The Meaning Behind Alien Abductions Essay Example For Students

The Meaning Behind Alien Abductions Essay www.angelfire.com/mt/montalk Souls can only incarnate inoto bodies with DNA responsive to and compatible with that soul. Because souls are shaped by experiences and thoughts, different soul types will reincarnate into different body types of the same species. As humans, their personality is influenced and restricted by the characteristics of their soul. Spiritual evolution is limited by ones biological, genetic, and physical composition. For instance, a dog cannot grow emotionally as we do because their brains are biologically incapable of perceiving the same range of emotions. Dogs also do not feel equal self sacrifice and devotion to truth that some of us humans enjoy, and we are therefore superior to them. Lastly, since all souls, once out of the physical body and deep into the stages of the afterlife, are essentially the same being, there is no place for evolution in the spiritual realm; all evolution occurs on the physical plane of existence. This is why planet earth is so value d by the powers that be. It is the perfect training, evolving, and learning grounds for positive souls with the privilege of physical presence. In this region of the solar system, without an earth, there is no evolution, and whatever pain a soul is in continues indefinitely until that soul can reincarnate to evolve out of its pain. Because souls evolve by earthly hardships, new types of souls can only develop by modification of the older ones over millions of years of evolution. Thus, if a sudden jump occured in the genetic sophistication of a species, a spiritual void would be left as the older souls would be outdated and incompatible with the newly created species. The new species would be born as still births unless some source of soul were available that is suitable with the DNA of that species. The human race was a result of drastic genetic engineering by a coalition of several alien species/races several hundred thousand years ago, each group putting its own spin on the basic human template. Most of the aliens themselves were products of undisturbed evolution upon their homeworlds. Since human evolution was catalyzed, the souls of our ancient primate ancestors could not reincarnate in the newer advanced bodies. Thus existed a spiritual void which was immediately filled with a new source. Considering it was aliens who created humans, these aliens must have had some reason to profit from the task. In fact, most alien bodies were too primitive to allow further spiritual evolution, meaning their potential for experiencing new things were hampered by the limitations of their DNA, as a blind man is restricted from admiring art by the limitations of his nonexistent eyesight. Therefore, a new creature was devised with unbelievable potential to experience and gain wisdom, created from old genetic stock already on earth at the time. This creature species was homo sapiens, a new body for the older alien souls, a new vehicle for the bored driver, a larger pot for a plant with crowded roots. But just as there were varied alien species and races, there are different human races since each alien species created its own version of the basic human. Human races are each predisposed to incarnations of ancient races of aliens, and the culture and prejudices of ancient aliens show up in the archetypes of modern cultures, because todays humans are these ancient aliens. Pure races of humans can contain only the souls of the alien race who designed them, but due to cross-racial breeding over past generations, the dilution of distinction between races has resulted in a good sized minority of each race having the capability of bearing the souls of any of several alien races. Although the majority of a race has a tendency to host a specific alien type, it is no longer an absolute law of nature. The most glaring feature of todays abduction literature is the lack of black people. Even with Barney Hill as an exception, his wife Betty is white. This indicates a preference for whites by greys and their leaders. Also, some whites speak of pleasurable encounters with aliens, while other whites recount horrific tales by the same group. This can only be true if there exist sub-races within the white race, resulting from modifications upon the original whites by an alien faction foreign to the first. Since abductees are reincarnations of different alien groups, if ones abductors are of an alien race hostile to that of his alien lineage, then he is indeed likely to be treated with hostility. But just as abductors might despise the origin of their abductees souls, so do we as humans have contempt, envy, or hatred of other races, though it is subconscious in our case and can be overcome by social conditioning. Antisemitism and racism in general are societal effects of our racial memories. Not every aspect of cultures is determined by ancestral archetypes burried deep in our minds, but the unique characteristics of a culture are flavored with the me mories and customs of our ancient alien selves. While the course of humanity on the physical plane often remains in our hands, the spirit world is a definite influence in our affairs. Sub-physical, para-ethereal entities who cannot or choose not to reincarnate attempt to alter our futures to their benefit. Usually, the astral and physical planes are separated in such a way that entities from one plane cannot influence those of the other. However, owing to Gods necessity for perpetuating the oscillation between good and evil (such that the battle between them gives birth to new experience and growth of consciousness, God) the interface between astral and physical weakens cyclically. During one part of the