus concludes that only external or social factors can bring about such dramatic changes in such a short time. What do these and numerous other studies tell us? While genes may play a role in shaping our personalities, there clearly are other influences. A major factor is our environment, which has undergone addict changes in modern times.Concerning what today's youth are expose d to in popular entertainment, the book Boys Will Be Boys observes that it is unlikely that children will develop sound moral principles when they â€Å"grow up watching tens of thousands of hours of TV shows and films in which people are assaulted, shot, stabbed, disemboweled, chopped up, skinned, or dismembered, when children grow up listening to music which glorifies rape, suicide, drugs, alcohol, and bigotry. † Clearly, Satan, â€Å"the ruler of this world,† has shaped an environment that caters to man's baser desires. And who can deny the powerful influence that such an environment exerts on all of us? ?John 12:31; Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:9, 12. The Root of Mankind's Trouble As we have already seen, mankind's problems started when the first human pair sinned. The result? While generations of Dam's offspring are not responsible for Dam's sin, they nonetheless are all born with sin, imperfection, and death as their entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned. â€Å"?Romans 5:12. Man's imperfection puts him at a decided disadvantage. But that does not absolve him of all moral responsibility.The Bible shows that those who put faith in Jehovah provision for life and conform their lives to God's standards will have his approval. Out of his loving-kindness, Jehovah made a merciful provision to redeem mankind, to buy back, as it were, what Adam had lost. That provision is the ransom sacrifice of his perfect Son, Jesus Christ, who said: â€Å"God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life. â€Å"? John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22. The apostle Paul expressed his deep appreciation for this provision.He exclaimed: â€Å"Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! † (Romans 7:24, 25) Paul knew that if he succumbed to sin out of weakness, he could ask God's forgiveness on the basis of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. * As in the first century, today many who formerly led very bad lives or whose situation seemed hopeless have come to an accurate knowledge of Bible truth, made the necessary changes, and come in line for God's blessing. The changes they had to cake were not easy, and many still have to contend with harmful tendencies.But with God's help, they are able to maintain integrity and find Joy in serving him. (Philippians 4:13) we have in this society many example of people who started in a way with a bad life but turn around to do good things , have a complete change in their lives in order to please God or to have a better life for them self. Therefore Wearer Responsible Trying to pin the entire blame for our misconduct on our genes simply does not work. Rather than helping us to solve or overcome our problems, notes Psychology Today, ongoing so â⠂¬Å"may be teaching us a helplessness that is at the root of many of our problems.Instead of reducing the incidence of these problems, this seems to have fueled their growth. † It is true that we must contend with major adverse forces, including our own sinful tendencies and Satin's efforts to distract us from obeying God. (1 Peter 5:8) It is also true that our genes may influence us in one way or another. But we are surely not helpless. True Christians have powerful allies? Jehovah, Jesus Christ, God's holy spirit, his Word the Bible, and the Christian negotiation.Therefore the way one view the nature of human beings is very important as it shapes the way they look at their world. In this case, I must disagree with the â€Å"Theory that say people were born evil. † as I feel that people are inherently good. Most people will choose to be good over evil, and will help their fellow human beings without asking what they are to get from their actions. While there is evil in the world, it is the exception to the norm, and overall it is this my opinion that people can choose to be good . New world translation 2013 edition

“Helping and Hating the Homeless” A summary of Peter Marin piece Essay

Peter Marin’s piece, â€Å"Helping and Hating the Homeless† first appeared in Harper’s Magazine (January 1987). It is an account of why some marginalized people â€Å"choose† homelessness and why middle-class culture finds them so threatening. In this piece, Marin explains to his readers that homeless people were once just like the rest of us. Homeless are considered annoying by most Americans. Marin describes the problem of homeless people and the lack of help for this growing problem. Marin had many strong points in his article on the homeless. Marin strongly points out that society does not understand the reasons for the homeless problem because most people are ignorant to the problem or are misinformed. First of all, there are many different reasons as to why the homeless became homeless, but most people categorize all of these reasons into one, the homeless. They think it is one major group of people with the same problem; living on the streets. However, the homeless are made up of veterans, the mentally ill, single parents, physically disabled, runaway children, drug addicts and alcoholics. The majority of this list were normal people before becoming homeless. Some were members of the working class who ran into problems and ended up on the streets they had no were else to turn. The homeless problem is more complex than most people can imagine. â€Å"The word â€Å"homeless† tells us almost nothing† ( ¶ 8). People who do not agree with the American life style sometimes end up homeless because they want to be excluded from society. Some people do surprisingly choose to be homeless. Others choose to be homeless because they can not live within a â€Å"normal† society. For example, veterans might have