John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men - 1461 Words

Of Mice and Men is a novella portraying the failure of the American Dream. Steinbeck explores many different aspects of the life in the 1930 s throughout the novella e.g. racism. Of Mice and Men teaches the grim lesson about the nature of the human existence, showing the impossible and pragmatic truth of the American Dream. Miller also does this, as in Death of a Salesman , Miller, shows that there are different versions of the American Dream. Willy believes that one only can rise to the top simply by being admired and well liked. He teaches this to his son, Biff, but this line of thinking does not work out well for either of them in the novella. Willy s brother, Ben, goes about it a different way. Ben believes that the American Dream is to work hard and gain something from putting your absolute everything into nothing. Miller s drama is considered a domestic tragedy, which is a novella that focuses on the downfall of the tragic hero, as opposed to a higher class character as we see depicted in classical tragedies. Of Mice and Men focuses on the lives of two men, Lennie and George, as they try to fulfill their own American Dream of owning a small farm. While this seems like a reachable dream in the beginning, Steinbeck chooses instead to extinguish this dream utterly with the death of Lennie at the end of the novella. On the other hand, Lennie s dream is portrayed as an illusion within his mind, so hypothetically, it would not be destroyed until Lennie isShow MoreRelatedJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1248 Words   |  5 PagesIn Steinbeck s novel Of Mice and Men, He uses imagery many times to create a realistic setting and plot. Steinbeck’s depiction of migrant workers and their daily complications during the depression are objectively precise due to his use of imagery with idioms, dreams, nature, loneliness and animal imagery. The main theme of the book transpires to be loneliness and fate. While George and Lennie, the main characters have a synergetic relationship, fate steps in and does away with their dreams, whichRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men897 Words   |  4 Pagesthat we possess. Many people feel certain emotions based on events that have taken place in their lifetime or how they were raised throughout their childhood. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, he portrays the feelings of isolation and loneliness in three different characters. George’s isolation is illustrated in Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men. George expresses many hard feelings towards Lennie at the opening of this story. â€Å"‘...you’re a lot of trouble,’ said George. ‘I could get along so easy and soRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1243 Words   |  5 Pagesis what John Steinbeck achieves by portraying this through the characters in his novella Of Mice and Men. The main characters are affected by loneliness in their own different way throughout the novella. rf The loneliness is maintained by the challenges that the characters have to face, and they sustain those challenges of being inhumane towards each other. Crook, a figure in the story who experiences discrimination encounters the challenge of race, due to the book’s setting in the 1930’s duringRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1080 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"I want you to stay with me Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself.† The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck shows the relationship between two migrant workers in the 1930s, George and Lennie, along with the other members on the new ranch that they began working on. Georgie and Lennie dreamed of following the American Dream and owning their own patch of land and the novel revolves around the dream and the obstacles that stand in their way. Lennie, a strongRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1286 Words   |  6 PagesThe realistic fiction novella O f Mice And Men by John Steinbeck explains the journey of two migrant farm workers. Lennie and George are forced to overcome the Dust Bowl and The Great Depression around 1938. This makes jobs even harder to come by because everyone wanted one. Lennie and George were kicked out of Weed and they now work at a ranch in Soledad. At the new farm the friendship between Lennie and George becomes harder to maintain. The people on the farm are all different shapes, sizes, andRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men2167 Words   |  9 Pagesjobs. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George Milton and Lennie Small wander through California in search of a new job that would help them make enough money to live their American dream on â€Å"the fatta the lan’†(Steinbeck 14). George and Lennie’s hard work and determination is not enough for them to live their dream. Lennie has a mental disability that slows the two friends down from living their dream; they have to ru n from job to job because of Lennie’s unintentional actions. Steinbeck incorporatesRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1360 Words   |  6 Pagesfeeling, thinking and acting in everyday life. In the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a duo of farmers, George and Lennie, search for work wherever they can. Their dream of having a farm of their own is coming into reach, while George has to wield Lennie away from the temptation of Curley’s wife and the reality of what Lennie can do. John Steinbeck uses characterization to illustrate the nature of human existence. Steinbeck portrays George as a man who tries to help, and helps others soRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1448 Words   |  6 Pages In the novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck discusses the idea of loneliness and how people who work at the ranch have no family and no future in lives. He indicates that all people at the ranch are lonely, but he specifically uses a few characters to highlight their state of being lonely and more miserable than the others. He emphasizes the loneliness of ranch life during the Great Depression, and shows how people are willing to try and find friendship in order to escape from the state ofRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1205 Words   |  5 Pagesand the time period of John Steinbeck s novella, Of Mice and Men, exemplifies the idea that people from minorities are held back from achieving their version of the ‘American Dream’. This goes to prove not everyone will overcome the overbearing tidal waves of their hardship s, which makes the American Dream nothing more than a dream to them. Crooks, the black stable hand, faces discrimination due to his skin color as this unfortunately was common in the 1930’s. John Steinbeck uses Crooks’ situationRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men968 Words   |  4 PagesSolidifying the theme of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the protagonist George expresses his significant loneliness despite a strong kinship with his friend Lennie, â€Å"’I ain’t got no people†¦ I seen the guys that go around the ranches alone. That ain’t no good’† (41). Published in 1937, amidst the horrific turmoil of the Great Depression, Steinbeck’s novella struck a sensitive chord with readers. Set in the heart of California’s Central Valley, this story follows two men, George and Lennie, as they

Biz Cafe Reflections Essay - 953 Words

My Biz Cafà © Simulation Learning Experience Davenport University Abstract This paper will cover a reflection of my experience with the Biz Cafà © simulation. After reading this paper, one should have an idea of what I learned from the simulation and how it works. I will be talking about the challenges my team and I dealt with and how we overcame these challenges. Most importantly, I will be talking about how we made Coffee Connection run as a successful coffee shop. In this paper, I will also discuss my thoughts on teamwork and the significant factors of running a small business. My Biz Cafà © Simulation Learning Experience Taking part in the Biz Cafà © simulation has been one of the most motivating, enjoyable and enriching learning†¦show more content†¦The furniture we chose for our coffee shop was the used furniture which was cheaper for us. Choosing the used furniture proved to be a good choice that in the long run worked for our coffee shop. We also decided that purchasing the high capacity espresso machine would be very convenient for the business. The machine turned out to be a great investment that served Coffee Connection very well. Challenges We Overcame A challenge that we faced with our coffee shop was making the staffing decisions. We struggled with trying to figure out a sufficient number of managers and servers to hire and an appropriate pay for them. Around the beginning of the simulation, we had a nice amount of servers which resulted in us receiving an award for best staff. After we extended hours, things seemed to go downhill with our staff. As a result, this had an effect on the overall service of the workers. They were not as happy or productive as we had hoped. Our managers were becoming stressed out and our servers were being overworked and even a couple of our servers quit. This lead to us hiring more servers, another manager and giving our managers a raise. These necessary adjustments were a must in our attempt to increase productivity. We also thought that by giving the managers a pay raise, it would make them feel appreciated and motivate them to work. Recognition is what is needed to inspire employees to do their b est.Show MoreRelatedThe Ethics at Foxconn Apple Compuers4461 Words   |  18 PagesThe new dormitories that opened last