cycle, evil astral entities have easy access to this world, and during the other half, good entities influence humanity. Under the proper circumstances, involving places and times where the earths EM grid fluctuates toward the benefit of astral entities, they can exist more solidly and visibly to us, even to the point of attaching themselves to a new host body and living as human. These places exist naturally and are often considered haunted or sacred by the locals. Most of these entitities are simply non-incarnate alien souls who guide the influence the actions of their earthbound naive brothers. The significance of this lies in that there are many alien types, and not all have the same agenda. There are laissez-faire Non-Interventionists in physical and ethereal form, the physical ones of which live extraterrestrially. These are wise and do not interfere with what happens on earth, but allow us to be taught by the consequences of our own actions. If we blow ourselves up, we will know next time not to do it again (hopefully). Positives are pro-God, pro-Life, follow the right hand path, and respect the Kosmic Wheel of Life. These aliens serve to banish negativity in all its forms, from stasis to indifference to needless suffering and ignorance. Powerful as the se beings might be, they are not God, because God itself is pure potentiality, totally impersonal, and without self-awareness. But because it is a fact that not all beings are at equal levels of evolution, we know that there must be least and greatest of evolved beings in existence, the highest of which fit this category. Ascended Masters can be of any of the alien races, except they are highly evolved, much more so than ordinary alien groups of whom they once were normal members, and exist primarily on the spirit plane. Their power is extreme, whether they are good or evil, and can be compared to such bigshots as Jesus, Budha, Lucifer, and Satan. Occasionally, when grid conditions are right, they can incarnate physically to directly influence mankind. In the Great Pyramid, naive illuminati initiates sometimes undergo a rite whereby they are individually placed in the Kings sarcophagus and left there to meditate for three days. Upon completion, the initiate is supposed to be illumin ated, having been empowered and awoken by the pyramid energies. Little did he know before entering that the pyramid and its shafts function as a soul transporter to and from the Orion constellation, and midway through his meditation his body is vacated and replaced by a draconian walk-in. Stupid illuminati fool! Parasites are here to exploit our natural, spiritual, and biological resources. They are responsible for the ancient gold mines of Africa, some of our modern animal mutilations, and much of organized religion. Parasites have striven to appear as gods to man (some of whom they created as slave workers in the mines, known today as a sub-category of the negro race) so that man would worship them, sacrifice animals for them, and pray to them, in effect sending their own astral energy to these parasites, who in turn suckle off this earthly astral energy to maintain their physical solidity in this world, for most parasites are extradimensional creatures on borrowed time and energy . The Bible warns man not to worship idols, but to pray to the soul (Jesus) within, because praying to an idol means sending your psychic energy outward, ready to be intercepted by any entity with the evil intentions to use it for its own selfish survival (Christianity contains contradictory statements within, so it can be assuredly stated that outside of alterations by the Church, several alien factions have played a part in shaping this religion, some of whom include the Niburuans and Elohim groups. Nibiruans created man for slave labor and harvesting of astral energy, while the other group impaired the freedom of man to prevent civilization from advancing to a technological level beyond the capability of humans to handle responsibly. And yet, there are other factions, of whom Jesus was an Ascended Master, which enforce the Law of Freewill and allow man to have all the knowledge he wants as long as he requests it, symbolized by the Serpent tempting Adam to eat from the Tree of Kno wledge). Organized religion is centered around idols, statues, crucifixes, and other things external, and is therefore inherently a scam unless one pays attention to the message of the bible, and not the messenger known as Church. Negatives are those going against the wheel of life, who try to cheat the rules of the universe, who go on disrupting, destroying and sinning without karmic retribution. They try to be their own gods, masters of their own universes, and are total ego trips. Of all alien types, these are the most dangerous. They have, for the past several thousand years, composed an elaborate plan to overthrow the influence of God over their lives and this world such that they may rule without any limitation. In keep with the theme presented in Handbook for the New Paradigm, at the time when the oscillation shall shift from negative to positive, the structure of this world is in a vulnerable state, and negatives will utilize astral energy they reap from the immediate deaths of billions of humans (killed by some method, unknown to the author) to blast the boundary between this dimension and that where the spirits reside. This will trigger a chain reaction of chaos so thorough in its agitation that the jumbled mess once known as reality will be malleable and moldable enough to recompose into an order designed by the negatives through their collective psychic focus and manifest desire. This recomposed reality will have no Laws of Freewill or Karma, and the negatives may exploit without consequence. The negatives