BUSINESS PLAN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

BUSINESS PLAN - Essay Example Provides guest house facilities in the area of Manhattan in the big apple, which is New York. The company realizes the important role played by the service industry in providing services to travelers around the world by meeting their lodging needs. In line with this, the service industry has been one of the most growing industries especially in the Manhattan borough following an influx of travelers in this area. Hence, the company realizes the need to fill the gap by providing lodging facilities aimed at travelers from South Korea. The founder and CEO [Insert your name here] currently holds the company’s stock. For many years, South Koreans have been coming to New York, more so to the borough of Manhattan and they have faced numerous problems regarding their lodging needs. As a result, they have been forced to spend a lot of money on boarding or resulted to finding illegal boarding and lodging facilities that did not have operation licenses. In effect, they have experienced in stances of insecurity and Eagle Guest House Ltd wants to change the current state of affairs by providing affordable lodging facilities to this group. ... The company also aims at steadily growing and becoming profitable in the second year of its operation. Industry and Competitor Analysis The service industry in New York has many international and local hostels that meet the needs of different travelers. In the borough of Manhattan, many hotels offer services to clients although most hotels offered discriminative prices on their services. In this case, the hotels were expensive for an ordinary South Korea. On the other hand, various illegal Korean guesthouses faced the prospects of closure due to their illegal operations. Hence, there is a need to fill this gap. Target Customers The company targets customers from South Korea who travel to the United States, and especially to the borough of Manhattan. Due to the elimination of visa requirements for South Koreans to travel to the United States two years ago, there has been an influx in the number of travelers to the country. Hence, this is the clientele that the company targets with for ecasts indicating that more South Koreans are traveling to New York, and especially to the borough of Manhattan. Company Description Eagle Guest House Ltd is a startup. Hence, the company will be starting its operations once it outlines the plans necessary for any startup. However, the specific objective of the company is to meet the demand for affordable boarding and lodging needs for South Koreans who traveled to the United States, and especially to the borough of Manhattan. In line with this, the company’s other objectives are to enhance profitability during the second year of business, which implies that the first year of business will be to establish the company and create a foundation for profit

ICICI Prudential â€Multiple Channel Distribution Essay Example for Free

ICICI Prudential –Multiple Channel Distribution Essay In terms of the future of the Indian insurance industry, what do you think are the measures that can be taken/ have been taken by ICICI Pru to further strengthen its distribution system to meet the competition? Bring out the drawbacks of the existing channels and the need to explore new avenues. Distribution Scenario in the Indian insurance Market The major challenges to insurers and intermediaries in highly competitive Indian insurance market are: 1. To build faith about the company’s insurance services in its customer’s mind  2.  To develop relationship(in terms of credibility) between intermediaries and clients 3. To develop extensive network for providing best service and stay close to the customers Capturing larger segment –Rural India Except ICICI Prudential, all the insurance companies have traditionally tied agents that have been the primary channels for insurance distribution in the Indian market. In case of the public sector insurance companies such as LIC, SBI etc. they have used their branches in almost all parts of the country and have attracted local people to become their agents. While ICICI Pru has used multiple channels such as bancassurance, direct marketing and corporate agents for their insurance distribution and have covered 69 cities and towns in India. By the virtue of these multiple distribution channels, ICICI Pru became leader in Indian insurance sector in short span of time with maximum contribution form bancassurance channel. However, these channels were targeted mostly at urban customers while the 70-80% of the Indian population stays in Rural area. ICICI Pru has tried to cater rural customers by joining hands with BASIX, World vision, Dhan, Shepherd, Uttaranchal Co-operative Marketing Federation, nLog Communiaction, ITC’e eachaupal etc. But, to cover the maximum possible rural market and develop strong rural insurance market at optimum cost for ICICI Pru, according to me India Post is the best intermediary option. India Post is one of the oldest infrastructure developed in India and it would be the best channel to reach Indian rural customers at very low cost. The postman are the best friend and information source to the village people. Hence they are the best fellows to create awareness about the company’s services and to distribute different insurance products. Thus they are the best sales man to build credibility about the company in rural India. Also the postmen have basic education in terms of services, hence the company can train them for their services at a very low cost. Thus the overall cost for reaching rural customer would be lower compare to all other possible options.

The Grand Essay About Reconstruction :: essays research papers

The Civil War was inevitable and regardless of the outcome on the fields of battle, the reconstruction of the nation was equally inevitable because as much as the North and the South had irrevocable differences, it was in the mutual interest of the North, the South and the West to maintain a relationship based on symbiosis. The Civil War and the reconstruction of the nation were bound to happen. There was a great diversity throughout the nation within the three sections. Differences in opinions and rules in slavery, economic and civilization differences are all examples of causes of the Civil War. However, the reconstruction of the nation was necessary, because the three sections needed each other to survive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Civil war was inevitable. Because of the great diversity between the North and the South, the Civil War was bound to happen. Slavery was one of the many causes of the Civil War. It presented a moral issue, since it dealt with human beings and invaded individual freedom and democratic ideals. Slavery greatly distinguished the South from the North, and was the major issue dividing the two sections. The differences in economy also added to the cause of the Civil War. The South had become agricultural, and the North had become industrial. These economic differences led to sectional rivalry on issues such as slavery and the protective tariff. The interpretation of the federal Union differed between the two sections as well. The South insisted that the federal Union was created by the states; therefore, any state had the right to secede. The North thought otherwise; they believed that people created the Union and no state had the right to secede. The South favored, and the North opposed the extension of slavery into the West. Most of the West became tied economically to the North by a network of railroads and trade. Southerners realized that Western lands were not suitable for cotton culture, and realized that they were losing Western support, and the South would remain a minority section in the Union. The North and the South had differences in civilization. A small aristocracy of influential planter families dominated the Southern civilization, compared to the more dynamic and democratic Northern civilization. This difference in civilizations made understanding each other’s point of view difficult, which added to the causes of the war. Lastly, people in both the North and the South exaggerated differences.

