How to Write a Good Business Plan

How to Write a Good Business Plan WHAT IS A BUSINESS PLAN A business plan is a 30-40 pages long description of how you want to build your company. In the business plan you want to explain what customers you want to target via which marketing channels, what makes you different from competitors, who the management team is, how you are going to make a profit, and what the milestones are for achieving your business plan. So, in a nutshell a good business plan follows the following story.WHY, WHEN AND FOR WHOMWHYWhy make the effort and writing 30-40 pages when you could focus on product development or sales? There are several reasons why with some business models you should only write an abbreviated version of a business plan (we will cover this in another post).INTERNAL REASONSGenerally, while writing a business plan you and your co-founders will think through your business model in-depth. By doing this you will increase the probability to find business model breakers (= factors that will lead your current model fail), s o you can find ways to adjust your business model.The second reason is that when you write a business plan, you set yourself a guideline which to follow. This will increase your focus and get things done mentality as you target your milestones.EXTERNAL REASONSAnother reason for writing a business plan is that most of investors (especially  venture capitalist and banks)  will ask for a business plan  before they will make an investment decision.WHENMost people start working on a rough business plan too late. We recommend that you write a business plan when you have a good business idea. It is totally fine to have a first business plan covering the key business model drivers and milestones you want to achieve on 3-5 pages. Once you learn what customers really want and how to profit then you increase the detail of your business plan (e.g. start with rough marketing assumptions and later distinguish between marketing channels, customer segments, products and regions). Now, you might nee d some funding because you are not profitable yet or because you want to finance a larger expansion (more products, more countries). For this, you will need to write a very detailed business plan which will be the basis for investors to make their decision to invest in your business or not. This fully fledged business plan is what we are talking about in this article.FOR WHOMThe external purpose of the business plan is mainly to receive funding (equity or debt), thus the potential addressees of the business plan can be:Equity investors like business angels and venture capitalistsDebt investors like banksIt is important to frame the information in the business plan to the needs and investment profile of the investors. For pitching equity investors you should focus on the disruptive factors and upside potential of your business while for debt investors you should clearly state the risks and position yourself as a risk minimizer (I mean, your business has no risk it cannot handle, hasn t it ?? ).ELEMENTS OF A BUSINESS PLAN There are tons of articles and books on how to write a good business plan, but still I get a lot of questions on how to write a business plan effectively. © Shutterstock.com | T. L. FurrerIn this article Ill show you (1) what a business plan is, (2) why, when and for whom to write the business plan, and (3) the elements of a good business plan.WHAT IS A BUSINESS PLAN A business plan is a 30-40 pages long description of how you want to build your company. In the business plan you want to explain what customers you want to target via which marketing channels, what makes you different from competitors, who the management team is, how you are going to make a profit, and what the milestones are for achieving your business plan. So, in a nutshell a good business plan follows the following story.WHY, WHEN AND FOR WHOMWHYWhy make the effort and writing 30-40 pages when you could focus on product development or sales? There are several reasons why with some business models you should only write an abbreviated version of a business plan (we will cover this in another post).INTERNAL REASONSGenerally, while writing a business plan you and your co -founders will think through your business model in-depth. By doing this you will increase the probability to find business model breakers (= factors that will lead your current model fail), so you can find ways to adjust your business model.The second reason is that when you write a business plan, you set yourself a guideline which to follow. This will increase your focus and get things done mentality as you target your milestones.EXTERNAL REASONSAnother reason for writing a business plan is that most of investors (especially  venture capitalist and banks)  will ask for a business plan  before they will make an investment decision.WHENMost people start working on a rough business plan too late. We recommend that you write a business plan when you have a good business idea. It is totally fine to have a first business plan covering the key business model drivers and milestones you want to achieve on 3-5 pages. Once you learn what customers really want and how to profit then you incre ase the detail of your business plan (e.g. start with rough marketing assumptions and later distinguish between marketing channels, customer segments, products and regions). Now, you might need some funding because you are not profitable yet or because you want to finance a larger expansion (more products, more countries). For this, you will need to write a very detailed business plan which will be the basis for investors to make their decision to invest in your business or not. This fully fledged business plan is what we are talking about in this article.FOR WHOMThe external purpose of the business plan is mainly to receive funding (equity or debt), thus the potential addressees of the business plan can be:Equity investors like business angels and venture capitalistsDebt investors like banksIt is important to frame the information in the business plan to the needs and investment profile of the investors. For pitching equity investors you should focus on the disruptive factors and u pside potential of your business while for debt investors you should clearly state the risks and position yourself as a risk minimizer (I mean, your business has no risk it cannot handle, hasnt it ?? ).ELEMENTS OF A BUSINESS PLANThere is no perfect blueprint for a good business plan, but the following elements are definitely part of a good business plan. When you write your business plan you should focus on quality (facts, crisp, simple English), not quantity. As a starting point you can use this or that free business plan template.This means youll have to be very specific about your business model, because investors