Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Phuket Beach Hotel Valuing Mutually Exclusive Capital...

Using Case Studies in Real Estate and Finance Courses By Su Han Chan Department of Real Estate The Preliminaries Setting expectations Focus is on decision making Requires judgment No â€Å"right† answers Setting ground rules The student contract (4Ps) Knowing your participants Selecting cases and readings Using a mix of short (â€Å"breather†) and long cases Assigning a term project Case seminar series_Su H Chan A Short Case Phuket Beach Hotel: Valuing Mutually Exclusive Capital Projects* (4 pages) Synopsis Phuket Beach Hotel has an opportunity to lease its underutilized space to a karaoke pub and earn a rental income. Alternatively, the hotel could develop the unused space and create its own pub. The general manager of the†¦show more content†¦Also lays out other alternatives for Disneys entry into the China market. Case B: HKSAR Perspective Presents detailed information about the proposed theme park and the assumptions used by the Hong Kong SAR in conducting its economic assessment of the project. Also lays out other alternatives for reinvigorating the tourism industry in Hong Kong and the development of Pennys Bay (the proposed site of Hong Kong Disneyland) in nearby Lantau. Case C: The Joint Venture Negotiation Case C is structured as a bilateral negotiation exercise and allows students to participate in a joint venture simulation for the Disneyland project in Hong Kong. Students are assigned to a negotiation team representing one of two groups (either the Hong Kong government or Walt Disney Co.). They are required to study the case assigned to their side of the negotiation. Thereafter, the students task in this negotiation is to represent their groups effectively and to achieve the best outcome for the government or for Walt Disney. Case seminar series_Su H Chan Using the Case(s) Distribute case memo to students Distribute cases for each side Case pre-briefing Students prepare their opening bids and walkawayShow MoreRelatedPhuket Beach Case1683 Words   |  7 PagesPHUKET BEACH HOTEL: VALUING MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE PROJECTS I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This is an assessment of the different costs and benefits of two mutually exclusive capital projects involving the use of an underutilized space located on the second floor of the main building of Phuket Beach Hotel (PBH). The first project, Planet Karaoke Pub (PKP) offered to sign a four-year lease agreement with (PBH) while the second project, Beach Karaoke Pub (BKP), is a pub the PBH itself, plans to putRead MorePhuket Beach Hotel1996 Words   |  8 PagesCase 10:Phuket Beach Hotel VALUING MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE CAPITAL PROJECTS Case Overview Planet Karaoke Pub Project Lives Monthly rental (5% increment for 3rd and 4th year) 4 years 170, 000 (THB) 770, 000 to 1, 000, 000 (THB) 55, 000 (THB) Up front renovation cost (Depreciated over the life of project - straight line method with zero salvage value) Overhead expenses Repair and maintenance cost 10, 000 (THB) / year Case Overview Beach Karaoke Pub Project Lives Up front investment Read MorePhuket Beach Hotel3020 Words   |  13 PagesFinancial Management. EBS ML. 4th course students. Case study. Phuket Beach Hotel. Valuing Mutually Exclusive Capital Projects. Questions 1. Please asses the economic benefits associated with each of the capital project. What is Initial Outlay? What are the incremental cash flows over the life of the project? What is an appropriate discount rate to use for discounting the cash flows of the project? SN 1 and SN 2 - 40% 2. Are the project comparable based on the standard NPV measure, given that they

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Role Of Women In Female Fences, By August Wilson

Female Fences Fences took place in the 1950’s, during that time the role of women in the 1950 was repressive and constrictive in a lot of ways. The 1950s is often viewed as a period of conformity, when both men and women observed strict gender roles and complied with society’s expectations (Women in 1950’s). Society placed a very high significance on different expectations on behavior in public as well as at home. Women were to be homemakers, caring mothers, and to be an obedient wife to their husbands. A wife was only considered a â€Å"good wife† if she did anything and everything her husband asked for and agreed with everything the man would say. This was the type of way Troy treated Rose in fences and how he thought of women and their†¦show more content†¦Wilson shows his audience two ways he portrays women throughout the play and he stressed the significance of their roles in that time period. August Wilson made his audience aware of the issues blacks were going through during that time period. For instance, Wilson shows the struggle Troy has with allowing his son Corey to play sports and get recruited. Troy goes on to say â€Å"I