to turn to the streets because they couldn’t escape the trauma and couldn’t live a normal life with all of the troubles they endure day to day. There are some homeless people â€Å"†¦who no longer want help, who no longer recognize the need for help, and whose experiences in our world has made them want to be left alone† ( ¶ 21). Some of these people are content with living on the streets. They do not want a change and seem to be happy in what seems to be a very unfortunate situation. Many people are misinformed  about this kind of circumstance. Some homeless people start out with a normal life then start living on the streets because of a traumatic experience they can not escape. The story about Alice shows this vividly. She had a job as a teacher and one day she was raped. This led to a nervous breakdown and three months in a mental institution. After returning she had no job and no belongings in her apartment. â€Å"We must learn to accept that there may indeed be people, and not only vets, who have seen so much of our world, or seen it so clearly, that to live in it becomes impossible† ( ¶ 17). She eventually felt she had no where to turn except the streets. Alice was a person similar to many others in society before she was raped. This story shows how the tables can turn in life suddenly and drastically. Most people would never realize that some of the homeless people they walk by day to day is a person like Alice. Society tends to think that the homeless are without homes mostly because of themselves and not because of traumatic experiences. In the end Marin points out that as a society, we owe it to the homeless to give them a place in the world that they, too, have contributed to. Just because twists of fate or bad luck have put them where they are now, does not give us the right to deprive them of the right to live a decent life just because we fear them, think that we are better than them, or simply believe that they are not our problem.† It may not be a moral Obligation,†¦, but an obligation non of the less.†( ¶ 47).

Compare and Contrast: Highschool vs. College Essay

My memory of the first day of high school brings me back to the feeling of being overwhelmed. There were students allocated everywhere in one building. It seemed like every one was confused on where to go and how to behave. It seems like a long time ago to me, but my first day at college brought back those feelings. Even though there weren’t as many people scurrying around, I still felt this overwhelming sense of confusion. Now I find myself as a freshman in college, somewhat similar to that freshman in high school with just a little more independence than what I had four years ago. Most students after grammar school are mandated to attend high school. On the other hand, college is a choice. Although high school teaches us many lesson on the path of maturity, college puts that lesson to a test. Even though there are many similarities between high school and college there are just as many differences. As a freshman in high school, you find yourself developing at an accelerated rate. You have a little more freedom than middle school, a very structured class schedule and most of all the same classmates stick with you throughout all four years. High school is a very structured environment. You become dependent on your teachers and other classmates to guide you through all four years. In college, you are self-reliant and manage your own time and schedule. Depending on others will not help enhance your grades. A high school student needs to structure his or her time and find tune in his or her study habits to ensure better results. To manage your time is a learned experience in high school and carried on through college. Learning how to manage your time in high school all comes together in college. Your time management skills are put to the test in college. Even though the environment in college is to be independent, you depend on the skills learned from high school to help achieve tha t independence. Classes in high school are very structured and defined by the mandatory credits for graduation. These classes are general and are distributed on an annual basis. All students share the same classes that are based on the grade level they are attending. In high school, you depend on your teachers  for that constant reminder of the completion of assignments. On the other hand, in college your professors simply lecture. It is up to the student to understand the material from the lecture. Courses are selected by the student based on their choice of major. Even though the courses are mandated, the selection of courses are defined by the student. For both, high school and college, grades are dependent on the achievement or failure of courses. Homework and assignments are given in high school as an extra credit mechanism to help raise grades. There is more leniency to help achieve a passing grade. In high school, by applying yourself to the classes you are assigned, your grade will reflect on the amount of participation during class. In college, homework is truly based on the amount of effort you place in studying. The professors in college don’t give that leniency. The expectation of a responsible student is to understand and know the material for future use. Tests are given based on the material to further ones knowledge of the course. These tests are based on your grade. Achieving this is based on the effort put into studying, similar to the effort that is placed in high school. In conclusion, some may think high school and college are different when in fact they have similarities. Grammar school prepares us for high school. High school prepares us for college. College prepares us for the future. These experience s define us as individuals. Each environment presents us with learning experiences that we depend on to enhance our abilities to become adults. These experiences are based on appropriate decisions and choices. In order to find the similarities and differences, a student must experience the learning environment for themselves.