get hundreds of business plans every month, so make sure your business plan stands out from the crowd. We recommend, you ask your friends and family for input on how to improve your business plan. After each investor meeting, use their feedback for sharpending your pitch and business plan. A good quality business plan will increase your chances of getting funded.1 EXECU TIVE SUMMARYThe executive summary should summarize the main messages from the whole business plan, while the further elements of the business plan should provide the supporting facts for these messages. The executive summary typically is 1-2 pages long.2 MANAGEMENTIn this section you describe the management team and other key people attached to your business (e.g. board of directors, key employees). A potential is mostly interested in what specific industry expertise, technical skills and business network you have in order to drive the business growth. One key skill, I find most people overlook, is that management should master the skill of allocating capital in the most efficient way.Furthermore, you should show that your team is complementary meaning that the management team should have different backgrounds; this helps in making hard decisions as the whole team sees the problem from different perspectives.3 PROBLEM, MARKET, AND COMPETITORSPROBLEMFirst, you need to specify what pr oblem you would like to solve with your business. Be as specific as possible. The more precise you describe the problem, the better your solution will be and thereby you will increase your chances of success.Bad example: People have cancer.Good example: People have cancer and I know why. I found the biological reason for the existence of cancer in chromosome 0815 which is driven by malnutrition in the early childhood mainly caused by visiting McDonalds too often [I totally made this up, I dont have a biology background ?? ]MARKETThen, you need to estimate the current and future market size for solving this problem either via market research reports or a back on the envelope calculation.COMPETITORSLastly, what competitors are out there and how do they tackle this problem? A lost of people think, they dont have competitors. Let me assure you, you have competitors. Either you have competitors that offer a similar product or at least you will competitors who try to solve the customer pr oblem in another way.Example: Imagine you want to sell a super new type of juice which nobody sells. Cool, you dont have competitors! WRONG! Every company that sells any type of drinks (e.g. water, juice, tea, coffee) is competing for satisfying the thirst and taste of customers.Show the investors in your business plan how you will position your business in comparison to the competition.4 PRODUCTHere you describe how your product or service solves the problem. Make sure you describe why your product or service solves the problem in a more effective or efficient way, so you will have a value proposition over competitors.Your business plan should also specify the customer benefits of your product (making something faster, cheaper, more reliable, more effective, more beautiful). This discussion will later help you to pitch your product to potential customers.Briefly explain how you source and produce the product and how this might translate into a competitive advantage. If you have any sourcing or production related partnerships, then state them here. This might also indicate some traction.5 MARKETING AND SALESYou have your product defined and why customers should buy your product.Now, you need to show which advertising and sales channels you want to use for approaching potential customers. You need to show which channels have the lowest customer acquisition cost, amount of customers and product perferences of customers.Generally, you can advertize your product via these advertising channels:Offline marketing; using guerilla marketing techniques,  advertising on public transport, radio and television advertising.Print advertising; putting your advertising on newspapers or magazinesSearch engine marketing, you bid for key words on google, bing and yahoo.Display advertising; you buy ad impressions of larger websites, so that customers can click through to your website.Search engine optimization; your website gets visitors from google co. by ranking high for specif ic key words (e.g. business plan, greatest entrepreneur ever, startups)Retargeting; you try to retarget visitors that have visited your website by showing them specific ads on selected other websites.Paid social media; you advertize your product on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and co.Furthermore, your business plan should state whether you already have some signed marketing or sales partnerships. One technique, I like a lot, is the piggy back. When you have developed a specific product and you can piggy back on a larger distributor to sell your product to thousands of people. Example: If you have developed an amazing web application for entreprise resource planning, then it might make sense to talk to companies like Cisco or HP for promoting your product by having a revenue share agreement with the distributor.6 FINANCIAL PLANAt least one member of your management team should understand the basics of accounting  so you can build a decent financial plan.The financial plan should at le ast include a historical and forecasted income statement so that investors get a feeling for the revenue forecast, margin forecast, and overhead forecast. If you are awesome ?? , then build an integrated financial model that interlinks the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement.Next, you should show investors why your business is a good investment. Basically, an investor will assess the risk and return of investing in your business relative to other investment opportunities he might have. I recommend, you help the investor by calculating the IRR fo your business and identifying the mayor business model risks and measures how you tackle those risks.Lastly, the investor wants to know how much funding you need and for what (e.g. marketing, HR, product development, having a party ?? ) you plan to spend it.7 ROADMAP AND MILESTONESIf you dont know where you wanna go, then your chances of getting there are quite low! Therefore, you should specify what actions you want to p erform and what objectives you want to achieve over a specific period of time; this is called a milestones plan.The milestones plan should be categorized by business segments such as product development, marketing, HR, and finance and include the funding need for each milestone.We will look at business plans in more detail in future posts. This article should give you a good introduction what a business plan is and what things you need to consider for writing a good business plan.