subordinates include the next category of aliens, the Resurrectionists. Last, Resurrectionists are here to fully bring back their ancient masters, whose souls are still trapped in earths astral field. Back when the alien coalition created mankind, these aliens were either not present or excluded from the program. Resurrectionists did not have the technology to create an entirely new race, so they could only minorly modify humans by either interbr eeding with them or with the low tech they possessed. The story of the Serpents encounter with Eve is a fable about this event. Today, royal blue-bloods are descendents of the resurrectionists efforts, and appear as normal white folk, except their DNA is slightly modified to allow incarnation by their alien masters. Most blue-bloods are unaware of their lineage except for a knack for leadership and sociopathic tendencies. The Illuminati are blue-bloods who have awakened to their identities, and use their illumination and positions of power to steer mankind toward the goals of resurrectionists, namely a New World Order. This is what the eye of lucifer atop the unfinished pyramid on the United States seal stands for. But because resurrectionist souls are so incompatible with normal human bodies, an entirely new race must be created to allow mass incarnation and existence upon earth. This is what alien abductions are all about. The resurrectionist masters are known collectively as infe rnals, the leader as Lucifer, and the physical ones as reptoids or sauroids, and their worker automatons as greys. Greys do the abducting, and the rest follows. The abduction program, then, is an elaborate plan conducted by the agents of Lucifer, in collaboration with the Illuminati and NWO politicians, to genetically engineer a hybrid race whose bodies will allow only infernal souls to reincarnate on earththe rest of humanity will be erradicated or kept for slave labor. The existence of Lucifer is logical, for we know that not all entities are equally developed, meaning there must be a highest and weakest of entities, and Lucifer by definition is the most powerful of the negatives. So those who were excluded from the program originally are looking for payback, and think they can get it if they do it in time. This has all been allowed to occur because for the past two thousand years, earths EM grid has been in the negative half of its oscillation, allowing evil entities to infiltrat e our reality and screw with our history. But it is all about to change, however, and the cycle shifts back to the good half somewhere around 2012 (perhaps December 21). If the resurrectionists do not succeed by then, if they fail to root themselves physically in our world, then all is lost for them. To top it off, they require several of their infernal masters to be born as humans to take the reigns of power as antichrists. But because their reincarnations are premature, if not awkward, it takes much effort to fit an infernal into a human body, like squeezing a fat ass into tight jeans. Therefore, the infusion of human body with infernal soul requires critical astrological alignment, timing, and location on earth (such that the astral and physical planes are closest at that moment and time), so there is a definite deadline for the resurrectionists and NWO to complete their goals. It is why the NWO must eliminate resistance now rather than wait another twenty years for 100% of human ity to turn to ignorant sheep rather than the present 97% majority, because later will be too late. If everything goes according to plan, the world will be unified by the human incarnate infernal masters into an NWO to fight the return of positives and defeat them, after which normal humans will be wiped out by disease or systematic mass murder, and finally, the planet will be repopulated by hybrid aliens manufactured through the alien abduction program. Of course, this is not the way things will happen. After uniting the world for a while, the antichrist will figuratively be stabbed in the back by rebellious nations, like the (former) united States of America, and another war will break out between pro-NWO and anti-NWO nations. After major loss of life, at the verge of defeat for America, the cycle will have oscillated to a point where the positives enter our dimension and swoop down, defeating the resurrectionists and sending the infernals back to the astral plane. There is a Law of Non-Interference normally preventing aliens from intervening in anything, but this Law has already been broken by the negatives and resurrectionists, so the positives must come in to equalize the situation. Then, positive entities will rule for a period of time until the cycle changes again. So much for Occams razor. .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 , .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 .postImageUrl , .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 , .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51:hover , .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51:visited , .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51:active { border:0!important; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51:active , .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51 .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u65846fc5bb5d1a772337c298b3788c51:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Bipolar Disorder Essay We will write a custom essay on The Meaning Behind Alien Abductions specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now

Could Have and Would Have