Fpi Assignment

Executive Summary The report is regarding to the knowledge of analyzing the accounting data of a listed company, using the various accounting information that provided to identify and examine the competitiveness and efficiency of the listed company. Besides, in order to examine the reliability of the data provided, analysis of the balance sheet and income statement is required. The financial information can be obtained from the annual reports of Harbour-Link Group Berhad.In addition, the report is required to include the top-down approach which consists of Economic analysis, Industry analysis and Fundamental analysis to analyze the listed company in the point of view for investors. Table of Content 1. Introduction 1. Objectives 2. Analysis of the statement of financial position, the statement of financial performance and cash flow statement. 1. Financial Analysis ratio: Asset efficiency ratio Capital Structure ratio Liquidity Ratio Profitability Ratio Share Price 3. Economic Analysis 4. Industry Analysis . Conclusion 6. Findings 7. References Introduction In this report, Harbour-Link Group Berhad is chosen among the listed companies. Harbour-Link Group Berhad is an investment holding company which provides shipping, forwarding and transportation, plant and machinery hiring, and engineering contract services primarily in Malaysia and Singapore. Harbour-Link Group Berhad was founded in the year of 1975 and it is based in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia. It was officially listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad in the year of 2004.Today, Harbour-Link Group’s success lies in its strong foundation of expertise in the industry and its ability to established the company as a reputable brand-name within the shipping, sea freight forwarding and transportation industries. Objectives 1. To identify the sources of funds, Balance Sheet and profit or loss of the Harbour-Link Group Berhad. 2. To analyze accounting data of Harbour-Link Group Berhad to examine its financia l performance using Financial Performance Indicators (ratio analysis) 3.To analyze the economy status, competitors within the same industries and evaluate the operating efficiencies of the listed company. 4. To examine the competitiveness and efficiency of the listed company by using the various accounting information provided. Financial Analysis Financial analysis ratios are used to examine the financial performance of a company in which it will be reflected in the ratios calculated. (Giles et al, 1994, p. 371) Asset efficiency Ratios Asset turnover ratio From the data calculated, the asset turnover ratio for the financial year of 2008, 2009 and 2010 are 109. 9%, 92. 12% and 79. 65%. This indicates that the Harbour-Link Group Berhad is not doing well in the sales of the products or services because the asset turnover ratio is decreasing from year to year. Debtor turnover (in days) Debtor turnover is the debtor collection period of a company. Harbour-Link Group Berhad had a debtor t urnover of 73 days in the year of 2008. In the year of 2009, the debtor turnover is 77 days. However, its debtor turnover is decreased to 71 days. This reflects that the possibility of default risk for the debtors is decreasing.In fact, this is a good thing in a company. Inventory Turnover Inventory turnover measures how many times the company can sell through its inventory for each year. In the year of 2008, Harbour-Link Group has an inventory turnover of 163 times. The turnover increased to 212 times in the financial year of 2009 but the inventory turnover decreased to 127 times in the year of 2010. This reflects that the company can sell better in the year of 2009 but it dropped tremendously in the year of 2010. Capital structure Ratio Debt to equity ratioThe debt to equity ratio of Harbour-link Group Berhad is decreasing from the year of 2008 to 2010 by 2%. This is caused by the reducing of total liabilities and the increasing of the total equity. Time interest earned The times- interest-earned ratio allows a lender to evaluate the company’s ability to meet its debt obligation. It is a ratio of the earning before interest and tax over the interest expenses. The time interest earned has a slightly increased from the year of 2008 to year 2009 but it has a greater decrease in ratio amount from the year of 2009 to year 2010.This means that in the year of 2010, Harbour-Link Group Berhad have lesser earnings are available to meet the interest payments and this makes the company to be more vulnerable to the increases in the interest rates. Liquidity Ratios Liquidity ratio is the ratio that is used to examine the liquidity of a company. It includes: Current Ratio Current ratio is the ratio of current assets to current liabilities. Harbour-link Group Berhad has it current ratio decreasing from the year of 2008 to 2010. Its current ratios are 1. 90, 1. 76 and 1. 57 respectively. The ratio is decreased by 14% and 19%.The data is calculated as shown in the findi ngs. Liquid Ratio Liquid ratio is the ratio of (current assets-inventory) to (current liabilities-bank overdraft). Harbour-Link Group Berhad has borrowings so there is bank overdraft existed and that’s why it is classifies as a debt financing organization. The company has a higher liquid ratio of 2. 