Business Ethics - 2743 Words

Case Study 2 -How Low Will You Go? [pic] Name: Jiahao Zhong Student ID: 15440031 Tutor: Mr. Rex Walsh Campus: Sydney Table of content 1. Utilitarianism †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 2. Virtue ethics †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....4 3. Libertarianism†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.5 4. Deontological †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦..9 5. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 6. Reference†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..11 [pic]Diagram 1 (shows some basic information for the case study) Utilitarianism: Should salespersons take their potential client to strip club? Galen McDowell was a good salesperson who knew how to purchase the higher performances out of the salespeople under him. Bob wanted to sign a big contract with Kinan Motor who†¦show more content†¦It is bias. As we know, every thing should provide the fair opportunity to every people, and also many high-powered or excellent staffs will stand out from these competitions. Analysis the benefits and costs from this Galen’s action, it should be unethical action. For company, they may lose the excellent staffs from this action, it may have benefits from the guys who are recruited by Galen, like the work efficiency improved, but it is important to have various staffs for a department in a company, because these people may are just good at one or two area or ways to make a sales, but in other areas or ways they will be trouble. It must be de lost of company. Otherwise, for Galen, he may doesn’t get any benefits from it. Oppositely, because young people has more abiliti es and spaces to improve, hence, Galen should worry about that his position may will be replaced by the staffs who are younger version of himself. Even though he has experience, â€Å"fresh blood† is always more important for a company. Also, Galen and his staffs’ skills and ability of sales may be just restricted to some areas. Study with each other is very important step for a growth of company. Therefore, the costs are more than the benefits. And Galen should change his mind. If I am Galen, I will use the interview or ability test to choose my staffs. At this process, I will study some new things and skill which I don’t have from them in order toShow MoreRelatedBusiness Ethics : Ethics And Business943 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscussions in Business is Ethics. Some people believe that the decisions businesses make in interest of the business has no place in ethics and that they are essentially amoral. These businesses believe that their main objective is to simply make a profit and that it does not affect the success of the business. Whereas some businesses believe that they have to take ethics into consideration, in order for their business to be a success. Richard T. De George (1999) states that ethics and business do notRead MoreThe Ethics Of Business Ethics1471 Words   |  6 PagesReview Nowadays, the concern for business ethics is growing rapidly in the business community around the world. 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ThisRead MoreThe Ethics Of Business Ethics Essay1097 Words   |  5 PagesResource A discusses how ethics is crucial in business. There are three key ideas used to understand this. Firstly, making ethically wrong decisions tend to cause more upset than other general mistakes as purposeful unethical actions are not as easily forgiven or forgotten. Secondly, ethics provides businesses with a broader understanding of everything to do with their business. Business ethics is effectively just business it its larger human context. Thirdly, being unethical ca n tarnish the publicRead MoreThe Ethics Of Business Ethics1064 Words   |  5 Pages　　　　Business Ethics Ethics can be viewed as the rules and values that determine goals and actions people should follow when dealing with other human beings. However, business ethics can be defined as moral principles of a business. It examines moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. 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Oil Drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge Essay

Oil Drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge The main issue presented in my research involves the debate between environmentalists and the United States government on whether to open and develop a portion of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in the northern coastal plain of Alaska for the purpose of drilling for oil. Environmentalists argue that opening up this region of ANWR to future oil drilling would destroy the current ecosystems, disrupt animal habitats and adversely change the lives of the people in these local communities. Proponents of oil drilling in this region argue that all the issues presented by the environmentalist groups are not valid and they have no scientific facts to support their argument.