Financial Accounting Exxon Shell Case Essay

Objective: Understanding the impact of stock valuation presumptions on fiscal reports. Task synopsis: You are playing the job of a security examiner who as of late began following the Oil and Gas industry. The investigator has an assignment to draw an examination of a few money related pointers for two industry pioneers: Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell, in view of their salary articulations and accounting reports (appended toward the finish of this record) just as the data from the notes to the budget reports summed up beneath. The two organizations seem, by all accounts, to be very comparable and are comparable in size dependent on absolute resources. A private speculator notes, in any case, that some budgetary proportions seem, by all accounts, to appear as something else. Your assignment is to direct a speculator through the fundamental advances that will assist them with understanding the impact of stock valuation suspicions on the money related proportions. The accompanying data depends on Exxon’s and Shell’s 2011 Annual Reports. Exxon Mobil Foundation data. Exxon Mobil Corporation was consolidated in the State of New Jersey in 1882. Divisions and partnered organizations of ExxonMobil work or market items in the United States and most different nations of the world. Their central business is vitality, including investigation for, and creation of, unrefined petroleum and flammable gas, assembling of oil based goods and transportation and offer of raw petroleum, gaseous petrol, and oil based goods. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Inventories. Unrefined petroleum, items, and product inventories are conveyed at the lower of current market worth or cost (by and large decided under the toward the end in, first-out strategy †LIFO). Stock expenses incorporate uses and different charges (counting devaluation) straightforwardly and in a roundabout way acquired in carrying the stock to its current condition and area. Selling costs and general and authoritative costs are accounted for as period costs and prohibited from stock expense. Inventories of materials and supplies are esteemed at cost or less (i.e., lower of cost or market). The total substitution cost of inventories was assessed to surpass their LIFO conveying esteems by $25.6 billion and $21.3 billion at December 31, 2011, and 2010, separately (Convert LIFO to FIFO).

La Machine a Rajeunir free essay sample

When the convoy was out and about, we ran over a squad car. After five seconds, another passed us, its alarm blasting uproariously. Jo and I were sitting at the back on a vehicle seat. Hugo and Sophie were confronting us. Luce, on another seat, was perusing a data book. We at long last got away from the police. Be that as it may, this was not the finish of our issues, as Jo as of now said. The attack of a cop was a wrongdoing, and our break exacerbated things. A1 the officials in the locale were without a doubt searching for us. Be that as it may, what stressed me more than anything else was the helicopter. For what reason would he say he were scoundrels attempting to take my folks? What were their aims and for what reason would they say they are keen on the wonder of their revival? Without a doubt, these secretive individuals are efficient. I definitely realized that the dark vehicle was following my father and mother before they left. We will compose a custom paper test on La Machine a Rajeunir or on the other hand any comparative point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Presently, I know without a doubt that the spying began during their outing to Percâ ©, when they left the machine of revival. Regardless of whether it appears to be dumb, the name of the machine is more than to Just pull in voyagers. Hugo was correct. The machine was extremely equipped for making people more youthful. I could see things all the more plainly Dad and mother fell in the snare of an enormous association. They utilized them like guinea pigs for an unusual test. Everything bodes well! The individuals in the helicopter were attempting to catch my folks to examine them, without a doubt! They should get to Percâ © rapidly. On the off chance that the machine of revival is the reason to our issues, at that point there could be an answer! At the point when we show up at Percâ ©, we should be exceptionally cautious. The scoundrels will doubtlessly attempt to seize my folks once more. With her head lying against her little spouse, mother was resting. l, who accepted that the restoration would stop, was very much aware that in addition to the fact that it would proceed, the procedure would accelerate.

How to Avoid AdWords Mistakes that Cost You Money

How to Avoid AdWords Mistakes that Cost You Money If your business is looking into online marketing, you’ll likely come across a system called AdWords. This Google platform is an excellent way to increase your business reach online and drive more traffic to your website. But it can also cost you a fortune, if you don’t know how to use it correctly. © Shutterstock.com | Ingvar BjorkThis guide will help you understand 1) what AdWords is and 2) why your business will benefit from it. You’ll learn 3) how to avoid major adwords mistakes and use it without spending a fortune.WHAT IS ADWORDS AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?If you are a small business and in charge of your own marketing, chances are you’ve heard of AdWords. Google’s online advertising platform is a popular service and if you’ve never heard of it or used it, its about time that you take a look.AdWords is essentially an online advertising platform, which allows you to display ads for your business using Google platforms. The system enables its users to advertise and gain visibility on Google’s search engine, together with various other Google websites and services. In addition, it will increase your visibility on partnering search engines and websites.AdWords is based on a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising model. Thats as easy as it sounds: Every time someone clicks on your ad, Google will charge you a fee. Therefore, you don’t have to pay for advertising that doesn’t result in clicks. Instead, you pay only for advertising that has reached the customer. On the contrary, if you for example advertise in a newspaper, you will have to pay for the ad space, even if nobody visits your website or calls your number. Bummer!For various reasons, AdWords has changed the way businesses advertise online. It has become one of the key tools businesses can use to can gain more exposure online and increase their reach.WHY SHOULD YOU USE ADWORDS?If you’re still not sure whether or not AdWords could help your business, consider the following points and you may become more interested:Increase your business reach â€" the main reason why businesses use AdWords is to reach out to potential customers online. AdWords allows you to display advertisement all over the internet which significantly increases your business visibility.Measure advertisement performance â€" Starting a marketing campaign, you dont simply post your advertisement randomly in the internet. You have to measure the effectiveness of your advertisement, or you will end up paying money for nothing. Using AdWords’ simple PPC model, you will easily see how many people click your ads and continue to browse on your website to make a purchase.Find out more about your customer â€" AdWords can help you to learn more about your customers, because you will understand what kind of ads they find appealing. Once you know which ads they pay more attention to, you can use the data to improve the content on your site and tailor it to your customers needs.Venture out to other platforms AdWords displays your ads on different Google platforms. Therefore, you can further increase your business reach.Control your advertising costs â€" AdWords will only charge for the clicks, which means you only pay for the exposure you actually receive. That can be cheap, but it can also be expensive. However, the platform allows customisation, so you can run your campaign with a maximum cost per day.Moz’ research suggests that 75% of search results contain AdWords ad placements. That means your business can’t afford to lean back and watch competitors gain a competitive advantage using the platform. As the saying goes: Sometimes the only way to beat your competitors is to join them.AVOID THESE ADWORDS MISTAKES TO RUN A COST-EFFECTIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGNWhilst AdWords comes with a variety of benefits, unfortunately a number of businesses don’t always make the most out of it. Although the system can help you to cut down on advertising costs, it can leave you broke if you don’t know what you are doing.If you’re struggling to get your AdWords campaign started or if you feel your expenses are out of control, then you should consider the following tips. If you are just starting out with AdWords, these are the mistakes you should avoid, otherwise you might pay more than you should.Mist ake 1: Using inefficient keywordsFirst, you must learn how to use keywords. When it comes to online advertising and SEO, keywords play a crucial role. Unfortunately, the proper use of keywords seems to be a bit of a mystery. Consider the following tips, to improve your keyword use with AdWords.Take advantage of your USPThe keywords you use in your campaign should always reflect your companys unique selling proposition (USP). Remember, there’ll be hundreds of other companies competing for advertising space, so you need to highlight your strengths.Figure out what differentiates your business from your competition. You should ask questions such as:Why is my product or service superior to that of my competitors?What added value can my business offer to customers?Your answers to these questions will help you to run a more effective AdWords campaign. Ensure the keywords you use reflect the USP and your business strengths.Use negative keywordsAdWords states negative keywords “are a typ e of keyword that prevents your ad from being triggered by a certain word or phrase.” Using negative keywords might not sound like a good idea â€" these are the words that prevent your ad from showing up â€" but using them will save you money.As a result of using negative keywords, your ad will not be shown to people who are looking for something else, that is not a valuable match for your product or service. In essence, it stops the ‘wrong’ people clicking on your ads and costing you money.Lets say you are running an ad for guitar tutorials. You might use a keyword “guitar tutorials online”. Since your lessons come with a fee, you don’t want people who are looking for free tutorials to click on your ads. Therefore, you can run “free” as a negative keyword. This means your ad won’t show for any search using the word “free.”Dont use too many keywordsWhen businesses are starting out with AdWords, they tend to go crazy, listing tons of keywords relating to their b usiness. However, the golden rule is “less is more.”You can’t add all the keywords to your ad campaign and you need to exclude certain information. Simple ads often convey the most effective message and you should not try to cover all the bases at once.Group keywords correctlyFinally, you need to make sure to group your keywords in the correct way. A costly mistake first-timers make is to use the default grouping option: broad match. In fact, you have other ways to group your keywords and these are often a better use of your money. The keyword match options include:Broad match â€" your ad will appear when people search for any of your given keywords. For example, if you run an ad for “best ugg boots”, your ad can show for searches as wide as “ugg boots best”, “best ugg boots to buy” and “ugg boots for kids.”Phrase match â€" your ad appears only when people search for the keywords in the exact order. For instance, if you run an ad for the “best ugg boots”, t he ad will only show up when people type in “best ugg boots.” They can include other related keywords, but the keywords you used need to be in the exact order.Exact match â€" your ad will appear when people search for exactly the keywords you used. Therefore, for your “best ugg boots” ad, the ad will only pop up when people search for “best ugg boots” â€" nothing more, nothing less.Now, grouping all of your keywords with the default broad match means your ad will attract all kind of people. Since they could be looking for something totally different, they may not even want to buy anything, you might end up paying for clicks that are absolutely worthless. This doesn’t mean broad match is never useful, it just means that by default it can hurt your ads more than help them.Mistake 2: Paying for services that you dont needThe first rule of business finance is to understand where your money comes from and where it goes to. The same rule applies to AdWords and the following tips will help you understand when and what to pay for.Measure profit margins and conversion ratesFirst, you need to understand and measure your profit margins and conversion rates. You can calculate the appropriate profit margin for the ad campaign with the following formula:[(Revenue Per Click x Margin) x Clicks] â€" (Cost Per Clicks x clicks)Total CostNote that you can easily set up a conversion for inquiries and sales from the “Tools and Analysis” section at the AdWords platform.Dont pay for ad time that you don’t needAdWords campaigns are set to run on a 24/7 basis by default. However, having your ads available all around the clock might not be worth the additional cost.To understand the perfect time for your ads, you need to understand your customers. If you are targeting businesses, then running ads over the weekend might not be fruitful. On the other hand, if you are looking for customers for your Monday morning sessions, there’s not much chance of conversions Monday afternoon or Tuesdays.You can keep track of your ads performance from the “dimensions” section in the user interface. Check out when you receive the most conversions and consider limiting the visibility of your ad.Bid for the brandInstead of simply bidding for popular keywords, you should aim to bid for your brand name keywords as well. Brand bidding can improve your search engine rankings and provide more organic search results.Brand bids are typically cheaper than popular keyword bids. But at the same time, they can boost your conversion rate. A customer searching for your brand is already interested in what you have to offer. If instead of finding your business, they come across a competitor, you might lose out on an ‘easy’ sale.Don’t forget your quality scoresGoogle attaches a quality score to each ad. This score, ranging from 1 to 10, essentially tells whether the platform views your ads as high-quality or low-quality. The score is based on a number of factors. You c an find a more detailed explanation in this WordStream post.Basically, what you need to understand is the higher the quality the less you’ll be spending per click. The reason is that Google is placing low-quality ads much lower in the search results.Calculate your Lifetime Value (LTV)Finally, determine how much you want to spend on AdWords to acquire a single customer. Therefore, you have to calculate the Customer Lifetime Value. The calculation determines how much each customer spends on your products or services. Hence, you will know how much you should spend on ads per customer.For example, if your customer lifetime value is $50, you don’t want to spend $60 to attract the customer. You can read more about calculating the rate at Conversion XL.Turn off content networkFinally, the platform also uses content network advertising by default. This is a form of contextual advertising, which aims to place your ad on larger sites. But for a number of businesses, visibility on these pl atforms doesn’t result in conversion clicks, but rather in low-quality clicks. In the end, you might receive clicks, but not clicks that lead to conversion, which means you end up paying more for your advertising. Therefore, you don’t want to spend your money on it. Turn it off.Mistake 3: The content doesnt match with the adsAdWords is great when you have a real value proposition that you think will benefit your customer. On the other hand, it’s not a great tool if you only want to boost your company’s online presence. Simply put, don’t spend money on AdWords if you have nothing worth advertising. Consider the following tips:Focus on quality contentCreate quality ads with meaningful content. Hence, the keywords of your ad, together with taglines and images, should always be directly related to the product or service that your business offers.You should avoid misleading ads â€" never advertise for “free guitar lessons” if you are only offering saxophone lessons for a fe e! In addition, since you are competing against other ads, keep the USP in mind and make your ad stand out in the crowd. Copying what others are doing won’t help you catch customers’ attention.Drive customers to the proper landing pageYour ad will include a link to a location on your website, the so-called landing page, which is essentially the location where the person arrives when he/she clicks the ad or link. A typical mistake is to simply use your company’s homepage as the landing page. Remember, the customer clicks on the link in order to make a purchase or to learn more about the product, not to find himself trying to figure out where to go. Make it easy, lead the way.Lets say you are running an ad for “large family sofas.” You need to ensure the link takes the customer to a page where he can purchase large family sofas or learn more about these sofas. If the ad instead takes the customer to a furniture store homepage, they will simply close the window. Dont waste yo ur customers time, he wont appreciate it.Mistake 4: Expecting too much from AdWordsAdWords comes with a variety of benefits, so you shouldn’t expect it to quadruple your sales overnight. AdWords is just one of many advertisement channels and your business won’t be the only one using it.While AdWords is a relatively cheap way to advertise your business, it isn’t free. If you have a limited budget, you need to make sure you don’t make costly mistakes, and you need to understand the limits of your campaign. You will be competing against other companies, often for the same keywords, and large corporations will naturally have more to spend on their campaigns.AdWords won’t start creating results overnight. In fact, it can take some time to build up your AdWords profile until you start to receive the results you need. If you don’t have patience, you’re better off putting your advertising money somewhere else.Finally, use AdWords as an additional marketing tool. If you base yo ur marketing campaign solely on AdWords, you may not receive the results and exposure you want. Ensure AdWords is just part of your larger marketing effort.Mistake 5: Not testing and measuring your AdWords useFinally, you should remember to measure your performance with AdWords to ensure that your operations are cost effective. AdWords has made it easy to measure the success of your ads and you can use this information in order to calculate your return of investment (ROI).The key statistics you should be aware of include:Quality score. As mentioned earlier, the quality score determines the ad’s rank and your costs.Click through rate. The metric showcases how often people click on the ad. A high CTR (1% or higher) means the ad is relevant and people often click on it. A low CTR (anything below 1%) shows your ad isn’t attracting enough people to be worth it.Conversion rate. This metric shows the number of times people click on your ad and follow up with concrete action, for exampl e a sale or a sign-up. Your goal is a high conversion rate to ensure people aren’t simply clicking the ad for nothing.Use different keywords, ad positions and even times to test which ads lead to better results in the above categories. If a keyword is not working, i.e. resulting in conversions or clicks, you don’t want to continue wasting money on it.It is often a good idea to run two similar ad campaigns with different keywords, but for the same product. This helps you to determine which ad attracts more traffic to your site.Is AdWords the right thing for you? Review the relevant points and if you are interested, give it a try.Find out more watching the YouTube videos below:

Biography of Edward VII, Successor to Queen Victoria

Edward VII, born Prince Albert Edward (November 9, 1841–May 6, 1910), ruled as king of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India as the successor to his mother, Queen Victoria. Because of his mother’s long reign, he spent most of his life performing only ceremonial duties and living a life of leisure. As king, Edward presided over an era of great change and progress while attempting to balance tradition and modernity. His knack for diplomacy and quasi-progressive views allowed his era to be one of international calm and some domestic reforms. Did You Know? In reference to the famously long reign of his mother, Queen Victoria, Edward joked, â€Å"I dont mind praying to the Eternal Father, but I must be the only man in the country afflicted with an eternal mother.† Early Life: A Royal Childhood Edward’s parents were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was the second child and first son of the royal couple (preceded by his sister Victoria, born almost a year to the day earlier). Named for his father, Albert, and his mother’s father, Prince Edward, he was known informally as â€Å"Bertie† throughout his life. As the eldest son of the sovereign, Edward was automatically Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay, as well as receiving the royal titles of Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Saxony from his father. He was created Prince of Wales, the title traditionally bestowed on the eldest son of the monarch, a month after his birth. Edward was raised from birth to be a monarch. Prince Albert devised his course of study, implemented by a team of tutors. Despite rigorous attention, Edward was a mediocre student at best. He did, however, attain better academic results while in college. Playboy Prince From an early age, observers noted Edward’s gift for charming people. As he grew into adulthood, that talent manifested in several ways, most notably in his reputation as quite a playboy. Much to the dismay of his parents, he openly had an affair with an actress during his time in the military – and this was just the first of many. It wasn’t for lack of legitimate romantic prospects. In 1861, Victoria and Albert sent Edward abroad in order to set up a meeting between him and Princess Alexandra of Denmark, with whom they wanted to arrange a marriage. Edward and Alexandra got along fairly well, and they married in March 1863. Their first child, Albert Victor, was born ten months later, followed by five more siblings, including the future George V. Edward and Alexandra established themselves as socialites, and Edward openly carried on affairs throughout his life. His mistresses included actresses, singers, and aristocrats – famously including the mother of Winston Churchill. For the most part, Alexandra knew and looked the other way, and Edward tried to be relatively discreet and private. In 1869, however, a member of Parliament threatened to name him as a co-respondent in a divorce. The Active Heir Apparent Because of his mother’s famously long reign, Edward spent most of his life as an heir, not a monarch (modern commentators often compare him to Prince Charles in this regard). He was, however, very active nonetheless. Although his mother kept him from having an active role until the late 1890s, he was the first heir to perform the public functions of a modern royal: ceremonies, openings, and other formal public appearances. In a less formal capacity, he was the style icon for men’s fashion at the time. His trips abroad were often ceremonial, but occasionally had significant results. In 1875 and 1876, he toured India, and his success there was so great that Parliament decided to add the title Empress of India to Victoria’s titles. His role as a public face of the monarchy did make him an occasional target: in 1900, while in Belgium, he was the target of a failed assassination attempt, apparently in anger over the Second Boer War. After nearly 64 years on the throne, Queen Victoria died in 1901, and Edward succeeded to the throne at the age of sixty. His eldest son Albert had died a decade earlier, so his son George became the heir apparent upon his father’s accession. Legacy as King Edward chose his middle name as his regnal name, despite still being informally known as â€Å"Bertie,† in deference to his late father Prince Albert. As king, he remained a great patron of the arts and worked to restore some of the traditional ceremonies that had lapsed during his mother’s reign. He held a great interest in international affairs and diplomacy, not least of which because most of the royal houses of Europe were intertwined with his family through blood or marriage. Domestically, he opposed Irish home rule and women’s suffrage, although his public comments on race were progressive compared to his contemporaries. He was, however, stuck in a constitutional crisis in 1909, when the House of Lords refused to pass the Liberal-led budget from the House of Commons. The deadlock eventually led to legislation – which the king supported obliquely – to remove the power of the Lords to veto and reduce parliamentary terms. Edward, a lifelong smoker, suffered from severe bronchitis, and in May 1910, his health worsened further with a series of heart attacks. He died on May 6, and his state funeral, two weeks later, was possibly the largest assembly of royalty ever seen. Although his reign was a short one, it was one marked by an affable knack for collaboration in governing and diplomacy, if not a deep understanding, and his training showed clearly in the reign of his son and successor, George V. Sources BBC. â€Å"Edward VII.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Edward VII Biography.† Biography, Sep 10, 2015.Wilson, A N.  Victoria: A Life. New York: Penguin Books, 2015.