34 in the year of 2010 compared to the year of 2008 and 2009 which is 1. 88 and 1. 75 respectively. The liquid ratio of the 3 financial years exceeded 1 and this indicates that the current assets are greater than the current liabilities.Higher liquid ratio reflects better performance of the company. Net working Capital Net working capital is the difference between current assets and the current liabilities. In the three financial years, Harbour-Link Group Berhad has the highest net working capital of RM 51. 4 million in the year of 2008. The figure of net working capital for Harbour-link Group Berhad decreased in the year of 2009 and 2010 by 0. 43% and 12. 32% respectively. This s hows that there is a drastic drop in the net working capital of year 2010. Profitability Ratios EBIT to total funds ratioEBIT to total funds ratio of Harbour-Link Group Berhad is decreasing in the range of 22% from the financial year of 2008 to 2009 and 21. 4% from the financial year of 2009 to 2010. The total funds consist of shareholders’ funds and borrowings. According to the annual report, Harbour-Link Group Berhad is practicing debt-financing to raise funds because there is borrowing existed. Return on Equity (ROE) Harbour-link Group shows a decrease in net income from year 2008 to 2010. This situation leads to the decrease in the return on equity (ROE) of 5%.In the financial year of 2010, it has the ROE of 0. 08 which indicates that for every RM1 of the capital that the shareholder invested into, they will get 8% of return. Return on Assets The return on assets measures the productivity of assets in terms of the level of profits each dollar of assets generates. (Karen D . H, 2004, p. 131) The return on assets of the Harbour-Link Group Berhad is decreasing from the financial year of 2008 to 2010. It decreased from 8% of year 2008 to 7% in the year of 2009 and then 5% in the year of 2010.This implies that the productivity of the company’s assets is not doing well in terms of profits that the assets generated. Net Profit Margin The net profit margin is the ratio of net profit after tax to the total revenues. In the financial year of 2008 and 2009, Harbour-Link Group Berhad has the net profit margin figure of 8%. It indicates that the company has a net income of RM0. 08 for each RM1 of sales. However, the net profit margin for the year of 2010 decreased by 2% which is only 6% in the financial year. This shows that for every RM1 of sales made by the company in year 2010, the net income is only RM0. 6 which is RM0. 02 lower than the previous year. Share Price Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E) Price to Earning ratio is calculated by using the share pri ce of the year 2010 over the earnings per share. The market price of Harbour-Link Group Berhad was amounted to RM 0. 72 in the year of 2010. From the annual report of the financial year of 2010, the earning per share is RM 0. 11. By using the formulae, the price to earning per share of 2010 is calculated as shown in the table with a figure of RM 6. 825. Current Economic Analysis Roots of Global financial crisisGlobal financial crisis are usually caused by bad regulation of the banking sectors, failure of fiscal and monetary policy implemented and so forth. In the year of 2008, Financial crisis began with the declared of bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. which is the fourth largest investment bank in United States. It was a severe ongoing world financial problem that began in U. S in the year of 2008. This recession has entirely hitting on the fragile global economy with the tremendous devastation in countries all around the world. The U.S government was trying to point the finger of the financial crisis to the rating agencies, who knew about the great risk that was coming but kept giving high reliability ratings to companies that did not deserve them and thus investors invested in the wrong companies. The cause of the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc was the accumulation of debt and the increasing of loan defaults. Why it evolved into a world crisis The news on bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Company led to the drastic fall in the share price all over the world.The company had billions of dollars losses incurred in the mortgage market of United States. (BBC NEWS, 16th Sept 2008) In Lehman Brothers’ case and the other investment banks, the problem was provoked by 2 major factors which are the very high level of leverage ratio and the dependence on short-term debt financing. Commercial banks cannot leverage their equity more than 15 to 1 as they are regulated but for Lehman Brothers Company, it had a leverage ratio of more than 30 to 1. According to the table 1, Lehman Brothers had only $3. 