decided seventeen years ago that boy wasn’t getting involved in no sports. Not after what they did to me in the sports† (Wilson 1.3.111). Troy is referring to how the whites would not let him play in the major league because of his skin color and he believes they will do the same to Corey. Wilson expresses another theme of color discrimination when Troy talks to Bono about how only whites drive the garbage trucks while the coloreds do the picking. Troy states, â€Å"†¦Why? Why you got the white men driving and the colored lifting? †¦ What’s the matter, don’t I count? You think only white fellows got sense enough to drive a truck†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wilson 1.1.10). This was a big problem for many companies in the 1950’s the African Americans played minor roles at the time only whites held the special privilege jobs. Many black men like Troy just wanted a change they wanted equal job opportunities like the white men were getting. If a female was to rewrite this play she would have to change the focus of the play. In theShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Women In Fences1739 Words   |  7 PagesGarcia English 2 Professor Spencer December 8, 2017 Sexuality and role of women in August Wilson’s Fences In the film Fences by August Wilson, the audience is presented with a country that is fast evolving, with oppression, prejudice, and poverty remaining a common factor. Most scholars argue that sexism is the dominant theme in Wilson’s plays due to the portrayal of female characters occupying the stereotypical, male-fantasized roles of the domestic, powerless, or submissive mother figure ratherRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Rose Maxon In Fences By August Wilson1452 Words   |  6 PagesRose Maxon is the female character in the play ‘Fences’ by August Wilson. She is married to Troy Maxon and together they have a son named Cory. The play takes place in the 1950s and it focuses on racism, oppression, family problems, unity, and infidelity. Particularly Rose, who is a Black woman in the 50s, without an education, a housewife, and is expected to behave as the caretaker for everyone. Rose Maxon: duties include being a mother/caretaker, house taker, wife. Puts hersel f aside for everyoneRead MoreFeminist Criticism In August Wilsons Fences732 Words   |  3 PagesWithin August Wilson’s Fences, the conflict between the authority figures within the Maxson household was prevalent. At this time in history, misogyny was widespread, and men typically held a large majority of the authority positions in society. Some scenes from Wilson’s Fences would include times in which Troy Maxson would depict seemingly oppressive authority over his family members. Troy often acted in a rather arrogant manner, which contributed to the strong sense of patriarchy that was presentRead MoreAnalysis Of The Of A Salesman And Millers And Williams Plays1102 Words   |  5 PagesThe playwrights we discussed after Tennessee Williams have adapted disparate elements of postmodernism to undermine the modernist assumptions undergirding O’Neill’s, Glaspell’s, Wilder’s, Miller’s and Williams’ plays. I will use Fences, The Hungry Woman, Topdog/Underdog, Glengarry Glen Ross, Six Degrees of Separation, and The Heidi Chronicles to support my claim. To start off, I will come up with working definitions of modernism and post-modernism. Modernism is a movement in culture that seeks toRead MoreFences Analysis On Fences By August Wilson1283 Words   |  6 Pages Fences Analysis In the play â€Å"Fences† by August Wilson the play’s attitude toward women is biased, and if the play was written by a female I think it would have a stronger feminine influence. Issues such as racism and discrimination against blacks may be raised in the play that the author did not bring up, and the women in the story somewhat do generally typify women in the 1950s. To support my interpretation, the women in the play were homebodies, just worrying about the household because theyRead MoreMasculinity And Self Determination And Aggression1445 Words   |  6 PagesMasculinity can be described as a set of attitudes, roles or traits related to men. It develops by the social and biological parameters and factors. However, it could be exhibited by males as well as females, depending upon the development of masculine traits in them. The main characteristics of masculinity include bravery, impartiality, freedom, and firmness which depend upon the locality and background of the individual, as well as the community and traditions. An extremism of negative traits ofRead MoreThe Roles Of Black Men In Fences By August Wilson908 Words   |  4 PagesAs the roles of black men begin to evolve during the post-slavery time period, women’s roles remained unchanged. In this case, in August Wilson’s play Fences, Wilson’s perspective on gender roles explains the traditions of both men and women, the oppression and objectification of women, and the social roles. For instance, â€Å"Indeed, Wilson’s perspective