The Age of Discovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Age of Discovery - Essay Example Specifically, whether the phrase Age of Discovery appropriately describes this era as the most significant age of human discovery; the rampant rush to imperialistic tactics by the invading nations and the consequences including the subsequent escalating slave trade. The Age of Discovery refers to the time in history when Europeans discovered the Americas. Explorers following the ships of Christopher Columbus found, on their own planet, a new land mass inhabited by humans. Of all mankind’s explorations, this period of discovery had the most impact on the future of the world’s collective societies. It caused the questioning of Christian religious dogma which encouraged the further use of critical thought on a widespread scale thus allowing society to advance both in knowledge and in the concept of human thought (Kreis, 2002). Until it was proved differently, church officials deemed it heresy to suggest the Earth was round because the Bible refers to the ‘four corners of the world.’ In addition, if God flooded the world and only Noah’s family survived, where did these people come from? The scientific boom that began in the 1600’s and continues to this day owes much to the Age of Discovery that preceded it. T he church was no longer able to stifle scientific knowledge following the events of this era. Additionally, the economy of Portugal, then Spain, Europe, and Asia among others experienced a revival due to the increasing slave trade and the lifestyle and cultural traditions of the native people of the ‘new world’ were forever altered. The term ‘discovery’ would indeed accurately describe this ‘age’ more so than any other era in human history. Simply finding the new land mass populated by humans would itself qualify the definition (Kreis, 2002).

English Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

English Literature - Essay Example He largely catered to the symbolic interpretations of his literary and made sense in understanding some aspects of the human soul. Of his works, it notably considered that Songs of Innocence and Experience made a great distinction between the contrary states of the human soul. Primarily, it is said that Songs of Innocence is different from the Songs of Experience which apparently combined and made as one. Songs of Experience is published in 1794 which is a poetry collection. It is the second book and some parts are moved to the first book which is the Songs of Innocence.1 Through the literary collection, the author contested the two books wherein on the Songs of Innocence, he showed the flourishing of human spirit with its freedom while on the other book, he showed the downfall of the human spirit after it had been forced to obey the rules. The beliefs of the author for freedom depicted his literary works such as opposing to the belief of the Anglican Church in suppressing thyself to the church’s beliefs. It is merely reflected to the book of Songs of Experience.2 Blake described the contrary of soul through the two books that signifies different themes for each. The first book, Songs of Innocence is comprised of poems that depict the innocence and happiness of the world that highlights freedom and love. It believes that being close to God means joy and enlightenment of the human soul. The author generally maintained a light theme in order to catch its readers that basically points out to children. One of the poems in the book is The Divine Image, where in Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love are the main topic. Accordingly, those are found in human with the presence of God. Through the faith to God, it is said that people can get joy and happiness that brings unity to each.3 Blake’s representation of the four virtues has been vital to the objects that cause human to be in a chaotic situation. But, this can be

The Treatment of Investments in Intellectual Property at Apple Research Paper

The Treatment of Investments in Intellectual Property at Apple - Research Paper Example While these attributes have become the focus of regulation of SFAS 2 and subsequent standards SFAS 68 and 86, the objective determination thereof remains elusive and indeterminate, and therefore open to managerial discretion. The study also comments on the differences in accounting treatment among standards, such as between the SFAS and the IAS, concerning R&D expenditures. In the past it has been found that regulations allows for large write-offs of acquired R&D in favor of the acquirer, which have been tightened by recently developed standards embodied in SFAS 141 and 142. From published reports, Apple appears substantially and formally compliant with these regulations; however, greater detail and information on specific projects unavailable in the published reports would be required by a sitting and competent body to assess whether these treatments are fully compliant with the letter and spirit of SFAS. ... How close to actuality a firm assesses the value of its assets depends upon how faithfully the accounting treatment mirrors the nature of the asset. Tangible assets are easily valued; intangible ones are more ambiguous. Of all intangible assets a technology corporation, the most important – and most difficult to assess – is its intellectual property, and the research and development effort that goes into building it. Research efforts, when successful, lay the foundation for the company’s incomes for the long-term, and therefore should be capitalized; however, since a good amount of R&D efforts are not successful, there is also a possibility that these costs would have short-term implications that does not justify depreciation into the future. This research paper will search for answers to the question: How does a high-technology company with its own proprietary research and development treat its R&D expenditures treat its research and development costs in its fin ancial reports, given that research and development efforts may or may not result in marketable products? The study shall focus on the procedure applied in Apple, Inc., the company of choice because of their high-profile, highly successful new technologies in personal communication devices, for both hardware and software. U.S. GAAP for Research and Development Expenditures The U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles is the body of accounting rules and standards according to which financial statements for companies in the U.S. are prepared, particularly publicly traded and held companies and non-profit organizations. The U.S. GAAP is embodied in the

English Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

English Literature - Essay Example He largely catered to the symbolic interpretations of his literary and made sense in understanding some aspects of the human soul. Of his works, it notably considered that Songs of Innocence and Experience made a great distinction between the contrary states of the human soul. Primarily, it is said that Songs of Innocence is different from the Songs of Experience which apparently combined and made as one. Songs of Experience is published in 1794 which is a poetry collection. It is the second book and some parts are moved to the first book which is the Songs of Innocence.1 Through the literary collection, the author contested the two books wherein on the Songs of Innocence, he showed the flourishing of human spirit with its freedom while on the other book, he showed the downfall of the human spirit after it had been forced to obey the rules. The beliefs of the author for freedom depicted his literary works such as opposing to the belief of the Anglican Church in suppressing thyself to the church’s beliefs. It is merely reflected to the book of Songs of Experience.2 Blake described the contrary of soul through the two books that signifies different themes for each. The first book, Songs of Innocence is comprised of poems that depict the innocence and happiness of the world that highlights freedom and love. It believes that being close to God means joy and enlightenment of the human soul. The author generally maintained a light theme in order to catch its readers that basically points out to children. One of the poems in the book is The Divine Image, where in Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love are the main topic. Accordingly, those are found in human with the presence of God. Through the faith to God, it is said that people can get joy and happiness that brings unity to each.3 Blake’s representation of the four virtues has been vital to the objects that cause human to be in a chaotic situation. But, this can be

Okonkwo Essay Example for Free

Okonkwo Essay Some regard the arts as having an extra-artistic cognitive function, that they have a message about mans place in the world which might have social or political implications. For example, there might be a case for supposing that the arts have an important function as a medium for social criticism and transformation. In any case, there is a widespread belief that the arts have a higher purpose to educate by encouraging introspection and sometimes making us think about how we should live our lives. Two heads are better than one. Learning nd working in groups involves shared or learned values, resources, and ways of doing things. Group projects can reinforce skills that are relevant to both group and individual work, including the ability to: break task into parts, plan and manage time and gain communication skills. What strategies were used? Many of my classmates including myself would have preferred to work on this project individually, however every now and then more hands make for lighter work. When my partner and I got together to begin our project we had decided to split the project in half. Same an equal amount of work. I wouldnt say we used and specific strategies to begin the Mexican Revolution project. We did however follow the some of the guidelines of the design cycle to begin which included: plan, investigate, design and create. What knowledge was acquired? Because my partner had so much knowledge of the Mexican Revolution, she was able to help me clearly understand/clarify certain things that had occurred that I was uncertain of. Because we had to do some research on our own I gained more on the revolution, to the porfiriato era where porfito Diaz himself introduced railroads, to ow important the constitution was for the people. What skills were utilized and developed? Group projects can also help students develop skills to collaborative efforts, allowing students such as myself to: delegate roles and responsibilities, share perspectives, knowledge and skills, hold one another and be held accountable. (We were able to use pervious knowledge from class and what we have been taught to be able to complete the project. I was able to develop and gain more knowledge of the Mexican revolution because of my partners knowledge. ) What will be done ditterently in the tuture? A lot of things will be done differently in the future. Time management of course. We ended up doing it the same week it was due which caused some stress on each of us individually. Although we completed out project in time I would have liked to have started planning the week she told us Just to have had a head start and know what we were doing then actually doing it last minute and not really knowing what we were going to do. Even if we decided to split the work, I would have wanted to still worked together since it was a group project. But above all, it was a great experience working with another individual. 378