Could Have and Would Have Could Have and Would Have Could Have and Would Have By Maeve Maddox Rita Levin asks: Can you please explain the difference between could had/could have and would had/would have. To begin with, the combinations could had and would had are impossibilities in standard English. It was with great dismay that I found the following utterances (and many more like them) on the web: If I had been killed she would had to carry a dark burden of remorse If Greece and Greeks would had been converted to islam would Greece had the problems of debt currently? Encore could had been a masterpiece If you could had $100 GC at Amazon, which cans for Rock music would you get? The combination could have is always followed by a past participle. NOTE: This discussion is limited to the use of have and had with could and would. Here are some uses of could have and would have. Someone was capable of doing something, but out of choice or necessity, was unable to do so: I could have been a contender. If I could have seen the stage, I would have told you who was playing. Something unfortunate was a possible outcome of some act: You could have killed us all, driving like that. The speaker is being critical: You could have opened the door when you saw what I was carrying. The speaker is speculating: Why isnt he here yet? He could have been caught in traffic. How did she find out? James could have told her. Note: could can be used to express speculation without the use of have: He could be stuck in traffic. Those strange neighbors could be space aliens. The phrase would have is also followed by the past participle form of the verb. It is used in the main clause of a sentence that contains an if clause: If I had known you were coming, I would have baked a cake. If they had been thinking straight, they would not have gone to the party. I would have reached my destination earlier if I hadnt lost my way. Here are the incorrect examples rewritten: If I had been killed, she would have had to carry a dark burden of remorse If Greece and the Greeks had been converted to Islamwould Greece have the current problems of debt? Encore could have been a masterpiece If you could have $100 GC at Amazon Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point Arc7 Patterns of Sentence Structure8 Great Podcasts for Writers and Book Authors

Functionalist and intentionalist explanations of mass murder cases Essay

Functionalist and intentionalist explanations of mass murder cases - Essay Example Genocide is thus the result of ideology, as opposed to structure. With the functionalism, it is the opposite – the structures – political, environmental, etc. - are what influences the individual to act, or the group to act. A person might have an ideology that Jews are the cause of the problems of the world, and they must be eradicated, and this is what drove the Holocaust, say some historians, along with Hitler's overall mental problems. Others state that the structure is what drove the Holocaust – the recession that Germany was in, which made the people desperate enough to latch onto the ideas of Hitler. The functionalist argument could also be what explained why the individuals under Hitler, and the groups as well, would do what they did in carrying out the orders. With Rwanda, the functionalist argument is almost the entire argument, as no one individual had the ideology to carry out the genocide. However, if group ideology can be considered in the intention alist argument, then this is one way that intentionalism can be used to explain what happened in Rwanda as well. This paper will explore these two theories, as well as explore how they fit into the parameters of these two tragedies. Intentionalism According to Crane (2007), the theory of intentionalism questions whether all mental states are intentional. Thoughts are intentional, in that they have an object (Armstrong, 1968). Or they might have multiple objects (Husserl, 1901). In other words, people who are thinking are thinking about something – there cannot be a thought about nothing. Since thoughts, by definition, are about something, they are said to be intentional thoughts (Chalmers, 2004). Crane (2007) asks the question of whether there are similar objects for emotions, sensations and perceptual experiences. Crane (2007) also explains what intentional objects are, and the intentional states of mind that are focused upon these objects. If one hopes for something, then t his is an intentional mode. If one thinks of the object in different ways – champagne can also be thought of as sparkling wine, for instance – then this would be considered intentional content. The thing in the mind must be represented in one way or another, according to Crane (2007). Therefore, one must have intentional mode and content (Parsons, 1980). Crane (2007) also asks if the contents of all intentional states are true or false, which means that they are propositional. Or, the contents of an intentional state might be conceptual or non-conceptual (Martin, 2002). This means that the â€Å"state of mind has conceptual content when a subject needs to possess the concepts definitive of its content in order to be in that state† (Crane, 2007, p. 8). Nickel (2007) explains intentionalism as visual experiences that have phenomenology and content. Phenomenology is â€Å"what it is like to have it,† and content â€Å"is how the experience represents the wo rld as being† (p. 1). He states that if two experiences differ in phenomenology, then they differ in content. Or, as Byrne (2001) understands it, one has a representation of a thought, and a sensation about the thought. The representation is the intentional part of the thought (Stalnaker, 1998). The intentional part of the thought may become separated from the sensation, according to some philosophers (Robinson, 1994). Nickel gives some helpful examples to compare and contrast when he speaks about the concepts. He explains phenomenology as being â€Å"