A Career as an Event Manager - 2177 Words

As an Event Manager of ABC London Events Co., I would like to announce that I am planning to arrange and organize either a Classical Music Event in Kensington Town Hall or an open Concert a popular band in Hyde Park, celebrating our 5 successful years of our performance in our company since its launch in September, 9th 2009. This event will be done as a motivational and thankful movement to our workforce and employees for their outstanding and truthful performance to enhance our company to its top success. As asked, I would like to present my report with a comparative analysis of operational important issues and risks that could faced in these 2 venues. And at the end, I would like to present my personal opinion regarding which venue or event will be more suitable to our company. First, I will talk in brief about our company, regarding age, income and nationality. To begin with, the age; regarding the age, most of our workforce in our company are from the youth with the age starting form 22 years old till 35 to 40 years old. Depending on the age differences we have, going to a classical musical event would sound classy. According to the income, it varies between the employees and according to their positions. But the income distribution here moderate between the employees according to their performance and positions in our company. We provide for our employees the health care insurance, transportation to our employees who live in far distance from our location of theShow MoreRelatedSports Management : Sport Management816 Words   |  4 Pagessport managers are: recreational sport managers, sport marketing, event management, facility management, sport economics, sport finance and sport information. Sport management can be seen as an easy job, but in reality it is complex and challenging. Sport management isn’t so easy. 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The reason behind its growth is due to clients wanting more spectacular events. It is said that the growth rate in careers will be 33 % from 2012 to 2022, which is actually much faster than any other occupation. It is also projected that from 2012 to 2020 there will be approximately 44,200 job openings in this industry alone. When being hired for this fieldRead MoreThe Career Development Of Byu1599 Words   |  7 Pagesfinally decided on the major I wanted, the professional career exploration allowed me to further dive into the careers and plan my future. In this report I have listed out three potential jobs, with their own specific details, the interview I did with a previous graduate of the program who worked with venue planning, why I believe a career in recreation management is valuable, and finally a five-year plan of where I want to b e after this program. 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It will reveal various skills, training, and recommendations for work-life balances needed to pursue and achieve career objectives. â€Æ' Individual Career Plan When deciding on a career plan, I think it is most important to list the activities that are of interests to do in service of finding a path that suits you best. For the past few years, I have gone back and forth about what I wanted

Urgent Need for Renewable Energy Free Essays

string(166) " The main compound responsible for the ozone layer depletion is Chlorofluorocarbon \(CFC\) commonly found in refrigerants used in air conditioners and refrigerators\." Introduction In today’s world the most important thing human’s need is electricity. Without electricity most of the modern equipment would not work. Similarly fuel is needed to power transportation devices. We will write a custom essay sample on Urgent Need for Renewable Energy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Natural recourses such as coal, oil and natural gas are the basis for producing energy for all kinds of devices. Due to the extensive use of these resources they now face extinction. These resources are classified as non-renewable resources. In this report we will discuss different types of resources which can be used as a replacement for producing sustainable energy and also the effects on the environment by burning the carbon based resources. Renewable Energy Renewable energy is energy which is derived from natural resources such as the sun, wind, tides, streams, rivers, biomass etc. Renewable energy is naturally replenished; it is sustainable energy and does not harm the environment. About 19% of the world’s electricity requirements are met by renewably energy. The different types of renewable energy are: Solar Energy Solar energy is obtained from the sun. Sun is a source of light and heat for all living things. It provides energy for photosynthesis, the process of plants creating oxygen. Solar energy can be harnessed and converted to electricity by using solar panels. Sun is also directly or indirectly responsible for most forms of renewable energy requirements, for example – heat causes wind which intern causes tidal energy. Sunlight causes tree growth some of which contribute for biomass energy. Hydropower Hydropower is obtained from the force of water flowing downstream. Water is continuously recycled by the environmental cycle of precipitation and evaporation. This cycle cause water to evaporate and fall back down to earth in the form of rain which makes the rivers flow. This water is also stored in dams which are used all around the world to generate electricity by turbines and generators. Also energy can be obtained from tides and ocean waves which can be harnessed to produce electricity. Biomass Energy The most common source of biomass energy is wood. But other sources such as food crops, plants, agriculture and industrial waste, organic municipal components are also used around the world for producing energy. Biomass can also be converted to biofuel which can be used as an alternative to petrol and diesel to run vehicles and heavy machinery. Hydrogen Hydrogen is one of the most common on our planet. However, it is mostly found in combinations with other element in nature. For example – water is two part hydrogen and one part oxygen. Hydrogen is a very good source of renewable energy however the technology needed to extract this element is still in its early stages. Currently the most common way of extracting hydrogen is steam hydrocarbons and reforming. Other methods include thermolysis and electrolysis. Geothermal Energy The heat from the earth’s core produces steam and hot water which can be used generate electricity, or for other purposes like home heating and generating power in factories. Geothermal energy can be obtained by digging deep underground reservoirs. Wind Energy Wind energy is the conversion of the power of wind to electricity. Wind energy has been used for over thousands of years to operate mechanical process such as pumping water, grinding, milling etc. to harness wind energy wind farms are created onshore or offshore, wherever there is abundant of wind energy available by using wind turbines. A wind turbine is a machine which converts the wind’s kinetic energy into rotatory motion to by using generators to produce electricity. Wind energy is harnessed in many countries including India, Germany, Denmark and the United States. Reasons for Using Renewable Energy Sources: Using renewable energy saves the environment from the harmful effects of greenhouse gases released in the atmosphere due to burning of fossil fuels. There is abundant of resources available that are required for renewables such as the sun, water and wind e available all around the world and thus the cost of setting up the base is significantly reduced which provides a good opportunity for developing nations. Renewable energy resources do not cause military conflicts among nations unlike fossil fuels. Renewable energy sources are Inexhaustible i. e. unlike fossil fuels they get replenished quickly. Using renewable resources we can save fossil fuels for future generations for more valuable means. Harnessing renewables also creates job opportunities in new fields of science and technology. The Fossil Fuel Dilemma Burning of fossil fuels for meeting our energy requirements causes side effects which are becoming a major concern for environmentalists. These side effects include the creation of carbon dioxide, the top greenhouse gas and contributor to global warming. Also ozone layer depletion and Acid rain are a major concern relating to the environment. Due to the burning of fossil fuels and the greenhouse effect the average temperature has risen by one degree Fahrenheit (1 °F). Acid rain The principal cause of acid rain is the release of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere which then react with water molecules to produce acidic compounds. Major contributor to this is human activities such as power and electricity generation. Coal power plants are a major cause to producing these gasses. The natural phenomenon causing acid rain is the emission of acidic gases from volcanos. Ozone layer depletion The ozone layer is a layer in the earth’s atmosphere located about 20 to 30 kilometers above sea level. The ozone layer contains a high concentrate of the gas ozone (O3). The ozone layer’s importance is that it absorbs 97 – 99% of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation, which can damage all forms of life on earth. These ultraviolet rays are the main cause of sunburns and excess exposure to this can cause skin cancer. The ozone layer is steadily declining by about 4% per decade from the earth’s stratosphere. The most significant tear in the earth’s ozone layer is over the Polar Regions namely Antarctica. This phenomenon is called the ‘Ozone Hole’. The main compound responsible for the ozone layer depletion is Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) commonly found in refrigerants used in air conditioners and refrigerators. You read "Urgent Need for Renewable Energy" in category "Essay examples" Due to the Ozone Hole over Antarctica polar ice caps are melting which is causing the rise in sea levels, leading to natural disasters such as floods in many parts of the world. Global Warming Global warming has become in today’s world perhaps the most complicated issue faced by the world leader. Scientific bodies present warnings for the increasing danger from global warming and ongoing buildup of greenhouse gasses produced mainly by burning of fossil fuels and forests. What is Global warming? Global warming is the heating of the earth surface and increase in its average temperature that causes corresponding climate change and it may result from greenhouse effect. This idea was first proposed by Nobel Price-Winning chemist Svante Arrhenius in 1896. He speculated that continued burning of fossil fuels would result in the increase in the earth temperature making it warmer (Global Warming Climate Change, 2012). What Causes of Global Warming? Scientists have examined all the factors that can affect the Earth’s temperature. Three essential factors can be responsible for recent rapid global warming. These are namely The Sun, Earth’s reflectivity and Greenhouse gases. Out of these three major factors greenhouse effect causes contributes the most to the process. 1. The Sun: As we all know sun is a huge ball of fire. All the climate changes are powered by the sun. It could have played an important role in heating up the temperature of the earth. Studies show that since 1985, the sun has changed in ways that if anything, it should have cooled the planet. Therefore sun alone does not cause global warming. 2. Earth’s reflectivity: Earth’s atmosphere traps 70% of the sun’s energy and reflects the remaining back into space. Changes in how much sunlight is absorbed and reflected may change global temperatures. Scientists have calculated how earth’s reflectivity has changed over time. These suggest that a particular type of pollution especially sulfur-containing particles have had a cooling effect masking the effects of greenhouse gases. Since the industrialization of countries, they began to clean up this pollutant and increase their greenhouse emissions. 3. Greenhouse gases: All scientific evidence point towards one factor only that is greenhouse gases. It is responsible for the rise in global temperature. Greenhouse gases are many chemical compounds found in the earth’s atmosphere. They allow sunlight into the earth’s atmosphere freely. This sunlight when reflected back towards the space by earth in the form of infrared radiation (heat). The greenhouse gases absorb the infrared radiation and trap the heat in earth’s atmosphere. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas as well as wood contribute mainly to the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (How we know human activity is causing warming, 2012). Climate change Assessments generally suggest that the Earth’s climate has warmed over the past century and that human activity affecting the atmosphere is likely an important driving factor. A National Research Council study dated May 2001 stated, â€Å"Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and sub-surface ocean temperatures to rise. Temperatures are, in fact, rising. The changes observed over the last several decades are likely mostly due to human activities, but we cannot rule out that some significant part of these changes is also a reflection of natural variability. † (Greenhouse Gases, Climate Change, and Energy, 2004) International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was founded in 2009 with the support of World Wind Energy Association and Hermann Scheer the president of EUROSOLAR and chair of the World Council for Renewable Energy. It is a worldwide governmental organization and It’s primary focus is to promote widespread use of renewable energy in all forms with a view of sustainable development. At the Preparatory Commission meeting Abu Dhabi was elected as interim headquarters of the Agency. Its main aim is to promote the use of renewable energy and reduce the emission greenhouse gases in the environment. IRENA provides advice and support to governments of both industrialized and developing countries on renewable energy policy, capacity building, and technology transfer (irena. org, 2012). Policies for renewable energies in India: Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources: India’s search for renewable resources that would lead to sustainable development started in early 70’s. Realising the need for concentrated efforts in this segment, the Indian Government established a Commission for Additional Sources of Energy (CASE) in the Department of Science and Technology in 1981. The directive of CASE is to promote research and development activities in the field of renewable energy. CASE was formally incorporated in 1982, in the recently created Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources (DNES). In 1992 DNES became the Ministry for Non-conventional Energy Sources, commonly known as MNES. The Prime Minister of India has declared a target of 10% share for Renewable Energy or 10,000 MW in the power generation capacity to be added during the period up to 2012. The broad objectives predicted in the policy are: Achieving the minimum energy requirements via Renewable energy. †¢Providing decentralised energy supply in agriculture, industry, commercial and household sectors in rural and urban areas. †¢Providing grid quality power. Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: The main goal of this mission is to establish India as the global leader in solar energy. This mission was officially launched Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India. It is a three phase mission where the 1st phase starts from 2012-2013, 2nd phase from 2013-2017 and 3rd phase from 2017-2022. http://www. nri. org/projects/biomass/conference_papers/policy_material_section_3. pdf) Policies for Renewable resources in US: Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS): It aims and requires electricity providers to provide a stated amount of customer electricity through renewable resources. Public Benefits Funds for Renewable Energy: These are a pool of resources used by the country to provide and invest renewable energy supply projects. These funds are generated by charging a small amount on consumer’s electricity charges which is called system benefits charge. Output based environmental regulations: It establishes emission restrictions per unit of any productive energy output, with a aim of controlling air pollution and encouraging renewable energy. Net Metering: It allows the customers whether residential or commercial who produce their own renewable energy/electricity such as solar energy to get compensation for the energy/electricity they produce. This requires electricity providers to ensure that customer’s electricity meter exactly track how much power or electricity is consumed on location/site or reverted to electricity grid. When the electricity produced on location isn’t used then it is reverted to the grid; when on location production isn’t enough to meet the customer’s need, then the customer uses electricity from the grid. So, surplus electricity is reverted back to the customer at a later stage/time when they else would have paid for it. Financial Incentives: Such incentives are provided in some states to encourage the development of renewable resources/energy such as tax credits, grants and loans. (http://www. epa. gov/statelocalclimate/state/topics/renewable. html) Polices for Renewable resources in Australia: Renewable Energy Target: RET is divided in two portions, The large scale renewable energy target and small scale renewable energy target. These targets make a financial incentive for investment in renewable energy sources through the formation and trade of certificates. Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA): ARENA is a Commonwealth authority which supports innovation that advances the renewable resources/energy technologies which would lead to the increasing supply renewable energy in Australia. (http://australia. gov. au/topics/environment-and-natural-resources/energy) Policies for Renewable resources in UAE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Abu Dhabi has the target of achieving 7% renewable energy power generation capacity by the year 2020. Abu Dhabi has committed over $15 billion in renewable energy programs. Masdar City Initiative: Established in 2006, Masdar is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Government owned Mubadala Development Company. Masdar is a renewable energy company that functions within the growing sector of renewable energy and sustainable technologies, as well across the technology development and commercialization spectrum. It focuses in 100% renewable energy, developing a carbon neutral city, zero waste, and being the centre of excellence in sustainable technology. REFERENCES Ecology 2011, Fossil Fuels vs. Renewable Energy Resources, Retrieved on July 19, 2012 from http://www. ecology. com/2011/09/06/fossil-fuels-vs-renewable-energy-resources/ Global Warming Climate Change 2012, Retrieved on July 26, 2012 from http://topics. nytimes. com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index. html Greenhouse Gases, Climate Change, and Energy 2004, Retrieved on July 25, 2012 from http://www. eia. gov/oiaf/1605/ggccebro/chapter1. html Green energy choice 2012, Renewable Energy: What are My Options? , Retrieved on July 18, 2012 from http://www. greenenergychoice. com/green-guide/renewable-energy-types. html How we know human activity is causing warming 2012, retrieved on July 20, 2012 from http://www. edf. org/climate/human-activity-causes-warming jcmiras. net 2010, Why renewable energy? , Retrieved on July 18, 2012 from http://www. jcmiras. net/jcm/item/31/ Statute 2012, Retrieved on July 26, 2012 from http://www. irena. org/home/index. aspx Wikipedia 2012, Ozone depletion, Retrieved on July 20, 2012 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ozone_depletion How to cite Urgent Need for Renewable Energy, Essay examples

