Discuss the Implications of the Increaing Length of Annual Reports Essay

Discuss the Implications of the Increaing Length of Annual Reports - Essay Example In this regard, many independent and regulatory authorities have tried to protect the investors’ and shareholders’ interest from managements’ biases by taking major steps like corporate governance and accounting policies. Publication of annual reports is one the basic responsibilities. With tightening policies from regulatory authorities, the managements are required to disclose number of information other than financial statement. This paper will attempt to present the purposes and increasing length of annual report and its implications (Stittle, 2003, p.143). Purposes and Importance of Annual Report Annual report is primarily associated the disclosure of the financial report of a corporate which is important for the users like prospective investor, existing shareholders and creditor for making economical decisions. Financial information is highly required as it shows the financial health of the organisation like financial risk, stability, volatility, assets, li abilities etc (Valencia College, n.d.). However, merely disclosing the financial information does not serve the purposes for protecting shareholders’ interest by offering sufficient level of transparency. ... The annual report also discloses other necessary information which is highly required for ensuring the biased free information. For example, the company also discloses accounting policies, footnotes which act as empirical studies for the stakeholders. Form the companies’ perspective, annual reports are also used for market signalling by disclosing a number of voluntary news and recent developments. Moreover, the annual reports are prepared in the simplest way so that a person with basic knowledge of economics is able to understand the internal information and activities. The companies are obligated to ensure that each of its stakeholders is able to access the annual reports and hence, publicly listed companies are responsible for publishing its annual reports through corporate websites, economic journals and news papers, and subscriptions (Vause, 2009, p.9). Increasing Length of Annual Report and its Implications To make the annual reports more relevant with enhanced disclosur e has become a challenge for both the regulators and firms. On one hand, regulatory authorities require that the companies’ annual reports must be understood by ordinary shareholders and investors; on the other hand, they are required to include complete and transparent disclosures. The recent financial crisis of 2007-2010 has marked the importance of financial disclosures. The international and independent organisations like FRC, OECD, IASB and FASB require wide ranges of information as mandatory disclosure. The IFRS and US GAAP are two major financial reporting frameworks that recommend upon the accounting standards and disclosures in the annual report. Their requirements of disclosure have been constantly increased for better transparency and monitoring the activity of the

Chinas unique demographic evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinas unique demographic evolution - Essay Example Every nation has experienced demographic change and some still continue to change even today. However, in china, their demographic transition is unique compared to other countries. The demographic transition in china was driven by several factors that played a major role in the demographic process of change. The first factor is the convectional institutional arrangement followed by the unconventional arrangement of the same (Li 126). Additionally, China’s economic development and social change have also played a major role to mark the demographic transition.Factors Influencing Demographic Transition.Every country that has experienced demographic change, experienced some certain common stages of transition. The first stage has characteristics of high birth rate and a high mortality rate, as a result, a low natural growth is marked. The second stage is characterized by a high birth rate and a low mortality rate, which leads to a high natural growth rate. The third stage is a low birth rate and low mortality rate that marks a low natural growth rate. The first stage of demographic transition is marked with low level of life quality and social development. When the mortality level is high, people rely an increased birth rate to maintain their population. This stage did not have much difference between early developed countries and later developing ones. On the other hand, the second stage came with an improvement in life quality and sanitary condition which was as a result of economic development.