Organisational Structure of Geodrill Limited

Organisational Structure of Geodrill Limited Introduction Geodrill Limited is an exploration drilling contractor, which was incorporated in the Isle of Man in June 1998 and centers its attention on the mining industry in West Africa. It operates in 3 West African countries, which are Burkina Faso, Ghana and the Cote DIvoire through an entirely owned subsidiary, Geodrill Ghana Limited. The Head Office is located in Accra, Ghana and manages operations throughout the West African region. However, there are only two operating entities, Geodrill Ghana Limited and Geodril CI SARL in Cote DIvoire . Geodrill Ltd (Isle of Man) operates contracts in Burkina Faso. The two entities are whole owned subsidiaries of Geodrill Ltd ( Isle of Man). Geodrill Ltd. has 2 issued shares owned by Blue Croft Limited and Red Croft Limited. All drill rigs were bought new except ore 650/1 which was bought second hand in the year 2000. Geodrill started operations in Ghana in 1998 with one UDR 900 multi-purpose drill rig and in 1999 added another. At the end of December 1999, Geodrill owned 10 UDR multi-purpose Drill rigs all with boosters, auxiliary compressors, modern fleet of MAN trucks, track support vehicles and light vehicles. Geodrill also owns three core only Sandvik DE 710 crawler mounted drill rigs and two Auztex Air core truck mounted rigs. Current expansion in 2010 includes two additional rigs bringing total fleet to seventeen. It is envisaged that by the end of 2010 the fleet size in terms of drill rigs will be twenty. The rigs to be added in 2010, while still of the UDR make (have recently changed to Sandvik) depart from existing strategy by being specialized drill rigs. Two of the rigs will offer RAB services while the other offer Air Core. The entire maintenance operations of Geodrill Limited is carried out at Anwian Kwanta a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is based on a 10 acre land which has a modern workshop, offices and accommodation for both expatriates and nationals. The workshop strictly adheres to world class safety standards. Our health and safety and environmental program was designed by Tracmin to at a minimum comply with Australian safety standards. Ownership and Directors Geodrill Limited has a Trust set up by Dave Harper, currently the Managing Director of the group. He is also the Chairman and CEO of Geodrill Ghana Limited, the operating entity in West Africa. The Trust is held by the City Trust firm based in Douglas, the Isle of Man, on behalf of the Harper Family Trust of Perth, Australia. It has 2 issued shares. The other director of Geodrill Ghana Limited is Terry Burling who is also the Operations Manager of the firm. Figure 1: Organisational Structure of Geodrill  [1]   The Organisational Structure Management Dave Harper is the Managing Director and CEO. He has about 30 years of experience in the drilling industry having worked both in Australia and West Africa. He started working in Ghana in 1991 as General Manager of SMS, an exploration drilling firm. Mr. Harper, a driller by profession, resigned in 1996 and set up Geodrill 2 years later. The CEO is directly responsible for project flow and contracting with clients, client relations, invoicing and acquisition of major equipment. He also leads in setting corporate and business strategy. He is assisted by 2 departmental managers. Terry Burling is the Operations Manager with 20 years of experience in the drilling industry. He previously worked with SMS in New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and in Ghana. Fortunately for the company, Terry Burling is an expert in both the mechanical and exploration aspects of the profession. His skills span drilling, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and fabrication. Greg Conroy is the FA Manager. He has worked in that capacity at several exploration drilling and mining firms including SMS (Ghana), Equigold CI SARL (Ivory Coast). He has over 20 years of experience in the industry. Conroy started working with the company in December 2008, having taken over from a Ghanaian who had been in the position since Geodrill was established and also previously worked with SMS. The FA Manager is directly responsible for managing relationships with all external stakeholders except clients. The Structure of the Firm Geodrill has about 120 staff organized into 2 departments, Operations and Administration. There are 4 sections under Operations: Exploration, Maintenance, Stores and HSE. Exploration performs the drilling required by clients; the core activity of the company. The Exploration workers are organized in crews of 4 per rig per shift of 12 hours, therefore 8 per workday. A Site Supervisor manages all aspects of the project being undertaken including a cash expense budget, accommodation, liaises with the clients representation usually a geologist, and supervises the crew. If its a large project with 2 or more rigs present, a store is set-up and stocked with consumables. In this case too there may be one or more supervisor. The Exploration staff typically constitutes about 80% of the staff strength. Maintenance provides engineering back up services for repairs and maintenance. This section also fabricates a lot of equipment including heavy duty, pneumatic vehicles. They work out of one of the most advanced workshops in West Africa and drive out to offer on-site support in their modified and well-equipped Land Cruiser pick-ups. The Store section manages the stock of consumables, fuel and spare parts. Though many firms in the industry treat stock as finance and accounting function