The Use of Lightning, Music, and Mini-scenes in Williams Play A Streetcar Named Desire - Free Essay Example

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The Biltmore Estate The Largest Home in America Essay

The Biltmore Estate is located in Asheville, North Carolina. It is the largest privately owned home in the United States. It was privately owned by George Washington Vanderbilt and his family. The house was designed by Richard Morris Hunt. Frederick Law Olmsted designed the landscape. The Biltmore Estate had a major role in the development of the creative architecture of the era and is well known for being Americas largest home. The Biltmore Estate was built from 1889 and 1895. It cost about $10,000,000 to build. The Biltmore Estate was built on 125,000 acres of land. It had a total of 250 rooms. Included in these rooms is a swimming pool and a bowling alley. In the Biltmore Estate, there are 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65†¦show more content†¦After Hunt died in July 31, 1895, his son continued his work on the Biltmore Estate, even though it was essentially finished. The center of the Biltmore Village was the All Souls Episcopal Cathedral. This was one of Hunt’s favorite, but least known works. Today, full-height portraits of Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted, the great designers, hang in the Biltmore. The Biltmore Estate had a major role in the development of the creative architecture of the era. The Biltmore had features and materials that were new and of the best quality of the time period. Some of the things in the house that were unique at the time were electric lighting, telephones, and an elevator. The stone used in the construction of the Biltmore was very popular and expensive at the time. It was mined in Indiana. Since the Biltmore included such new amenities, the house was considered a luxury. Since it is one of the largest privately owned house in the U.S., it attracts a lot of tourists. About one million tourist visit this house each year. Before a railroad was built near the city in 1880, Asheville was relatively quiet . After the railroad was built, tourists began visiting the city. Of these tourist was George Washington Vanderbilt. He was visiting the city with his mother to find aid for her chronic malaria. At that time, Asheville was known to have a â€Å"healing environment† due to its altitude and climate. Though Vanderbilt’s original sketchShow MoreRelatedBiltmore944 Words   |  4 PagesThe Biltmore Estate represents the finest architecture, construction, and materials available in the late nineteenth century. The famous house was built by George Vanderbilt, grandson of Corneluis Vanderbilt. George inherited money from Cornelius, a pioneer in the railroad industry (Hudson et al. 113). Cornelius Vanderbilt gained much of his wealth and prominence through hard work in the railroad and shipping industries (Cohen n. pag). BY the time he died, his railroad company he owned was

Mandating a Graduation Test to Stop Students from Slipping...

Throughout America the high school graduation rate is on the rise. This is great but are students actually learning what is important or are they slipping by. According to Daniel Kortez, a Harvard Professor, this might be the case. That is why we need to mandate a graduation test in North Dakota. What is the purpose of having the next generation graduate from high school but not have adequate knowledge to continue into the real world and in further education? The North Dakota Department of Public Instructions needs to mandate a standardized test which students must pass to demonstrate whether students are prepared for the real world, provide accurate comparison between sub groups, and show whether or not the current curriculum is†¦show more content†¦According to Education.com, sub groups can provide the school with data about ethnicity, special needs and socioeconomic status (Standardized). This provides schools with data about how to better enhance their students’ education and create programs that would be useful to students. Similarly, this graduation final will also give a superb evaluation of the current courses. The final reason that we need to commision a graduation test is to make sure that the schools and curriculum are properly teaching students.When I was in fifth grade I learned very little. At the time I thought that it was pretty cool but the following year my grammar skill were insufficient. That is why we need to mandate a graduation test. It would show if the students are accurately learning in the curriculum. Daniel Kortez a Harvard professor agrees. He thinks that graduation tests give us an accurate way of finding out what students actually know (Usable). Standardized tests also hold schools and faculty accountable for students knowledge. The scores of these types of test become public after a certain time. This would then show the public if the current curriculum is up to the task of effectively teaching students. This can lead to the loss of a job and maybe even the take over of a school to make sure that the students are learning properly (Standardized). People who oppose t he graduation test would say that teachers would then teach to the test. To prevent this the school

