Is closure of the high street businesses a key factor in the drop of Dissertation

Is closure of the high street businesses a key factor in the drop of Yell's share price - Dissertation Example Its lending operations were limited to the large corporations that could issue bonds to secure loans. When some of the money supply reached those big businesses, the owners and management utilized additional funds to similarly strengthen their balance sheets. In a survey about the SME Access to Finance conducted by the Scottish Government Chief Economic Adviser (2011, p.2), the importance of SMEs was emphasized. They made up 99% of all businesses in Scotland. â€Å"The results showed that the demand for finance (working capital) had increased but that approval rates for applications had fallen. Many firms also perceived the costs of credit to have risen†¦(p.2).† And the â€Å"Overall lending to Scottish SMEs in 2010 is lower than in 2009, reflecting a combination of weak demand and constraints in supply of lending (p.4)†. In another survey by Dr. Fraser, Stuart (2009, p.5), 2,500 SMEs were surveyed in UK. It was discovered that SMEs in UK utilize credit cards (55.3 % of SMEs from 2001-2004 and 54.4 % of SMEs in 2005-2008). Their other sources of financing were as follows: a. Invoice Financing – â€Å"3 % of SMEs in 2001-04 to 2.2 % in 2005-08† (p.5) b. Equity Finance – 3 % c. Credit from Suppliers – 33 % d. Loans from Friends – â€Å"5.6% in 2001-4 to 7.0% in 2005-08† (p.5) e. ... In the results of survey, it was discovered that 62 % had to resort to self-finance or savings to fund a business. Only 26 % borrowed from banks. (p. 19) Following are the charts showing low consumer spending, low consumer confidence, and high unemployment compared to the time before the recession. All are relevant because SMEs could not do well as a result of a poor economic climate. Yell will also feel the crunch because its customers are SMEs. (Source: Oxford Economics: UK Forecast in Detail 2011, p. 63) (Source: Oxford Economics: UK Forecast in Detail 2011, p. 62) ( Source: Bank of England Inflation Report 2011) Note that Velocity of Circulation refers to the time it takes for the banks to make funds available to the public, including SMEs, large corporations, and private individuals. Objectives: 1. To determine why the Share Price of Yell Group PLC has been declining since 2010 up to the present; 2. To establish whether or not the closure of high street businesses is a major fac tor for the decline of the Share Price of Yell Group; 3. To provide the logical evidence that support the explanation for the Share Price decline 4. To identify other factors that may be causes for the Yell Group PLC’s share to decline. Serving these objectives will lead to the utilization of quantitative tools for decision making with the pricing of stocks. Literature Review Overview A quick look at the chart and table of Yell Group PLC’s Stock value since the year 2003 up to the present ( See appended Charts & Tables.) shows a downward trend from the latter quarter of 2007 all the way to the present. A year ago, in April 21, 2010, the price index was at 59. That