The New Oil: Castrol

The New Oil: Castrol Castrol was originally an oil company set up by Charles Cheers in the year 1899. Within 10-years, he managed to develop a new lubricant named The new oil Castrol which significantly benefits the transportation industry in the twentieth century (Castrol, 2011). The internationalized of Castrol of as a motor oil lubricant brand began in 1966 when Burmah Oil bought over to it become renamed Burmah Castrol, (BP , 2012) and their success in Thailand encouraged them to venture Vietnam in 1991 through a joint venture Saigon Petro (Dodd, 2005) which had a large motorcycle population. They were also the very first foreign lubricant joint-venture operating in Vietnam (NA, 2001). Later in 2000, British Petroleum (BP) acquired Burmah Castrol merging all operations with BP. However, BP still continued to retain Castrols identity as the company had long established brand reputation as a premiere motor oil lubricant. As an international business, Castrol, like any other international firm, were faced with key issues surrounding both formal and informal framework, and they tackled these issues by adopting, adapting and diffusing institutional elements in their strategies to succeed in the Vietnamese market. Vietnam: Key Issues for Castrol Cultural Environment Hostedes Cultural Dimensions (1980) shows the Vietnameses culture (Asia-Pacific) and Castrols native cultures (Anglo-American) are on opposing ends, which means that in order to succeed in Vietnam Castrol had to overcome these cultural barriers. Vietnam is heavily influenced by the Confucian values and ideals, beliefs in a high hierarchal structure, which means they have high power distance, are collective decision making and focus on the relationship element rather than a business transaction (Dong, Liem, Grossman, 2010). Face saving is a core concept practiced, as such maintaining relational harmony is more important than integrating and domination confrontations, which are deemed inappropriate (Oetzel Ting-Toomey, 2000). The Vietnamese tradition strongly emphasizes trust, which can be only obtained through earning peoples respect and affection (Dana Dana, 1999), in other words established through relationships. The relationship emphasis is clearly illustrated in dealing with the government bureaucratic system in which a request can have a long turnaround time and to expedite, an international manager would have to have a strong local network which helps reduce the governments uncertainty about your intentions (Smith Pham, 1996). Relationship also value is vital for Vietnamese manufacturers and distributors as it can enhance product quality, information, and smoother delivery processes (Nguyen Nguyen, 2011). In addition, the ability to grasp language could somehow ease communications as language influences peoples view of the world (Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, as cited by Kay, P Kempton 1984). And because linguistically, Vietnam largely differs from Castrols native home, Britain, as such; Castrol had to overcome the language barriers in their business negotiations with Vietnamese who prefer to have an interpreter even though if the Vietnamese can converse in the foreign language that was used (Bouchart Swierczek, 1994). Halls (1976) polychornic and monochornic concept of time is another significant difference between Castrols home practice and traditionally Vietnamese who see time more seasonal rather than by the clock (Smith Pham, 1996). This perception of time may be changing in todays environment, but Vietnamese can take longer to weigh decisions (Smith Pham, 1996), and because they are collective and have high power distance, it is customary for them to get consent from their superiors beforehand. While, Vietnam was once colonized by the French and Americans, Vietnams socio-cultural orientation substantially varies from their colonizers. Clearly, cultural differences can pose the underlying cause conflict. After all, culture is the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes one human group (Asia) from another (US), (Hofstede, 1980, as cited by Beaman, 2008) and Castrol had to take these variations into account from the very beginning of market entry in to Vietnam. Ethical standard There is no clear definition of ethics, as the great divide between universalism and relativism explains. Universalists believe that ethical moral standards are universally the same throughout with no regards to culture and moving time; whereas relativists argue that perceptions of right and wrong differ from culture and individuals and tend to evolve with time (Bigambo, 2011). As such, in favor of the relativism approach, the ethical and moral perceptions are perceived differently, in regards of corruption. According to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) assessment, pre National Strategy for Preventing and Combating Corruption toward 2020 introduction, World Banks Worldwide Governance Indicators rank Vietnam CPI level at 22.9 in 2004 and post the policy, in 2010, the country ranked 33 (Martini, 2012). Castrol had entered Vietnam pre-government policy, as such the Company had to ensure they adhered to policies at all times, to perhaps like Intel who actively cooperated with the government to combat corruption and improper business conduct (Deresky, 2011) Because Castrol had entered the country before establishment of formalized policies, the Company was forced to successfully adopt and adapt to Vietnams standards at the time, while still trying to hold on to its own corporate culture. As such, beyond the reasons of initial foreign direct investment (FDI) required a local state owned company (Schaumburg-MÃ ¼ller, 2002) it was only rationale for Castrol to enter Vietnam with joint-venture with a local player, Saigon Petro in 1991. Political Environment As a result of the fall of the Soviet, Vietnam was forced to undergo an economic reform in the 1980s (Speece, Quang, Huong, 2003). In 1986, the Economic Reform Policy, Doi Moi, removed trading barriers including liberalization of the domestic market and encouraged foreign