30 of equity for every $100 of loans. With this ratio, it makes the company to be insolvent.Conversely, the instability arose from the leverage problem was aggravated by the strong reliance on the short term debt. Based on table 1(Lehman Brothers Liabilities and shareholder’s equity), at the beginning of the crisis, the company financed greater than 50% of the assets. Reliance on short term debt financing is profitable indeed when it comes to a low interest rate market environment. However, when the company faced rumors of the insolvency problem, the short term lenders will start to have doubt on the company’s performance and therefore, they will start to withdraw their funds from the company for self interest protection.This scenario will lead to a shortage of liquidity for the borrower and thus the company tends to default. After the crisis began, Lehman Brothers did try to decrease its leverage and reduce its de pendence on the short term borrowing but it was too late for them to amend the situation and therefore, bankruptcy occurred. The bankruptcy of Lehman’s brother forced the reassessment of risk in the market by looking at the price of the credit default trades. Impact on Malaysia and world economies The crisis started in the year of 2008 had a great hit on Malaysia and world economies.It causes the gas price had a drastic drop, decreasing of the value of real estates, the increasing of unemployment rate, Federal debt crisis and inflation. There is a global explosion in commodities price. The price of crude oil was remaining at high levels for few years till the end of 2008, the crude oil price dropped from the peak in July 2008 of US$145 to US$30. 28 per barrel in December 2008. (Forbes, 2008) According to the findings in table 2, the unemployment rate of Malaysia increased by 3. 13% from the year of 2008 to 2009 and 12. 12% from the year of 2009 to 2010.Malaysian future econom ic At first, Malaysia was aiming to have 9% of average annual Growth Domestic Product (GDP) until 2020. Suddenly, according to the Economic Planning Unit, the government noted that the number is absurd then they changed and told that Malaysia was capable to achieve 5. 4% of Growth Domestic Product (GDP) annually over the next 10 years to achieve the objective of becoming a high income economy by 2020, which is the vision 2020 (East Asia Forum, 2009). These seem that Malaysia’s economic future is uncertainty. It keeps changing.Besides, Malaysia’s government has a close relationship with its private businesses. Because of the relationship with some business groups have ostensibly led to the emergence of political cronies with unlimited access to public resources. Not only the relationship that mention above but also the experience of neighbouring Indonesia shows that it is a dangerous trend that could negatively affect economic development in the future. In this matter, changes in political leadership led to unstable political environment. Although it does not directly effect on Malaysia, it threatens he influx of refugees caused damage regional stability and social stability. Malaysia's maritime economy can be defined as the production and manner of use of the range of goods and services that are linked to the maritime sector (Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, 1997). It covers the activities that are resource based, including fisheries, oil and gas, marine biotechnology and those that are service based such as shipping ports, shipbuilding and repair and the myriad range of ancillary maritime services (Maritime Institute of Malaysia,2005).Malaysia's main concern is the future of marine economy of the future of Malaysian trade, because the country's foreign and domestic trade, or even almost totally dependent on sea transport facilities. From this we can know that it will have a very bright prospect in maritime economy. If Malaysia is to achieve the goals of industrialization, productivity-driven growth and enhancing competitiveness will depend on how the maritime sector is managed. The maritime sector has a main role to play in enhancing productivity-driven growth. An important element that will affect efforts to sustain international competitiveness is productivity.But, for longer term, Malaysia will need to maintain its international competitiveness, since there is rising competition from other emerging markets for Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and for the transfer of modern technologies. Environmental issues are also important for Malaysia in the longer term as deforestation and global climate change may destabilize the country's agriculture, which still plays an important role in the national economy. What is the most important is the political will effect a change to system-centred thinking in planning the future of the economy. So, a stable political environment is very important to Malaysia.If the political environment of M alaysia is good, it will have a bright future of economy. Solutions to the Global Financial Crisis or crises in general. Banks and financial institutions can cause a downswing of an economy because of their ignorance of the business cycle. Besides, bankers are greedy with the fat bonuses that they will gain if they get the highest market shares results. When the economy is doing well, they expect that there will be no recession problem is going to occur and therefore they will give loans to their customers without considering their customers’ affordability to repay the loans.Once their customers cannot afford to repay the loans, recession will occurs. To overcome these crisis problems, several steps can be used. Government and bankers often intervene to smooth the peaks and valleys of the economic cycle. There are two objectives that the government and bankers can do to prevent serious downswing of an economy. 