Over Abundance and Waste Free Essays

Over Abundance Imagine saving everything; from pieces of string, tin foil, and old clothing. Fifty years ago not much was being thrown away. In addition, almost everything had a considerably longer life span. We will write a custom essay sample on Over Abundance and Waste or any similar topic only for you Order Now According to Joshua Becker he states from his blog â€Å"from the moment we are born, we are told to pursue more†. Today, our lives are inundated with advertisements on television, radio, newspaper, magazine, billboard, and websites  that encourage us that more is better. As a result, we toil for long hours so that we can buy the biggest homes and fanciest cars, wear the trendiest fashions, and use the coolest technologies. What led us to this place of having and wanting so much stuff; stuff that we literally do not know what to do with or where to put when we are done with it? What we buy, what we use, what we keep and throw away make up the fabric of our daily lives. A sea of stuff flows in and out with such speed we hardly realize the global impact attached to each and every item we buy. â€Å"The process of becoming obsolete; falling into disuse or becoming out of date is also called obsolescence. (Rogers) Compared to fifty years ago our society is better known as a throwaway society; in essence we are never satisfied with what we have and always want more. Craving the latest trends and newest gadgets coming out every season, many people tend to just toss out the old items and purchase new. Common examples of this reckless and selfish behavior include: electronic devices (cell phones, I Pods and computers), clothing (newest fashion trends) and small appliances. In our collective society many people want more of what is new rather than repairing the item. The current generation of people (Generation Y) is described by the www. freedictionary. com as â€Å"members of the generation of people born since the early 1980s that are seen as being discerning consumers with a high disposable income has more time and money than any other. † A combination of new technology and the internet is partially responsible for this transformation. With the explosion of electronic access (free WiFi and smart phone technology) consumers today are exposed to persistent and persuasive advertisements. Instead of making an expensive product that will last a long time, businesses produce more affordable, disposable items. In addition, technological advances cause many people to discard products well before there useful lifespan has been achieved. For example; some electronic items such as portable DVD player ($50) have become so inexpensive that it is cheaper to replace them. Our society has been conditioned that time is money which busy people translate into paying for convenience over saving money. Conversely, complicated computerized equipment may be difficult or time consuming to repair and consumers may be less inclined to wait for a repair. Multimedia has programmed our generation to become a materialistic type society that focuses on the buildup of many new things over things that still work. â€Å"With only 5% of the global population the U. S. consumes 30% of the planets’ resources and creates approximately 30% of its waste. †(Rogers) Growth in America is being driven by a new sense of convenience and disposability. Paper plates, frozen foods, TV dinners, and aerosol cans are the way of the future, bringing a new convenience and ease to everyone’s life style. This drive thru mentality has filtered through our society and fueled our desire for more while reducing our level of patience and tolerance. â€Å"For example; we can live our lives without leaving our homes or automobiles using drive thru access for fast food, online education, pharmacies, dry cleaners and even banks. † (Rogers, 2) Today â€Å"to go† food comes in cheap, disposable single use packaging. Pre-packaged frozen and canned foods are increasingly popular, generating additional waste. Milk used to come in glass bottles that were recycled each morning when fresh milk was delivered. â€Å"Now, most beverages come in plastic bottles, of which less than a third is recycled. † (Rogers, 5)  These quick and easy products have been developed to suit our desire or instant gratification and convenience. Here are some simple and cost effective solutions that our society can implement to reduce our carbon footprint. Bring your own reusable bags when you go shopping. Buy things that can be reused over and over, like rechargeable batteries. Clean counters with a cloth towel instead of disposable paper towels. Create your own cleaning solutions using baking soda and bleach which are less harmful to our environment and cost effective. Ask whether your delivery person will recycle the plastic bags and rubber bands that newspapers come in. These are just a few simple ways to help make the earth a better place for our future. â€Å"More advanced technology being put on the market every six months our society has become a throwaway society. With technological advances and the desire to have the latest and greatest products who would want to pay almost the same price for something to be repaired when you can get it brand new? † (Rogers 2) Americans as a whole have become wasteful with material and place more importance on time and convenience. For our world to continue with plentiful resources we need to start making changes and change the way we live and use our precious natural resources more efficiently to have a better future. How to cite Over Abundance and Waste, Essay examples