†¦show more content†¦These areas of concern to environmentalist include: (1) The protection of the Porcupine caribou herd, polar bears, musk oxen, grizzly bears and many other forms of diverse wildlife that could be adversely affected by the oil exploration. (2) Preservation of the land itself and the lo cal communities culture that has supported a thousand generations of native Alaskans. (3) That there is only enough oil in this region to supply America’s needs for six months. The environmentalist and the proponents for oil drilling continue to pursue their arguments, each one deciding that their argument is more popular to the American people. INTRODUCTION The history of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge can be traced back to 1960. On December 6th, the Eisenhower administration signed Public Land order No. 2214 which established the 8.9 million acre Artic National Wildlife range. In 1980, Congress passed and Jimmy Carter signed the landmark Alaska National Interest Lands Conservative Act (ANILCA) that increased the protected area to 19.8 million acres, renamed the area to Artic National Wildlife Refuge, and established the original 8.6 million acres as wilderness. However, in the process of getting this act passed, the oil industry lobby succeeded in having the Senate refuge to designate the Coastal Plain as Wilderness. Section 1002 of the ANILCA legislation informed theShow MoreRelatedDrilling for Oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge2426 Words   |  10 Pagesdrill for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge because it would harm the environment, disrupt the animals, and destroy plants. The United States Congress created th e Artic National Wildlife Refuge in 1980 (To drill or not to drill?: 6). The Artic National Wildlife Refuge is also known as ANWR (To drill or not to drill?: 6). The Artic National Wildlife Refuge is 19.6 million acres of wilderness (Scalzo, Jim Lo.: 37). Of the 19.6 million acres in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge 17.5 millionRead MoreThe Threat Of Global Warming1779 Words   |  8 Pageshuman health, and wildlife. (Consequences of Global Warming). Drilling in ANWR would cause horrifying situations for the wildlife ecosystem and inescapable affects on life in America and around the world, as we know it. In the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s annual report and recommendations to the US Congress, they revealed the astounding fact that, â€Å"The Artic Refuge is the only conservation system unit that protects, in an undisturbed condition, a complete spectrum of the artic ecosystem inRead MoreDRILLING IN ANWR1374 Words   |  6 Pagesenvironmentalists, economists a nd neighbors now fight over the prospect of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Many of the arguments for drilling are worth consideration; however, in comparison to the evidence against it, they are neither convincing nor compelling. In order to fully understand why drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is such a big deal; we need to understand the history of the refuge. 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The growing number of barrels of oil imported into the Unites States and rising gas prices are major concerns. Even though increasing the United States crude oil production may not lower gas prices immediately, it will eventually allow the United States to be energy independent. Oil is used in many different waysRead MoreEssay about Environmental Views of Anwr2711 Words   |  11 PagesArctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) is a beautiful 19.6 million acre coastal plain, and is located in the Northeastern part of Alaska. ANWR is home to numerous species of wildlife and one of the largest untapped oil preserves in the United States. There is an immense debate between the opposing environmentalists and the politicians who want to drill for oil on a section of ANWR, which is only 1.8% of the refuge. 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There is an immense debate between the opposing environmentalists and the politicians who want to drill for oil on a section of ANWR, which is only 1.8% of the refuge. Environ mentalists who oppose drilling for oil in Alaska say the wildlife and theRead MoreOutline for Domestic Oil Drilling Policy Speech Essay894 Words   |  4 PagesYour Name â€Å"Domestic Oil Drilling Policy† Thesis: Americans should approve of my domestic oil drilling policy. Organizational Pattern: Policy/ Persuasive SPS: To persuade my peers that my policy on drilling for oil in America is worthy of their support. Introduction I. Did you know that in the year 2007 alone the U.S. spent a total of $37.75 million per hour on imported oil from foreign countries? (Top Ten Reasons, 2009) II. Today, it is my goal to persuadeRead More We Should Allow Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)2541 Words   |  11 Pagesforeign countries for oil and the tight control that these exercise on the energy policies and economics of America. Many of these instances include: the oil embargos of the 1970s, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Since the 1970s, one solution offered to reduce our nations dependence on foreign countries for oil has been opening up drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Proponents say that drilling in ANWR would make

Musicandlyrics Free Essays