1) Speedy intervention to prevent a self-perpetuating downward spi ral, which means protecting depositors at minimal long term cost to the taxpayer.For example, the Federal reserve may restrict the money supply in good times to slow the expansion phase of the economic cycle, or deficit spend and cut interest rates to ease the recessionary phase of an economic cycle. 2) Ensure so far as possible that future booms are less exaggerated. This has implications for the form of any rescue package, and for the system of financial oversight that is put in place. The growth of consumer credits will increase the consumption of the consumer. The increase in the consumption will increase the aggregate demand of the country whereby AD equals to C + I + G + (X-M). Mc Taggart et al, 2007 p. 766). When the AD is increasing, it means that GDP is also increasing. This shows that the consumer credits provided will also be increased and therefore people will keep on borrowing money from the banks for consumption. This situation actually can amplify the business cycle a nd extend the upswing of the economy. Industry analysis The domestic and the world economy were in a downturn in the year of 2009. All the industry was affected and they are making an effort to maintain their previous performance and growth momentum. In the year of 2009, Harbour-Link Group Berhad suffered revenue declined by 5. 9% to RM 327. 6 million. The revenue decreased again by 5. 76% to RM 308. 7 million compare to the previous year due to lower selling prices and softer consumer demand. One of the Company competitors, Swee Joo Berhad was also suffered by achieved a turnover of RM 346. 7 million which is 9. 9% lower than the previous financial period. The lower turnover was also impacted by the recovery state for the economy. Swee Joo Berhad has a reduce in current ratio from 0. 648 to 0. 278 which seems to be lower than that of the Harbour-Link Group Berhad and therefore Harbour-link seems to have a better current ratio.Swee Joo Berhad has a negative figure for its Earnings b efore interest and tax of -11. 32 million and -176. 82 million in the year of 2009 and 2010. This is a huge loss for the company. It shows that Harbour-Link has a better performance than its major competitor, Swee Joo Berhad. Although the economy showed signs of recovery, but most of the economists hold that the sustained global recovery is still vague. This situation greatly influenced the consumers spending behavior. According to the Edge, Harbour-Link Unit obtained the secured contracts of RM75. 2 to supply gantry cranes for the Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd.The contracts were expected to be done in the year of 2012 and it’s also expected to escalate the future revenue and earnings positively for Harbour-Link Group Berhad. (The Edge, 11 April 2011) There are several ways for the companies to perform better during this hard period. However, the suppliers are also important causes which will affect the company performance. Although Harbour-Link Group Berhad suffered lower revenue dur ing the year, however, it obtained quite a number of big projects with a favorable amount of contracts worth which is believed to boost the revenues for the future of the company itself.This scenario will assist Harbour-Link Group Berhad to create a stronger visibility and allow it to be well positioned for the economic recovery. Findings [pic] Table 1 shows Lehman Brothers Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity Source: Lehman Annual Reports |Year |Unemployment Rate |Percentage Change | |2006 |3. 60 | | |2007 |3. 50 |-2. 78% | |2008 |3. 20 |-8. 7% | |2009 |3. 30 |3. 13% | |2010 |3. 50 |12. 12% | Table 2 shows the unemployment rate in Malaysia Source: CIA World Factbook Conclusion In conclusion, although the Harbour-Link Group Berhad has a downturn in its overall performances in the financial year of 2009 and 2010 as the results shown in the findings, but it has a better performance than its main competitor, Swee Joo Berhad in the shipping industries.The Harbour-Link Group Berha d is overall well organized in its financial statements as shown in the annual reports and it can be categorized as a profitable and successful listed company in Malaysia. On the perspective of investors, Harbour-link is counted as a good investment company and therefore investors are advised to consider Harbour-link Group Berhad as one of their investment company because the company has a good expectation to have a huge increase in its future economic benefits.The future economy of Malaysia is expected to have a good return and therefore this ensure that Harbour-Link Group Berhad is a wise investment for the future benefits. References Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, 1997, The Maritime Economy of Malaysia, Pelanduk Publication BBC