Completeness of Strategic Performance Management

Question: Discuss about the Completeness of Strategic Performance Management. Answer: Introduction The Australian government has introduced various legislations relating to climate change. As a result, companies have incorporated environmental sustainability measures in their Strategic Performance Measurement Systems (SPMS). Ideally, these firms have not been disclosing their SPMS adoption in their annual reports. However, after enacting of the legislations by the government, many organizations have shown their willingness to disclose their SPMS adoption. If the disclosure of SPMS adoption is not linked to rewards systems or compensation plans, then it is just a mechanism to brainwash the shareholders or investors (Aguinis, 2009). This research paper has two sections. Part 1 looks at the profile of two Australian public companies and discusses the criteria that I have chosen in deciding whether those two businesses have adopted a multi-perspective SPMS. Besides, this section examines the SPMS disclosure of those two companies, discusses whether there have been any changes made in SPMS disclosures between 2014 and 2015 concerning the objectives, perspectives, targets and measures set and compares the SPMS disclosures of the two enterprises. Section 2, on the other hand, looks at the performance of the two companies and links their performance to rewards or compensation plans. Ideally, it analyses their financial results, investigates whether they link their SPMS targets or measures with rewards or compensation plans and explains whether the two businesses have strengthened their competitive advantage or not. Company profile and disclosure of SPMS In this analysis, I choose Telstra Corporation Limited, which comes from the telecommunications industry, a non-environmentally sensitive industry, and BHP Billiton Inc, which is in the mining sector, an environmentally sensitive industry (Araz, and Ozkarahan, 2007, pp.585-606). Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications firm which offers communications services. Telstra Corporation Limited is traded on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) with ticker symbol TSL. BHP Billiton Inc, on the other hand, is an Australian multinational company traded on the Australian Stock Exchange with ticker symbol BHP. As of 2015, this business was the largest mining company by market values (Bhagwat, and Sharma, 2007, pp.43-62). It mines products such as iron ore, coal, petroleum, nickel, natural gas, uranium, and copper. Criteria Used in Deciding the Adopt of a Multi-perspective SPMS by the Companies According to Elijido-Ten and Tjan (2014), companies use the balance scorecard approach as a performance measurement system to define their strategies and objectives thus allowing the management to supplement financial measures with a mix of non-financial metrics. Ideally, there are four performance measurement perspectives, which include financial perspective, internal process perspective, customer perspective, and learning and growth perspective (Daley, 2006, pp.120-134). The financial perspective describes whether a company's mission, strategy, vision and objectives have led to its improved economic and fiscal success. Here, the management performs an economic analysis to determine whether the firm is succeeding or failing. The customer perspective looks at what a company does to keep its customers that is its customer relationship. If a corporation has a strong customer relationship, then it is performing well (de Waal, Kourtit, and Nijkamp, 2009, pp.1242-1265). However, if its cu stomer relationship is weak and there are no return customers, then it is failing. The internal business process perspective monitors the internal processes of a business and the internal control system in those processes to determine whether the firm is succeeding or not. Here, the business looks at factors such as the quality of the products, the innovation used by the company and distribution services. A weak internal control system at these processes will indicate that a company is failing, while a strong internal control system would mean a successful business. Elijido-Ten and Tjan (2014) further states that to determine the SPMS disclosures of the firms, one looks at three essential features that is a distinct mission, vision, and strategy statement, relevant and measurable targets (prospective financial statements) and indicators of past and current performance (backward-looking statements). Back looking statements usually communicate a firm's previous sustainability initiatives, performance measures, and targets while forward-looking looks at predicted sustainability goals and objectives that have been recognized by the enterprise (Elijido-Ten, 2011). Finally, strategy statements summarize how the non-financial targets can be linked to the financial goals. The SPMS disclosure of the Two Companies The approach of Telstra focuses on improving customer experience, building new business units and driving client value. Telstra achieves improved customer advocacy by providing their customers with outstanding mobile service in Australia. Their strategy statement indicates that they are committed to maintaining their market share as a network leader (Elijido-Ten, 2013). This is evident because they invested $ 1.1 billion in 2015 in their mobile network and they have considered expanding their 4G mobile. This is the first SPMS disclosure that Telstra Corporation has made in its annual report. Besides, the company has launched a global managed network services as well as a global Infrastructure service. This is evidenced by the fact that they have established a new business unit, Global Enterprise, and Services, which aims at delivering innovation and globalization. Telstra Corporation has disclosed its customer perspective in that in its strategy; the management stated that they were committed to improving the services and experiences of clients and this is evidenced by the fact that they have implemented a Net Promoter System (NPS) program, which seeks feedback from customers and helps them measure their progress. This is the second SPMS adopted by Telstra Corporation (Elijido-Ten and Tjan, 2014). The 2014 annual report of Telstra Corporation contains backward-looking statements, as the past and current data is evident. The strategy BHP Billiton focuses on owning and operating large, cheap and expandable diversifiable assets (Ferreira, and Otley, 2009, pp.263-282). They have managed to achieve this strategy by positioning itself to continue to meet the ever-changing needs of the consumers. Besides, their plan involves ensuring the health and safety of their workers and ensuring that they maintain their ethical and responsible behavior. With this strategy, it is evident that BHP Billiton has adopted SPMS by making sure that they achieve the customer, the financial and learning, and growth perspective. The 2014 annual report of BHP Billiton also contains forward-looking statements that is trends in commodity prices, exchange rates, plans, products demand, forecast, anticipated production, capital costs, operating costs, anticipated projects and so forth. This is evident by the use of words such as anticipate, believes, plan, expects, intend, estimates, aims, projects