Financial Analysis of Capital Structure Term Paper

Financial Analysis of Capital Structure - Term Paper Example The decision regarding finding the optimum mix of equity and debt capital depends on capital spending, expected returns, optimum levels of debt, liquidity, cash levels, interest rates and risks, and dividend policy (Mallicoat, 2011). The following is a snapshot of the possible Capital Structures that Competition Bikes Inc. could acquire while expanding to Canada. The following were the alternatives available while choosing the right Capital Structure mix: 1. Capital Structure consisting only of bonds 2. A capital structure consisting of only stocks, with 50% preferred and 50% Common Stock 3. With 20% bonds and 80% common stock 4. Capital Structure consisting of bonds of 40% and Common Stock 60% EPS (Earning Per Share) is the portion of company’s profit that is allocated to each share of the common stock. It is the most important measure or figure for any shareholder. However, we would analyze the capital structure not only according to the EPS but also analyze the risk inheren t in the capital structure. The first alternative of the capital structure comprising only of bonds would allow the company to borrow capital at an interest rate that is lower than the interest rate for other types of borrowing. Bonds are written promises to pay back specific amount at a certain date and some interest payments at specific rates. They are pretty similar to the conventional loans with a few perks. Debt financing is favorable than equity financing as interest expense is tax deductible. However, one problem with this form of capital structure is that it is more risky as corporations are required to make interest payment even when they are not making profits making them vulnerable to bankruptcy and solvency (Brown, 2006). The EPS of this capital structure is also lowest at -0.042 under the current scenario. Hence, having the capital structure completely rely on bonds is a very risky option, specifically for Competition Bikes Inc. when they are expanding and exploring new opportunities. The second alternative is of 50% preferred stock and 50% common stock. Preferred stock offer dividend incentive to the shareholder as they are second in line to be paid after the bond holders when a company is facing a loss making them more risky than the common stock. Common stocks are favorable for companies with good financial health. However, the risk of losing ownership is inherent in common stocks as stock holders have the right to elect the board of directors. Moreover, equity financing is more expensive than debt financing and it is not feasible for a capital structure to be totally based on it (Other ways of raising capital – stocks and bonds, 2011). Therefore, the Capital Structure must include both debt and equity financing. All the third, fourth and fifth alternatives are mix of equity and debt financing. We need to find the right kind of mix between equity and debt. As debt is more risky and equity is more expensive and the objective of the compan y’s capital structure is to maximize shareholder return, we can decide on the basis of Earning per Share (EPS). EPS is the earning of each outstanding share. An important aspect of EPS is the capital required to generate the income used in the calculation of EPS. As all our Capital Structure alternatives use the same amount of capital, we can decide on the basic of the highest value of EPS while keeping the risk factor under check. Since Competition Bikes Inc. is expanding in Canada, they need time before they can start making large

Multinational Financial Management Speech or Presentation

Multinational Financial Management - Speech or Presentation Example The mezzanine loan will be enacted in order to achieve our expansion goals, in the amounts and for the reasons prescribed below. The asset-backed commercial paper will also be utilized in this plotted expansion effort, as prescribed below as well. With that, we need to discuss our corporate instruments of financial expansion and the elements that those financial instruments will incorporate.  Within the approaches chosen for fiscal expansion, we need to develop a one, three and five-year financial approach, with a ten-year revamping contingency, if still in operation strongly, toward our goal in expanding in order to become a multi-billion dollar, multinational organization. Right now, we are going to focus on the three to a five-year tier of our planned goals.  As the appointed treasurer of World Access Healthcare, Inc., the timing of this report and expansion is critical. Thus, let's begin to outline, chart and discuss potential financial avenues, in detail, as well as the outl ine or highlight their benefits in regard to expansion.  First, let's get familiar with the terminology at hand. An asset-backed commercial paper has a similar premise as a promissory note-a note in which a person (or business entity) gets promised payment by a company or corporate body in lieu of actual cash or currency payment during a rocky receivable period or a cash-poor time. However, an asset-backed commercial paper is strengthened more than that of a promissory note because it actually contains some actual capital or segues to that capital in some manner, such as through a receivables guarantee, or a cash asset assessment. In a receivables-backed, asset-backed commercial paper, your business basically states that it has in its the function, a proven receivable track record of meeting the note of asset-backed commercial paper, through receivables. This does two things. One, it allows the commercial note or paper to be stronger than just a financial paper contract. Also, it allows two key components of a contract to form which are an offer, backed by a consideration (a form of money). Two, it allows a company or financial institution to have more than a companies corporate reputation and past record of its receivables as a base in which they operate, further securing the asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP). Basically, this note, as described in detail and (Fritz, et al, Sept. 29, 2005, Reprinted from Ratings Direct) is credit extended with an asset back up feature in the form of a note. As aptly stated (Fritz, et al 2005), "ABCP conduits are typically established and administered by major commercial banks to provide flexible and competitive low-cost financing to their customers. " Utilizing the features of an asset-backed commercial paper, the venue that is needed for this transaction is a single seller conduit, which is,  "A single-seller ABCP conduit is a limited-purpose, bankruptcy-remote entity that issues CP as a way to finance the assets of a single originator. Such conduits are most suitable for asset originators with large pools."