investments and foreign privatizations of firms (Nguyen Bryant, 2004), an open economy. Through Doi Moi, the country gradually progressed from a command- economy toward a market economy (Van Arkadie and Mallon, 2003), through tax incentives to foreign firms. However; this increased, competition within the nation; hence, Castrol had to up their game to succeed in the country. In many aspects, like China and Laos, the Vietnamese government is communist in only name sense, as they tend to be more inclined toward market-based economic reform practices. Vietnam; however, remain as totalitarian state that deny many basic civil liberties to the people (Hill, 2007). Meaning, the government remains communism, but in reality, the market is similar to capitalism. Only, key industries such as water, electricity communication, logistics (road system, ports, and aviation), are owned by the government. In general, the communist political ideology governs every aspect of the country by holding key industries while maintaining its market-based economy. The country also introduced a new state constitution in 1992 that introduced a more formalized legal system and increased economic freedom (Costello, Nash, Kavanagh, Smyth, Boyce, 2010).The government also offered more tax incentives to attract more foreign oil companies. Castrol benefited from these practices as they took advantage of the first-mover as they entered the Vietnam market in 1991, after seeing great success in Thailand and they also benefitted from local insight with their partnership with Saigon Petro. Competition Castrol entered Vietnam prior to the establishment of the Competition Law, in which there were no formalized practices to regulate domestic competition (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, 2005). In this sense, Castrol could be vulnerable to being dominated by stronger players and fair trade was unheard of. As the country moved toward a market-oriented economy, the Vietnam Law on Competition 2005 established fairground for all types of enterprises and offered legal protection for fair competition (Harvie, 2001), leaving types and pricing to be determined by the market. The law controlled any potential market monopolies and offered a leveled playing field for market access and fair competition as it encourages consumer choices (Le, 2003); hence; giving Castrols competitors such as Shell, Caltex and Vietlube a better chance to succeed. While Castrol has the first-moved advantage as an already a well-established brand, with Vietnams formalized policies and the country joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007, to sustain its success, Castrol would have seek ways to reposition itself and use its premium quality against the growing price sensitive and quality conscious Vietnamese consumer behavior. Vietnam: Castrol Succeeds It can be inferred that Castrols success is related to their strategic market entry in Vietnam along with their ability to systematically create marketing mix that customized an advertising and branding, distribution, pricing strategy to fit in the Vietnamese economic landscape. Market Entry Castrols rationale for entering Vietnam was clearly for the purpose of market seeking and strategic asset seeking to which they intended to capitalize on Vietnams Doi Moi policies rather than lose out to their competitors. One of the key advantages Castrol had above everyone else was its first mover advantage in Vietnam and how the company had taken advantage of Dunnings OLI framework (1980). The OLI framework provides great insight on factors that affect a companys ability to enter a foreign market. In Castrols case, the company benefitted largely from ownership and location advantage, through which the company leveraged on its firm specific advantage in lubricant oil knowledge and exploited Vietnams already established motorcycle market. To reduce transaction costs relating cost of negotiating, contract enforcement while gaining a strong foothold in the domestic market it is likely the reason Castrol chose to partner Saigon Petro, illustrated by in Burmahs profits in 1996, to which more than 20 percent of its profits came from India and Vietnam, even in an era where car ownership was growing (Stevenson, 1996). The Company internalized its distribution through establishing its own transportation channels to reach its distribution points (NA, 1998). While this is a costlier route, this help Castrol closely monitor and manage its distribution. Marketing Mix Globally, Castrol offers its consumers one homogenous product lubricant oil. However, the Company varies its product strategy to reach its market segment, motorists who want quality lubricants for long-lasting care of their motorcycles. Coming off their success in Thailand, Castrol wished to establish brand loyalty in Vietnams motorcycle segment in hopes, the loyalty will continue on upon upgrading to a car. The Company reinforced the fundamental need for a reliable mode of transport motorcycle, as Castrols Asia Director, Ian Pringle states the Company focused on turning near haves into have somes (NA, 2010). Being a premium lubricant, Castrols prices was significantly higher than most, and the Company adopted that same strategy in Vietnam, three times the cost of cheaper oil imports from Taiwan and Thailand, while aiming to maintain its strong brand image of superior quality, Dau nhot tot nhat. In terms of promotion, Castrol supported its premium pricing strategy by utilizing the push communications strategy in traditional media such as billboards, bumper stickers and roadside garages and motorcycle cleaning shops signs to establish initial consumer awareness. And as Castrols position in Vietnam strengthened, the company leveraged on its global marketing campaign, which featured David Beckham. On reason for this is perhaps the Vietnamese are the second biggest football fan-following in the Asian region (NA, 2010), and in 2008, Castrol also went on to sponsor the UEFAs European Championships in Vietnam in hopes to drive revenues through brand recognition and recall in Asia (NA, 2008). Vietnam was a