or similar words. Discussion of Any Changes Made in SPMS Disclosures regarding the Perspectives, Objectives, Measures and Targets Set During the year ended 2015, Telstra Corporation has aimed at maintaining their focus on improving customer advocacy, driving value and building new growth businesses. This means that their SPMS disclosures have not changed. Their goal of ensuring employee involvement, everyone connected and environmental leadership has not changed from 2014 to 2015. BHP Billiton has also not changed on its SPMS disclosure measures in 2015. This is because the management has still embarked on the same sustainability as in 2014 that is putting health and safety first, supporting their communities and being environmentally responsible (Franco-Santos, Kennerley, Micheli, Martinez, Mason, Marr, Gray, and Neely, 2007, pp.784-801). Comparison of the SPMS disclosures of the Two Companies A comparison of BHP Billiton Inc and Telstra Corporation would indicate that BHP Billiton performs forward-looking statements while Telstra has backward-looking statements. Both companies have strategy reports (Kaplan, and Norton, 2007, p.150). BHP Billiton aims at operating huge, low-cost, long-life and expandable diversifiable assets while Telstra Corporation aims at improving the advocacy customers, driving value and building new initiatives. Based on the balanced scorecard, one can analyze the financial performance of BHP Billiton and Telstra Corporation. On the economic perspective, the revenue of Telstra has increased by 20% from 2014 to 2015. Its costs have also increased by 4.6%, which implies that Telstra is not performing well (Need, 2006). The return on investment on Telstra was 18.9% in 2015, which is not a good indicator as it decreased from 20.4% in 2014. The return on equity of Telstra amounted to 30.3% in 2015, which was a decline from 32.3% in 2014. This led to a drop in stock price, thus a small remuneration for its executives. The revenue of BHP Billiton, on the other hand, has decreased by 21%. This means that BHP Billiton is a poor performing company than Telstra Corporation regarding revenue. The annual report of 2015 of BHP Billiton gives a summary of their key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs enable them to measure their financial performance and sustainable development. The first KPI of BHP Billiton is total recordable injury frequency (TRIF). During the period, the number of injuries reduced from 4.18 million to 4.1 million. This is a reduction by 2%. This KPI links to the strategy of BHP Billiton in that they have ensured the health and safety of their people. Second, BHP Billiton has involved itself in community investment (Need, 2006). In 2015, their community investment totalled $ 225 million, which comprised of $ 142 million in cash and a contribution of $ 83 million to the BHP Billiton Foundation. This links to their strategy in that they believe in operating an ethical and socially responsible firm. Third, total shareholder return is a capital management KPI of BHP Billiton. In 2015, the companys total shareholder return was -27% because of a decline i n share price. This links to their strategy in that they measure their performance concerning shareholder wealth generation. Lastly, BHP Billiton green gas emissions were 38.3 million which represented a reduction of 6% from 2014. This links to its strategy in that the company aimed at achieving the global challenge of climate change. An Investigation of Whether the Two Companies Link their SPMS Measures with Executive Rewards The Board of Telstra Corporation believes that total shareholder return is an appropriate performance hurdle or measure because it relates executive rewards or compensation plan to its share price performance about its competitors (Elijido-Ten and Tjan, 2014). This is an SPMS measure that Telstra has adopted, and it is, therefore, evident that it links to executive rewards. From the annual report of BHP Billiton, it is clear that the board has not connected their SPMS measures with the executive compensation plan. Telstra has accomplished to enhance its competitive advantage since it has achieved its strategy, an increase in revenue and linked its SPMS measures to rewards despite having a declining ROI, ROE (Elijido-Ten, 2013). BHP Billiton, on the other hand, has failed to strengthen its competitive advantage since it has not been able to link its KPIs to rewards. Conclusion SPMS measures determine a companys financial performance. An analysis on BHP Billiton and Telstra Corporation indicated that Telstra had succeeded in strengthening its competitive advantage as it achieved its strategy that is to improve customer advocacy, to build new businesses and to drive value. Besides, it managed to link SPMS measures to rewards. BHP Billiton, on the other hand, failed to strengthen its competitive advantage, as it did not link its SPMS measures to rewards. References Aguinis, H., 2009.Performance management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Araz, C. and Ozkarahan, I., 2007. Supplier evaluation and management system for strategic sourcing based on a new multicriteria sorting procedure.International journal of production economics,106(2), pp.585-606. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Bhagwat, R. and Sharma, M.K., 2007. Performance measurement of supply chain management: A balanced scorecard approach.Computers Industrial Engineering,53(1), pp.43-62. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Daley, D.M., 2006. Strategic human resource management.Public Personnel Management. Current concerns, future challenges,5, pp.120-134. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. De Waal, A., Kourtit, K. and Nijkamp, P., 2009. The relationship between the level of completeness of a strategic performance management system and perceived advantages and disadvantages.International Journal of Operations Production Management,29(12), pp.1242-1265. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Elijido-Ten, 2011. The impact of sustainability and balanced scorecard disclosures on market performance: Evidence from Australias top 100. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Elijido-Ten, 2013. Determinants of strategic performance measurement system disclosures in Australias top 100 publicly listed firms. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Elijido-Ten and Tjan, 2014. Sustainability balanced scorecard disclosures: an Australian study. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Ferreira, A. and Otley, D., 2009. The design and use of performance management systems: An extended framework for analysis.Management accounting research,20(4), pp.263-282. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Franco-Santos, M., Kennerley, M., Micheli, P., Martinez, V., Mason, S., Marr, B., Gray, D. and Neely, A., 2007. Towards a definition of a business performance measurement system.International Journal of Operations Production Management,27(8), pp.784-801. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P., 2007. Using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system.Harvard business review,85(7/8), p.150. Retrieved on 16th January 2017. Need, W.C.D.H.P., 2006. Human Resource Management: Gaining a competitive advantage. Retrieved on 16th January 2017.

