Marketing Forecasting Techniques Essay Example Pdf - Free Essay Example

As the purpose of the company manager is to make their company more profitable and valuable so manager must take a right decision to identify, evaluate and implement as well as estimate the benefits of potential projects that meet or exceed investor expectations. It also estimates that how changes in capital structure, dividend policy and working capital policy will influence shareholder value. How ever the value creation is impossible unless company do appropriate forecasting for the future. Financial planning process is a crucial part so there are following forecasting techniques which help manager in decision making One of the most appropriate forecasting method in capital budgeting is estimating future cash flow for a project that enable cost and revenue forecasting for an organisation as well. Capital budgeting tools evaluate expected future cash flows in relation to cash put out today. Cash flow forecasts It is very important task for forecasting cast and revenue for an organisation the final result we obtain are really only as good as the accuracy of our estimate. Because cash, not income is central to all decisions of the firm. We express what every benefits we expect from a project in term of cash flows rather than income. The firm invests cash now in the hope of receiving returns in a greater amount in the future. Only cash receipts can be re invested in the firm or paid to stock holders in the form of dividends. In capital budgeting good guys may get credit, but effecting managers get cash. In setting up cash flows for analysis a computer spread sheet program is invaluable, It allow one to change assumptions and quickly produce a new cash stream. Incremental cash flows For each investment proposal we need to provide information on expected future cash flows on and after text bases. In addition information must be provided on an incremental bases so that we analyze only the difference between the cash flow the firm with and without the project for example if a firm contemplates a new product that is likely too compete with existing product it is not appropriate to express cash flow in term of the estimated sales of the new product. We must take into account some probable cannibalization. Sales forecasts The sales forecasting normally starts with a review of sales during the past five to ten years. Through these past five years historic sales firm can predict its future growth. Once sales have been forecasted, company must forecast future balance sheets and income statements. Analyze the Historical Ratios The objective of historic data is to forecast the future or pro forma financial statement. The percent of sale method assume that costs in a given year will be some specified percentage of that years sales. Thus company begin their analysis by calculating the ratio of costs to sales for several past years. Income Statement forecast For making any decision to invest in any project company forecasts the income statement for the coming year. Income statement forecast is needed to estimate both income and the addition to retained earnings. Balance Sheet forecast The asset shown in the balance sheet must increase if sales are to increase. So on the basis of assets, sales, inventory and receivables ratio analysis company manager make decision for future projects. Financial forecasting generally starts with a forecast of the company sales in terms of both units and dollars (Ref: Eugene F. Brigham, Michael C. Ehrhardt 2008 Business Economics 1071 page, Accessed on 15th May 2010) Either the projected or pro forma, financial statement method can be used to forecast financial requirements. The financial statement method is more reliable and its also provides ratios that can be used to evaluate alternatives business plans. A firm can determine the additional fund needed by estimating the amount of new asset necessary to support the forecasted level of sales and then subtracting from that amount the spontaneous funds that will be generated from operation. The firm can then plan how to raise the additional funds needed most efficiently. Adjustment must be made if economies of scale exist in the use of assets, if excess capacity exists or asset must be added in lumpy increments. Linear regression and excess capacity adjustment can be used to forecast asset requirements in situation where assets are not expected to grow at the same rate as sales. Different sources of Funds available to a Carlin Light for new Power plant project Businesses, individuals and government often need to raise capital to invest in specific projects. For example, suppose Carlin power Light (CPL) forecasts an increase in the demand for electricity in North Carolina and the company decides to build a new power plant. Because at the moment CPL certainly not have the 1 billion to pay for the plant, Carlin light will have to raise this capital in the financial market. Although equity, debt and preferred stock are the major sources of funds for the company to raised a capital. Ability to borrow A liquid position is not only way to provide for flexibility and thereby protect against uncertainty. If the CPL has the ability to borrow on comparatively short notice, it may relatively flexible. This ability to borrow can be in the form of a line of credit or a revolving credit from a bank or financial institution. Bonds Bond is another option for the CPL to raise a capital for the investment in new project. In financial term a bond is a debt security in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, its depend upon the terms of the bond, some bonds obliged to pay a certain amount of interest until the time of its maturity. A bond is a kind of formal contract to payback borrowed money with interest at fixed intervals. So issuing bond can be the one of source for the company to raise capital. Leasing Leasing as an alternative to outright purchase, minimize cash outgoing and maximize the tax advantages. The lease can include such charges as maintenance, which enables the company to know, in advance, the total costs for the year. At the end of the lease period the company can return the asset, exercise its option to buy or negotiate a new lease on new equipment. Leasing mean that company can always have the most up-to-date equipment. The company may never own the good outright. However, if it wants to keep the equipment, it must take out a new lease or buy. Alternatively organization can sell an asset to a financial institution and lease it back from them. This is termed sales and lease back. The advantage here is that the company receives an injection of cash and can spread the repayments over a number of years. Note payable CPL can use note payable method to raise a capital for its project. A promissory note, referred to as a note payable. Or can say commonly as just a NOTE, it is a contract where one party makes an unconditional promise in writing to pay a sum of money to the other party or can say company (payee) either at a fixed or determinable future time or on demand of the payee, under specific terms and conditions. Common stock Common stock is another way to raised fund in form of CPL equity ownership. It is a type of security. In case of common