year have eight workers to a room with one bathroom, a balcony, air conditioning, and internet. The outdoor cafà © and bookstore look very nice from the pictures and employees do enjoy the newer commodities better than previous years. Many of the pictures taken by wired.com showed nice facilities such as a internet cafà ©, bookstore, lounge, and swimming pool, but all were missing something that you expect to see; human interaction. The pictures were empty which doesn’tRead MoreAirheads Business Analysis Essay34215 Words   |  137 Pagescenter (FEC) industry and opened its first location in 2010. Currently, the business has three open locations: Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Orlando. It offers services specifically for trampoline usage but also diversifies by providing an arcade and a cafà ©. During 2011 the company’s revenue was higher than e xpected, but it began to decline in 2012. The owners noticed repeat business was improving and customers were not travelling long distances as they did in 2010 and 2011. Therefore, the companyRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesI’m going to have with my parents now that I’ve turned down this job is more of a concern to me than turning down the job,† Scott said. Why is Scott more concerned with his parents’ reaction than he is with finding a job? To some degree, this is a reflection of the job offer (too low a salary, too small a company, too limited a job description). However, it also suggests a generational shift in thinking. While the job market for new entrants is perhaps the most sluggish in memory, new college graduates

What is working capital Free Essays

Introduction What is working capital? Working capital represents a net investment in short-term assets. These assets are continually flowing into and out the business and are essential for day-to-day operations. The various elements of working capital are interrelated and can be seen as part of a short-term cycle (McLaney and Atrill, 2010) To put this another way, working capital is to a company what water is to a plant. We will write a custom essay sample on What is working capital? or any similar topic only for you Order Now If the plant does not have enough water, it will not grow. Eventually, it will wither and die. If the plant receives too much water, it will drown. Just as plants need the right amount of water in order to grow, companies need the right amount of working capital to achieve desired levels of profitability and liquidity. (Cunningham, Nikolai And Bazley,2004) Working capital management The control and management of working capital directly influences an organization’s ability to survive. To illustrate this, consider the fact that many organisations that go out of business are profitable. The reason they can no longer function is that that they have run out of cash; if they cannot pay their creditors on time they are not going to receive any further supplies on credit terms. If they cannot get their supplies, they cannot produce their goods and services; if they cannot do this, they have nothing to sell. If they have nothing to sell, their cash position will deteriorate rapidly and everything will soon grind to a halt (Proctor, 2009) It is to the firm’s advantage to keep the investment in working capital to a minimum but at the same time invest sufficiently in current assets to be able to carry out day-to-day trading activities efficiently. This balance between the cost and the level of working capital must be carefully managed. (Berry and Jarvis, 2006) Keeping the right amount of working capital requires careful planning and monitoring. So, a company may have excess cash sitting idly in its checking account, or it may need additional short-term financing. (Cunningham, Nikolai And Bazley,2004) Working capital cycle In working capital cycle cash operates as a fuel, circulating the business to work with the flow. The working capital cycle is utilized to determine the time from any investment outlay or investment in current assets to the inflow of cash derived from the investment. (Berry and Jarvis, 2006) An example of working capital cycle can be depicted as shown Cash is used to pay trade payables for raw materials, or raw materials are bought for immediate cash settlement. Cash is also spent on labour and other items that turn raw materials into work in progress and, finally, into finished goods. The finished goods are sold to customers either for cash or on credit. In the case of credit customers, there will be a delay before the cash is received from the sales. Receipt of cash completes the cycle.