Theory Of Hegemony Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Theory Of Hegemony - Term Paper Example These studies are also concerned with areas like culture, digital and visual culture, cyberspace, and media and economic and super structural social organizations with the core principal of enabling communication are the core of media studies. Various scholars and researchers have come up with theories explaining critical communication and effects affecting critical communication studies this paper will examine hegemony theory and expounds how it has contributed significantly to the field critical communication studies (Anderson, 2006). An analysis of hegemony theory reveals that cultural institutions are significant in power maintenance, in capitalist societies using cultural institutions. Antonio Gramsci who is an Italian writer, political theorist, linguist, politician, philosopher, writer, and sociologist developed hegemony theory. Gramsci is of considerable significance in the founding of Communist Party of Italy and as one of the fop Marxist thinkers, during his regime Gramsci emerged as a distinguished figure in analyzing culture and political leadership. The theorist is known for the contribution to the use of cultural institutions in maintaining power in capitalist societies by use of his theory of cultural hegemony. ... The theorist views modern intellectuals to be organizers and practically minded directors significant in producing hegemony using ideological devices, for example, education and media and not talkers like the past intellectuals. He went further in bringing a distinction between thinking groups and traditional intellectuals; traditional society views itself being a class and a sector of the society while the thinking groups are products from their own ranks. Cramsci holds a view a believe that need for the creation of a working-class culture to serve the main purpose of renovating and to formulate critical of the status quo in the existing activities of the intellectuals. Gramsci could not manage to pursue his education because of financial and health problems as well have his emerging political commitment by that time he had, however, acquired a sufficient knowledge in various fields like history and philosophy. He had also interacted with thoughts from other thinkers like Antonio La briola, Benedetto Croce, Giovannini Gentile and Rodolfo Mondolfo during his studies at the university. Gramsci’s work on writing socialist including Grido dell Popolo from 1914 boost in earning positive reputation as an outstanding journalist, he later join the Piedmont edition of Avant as a co-editor that is for the Socialist official organ. His eloquence and profilic writing on political theories confirmed his ability of being a formidable commentator participating on writing of features concerning the Turin’s social and political life (Anderson, 2006). During this time, Gramsci ventured into education and the general organization of Turin workers while presenting his speech for the first time in

Questions and Answers on the Growth and Success of Starbucks

Questions and Answers on the Growth and Success of Starbucks Evaluate the role played by Howard Schultz in the growth and success of Starbucks. Is the company in danger of relying too heavily on Mr. Schultz? Howard Schultzs vision was for Starbucks to become a national company with values and guiding principles that employees could be proud of. Schultz wanted to recreate the authentic Italian coffee bar culture in the United States (Thompson, Peteraf et al, 2012). He believed that building a company that valued and respected its people, that inspired them, and that shared the fruits of success with those who contributed to the companys long term value was essential, not just as an intriguing option. His aspiration was for Starbucks to become the most respected brand name in coffee and for the company to be admired for its corporate responsibility (Thompson, Peteraf et al, 2012). Schultz strategized a plan to lead the Starbucks Coffee Company by speculating to open 125 stores in the next five years of the companys operation. To symbolize the merging of Starbucks and II Giornale, Schultz instituted new changes by creating a new logo and equipping espresso machines in all the coffee resta urants. In 1987, Schultz was able to regain the mood of the employees and also ventured in new markets such as Vancouver, Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Starbucks store expansion targets proved easier to meet than Schultz had originally anticipated and he upped the numbers to keep challenging the organization and so there was 161 stores, which was above Schultzs original target of 125 stores in 1992 (Thompson, Peteraf et al, 2012). Howard Schultz argued that patience was needed as the company invested in the infrastructure to support continued growth. He contended that hiring experienced executives ahead of the growth curve, building facilities far beyond current needs, and installing support systems laid a strong foundation for rapid, profitable growth down the road. Even though Schultz was the founder of the Starbucks Corporation and managed it for long time, I dont think the company would be in danger if he leaves the position he holds today. Some basic reasons to these are, since Starbucks heavily depends on Schultz, I believe he most likely has a careful succession plan for the betterment of the company. I also firmly believe that Schultz has already developed a sound contingency plans for his position. That is he might already have set the plan of who should take over the reins on a short notice. If these strategies are in place, then Starbucks future would not be uncertain. Discuss the business engineering processes used by Starbucks