stock holders of common stock are able to influence the corporation through votes on establishing corporate objectives and policy, stock splits, and electing the companys board of directors. Some holders of common stock also receive preventative rights, which enable them to keep their proportional ownership in a company. There is no fixed dividend will be paid to common stock holders and so their returns are undecided, dependent on earnings, company reinvestment, and proficiency of the market to value and sell stock. Task 2 Different Appraisal Methods for Investment Net present value as a superior method of investment appraisal. Net present value NPV is a precursor of how much value an investment or project adds to the firm. With a specific project, if return value is a positive value, then project is in the status of discounted cash inflow in the time of time. But if NPV comes in a negative value, the project is in the status of discounted cash outflow of time. Some time with positive value of NPV risk could be accepted A present value is the value now invested for the cash flow it could be negative value or positive value. The value of each cash flow is needed to be adjusted for risk and the time value of money for a project. A net present value (NPV) considers all cash flows that including initial cash flows for example the cost of purchasing of an asset, whereas a present value does not. The simple present value is useful where the negative cash flow is an initial one-off, as when buying a security. A discount rate allied like this NPV = CF0 + CF1/(1+r) + CF2/(1+r)2 + CF3/(1+r)3   Where CF 1 is the cash flow the investor receives in the first year, CF2 the cash flow the investor receives in the second year etc. and r is the discount rate.( Ref: moneyterms.co.uk accessed on 11th May 2010) The series will typically end in a visual display unit value, which is a rough estimate of the value at that point. It is usual for this to be adequately far in the future to have only a minor effect on the NPV, so as rough estimate, usually based on a estimation ratio, that is acceptable. Periods other than a year could be used, but the discount rate needs to be adjusted. Assuming we start from an annual discount rate then to adjust to another period we would use, to get a rate i, given annual rate r, for a period x, where x is a fraction   or a multiple of the number of years: i + 1 = (r + 1)x To use discount rates that vary over time (so r1 is the rate in the first period, r2 = rate in the second period etc.) we would have to resort to a more basic form of the calcula tion: NPV = CF0 + CF1/(1+r1) + CF2/((1+r1) ÃÆ'Æ’-(1+r2)) + CF3/((1+r1) ÃÆ'Æ’-(1+r2) ÃÆ'Æ’-(1+r3))   This would be tedious to calculate by hand but is fairly easy to implement in a spreadsheet Strengths It will give the accurate decision advice assuming a perfect capital market. It will also give right ranking for mutually exclusive projects. NPV gives an absolute value. NPV allows for the time value for the cash flows. Weaknesses It is very difficult to identify the correct discount rate in the given project. NPV as method of investment assessment requires the decision criteria to be specified before the appraisal can be undertaken In contrast of NPV there are other three methods of investment appraisal Pay back Internal rate of return Accounting rate of return Pay Back In business and financial side refers to the period of time required for the return on an investment to pay back the sum of the original investment. Payback period which dealings the time required for the cash inflows to equal the original expense. It measures risk, not return. It will give you exact period to pay back Loan or finance, Difference between Cash inflows and Outflows are also outlined The payback period is both theoretically simple and easy to calculate. It is also a seriously unsound method of evaluating investments. The payback period is the time in use to recover the initial investment or initial capital. So a  £1m investment that will make a profit of  £200,000 a year has a payback period of five years. Investments with a short-term payback period are favored to those with a long period. Most companies using payback period as a regular will have a maximum acceptable period. The payback period has a number of serious flaws/Demerits: It attaches no value to cash flows after the end of the payback period. It makes no adjustments for risk. It is not directly related to wealth maximization as NPV is. It ignores the time value of money The cut off period is arbitrary. To compensate for some of these deficiencies, one can adjust the cash flow by discounting the cash flow using the WACC and then calculating the payback period. This only really adjusts for the time value of money and it therefore does not address the other deficiencies of the payback period. One justification for the use of the payback period is that it is conservative, as it values only short term returns which can be foreseen with reasonable certainty. However this argument does not really stand up to scrutiny; the NPV also adjusts for the uncertainty of future cash flows and does so correctly. Strengths Simple to compute Provides some information on the risk of the investment Provides a crude measure of liquidity Weaknesses It is not for very long financing, It doesnt deal with Time value of money so many times companies have to pay more than they actually acquire, Pay back period has limitations with Inflation as well, rise of inflation can cause serious damage to organizations finance. Interest rates are also not entirely covered, however we can calculate interest rate over pay back period, but it has some limitations. It makes no adjustment for risk as well. INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN The internal rate of return that is called (IRR) is a rate of return that is used in capital budgeting as a tool to calculate and compare the profitability of investment in the project. It is also called the discounted cash flow rate of return or simply the rate of return that is called ROR The Internal Rate of Return is the discount rate that generates a zero net present value for a sequence of future cash flows. This basically means that IRR is the rate of return that makes the amount of present value of future cash flows and the final market value of a project that equal its current market value. Internal Rate of Return provides a simple hurdle rate, whereby any project should be avoided if the cost of capital exceeds this rate. Usually a financial calculator has to be used to calculate this IRR, though it can also be mathematically calculated using the following formula Internal Rate of Return is the flip side of Net Present Value (NPV), where NPV is the discounted val ue of a stream of cash flows, generated from an investment. IRR thus computes the break-even rate of return showing the discount rate, below which an investment results in a positive NPV.  