Supply Chains

Question #2-Define the supply chains for the following products from the first source of raw materials to the first customer. A) Big Mac, B) Gasoline, C) Automobile repair, D) A Text book. Supply chain, its management, performance measures and improvement approaches. As an extension of the systems point of view, the system dynamics inherent in the supply chain are illustrated and the coordination in the supply chain is emphasized. Five areas where measurement of supply chain performance should be made are discussed. The five areas are on-time delivery, quality, time (business cycle) total delivered cost and flexibility.The first step in devising an effective supply chain is to consider the nature of demand for the product. For this many aspects are important: Product life cycle, demand predictability, product variety etc. But any product can be broadly classified into as either a Functional Product or an Innovative Product based on their demand patterns. Root cause for ineffectivenes s of any supply chain is the mismatch between the type of product and the type of supply chain. Functional Products are generally staples or those generally bought from the grocery stores or retail outlets.They have stable demands are price variations do not affect the demand drastically. Such products have long life cycles but they invite competition and usually have low profit margins. The supply chain performs two different types of functions: 1) A physical function and 2) A market mediation function. The physical function deals with production for goods, movement of raw materials etc; while the market mediation function ensures that the variety of products reaching the marketplace match those that the consumers want to buy.Each of these functions incurs different costs. The physical costs include costs of production, inventory shortage and transportation while the market mediation costs arise when there is a mismatch between demand and supply. If supply > demand, the product has to be sold at a loss otherwise it results in loss of opportunities and dissatisfied customers. Supply chain management is planning, design and control of the flow of information and materials along the supply chain in order to meet customer requirements in an efficient manner, now and in the future.Demand management is managing the demand for goods or services along the supply chain. Therefore, demand management is complementary to supply chain management and controls the levels of demand on the system. Big-Mac – (1) Suppliers of beef, vegetables, bread (2) Factories and distribution centers, (3) The franchises that sell Big Mac, (4) The customers. Raw materials- The raw materials are the ingredients that will go into producing the finished product. For McDonald’s, these will include the buns, beef patties, paper cups, salad ingredients and packaging.These are delivered to the restaurants between 3 and 5 times a week. The raw materials arrive together on one heavy tru ck with three sections so that each product can be stored at a suitable temperature. The three sections are: frozen†¢ chilled†¢ ambient – which means foods that can be stored at room temperature. This applies to items such as coffee or sugar sachets. Work-in-progress (WIP) refers to stocks that are in the process of being made into finished product. A Big Mac consists of a bun, two beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, sauce and a small amount of seasoning.The restaurant will only combine these items just before the customer orders them so the Big Macs are hot and fresh when served. Finished products are goods that are ready for immediate sale to a customer. At any one time, a restaurant will have a range of products ready for sale. Many of these will include finished products like Filet-o-Fish, Big Macs and side salads. At McDonald’s, all raw materials, work-in-progress and finished products are handled on first In, First out (FIFO) basis. This mea ns raw materials are used in the order they are received. Therefore stock is always fresh because products are sold in the order they are made.If the process First In, Last out (FILO) was used, then the finished product would be dry and unappealing because the first one prepared is the last one sold temperature. Benefits to customers and restaurants – The centralized stock management system generates many benefits. Many of these are for restaurants and Restaurant Managers. However, customers also benefit through improved customer experience – customers can eat a quality product, in a clean environment, when they want it. Benefits include: 1. Restaurants avoid running out of stock. As a result, customers can always receive what they order. 2.The system eliminates inexperience in the ordering. The system enables a new Restaurant Manager to ensure the order is right first time. 3. Time saved in ordering as the system calculates how much is required. 4. Orders are based on the current stocks. The Restaurant Manager simply inputs the current stock level. 5. Less waste means food costs are reduced. This cost saving is then passed on in better value for money for customers. 6. The amount of stock ordered for promotions is more accurate, being based on past performance. 7. There is a reduction in the need for emergency deliveries, saving money. . Stock levels are always at Optimum level, helping to ensure sales and the freshest product. 9. Stock can be reduced automatically at the end of a promotion, avoiding too much stock. Gasoline – Different stages in petroleum supply chain: Exploration > Production > Refining > marketing > Consumer. Exploration: Seismic, geophysical and geological operations. Production: Drilling, reservoir, production and facilities engineering. Refining: is a complex operation and its output is the input to marketing. Marketing: is the retail sale of gasoline, engine oil and other refined products.Oil drilling-Before petrol eum can be used, it is sent to a refinery where it is physically, thermally and chemically separated into fractions and then converted into finished products. About 90% of these products are fuels such as gasoline, aviation fuels, distillate and residual oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), coke (not the refreshment) and kerosene. Refineries also produce non-fuel products, including petrochemicals, asphalt, road oil, lubricants, solvents and wax. Petrochemicals (ethylene, propylene, benzene and others) are shipped to chemical plants, where they are used to manufacture chemicals and plastics.There are two major sectors within the oil industry, upstream and downstream. For the purposes of this tutorial we will focus on upstream, which is the process of extracting the oil and refining it. Downstream is the commercial side of the business, such as gas stations or the delivery of oil for heat. Oil Drilling and Services- Oil drilling and services are broken into two major areas: drilling a nd oilfield services. Drilling – Drilling companies physically drill and pump oil