strategic decision on Castrols part as not only did the country closely resemble its neighboring Thailand in terms of motorcyclist population, it was a less risky decision for Castrol, as similar successful strategies could easily and inexpensively be exported to Vietnam. In terms of distribution, given Vietnams political divide, Castrols distribution strategy focused on two distinct distributors- stated owned customers, primarily Communist in practices and private customers. While this was costly, this method gave Castrol more control in terms of managing their distributors in terms of corporate practices reduce the risk of illegal practices or other such brand tarnishing practices (NA, 1998), though in the long term Castrol should consider more viable inexpensive measures. Opportunities and Challenges SWOT Matrix As first movers, Castrols strength lays in their success in developing a solid brand strategy that effectively captured a large market share. Today, the Company offers lubricants for the purpose of motorcycles, cars, commercial vehicles, industrial and even professional car repairs. In looking at Vietnam as a fast growing economy, the country is taking major measures to liberalize trade, through which can be seen by the countrys admission to WTO and even trade agreements such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade Area (AFTA) and U.S.- Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). Clearly, Vietnam is on its way toward a more transparent, less corrupted in its practices, which will largely benefit foreign companies like Castrol in their dealings in the country. The setback would be these liberalization practices will eventually increase competition for Castrol as Vietnam becomes a more attractive FDI destination. In terms of weakness, Castrols pricing strategy could be seen as a weakness as Vietnams urban market becomes more price- sensitive toward consumer goods (Speece Nguyen, 2005). Furthermore, Vietnams lack of domestic infrastructure capacity as well as enforced regulations (Pham, 1998), forces Castrol to internalize its distribution strategy, which is less risky; however, the line cost may be transferred to the end customer. In 2000, BP had acquired Burmah Castrol, and this in turn gives Castrol the ability to leverage on its parent companys core competencies from oil and gas production to distribution and supply chain management. Furthermore, the establishment of two refineries provide local source for petro products as well as increase interaction between the northern and southern Vietnam. Despite being a first-mover, Castrol may have already established its competitive edge; however, with the introduction of more structured open-market policies and trade agreements, Castrol will be faced with competition such as Shell and ExxonMobil. While, the country rapidly increased with an average 5.9% GDP growth in 2011, the inflation rate based on consumer prices was extremely high at 18.7% versus Chinas 9.2% GDP growth and 5.5% inflation rate (CIA, 2012). And in recent times, Vietnam has incurred international debt as high as USD12billion which could result in the collapse of the countrys banking system (Nyuen, 2012), and create a ripple effect for Castrol who already operate in the country and region. Recommendations As a dominant player, Castrol has an ample of opportunities to exploit and continue being a leader in Vietnam. Castrol could seek growth through expanding its current offerings in the automobile industry and relying on the existing Vietnam market. Castrol can seek to broaden its product base beyond offering light and heavy automotive lubricants and so forth by offering automobile batteries. While diversification could pose a threat to economies of scales and even increase marketing costs of the new product, by introducing a complimentary and complementary product, Castrol would not face such an issue. Castrol could also extend their strategic global partnership with leading automobile manufacturers such as Honda in Vietnam as they had in the United Kingdom (Castrol, UK and Ireland, 2012). By doing so, the automobile manufacturer can benefit from the tangible value of the ingredient brand which in this case is Castrol to enhance the customer experience. Similarly, Castrol can build a more efficient distribution network by collaborating with partners to share distribution channels and establish value chains as they had intended to with local tire manufacturer, Casumina and local battery manufacturer Pinaco (Phi, 2011). However, a much rationale route would be to leverage off parent company BPs resources including financial, logistics and research and development (RD). Castrol could also choose to adopt its loyalty program from Malaysia as regional strategy in Vietnam, by rewarding returning customers (Castrol, Malaysia 2012). With the establishment of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MONRE) in 2002, the country has intensified its environmental practices. In 2007, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) worked with MONRE to train southern, central and northern Vietnam environmental inspectors (EPA, 2012). In being a responsible corporate citizen, Castrol should adhere not only to Law on Environmental Protection; the Company should also consider measures to create a sustainable environment. For example, Castrol could offer consumers incentives to return their bottled packaging to distributors rather than self-disposing or offer refill-packaging options at a cheaper rate than purchasing the entire bottled package. Conclusion Even though globalization does reduce barriers, its not always as simple as Friedmans (2005) flat world as illustrated by Castrol in Vietnam. While, globalization may standardize selected practices such as consumer product needs; however, in going deeper, motivators tend to differ. In Castrols case, the variation of Vietnams norms both formal and informal from its home country resulted in the Company customizing practices to fit the national culture, and proactively streamlining processes and operations to sustainably grow within its host country.