Similarities in the Film The Hour and Mrs Dalloway

Similarities in the Film The Hour and Mrs Dalloway The similarities in the themes of the film The Hour and the novel Mrs. Dalloway. The Hours is a 2002 movie directed by Stephen Daldry and Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway has the similarities in the theme of homosexuality. Both the film and the novel depict all its action in one single day. Clarissa Dalloway in the novel and Clarissa Vaughn in the film wonder if they have the right decision to choose the right person to spend their lives with. Both the film The Hour and the novel Mrs. Dalloway   are absolute masterpieces. Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway tells the story of an entire day in the eyes of Clarissa Dalloway. It is confined to one single day, Wednesday in mid-June 1923, culminating in a party given by Clarissa Dalloway at the end of the day. Its also limited to one place, London, and emotionally to the relationship of Mrs. Dalloway with her husband Richard Dalloway, Peter Walsh, Sally Seton, and Septimus Warren Smith. Clarissa Dalloways character is developed through the thoughts which pass through her mind in one single day at different times. Whenever the big bang chimes or the backfiring of the motor engine, the point of view shifts regularly from one character to another and sometimes happens within one single sentence. At each shift, the author provides an indirect look into the characters thoughts and emotions. The narrator just reports the characters thoughts. For example, Clarissa sleeps in her own room and her isolation is a sexual failure to connect with her husband Richard. She imagines herself as a virgin nun in a white dress: Mrs. Dalloway raised her hand to her eyes, and, as the maid shut the door, she heard the swish of Lucys skirt, she felt like a nun who has left the world and feels fold round her familiar veils and responses to old devotions. (Woolf 29) The verb felt and feel shows that the narrators knowledge of the interior of the main character. Such a radical narrative techni que causes a great confusion to readers, yet at the same time enlightens the meaning of her story. From the beginning to the end of Mrs. Dalloway, there are no parts or chapters. The structure of this novel is very compact, which is concentrated in one single day on purpose. All the incidents happen in the novel is connected with each other very well. The technique that Woolf uses is the stream of consciousness which also enriches her writing. Stephen Daldrys The Hours has the same path of Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway by depicting all its action in a single day, where events take place in three different years. The first event captures Virginia Woolf in 1923, preparing to write the novel, Mrs. Dalloway, in her home, Richmond, London (Daldry, The Hour). The other year 1951, depicts the troubled, homemaker Laura Brown moves from her marriage or life to read the novel, Mrs. Dalloway (Daldry, The Hour). The third year shows the New Yorker, Clarissa Vaughan, in 2001, dedicating her entire day preparing a party for her college days friend and lover Richard. The party is in honor of Richard, an HIV-positive poet, and author about to receive a prestigious award that he finds little meaning in it (Daldry, The Hour). Clarissa Dalloway in the novel and Clarissa Vaughn in the film are throwing parties in Richards honor and both chose the same flowers. The film The Hour and the novel Mrs. Dalloway have a close correlation in terms of both the story arrangement and unfolding of the characters in the film closely captures the characters in the novel. In Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway, the theme of homosexuality takes a major part, where Mrs. Dalloway herself as the main character of the novel, does not enjoy her marriage because of poor communication and lacking of connection. Clarissas husband, Richard Dalloway, comes home with a bunch of flowers meant for his wife. However, he fails to tell Clarissa that he loves her because he could not bring himself to say he loved her; not in so many words. (118) On the other hand, Clarissa gets distracted by the memories of Sally Seton, her childhood friend and loves interest, with whom she shared a kiss, which she defines as: The most exquisite moment of her whole life†¦and she felt that she had been given a present, wrapped up, and told just to keep it, not to look at it- a diamond, something infinitely precious. (35) Mrs. Dalloway has never forgotten about Seton, who is now married to Lord Rosseter and has five boys. Clarissa Dalloway aspires to be like Sally, but she fears judgment from society about her potential homosexuality, which is one of the reasons behind her marriage does not flourish. On the contrary, in Stephen Daldrys The Hours, the theme of homosexuality is developed and portrayed in the form of the ten-year intimate relationship between Clarissa Vaughn and Sally Lester. Ten years is a long time for Clarissa and Sally to live together in the same apartment sharing everything that a husband and wife shares. Clarissa Vaughn in The Hour differs from Clarissa Dalloway in Mrs. Dalloway because she chose to not to be with Richard and ended up with Sally. Also, in the film The Hour, the interesting parts are the women in each era of the film shared a kiss with another woman. For example, Lauras neighbor Kitty drops in to ask her if she can take care of Lauras dog while Laura is in the hospital for a procedure. Kitty pretends to be cheerful; however, Laura feels Kittys fear and boldly kisses Kitty on the lips (Daldry, The Hour). Both Stephen Daldrys The Hours and Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway present a unique way of constructing stories. The idea of developing the story depicts all its action in one single day, demonstrates the creative nature of both the author Virginia Woolf and the director Stephen Daldry. The story revolves on a single day, yet, they are able to deliver the significant message with the similarities in the theme of homosexuality to the reader as a novel and film, that could have considered different writing angles. Director Stephen Daldry has done a fantastic job of delivering Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway into his own modern retelling, The Hours. Works Cited The Hours. Dir. Stephen Daldry. Paramount Pictures. 2002. Film  Ã‚   Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1925. Print.