out of the ground. The drilling industry has always been classified as highly skilled.The people with the skills and expertise to operate drilling equipment are in high demand, which means that for oil company to have these people on staff all the time can cost a lot. For this reason, most drilling companies are simply contractors who are hired by oil and gas producers for a specified period of time. In the drilling industry, there are several different types of rigs, each with a specialized purpose. Some of these include: Land Rigs – Drilling depths ranges from 5,000 to 30,000 feet. Submersible Rigs – Used for ocean, lake and swamp drilling.The bottom parts of these Rigs are: submerged to the sea's floor and the platform are on top of the water. Jack-ups – this type of rig has three legs and a triangular platform which is jacked-up above the highest anticipated waves. Drill Ships – These look like tankers/ships, but they travel the oceans in search of oil in extremely deep water. Oilfield Services – Oilfield service companies assist the drilling companies in setting up oil and gas wells. In general these companies manufacture, repair and maintain equipment used in oil extraction and transport.More specifically, these services can include: Seismic Testing – This involves mapping the geological structure beneath the surface. Transport Services – Both land and water rigs need to be moved around at some point in time. Oil Refining – The refining business is not quite as fragmented as the drilling and services industry. This sector is dominated by a small handful of large players. In fact, much of the energy industry is ruled by large, integrated oil companies. Integrated refers to the fact that many of these companies look after all factors of production, refining and marketing.For the most part, refining is a slow and s table business. The large amounts of capital investment means that very few companies can afford to enter this business. This handbook will try to focus more on oil equipment and services such as drilling and support services. Oil and gas: Unique supply chain – In the oil and gas supply chain, process control has historically included safety solutions, such as fire detectors and high-integrity pressure protection systems, but not physical security, such as intrusion detection, access control, and video surveillance.Nor have these facilities employed considered abnormal situation management or cyber security. All of these elements of safety and security are important; each has unique business and technical challenges. Generally, there are no industry standards or norms for an integrated safety and security solution applied within the oil and gas supply chain. For example, there is no standard for interfacing access control or perimeter intrusion alarms with process control sys tems. Additionally, the systems in many facilities come from separate vendors and different business dynamics often apply.Security technology now applied in industrial sites, for example, originates from commercial building security technology, which may not be suitable for an industrial facility or geographically distributed pipeline. There are also unique internal conditions that present challenges. These conditions include lower staff ratios, unmanned installations, widely dispersed assets, significant use of unsecured public telecommunications infrastructure, exposable products, and low technology maturity. Distribution Planning: Generating operational plans for distribution.These modules are supported by various enablers that facilitate planning activity that include: (1) Supply Chain Database (SCD), (2) Geographical Information System (GIS), (3) Data Interfaces The production and the Supply and Distribution (S&D) structure forms the basis on which the optimized plan for the en tire organization is generated. This corporate plan is communicated to distribution modules and the production planning modules to generate operational plans . The optimized plan for the entire corporation is also used as a basis for feedstock selection runs.GIS can be used to obtain the distances between locations, which are used as a basis for freight calculation. Raw Material Supplies: Process industry has limited choice of suppliers for raw material supplies in petroleum industry are dominated by cartels. It is a sellers market where supply of raw material prices is highly unstable and fluctuating on weekly or even daily basis. Fluctuating prices directly affect the supply chain costs and prices of final product. Automobile repair- suppliers of automobile repair tools and parts: warehouses for the parts, repair shops, customers’ cars.Raw Materials – Glass, steel, rubber, plastic, copper, lithium, silicon, aluminum. Some of the raw materials used for cars are: alumi num, steel (body parts), titanium (some exhaust systems) and platinum (inside catalytic converters). It's always best for the translation services provider to be embedded into the manufacturing supply chain in order to be able to apply understand it from inside and accurately interpret the important aspects of the lucrative international auto parts industry and its successful marketing.Hire professional translators that have knowledge across diverse technical fields. These fields include, but are not limited to: mechanical & electrical engineering, automation technology, electronics and microelectronics, navigation systems, board computers, wiring, air conditioning, paneling, service and diagnostics. This would ensure that all the technical terms used in the translation are in accordance to the standards familiar to the local market assembly workers, mechanics, engineers, suppliers and end-customers.Auto parts are built or remanufactured to replace damaged or worn OE parts, while th e accessories are parts sold after the original sale of a vehicle intended to add to the comfort, convenience, performance, safety or customization of that vehicle. The Auto parts are shipped using both truck transports and railroads to move vehicles to dealerships, although air freight may be used if critical parts are needed as soon as possible in order to keep an assembly line moving. Offshore exports and imports are handled by ship.In addition to OE and OES parts, shipments also may include auto parts destined for the various national and regional parts distribution networks serving the aftermarket segments of the world. OES parts, like automobile sales, have traditionally been handled through the franchised independent dealership networks in the major markets of the world. In the United States, the National Automobile Dealers Association some franchised for car and truck dealers also separate franchises, both domestic and international.The independent aftermarket distribution n etworks are much more complex. There are approximately 45,000 companies engaged in the wholesale and retail auto parts. The aftermarket has traditionally consisted of wholesalers who purchase parts and components from the