to stay competitive. How does the company track performance and use its control systems? Starbucks created its own house team of architects and designers to ensure that each store would convey the right image and character. Stores had been custom -designed because the company didnt buy real estate or build its own freestanding structures, rather, each space was leased in an existing structure, making each store differ in size and shape. The company had emphasized the four stages of coffee making: growing, roasting, brewing, and aroma. With increase in its stores, greater store diversity and layout quickly became necessary. The company had some special seating areas to help make it a desirable gathering place. The company also came with the drive through windows in locations where speed and convenience were important. Just as recent as June 2009, the company announced a new global store design strategy (Thompson, Peteraf et al, 2012). This meant that each new store was to be a reflection of the environment in which it operated and was to be environmentally friendly. To better control average store opening costs, the company centralized buying, developed standard contracts and fixed fees for certain items, and consolidated work under those contractors who displayed good cost-control practices (Thompson, Peteraf et al, 2012). The retail operations group outlined exactly the minimum amount of equipment each core store needed so that standard items could be ordered in volume from vendors at 20 to 30 percent discounts, then delivered just in time to the store site either from the company warehouses or the vendor. Modular designs for display cases were developed. The layouts for new and remodeled stores were developed on a computer, with software that allowed the costs to be estimated as the design evolved. All this cut store opening and remodeling costs significantly and shortened the process to about 18 weeks (Thompson, Peteraf et al, 2012). What is the compensation strategy that the company has used to motivate its employees to focus on the companys strategy and its execution? Howard Schultz deeply believed that Starbucks success was heavily dependent on customers having a very positive experience in its stores. This meant having store employees who were knowledgeable about the companys products, who paid attention to detail in preparing the companys espresso drinks, who eagerly communicated the companys passion for coffee, and who possessed the skills and personality to deliver consistent, pleasing customer service (Thompson, Peteraf et al, 2012). Some of the compensation strategy that Starbucks used to motivate its employees included instituting health care coverage for all employees whether full time or part time. From 1988, part timers working 20 or more hours were offered the same health coverage as full-time employees. Starbucks paid 75 percent of an employees health insurance premium; while the employee paid only 25 percent. The health insurance coverage was also offered for unmarried partners in a committed relationship (Thompson, A.A. et al., 201 2). The company also had presented a stock option plan for all employees .This was aimed at turning all employees into partners, giving them a chance to share in the success of the company, and make clear the connection between their contributions and the companys market value. The company also implemented an employee stock purchase plan that gave partners who had been employed for at least 90 days an opportunity to purchase company stock through regular payroll deductions. This had really motivated many employees and since the inception of this plan, some 23.5 million shares had been purchased by partners; and one third of these partners participated in stock purchase plan during the 2000-2009 period (Thompson, A.A. et al., 2012). Starbucks workplace environment was good for its employees. The management believed that the companys competitive pay scales and comprehensive benefits for both full time and part time partners allowed it to attract motivated people with above average ski lls and good work habits. How would you describe Starbucks corporate culture? What is the relevance of corporate culture for Starbucks future growth and success? The cornerstone value to build a company with soul was that Starbucks would never stop pursuing the perfect cup of coffee by buying the best beans and roasting them to perfection. Schultz and other senior executives were adamant about controlling the quality of Starbucks product and building a culture common to all stores. Schultz was rigidly opposed to selling artificially flavored coffee beans. The management was also emphatic about the importance of employees paying attention to what pleased customers (Thompson, A.A. et al., 2012). At the very base of the companys culture was its roots within the community. Howard Schultzs goal was to build a company with soul, which included corporate responsibility. In 1997 the Starbucks Foundation was established. The foundation was one of the largest contributors to C.A.R.E. which provided health and education programs to third world countries most of which Starbucks purchased its coffee beans. Starbucks is also committedÂÂ  to the enviro nment.ÂÂ  It has organizedÂÂ  a Green Team of store managers from all regions that assist the community in environmental efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. The team has introduced innovative ways to reuse some of the paper, plastic and cardboard the store uses. They have reused packing materials and have donated these materials to local schools for art projects. These corporate cultures that Starbucks developed over the years had been very useful and would emphasize the companys growth into the future (Starbucks 2006).