Free Catch-22 Essays: A War Comedy :: Catch-22

Catch-22 - A Comedy    The novel, Catch-22, is a comedy about soldiers during World War II. However, this comic scenes and phrases are quite tragic when they are thought about, as most things related to war are, which makes this comedy completely absurd. The best way to represent this idea is through the characters in the book, specifically, Yossarian, Huple, and Nately’s whore’s kid sister and the events that occur with their thoughts and their actions. Clearly, the main character and one whose life is chiefly described, is Yossarian. Yossarian has a slightly sick sense of humor and way of looking at things. In the first chapter, Heller tells us that letters sent by the soldiers had to be reviewed in order to prevent any secret information going out to the public, or, even worse, to the enemy. Yossarian, from lack of anything better to do, censors all the letters. Sometimes he crosses out everything but a, an and the, sometimes adjectives, whatever he feels like that day. For his final gag h e signs these letters as Washington Irving to totally confuse the readers of these letters. This is funny, however it is ultimately tragic. These are the letters that every wife, mother and daughter runs to the mailbox for in order to see that their husbands, fathers and sons are all right. This is a letter that could say: â€Å"Honey, I’m coming home†, or â€Å"I love you. When I come home I want to marry you.† These letters could change the whole lifestyle of so many people and Yossarian alone is tampering with them. The absurdity of that is immense. A gag of slightly higher consequence occurred in Chapter 12, when Yossarian decided to move the bomb line over Bologna. What I believe is the most ridiculous in the whole process was his reason for doing it. Everyone did not want to go on this mission to capture Bologna. They prayed the rain would never go away, or that the bomb line would mysteriously move, anything just mot to go on this mission. Clevinger, in d isbelief at the stupidity of these men, tells Yossarian: â€Å"They really believe that we wouldn’t have to fly that mission tomorrow if someone would only tiptoe up to the map in the middle of the night and move the bomb line over Bologna. Can you imagine?† So Yossarian figures â€Å"Why not?

Job-hopping †Is It Good or Bad?