because of its effect on profitability, Geodrill has placed its Store as Operations to better ensure closer integration with the core functions of the business. Decisions on purchases are made with paramount regard to the necessity of the item for project execution rather than cost or any other consideration. Requests routinely originate from the Supervisors and are validated by the Operations Manager. The Health, Safety and Environment section oversees the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Health, Safety and Enviornment standards that, at a minimum, are required to conform to Australian mandated standards. The Australian standard is regarded as the most stringent for drilling firms globally and much higher than what is required in Ghana. Setting that as the minimum standard is a purely discretionary decision by Geodrills Chief Executive Officer. The Administration department is made up of Accounts, Human Resource, Information Technology and Logistics. The Accounts section is responsible for all financial reporting including management reports and statutory reports. Geodrill tracks income by drill rig and by project. Major direct expenses such as fuel are tracked by drill rig and project. The Accounts section also manage the monthly cash budget. Human Resource section coordinates with departmental managers in the recruitment process, the setting of salaries and promotions. Salary levels are determined according to the hierarchy (organizational structure) and each band has 3 sub-levels. Junior employees earn a basic salary and overtime for work done beyond 8 hours in a weekday. For senior employees, a fixed salary that consolidates both a base pay and overtime is determined and their pay does not vary by the hours done. The section prepares the payroll and executes payments. The Logistics section act as a go-between with Stores, and the rest of the company to ensure that procurements, imports and exports and immigration requirements for expatriate workers are smoothly executed. Services Geodrill provides Reverse Circulation and Core Drilling services. The object of all prospective drilling is to get samples from different depths below the surface. The two basic methods are cuttings recovery and core recovery. Reverse circulation drilling falls in the first category and diamond core drilling in the second. Reverse Circulation Reverse Circulation is the method of choice for obtaining consistently high quality rock chip samples with speed and efficiency. Geodrill provides reverse circulation drilling using the latest Face Sampling hammers and equipment drilling holes with 140mm diameter to depths of between 50 400 meters. In terms of pricing, this drilling methodology is positioned in the middle. It is more expensive than RAB and Air Core drilling but less costly than diamond drilling. It is the most commonly used method. It collects samples from depth by pulverizing the rock which is then blown up through an inner tube and collected in a sample bag. Diamond Core Drilling This technique is used to drill to about 1500m deep. A diamond-impregnated drill bit cuts a core of rock hence the name Diamond core. The core sample is removed at intervals and catalogued. This is a much more expensive drilling method. Directional Drilling Geodrill provides the Deep Directional drilling using Down Hole Motor and Wedging; to control deviation so target is achieved, to intersect targets below inaccessible locations, to alter course of a drill hole to intersect target and to allow multiple target intersections by deviating branch holes from a parent hole. Two other types of drilling, common in the industry but not previously offered by Geodrill, are RAB and Air core drilling. These are most ideal for shallow depths, are speedier and cheaper for clients. THE EXPLORATION INDUSTRY IN WEST AFRICA Market and Industry Geodrills current client list includes Newmount Ghana Gold, Golden Star Resources, Keegam Resources, Perseus Mining, Azumah Resources, Castle Minerals, Lihir Equigold, in Cote dIvoire, Ampella Mining and Gryphon Minerals both in Burkina Faso. Geodrill is currently the market leader in Ghana with about 35% of the market share. In 2009, 50% operating capacity in Ghana, 20% in Cote dIvoire and 30% in Burkina Faso. Geodrill hopes to increase operations in Burkina Faso in the near future as that industry is less saturated than Ghana in terms of competition and there are a lot of contracts readily available. For 2010, the order book is full including 2 new rigs on order. Geodrill is still receiving invitations to tender on contracts all over West Africa in Gold and base metals. Geodrills competitors in Ghana are Boart Longyear, AMS exploration, Pontil Minerix, Drillmasters and Burwash. In Cote dIvoire, their competitors are Boart Longyear CI, Ore-ex and Drill ex. In Burkina Faso, its Boart Longyear BR and West Africa Drilling Services. Current industry challenges include price competitiveness, and the labour market beginning to tighten. Opportunities include gold and commodities boom, an influx of active exploration companies into West Africa and improving political stability in the region. The mining, energy and infrastructure markets are expected to see the hightes neer to medium term growth in the sub Saharan African region. In general, mining companies with a higher percentage of long term renewable contracts are viewed as being lower risk and Geodrill prefers to deal with such clients. Analysis of the Industry There is no substitute for exploration drilling services in the mining industry. The exploration process progresses from initial studies of