manufacturers; jobbers, intermediaries between wholesale distributors and retail operation; and the retail outlets. They supply for the following areas with an emphasis on hand tools: -Engine repair – high quality engine repair, maintenance and tuning supplies. Auto body tools – tooling and accessories to get cars into shape. -Air conditioning – testing and maintaining a/c systems. -Electrical diagnostic tools – testers and diagnostic equipment for car electric systems and components. -Under-car – adjustment products to steering, brakes, clutch, etc. other Text book – Suppliers of pulp, paper manufacturer, publisher, printing press, bookstores, and customers. A book can be broadly defined as a written document of at least 4 9 text pages that communicates thoughts, ideas, or information.Raw Materials-Books are made from a variety of different coated and uncoated paper stocks that differ in weight and size. In addition, different color inks may be used. Also, while front and back covers are generally made from a heavier stock of paper, they will vary in terms of weight. Pulp logs, wood chips, pulp, and recovered paper are the raw materials used to make these paper products. Pulp logs are wood destined to be made into pulp. To make paper, trees are harvested, debarked, and chipped.For example, hardback books have a durable cardboard stock cover while paperback books are made from a thinner paper stock. Usually, cover stocks are coated with different colors or designs. Since the nineteenth century, book production has entailed the use of sophisticated machinery, including typesetting machines, a web or sheet-fed printing press, and book binding machines. Design-The process of designing a book is ongoing th roughout the stages of production.Initially, the author, in conjunction with an editor and book agent, will consider elements of design that pertain to the scope and purpose of the book, the desired approach to the subject matter, whether illustrations should be used, and other issues such as chapter headings and their placement. In determining those elements, the intended audience for the manuscript will be considered, along with accepted editorial standards. Other design considerations include whether a book should have a preface, a foreword, a glossary to define specific terms, an index to reference key words and concepts, and an appendix of supplementary material.Once the book manuscript is written, editors and authors must refine the manuscript to attain a final edited version prior to production: page size and style ,typeface size and style ,the type and weight of paper for the text and cover ,use of color ,presentation of visuals/illustrations in the text, if needed ,cover ar t/illustrations. The Manufacturing Process -After the book is written and appropriate design elements are agreed upon, book production can begin. The first stage typesetting, pages and mechanical, filming, stripping, blueprints, plate is making and them printing Binding.To help ensure that a quality product is produced; print shops conduct a number of periodic checks. In addition to checking blueprints for accuracy, printers will pull a press proof, or sample, before the print run is begun. If certain areas of the proof are too light or too dark, adjustments to the press may be required. After the book signatures are sewn together, the print shop will spot-check them to make sure they have been folded and sewn correctly. They will also check to see if the book covers are properly bound to prevent the books from deteriorating with use.Because desktop publishing is relatively new, changes and enhancements continue to make the systems more user-friendly. As more people gain access to s uch systems, book publication and publishing in general will see more widespread use of desktop publishing in the future. 16-Explain what is meant by cross-docking, and describe the associated benefits Cross docking is a distribution system where items received at the warehouse are not received into stock, but are prepared for shipment to another location or for retail stores. Cross docking can realize a cost reduction by skipping put away and retrieval steps.Benefits-Many companies have benefitted from using cross docking. Some of the benefits include: -Reduction in labor costs, as the products no longer requires picking and put away in the warehouse. -Reduction in the time from production to the customer, which helps improve customer satisfaction. -Reduction in the need for warehouse space, as there is no requirement to storage the products. Types of Cross Docking -There are a number of cross docking scenarios that are available to the warehouse management. Companies will use the type of cross docking that is applicable to the type of products that they are shipping. Manufacturing Cross Docking – This procedure involves the receiving of purchased and inbound products that are required by manufacturing.The warehouse may receive the products and prepare sub-assemblies for the production orders. -Distributor Cross Docking – This process consolidates inbound products from different vendors into a mixed product pallet, which is delivered to the customer when the final item is received. For example, computer parts distributors can source their components from various vendors and combine them into one shipment for the customer. Transportation Cross Docking – This operation combines shipments from a number of different carriers in the less-than-truckload (LTL) and small package industries to gain economies of scale. -Retail Cross Docking – This process involves the receipt of products from multiple vendors and sorting onto outbound trucks for a number of retail stores. This method was used by Wal-Mart in the 1980's. They would procure two types of products, items they sell each day of the year, called staple stock, and large quantities products which is purchased once and sold by the stores and not usually stocked again.This second type of procurement is called direct freight and Wal-Mart minimize any warehouse costs with direct freight by using cross docking and keeping it in the warehouse for as little time as possible. -Opportunistic Cross Docking – This can be used in any warehouse, transferring a product directly from the goods receiving dock to the outbound shipping dock to meet a known demand, i. e. a customer sales order. Products Suitable for Cross Docking There are materials that are better suited to cross docking than others.The list below shows a number of types of material that are more suited to cross docking. -Perishable items that require immediate shipment -High quality items that do not requ ire quality inspections during goods receipt -Products that are pre-tagged (bar coded, RFID), pre-ticketed, and ready for sale at the customer -Promotional items and items that are being launched. -Staple retail products with a constant demand or low demand variance -Pre-picked, pre-packaged customer orders from another production plant or warehouse

Does Satire Influence Elections?