It calculates Break-even, IRR calculates an alternative cost of capital including an appropriate risk premium. (Ref: www.scribd.com/doc//Capital-Budgeting-of-Canteen-Wala  accessed on 15th May 2010) Strengths Academicians have long predictable the superiority of net present value (NPV) over internal rate of return (IRR), yet financial managers carry on to use IRR as a capital budgeting measure. Weakness IRR cannot not be use to rate mutually exclusive projects, mutually exclusive are those where you have to choose one project not both. The IRR also cannot be use in the usual manner for projects that start with an initial positive cash inflow, like Deposit in Fixed account by Customer, intermediate cash flows are never reinvested or considered at the projects IRR, thus making IRR little edgy as compared to NPV Accounting Rate of Return In finance, and accounting, it measures the excess or shortfall of. Input the cash flows and a discount rate or discount curve and outputting The accounting rate of return (ARR) is a very simple (in fact overly simple) rate of return: Average profit à · average investment As a percentage. Where average means arithmetic mean The profit number used is operating profit usually from a particular project). The average investment is the book value asset tied up. This is important as the profit figure used is after depreciation and amortization the means that value of assets used should also be after depreciation and amortization as well. ARR is most often used internally when selecting projects. It can also be used to measure the performance of projects and subsidiaries within an organization. It is rarely used by investors, and should not be used at all, because: Cash flows are more important to investors, and ARR is based on numbers that include non-cash items. ARR does not take into account the time value of money the value of cash flows does not diminish with time as is the case with NPV It does not adjust for the greater risk to longer term forecasts. There are better alternatives which are not significantly more difficult to calculate. The accounting rate of return is conceptually similar to pay back, and its flaws, in particular, are similar. A very important difference is that it tends to favour higher risk decisions (because future profits are insufficiently discounted for risk, as well as for time value), whereas use of the payback period leads to overly conservative decisions. Because ARR does not take into account the time value of money, and because it is wholly unadjusted for non-cash items, any method of selecting investments based on it is necessarily seriously flawed. Its only advantage is that it is very easy to calculate. It is fairly easy to construct (realistic) examples where it will lead to different choic es from NPV, and the NPV led decision is clearly correct. Strengths Considers the time value of money Considers the risk of the projects cash flows (through the cost of capital) Weaknesses No concrete decision criteria that indicate whether the investment increases the firms value Requires an estimate of the cost of capital in order to calculate the payback Ignores cash flows beyond the discounted payback period Recommendations An efficient understanding of present value concepts is of great support in the understanding of a wide range of areas of business decision making. The concepts are particularly important in managerial decision making, since many decisions made today affect the firms cash flows over future time periods for any project. In this report I have only discussed how to take the timing of the cash flows into concern. Risk and tax considerations must still be defined before the real-world decision maker has a tool that can be successfully applied. In addition, there are may be many qualitative factors that management wants to think before accepting or rejecting an investment. One another important thing is that NPV helps management in decision making for the approval and rejection of the project. Task 3 Part (a) RATIO ANALYSIS Financial ratio analysis is the computation and comparison of ratios which are derived from the information of the companys financial statements. We calculated different ratios to analyze companys financial position. Ratios are shown below Calculation of ratios for both years of Amber Lights Ltd, a high street fashion store RETURN ON CAPITAL EMPLOYED Capital employed is in general measured as fixed assets add current assets subtract Current liabilities and represents the long term investment in the business, or owners capital plus long term liabilities. Return on capital employed is frequently regarded as the best measure of profitability. Formula = Net profit before tax interest/ Capital employed Capital employed= total asset current liabilities LAST YEAR  £ THIS YEAR  £ = 22,000/144,000 0.152778 = 35,000/142,000 0.246479 Interpretation: Note that the profit before interest is used, because the loan capital compensated by that interest is included in capital employed. Amber Light Ltd ROC for last year is 15% which is very low not dramatically good because a low return on capital employed (assets used) is caused by either a low profit margin or a low asset turnover or both, but this year it has been increased by 24% which shows the increase in profitability of a company. RETURN ON ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS FUNDS Return on ordinary shareholders funds represent whether or not a company is generating satisfactory profits in relation to the resources invested in it by shareholders Formula = Net profit after taxation preference dividend / (ordinary share capital + reserves) LAST YEAR  £ THIS YEAR  £ = 14,000/(16,000+25,000) 14,000/41,000 0.341463 = 16,000/(16,000+25,000) 16,000/41,000 0.390244 Interpretation: Return on ordinary shareholder funds in last year was 0.341463 but it shows increase for this year by 0.390244 which is positive sign for the company. But if we see the over all percentage of the company that means company may not generating adequate profit as compare to resource been invested GROSS PROFIT MARGINE GPM is the amount remaining after paying for the cost of good sold. Having low GPM may result from low prices, high cost of material, and high cost of labour, bad product mix or a combination of these factors. Formula = Gross profit / sales LAST YEAR  £ THIS YEAR  £ = 92,000/350,000 0.262857 = 110,000/420,000 0.261905 Interpretation: The Gross profit margin reveals the percentage of each pound left over after the business has paid for its goods. Amber Light Limited gross profit in last year was 0.262857 but it has been slightly decreased by 0.261905 how ever the decrease in gross profit ratio indicates business might bearing high cost or may company issued some off sales on credit . NET PROFIT MARGIN Net Profit Margin ratio of net income to net sales is called the profit margin. It defines the profitability generated from revenue and hence is an important measure of operating performance Formula = Net profit before tax interest/ Sales LAST YEAR  £ THIS YEAR  £ =22,000/350,000 0.062857 =35000/420,000 0.083333 Interpretation: Profitability ratio of Amber light Ltd Company shows increase in trend that shows earning power of the business is strong and also indicates that companys pricing cost structure and production efficiency. CURRENT RATIO Current ration ratio is obtained by dividing the Total Current Assets of Amber light Company by its Total Current Liabilities. The ratio indicates as a test of liquidity for a company. It expresses the working capital relationship of current