In living life in general, music plays a very important part in our lives. Through time and history, music has not only shown the culture of man in general, but also it has shown an essential reflection of what passions has driven man through time. Music is the window of expression to what each person feels in their lives in general. We will write a custom essay sample on Musicandlyrics or any similar topic only for you Order Now As we all know, it is through music that we share our common passions and in the lyrics that we verbalize which words appeal to us. This is pretty much what the plot of the movie Music and Lyrics by Marc Lawrence revolved mostly about. How music and lyrics composition is the reflection of passions and aspirations in the life of Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) and Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore). In the flow of the story, Alex Fletcher, a former band member of a hit 80’s band is trying to relive his glory days by singing with a famous singer; Cora Carmen to advance his own career. Cora agrees to do this if he makes the perfect song that they can duet to in her upcoming album. Alex at once tries to work at the song but struggles to find the lyrics given that he himself lacks what it takes of making the perfect lines to a hit song due to lack of passion in his own day to day life. In the process of racking his brains out in finding the perfect words to a song, Sophie; his plant lady comes waltzing in Alex’s house humming the perfect words that strikes Alex’s ears. He tries to convince Sophie to work with him at once and when she helped him out in making the perfect song, she also helps him out in a much more important thing he needed help in; his very own passions in life. In the process of making the song, Alex and Sophie gets really close as the stories of their lives unravel and frustrations are poured out. With Alex’s downfall in the music industry and Sophie’s mishap with dating a guy who ends up using her character in a book which traumatizes Sophie as all her frustrations in that relationship felt like was opened to the general viewing of the public eye. In the course of all this Sophie teaches Alex what it means to truly write a story of our lives through a song. She not only helped him in coming up with the words, she also thought him how to make it the proper way, through living your own life well and writing to sing about it. Eventually they come up with the song and Cora likes it but wants to put a modern twist to the melody so she can dance to it. Sophie doesn’t think that this is a good idea since it cuts out the essence of the song, this is where things get ugly when Alex refuses to tell Cora their opinions to the modern twist fearing that she will reject the duet contract. Sophie gets disappointed in Alex given that they have already reached an intimate relationship in the course of time that the spent together. This is when Cora requests for a another verse in the song and Sophie comes up with the perfect words to describe the scenario the two lovers were caught in; â€Å"There are moments when I don’t know if it’s real or if anybody feels the way I feel. I need inspiration, not just another negotiation.† This is where Alex realizes his mistake and makes it up to Sophie by making his own song of apology to her which he sings in Cora’s concert and convincing Cora to keep the song that he and Sophie made just at it is. All in all, I think this was a feel good movie where in the reality of the politics of show business and the music industry is also reflected. It also reflected the typical day to day drama that women deal with in love and lost specially with Sophie’s role as she felt like she’s been used and betrayed by two men; her ex and at one point even Alex Fletcher. It depicts traditional roles that women still play in society these days. The erotic pleasure in film, its meaning and in particular, the control place of the image of woman will be interwoven. Mulvey, Laura † Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema † 1975 Although there are different depictions that may be derived from the love story of Sophie and Alex or why Alex and Sophie fell for each other, the drama of their relationship and fear for entering a new intimate relationship reflects what most of use deal with in day to day life. The perceiver may find deeper or â€Å"explicit† meaning. The perceiver decides what the core of the film is from her own perspective. While one might see the crux of Saving Private Ryan as war is hell’, another might see it as saving one saves us all. â€Å"Chapter 1A: Making Films Mean† October 7, 2007 http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/%7Earts432/Chp1/a.html As a viewer, I loved the story line because it once again reminded me that no matter how complicated love and life can be, people are capable of making things work. That’s the beauty of romantic comedy films, no matter how redundant the plot can get, you keep on watching it for the very same reason; it’s â€Å"feel good factor†. I also found the lyrics of   Way back into Love and its lyrics very captivating so I really felt like the movie’s title gave justice to the show. I do think that the movie was quite typical especially with the