Applied Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applied - Essay Example The African American gay community is not local and cannot be claimed by a single state. It is a countrywide community whose boundaries extend to the national boundaries. There are a number of members who live abroad though and are actively involved in the community’s activities from there. The community membership is big and growing. The main role is communalism and the strength in numbers as well as identification. The community is a combination of two communities that face multiple challenges every day. The life of gay African Americans is hard and full of challenges. The challenges can be viewed in two dimensions; race and sexual orientation. The African American race naturally has many challenges to contend with. They do not cease with being gay, if anything they just multiply. Studies have placed lack of opportunity and safety at number one as the leading challenge for African Americans. Due to different contributing factors like lack of education, African Americans have failed to secure jobs to support themselves and their families. Starting businesses for the majority has been a hurdle due to the lack of capital. They have been victimized and segregated in terms of equal opportunities. They also lack security since the notion for a long time has been that they are the source of their own insecurity. As such, states have failed to secure African American neighborhoods. This has affected t he community and led to more insecurity. The lack of employment and opportunity has led many to crime. As if it is not hard enough to be an African American only, more challenges meet the African American gay community. On the second frontier of sexual affiliation, the African American gay community is undermined, stigmatized and victimized. The main problem however is stigma. The gay community can hardly get a voice in the African American community due to the race’s deep rooted culture and intolerance to such tendencies. The best theory therefore is the