the geological structure of an area, a history of mining and other indicators of prospective potential. However, actual samples must always be collected both from the surface and at depth to determine the actual presence of mineral. This collection of samples from depth can only be done by drilling down into the ground. The threat of new entrants probably offers competitive pressure to existing firms in the West African market. The mining industry is made up of many small firms but dominated by a few very large firms. Exploration drilling, though it has a tangible end product in the form of samples, is really a service and depends as much on relationships as on the quality of the sample. It is a capital-intensive business but any entity that can get access to about $3m in start-up capital can start with a second hand rig, some spare parts and consumables. The exploration drilling firms usually operate under the umbrella of the client and so are indirectly regulated hence regulatory issues will not hinder a start-up. The exploration drilling business is characterised by short drill programmes (contract duration of 3 months to 1 year). Each drill programme can be properly viewed as a real option, and determines the next step for the client. The level of activity is driven by the ease of fundraising on the capital markets and the price of gold as it determines the value of any find. The drilling service is homogenous in nature, hardly differentiated except by the speed and efficiency of execution and the safety record of the drilling firm. There is not much collaboration among the firms. Suppliers of major inputs such as drilling consummables are quite powerful when the industry is booming. When the price of gold falls or the capital markets are not doing well, there is usually an excess of serviceable second hand equipment available. This dilutes the power of the suppliers somewhat. The sources of consumables are many hence the suppliers here are much less powerful than the suppliers of equipment. There are two types of clients: Mining firms and exploration firms. The mining firms have operating mines and earn revenue from selling the gold that they mine. The exploration firms hold concessions and carry out drill programs to determine their potential. Exploration firms do not earn operating revenues; they earn a return eventually by selling the concession if it is proven to have the potential to yield some gold. Therefore, exploration firms finance their drill programs by raising equity on the capital markets. The clients are very powerful and price sensitive. Drill programs tend to be one of the largest costs of the client. For both types of clients, it determines the life and value of the business. Accounting Policies Drill rigs undergo major rebuilds to extend their life span every 3 5 years. The cost is capitalized. Depreciation rates are 10% for drill rigs, 20% as plant and equipment, 20% on motor vehicles, 20% on furniture and fittings and 5% on land and buildings. Currency of record is the US dollar. Audited financial statements are submitted to the internal revenue service and taxes are paid in US dollars. Geodrill is permitted by the Minerals Commission and Bank of Ghana to receive at least 50% and Bank of Ghana to receive at least 50% of its drilling income in US dollars. Financial year ends on 31st December. Organisation Strategy From inception, management decided it did not want a Workers Union. Management instead formed an informal workers committee which is made up of senior employees and who are nationals for that matter. Management then acts as a union and seeks to ensure the general welfare of workers in consultation with the workers committee. This is itself is unique in an industry where unions are common. 2. Geodrill operates only in West Africa whereas its key competitors operates globally. From Ghana the chairman who also doubles as the chief executive officer oversees everything. This gives Geodrill the advantage to follow the market more closely and adopt quickly. For its competitors, there might be a general manager heading a particular region who will lack final authority on decision making. 3. Geodrill adheres to a strict healthy, safety and environment policy and as much as possible used brand new equipment which are serviced regularly and kept in top shape by the operations department from its workshop which is fitted out with the most advanced equipment needed. Competitors often deploy other rigs that have been in service in other parts of the globe and this gives Geodrilll an edge over competitors when it comes to contract execution. 4. Geodrill has more nationals in their top hierarchy than its competitors. Locals are found in management positions usually reserved for expatriates among their competitors. This enables management to keep the wage bill lower than that of their competitors because nationals severally earn lower than expatriates while at the same time motivating nationals to give off their best because they know the top positions are not kept for only expatriates. 5. Geodrill pays higher than market rates and keeps job content interesting so as to attract the best men available and also maintain them. To lay off full time permanent employees however, is difficult under the labour laws of Ghana and other West African states hence Geodrill keeps 80% of nationals on 2 year contracts renewable so far as the company has contracts to support number of staff. If rigs become idle then the workers on that rig can be laid off with a months salary in lieu of notice and are recalled when a contract is secured for that rig.