variety of different plots that are emerging in the movie industry now-a-days. It was far too predictable for a contemporary movie, but given the genre of the show, I felt like I was supposed to be typical in order to captivate its target audience. It’s the type of movie that will be fun to watch with your family friends and loved ones wherein your quality time will be maximized not only by the feel good factor of the plot but also the comedic effect of the story line. The narration and the film technique was also pretty typical given that the plot of the movie didn’t really call for anything special work with the cinematography and the likes. I found the music video’s of POP also refreshing as it took me back to a trip to memory lane with the style and music of the band.. The setting was also perfect for the plot as Alex’s apartment and the surrounding locations did fit in perfectly in making the infamous song that they had to make for Cora. I also found the set of characters for the movie and the storyline brilliantly pieced in specially matching the lyrics of the song way back into love. It was like I was being taken into a journey with Sophie and Alex as I felt like I was being part of that song that they were making. No wonder the song became a hit once the movie hit the cinemas. The storyline captured the heart and soul of the drama of life and love and pieced it in to the song that everybody is still humming to months after its release. The characters were also perfect specially with Cora who did depict your typical popular pop star in dire need to dance to any of their songs. As simple as the movie was, it was a wonderful journey to the backstage of life and music and how it fits perfectly well together. I think it would give people a deeper appreciation for music. I also think that the movie also calls for a political challenge to artists and songwriters to write more about real things in life. This is because lately I have noticed the invasion of dance songs that has just connotations of sex, rage, unhealthy self image and vices to the point that it is no longer helping ourselves and the people around us in our modern day society. Music and Lyrics I think has a lot to show and tell us if we really read into the deeper meaning of what the movie had to offer. It was also refreshing that a love story has been put in the middle to buffer the point of embracing the heart and soul of the artistry of poetry and music. I really appreciated it given that I am a music lover myself. The soundtrack is a refreshing mix 80’s songs and modern dance in line with the story’s plot. It is a must see for people ready to unwind and enjoy catering to both young and old since the music is really bound to transcend generations as it has been shown in the film. Music and Lyrics has successfully fused the best ingredients in life; Love, Drama, Life, Music and Words! Just try singing to its soundtrack with your eyes closed while recalling scenes from the film and you will know what I mean when I say the movie could reach your soul if you let it. Just like how music has for many people and generations.    How to cite Musicandlyrics, Essay examples

Skinners Theory on Operant Conditioning free essay sample

B.F. Skinner (1904-199) was an American psychologist, profoundly known to be the ‘father’ of operant conditioning. After the retirement of John B. Watson, the world was eager to see new modes of learning; and Skinner, similarly to Pavlov â€Å"worked with animals [†¦] and made systematic use of the methodology of independent and dependent variables† (Harrà ©, 2005: p.15); and Operant Conditioning was proposed which in my opinion remains one of the most important theories of the twentieth century.Woollard clarifies that â€Å"behaviourism is a theory of animal and human learning that focuses upon the behaviour of the learner and the change in behaviour that occurs when learning takes place† (Woollard, 2010:1). The learning is demonstrated by a pupil’s response and behaviour to a given stimulus and therefore can be described as an external event that occurs that can produce an observed change in the way in which a child behaves. This form of learning can be described as conditioning and can be split up into 2 types: classical and operant conditioning. We will write a custom essay sample on Skinners Theory on Operant Conditioning or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Operant conditioning is a learning process in which behaviour can be altered and modified using reinforcement and punishment. It is reinforced or established by events that follow an action or happen prior to actioning and these can be described as consequences or antecedents. Reinforcement involves the use of consequences (positive or negative) that can strengthen a preferable behaviour and therefore it can be said that an reinforcer is then able to increase the chances of the required behaviour being repeated again. One of Skinner’s most notable works is the Skinner Box experiment in which he placed a rat in a cage with a lever and if the rat pulled on the lever food would be distributed into the cage and therefore the learned this behaviour by knowing the lever equalled a reward (in this case food).