on responsibility might appear dubious to those unfamiliar with his decidedly male ethos, which he links to the history of black male-female relationsRead MoreAnalysis of Plays, Fences and A Raisin in the Sun Essay2025 Words   |  9 PagesJose Morales English 164 Dr. Kidd 08/03/2012 â€Å"Fences† and â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† Plays, â€Å"Fences† and â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† share similar plots. They take place in the mid-western United States in the 1950’s and explore the family dynamics of the African-American Family and the paradigmatic shift it experienced between two generations. The older generation, who could remember slavery by first-hand experience or by being born during a time when success for the average African-Americans wasRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesHartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History Jack Metzgar, Striking Steel: Solidarity Remembered Janis Appier, Policing Women: The Sexual Politics of Law Enforcement and the LAPD Allen Hunter, ed., Rethinking the Cold War Eric Foner, ed., The New American History. Revised and Expanded Edition E SSAYS ON _ T WENTIETH- C ENTURY H ISTORY Edited by MichaelRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 PagesAssociation. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking and eating good food, tennis, and travel to faraway places. He is especially proud of his wife, Carol, a retired elementary school teacher, his daughter Allison, who works for the Center for Women and Excellence in Boston, and his daughter Teri, who is ï ¬ nishing a graduate program in education at NYU. ROXY PECK is Associate Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics and Professor of Statistics at California Polytechnic State University

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Paths of Glory Free Essays

Based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb, Stanley Kubrick directed the movie Paths of Glory in 1957. Kirk Douglas plays the role of Colonel Dax, a commander of the French army in World War I. Held in their trenches against the threat of German cannons, the regiment is ordered on a suicidal mission to capture the Germans. We will write a custom essay sample on Paths of Glory or any similar topic only for you Order Now When the mission fails, French generals order three soldiers to be tried and executed on the charge of cowardice. Dax is selected defense attorney for the chosen soldiers. Kubrick explores the political planning and selfish personal ambitions that result in battlefield slaughter and irrational executions. The movie is constant in its disapproval of war and the pleasure-seeking of military leaders who arrange the deaths of thousands from the comfort of their headquarters. In the beginning of the movie, General Mireau verbally ordered artillery fire on his own men because they had not left the trenches to attack the enemy. This order was denied because it was not written and signed by the general himself. Verbal orders cannot be given out for it could be false. With a signed order, proof is seen from the signature. General Mireau refused to sign the order and instead became very upset. His outrage brought him to the decision to kill three soldiers. A meeting was held between General Broulard, General Mireau and Colonel Dax. General Broulard wanted to execute one-hundred of his own men for cowardice. Of course Colonel Dax disagreed. Therefore, General Broulard brought the number down to a dozen. The result was to choose one man from each regiment and then execute them. There were three regiments so there would be three men randomly picked by their lieutenant. Colonel Dax then requested that he be chosen as their defense attorney. He also had the responsibility of choosing someone who would be in charge of executing these men if they plead guilty in their trial. I would say that their trial was taken place in a Kangaroo court. Kangaroo court is defined as a self-appointed tribunal that disregards or parodies existing principles of law or human rights. All three men chosen for the execution walked in the court ready to be tried with Colonel Dax as their defense attorney. The judge, along with everyone else involved, seemed to already have a decision without knowing the character of each man, evidence and what their attorney had to say. The first man who spoke before the court was a guy who admitted he made it out of the trenches and into â€Å"no man’s land†. According to him, everyone around him was left dead except for one guy who was still left standing. They both headed back to the trenches so they could stay alive. He mentioned that he probably should have moved forward but instead he retreated. The second man who spoke before the court admitted that he advanced from the trenches until he was ordered back. All the court cared about was how far he got out of the trench. They didn’t care that he was ordered to retreat. When Colonel Dax mentioned the two