Health and Social Care Essay Example for Free

Health and Social Care Essay We acknowledge with sincere thanks the many people who gave generously of their time to help us with this work. We particularly appreciate the expertise and advice o? ered by Arnon Bentovim, Richard Velleman, Lorna Templeton, Carolyn Davies and Sheena Prentice. The work has been funded by the Department for Education and we thank sta? in the department, particularly Jenny Gray who supported us throughout the work with her interest and valuable comments. The work was assisted by an advisory group whose membership was: Isabella Craig and Jenny Gray (Department for Education); Christine Humphrey (Department of Health) and Sian Rees (NICE); Arnon Bentovim (consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the Tavistock Clinic); Marian Brandon (reader in social work, University of East Anglia); Carolyn Davies (research advisor, Institute of Education, University of London); Jo Fox (social work consultant, Child-Centred Practice); David Jones (consultant child and family psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry; University of Oxford); Sue McGaw (specialist in learning disabilities, Cornwall Partnership Trust); Sheena Prentice (specialist midwife in substance misuse, Nottingham City PCT); Wendy Rose (The Open University); Lorna Templeton (manager of the Alcohol, Drugs and the Family Research Programme, University of Bath); and Richard Velleman (University of Bath and director of development and research, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust). Introduction This second edition of Children’s Needs – Parenting Capacity provides an update on the impact of parental problems, such as substance misuse, domestic violence, learning disability and mental illness, on children’s welfare. Research, and in particular the biennial overview reports of serious case reviews (Brandon et al 2008; 2009; 2010), have continued to emphasise the importance of understanding and acting on concerns about children’s safety and welfare when living in households where these types of parental problems are present. Almost three quarters of the children in both this and the 2003-05 study had been living with past or current domestic violence and or parental mental ill health and or substance misuse – often in combination. (Brandon et al 2010, p. 112) These concerns were very similar to those that prompted the ? rst edition of this book, which was commissioned following the emergence of these themes from the Department of Health’s programme of child protection research studies (Department of Health 1995a). These studies had demonstrated that a high level of parental mental illness, problem alcohol and drug abuse and domestic violence were present in families of children who become involved in the child protection system. Research context The 2010 Government statistics for England demonstrate that, as in the 1990s, only a very small proportion of children referred to children’s social care become the subject of a child protection plan (Department for Education 2010b). However, the types of parental problems outlined above are not con? ned to families where a child is the subject of a child protection plan (Brandon et al. 2008, 2009, 2010; Rose and Barnes 2008). In many families children’s health and development are being a? ected by the di? culties their parents are experiencing. The ? ndings from research, however, suggest that services are not always forthcoming. Practically a quarter of referrals to children’s social care resulted in no action being taken (Cleaver and Walker with Meadows 2004). Lord Laming’s progress report (2009) also expressed concerns that referrals to children’s services from other professionals did not always lead to an initial assessment and that ‘much more needs to be done to ensure that the services are as e? ective as possible at working together to achieve positive outcomes for children’ (Lord Laming 2009, p. 9, paragraph 1. 1). Practitioners’ fear of failing to identify a child in need of protection is also a factor driving up the numbers of referrals to children’s social care services which result in no provision of help. ‘This is creating a skewed system that is paying so much attention to identifying cases of abuse 2 Children’s Needs – Parenting Capacity and neglect that it is draining time and resource away from families’ (Munro 2010, p. 6). Munro’s Interim Report (2011) draws attention once again to the highly traumatic experience for children and families who are drawn into the Child Protection system where maltreatment is not found, which leaves them with a fear of asking for help in the future. A ? nding which was identi? ed by earlier research on child protection (Cleaver and Freeman 1995). Evidence from the 1995 child protection research (Department of Health 1995a) indicated that when parents have problems of their own, these may adversely a? ect their capacity to respond to the needs of their children. For example, Cleaver and Freeman (1995) found in their study of suspected child abuse that in more than half of the cases, families were experiencing a number of problems including mental illness or learning disability, problem drinking and drug use, or domestic violence. A similar picture of the di? culties facing families who have been referred to children’s social care services emerges from more recent research (Cleaver and Walker with Meadows 2004). It is estimated that there are 120,000 families experiencing multiple problems, including poor mental health, alcohol and drug misuse, and domestic violence. ‘Over a third of these families have children subject to child protection procedures’ (Munro 2011, p. 30, paragraph 2. 30). Children’s services have the task of identifying children who may need additional services in order to improve their well-being as relating to their: (a) physical and mental health and emotional well-being; (b) protection from harm and neglect; (c) education, training and recreation; (d) the contribution made by them to society; and (e) social and economic well-being. (Section 10(2) of the Children Act 2004) The Common Assessment Framework (Children’s Workforce Development Council 2010) and the Assessment Framework (Department of Health et al. 2000) enable frontline professionals working with children to gain an holistic picture of the child’s world and identify more easily the di? culties children and families may be experiencing. Although research suggests that social workers (Cleaver et al. 2007) and health professionals are equipped to recognise and respond to indications that a child is being, or is likely to be, abused or neglected, there is less evidence in relation to teachers and the police (Daniel et al. 2009). The identi? cation of children’s needs may have improved, but understanding how parental mental illness, learning disabilities, substance misuse and domestic violence a? ect children and families still requires more attention. For example, a small in-depth study found less than half (46%) of the managers in children’s social care, health and the police rated as ‘good’ their understanding of the impact on children of parental substance misuse, although this rose to 61% in relation to the impact of domestic violence (Cleaver et al. 2007). The need for more training on assessing the likelihood of harm to children of parental drug and alcohol misuse Introduction 3 was also highlighted by a survey of 248 newly quali? ed social workers (Galvani and Forrester 2009). A call for more high-quality training on child protection across social care, health and police was also made by Lord Laming (2009). Munro’s review of child protection in exploring ‘why previous well-intentioned reforms have not resulted in the expected level of improvements’ (p. 3) highlighted the ‘unintended consequences of restrictive rules and guidance’, which have left social workers feeling that ‘their professional judgement is not seen as a signi? cant aspect of the social work task; it is no longer an activity which is valued, developed or rewarded’ (Munro 2010, p. 30, paragraph 2. 16). The experience of professionals providing specialist services for adults can support assessments of children in need living with parental mental illness, learning disability, substance misuse or domestic violence. Research, however, shows that in such cases collaboration between adults’ and children’s services at the assessment stage rarely happens (Cleaver et al. 2007; Cleaver and Nicholson 2007) and a lack of relevant information may negatively a? ect the quality of decision making (Bell 2001). An agreed consensus of one another’s roles and responsibilities is essential for agencies to work collaboratively. The evidence provided to the Munro review (2011) found ‘mixed experiences and absence of consensus about how well professionals are understanding one another’s roles and working together’ and argues for ‘thoughtfully designed local agreements between professionals about how best to communicate with each other about their work with a family ’ (Munro 2011, p. 28, paragraph 2. 23). Although research shows that the development of joint protocols and informationsharing procedures support collaborative working between children’s and adults’ services (Cleaver et al. 2007), a survey of 50 English local authorities found only 12% had clear family-focused policies or joint protocols (Community Care 2009).