The Holocaust Essay Example

The Holocaust Essay Example The Holocaust Essay The Holocaust Essay Reading Anne Franks Diary ND The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, can cause many to become intrigued about what could cause such an event to happen and devastated about the terrible things people unfortunately had to go through, if they didnt die beforehand. What many people havent thought about greatly until now is how it has affected society today. The question Analyses the impact that the Holocaust has had on society today will explore the thoughts and opinions that different countries, groups and/or Individuals have on the event, and how It has affected/ls affecting the second and third generations of Holocaust survivors today. For many people, the Holocaust caused them to lose their friends, families, homes and Jobs and for most others, It cost them their lives. We know that the first generation of survivors actually experienced the Holocaust and lived through the hardships but what many people dont know is that the Holocaust still lives on today, in the stories held in peoples hearts, told to them by parents or grandparents. Another question we must ask ourselves is the youth of today being told the Jews story? Are they aware of the devastating event that took place in the years between 1 933 and 1945? In this essay, the many ways that the Holocaust has impacted society today through the use of texts, aural stories, photos and even films will be explored. An explanation of how the aftermath of the Holocaust still lives on, and will do for many more years to come as it is not something that Is easily forgotten will also be given. It will explore different peoples thoughts and answers to the question. The Information In this essay heads to show that the Holocaust Is not something that has Just affected a handful of people and has been easily forgotten but that the devastation lives on through the world in many different forms and is something that most people regret. Essay The content within this essay will be analyzing the impact that the Holocaust has had on society today. It is already known all around the world that the first generation of Holocaust survivors went through a massive ordeal; losing their families, friends, homes, belongings and for many, unfortunately their lives. But what is not as clear to everyone Is how the Holocaust has affected society today. The second and third generations of survivors; the children and grandchildren of the victims, who are told and passed along stories and information that causes many to breakdown. Even how he children of today deal with the Information they are taught In History lessons at school. The Holocaust, led by Doll Hitler and the Nazis was one of the worst events race which consisted of blonde haired and blue eyed people), he near to exterminated the entire Jewish race. He stereotypically excluded them from public places such as shopping centers and theatres, forced them out of their homes, kicked them out of their Jobs and rounded them up like herds of sheep to live in places like ghettos; before sending them off to work camps or on a holiday where they would either be forced into slave labor or murdered. Many people say that the Holocaust was one of the worst genocides to be witnessed by the world. 67% of the total population of Jews in Europe, which equals to roughly 6 million Jews, were murdered in the Final Solution. The Final Solution, named due to the fact that it was Hitters last resort of getting Jews out of Europe, happened within World War II in 1945. When the Germans started to occupy the different countries within Europe they believed that they were the superior race and that no-one was greater than them. This does not dismiss the fact that they still felt threatened by the Jewish race and lived that the Jews were attempting to steal their Jobs and homes, thus starting the stereotypes surrounding Jews as the bad guys. Not only were Jews targeted but Gypsies, homosexuals and disabled people were also targeted. Hitler pretty much wanted to delete all abominations from under his rule. Jews were forced to wear yellow Stars of David and were soon distinguished from all other people in society. Jewish children were no longer allowed to attend school, the theatres or even play in parks. Jews begin to live in fear of what could happen at any time if they made one wrong move. All of these little things that began to happen could not even compare to what was to come. The work camps, portrayed as Holidays or Retreats where the Jews could escape to, although little did they know that these camps were Just another name for their death sentence. The Nazis would separate the Jews who were transported to the camps into women and men, adults and children and the strong and the weak. Those who were fit to work in the camps had their life spared the strong sides of these people were taken to factories and fields where they actually have people standing guard over them while they worked. The working conditions were extremely poor. They were hardly fed and had no health cares whatsoever. Through times like this, the Jews still believed that they could find ways out and many of them died trying. Most Jews believed that Hitler was behind it all and that he was the one and only evil person leading the race into the ground where what many people dont realism was that it actually was everyone. Although everyone might not have as much as a commercial and visual part as Hitler did, Jews had to be careful about who they trusted and who they didnt as they could be turned in at any moment. It takes one man to create a movement but takes his supporters to carry out the process. Even though the second and third generation survivors didnt actually go through the Holocaust, they still suffer the effects of that horrible time. Just knowing that this story is actually true and that their parents and grandparents survived it is enough to make anyone stop and think about how totally wrong the Holocaust actually was. Just through the use of textbooks, aural stories and experiences and what little evidence remains, todays society is reminded everyday of what total destruction happened within that time period. Many of these things, which can be seen at The Jewish War Museum, or passed down by relatives are ongoing humans can get. The impact that the Holocaust has had on society today is an eye- opening one. The people who are new to the Holocaust are shocked, devastated and horrified where other people who already know are Just regretful for what has happened. It has