Essay --

Speeding is the third leading cause of all traffic accidents and 39% of all men who are involved in a fatal car accident were speeding at the time of the accident. 27% of all construction zone fatalities are caused from speeding. Sadly, roughly 13,000 people die each year because of speeding. . People speed because they are in a rush, they aren’t paying attention, they are careless, they don’t think it’s dangerous and/or they don’ t think they will get caught by law enforcement. Speeding is very dangerous and affects your reaction time, causes your vehicle to take longer to stop and the faster you are going when you hit something, the more damage there will be. Most people think speeding is only done on freeways or highways If you receive a traffic ticket you can do one of three things, you can pay the ticket, this means you are admitting guilt and you will receive points on driving record. You can plead guilty and request to go to traffic school so the points will not go on your record, but you will still have to the pay the fine or you can plead not guilty and request to have a t...

Good vs. Evil in Psycho Essay

â€Å"Psycho† is a classic suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock which features a central female protagonist, a seemingly ordinary young woman named Marion Crane, who crosses paths with a dangerous mentally ill motel owner, Norman Bates. As their strange relationship develops, a dominant theme of good versus evil is introduced to the audience through the use of characterisation, editing, mise-en-scene and various other media techniques. From the outset, Hitchcock introduces an initial theme of good versus evil during the opening credits. The title scene could be seen as a reflection of the personality of Norman Bates as the credits themselves are presented as fragmented titles which come together as one on the screen but then shake and split up again, which hints towards the disjointed personality of Bates. The fact that the titles are dotted around the screen suggests that his character is severely unbalanced and not in a stable condition, foreshadowing the idea that his mind is in different places at different times and it is hard to tell when his mind-set will alter. The contrasting colours used in this scene are also important to the later character development as the black, white and grey each reflect the constantly conflicting part of Bates’ temperament. The darker areas on the screen reflect the deepest inner shadow of his mind, while the lighter areas show that he can also be a good person. They show the persistent inner conflict and the constant battle between good and evil. The grey, however, represents the uncertain parts of his split personality but could also be interpreted to refer to the indecision and doubt seen in the character of Marion as the film develops. This primary theme is developed as we are familiarised with the character of Marion Crane, the dominant leading role. We first see her meeting up with her boyfriend, Sam, in a hotel room during her lunch hour. The camera enters the room by zooming through the window and Hitchcock wants us to feel as if we are intruding on a private moment between the characters inside. This sense of voyeurism is clearly accentuated by the very first shot of the couple which is very personal and intimate – making the viewer feel rather awkward. This scene acts as a vital link to the film as a whole and is fundamental for the expansion of the theme of good and evil as it gives Marion a clear reason to steal the money in the scene that follows. Marion is presented as a good character at this point as her good intentions are outlined: we see that she just wants to marry Sam and for them to be able to be together respectably. When Sam states that he would not be able to provide for her, Marion is given an obvious ulterior motive and a chance to make the transition from good to evil, therefore setting up the entire film. We also notice that, the first time we see Marion, she is wearing white underwear: hinting to her kind and innocent personality but, when we see her after she has made the decision to steal the money, she is wearing black underwear. This visual symbolism presents a contrast between the two different stages of characterisation and depicts the character change of Marion as she goes from good to evil. Similar to the original view of Marion, when we first meet Norman Bates he seems like a very ordinary person, but as the scenes progress we begin to notice slight abnormalities in his behaviour. When Marion arrives at the Bates Motel, the heavy rain which forces her to stop is foreshadowing her impending doom while acting as effective pathetic fallacy as she is feeling isolated and guilty at this point. The fact that Norman hesitates before giving her the key to cabin one hints at his irregularity, along with the fact that he opens the window as soon as he enters the room – as if he is setting up his own escape route – and he never mentions the bathroom, foretelling the event which will take place there. Also, when Marion is checking into the motel, what should have been a clear view of Bates is blurred in the mirror: showing