In today's political climate, Congressman Anthony Wiener uploading obscene photos onto Twitter to Governor Chris Christie creating traffic jams by closing a main toll area and now, Donald Trump. Malcom Gladwell, an author who currently writes for the New Yorker, indicates in the Satire Paradox that satire should be taken seriously to create change, but then it wouldn't be funny. Gladwell talks about how ineffective satire was for SNL's sketches throughout the 2008 presidential campaign and notes in the Satire Paradox, â€Å"Lord help us if some other, even less qualified and more frightening political figure comes along† (Gladwell). Now, Donald Trump is the forty-fifth President of the United States. In 2008, Sarah Palin's lack of experience and communication skills provided SNL with a trove of political satire sketches. The satire of Palin gave a glimpse of what was to come should Senator John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin succeeded in contrast. During the presidential campaign of 2016, another work of satire by Saturday Night Live (SNL), created a parody of Donald Trump featuring Alec Baldwin. Alec Baldwin's parody of Donald Trump was accurate. The characterization of Trump as thin skinned and extremely sensitive provided a glimpse of what was to come if he were to be elected as president of the United States. Satire proved effective to showcase the absurdity of Palin as vice president; however, as the political climate changes, satire loses its usefulness as seen in the 2016 presidential election. Palins' inexperience was apparent through Fey's characterization on SNL which was an effective form of satire. Fey had an easy task mimicking Palin. Fey copied the clothes she wore, her hairstyle and wore identical frames for her eyewear. Throughout Fey's mockery, she accurately portrayed Palin as unknowledgeable about America's geography. Fey continued with Palin's inability to be define the Bush Doctrine which is about the various foreign policy principles. It is important that leaders are knowledgeable about the country they chose to lead. This made the audience question if Palin was equipped to take over as president should something befall McCain. Palin did not have any foreign policy experience and America questioned whether Palin understood exactly what a vice president does. In 2008 when SNL parodied Sarah Palin during the presidential campaign, it was entertaining, but it also forced Americans to think of who they chose to represent them. Tina Fey's â€Å"timely impersonations† showed how unqualified Palin was suited for vice president (Esralew). It was hard to forget Palin's interviews back in 2008. Her lack of knowledge and ignorance is seared in our memories. Although Palin was Governor of Alaska, she was unable to articulate any other experience that qualified her as vice president of the United States, let alone President. Fey's parody of Palins' inexperience helps show the importance of public opinion on politics. According to Gladwell, a month before the election, Tina describes and mimics â€Å"Sarah Palin's crazy accent, ‘it's a little bit of Fargo.' She tried to base it on her friend Paula's Grandma who would say, ‘Oh, this and that and stuff like that'† It lacks specificity because Fey uses terms like â€Å"this† and â€Å"stuff† to show Palin's naivetà © in how she comes across. The focus remained on Palin, even though Senator McCain was the presidential candidate. The impact of Fey's parody of Palin drew more criticism of Palin and as a result, many voters abandoned the GOP and voted for Obama. Sarah Palin's communication skills were lacking, thus, highlighting her inability to prove that she was, indeed, qualified to become the next vice president of the United States. In her interviews, Palin appeared flummoxed in her responses. Palin had participated in two key interviews with ABC and CBS news outlets which allowed the public to see for themselves how uncomfortable and indecisive she appeared. She frequently paused throughout the interview as though she was trying to come up with an acceptable response. On September 11, 2008, Sarah Palin was interviewed by Charles Gibson. Gibson asked Palin, â€Å"What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?' Palin responds, ‘They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska'† (Gibson). It was apparent that she had not properly prepared for the interview and seemed overwhelmed with the grueling process of the campaign. She was hurting McCain's chance at the presidency. SNL's effective satire continued to put a negative light on Palin. Her interviews were cut back and appearances limited. After the Gibson interview, SNL quickly mocked her words and provided the one line that is still associated with Palin today, â€Å"I can see Russia from my House!† With the ongoing claims that Russia had interfered with the 2016 Presidential Election, Palin responded in a farcical manner and tweeted, â€Å"Russia's getting out of hand? So, says the defeated. Not to worry†¦ remember I can keep an eye on them from here† (Mazza). Gladwell seems to think Tina Fey's mimicry was a failure, but as we knew, â€Å"Sarah Palin was not elected as vice president and has not held any public office since 2009† (Blu). SNL's continued satire of Palin provoked Americans to pay attention. SNL satire was so effective in 2008 that it is still relevant now. The audience has to be receptive for satire to be effective; however, in 2016, during the Trump and Clinton presidential campaign, voters weren't responding to the satire. Some conservatives do not watch SNL because the show has a liberal approach to politics. SNL used to be bi-partisan, now it is mostly liberal, thus, proving that satire was ineffective for Trump's campaign. Throughout the course of the campaign, SNL had abundance of material to work with. The numerous interviews, speeches and remarks made it unbelievably easy for SNL to satirize Trump. He was accurately depicted as the narcissist misogynist that he is. According to Baldwin, â€Å"with Trump, we pretty much just re-created what he does, we maybe just put a bit more chili pepper in there to spice it up† (McGurk). Baldwin keyed in on Trump's weaknesses and locked in on his sensitivity. Trump is sensitive about how much money he has and how smart he is. â€Å"He constantly mentions that he has gone to the best schools and that he attended Wharton Business School† (Balz). The SNL skits were hilarious. One sketch involved a campaign ad entitled, Racists for Donald Trump which was in two parts. The first part showed Middle America praising him and the second part showed the same people elaborating their message with white supremacist labels, clothing and writing. America was entertained, but his right-wing conservative support base dug in and continued to rally for Trump. Trump won the presidency because he was the lesser of two evils. To his support base, Trump represents change, but there is a cost to that change. â€Å"People were fully aware of his lack of values, divisiveness, his bigotry and history of abusing people,† but America did not care and it has been at a great cost (Balz). America is ridiculed and no longer the leader of the free world. In 2015, hundreds had protested Donald Trump's appearance on SNL. It was learned