medals the second man received over time, they were not interested. Finally, the third man was being tried. When he was climbing out of the trench, he was knocked out â€Å"stone cold† because of a corpse that fell on him. The court showed no mercy on any of these men. They were all plead guilty and sentenced to death. How can a man be a coward if he remained alive while everyone else lay dead? Why would he or any man for that matter continue going forward alone instead of retreating back to save their own life? How is a man a coward if he is doing nothing but obeying orders? What would make a court plead someone guilty of cowardice when that person has a medal in bravery? Why would a court execute a man who never had the chance to leave the trench because he was knocked unconscious by a dead body? All of these questions had to be going through Colonel Dax’s head. General Mireau asked Colonel Dax the question, â€Å"Are you protesting the authenticity of this court? † He replied with the answer, â€Å"Yes sir. I protest against being prevented from introducing evidence which I considered vital to the defense; the prosecution presented no witnesses; there has never been a written indictment of charges made against the defendants, and lastly, I protest against the fact that no stenographic records of this trial have been kept. The attack yesterday morning was no stain of the honor of France, and certainly no disgrace to the fighting men of this nation. But this Court Martial is such a stain, and such a disgrace. The case made against these men is a mockery of all human justice. Gentlemen of the court, to find these men guilty would be a crime, to haunt each of you till the day you die. I can’t believe that the noblest impulse for man – his compassion for another – can be completely dead here. Therefore, I humbly beg you†¦ show mercy to these men. † Later on during the movie, Colonel Dax summons Lieutenant Roget to his quarters and orders the officer the assignment of supervising the firing squad – a job which requires putting a bullet in each prisoners head. You’ve got the job. It’s all yours,† Colonel Dax says. Lieutenant Roget tries to back out and convince Dax he is unfit for the job since he has never done such a task. Dax feels that if Roget had the audacity to pick a soldier of being dead based on the charge of cowardice, he can uphold the responsibility of ending the ir life. In this scene, Colonel Dax made it a point that Lieutenant Roget made a personal decision with his own reasons instead of picking from random because he was ordered to. Why did Lieutenant Roget choose Cpl. Paris to be executed? Before the assault, Dax ordered three officers (Lieutenant Roget, Corporal Paris and Private Lejeune) to go on a reconnaissance patrol into the darkness of no-man’s-land. The lieutenant â€Å"forfeited† himself, leaving the other two soldiers by themselves just because he was scared. Unfortunately, Private Lejeune did not make it out alive. When Corporate Paris returns back to French lines, he enters Lieutenant’s bunker to talk with him. Roget, shocked to see Paris, says, â€Å"I thought you’d been killed. † â€Å"You didn’t wait around to find out, did you Lieutenant? I mean you ran like a rabbit after you killed Lejeune,† Corporal Paris snaps back. Lieutenant Roget did not appreciate the tone and accusations being pointed at him whatsoever. He clearly lets Paris know that he is an officer and he should never be spoken to like that. Paris continues by saying, â€Å"Oh, well, I must be mistaken then, sir. An officer wouldn’t do that. A man wouldn’t do it. Only a thing would – a sneaky, booze-guzzling, yellow-bellied rat with a bottle for a brain and a streak of spit where his spine ought to be. You’ve got yourself into a mess, Lieutenant. Roget cynically expresses his superiority and counter-reprimands him for insubordination, threatening a superior officer, and refusing to obey an order and inciting others to do the same. Paris threatens to bring charges and accuses his superior officer of drunkenness on duty, wanton murder of one of his own men, and cowardice in the face of the enemy. That is why bringing Corpor al Paris to execution was personal for Lieutenant Roget. With proof that will hopefully save the three soldiers lives from execution, Dax ask to see General Broulard to report the new information he has just learned. With disregard to the information, Broulard replies, â€Å"Maybe the attack against the Ant Hill was impossible. Perhaps it was an error of judgment on our part. On the other hand, if your men had been a little more daring, you might have taken it. Who knows? Why should we have to bear more criticism and failure than we have to? These executions will be a perfect tonic for the entire division. There are few things more fundamentally encouraging and stimulating than seeing someone else die. You see, Colonel, troops are like children. Just as a child wants his father to be firm, troops crave discipline. And one way to maintain discipline is to