really opened up the eyes of many people to see Just what exactly can arise out of power, greed and influence. Another impact that the Holocaust has had on society today is the sincere apologies people give each other even for the implies things. People are trying to negotiate their problems peacefully rather than letting everything blow up and escalate to out of control. Society can sympathies with the victims and for the victims as well as give any support they can. One last thing that society today learns from the Holocaust is that it doesnt matter what hits you down, you keep fighting and fighting and eventually you will climb back up and none will ever know youre gone. An entire race was almost exterminated but they fought to survive and they have with a lot of costs buts they still managed to survive. The Holocaust has obviously had a major effect on todays society, opening our eyes to the cruelty and disgusting nature of humans. Not only this but the worlds ability to turn a blind eye at the time and not step in to stand up against what is wrong. But it has also shown a races ability to pick themselves up from the ashes and start anew which is extremely inspirational to many people. Overall, it has opened societys eye to the nature of the world and how sudden that nature can change with its surroundings. Bibliography Orgasms, Barbara, 1988, Smoke and Ashes: The Story of the Holocaust, Holiday House: New York. Blending a narrative of historical events with personal testimonies, Orgasms poses these questions: How did the Holocaust happen and why? Couldnt anyone stop it? How could the Jews let it happen? She also includes a chapter on non- Jewish victims. This book was helpful with explaining what the Holocaust was exactly and what happened within it. Abuzz, Robert H, 1985, Inside the Vicious Heart: Americans and the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps, Oxford University Press: New York. Using the diaries, letters, photographs, and oral testimonies of American GIs and Journalists, Abuzz analyses the reactions of the first eyewitnesses who entered the concentration camps in Germany and Austria during the spring of 1945. This highly readable account is liberally illustrated with photographs. This source was helpful with getting an idea of how people reacted to the Holocaust. Gees, MIPS, and Gold, Alison L, 1988, Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family, Simon and Schuster: New York. MIPS Gees, along with her husband, was among the people who helped the Frank family while they were in hiding. Her story is an important supplement to Anne Franks diary as it adds historical background and an outside perspective to Ann.s story.

Organizations That Certify Productive Forests

Organizations That Certify Productive Forests The words sustainable forest or sustained yield comes to us from foresters of the 18th and 19th century in Europe. At the time, much of Europe was being deforested, and foresters became increasingly concerned since wood was one of the driving forces in the European economy. Wood used for heat became necessary to build homes and factories. Wood then was turned into furniture and other articles of manufacture and the forests that provided the wood were central to economic security. The idea of sustainability became popular and the idea was brought to the United States to be popularized by foresters including Fernow, Pinchot and Schenck. Modern efforts to define sustainable development and sustainable forest management have met with confusion and argument. A debate over criteria and indicators to be used to measure forest sustainability is at the heart of the issue. Any attempt to define sustainability in a sentence, or a paragraph, or even several pages can be limiting. I think you will see the complexity of the issue if you study the content and links provided here. Doug MacCleery, forest expert with the United States Forest Service, concedes that forest sustainability issues are very complicated and very much depends on agenda. MacCleery says, To define sustainability in the abstract is likely to be nigh on to impossible...before one can define it, one must ask, sustainability: for whom and for what? One of the best definitions Ive found comes from the British Columbia Forest Service - Sustainability: A state or process that can be maintained indefinitely. The principles of sustainability integrate three closely interlined elements-the environment, the economy and the social system-into a system that can be maintained in a healthy state indefinitely. Forest certification is based on the principle of sustainability and in the authority of the certificate to back up a chain of custody scheme. There have to be documented actions, demanded by each certification scheme, assuring a sustained and healthy forest in perpetuity. A worldwide leader in the certification effort is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) who has developed widely accepted sustainable forest schemes or principles. FSC is a certification system that provides internationally recognized standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) has made worldwide strides in the certification of smaller non-industrial forest ownerships.PEFC promotes itself as the worlds largest forest certification system...remains the certification system of choice for small, non-industrial private forests, with hundreds of thousands of family forest owners certified to comply with our internationally recognized Sustainability Benchmark. Another forest certification organization, called Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI), was developed by the American Forest and Paper Association (AFPA) and represents a North American industrial developed attempt to deal with forest sustainability. SFI presents an alternative approach that may be a bit more realistic for North American forests. The organization is no longer affiliated with AFPA. SFIs collection of sustainable forestry principles were developed to achieve a much broader practice of sustainable forestry throughout the United States without higher cost to the consumer. SFI suggests that sustainable forestry is a dynamic concept that will evolve with experience. New knowledge provided through research will be used in the evolution of United States industrial forestry practices. Having a Sustainable Forestry Initiative ® (SFI ®) label on wood products suggests that their forest certification process assures consumers that they are buying wood and paper products from a responsible source, backed by a rigorous, third-party certification audit.