that Trump â€Å"vetoed some of the sketches. He did this in order not to anger his support base in Iowa† who most likely were conservatives (D'Addario). In response to SNL's continued mockery of Trump, he engaged his conservative support base through Twitter, informing them of SNL's bias. Unfortunately, SNL allowed Trump to manipulate the scripted opening, as a result, â€Å"the episode was considered among the most sedative in the history of SNL† (D'Addario). SNL took control and parodied Trump the remainder of the campaign on their own terms to no avail. Satire was ineffective due to the fact that Trump vetoed some of the opening remarks. As for Trump being thin skinned, he was extremely sensitive about SNL's portrayal of him, so he took the low road and of course, continued to tweet his dislike throughout the campaign. Trump's tweets were key in increasing his support base and this contributed to the failure of satire. As SNL continues to soothe America with Alec Baldwin's parody of Trump, Baldwin continues to be â€Å"liberal America's ‘consoler-in-chief'† (McGurk). Ultimately, the political climate has changed and so, satire has to find a more effective way to engage viewers of all comedic media outlets. Satire can be both effective and ineffective, it depends on the climate. Gladwell believes that satire needs to hit hard and make an impact, he wants it to cause social change, but then it would lose humor. â€Å"Satire Paradox tells us that comedians are truth tellers, they zero in on issues we should not ignore† (Gladwell). In the end, â€Å"Satire allows you to say almost anything. That's where the truth is spoken to power in our society. When you sugar-coat a bitter truth with humor, it makes the medicine go down† (Gladwell). Works Citedump won: The insiders tell their story,† The Washington Post, November 9, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-election/how-donald-trump-won-the-inside-story/Blu, Addison, â€Å"Malcolm Gladwell Doesn't Understand Satire,† Medium.com, January 17, 2017, https://medium.com/@AddisonBlu/malcolm-gladwell-doesnt-understand-satire-26545a13e509D'Addario, Daniel, â€Å"Donald Trump played it safe on Saturday Night Live,† Time, November 8, 2015, http://time.com/4103978/donald-trump-saturday-night-live-review/Esralew, Sarah, â€Å"The Influence of Parodies on Mental Models: Exploring the Tina Fey-Sarah Palin Phenomenon,† Communication Quarterly 60, no. 3 (2012), 338–352, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01463373.2012.688791?src=recsys& journalCode=rcqu20Gibson, Charles, â€Å"Charlie Gibson Interviews GOP Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin,† ABC News, November 23, 2009, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vot e2008/full-transcript-gibson-interviews-sarah-palin/story?id=9159105Gladwell, Malcom, â€Å"The Satire Paradox,† The Revisionist History, August 18, 2016, http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/10-the-satire-paradoxMazza, Ed, â€Å"Sarah Palin Can Still See Russia, Promises To Keep An Eye On Them,† Huffington Post, December 12, 2016, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sarah-palin-russia-joke_us_584e3fe1e4b0e05aded4724fMcGurk, Stuart, â€Å"Alec Baldwin: ‘What you see with Trump is how Hitler got elected,'† GQ Magazine, October 1, 2018, https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/alec-baldwin-snl-trump-interview

Free Essays on Thucydides

Thucydides "The absence of romance from my history will, I fear, detract somewhat from its interest; but if it be judged useful by those inquirers who desire an exact knowledge of the past as an aid to the interpretation of the future, which in the course of human things must resemble if it does not reflect it, I shall be content. In fine, I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time" - Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War [Book I, 22]. Thucydides is considered by some scholars to be the Father of Modern History. Thucydides non-fiction approach to history and his love of exact facts have given him this name. In his book History, Thucydides relates the facts of the Peloponnesian War with as much fact and truth as possible, unlike his contemporaries who used second hand word of mouth and myths to relate their details. For this reason Thucydides is considered one the first true historians. Thucydides was born some where between 470BC and 460BC. Thucydides was the son of Olorus or Orolus and Hegesipyle and was from the Deme of Halimus. His family was wealthy, owning property of gold mines in Scapte Hyle on the Thoracian coast opposite of Thasos. Some scholars speculate that he may have been related to a Thoracian Prince whose daughter gave birth to famous Athenian statesman Cimon (also their graves are located fairly close to each other’s). Little of Thucydides education is known most of it being speculation. But he allegedly studied oratory under Antiphon and under Anaxagoras, philosophy. He probably studied under the Sophists movement as well. He knew a fair amount of the past accounts of Greek history and their authors. During the Athenian epidemic of 430-427BC, Thucydides fell to the plague but was among the few who recovered and survived. In 427BC Thucydides became a general in the Peloponnesian War and fought in Chalcidice. â€Å"Thucydides (the one ï ¿ ½... Free Essays on Thucydides Free Essays on Thucydides Thucydides "The absence of romance from my history will, I fear, detract somewhat from its interest; but if it be judged useful by those inquirers who desire an exact knowledge of the past as an aid to the interpretation of the future, which in the course of human things must resemble if it does not reflect it, I shall be content. In fine, I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time" - Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War [Book I, 22]. Thucydides is considered by some scholars to be the Father of Modern History. Thucydides non-fiction approach to history and his love of exact facts have given him this name. In his book History, Thucydides relates the facts of the Peloponnesian War with as much fact and truth as possible, unlike his contemporaries who used second hand word of mouth and myths to relate their details. For this reason Thucydides is considered one the first true historians. Thucydides was born some where between 470BC and 460BC. Thucydides was the son of Olorus or Orolus and Hegesipyle and was from the Deme of Halimus. His family was wealthy, owning property of gold mines in Scapte Hyle on the Thoracian coast opposite of Thasos. Some scholars speculate that he may have been related to a Thoracian Prince whose daughter gave birth to famous Athenian statesman Cimon (also their graves are located fairly close to each other’s). Little of Thucydides education is known most of it being speculation. But he allegedly studied oratory under Antiphon and under Anaxagoras, philosophy. He probably studied under the Sophists movement as well. He knew a fair amount of the past accounts of Greek history and their authors. During the Athenian epidemic of 430-427BC, Thucydides fell to the plague but was among the few who recovered and survived. In 427BC Thucydides became a general in the Peloponnesian War and fought in Chalcidice. â€Å"Thucydides (the one ï ¿ ½...