shoot a man now and then. † Dax had sworn statements by the men who witnessed General Mireau ordering artillery fire on his own men during the attack. He implies that the execution would not proceed if all the court knew Mireau’s actions to fire on his own men. General Broulard is not justified in holding his position with respect because he had the choice to stop the execution but chose not to. He believes that killing three innocent men shows an example in maintaining discipline. He chose not to stop this for he did not want to look bad upon. I believe that if he would have stopped the execution like Colonel Dax wanted him too; it would not look bad on Broulard. Full responsibility would have been over General Mireau for poor judgment and the lack of morals. General Mireau made this decision based on his ego and authority. Stanley Kubrick brings in the theme class distinction by making it clear that everyone is afraid. If ranked higher in power, fear can be overlooked in the form of authority. Lower classes were shown to be located in trenches while those better off became Generals and Colonels. To those in power, other soldiers were chess pieces to their decisions. That is where Kubrick uses the theme nationalism. The cliche â€Å"means to an end† is a good example of what General Broulard believed. He believed that if three men getting executed were what it took for the rest of the regiments to follow orders, then that is what it took to be successful in the war. He made decisions on what he believed was best even if it was morally wrong. The execution gave him and General Mireau a superior patriotic feeling, and that is where Colonel Dax conflicted with both Generals. How to cite Paths of Glory, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Alice Munros an Ounce of Cure free essay sample

Modern literary analyses and studies make the link between literary techniques such as narrative and storytelling and several other disciplines. Thus, one may find the theories of narrative and storytelling extending up to several major disciplines, such as philosophy, psychology, and literary criticism. In the view of different experts in literary analyses, there is a close connection between narrative or storytelling and the definition of the nature of self and personal identity. The former has been understood as influential in determining the definition of the latter and several writers have significantly contributed to this characteristic through their narrative and storytelling. These writers organize the characteristics and ideals of characters into a cohesive whole which develops a sense of who a person is. The narrative theory of identity as presented in the memories, events, and dreams of various characters and their personality traits illustrates the significant contribution made by literature in the realization of the narrative theory of identity. One of the superior examples of this relationship between literature and narrative theory of identity is Alice Munro’s â€Å"An Ounce of Cure† and the author has been celebrated as making observations on the episodic nature of life through her stories. â€Å"An Ounce of Cure† presents an important episodic nature of life through the mid-teenage problems and crises in the life of the main character and the major theme of the story reminds the readers that even the most repulsive issues which flip over every person at some episode of his life will be dispensed with in the course of life. It is through the effective narrative and storytelling that Munro conveys her points to the readers and the narrator in this story, who lives through the atrocious stage in her teenage life, presents her viewpoints in the most convincing manner. Therefore, Alice Munro, through her short story â€Å"An Ounce of Cure,† illustrates the relationship between literature and narrative theory of identity and the narrative and storytelling of the story helped the author in this attempt. In literature, the author’s personal experiences or the various aspects of their life will be resonated in the writing and, when the writers depend on the art of writing to express them completely, narrative becomes a reflection of personality. In her short stories, Alice Munro artistically makes use of this technique of self expression through narrative and the situations and experiences in the author’s life influenced the chronological progress of her writing. The use of complex characters, setting, ironic humor, and symbolism etc in her short stories helped Munro present the stories in a realistic way. An Ounce of Cure† presents the story of a realistic character who confronts some fundamental mid-teenage problems. â€Å"In ‘An Ounce of Cure’ the young girl who narrates the story has her first encounter with a strong drink while she is feeling jilted and doing a fairly regular baby-sitting job in a small town. The result is predictably disastrous. The narration is almost apologetic about the farcical element and the style is determinedly lively What