assets available to meet the companys current obligations. Formula = Total current asset / Total current liabilities LAST YEAR  £ THIS YEAR  £ =110,000/50,000 2.2 =136,000/92,000 1.478261 Interpretation Amber light Ltd Company has 2.2 of Current Assets this year and 1.478261 last year to meet $1.00 of its Current Liability ACID TEST RATIO This ratio is obtained by Total Quick Assets of a company divided by its Total Current Liabilities. Sometimes a company is carrying heavy inventory as part of its current assets, which might be outdated or slow moving. Thus deducting inventory from current assets and then doing the liquidity test is measured by this ratio. The ratio is considered as an acid test of liquidity for an organization. It defines the true working capital relationship of its cash, A/R, prepaid and notes receivables available to meet the organization current obligations. Formula =Cash + Government securities + receivables / Total current liabilities LAST YEAR  £ THIS YEAR  £ =(4,000+62,000+0)/50,000 66,000/50,000 1.32 =(1,000+72,000+0)/92,000 73,000/92,000 0.793478 Interpretation: It is a stringent test of liquidity. It is found by separating the most liquid current assets by current liquidity. Quick ratio of Amber light Company shows slight decrease of 0.793478 in this year as in last year it was 1.32 so, ratio has been decreased this year that Shows Company has low efficiency to meet its short term obligations from most liquid assets. AVERAGE STOCK TURNOVER PEIOD Average stock turnover period Measures the number of times a company converts its stock into sales during the year. When investigative this ratio it should be borne in mind that different companies will have varying levels of stock turnover depending on what they produce and the industry they operate in. Formula =Cost of good sold / Average stock LAST YEAR  £ THIS YEAR  £ =258,000/44,000 5.863636 =310,000/63,000 4.920635 Interpretation: In last year the inventories turn over were 5.8 or approximately 6 times which means Increasing inventory turns reduces holding cost. The organization spends very less amount of money on rent, utilities, insurance, maintenance, theft and other costs of maintaining a stock of good to be sold but in this year there is slightly decrease in inventory turn over which is 4.9 times which may result to overstocking. Part (b) Financial ratio analysis helps an organization to evaluate their employee performance, credit policies and also over all performance and efficiency of the company. After doing ratio analysis of the company it tell us that how company is improving its performance gradually. Some of its ratios shows sudden increase in certain areas like return on capital employed which has increased in this year from 15% to 25% that shows the increase in profitability of a company. Its mean company is optimum utilising their asset to earn more profit. In other words if we looked at ratio analysis of last year and this year which indicates that over all company performed well in this year thats mean company is efficiently utilising its asset and other resources they have minimised their liabilities. But overall the result of this year is better than the previous one. Limitations of ratios Following are the limitations of ratio analysis. The first and important limitation of the ratio category is Accounting information that means the different accounting policies which may misrepresent inter company comparisons. And secondly, through inventive accounting some accounts of the company are adjusted therefore, ratio analysis can give false explanations to the users. The second limitation of ratio is Information problems. The limitations problem in information are there because ratios are not ultimate measures, invalid information is presented in the financial statements, historical costs is not good for decision making, and ratios give general interpretations. Third form of limitation is Comparison of performance over the time. These limitations can caused by ratio analysis because of price changes, technology changes, changes in accounting policy and impact of organization size Many ratios are calculated on the basis of the balance sheet figures of the compa ny. These figures are as on the balance-sheet date only and may not be suggestive of the year round position. It can present current and past trends, but not future trends. Impact of inflation is not properly reflected the ratios analysis , as many figures are taken at historical for of data that is several years old. The ratios are only as good or bad as the essential information used to calculate them. Recommendations: In business strategy we emphasised on the role of the business environment in shaping strategic thinking and decision-making. The external environment in which a business is operating can creates a lot of opportunities which a business can exploit, as well as threats that could damage a business as well. However, to be in a position to take advantage of opportunities or react to threats, a business needs to have the right resources and capabilities in place. After analysing The Amber LIGHTS LTD financial statement we recommend that company must focus on the resource auditing to identify the resources available to a business as well as best utilisation of the resources. Some of these can be owned e.g. plant, building and machinery, retail outlets whereas other resources can be obtained through partnerships, mergers or simply supplier arrangements with other businesses. The resource auditing analysis helps to define the capabilities for AMBER LIGHTS LTD. An most important objec tive of a strategic auditing is to make sure that the business portfolio is strong and that business units requiring investment and management attention are highlighted. REFRENCES www.google.com (accessed on 3rd May 2010) www.investopedia.com (accessed on 9th June 2010) www.solutionmatrix.com (accessed on 12th June 2010) www.wikipedia.com (accessed on 7th June 2010) Van Horn J. (12th Edition) Financial management and policy (accessed on 1st May 2010) F.Birgham et C. Ehrhardt (10th Edition) Financial Management Theory and Practice (accessed on 5th May 2010)

Ethical Issue in Mcdonald - 1976 Words

Toys with Happy meal The Ethical Dilemma of McDonald’s McDonald’s currently faces a crisis, as parents, who objected to the free toys offered with the McDonald’s Happy Meal, sued the company. San Francisco passed a law banning free toys with food. In this paper, I will address how a corporation responds to a law, which challenges the organization’s current policies. I will also assess McDonald’s ethical dilemma of the balancing corporate concerns and community concerns, and I will argue they can still provide toys with their food if they can make their food healthier and the toys encourage children to eat healthy food. Description The decision of which restaurant to go to and which meal to buy may be based on the quality of the†¦show more content†¦What McDonald’s Did McDonald s announced that the toys are no longer free. The McDonald s now charges 10 cents for toys, and they donate 10 cents to the Ronald McDonald House. 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The Power of Subjugation in “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua...