How Much House Can You Afford Learn to Calculate a Mortgage

How Much House Can You Afford Learn to Calculate a Mortgage SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re looking to buy a new home, then you’re likely asking yourself, how much house can I afford? How much mortgage can I afford, and what’s a reasonable monthly payment to take on? You don’t want to get in over your head, but you also don’t want to live in a shoebox in the middle of nowhere. Where does the balance lie? This guide will help you answer the question, "How much house can I afford?" based both on the numbers and your overall happiness. To begin, let's go over some general guidelines to consider when buying a home. Buying a Home: General Guidelines There’s a common misconception around buying a house, and it’s that you should buy the biggest and best house you can afford. However, the house you can buy and the house you should buy are not necessarily the same thing. Some banks will lead you right up to the precipice of spending when they offer you a mortgage. They’ll give you a loan that you can just afford to pay, but any big life changes, like getting fired or ill, could push you over the edge into bankruptcy. Not only is taking on the biggest mortgage you can financially risky, but it also may not do much for your overall life satisfaction. When it comes to house size and location, what we think we need and what actually fulfills us don't always match up. Figuring out the answer to "how much house can I afford" isn’t just about facts and figures. It also requires that you get introspective and strive to make the best financial and emotional decision based on your resources and needs. Before exploring issues of personal needs in greater depth, let’s take a look at the hard numbers. What percentage of your income should go toward housing payments? Deciding on a house is a balancing act between your financial and emotional needs. Key Rule of Thumb: Spend No More Than 30% of Your Income To figure out, how much home can I afford, the conventional wisdom tells us to spend up to 30% of our gross income on housing a year, or a little less than one-third. Gross income is what we make before taxes, not our actual take-home pay. We use gross income because the interest you pay on a mortgage is tax deductible. Regardless of whether you’re making $20k a year or $2 million a year, you should stick to this rule of thumb. You don’t want to overcommit to home ownership payments in case of an emergency, like losing your job or a costly injury. So, how can you calculate the house price that would correspond to 30% of your income? It's not just three times your income, because you have to consider total housing costs, which include the mortgage principal, mortgage interest, and general maintenance costs. Consider the example below. Remember the golden rule of real estate: spend no more than 30% of your annual income on housing costs. Estimating House Price: An Example You don't necessarily need a mortgage calculator to answer the question "how much mortgage can I afford?" When figuring out how expensive of a house you can buy, you can estimate that the lump sum house price can go up to roughly five times your total income. Why? The average person gets a 30-year mortgage and pays off 6% of the house price each year. This percentage may vary depending on your exact agreement (typically somewhere between 4% and 8% of the house price), but it's an average that applies to lots of people. This payment refers to total housing costs, which include both the mortgage and other costs. If 6% of the total housing costs equals about 30% of your income (using the 30% rule of thumb discussed above), then the total house price equates to about five times your income. We can represent this using the variable "h" for house price and "i" for income. Here’s how the math works out: 0.06h = 0.3i Divide both sides by 0.06 h = 5i Let’s say you make about $40,000 per year. Using this guideline, you can estimate that you can afford a house up to $200,000. While you can spend up to approximately five times your income on a house, you could also choose to purchase a less expensive home (then you’ll have more disposable income for golf or spontaneous trips to Paris!). Once you figure out the mortgage, or loan, you need, you’ll apply through a bank. Below are three steps you can take to qualify for your mortgage and reduce your monthly payments. Besides crunching the numbers, how else can you prepare to buy a house? Qualifying for a Mortgage: Steps You Should Take Unless you’re paying for the house with a suitcase full of cash and gold bars, you’ll need to apply for a mortgage. Most mortgages have fixed interest rates somewhere between 2.6% and 3.7%, and people commonly choose a repayment plan that spans 30 years. Once you reach this step, your next questions might be, how much mortgage can I afford and how much can I borrow? Banks look at three main factors when determining your mortgage and repayment plan. The first is how much you pay up front as a down payment. The second is your outstanding debts, and the third is your credit score. These are the three steps you can take to put yourself in the best financial position for getting a mortgage and buying a house. Step #1: Save for a Large Down Payment The more money you can pay on a house up front, the less you’ll have to pay per month. With reduced monthly payments and perhaps a shorter term, you also won’t have to pay as much on interest in the long run. Aim to pay at least 10% of the total house price as a down payment. Ideally, you can pay 20%. On a $300,000 house, for example, a 20% down payment would be $60,000. Some banks charge an extra monthly payment toward Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) if you have less than a 20% down payment. Banks want to avoid risk, and a low down payment is one sign of risk. The bigger your down payment, the better contract you’ll get with the lender. The bigger down payment you can put down up front, the better! Step #2: Pay Down Your Debts Another way that banks assess risk is by looking at your outstanding debts. These debts might include student