we get is good, clean, but rather obvious fun. (Martin, 1987, p 37). Therefore, narrative and storytelling in Munro’s short story significantly helps the writer to convey her own life experiences and the characters present instances from the author’s life. Storytelling in â€Å"An Ounce of Cure† has an important role in depicting the teenage crises in the life of the heroine and the quality of the story informs the readers of similar episodes in real life. The author has been effective in presenting the mid-teenage problem of the girl in a realistic manner. The heroine of the story narrates one of the most embarrassing events of her adolescence as she recalled it. The incident presented in the story illustrates the truth that choices have a permanent effect, because they inexorably direct to end results which influence the course of growth and maturity. The main character in the story considered that the undying love for her boyfriend was the goal of her preordained life and the narrator has been able to present the world of the teenagers realistically. They frequently exaggerate their tragedies which results in certain life threatening situations to them. Alice Munro is effective in efficiently managing the characters in the story that make it very realistic to the readers. In life situations, one finds several examples of teenagers who are driven by the same passion of the heroine of the story. In one such interesting case, a thirteen year old boy named Sam Leeson hanged himself after being tormented on social networking website Bebo and the reason was his liking for Emo rock bands. Sensitive Sam Leeson was bombarded with cruel messages because of his long hair and dark clothes. His tormentors also mocked his love of Emo stars such as My Chemical Romance and their angst-ridden lyrics. Sam was found hanged in his bedroom after months of abuse. † (Coles, 2008) One may relate this real life incident in the life of Sam Leeson to the experiences of the young heroine of Munro story and the character wants to kill herself over a sm all crush in the similar fashion. This illustrates the superior quality of the narrative style which appear realistic to the readers. The storytelling in the short story by Munro reminds one of similar life experiences of teenagers and the realistic style of the narration helps the writer appear convincing to the readers. Alice Munro makes use of the conventional realistic narrative with the intention of providing order and structure to her fiction and female protagonist. This has been an issue confronted by several female writers who hold that historical and genealogical time has little truth in it and they have a tough task in providing the exact order to the narrative. She may acquiesce to the tradition of chronological time in conventional, realistic narrative, as Alice Munro does in an early piece like ‘An Ounce of Cure’ yet all the while speculating on and defensively measuring her fiction as she imposes fictional order on absurd life † (Rasporich, 1990, p 178). The narrative framework helped the author in presenting the personality and identity of a teenager and to depict the life experien ce of a young person in the most convincing manner. The events surrounding a crucial experience in the teenager’s life is depicted in a realistic style and narrator of the story is both appealing and irrepressible. She presents the events as powerfully as the influential style of Anne Shirley. However, there is a strong opposition to the narrative style of Alice Munro and critics feel that she depicts her characters and their setting in terms of an incongruously cut off and unrealistic vision of adolescence. These criticisms of the narrative strategy of the author may be justified as essential to upholding the humorous quality of the short story. More importantly, this quixotically light and ironic quality of the story can be understood as essential to an understanding of the mental makeup of adolescence. The evidences from real life experiences illustrate that there is little unrealistic about the story of the young woman. The main theme of the story also justifies the narrative strategy adopted and the presentation of the story and the theme by the narrator assumes that she has lived through such a horrible stage in her own teenage life. In the story, the narrator does not provide her name, though she is the major character and conveys he points in first person narrative style. The narration of the teenagers experience is in the most convincing manner and the narrator becomes a reliable character as she depicts the story of a stage in her own life. As a teenager, the narrator feels insecure as her parents have already been â€Å"hoping for a lesser rather than a greater disaster—an elopement, say, with a boy who could never earn his living, rather than an abduction into the White Slave trade. †(Munro, 2002, 451) The narrator presents this disaster as her pre-conceived destiny and this also contributes to her instability as a teenager.