Comparing Imagery in Frosts Acquainted with the Night and Sexton s He

Imagery in Frost's Acquainted with the Night and Sexton 's Her Kind In order to maximize meaning and overall total effect of a piece of work, writers use various literary devices. These techniques enhance the author's work and add a dimension that results in higher reader satisfaction. Throughout the poems I have read this quarter thus far, I have discovered the use of imagery as a prominent source of literary embellishment. In particular the image of night is used in poems "Acquainted with the Night," written by Robert Frost, and "Her Kind," written by Anne Sexton, to portray a dark and lonely tone. All through both poems there is a dark feeling due to word selection and associations to evil things. The use of night in both cases helps to solidify the idea of loneliness. Each poem puts to work the same image to create the same affect but each work has slight differences and similarities in the way it makes night apply to loneliness. Imagery can be presented in many different ways. A strong image of night exists all over Robert Frost's piece, "Acquainted with the Night," due to a very descriptive representation of things that happen or belong to the night. By simply describing the details of night Frost can paint a picture of a lonely man. The key to using imagery is to choose images that have very distinct characteristics that associate themselves with that image. Frost's idea of choosing night to portray a sense of being alone is due to the connections of cold, dark, wet and unknowns that go along with the night. The same affect would not be able to be created if the ... ...unt the night with power. Through the use of imagery the writer is able to apply several different meanings by using one simple image. This makes the poems overall affect more efficient in making its point. The composition has become less wordy and is able to make a vivid scene with out the need of extensive descriptions. Examining the differences and similarities of the two different applications of night as an image of loneliness, is a good way to determine what the overall feel of the poem is. When reading these works one must take the existing mold of an image and see if there are any dual meanings of why the author chose that particular concept. The use of an image as a literary devise allows the piece to touch its readers on a more personal level.