It is barely get to hear of a person who started their career with an organization many years back, dedicated his entire career with the organization and finally retired from the same organization. As it is said, nothing last forever; same is in the case with job these days. Jobs today do not last unlike previous generations. In the past few years, job-hopping has become so widespread across the industries that even a four years stint in the same organization is considered to be a stable job. Three jobs in less than a year, no longer raised eyebrows and gaps mouths. Job-hopping, in fact, has become a new mantra for success. People no longer believe in sticking to one job and waiting for that golden leap to come. So, what’s the job-hopping is? In simple terms it is the practice of changing jobs frequently, especially as a means of quick financial gain or career advancement. Basically, there are two kinds of job-hopping – random job-hopping which is moving every time you get a better job offer (the typical quick financial gain job-hopping) and strategic job-hopping which is taking a new job because it enhances and helps build your career. Key reasons for job-hopping Welcome to the world of job-hoppers. It’s an employee-driven economy. With more opportunities and avenues round the corner organization are really at the mercy of the employees. Some of the common reasons for hoping jobs as quoted by job-hoppers include dissatisfaction with the job, lack of challenging work, stagnation or less pay, Poor Human resource policy of the corporate, miss handling of the employees, corporate vision and mission not colliding with the employee's persona, too much control applied on the employees, privileges are being delivered on the basis longevity of the employees with the corporate, the eye-popping fat salaries and many more. These appear to be the main reasons for their resignations. Job-hopping also acts as a shortcut to success. Employees make their way to higher levels in the management hierarchy as each job change brings with it a hike in pay and position. Moreover, sticking to the same organization from which you started off your career is passe now. It is believed that those who hang on to the same job are taken for granted and declared not competent enough to move ahead in their career. Job-hopping: How It Effect Your Career Success Is job-hopping and career success related to each other? What is the effect of one on the other? Job-hopping affects career success in a negative way. By hopping jobs frequently, you are sending negative signals to your potential employer. Too often, job-hopping employees learn nothing substantial. Companies like to invest on those job seekers who align their career goals with the corporate goals. The reason is simple. They are able to contribute better in the company and if they are constantly moving from one job to another, they send a signal of non commitment. It gives a pessimistic image in the mind of the employer. Grass is not always green on the other side No doubt job-hopping has become the latest trend today, or a shortcut to success; one cannot jump from one job to another as and when it strikes one’s imagination. Moreover, though two or more jobs on a resume no longer are an employment risk, too many jobs in less than two years time portray one as a chronic job-hopper. A series of rapid, random and pointless moves will show up as annoyances on the resume. Employers view such contenders as dysfunctional – lacking in loyalty, trust and self-motivation. Quick moves from one job to other raise big questions for prospective employers as to one's staying power and ability to withstand challenges, as well as accept accountability. Employer may feel that you are not committed to a particular organization. The future employers, who are probably looking for a long term employee, might not be impressed with the job-hopping tendencies. They might perceive that one has become a job-hopper may be because of inability to get along with colleagues or employers. It does not even leave substantial time to acquire sufficient experience and hands-on skills. What’s more is that after innumerable hops, one may find himself at the same place where he first started. The downside of job-hopping Many job-hoppers think that jumping from one job to another in rapid succession is a sure way to reach the top. However, they have to encounter the hidden consequences. In unstable industries like hi- tech, advertising and television, job-hopping is the norm. In these industries, workers find out later that a resume with short period is a turn-off to employers. They may suspect a job-hopper of being unable to get along with the co-workers. Moreover, the job-hopper is also taking on a new boss who may turn out to be a tough leader. Studies indicate that employees often wrongly believe that they will get promotions if they switch organizations. However, the job-hoppers have to overcome obstacles like a clearly hostile boss, demotion or a significant decrease in pay etc. HR experts suggest that not to run out the first chance you get. A little patience can go a long way. Though job-hopping is a negative signal to prospective employers, but depending on the reasons it can also be a positive. Mick Hager, a leading HR expert explains the reasons why job-hopping is a bad thing as quoted in the website – www. greenbaypressgazette. com. These include:- * You’ll never have the chance to lay down roots, establish a strong reputation and be viewed as an asset to the company. Job-hoppers miss the opportunities given to the solid, loyal, staying- put performers. * Job-hoppers are huge expenses for employers. It takes an employee at least six months to go from being a liability to contributing to the bottom line. That is why employers hate dealing with job-hoppers, they cost too much. Job-hopping sends the message that you are not dependable, suggesting that you lack loyalty and commitment. Please don’t tell me the woeful tale of how companies aren’t loyal to employees these days – companies are loyal to the dependable, productive ones. * Job-hopping suggests incompetence, if you’re so good- why you leave? * Job-hopping takes a mental toll. At some point you need stability in your life to maintain balance. * Your next boss could be worse! * It suggests you are irresponsible or cannot maintain relationships * It indicates that you lack resolve and the ability to stick-to-it. Employees promote those they trust; trust is earned over time. * It is just plain stupid! In today’s new environment, how short is too small to stay at a job? The answer varies among industries and professions. Earlier two to three years used to raise a red flag. Today, depending on the industry, it is 1 to1. 15 years. But what employers are really looking at, did the person complete the project or commitment that he made? B Lynn Ware, an employee retention expert with the Integral Ta lent Systems suggest the job-hoppers â€Å"You’re really looking at a very limited window of productivity. Let’s say someone stays with an organization for 2. 5 years. It takes them the first year and a half to really get up to speed. Then they spend their last three t six months looking for the next thing. That leaves about a half year of real productivity†. Look beyond the fat pay offer to avoid another hop in a short time and perhaps less pleasant circumstances. Learning Relevant Skills and Knowledge Matters People who are in the new workforce and have been job-hopping quite a bit, it is advisable to find out what you want. If you able to recognize it, then find a organization that is willing to train or how they are willing to commit to their employees career in the long term. Instead of job-hopping frequently for career growth, make learning the relevant skills and knowledge in that industry one’s key objective for a successful career. The skills and knowledge that one learns in the process will contribute to career success in the long term. If job-hoppers realize the benefit of committing to a company who is willing to train them for more than two years, hopefully they won’t be job-hopping often anymore. Are job-hoppers are listening!