that he is changeable and that his personality is hazy. In a similar shot, only half of his face is shown and this clearly symbolises the fact that only one half of him can ever be fully good at any one time – the other half will always remain evil. However, sympathy is also evoked for Norman in this scene as we see that his mother takes an instant dislike to Marion – something which you would not normally see between two strangers. We see how close – and slightly strange – the relationship between Norman and his mother and the unnatural dependence they have on each other, showing that Norman is trapped in his current situation and making him seem like a good person. A similar effect is used throughout the scene in Norman’s parlour by with the use of light and dark as the lighting picks out significant features such as only one side of Norman’s face and the underside of the owl’s wings. The owl with its wings spread signifies his mother controlling his mind and shows that she is ever present, although we never see her, even when he is behaving normally she will always be inside his mind, therefore making the viewer feel sympathetic towards him as he has no control over his actions. Conversely, framing him next to an owl may suggest that Norman is a predator and the owl is his equal. Like the owl, many other birds are featured in the parlour scene, linking back to the recurring theme. Framing Marion next to them when she first enters the room makes her seem vulnerable and presents her as equal to the birds which Norman has stuffed. The shower scene is important to the character development of Marion as we see her clear transition from the evil character she turned into after stealing the money back to the good character we saw in the beginning. She has changed her mind about stealing the money and has made the decision to go home. We are able to pinpoint the exact moment of relief as she flushes the toilet: it is as if she is flushing away her problems and guilt. This effect is also used when the water goes down the plughole in the shower: representing the washing away of her sins. However, I feel that this image could also be taken to represent evil as Marion’s life is being washed away and she is going to down to Hell for the sins she has committed. A contrast between Norman and his Mother is clearly displayed in this scene although we also see that Norman can be evil while being totally himself as we see him spying on Marion before she is murdered. After the murder, Norman is linked to the crime in many ways. The camera work and editing assists this by panning directly to a view of Norman’s house, telling the story without the need for dialogue. Almost immediately following this we see Norman running from the house and consequently directly linking himself to the murder. We see him automatically assume that his mother has killed Marion without questioning her, making the viewer even more suspicious of him. Both good and evil sides of Norman are presented to the audience at this point as, although he seems flustered and hurried when he first discovers what his mother has done, he is able to relax into a state of unemotional professionalism which allows the viewer to realise that this has happened before. By pretending so strongly that it was in fact his mother who killed Marion, I think it is obvious he is trying to convince himself that he has done nothing wrong and, ultimately, that he is not mentally ill. The mise-en-scene when he sinks Marion’s car is representative of this. We see him framed next to a tree with a split trunk, suggestive to his split personality. The contrast between the two sides of Norman’s personality is extended in the scene which features Marion’s sister, Lila, as she searches the house for evidence relating to the murder. When she enters mother’s room, it looks very inhabited: the bed seems as if someone has just gotten up and the wardrobe is full of neatly stored clothes. Despite the clutter, everything is organised and tidy. I believe this highlights the extent of Bates’ mental illness as we see how much effort he has gone to keep up the illusion. The subjective close-up shot of the hands when Lila scans the dressing table suggests that Norman is still in the clutches of his mother and the darker side of his personality hence reminding us that he is not in control of his situation. Norman’s room provides a total contrast when compared with his mother’s. It is a lot smaller and appears to have remained the same since he was a child and contains an eclectic mix of the possessions of a childish boy and those of a twisted man. This conveys the idea that perhaps he is refusing to grow up or his mind has never developed past this stage. This idea combined with the toys explains his dependence on his mother and why he is so unwilling to leave her. The stuffed owl which sits at his door brings back the recurring motif of birds while also representing the ever present Mrs Bates. She is always watching him and he allows her to control him completely and make his decisions – just as if he were a child. The battle between good and evil continues as Lila makes her way down to the cellar and mother is finally