Okonkwo in â€Å"Things Fall Apart† utilises direct imperatives to instruct those subordinate to him. This is seen throughout the text, such as when Okonkwo orders one of his wives to ‘get me a pot’ and ‘to leave the child alone’. The language used by Okonkwo serves as a tool of subjugation, with the coarse use of direct imperatives and harsh remarks serves to overpower them to the point of them becoming his slaves. Hugh as a societal and familial patriarch is presented in light of a failing patriarch, such as the way in which he represents a static, inward-looking, self-satisfied way of life, whose response to modern outside influences is to ignore them. For example, he is in denial about the colonisation that’s taking place, to the degree†¦show more content†¦Hugh’s attitude towards Owen is one which is more positive and kind then that compared to Manus. 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Comparing Chapters 1 and 6 in Of Mice and Men by John...

Comparing Chapters 1 and 6 in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Steinbeck uses the opening of his novel to introduce to us the main characters of the novel and also to hint at the forthcoming events that are yet to come in the novel. In the opening Steinbeck describes the setting as a tranquil and peaceful scene, which is almost like the Garden of Eden this, is almost too good to be true this also describe George and Lennies dream. Everything in the setting is natural, the deep green pool of the Salinas River and a far rush of wind sounded and a gust drove through the tops of the trees like a wave. The language creates a feeling of light and brightness, particularly the twinkling†¦show more content†¦George and Lennie upset the natural scene at the pool near the Salinas River as they arrive just like they upset the scene at the ranch. Once George and Lennie arrive at the ranch we begin to establish and understand the characters and their relationships. George and Lennie have a father like son relationship because George is the one who has to sort out the mess Lennie has gotten himself into and always explain to him what they are doing and where, he feels responsible for Lennie and looks out for him but George also likes the relationship between him and Lennie because he wants someone to talk to, a companion and someone who can look out for him too. Lennie is dependant on George and he obeys him with out question and doesnt get into trouble but when Lennie is alone he gets into trouble straight away. Lennie is innocent like a child, he is a little kid inside a big mans body. He likes to stroke pets and stroke different type of materials such as velvet. Lennie used to always kill his pet mouse that was given to him by his Aunt Clara because she was dead and he didnt have any pets he used to stroke dead mice that he found lying on the floor. The death of his mice foreshadows the death of his puppy, Lennie doesnt know his own strength he only strokes the

Allegory of the Cave vs The Matrix Essay - 1473 Words

Imagine living through life completely bound and facing a reality that doesn’t even exist. The prisoners in Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† are blind from true reality as well as the people in the movie â€Å"The Matrix† written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. They are given false images and they accept what their senses are telling them, and they believe what they are experiencing is all that really exists. Plato the ancient Greek philosopher wrote â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave†, to explain the process of enlightenment and what true reality may be. In the movie â€Å"The Matrix†, Neo (the main character) was born into a world of illusions called the matrix. His true reality is being controlled by the puppet- handlers called the machines who†¦show more content†¦In â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave,† Plato also stated that eventually one of the prisoners, who Plato would say was the philosopher or intellectual, would break free from the cave and into the outside world. The one prisoner that Plato refers to, would also reflect Neo in â€Å"The Matrix† when he in being released from his pod that the machines have created. Once the prisoner of the cave has broken free he can now look all around him, and see the objects as they really are and the people carrying them as well. While in the movie â€Å"The Matrix†, Neo is using is own eyes for the first time and sees that he is actually living in a human factory. In Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† he states that the freed prisoner would be shocked by the outside world, he would not be able to see the realities that he was used to deep in the shadows of the cave. The prisoner would try to think that what he saw and experienced before was truer than what is he sees now. When Neo is revived from being detached from the pod, Morpheus tells him what state the world is in now and Neo is in a state of disarray and denial. Thi s new knowledge of the truth, overwhelmed Neo so much that he vomited and passed out. The released prisoner in â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave† might feel that what he is seeing was the illusion and shadows on the wallShow MoreRelatedThe Matrix And Allegory Of The Cave Analysis769 Words   |  4 Pagesboth The Matrix and Allegory of the Cave. The Matrix, written by Lana Wachowski illustrates many questions throughout. The main character, Neo, tries finding Morpheus in need of an answer to his question. What is the Matrix? Considering, Morpheus is the most dangerous man alive, he does all that he can to find him. Neo is approached by Trinity and led to the underworld to meet Morpheus. They soon realize that Neo is â€Å"The One† who can defeat the Matrix. Similarly,The Allegory of the Cave,which tookRead More A Comparison of The Matrix and Platos The Allegory of the Cave1838 Words   |  8 PagesComparison of The Matrix and Platos The Allegory of the Cave In the movie The Matrix we find a character by the name of Neo and his struggle adapting to the truth...to reality. This story is closely similar to an ancient Greek text written by Plato called The Allegory of the Cave. Now both stories are different but the ideas are basically the same. Both Stories have key points that can be analyzed and related to one another almost exactly. There is no doubt that The Matrix was based off GreekRead MoreMetz Film Language a Semiotics of the Cinema PDF100902 Words   |  316 Pagesleast theoretically, have analyzed the film successively on all its levels. ** The word type is used here in the sense that one speaks, for example, of the ablative absolute as a type peculiar to Latin. A type in grammar is a productive analogical matrix. † Among the authors who have devised tables of montage, or classifications of various kinds—or who have studied separately a specific type of montage—I am indebted notably to Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Kuleshov, Timochenko, Bà ©la Balà ¡zs, Rudolf Arnheim