(McLaney and Atrill, 2010) The following information related to Upholland Ltd’s financial account at the end of 31st May 2011. ? Turnover 1,000,000 Gross Profit 80,000 Debtors100,000 Creditors 150,000 Capital Employed 600,000 Opening Stock60,000 Closing Stock 80,000 Cash Balance (CR) 20,000 In order to analyse the company’s present performance and suggest how it may improve it in the coming year it is necessary to calculate some working capital ratios. Interpreting financial information can be identified by looking at main areas for investigation of accounting information. The use of ratio analysis in each of these areas is introduced below: Profitability Ratio Users of account will want to know how much profit a business has made, and then to compare it with previous periods or with other entities. The absolute level of accounting profit will not be of much help, because it needs to be related to the size of the entity and how much capital is has invested in it. (Dyson, 2006) A.) Gross Profit Margin The gross profit margin ratio relates the gross profit of the business to the sales revenue generated for the same period. Gross profit represents the difference between sales revenue and the cost of sales. The ratio is therefore a measure of profitability in buying (or producing) and selling goods before any other expenses are taken into account. As cost of sales represents a major expense for many businesses, a change in this ratio can have a significant effect on the ‘bottom line’. (Atrill,2006) Gross profit ratio = Gross profit x 100 Turnover = 80,000 x 100 1,000,000 = 8% B.) Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) The return on capital employed is a fundamental measure of business performance. This ratio expresses the relationship between the net profit generated during a period and the average long-term capital invested in the business during that period. (Atrill,2006) ROCE=Gross Profitx 100 Capital Employed = 80,000 x100 600,000 = 13 % Analysis and evaluation It is obvious that the entity doesn’t appear to be obtaining a decent level of profitability. Focusing on the very low gross profit margin ratio of 8%, it can be interpreted that the company has entered in a very competitive market, having low or decrease demand of products among customers. Besides, the 13% of ROCE ratios also shows the weak competitiveness against other fierce competitors. According to Dyson (2007).The ratio of 8% was probably caused by a reduction in the mark-up added the cost of goods sold. The company may have tried to reduce the margins in an attempt to maintain its sales. However, the plan was not highly successful as the turnover didn’t adequately cover the decrease in the mark-up. Even though it is unable to know the information of what kind of business the company operates, the company are not performing effectively over the period. However, the fact of a global downturn in the economy during the period should be taken into an account because the external environment inevitably has significance impact to industries and this could have been the reason why the company earned a low proportion of its profits Porter’s Competitive Forces Model In Porter’s competitive forces model, the strategic position of the firm and its strategies are determined not only by competition with its traditional direct competitors but also by four forces in the industry’s environment: new market entrants, substitute products, customers, and suppliers. Liquidity Radios Liquidity ratios measure the extent to which assets can be turned into cash quickly. In other words, they try to assess how much cash the entity has available in the short term. (Dyson, 2007) C.) Current Ratio The current ratio measures the relative level of current assets compared with current liabilities. It indicates the extent to which all current liabilities are covered by all current assets. If the ratio is greater than 1:1, the entity can meet all of its current liabilities out of current assets. Many companies operate with this ratio in the region from 1:1 to 1.5:1 If the ratio is higher than this, the current liabilities are very safely covered. (Weetman,2010) Current Ratio =Current Assets Current Liabilities = Closing Stock + AR+ Cash AP = 80,000 +100,000 + 20,000 150,000 = 1.33:1 D.) Quick Asset Ratio It may not be easy to dispose of stocks in the short term as they cannot always be quickly turned into cash. In any case, the entity would then be depriving itself of those very assets that enable it to make a trading profit. It seems sensible, therefore, to see what would happen to the current ratio if stocks were not included in the definition of current assets. (Dyson, 2007) Quick Asset Ratio= Current Assets Excluding Stock Current Liabilities =AR+Cash AP = 100,00+20,000 150,000 = 0.8:1 Analysis and evaluation In comparison of the current and quick assets ratio, (Weetman,2010) it indicates that the company possibly has possessed the excessive level of stock with a possible risk of out-dated inventory. According to the current ratio, the ratio is lower than the norm which means the firm doesn’t have adequate liquid resources to deal with its immediate financial commitment. It