Hill Country snack food Co. Case Essay

Hill Country’s operating strategy and its impact on business risk & financial strategy The operating strategy is to produce high quality products through efficient, low-cost and aggressive operation as well as singular management. In detail, the company provides several kinds of snacks to satisfy different type’s customers. The company expands its presence into sporting events, movie theaters and other leisure events to attract customers. An efficient and low-cost operation is achieved by strong control of budgets and costs. Customers are satisfied by companies’ quick react to their requirements or preferences and reinvent and expand its products, showing the efficient management for the customer requirement. Also, all decisions are made in order to build shareholders’ value, indicating singular management. For the business risk, the snack foods industry was very competitive, facing off against competitors like PepsiCo and Snyder’s-Lance very day. In this high rivalry industry, company could not succeed by price increase. And unfavourable cost due to both internal and external factors is not easy to control. In order to control the business risk, the company is actively involved in the budget approval process, and the operating strategy has very important part to keep the costs under control. For the financial risk, the more debt financed the higher financial risk it is. The company’s risk avoidance strategy is manifested in its financing decision. The company is managed in preference for equity finance and against debt finance, investments are funded internally. The optimal capital structure for Hill Country The optimal capital structure is the capital structure at which the market value is maximised and the cost of capital is minimised. There are 3 alternative capital structures from pro forma 2011 financial information. If Hill take 60% debt to capital ratio, the company repurchases the most of the shares comparing with 20% and 40% debt to capital ratio structure, the debt would be B rated with highest interest rate of 7.7%, reflecting the higher risk. The net income would drop to $76M, however, the tax would reduce by around $12M, but the interest expense increases to $33.5M, there is big gap between them. In terms of the 20% debt to capital ratio one, the debt is  rated at AAA with 2.85% interest rate, the tax and interest both decreases and increases slightly, the EPS and dividend per share in 20% and 60% are less than which in 40% scenario. Regarding to the 40% debt to capital structure, the debt is rated at BBB with 4.4% interest rate. Also, the interest coverage ratio is strong(11.8). The very important part is that even the net income reduces by 8.5%, the EPS and dividend per share, are both the highest compared with 20% and 60% scenarios, thus adding value to the shareholders. In addition, it allows the firm not to be over leveraged, which is in favor of the firm that it does not want to have too much debts. The financial risk is the highest in the 60% scenario since the shareholders have the highest financial leverage(facing bankruptcy). According to the calculation(appendix), the highest value of the firm is $2482M under 40% debt scenario compared with 20% and 60% debt scenarios, thus maximizing the firm value. Therefore 40% debt to capital structure is recommended. Benefits of debt financing Debt financing allows control of business. Owner can made decision and does not need consider shareholders or investors. * Debt is tax-deductible. This means that it shields part of business income from taxes and lowers the tax liability. * The lender do not share the profits. Business only need to make repayment. * Debt is less expensive than equity due to its contractual nature and priority claim How large the benefits are depending on the magnitude of the tax benefit numbers, the benefits that reallocated to investors and whether the costs of debt that are less than the benefits from debts. Changes the capital structure? It is recommended that Hill Country to change the capital structure. The capital structure is too conservative, having negative impact on financial performance measures. Hill Country has excessive liquidity, and the interest rate is quite low, it is good opportunity to involve debts. The impacts of the change would be the increase in debt and decrease in equity. The company can get advantage of debts as mentioned before, it is aggressive growth strategy. And the financial ratios such as ROE, ROA, EPS, dividend per share as well as the value of firm would improve. Also, the repurchase of the shares will result in the increase in the share price. However, most lenders  provide severe penalties for late or missed payments, which may include charging late fees, taking possession of collateral, or calling the loan due early. Failure to make payments on a loan, even temporarily, can adversely affect a small business’s credit rating and its ability to obtain future financing. Debt financing is also borrowing against future earnings. This means that instead of using all future profits to grow the business or to pay owners, the firm has to allocate a