Milton’s Paradise Lost The Story of Satan’s Power Politics Free Essays

In Paradise Lost, Book I II   the power struggle between Satan, his followers on the one hand   and God and his angels on the other provides a good story with dramatic conflict. In Book I Satan â€Å"who durst defy the Omnipotent to arms† emerges as leader of a rebel group who are overwhelmed by their first defeat but not totally overcome. As a punishment of his ambition and audacity, Satan and his comrades were â€Å"hurled headlong from the ethereal sky †¦to bottomless perdition. We will write a custom essay sample on Milton’s Paradise Lost: The Story of Satan’s Power Politics or any similar topic only for you Order Now † (Bk.I.l.45) Like a statesman with strategic insight he converts this defeat as a springboard for the   next battle and accordingly inspires his followers with a thunderous call: â€Å"What though the field be lost?/All is not lost: the unconquerable will,/ And study of revenge, immortal hate,†(ll.105-07) He instills a confidence in his comrades that victory and defeat are in the hands of the fighters. So his clarion call to his army is addressed to boost their morale and shake off their depression: â€Å"Awake, arise, or be for ever fallen!†. (l.330) There is also the hint that the first battle was lost due to lack of experience and a inadequate strategy. Moreover, the strength of the enemy (the Almighty) was also not known. Now with hindsight they can formulate a better strategy for an embarking on a war that can end only in triumph. Besides, he has a worthy lieutenant in Beelzebub who has great admiration for the general and mobilize the army. The story of struggle between the ambitious and scheming Satan and the Almighty has all the ingredients of a good plot– a bold and strong anti-hero as the protagonist, the vivid descriptive and narrative power, the sublime epic style, the dramatic dialogues and the technique of beginning the story in the middle of action. Nine days after their expulsion from the bliss of Heaven, Satan and his followers lie stupefied in the burning lake of Hell. Then he rises and awakens his worthy Second-in-Command to lead his army to the scorching dry land and hold a meeting to devise the winning strategy. Presently,   a vast council chamber is built to hold a conference of the great Angels. Readers’ attention is arrested by the suspense about the nature of   crime for which such harsh punishment has been meted out to them. Members of Satan’s inner circle – Moloch, Belial and Mammon — offer their opinions, but it is Beelzebub’s suggestion about secretly ruining God’s new creation that is accepted as a fitting revenge against the Almighty. As none offers to undertake this perilous task, Satan volunteers   to take the voyage to the earth after passing through the Hell gate and Chaos. Milton has used flash back technique to present earlier events with the help of dreams, reminiscences and conversations (in Books V-VIII) It seems in Satan Milton has subconsciously created a character for whom he feels sympathy and admiration. But C.S. Lewis refutes this view in A Preface to Paradise Lost: â€Å"It may mean that Milton’s presentation of him is a magnificent poetical achievement which engages the attention and excites the admiration of the reader.† (Lewis.94)   The setting of Hell is an integral part of Milton’s epic style. It is   appropriate as place for punishment of the expelled angels. But Satan with his ingenuity turns it into an advantage by erecting a vast palace called Pandemonium. There he hatches the conspiracy to destroy God’s creation. Hell also highlights the change of scenario for the angels who have fallen from grace. Milton gives us a vivid account of the flaming hell without light and the miserable plight of the fallen angels writhing in pain. The vanquished followers of Satan â€Å"who lay entranced/ thick as autumnal leaves that strow the brooks.†(ll.301-02). Milton further portrays them â€Å"with looks/ downcast and damp †¦ have found their chief/ not in despair, to have found themselves not lost/ in loss itself;† (ll.522-26) To the   dejected followers comes the uplifting call â€Å"Cherub and Seraph rolling in the flood/ with scattered arms and ensign,† The congregation of the fallen angels at Pademonium is described with due pomp:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Of trumpets loud and clarions be upreared/ his mighty standard (ll.532-33) The fighting spirit of the downcast and damp followers are raised with the help of   sonorous metal blowing martial sounds and ten thousand colorful banners fluttering in the wind and serried shields in thick array convey the impression of the preparation of a counter attack. â€Å"The imperial ensign†¦with gems and golden luster rich emblazed,/ Seraphic arms and trophies:(ll.538-39). We get a grand impression of Satan â€Å"in shape and gesture proudly eminent/ stood like a tower† (ll.590-91)   â€Å"his face/ deep scars of thunder had intrenched †¦ under brows of dauntless courage, and considerable pride† (ll.600-603) The wealth of details truly conforms to the epic tradition and adds to its grandeur. Millions of rebellious spirits thus stand suffering silently with loyalty and devotion to their commander even after being flung from their eternal splendor, â€Å"driven out of bliss, condemned/ in his abhorred deep to utter woe;/ where pain of unextinguishable fire† (Bk.II.ll.86-88). Satan’s makes a dramatic escape from Hell with a view to covertly strike God by sabotaging his beautiful creation. However, according to F.R. Leavis, â€Å"After the first two books, magnificent in their simple force (party politics in the Grand Style Milton can compass), Paradise Lost, though there are intervals of relief, becomes dull and empty: ‘all,’ as Raleigh says, ‘is power, vagueness, and grandeur.’ Milton’s inadequacy to myth, in fact, is so inescapable†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Leavis 61) If the setting of Paradise Lost is changed, we have a new story. In modern era a person of   Satan’s caliber would be hailed as an irrepressible leader of the opposition party in a country with democratic set up. His goal would be to dislodge the ruling party in power in the election. He would aim to convince people by highlighting the government’s failures and underestimating its achievement. Naturally, there would neither be God nor Satan, neither Heaven nor Hell, neither angels nor devils in the new scenario. The ambition to rule would not be regarded a punishable offence. Examples and parallels abound. Many countries in Asia now have militant groups of separatists who declare themselves as â€Å"Liberation Force† that wage armed battles against their own government for freedom and autonomy (naming them would be unwise). Satan’s role has affinity with a militant trade union leader who sometimes, like Lech Walesa in Poland, can win election and   become the President. In stead of brute force the opposition leader uses his political strategies and communication skill to convince majority of the voters that the ruling party is at fault and their country will be safer in the hands of his political party.   In U.K. the Labor party won the election overthrowing their rival Tories in 1994 under the leadership of Tony Blair. It is the business of the opposition to pick holes in the performance of the ruling party. He would criticize their policies, attack their inefficiency, expose their corruption and project them as responsible for country’s backwardness. He would offer better plans and strategies to get the country out of the mess. He does not have to fight physically to defeat his rival like Satan, but the methods of   attack have much resemblance. As Satan says: â€Å"our better part remains/ to work in close design, by fraud or guile,† (Bk.I.ll.645-46) and his continual emphasis on victory: â€Å"For who can think submission? War then, war/ open or understood must be resolved.† (ll.661-62) The opposition leader often resorts to disparaging remarks and undermining the image of his rival as Satan debunks God, â€Å"Who now triumphs, and in excess of joy/ sole reigning holds the tyranny of heaven.† (ll.123-24) The political rival is presented as oppressor. The main difference is that in Milton’s world there no neutral voters who decide the fate of the leaders. It is God and his angels are in power, and Satan and his ambitious followers endeavor to dethrone Him. Like real life politics there are fence-sitters and defectors in Paradise Lost. The rebel leaders’ meeting in Book II to discuss and debate their strategies has a parallel in modern politics. It may be argued that Milton’s religious epic still have relevance in a secular world. Satan’s story is everyman’s search for power and his struggle to gain it. The underlying theme of Satan’s struggle against God and his angels is that of   search for power and motivate a demoralized group of fallen angels and a determination   to sacrifice everything to conquer Heaven and rule it. As Satan proclaims: â€Å"to be weak is miserable,/ Doing or suffering:† (ll.157-58) â€Å"To wage by force or guile eternal war,/ Irreconcileable to our grand foe,† (ll.121-22)   The main characters, the epic style, the inspiring speech, and the preparation for a â€Å"perpetual war† all help to develop the theme of pursuit of power and the use all means to get it. Satan shows the right mindset of a winner who would not accept anything short of   victory as he speaks candidly about it: â€Å"To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell:/ Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.†(Bk.I.ll.262-63) Satan represents the freedom-loving individualist who also demonstrates great pragmatic sense by adapting himself to the harsh realities of   Hell and consoles himself with his psychological insight: â€Å"The mind is its own place, and in itself/ Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.† (Bk.I.ll.254-255) Work Cited Lewis, C.S. A Preface to Paradise Lost. London. O.U.P. 1984 Leavis, F.R. Revaluation. Harmondsworth. Penguin.1972 Abrams, M.H. Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature.(7th ed) New York. W.W.Norton Co. 2001. pp.722-764 April 28, 2008 How to cite Milton’s Paradise Lost: The Story of Satan’s Power Politics, Essay examples

Blind Date depends for its success upon the encouragement of gender, social and cultural stereotypes Essay Example For Students

Blind Date depends for its success upon the encouragement of gender, social and cultural stereotypes? Essay How far would you agree with the opinion that Blind Date as a formulaic programme format depends for its success upon the encouragement of gender, social and cultural stereotypes? Write a critical and analytical review of one episode of the programme. You may consider:  · Use of character types  · Language  · Arrangement of the programme  · Technical aspects Blind Date is a popular, intellectually undemanding, Saturday night show that attracts over eight million viewers every week. But why? Is it Cillas contagious laugh? Or is it the interesting, exotic places the couples visit? Or maybe it is the fact that you realise there are people more desperate than you are and they are declaring it on TV. Whatever it is, it works. But how much of it is real? The contestants seem to be definite characters rather than real people. They fit into the moulds of various stereotypes that have been set. The first stereotype we see is the ordinary bloke. This is Tony from Reading, he is a working class