Sacrifice in Life of Pi, Pi by Yann Martels Essay Example For Students

Sacrifice in Life of Pi, Pi by Yann Martels Essay Happiness is a key to everybodys life. Even the most depressed man on earth has a little happiness deep down inside. Its what keeps us striving to fulfil our needs and wants on an everyday basis. There is not one kid who does not get excited over a dollar to spend at the candy shop. What about the feeling of getting a promotion at your job, or even finding the cure for cancer. Being happy is not just healthy, but it is also rewarding for each and every individual. We strive to find anything that will turn a bad day to a good one. Individuals will compromise to attain their happiness. You can not get what you want without giving something first. To achieve happiness you will end up sacrificing. This can be either an object, †¦show more content†¦ Happiness is a key to everybodys life. Even the most depressed man on earth has a little happiness deep down inside. Its what keeps us striving to fulfil our needs and wants on an everyday basis. There is not one kid who does not get excited over a dollar to spend at the candy shop. What about the feeling of getting a promotion at your job, or even finding the cure for cancer. Being happy is not just healthy, but it is also rewarding for each and every individual. We strive to find anything that will turn a bad day to a good one. Individuals will compromise to attain their happiness. You can not get what you want without giving something first. To achieve happiness you will end up sacrificing. This can be either an object, mental state, physical well being, and even self awareness. There are many different ways to achieve being happy. In Life of Pi, Pi faced many challenges where he had to make choices to survive on the ocean. Since he was on the ocean for such a long period of time, there would have been a big change of his own criteria of what happy felt to him. Instead of feeling excited to wake up in the zoo everyday, he now felt excited to wake up alive after an untold night in the middle of the ocean. Pi sacrificed his boat to let Richard Parker live, knowing that by doing this he would be able to not get killed by the tiger. In desperate need of a food source, Pi tempted to eat not just his own kind but feces all to keep him alive one extra day. These .