News, 16 September 2008, http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/business/7615931. stm Bursa Malaysia 2010- Equities, Bursa Malaysia Berhad, viewed on 26 April 2011 http://www. bursamalaysia. com/website/bm/market_information/prices/ East Asia Forum, Malaysia’s Eco nomic Future, view on 1 May 2011, http://www. eastasiaforum. org/2009/11/24/malaysias-economic-future/Encyclopedia of the Nations, Malaysia- Future Trends, viewed on 2 May 2011, http://www. nationsencyclopedia. com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Malaysia-FUTURE-TRENDS. html Forbes 2008- Crude Oil Prices 1861 – 2009, Forbes. com 2010, viewed on28 April 2011, http://www. forbes. com/2008/05/13/oil-prices-1861-today-real-vs-nominal_flash2. html Giles, R & Capel, J 1994, Finance and accounting, 3rd Edition, MacMillan, London Harbour-Link Group Berhad 2011, harbour. com. my; Total Logistics &EPCC Provider N. V 2009&2010, Harbour-Link Group Berhad, viewed on 22 April 2011, http://www. harbour. om. my/ Karen D. Halpern, 2004, Understanding Finance: Money, Capital and investments, Pearson, New Jersey. Maritime Institute of Malaysia, Malaysia and Port Competitiveness, 2005 Mc Taggart et al, 2007, Macroeconomics, 5th Edition, Pearson, Australia The Edge Financial Daily, 11 April 2011 v iewed on 24 April 2011. http://www. theedgemalaysia. com/ The Star Online 2011- Market watch, Star Publications (M) Berhad, viewed on 24 April 2011, http://biz. thestar. com. my/marketwatch/charts/l. asp? code=2062~HARBOUR&p1=0. 99&p2=0. 985&p3=0. 99&p4=0. 985&p5=0. 99&p6=0&p7=0. 00&p8=915&p9=0. 532

How the Boeing 707 Jet, the Bell X-1 and the NASA Mercury Capsule Essay

How the Boeing 707 Jet, the Bell X-1 and the NASA Mercury Capsule Friendship Seven Changed Aviation - Essay Example This paper aims to explain the contributions of some innovations in the aviation industry that became cornerstones of overcoming the physical limitations of man during the early 19th century. This paper also aims to discuss the positive and negative effects of aviation in America for the past seventy years, specifically starting from 1942 to the present time. According to Lombardi (8), the Boeing 707 took its first flight in Renton, Washington on the afternoon of December 20, 1957. It tool Boeing five years to be able reach the point of being able to showcase their first jet powered aircraft, that was later referred by historians as the start of the Jet Age. At exactly 12:30 pm that afternoon that day, Boeing decided to continue their first test flight of the Boeing 707. However, the weather conditions suddenly changed against the flight and officials had to abort the initial test that lasted only for 7 long minutes in the air. It was not enough, though, to claim that their design wa s truly a success since they needed a test flight that would last a full 30 minutes airborne. As the weather cleared, Boeing had decided to continue the test flight and that marked a historic day in aviation history with Boeing 707 being able lift-off, remain airborne for 71 minutes, and land back safely to the tarmac. The US government gave its full support on the achievement of Boeing and this led to a massive advertising campaign directed to the public that provided them information about the comfort and safety of travelling on jet liners. Boeing 707 and its other models that are technically similar to the design and concepts applied in the pioneer prototype aircraft, the 707-80 or commonly known as the Dash 80 jet transport prototype, have been mainly utilized for two operations – commercial flights for passenger transport and military services (9). In 1958, where Boeing 707 started its early days of operation, people who could afford to travel by air flew in slow, piston -powered transportations or Propliners. This mode of transportation was limited at that to a few dozen of passengers and shorter range flights, which was very costly at that time that not all Americans had the luxury to travel to other countries and even among other states via air travel. Mostly travelled by train for interstate travel, and transatlantic travels were carried out by large shipping vessels. However, in just a short span of two years, Boeing was able to dominate passenger air transport over travel by land and sea, this occurred during the 60s and have remained the same throughout the 70s (9). The compelling factor of the success of Boeing 707 is that the design of the aircraft can carry more passengers as compared to other aircrafts during the 60s and it allowed longer range flights, this led to reduced cost for travelling by air. It also allowed transcontinental and inter-continental travels safer, faster, and easier. Within the service lifetime of Boeing 707 from 195 8 to 1979, 1,010 aircrafts were built with a large percentage of it used for the military. Boeing also provided the Air Force with stronger air supremacy by developing aircrafts specifically modified to carry out a certain function for the needs of the air force. It was also used as Air Force One that transports the President of America to any point in the world (9). With the success of the Boeing 707 in changing the way of how commercial