The Cherokee Removal Book Review

The Cherokee Removal Book Review The Cherokee Removal is a brief history with documents by Theda Perdue and Michael Green. In 1838-1839 the US troops expelled the Cherokee Indians from their ancestral homeland in the Southeast and removed them to the Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. The removal of the Cherokees was a product of the demand for land during the growth of cotton agriculture in the Southeast, the discovery of gold on the Cherokees land, and the racial prejudice that many white southerners had toward the Indians.The Cherokees had lived in the interior southeast, for hundreds of years in the nineteenth century. But in the early eighteenth century setters from the European ancestry started moving into the Cherokees territory. From then on the colonial governments in the area began demanding that the Cherokees give up their territory. By the end of the Revolutionary War, the Cherokees had surrendered more than half of their original territory to the state and federal government.In the late 1780’s the US began urging the Cherokees to stop hunting and their traditional ways of life and to instead learn about how to live, farm, and worship like Christian Americans. Despite everything the white people in Georgia and other southern states that abutted the Cherokee Nation refused to accept the Cherokee people as social equals and urged their political representatives to take the Cherokees land. The purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 gave Thomas Jefferson the chance to relocate the eastern tribes beyond the Mississippi River.The War of 1812, with help from General Andrew Jackson help the United States to end what he called the â€Å"absurdity† of negotiating with the Indians tribes. From that point forward the Georgia politicians increasingly raised the pressure on the federal government to fulfill the Compact of 1802. In the agreement the federal government had to extinguish the Indian land title and remove the Cher okees from the states. The Cherokee government maintained that they constituted a sovereign nation independent of the American state and federal government. The Treaty ofHopewell in 1785 established borders between the United States and the Cherokee Nation offered the Cherokees the right to send a â€Å"deputy† to Congress, and made American settlers in Cherokee territory subject to Cherokee law. With help from John Ross they helped protect the national territory. In 1825 the Cherokees capital was established, near present day Calhoun Georgia. The Cherokee National Council advised the United States that it would refuse future cession request and enacted a law prohibiting the sale of national land upon penalty of death.In 1827 the Cherokees adopted a written constitution, an act further removed by Georgia. But between the years of 1827 and 1831 the Georgia legislature extended the state’s jurisdiction over the Cherokee territory, passed laws purporting to abolish the Ch erokees’ laws and government, and set in motion a process to seize the Cherokees’ lands, divide it into parcels, and other offer some to the lottery to the white Georgians. Andrew Jackson was declared president in 1828 immediately declaring the removal of eastern tribes. In 1830 Congress passed the Indian Removal Act which authorized the president to negotiate removal treaties.In 1831 combined army, militia, and other volunteer forces began to move the tribes along one of several routes to two forts located in Indian Territory; Fort Gibson and Fort Townson. The last tribe to be moved was the Cherokees in 1838. During this move some tribes accepted bribes of money and or land; whole others didn’t and were forced under the threat of death. During the move there were several weigh states along the route, and from bad planning or lack of concern to malfeasant actions the Indians were not allowed or given access to proper food, medical supplies, warm clothing, nor we re allowed to rest for any significant period of time.This resulted in death of many of the tribal members. The Native Americans began to cal the trail, the â€Å"Trail where they Weeped/ Cried† and it was later changed to â€Å"The Trail of Tears† by modern translation. There were approximately eleven trails that took different tribes to different locations. They ranged from 200 to 900 miles and went through around fourteen states. There was an estimated 4,000 to 15,000 Cherokees deaths during these trails.