Chapter 14-16 Essays - Gediminids, Grand Dukes Of Lithuania

Chapter 14-16 Mindovg Also known as Mindaugas, this man was the first king of Lithuania, which was forced to coalesce into some semblance of a pagan state due to pressures from the Teutonic Knights. This man would adopt Christianity, and a crown from Pope Innocent IV, only to abandon Christianity just prior to his assassination, which sent Lithuanian into a power vacuum and a period of instability. also known as Vytenis, was the first ruler to unite Lithuanian following the assassination of Mindovg. This man ruled from approximately 1295 to 1316 under the title Grand Prince, also known as Grand Duke, and was killed fighting the Teutonic Knights. Viten also known as Vytenis, was the first ruler to unite Lithuanian following the assassination of Mindovg. This man ruled from approximately 1295 to 1316 under the title Grand Prince, also known as Grand Duke, and was killed fighting the Teutonic Knights. Gedymin also known as Gediminas, was the brother of Viten and is known as Lithuania's first true lea der, coalescing the pagan states into a viable political unit. Under this man's rule Lithuanian continued to expand to the southeast, pushing past Polotsk that had already been conquered by Mindovg. It was under this man's rule that Vilna became the capital of Lithuania. Olgerd lso known as Algidas, was the most successful of the Lithuanian rulers, expanding his state to its height to include Volynia, Kiev, Chernigov, and Smolensk. Aided by his brother Keistut, this man was able to fend off the Teutonic Knights, Poland, Muscovy, and the Mongols, allowing his state to stretch from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. This man died in 1377. The success of this man can be contributed to the nature of his state: Russian-Lithuanaian. Over 75% of Lithuania was Russian, Russia was declared the official language of state during this man's rule, and the Lithuanians reformed their army, administration, legal system, and financial system with Russia's as a model. Lithuanian aristocracy also sought to assimilate with the Russia aristocracy. In this manner, Russians did not considered themselves ruled by a foreign occupier but by a Russian state. Jagiello also known as Jogaila, the son and successor of Olgerd, was used by his father in order to secure an alliance with Poland, who fought with Lithuania from many of the same trade routes. Olgerd had his son married to Queen Jadwiga of Poland, becoming the heir of Polish crown. This was necessary as the Piast ruling family had no male heir. When Olgerd passed in 1377, this man became both the Grand Duke of Lithuania and remained the next in line to become the King of Poland, under the Polish name Wladyslaw II. However, in 1392, this man was forced to name Keitut's son Vitovt the Grand Prince of Lithuania, although he was vassal to the King of Poland, who was this man. This arrangement led to two distinctly separate kingdoms under the person union of one man. In 1413, this union, with Lithuania as vassal of Poland, remained even w hen the King of Poland and the Grand Prince of Lithuania were two separate people. After this man, the only man to rule in both positions would be Casimir IV, who ascended in 1447 to the Polish thrown without relinquishing his titled as the Grand Prince of Lithuania. Vitovt also known as Vytautas, was the son of Keistut, the brother of Olgerd and ruled as the Grand Prince of Lithuania, vassal to the King of Poland, from 1392 to 1430. Under this man's rule Lithuania grew to its largest area, absorbing Moldavia, Wallachia, and Bessarabia. This man also secured relative peace with weaker Moscow after Vasilii I married this man's daughter. During his reign, all of Kievan Rus, save Pskov and Novgorod, was either conquered or pledged their alliance to this man. This man led Lithuania against the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Tannenberg, effectively ending the Teutonic threat. However many successes he had, this man had one devastating defeat in 1399 against the Mongols on the bans of the Vorskla River, signaling the decline of Lithuania. The Battle of tannenber known after WWI as the Battle of Grunwald, was fought in 1410 by Lithuania, led

NHS

NHS Most juniors and seniors aim for graduating with a diploma. Obtaining a high school diploma may be important for a graduates future education, perpetuate job as well as his/ her income for living.Colleges require a diploma in order to enroll into the school. Specific colleges required higher diplomas. For instance, a person plans on attending the University of Virginia or Harvard Law School, which requires an advance diploma as well as a spectacular grade point average. Attending college will control the out come of ones future. The area one majors in depends on the college they enroll their self into.A satisfying job requires a high education from college. The importance of a person's job leads toward their future. Which corresponds to what he/she does for a living. Providing money for them to survive off of. Without a good job, they have a low possibility of them being capable of supporting his/her self and maybe even their family.Photograph of front facade, Austin Hall, Harvard L. ..A person would probably be bereft later in life. Compare a doctor's salary and education opposed to a cash registers salary and education. Obviously the doctor has a better job and is more opulent because of the higher salary and a higher education. A person jeopardizes his/her future without an education. So don't start off your life unkempt!When you graduate from high school you definitely want a diploma. Why go through all those years without getting a purpose out? Just the sensation of accomplishing all four years of high school! Majority of parents muse and want their kids to graduate high school with a diploma. Just the extraordinary sensibility of walking down the aisle as they call out your name. Throwing your hat in the air at the same time as your fellow classmates. Wouldn't you want to...

Strategic bombing campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic bombing campaign - Essay Example One aspect was that the strategic bombing campaign â€Å"did hut morale [of the Nazi leadership] severely, and the leadership, drawing on its belief that Germany had lost the war because of a collapse of civilian morale, cast its response in accordance with a popular mood that demanded retaliation.† Martel has described the air campaign by the Allied forces in the World War II as â€Å"remorseless† which points to the intensity of those air attacks and causalities that were caused. The air attacks were so exhaustive that by October 1945, only a few rail tracks and similar, less sensitive targets, were remaining to be bombed. The â€Å"most damaging single raid† in the war prior to the use of atom bombs was the bombing carried out in Tokyo which killed around 80,000 people and also destroyed about 300000 buildings. It was a fact that, â€Å"within areas devastated by attacks, substantial slowdowns in production occurred.† Murray and Millet have also reveale d that the production of war-related materials in Germany was retarded by the air strikes. The air raids from the side of Japanese forces were also having their impact on the resistance power of Britain as well. It was reported that, in Britain, as early as in â€Å"1940 air raid shelters in big cities were becoming distressingly full of poor, chronically sick, homeless old people who had nowhere else to go.† Hence, it can be seen that the impact has been mutual. Yet, Japan and Germany were greatly paralyzed by the bombings. Germany’s military traffic was greatly affected.

PERIODICAL REPORT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PERIODICAL REPORT - Assignment Example Since the demand for oil is high and the supply is threatening to decrease, there are big chances of oil price increases in the following weeks or months. Name Course/Subject Findlay Courier 14/03/2011 Wis. unions rush deals ahead of bargaining law By Scott Bauer The article talks about how the unions are doing last minute negotiations for unclosed agreements before the ratification of a new law that will affect their negotiation methods in the state of Wisconsin. Once enacted, it will erase their ability to collectively bargain over nearly all issues other than minimal salary increases. The enactment is being held off for a few days due to the negative uproar it caused among the unions and its members. This article therefore is helpful is portraying the role of the unions regarding labor and employment. Labor unions, like in this article, do collective bargains over wages and benefits, and represent the members of the unions in case there is a threat in the laborers status.