loans, car loans, or other personal loans. The less debt you have, the better deal you’ll get. If you have a huge monthly payment toward student loans, for instance, then you may not appear to be in a good position to put money toward a mortgage. You should also strive to show a history of consistent, on-time payments. If you’ve let your loans go into default, then you may not get approved for a mortgage. If you’re planning on buying a house, then it’s important that you handle your debts responsibly and work toward reducing them. Step #3: Build Up Your Credit Score Finally, your credit score is an important factor when you apply for any kind of loan. Lenders look at your financial behavior in the past as an indication of your financial behavior in the future. The strongest credit scores fall into the upper 700s or 800s. Now that you have a sense of the numbers - paying up to 30% of your income on housing - what else should you think about as you venture down the path toward home ownership? Buying a House: Beyond the Numbers A lot of guides for first time homeowners will urge you to go out and find a house that costs about five times your annual income (or the combined incomes of you and your spouse). While this mortgage calculator estimate may work well for you, assuming no unexpected interruptions in your income, it’s not necessarily the end all and be all in real estate advice. This mindset urges people to step right up to the limits of their financial profile to get the biggest house in the best location that they can. It prompts you to answer, how much house can I afford, with the biggest possible number. Banks and realtors, of course, are motivated to keep people in this maximizing mindset. But is this way of thinking necessarily the best way to approach buying a house? How much mortgage can I get and how much mortgage should I get are two different questions. If you think you’ll be happiest with the biggest or most centrally located house you can get, you may be overestimating the importance of house size and location. Let’s consider both of these factors, amount of space and location, individually. If your realtor shows you places like this, you might remind her that you probably don't need quite this much space for a three-person family. How Big a House Do You Want? People often want to maximize the amount of space they can afford, but they may not be happier with more space in the long run. Humans have a knack for adjusting, which can have many benefits, but also means that we won’t stay satisfied with material improvements in our surroundings for long. According to UC Riverside psychology professor, Sonja Lyubomirsky, â€Å"Someone who feels elated after upgrading to a big house is likely to soon start yearning for more - an extra bedroom, a pool, whatever it may be. But ultimately, whether we drive a battered truck or a Lexus to work; whether we have hypertension or asthma, our ability to be happy and get happier doesn’t vary much.† As long as we have a certain amount of comfort and our needs our being met, we won’t get much happier from a bigger house in the long run. People tend to acclimate to the space that they have, and many report higher levels of happiness after minimizing their lifestyles. All too often, extra space just becomes storage for extra stuff. You don't need to donate all your possessions and join the tiny house movement, but you should take time to think back on your various living spaces. Were you substantially happier in larger spaces? What was the smallest space you’ve lived in and felt satisfied? Before falling prey to the McMansion mindset, think about how much space would actually make you happy and how much would be unnecessary excess. Where Should Your House Be Located? While the size of your house may not be as important as you think, its location can have a large effect on your happiness levels for one main reason: your commute to work. Several studies have shown that commute time has a big impact on personal well-being. A study conducted at the University of Waterloo concluded that long commutes link with low overall satisfaction in life, while a 20 study from Sweden connected long commutes with low energy, high stress, and more frequent absences from work due to illness. While you may not be able to afford a location with the best commute, you should avoid buying a house far away from your place of work. Finding the right house becomes a balance, then, among your finances, the size of the house, and the area where it’s located. We all want to live in Danny Tanner’s townhouse from Full House, but with the average cost of a 4-bedroom house in San Francisco going for over $1.7 million, most of us have to let this dream go. How Much House Can I Afford? Final Thoughts There are lots of steps that go into buying a house, and you have to take a close look at your finances and personal needs. Generally speaking, you should spend no more than 30% of your income on housing payments (mortgage plus the other costs of home ownership). You can use this rule of thumb to look at houses that cost five times your annual income or less. While banks might be all too eager to grant you a large mortgage - assuming you can put down a large down payment, are paying down your debts, and have a strong credit score - you shouldn’t necessarily take on the biggest mortgage you can. Taking on any kind of debt is a risk, and you should be cautious about over-committing to a 30-year mortgage if you’re concerned about things in your life, like job security. You should also consider how much of your monthly income you need for spending in other categories, like a retirement savings account or a January vacation to the Caribbean. Think about what will make you happiest, whether it’s a larger space, a short commute, a location close to restaurants and cafes, or a small monthly payment that frees up your income for leisure activities. When purchasing a home, you need to think long-term about both your finances and your overall happiness. Once you’ve figured out what you’re looking for, you can make steps to put yourself in the best position for getting a mortgage and buying your perfect house.