revealed. As the scene ends the climax is completed with a close-up shot of â€Å"mother† which allows us to clearly see the light and dark reflecting in her eye sockets – representing the fact that it is possible for Norman to be both a fully good and fully evil character. Although we are now aware that mother is dead in reality, she continues to live on inside Norman. The last time we see the character of Norman Bates, he has been arrested and we are able to see that the dominant evil personality of â€Å"mother† has won and taken over. To display this, we hear Norman thinking in his mother’s voice and understand that he believes that he is her – unnervingly outlining the severity of his mental illness. The medium shot of Norman sitting in the chair is effective as it shows his body language while he behaves like an old woman; the image is creepy and, in my opinion, really gets under your skin. At this stage I think that it is important we hear mother before we see Norman as it allows the audience to realise that he is not really Norman any more, showing that he is still and not fighting with his inner self as it appears the battle for good over evil has finally been lost. As the camera zooms in on Norman, we see his blank stare change to a sinister grin and a super imposed shot of mother’s skull on his face which shows that the good side of him is trapped inside for what looks like forever. For me, the film did have a satisfying ending as we see the detective bring the case to a close so there are no more remaining questions, but the creepy smile we see at the end makes me think otherwise; leaving us at a cliff hanger of sorts. In conclusion, I believe that, with the use of media features such as characterisation and editing, Hitchcock is able to present a highly engaging struggle between good and evil. Although I did feel sympathy for the character of Norman, I believe that he did have the option to control his actions and get help to fight back against his evil personality but, as he relied on his mother too much, he did not want to push her away. However, while Marion’s decision to steal the money was irresponsible and out of character, I still feel that she did it with good intentions. Overall, I felt that the fact that evil came out on top rather than the more typical outcome made it particularly realistic as, in a real life situation, good would not always prevail.

Whitney Houston

The Greatest of All Times General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about Whitney Houston. Introduction Attention Getter: I have often been told I have a beautiful voice; most people compare me to Whitney Houston†¦. maybe even better. Credibility: Whitney Houston has always been of my favorite artists. Topic Reveal: Today I am going to tell you a little about the life of Whitney Houston. Preview Statement: After discussing my three main points, you will understand why she is one of my favorite artists.My three main points are her early years and being discovered, her fame, and the end of her career. Body I. Whitney Houston had the mentality of becoming a singer since birth. A. Whitney was born August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey. 1. Everyone she was brought up around had some kind of musical talent. 2. Her mother was the choir minister, which is where Whitney started. 3. Her cousin Dionne Warwick and her godmother Aretha Franklin were both in the music industry also. B. Whitney was working on her own record deal at the age of 15. 1.While working on her record deal she was also being discovered by a photographer. 2. She later became a teenage model. 3. Becoming the first African American women to appear on the cover of Seventeen Magazine. C. By the time she reached age 19, Whitney was discovered by Clive Davis. 1. He took her from the gospel stage to the pop life. 2. In 1983, Whitney was appearing on TV shows and performing. (Transition: Now that we know a little about Whitney’s early years and how she was discovered, let us talk about her fame. ) II. It was then all about the money and fame. A.It did not take much before Whitney became a big sensation. 1. In 1985, she released her debut album Whitney Houston. 2. A year later the fame and the Grammy’s started rolling in. 3. She released her second album Whitney that went platinum and won Grammy’s. B. Everything that glitters isn’t gold. 1. Whitney then t hought she was on top of the world. 2. She then married Bobby Brown of New Edition. 3. She struggled with drugs and health problems. Her career hit a big downfall. (Transition: Finally Yet Importantly we are going to talk about the end of Whitney’s career.III. There is always room for improvement. A. Whitney felt the need for a comeback. 1. She worked on the remake of the musical film Sparkle. 2. She had been said to join The X Factor as a judge. B. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it to see those days. 1. Whitney died on February 11, 2012 in Los Angeles. 2. That was a sad day in the music industry. Conclusion Today we have looked at the good and bad in Whitney Houston’s life. From the money and fame to the heartaches and pain. We now know the life of the legendary Whitney Houston.