Importance Of National And Organisational Culture Management Essay

Importance Of National And Organisational Culture Management Essay With the recent acquisition of Nexen Inc. by CNOOC Limited, the problem of managing cross cultural challenges arises. This is because of the cultural differences between China and Canada which both companies represent. This management report addresses the envisaged challenges of national and organisational culture arising from CNOOC acquisition of Nexen, by applying Hofstede cultural models. The report commences with introduction, followed by background of CNOOC acquisition of Nexen. It also discusses meaning and importance NC and OC culture; it then discusses the challenges and management strategies. It would conclude and make recommendations on how to mitigate the challenges. WORD COUNT: 2,498 PRESENTED TO: MS. Gillian Pallis CONTRACT CONCERNING PLAGIARISM I have read the code of practice regarding plagiarism contained in the students introductory Handbook. I realize that this code governs the way in which the Centre for Energy, and Mineral Law and Policy regards and treats the issue of plagiarism. I have understood the code and in particular I am aware of the consequences, which may follow if, I breach the code. I also authorize the centre to scan the e-copy of my research paper through the plagiarism detection software to detect plagiarism. SIGNED: ___________________________________ Date: TERMS OF REFERENCE This is a report by 110024120 an MSC student in International Oil and Gas Management, University of Dundee, Centre for Energy, Petroleum Law and Policy (CEPMLP). The report has been prepared exclusively for and at the request of the Senior Strategy Team of CNOOC Limited to address potential management challenges to the continued effective control of business arising from the acquisition of Nexen Inc. This report is focused on the perspective of delivering suitable management practices in meeting the envisaged challenges. The aim of the report is to present a critical and informed analysis of appropriate managerial strategies and practices for the challenges of national and organisational culture differences in post-acquisition performance. It concludes with some recommendations for consideration by the Senior Strategy Team of CNOOC and Nexen. TABLE OF CONTENTS TERMS OF REFERENCE 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 4 KIFs Knowledge Intensive Firms 4 KIWs Knowledge Intensive Workers 4 CHAPTER ONE 5 1. INTRODUCTION 5 CHAPTER TWO 6 2. BACKGROUND OF CNOOC ACQUISITION OF NEXEN 6 CHAPTER THREE 7 3. MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE 7 CHAPTER FOUR 8 4. THE CHALLENGES OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE 8 4.1. HOFSTEDE FOUR DIMENSIONS MODELS FOR NATIONAL CULTURE 8 4.2. HOFSTEDE SIX DIMENSION MODEL FOR ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE 9 4.3. ANALYSIS OF THE MODELS AND CHALLENGES OF NC AND OC DIFFERENCES 10 4.4. STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CULTURAL CHALLENGES 11 13 13 13 13 13 CHAPTER FIVE 13 5. CONCLUSION 13 CHAPTER SIX 14 6. RECOMMENDATION 14 BIBLOGRAPHY 15 APPENDIX 18 HOFSTEDS CULTURAL INDEX, SCORES FOR SELECTED COUNTRIES 18 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS NC National Culture OC Organisational Culture NXY New York Stock Exchange KIFs Knowledge Intensive Firms KIWs Knowledge Intensive Workers CHAPTER ONE 1. INTRODUCTION CNOOC Limited made global headlines on July 23, 2012 when it announced the acquisition of NEXEN, a Canadian based oil and Gas Company at the cost of $15.1 Billion. The acquisition is seen as Chinas largest Oil and Gas Company overseas acquisition Lauren (2012). NEXEN was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Nexen is a global energy company and is listed on the Toronto and New Yorks stock exchange under the symbol of NXY (www.nexeninc.com). Nexen is strategically located in different regions of the world; it has over 3,067 employees that add value for shareholders through successful oil and gas exploration and development. Consequent to the acquisition of Nexen, CNOOC Limited is now among one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world (www.cnooc.com). According to Barney (1988) many international acquisitions creates value for the acquirer through cooperation and integration to enhance sustainable growth. The objective of acquisition is to bring companies together and increase their competitive advantage through knowledge transfer, innovations and management skills. This is also a justification for an acquisition Fitzgibbon Seeger (2002). However, most international acquisitions come with complex management challenges Hitt, Harrison and Ireland (2001). Many factors are responsible for these challenges. Thus, this management report is aimed to address the envisaged challenges of national and organisational culture to the effective business performance in CNOOC acquisition of Nexen. This report will apply Hofstede (1980) four dimensions models and Hofstede (1990) six dimensions models as literature to argue that the challenges of NC and OC will affect post acquisition performance. The application of the two models is in line with a separate model developed by Hofstede for comparing OC differences. This is also consistent with Schein (1985) argument that organisational culture differences are not the same with national culture. The report will discuss the background of CNOOC acquisition of Nexen. It also discusses the meaning and importance of NC and OC culture; it then discusses the challenges and management strategies. It would conclude and make recommendations on how to mitigate the challenges. CHAPTER TWO 2. BACKGROUND OF CNOOC ACQUISITION OF NEXEN CNOOC Limited was established in 1999 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange in 2001 and is 70 percent owned by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (www.cnoocltd.com). CNOOC is one of Chinas largest producers of oil and natural gas and is also among the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production Companies in the world (www.cnoocltd.com). According to the chairman Mr Wang Yilin, based on the strategic business objective to expand CNOOC overseas business and deliver sustainable growth, thus complementing the large offshore production footprint in China. Extending its global presence to oil rich region like Western Canada, and other parts of the world are mandates for management to achieve. Consequently, the opportunity for the acquisition of NEXEN is an important part in CNOOC international business growth platform as mentioned by Chief Executive Officer of CNOOC Mr Li Fanrong, CNOOC Press release (2012). The acquisition of NEXEN by CNOOC Limited was announced on July 23, 2012 and approved by NEXEN shareholders on September 20, 2012 at the cost of $15.1 Billion (www.nexeninc.com). The acquisition will bring in benefits for both firms. CNOOC brings in a reassurance of stable company and strong financial base for investment, while Nexen Inc. will play an important part in international business growth platform. However, securing approval and making purchase does not end acquisition challenges. The challenges of acquisition may be ahead of what happens afterwards, the issues after takeover Lauren (2012). For NEXEN a Canadian company with western values and culture, the management and staff are accustomed to working independently. But with the acquisition, they will align with CNOOC as their new Chinese owner with a different culture and orientation Lauren (2012). As both companies are knowledge intensive firms (KIFs) with knowledge intensive workers (KIW) there will be challenging issues on NC and OC differences Alvesson (2004). Thus, this report addresses the challenges of NC and OC in CNOOC acquisition of NEXEN. We will proceed by looking at the meaning and importance of NC and OC. CHAPTER THREE 3. MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE NATIONAL CULTURE This was defined as the collective programming of the mind acquired by growing up in a particular country Hofstede (1991). National culture is reflected in basic values, such as feelings of right and wrong, good and evil, beautiful and ugly, rational and irrational Olie (1990). NC impacts many forms of organisational behaviour, ranging from decision-making styles and human resources management to behaviour in groups Kirkman, Love Gibson (2006). NC is treated as a relatively stable feature that changes very slowly Erez Earley, 1993; Hofstede (2001). ORGANSATIONAL CULTURE Hofstede (1980) defined organisational culture as the collective programming of the mind that differentiates the members of one organisation from others. Trice and Beyer (1984) views it is a system of publicly accepted meanings which operate for a group at a particular time; it is a pattern of shared basic assumptions developed by a group or organisation on how to cope with its environment, that are stable and difficult to change, and difficult to observe because many important parts of culture are invisible Schein (1985); and more so it can simply imply the way we do things around here Deal and Kennedy (1982). IMPORTANCE The importance of national and organisational culture in international acquisition cannot be disregarded Hatch, 1993; Schein, 1985 and Hofstede (1980). Managing international business or acquisition means handling and understanding both cultural differences at the same time. Knowledge of cultural practices across borders is significant for multinationals in order to hold the company together. National cultures are embedded in values, whereas organisational cultures are embedded in practices, when both cultures are ignored there could create challenges that affects post-acquisition performance. CHAPTER FOUR 4. THE CHALLENGES OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE For the purpose of analysing the challenges of national and organisational culture, this report applies Hofstede cultural models to illustrate the major cultural differences which CNOOC of China and Nexen of Canada represent. Canada reflects the western cultural values wheras China reflects the Oriental Confucian group. The models are identified as follows: 4.1. HOFSTEDE FOUR DIMENSIONS MODELS FOR NATIONAL CULTURE INDIVIDUALISM/COLLECTIVISM This implies disharmony of interests on personal and collective goals Parsons and Shils (1951). Hofstede (1980) culture index (from the appendix) scored Canada 80 while China scored 20. This shows that the Canadians are highly independent of their organizations, preferring personal time, freedom, and challenge, whereas the Chinese employees have a stronger sense of belonging to their organization. POWER DISTANCE This refers to how different societies find different solutions on social inequality Mauk (1977). China scored 80 while Canada scored 39, indicating that Chinese employees are more comfortable with structured hierarchical levels and supervisors who make decisions. Canadians, on the other hand, prefer a more participatory style. UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE This implies the degree to which cultural members are willing to accept and deal with risky situations or unknown future Hofstede (1980). China scored 30 while Canada scored 48, meaning that the Chinese try to avoid risk and anxiety, while the Canadians neither seek nor avoid ambiguous situations. MASCULINITY/FEMININITY This refers to stereotyping gender expectations in organisations Hofstede (1984). China scored 66 while Canada scored 52, meaning that China has medium/high masculinity culture; whereas Canada has a medium/low masculinity culture. 4.2. HOFSTEDE SIX DIMENSION MODEL FOR ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE PROCESS ORIENTED VERSUS RESULT ORIENTED Process oriented cultures are dominated by technical and bureaucratic routines, while results oriented by a common concern for outcomes. In results-oriented units, everybody perceived their practices in about the same way; in process-oriented units, vast differences exist in perception among different levels and parts of the unit Hofstede (2011). JOB ORIENTED VERSUS EMPLOYEE ORIENTED Job oriented assumes responsibility for the employees job performance, while employee-oriented cultures assume a broad responsibility for their members wellbeing. At the level of individual managers, the distinction between job orientation and employee orientation has been popularized Blake and Moutons Managerial Grid (1964). PROFESSIONAL VERSUS PAROCHIAL Professionals usually imply the highly educated members identified primarily with their profession; while in Parochial, the members derive their identity from the organization for which they work. This is widely known as local versus cosmopolitan. OPEN SYSTEM VERSUS CLOSED SYSTEMS This dimension refers to the common style of internal and external communication, and to the ease with which outsiders and newcomers are admitted. It shows that organizational openness is a societal characteristic which means organization cultures also contain elements from national culture differences. TIGHT VERSUS LOOSE CONTROL This dimension deals with the degree of formality and punctuality within the organization; it is partly a function of the units technology: as most companies tend to show tight control, while others like advertising agencies show loose control. PRAGMATIC VERSUS NORMATIVE This last dimension describes the prevailing way of being flexible or rigid in dealing with the environment, particularly with customers. This dimension measures the degree of customer orientation, which is a highly popular topic in the marketing literature Hofstede et al. (1990). 