Royal Mail manager, He goes to the pub for a quick pint with his friends and he is known as the common Joe. He stresses that he is a lad because he wants to emphasise his heterosexuality and this is because a homosexual male is still not fully accepted in society and is the subject of ridicule among his male peers. The next stereotype we encounter is Jack the Lad; a working class male who likes a laugh, his beer and chasing birds. He is Mike the metal worker from Devon. He has quite a strong Devon accent, which can sometimes make him sound a bit stupid. His answers are obviously scripted because he uses alliteration, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I like my birds and my boozeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ He is speaking in his natural voice, which is laidback but shows him to be loud and cocky. He is an extrovert and loves the reaction he gets from the infamous pork pie story. He links back to this in all his answers and the canned laughter is overplayed. During the show, the use of sexual innuendo is common and here is no exception, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and Im meaty on the insideà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The last male contestant is Pete from London who is a surgeon cue audience: Oooooh! He is middle class but is trying to cover this so he can be just one of the lads. He is wearing an eye-catching shirt, which is casually left untucked out of his fake leather trousers; he also displays some designer stubble. He puts on an Estuary English accent to sound more proletarian. This results in his saying such words as nipper and youll be larfing, but he cannot hide his background when he says words like portfolio and elegant. The lucky lady who has the chance to choose one of these three lads is Vicky from Coventry. She is quite confident and uses lots  of sexual innuendo. This is obviously scripted as she is describing her car and she says it is like Cilla, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and when she goes, she goesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ She also greets the boys with Hello Boys the trademark phrase of Wonderbra. This is titillation for the male audience. Another example of this is, I would be the Eiffel Tower. You can scale the heights with me for a bit of ooh la la and the views from the top are amazing. The couple from the previous weeks show return smiling and walking together so the question of whether Cilla should buy a new hat is still on the viewers minds. The two lovebirds on this particular show were Natalie and Chris. Chris is the good catholic Irish boy who looks very similar to the presenter Craig Doyle. He is the type of boy your mum would love you to bring home. He looks innocent as if he needs a girl to mother him. He has the all-important happy go lucky Irish charm. His accent is mostly perceived as funny, friendly and approachable. Nevertheless, as soon as he gets the chance, he starts to badmouth Natalie and reveals he had a very interesting time with a singing waitress. Animal Farm - Lord Of The Flies EssayNaomi is self-conscious, spoilt and of mixed race. She expected Richard to have a tanned surfers body, blonde hair and blue eyes. When he calls her a whale she is almost in tears as you can see that weight is an issue for her. He later explains that is not what he meant. She does not seem to accept this and is very angry. This couple go beyond the usual stereotypes, he is not a typical Australian and she is not a typical demure girl of mixed race. This may confuse the audience but  they accept it with out question because it does not occur to them to query the stereotypes that have been set. We were given an article written by an undercover reporter posing as a contestant on Blind Date who was able to confirm that our suspicions of pre-planned answers are correct. She also revealed that the make-up artists and researchers give the contestants advice and clues on whom to pick. They do this by underlining the intended winners number on the script. The contestants all have their lines to learn and if these are said wrongly, it is cut out. In the article, we read a woman explained the one of the male contestants kept on fluffing his lines so they had to keep reshooting that piece until it was correct. That does not sound like reality TV to me. Cilla always has to be shown as the funnier, clever one. If anyone disregards this, it will be edited and cut out. She is not a specific stereotype; she is a scouser who made it big. The answers or character information that is given are always easy targets for Cilla and our Graham, the commenter, to make jokes about. The holidays they win seem to be very expensive and the camera work accentuates this by filming the entrances of grand hotels and the beautiful landmarks. This makes the show look classy instead of brassy. The holiday video is careful not to give too much away and always leaves the audience wondering if this is the one in a million couple that fall in love. They also use background music to create a certain atmosphere and make the show seem modern and trendy, but to me this fails. The show is popular for various reasons. Some people watch it and realise their prejudices are correct; some watch it to have these prejudices confirmed. People are naturally inquisitive and like to know what other people do with their lives. Blind Date gives a painfully accurate view of youth culture today. People watch it and believe it is real when it is more similar to Coronation Street as opposed to Big Brother. In the world people are always going to be judged and then pigeon holed. Blind Date obviously encourages this but it just shows the mentality of the eight million British viewers who watch it every week. The people on the show are pretentious and fake but they are encouraged to be like this. Surely, this is wrong because when the programme is seen by its target audience they will believe that they too have to fit into a certain stereotype. Blind Date crushes your individuality and the only thing it is good for is to raise your self-esteem by reassuring yourself that you will never be that desperate.