portion to debt payments. Also, debt can limit future cash flow and growth, decreasing in equity could lead to higher debt-to-equity ratio. Alternatives to increase debt/decrease equity Instead of issuing debt, the firm can borrow debt from banks to increase debt. In order to reduce equity, another method is to rewards its investors by distributing a portion of its profits in the form of cash dividends. Since the cumulative earnings of a company are reported within the balance sheet equity account â€Å"retained earnings,† cash dividends are shown on the company’s financial statements as a direct reduction of the account. In addition, Increase expenses can bring the same effect. Depreciation is an operating expense that allows a business to allocate or spread the costs of its assets over the length of their useful life. The use of an accelerated depreciation method results in a higher depreciation expense during the asset’s earlier years of service, resulting in a lower net income and equity balance during this time. Conclusion and Recommendation Due to the strong cash balance and high liquidity of the firm, it is recommended that Hill Country to take 40% debt to capital finance with respect to the several benefits with the debt financing to increase the firm value. Also, the firm can consider the alternative ways to change the capital structure. Appendix NOPAT=EBIT(1-tax) tax rate=35.5% Hamada equation: Beta L=Beta U[1+(1-T)(D/E) Risk free rate(Rf)=1.8% Market interest rate(Rm)=3.8% cost of equity=Rf+ Beta L*(Rm-Rf)

Hairy Ape Character Analysis Essay

Style â€Å"The Hairy Ape† was done in the expressionist style of theater. Expressionism is the theatrical technique which will use the staging and setting to show the characters inner emotion or the keep the theme constantly within the audience’s sight. In Expressionism, characters do not act or talk the way they really would, everything is extreme to prove a point. In Expressionism plausibility is deliberately altered by the author to make the theme clear. Characters Yank Yank represents the lower class. He depicts the manner in which it is the force at the bottom of society that allows society to run. Yank also represents how people can be trained and persuaded to be comfortable in a situation that may not be best for their personal development and become unable to fit in elsewhere. Yank is depicted in the play as â€Å"Neanderthal† and â€Å"ape-like†, not only in his speech, but also in his physical description. Yank and his shipmates are initially described as â€Å"?hairy-chested, with long arms of tremendous power, and low, receding brows?† The ship’s crew is kept in constant hunched over position due to his quarters on the ship Yank, at the outset of the play is even proud of his position. Yank is so comfortable in his position that he lives in false security that he controls his surroundings. He feels that it is he who is better. He repeatedly states how it is he who makes the ship run. Not even real izing that he has mentally dehumanized himself; he states that he is the ship. Yank seemingly has no issue with his position, has never given it any thought and criticizes other shipmates who do, until he is observed by Mildred Douglas, who proclaims upon seeing him â€Å"Oh, the filthy beast†. It is at this point that Yank realizes he not simply a part giving the ship motion, he is more than an animal or creature, he is a man. He is infuriated by Mildred’s comment and seeks to prove his worth. Yank’s desire to prove himself throws him into conflict; he is no longer able to fit in as he did in his prior position on the ship and finds he does not belong in society outside the ship either. During Yank’s moments of thought, of attempting to find himself and his position in life O’Neill depicts him in the same position as Rodin’s sculpture â€Å"The Thinker†. This particular sculpture was Rodin’s depiction of what he saw as a brutish, almost Neanderthal type man, contemplating his existence and place in the world, which describes Yank’s position quite well. Mildred Douglas Mildred Douglas is the upper class of society. She claims sociological interest when she requests a tour of the stokehole, but does not truly perform any kind of social work in the play. She claims herself a by-product of her wealthy society. Mildred served as a tool to bring about Yank’s personal dilemma. Paddy Paddy is a nostalgic character. He speaks of when he was a sailor as a young man and being at one with the sea. Paddy represents when man and nature were one. Paddy is resigned to the position he is in now, but longs for his good old days. Yank is unable to relate to this perspective, as he views himself as part of the ships’ mechanics. Long Long is a glimpse to the future; towards social change. Unlike Yank, Long is aware of the inhumane treatment of the ship’s stokers. He speaks of the separation of the classes and its unfairness. Long speaks of ideas such as the men on the ship being â€Å"voters and citizens† and how the ships crew are more than merely slaves. Yank is unable to understand Long’s point of view or his class-consciousness, instead, Yank considers him a preacher and a wimp.