4.3. ANALYSIS OF THE MODELS AND CHALLENGES OF NC AND OC DIFFERENCES By analysing the above cultural models as postulated by Hofstede, in the four dimension models we can identify differences in power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism and femininity/masculinity between Canada and China which both companies represent. For the six dimensions models, CNOOC has process oriented culture with beurocratic routines while Nexen is more result oriented having concern for outcomes (www.nexeninc.com). Also Nexen culture are more job oriented while CNOOC have employee oriented culture with broad responsibility for their members wellbeing (www.cnoocltd.com). These cultural differences as illustrated creates challenges of conflicts, costs, and difficulties Hosted (1980; 2001). The cultural differences are also responsible for challenges and obstacles to achieving integration benefits Bjorkman, Stahl, Vaara (2007). It leads to decrease in shareholders value Datta and Puia (1995). It can complicate post acquisition integration and resource sharing Brock (2005). It causes human resource challenges like feeling of uncertainty and insecurity, causing culture clash and negative emotional reactions of employees towards acquisition Elsass and Veiga (1994) and culture collision Cartwright and Cooper (1993). They also lead to communication problems, ego clashes, inter-group conflicts, low employee morale, poor performance and ultimately retention Adkins and Caldwell (2004). However, these challenges can be mitigated by applying management practices and strategies. 4.4. STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CULTURAL CHALLENGES Managing the challenges of national and organisational culture involves applying management practices or strategies by managers to reduce the challenges. The strategies are as follows: CULTURE INTEGRATION It involves the varying extent to which we can integrate more than one cultural perspective, mind-set, and behaviour into ones identity and worldview. It implies being able to move easily among cultures. It highlights the central importance of developing leaders and managers to the point where they have an ethno-relative experience of cultural difference Randy and Jacob (2009). SYNERGY APPROACH The approach involves adopting the strategy of managing the differences in culture. This implies recognising the challenges and using them to their advantage, rather than ignoring or allowing the challenges to cause problems Adler (1997). Managers therefore should be taught how to respect culture differences at work and how to work with them to maximise the contribution of each employee Cascio (1998). RESPECT FOR HOST COUNTRY CULTURE This means accepting the cultural difference without any judgment. No particular culture should claim perfection over the other culture. Cultures are different and for people they represent the ability to manage life situations and conditions the way they are familiar with for a long time Anisha (2011). IGNORING THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES The strategy implies a stage where the managers ignore the differences. It later becomes irrelevant as the managers and employees would be having good understanding about each others cultures and practices and they would have to respect the cultures. The employees and managers in this strategy feel that our way is the only way Adler (1997). CULTURAL ADAPTATION This strategy involves mutual understanding and simplification of complicated demanding processes of behaving in a different cultural condition. This step does not mean that the participating partner should give up their cultural background, but rather they should use their knowledge of their own culture to gain knowledge about the partners culture Anisha (2011). CHAPTER FIVE 5. CONCLUSION The challenges of national and organisational culture remain crucial in post-acquisition performance. Although CNOOC may experience many complex problems during the integration process, however the challenges of national and organisational culture differences can be very devastating. This is because most successes and failures of international acquisitions have been attributed to the challenges of cultural differences ( From the analysis of Hofstede cultural models we identify cultural differences between China and Canada which CNOOC and Nexen represent. For individualism/collectivism, it implies that Canadian employees are more independent of their organization, preferring freedom, whereas Chineese employees have a stronger sense of belonging to their organization. In power distance, China employees are more comfortable with structured hierarchical levels while Canada, on the other hand, prefer a more participatory style. With respect to uncertainty avoidance, Chineese tries to avoid risk and anxiety, while Canadians neither seek nor avoid ambiguous situations. In masculinity/femininity, China has medium/high masculinity culture whereas Canada has a medium/low masculinity culture. In terms of the organisational culture six dimensions models; there are cultural disparities between CNOOC and Nexen in the OC. Consequently, we can surmise that national and organisational culture differences are the biggest challenges that could affect international acquisition performance Hofstede (2001) such as that of CNOOC and Nexen. Thus, in order to mitigate these challenges, the recommendations below are made for the senior strategic team to adopt. CHAPTER SIX 6. RECOMMENDATION For CNOOC to enjoy sustained business performance in the acquisition of Nexen, the following recommendations are made to mitigate the challenges of NC and OC: Firstly, CNOOC should adopt culture management approach. This implies the process of developing or reinforcing an appropriate culture in the organisation Pretorius (2004). Culture management is also concerned with culture change, culture reinforcement, implementation and change management. The approach will achieve effective control of cultural difference challenges between CNOOC and Nexen. Secondly, culture training for employees is vital. It will sensitize them to the discriminations, biases and negative feelings of the diverse employees in the organisation Farren and Nelson (1999). Through training, employees can understand cultural diversity that exists between CNOOC and Nexen. Cultural training will also promote cooperation and coordination among employees to enable them live harmoniously and work comfortably. Thirdly, CNOOC should create awareness on cross cultural communication. This is because all levels of communication are affected by cultural dimensions like words, language, body language, gestures, etiquette dos and donts, clothing, gift giving, dining, customs and protocols William (2005). The knowledge of cross cultural communication is necessary because what may be considered perfectly acceptable and natural in China, can be uncultured or offensive in Canada. BIBLOGRAPHY BOOKS SOURCE Alvessson, M. (2004). Knowledge Work and Knowledge Intensive Firms. Oxford University Press, May 20th , 2004. pg102. Deal, T. E. and Kennedy, A. A. (1982). Corporate cultures: The rites and rituals of corporate life. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley. Cited in; Management An Introduction, by David Boddy with Steve Paton. Pearson Education Limited, 2011, Fifth Ed. Pg. 79. Hitt, M., Harrison, J. and Ireland, R. (2001). Mergers and acquisitions: A guide to creating value for stakeholders. Newyork: Oxford University Press. Copyright 2001, Pg5-6. Hofstede, G. (1984). International Differences in Work Related Values (2nd ed.) Beverly Hills CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN 0-8039-1444-X Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures Consequences: International differences in work related values, 1980, p.25, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. JOURNALS AND ARTICLE SOURCE Adler, N. J. (1997). International Dimensions of Organisational Behaviour, Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing. Adkins, B. and Caldwell, D. (2004). Firm or subgroup culture: Where does fitting in matter most? Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 25 (8) pp. 969-978. Barney, J. (1988). Returns to biding firms in merger and acquisitions: Reconsidering the relatedness hypothesis. Strategic Management Journal, 9(S1), 71-78. Bjorkman, I., Stahl, G., and Vaara, E. (2007). Impact of cultural differences on capability transfer in acquisitions: The mediating roles of capability complementarity, absorptive capacity, and social integration. Journal of International Business Studies, 38: 658-672. Brock, D. M. (2005). Multinational acquisition integration: the role of national culture in creating synergies. International Business Review, 14(3): 269-288. Cascio, W. F. (1998). Managing Human Resources Productivity, Quality of work Life, Profits, Boston: McGraw Hill. Cartwright, S. and Cooper, C. L. (1993). The role of culture compatibility in successful organisational marriage. Academy of Management Executive, 7(2): 57-70. Datta, D. K. and Puia, G. (1995). Cross border acquisitions: An examination of the influence of the relatedness and cultural fit on shareholder value creation in U.S. acquiring firms. Management International Review, 35: 337-359. Elsass, P. M. and Veiga, J. F. (1994) Acculturation in acquired organisations: A force-field perspective. Human Relations, 47(4): 431-454. Erez, M. and Earley, P.C. (1993). Culture, Self Identity, and Work. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fitzgibbon, J. E. and Seeger, M. W. (2002). Audience and metaphor of globalization in the Daimler Chrysler AG merger. Communication Studies, 53(1), 40-55. Hatch, M. (1993). The dynamics of organisational culture. Academy of Management Review 18: 657-694. Hofstede, G. and Bond, M. H. (1988). The Confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth. Organisational Dynamics, 14, 483-503. Hofstede et al., (1990). Attitude, Values and Organisational Culture: Disentangling the concepts. Geert Hofstede. Institute research on Intercultural Cooperation, Maastricht and Tilburg, the Netherlands. Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and Organisations: Software of mind. Intellectual Cooperation and its Importance for survival, Harper Collins, 1991, pp. 79. Kirkman, B. L., Lowe, K. B. and Gibson, C. B. (2006). A Quarter Century of Cultures Consequences: A Review of Emperical Research Incorporating Hofstedes Cultural Values Framework. Journal of International Business Studies; Washington, 37(3), 285-320. Lodorfos, G. and Boateng, A. (2006). The Role of Culture in the Merger and Acquisition Process. Management Decision, 44(10), 1405-1421. Marks, M. L. and Marvis, P. M. (1986). The Merger Syndrome. Psychology today, 20 (10), 36-42. Mauk, G. (1977). The daily power game, Martinus Nijhoff Social Sciences Division. Olie, R. (1990) Culture and Integration Problems in International Mergers and Acquisitions. European Management Journal, 8 (2), 206-215 Parsons,T and Shils, E. (1951). Toward a General Theory of Action, reprinted as Talcott, Shils, Tolman, Stouffer and Kluckhohohn et al., Towards a General Theory of Action: Theoretical foundations of social Sciencies, Transaction Publishers, 2001. Schein, E, H. (1985). Organisational Culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Schein, E. (1990). Organisational Culture. American Psychologist, 45 (2), 109-119. Trice, H. M. and Beyer, J. M. (1984). Studying organisational culture through rites and rituals. Academy of Management Review, 9, 653-669. Trompenaars, F. and Hampden-Turner, C. (1980). Riding the waves of culture: understanding cultural diversity in global business. New York: McGraw Hill. INTERNET SOURCE Anisha, C. (2011). Managing Cross Cultural Differences: Strategies to overcome differences. Dept. of management Studies and Research, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, Karnataka. June 30, 2011. http://www.indianmba.com/Occasional_Papers/OP252/op252.html last visited January 06th, 2013. CNOOC, Press release, (2012). CNOOC Limited enters into definitive agreement to acquire Nexen Inc. http://www.cnoocltd.com/encnoocltd/newszx/news/2012/2062.shtml last visited January 16th, 2013. Farren, C. and Nelson, B. (1999). Retaining Diversity, Executive Excellence, New Delhi: Sage, July, pg.7. http://www.delhibusinessreview.org/v_2n2/dbrv2n2e.pdf last visited January 12th, 2013. Lauren, K. (2012). Nexen to be acquired by Chinas CNOOC for $ 15.1B cash. July 23, 2012 http://www.therecord.com/news/business/article/766128nexen-to-be-acquired-by-china-s-cnooc-for-15-1b-cash last visited January 14th, 2013. Hofstede, G. (2001). Cultures Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviours, Institutions and Organizations across Nations. Sage Publications. http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html last visited January 18th, 2013. Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, Unit 2. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol2/iss1/8 last visited January 13th, 2013. Nexen Inc, About us; CNOOC Acquisition of Nexen. http://www.nexeninc.com/en/AboutUs/CNOOCAcquisition.aspx last visited January 18th, 2013. Pretorious, W. (2004). The impact of organisational culture on effectiveness. May 08, 2005. http://www.upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd_3162004_131828 last visited January 15th, 2013. Randy, M. and Jacob, M. (2009). Leadership Practice for a Global Society, NASPA Pre-Conference Workshop, March 8th, 2009. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/77255010/Managing-Cultural-Differences-Global-Leadership-Strategies-for-the-21St-Century last visited January 17th, 2013. William Wardrobe, (2005). Beyond Hofstede: Cultural applications for communication with Latin American, Association for Business Communication Annual Convention. http://www.businesscommunication.org/convensionsnew/proceedingsnew/2005new/pdfs/13abc05.pdf last visited January 14th, 2013.