Not Just Any Thunderstorm free essay sample

Discuss the greatestchallenge that you have faced or expect to face As the sun melted intothe distant horizon, I saw the thickening of the ominous clouds overhead. Therain began to pelt the roof of my old house, but nestled in my canopy bed underall my covers, I felt safe. Flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder shook thehouse and tears began to roll down my cheeks. This was not just any thunderstorm,it was a moment in my life when I struggled to keep my faith and hope. Ispotted my mothers face, eyes ringed with smudged mascara. I peered up at herand knew something was very wrong. Its Dad and me, she began.We have decided to separate for a while until we can work thingsout. But youre not getting a divorce, are you? Iquickly asked. She shook her head, but I knew things would never be thesame. We will write a custom essay sample on Not Just Any Thunderstorm or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Soon after, my dad and I packed our bags and moved in with mygrandparents. He tried so hard to be strong, but I could see that he was feelinga lot of pain. He read me books to try to help me fall asleep at night. Iremember one was about a single dad and how things around the house weredifferent without a mom. He even tried, unsuccessfully, to put my hair up in anon-bumpy ponytail. My dad helped me to develop my faith, and without it, I donot think I could have made it through this difficult time in my life. He taughtme the Lords Prayer and we recited it together every night. But as much as hetried, he was not my mother. My life before the separation was socarefree, and I was content. The memories of the three of us vacationing inFlorida smiling, laughing, and spending time as a family are painful, andwill last a lifetime. How could my life change so fast? I felt like I was on aroller coaster, and as much as my parents tried to comfort me, I felt alone. Theonly hope I had was my faith in God. I do not remember how long it wasuntil my parents announced they were getting a divorce. This did not come as acomplete shock because I suspected when they separated it would be forever. Ittook many months of arguing in court for my parents to settle that they wouldshare parenting. I believe God blessed me because I have had an opportunity toknow both parents. I often wonder how my life would have been if myparents had worked things out, but I know I would not be the same strong person Iam today. Struggling through this rough time, I learned to put my faith in Godand never to lose hope. I thank my parents for allowing me to learn from theirmistakes, and hope that I will not make the same ones. Ultimately, I had to makea choice: to move on with my life, or dwell on my past. I thank God for all thewonderful gifts he has bestowed upon me. My parents have both remarriedand are happy. I have two new parents, whom I hold as dear as my own. I am trulyglad to see both my parents happy. Although I still wonder what my life mighthave been like, I never wish to change where I amtoday. *** Asthe sun rose, sunlight peered into my bedroom and I could hear birds singing. Isat up in bed, relieved that the thunderstorm was finally over. I felt changed.Slowly, I opened my window, noticing the beautiful tulips blooming and the softspring breeze blowing against the trees. Suddenly I thought, I survived thestorm! I am ready to face the next one! After all, today is another day.