is incurred because money are being tied up in the company considering a high proportion of stock in the current assets. Similarly, the quick assets ratio shows the firm’s cash position is relatively risky, having insufficient cash to cover its debt and this may result in the inability to make payments for the current liabilities for next period. Overall, all of the information signify that the entity are in the vulnerable position of liquidity. . Efficiency Ratio E.) Debtor Ratio A business will usually be concerned with how long it takes for customers to pay the amounts owing. The speed of payment can have significant effect on the business’s cash flow. The average settlement period for debtors calculates how long, on average, credit customers take to pay the amounts that they owe to the business. (Atrill, 2006) Debtors Ratio=AR__ x365 TURNOVER = 100,000 x 365 1,000,000 =37 days F.) Creditors Ratio Creditors Ratio=AP x 365 PURCHASE =150,000x 365 940,000 = 58 days In some cases that purchase is not provided it can be calculated by the following equation: Purchase=Turnover– Opening Stock =1,000,000 –60,000 = 940,000 G.) Cash Conversion Cycle Cash conversion cycle= Inventory Days + AR days –AP days =28+37– 58 = 7 days Calculate Inventory Days = Average Stock x 365 Cost of Sales = 1 ( Opening + Closing Stock ) 2Cost of Sales =1 ( 60,000 + 80,000 ) = 70,000 2 =70,000x 365 920,000 = 28 days Finding Cost of Sales=Turnover – Gross Profit = 1,000,000 – 80,000 = 920,000 Analysis and evaluation Judging at the ratio the trade debtor collection period is efficient, debtors are not slow at paying debt. Presumably,The firm is treated by debtors with consideration and those settlements are done quickly by debtors’ every effort. Importantly, its number is less than the trade creditor period which is 58 days. This refers a sign of company’s good credibility with its creditors(Dyson, 2007). Therefore, the company doesn’t necessarily watch the trade debtor’s position very carefully. Moreover, cash conversion of 7 days is beneficial as it indicate on average 7 days to convert current assets to cash. The efficiency in collecting and paying debt increase the chance that the entity may not run into the problem of cash flow in the near future considering the company’s unhealthy liquidity. Summary Based on the data provided the company apparently earn a small amount of profit due to the strong competition in the particular market. It is clearly exposed to the vulnerable liquidity position, having insufficient liquid resources to meet its current liabilities. There is likely that the firm may not be able to make payment in the next period. However, the core competency in managing its debtors and creditors collection period help reducing the risk of facing cash flow shortfalls. Therefore, to enhance the company’s performance, Davies and Boczko(2005) suggest in order to increase the gross profit apart from increasing selling prices but also lower costs of production, another approach is to deduct the overhead expenses of operating a business such as lower distribution costs and administrative expenses. In contrast, Dyson (2007) suggests customer might be encouraged to buy more by a combination of lower selling prices. Anyway, this approach will be effective if only the increase in turnover is sufficient. To improve the level of liquidity the reduction in stock levels need to be implemented (Davies and Boczko) In term of efficiency ratio the company can convert transactions into cash faster by setting policies that encourage early payment. Trade debtors might be encouraged to pay quicker by receiving generous credit terms. Similarly, the company can take advantage of purchase discount available from its suppliers. (Dyson, 2007) References Atrill, P.(2006) Financial Management For Decision Makers. 4th edition. England, Prentice Hall. Berry, A. and Jarvis ,R.(2006) Accounting In A Business Context. 4th edition. London, Thomson Learning. Cunningham, M.,Nikolai, A. And Bazley, D.(2004) Accounting: Information for Business Decision. 2nd edition. United Stated Of America, Thomson Learning. Davies,T. And Boczko, T.(2005) Business Accounting And Finance. 2nd edition. England, McGraw-Hill Education. Dyson, J. R. (2007) Accounting for Non Accounting Student. 7th edition. England, Prentice Hall. McLaney,E. and Atrill,P.(2010) Accounting :An Introduction. 5th edition. England, Prentice Hall. Porter, M. (1980) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. 1st edition.Available: http://portal.lsclondon.co.uk/resources/mod/resource/view.php?id=15301subdir=/Lecture Resources/mis11e_ch03-ISOrganisationsAndStartegy. (Accessed on 1st Aug 2011). Proctor,R.(2009) Managerial Accounting For Business Decisions. 3th edition. England, Prentice Hall. Weetman,P.(2010) Management Accounting. 2nd edition. England, Prentice Hall. How to cite What is working capital?, Essay examples