Hate It or Love It Essay

In 1972 the Cross Bronx Expressway was completed; this marked the separation of the southern Bronx and was followed by the â€Å"Bronx is burning† which began the downward spiral for this urban, African American neighborhood. Around the same time hip-hop was founded and became an outlet for the frustrations of the poor, suffering people of this region. The result was the culture of hip-hop that glorifies violence, drugs, money, and a gangster persona. This has become the image of the Hip Hop artist, and is used by musicians to gain the approval or â€Å"street cred† of their fans/peers. With this proof of authenticity, however, many rap/hip-hop artists have sent messages of criticism and condemnation of the life in the â€Å"hood† and the failures of the Civil Rights Movement. In the song â€Å"Hate it or Love it,† these themes of hip-hop are portrayed throughout the song. Rappers The Game and 50 Cent both use signification and realism to gain credibility and critique the failures of the Civil Rights generation. As defined by Imani Perry, a processor of African American studies at Princeton University, realism â€Å"encourages a critique of the media and reflects the significant realities of social inequality† and signifying â€Å"[is] a metaphor for the revision of previous texts and figures (Perry, 61, 101).† Credibility is an idea that is very important in hip-hop. It is often referred to as â€Å"keeping it real† and calls attention to the authenticity of the rap artist (Perry, 87). According to Imani Perry, this entails maintaining â€Å"allegiance to black youth populations or subgroups within [their] community.† Most enthusiasts believe that hip-hop artists should stay true to their roots and stick with the style of their home-region. The Game stays â€Å"real† by recording â€Å"Hate it or Love it† as West Coast style hip-hop and visually signifying N.W.A. (a hip-hop group also from the same city of Compton, CA) in the music video. The song also allows featured artist 50 Cent the chance to stay authentic when he signifies Tupac and Rakim, both of which were also from New York. The Game and 50 Cent though not directly sampling from these artist do cover the identity their predecessors created; as a result, they cover and maintain allegiance to the image of men from black American urban communities. In addition to signifying, â€Å"Hate it or Love it† uses realism throughout its lyrics to build credibility with the audience. Rappers/ Hip-Hop artists are expected to â€Å"witness† and â€Å"live out† the narratives that they tell. 50 Cent starts the song saying, â€Å"let’s take’em back† signifying the transition to story of a â€Å"real† time before he or The Game were known rappers. Both artist reference this reality by disclosing details of ghetto/gangster life in lines like â€Å"Brenda is still throwing babies in the garbage,† â€Å"niggas had stole my bike,† and â€Å"one phone call’ll have your body dumped in marshes.† These phrases all refer to personal or witnessed events that describe the problems like teenage pregnancy, theft, and gang violence in black American urban communities. This â€Å"reality† regardless of truth authenticates the rapper because it shows he has experienced the pa ins of racism, and poverty. It gives the listener a reason to believe the artist can sympathize with his/her own struggles and authenticates the words in the song. Imani Perry also says that, â€Å"[Realism is a] testimony to the emotional state resulting from the experience of poverty, blackness, and the crisis of urbanity (Perry, 87).† After proving oneself as â€Å"real† and establishing their ability to relate to black America, rap artist can further their credibility by targeting the emotional hardships of urban poverty. 50 Cent conveys these emotions when he raps, â€Å"Different day, same shit, ain’t nothing good in the hood. I’d run away from this bitch and never come back if I could.† Here he expresses a genuine hate for the â€Å"hood† and shows his vulnerability as a child, a sentiment not often admitted to in rap. It is this type of realism and openness with emotions that gives musicians the chance to connect and gain trust from the audience. With trust, sup port, and belief in the lyrics, credibility is established. The artist becomes â€Å"real.† Establishing a sense of being â€Å"real† is not restricted to the lyrics. In the music video for â€Å"Hate it or Love it,† The Game employs several images that create both emotion and establish his â€Å"witnessing† of gangster life. For example, both 50 Cent and The Game are represented as children in the music video. They are shown alone in an empty house, standing next to a dead body, and being arrested (as a child and adult). These pictures create feelings of pity and sorrow for the young rappers who appear to have nobody looking out for them, a truth often seen in poor urban communities. This again earns credibility for the rappers because it shows they have â€Å"lived out† the experiences that they rap about. (Perry, 90) With this evidence of living as a â€Å"real† African American, The Game and 50 Cent progress toward a manifestation of respect by contrasting the hood with their new â€Å"reality.† This new life is what Nelson Geor ge would describe as, â€Å"the black man crave[ing] a context for that style, one that often comes as part of a male-dominated collective (George, 52).† In other words, 50 Cent and The Game must cover a glorified version of â€Å"that style† ascribed to the black, male demographic to earn respect from their peers. This glamorized image of blackness is seen throughout the â€Å"Hate it or Love it† music video. The Game is shown standing on top of a building in suburban Los Angles, cruzing down the Boulevard in a red convertible, and wearing two Jacob watches. These images are all a â€Å"signifying call-response trope† between rapper to rapper and rapper to audience (Perry, 62). These images of wealth, and power are a cover of African American male’s desired collective style, a style formed by the previous generation of rappers, and a style African American public continually tries to mimic. It is with the success of achieving this â€Å"style† that 50 Cent and The Game earn respect, and it is with this respect that they gain that final amount of credibility that makes them â€Å"real† rap art ists. Realism is not restricted to the construction of credibility for an artist, it also has the ability to inform listeners about life in the â€Å"hood.† Imani Perry describes this type of realism as a â€Å"telling narrative.† She says, â€Å"[a telling narrative] is to inform and enlighten rather than simply depict (Perry, 91).† The Game accomplished this throughout the lyrics in his song. He raps, â€Å"Thinking how they spent 30 million dollars on airplanes when there’s kids starving,† and â€Å"No schoolbooks, they used that wood to build coffins.† These two lines are extremely powerful and a harsh criticism of society as a whole. These words â€Å"enlighten† us of problems for children in black urban communities like hunger, poor education, and violence. The Game shows contrast when rapping that we spend â€Å"30 million dollars on airplanes.† He is clearly condemning society for its failure to take responsibility for African American children despite the availability of resources. A telling narrative does not only express disapproval for society in general, but also â€Å"provides an internal critique of sociological conditions and the prospects of social control through planned communities (Perry, 91).† The possibility of â€Å"social control† or an improvement of life style is implicitly suggested in The Game’s lyrics. He repeatedly shows the availability of wealth with references to items like â€Å"Jacob’s watches,† â€Å"Mercedes Benz,† and â€Å"sheepskin coats.† 50 Cent however provides a true internal critique of the African American community, not just society as a whole. Within the first stanza 50 Cent recounts the poor/lack of parenting he received from his mother and father. He says, †Coming up I was confused, my mom kissing a girl/Confusion occurs coming up in the cold world/Daddy ain’t around, probably out committing felonies.† These three lines are a direct criticism of 50 Cent’s parents and other ghetto parents of the same generation, the children from the Civil Rights Movement. It is commenting on their collective failure to use the momentum of the civil rights movement as a medium for change. Instead, many, like 50 Cent’s parents, went the opposite route. They fell into illegal activities and abandoned their children. This â€Å"reality† of an illegal life is further exemplified when 50 Cent says, â€Å"I wanna live good, so shit I sell dope.† With no parents, money, or real support, children of the Civil rights generation had to turn to drugs and other illegal activities to â€Å"live good.† Through these types of lyrics, 50 Cent and The Game â€Å"inform† and â€Å"critique† life in urban black neighborhoods. Criticism of ghetto life and the disappointment of the Civil Right’s generation are also accomplished with the use of signification. According to Imani Perry, â€Å"Signifyin(g) is a way of saying one thing and meaning another (Perry, 61).† The Game successfully does this with both images and lyrics. For example, he raps â€Å" ‘Pac is gone and Brenda still throwing babies in the garbage/I wanna know ‘What’s Going On’ like I hear Marvin.† This literally is somewhat confusing; however, if we look beyond the referencing previous black artist, The Game is â€Å"signifying† problems that the African American community has been enduring since the 60’s. Brenda, for instance, is not literally â€Å"throwing babies in the garbage.† Rather, The Game is addressing the continued issue of teen pregnancy in black urban communities and criticizing the lack of change in these problems. He is looking at a similar underlying â€Å"meaning† when he references Marvin Gaye’s song â€Å"What’s Going On.† An artist from the era of the Civil Right’s Movement, Gaye was concerned with issue of drug addiction, poverty, and the Vietnam War. It is clear that the Game is concerned with the lack of change that has occurred since the 1960’s and is calling out the failures of society. The Game continues this use of signifying as social commentator by sampling the background music from The Trammps’ song â€Å"Rubberband.† It is this â€Å"imitation†, as Glenn Gould calls it, that â€Å"[gives] art importance.† (Gould, 58) Gould argues that imitation â€Å"upsets the idea of progress.† This is exactly what The Game and 50 Cent are indicating. Since the Civil Rights Movement, the generation of the Trammps, there has been limited progress. The Game is thus â€Å"imitating† and covering a lack of change. He is criticizing the black people’s ability to make change happen. Progress for African Americans has been limited since the Civil Rights Movement. Despite the lack of change, many people have tried to help, improve, challenge, and change the urban black American’s way of life. Rappers, like The Game and 50 Cent, release music that alludes to the gangster life and its hardships. This signification often is criticized as an â€Å"affirmation of stereotypes;† however, on a deeper level the music is â€Å"challeng[ing] the assumptions† of what a black man is (Perry, 61). When The Game ends his music video, he stands looking at the camera holding, kissing, and loving his baby. Looking directly at the camera he is staring into every African American home in America saying I will be different, I will be a good father, I will make a change. The Game understands the power he has as a rapper, and though this may not be a revolution like the Civil Rights Movement, it sends a message that change is possible even if it is one person at a ti me.