Books to Support Learning Development

Books to Support Learning Development Book title: Horried Henrys Birthday Party This assignment will be explaining how the resource (a book) will support the learning and development of children. This will also talk and explain some theories and see how those theories support and help the learning and development of children in the society. The book selected for review is a story book entitled Horrid Henry birthday party. This book was written by Franscesca Simon in 2009 and illustrated by Tony Ross. The book was previously published as a single story in HORRID HENRY AND THE SECRET CLUB, and is also available as an audio book. Learning is very important for children because it builds up their store of backgrounds knowledge of things that they didn’t know before, it builds up their confident, self-esteem, and moreover it helps them to do well in school or at home. The resource was created in order to help children with their learning and development, because all children learn throughout different techniques and strategies. The author believes that the majority of children, who reads books often get better understanding about stuffs that they didn’t know before, because reading is one of the most important exercises for our brains. Reading books is it better than doing other stuffs such as watching TV and etc. the more books children read, they better they get in their concentration and also reading regularly as they are growing up, will help them in order to develop or gain more abilities in doing things for a longer periods of time. The plot of the story runs as follows: After Henry’s misbehaviour at his previews birthday party, his parents decided that he would never have another birthday party, nevertheless his birthday was nearly there again, and they have decided to give him one more chance. The plan is to have the party away from home at Lazer Zap but the place was expensive but at least it means no mess would be done to house. Everything is going fine until Henry’s dad called the book the place for the birthday party; unfortunately he finds that Henry has been banned from Lazer Zap for life so he ends up having a party at home after all. It was not surprising when everything started to get wrong at the party, the wrong presents, the wrong party games, the wrong prizes and even the wrong food. Nevertheless with Henry around thing would not be great and disappointing for long. He sneaks off to get his water gun, and his parents and guests get a pretty wet surprise. Children particularly those aged between four to six years old are often enthusiastic, noisy and emotional. This dynamism is reasonably normal; sometimes they are active and they can be a quite handful: talking almost all the time, not doing as they are told and seems tireless. This kind of behaviour is more usually among boys. Although this can be very hard situation for parents to deal with as it could be seen in the story of Horrid Henry’s birthday where the boy is anxiously awaiting his birthday party and diligently planning what kind of presents should be and who to invite. On the other hand, his parents are also planning where the party should take place but also fear the consequences of Henry’s expecting misbehaviour. Early childhood is not only a period of amazing physical growth; it also a time of remarkable mental development. Cognitive association with memory reasoning problem solving and thinking continue to emerge throughout childhood (Jean Piaget). A child learning development depends on many characteristics such as family, environment, emotional and situations. Usually the first people with whom the child interacts are parents. According to the research, parenting is directly related to theory of mind and emotion understanding. In particular, research related to theory of mind has examined the importance of such variables as attachment, parenting style, and discipline. Bowlby (1982) suggested that secure attachments enable children to learn about their caretaker’s perspective, which then allows a child to recognize differences between his/her own and his/her caretaker’s perspectives. In early childhoods, relationships are formed with brothers and or sisters and other children beyond the immediate family. Parental and the environmental influence have a very high probabilities to influence a child behaviour. The environment is not entity that inevitably imposes upon individuals. When movement is constrains, some as pects of the physical and environment may influence on individuals whether they like it or not. Nevertheless most aspects of the environment do not operate as influence until they are activated by appropriate behaviour. Observing to previews research, children development also depends on parent-child relationship. It is one of the most of important aspects which should be taken into account for individual differences in early social-cognitive performance. Horrid Henry’s birthday story gives a very good opportunity to discuss good and bad behaviour for both child and parents and also relationship. The relationship between parents and young children is one of the most powerful factor in a child growth and development. During the early years parents are the centre of a young child’s universe. The type of attachment relationship that a child forms with his parents actually helps shape connections related to language, thinking, behaviours and emotions. Horrid Henry birthday story proves that parents had a role as well on their child behaviour because of parent’s attitude about their son’s birthday was not reliable. They started to complain about the place and the how it would cost when the child told them about the coming birthday therefore it was not surprise when everything started to go wrong at the party. According to family systems theory (Minuchin Fishman, 1981), broader factors that influence the parent also can affect the dynamics between parents and children. For instance parental stress could become a major force contributing to adaptive, and maladaptive, child development. Parenting stress is one of many factors aspects that can influence a child behaviour and development such for parent suffering high levels of stress, mainly from economic difficulties, normally are less responsive and affectionate with their children. This proves that parenting stress could negatively affects a child’s social cognitive development (Cole and Mitchell, 1998). As development continues, so the child’s network of relationships increases, with teachers, classmates, neighbours and so becoming an important part of social development. Parent’s behaviour is the first thing that could affect a child behaviour and decision making. It is important to note that a child memory is like a recording device which can only reproduce exactly what they have recorded learned from people around them. According to Horrid Henry’s birthday story, it encourages children to think about friendship and it also teaches them how important is being social with other children. Friendships in childhood start as real relationships based on enjoyable experiences. As they grow up, friendships involve into a more abstract concept, one based upon mutual reflection and psychological satisfaction. That is one of the reason in Horrid Henry story the first thing he has done was to judge his friends and decide who should be invited to the party and who should n ot be invited. Unfortunately he finds that all friends name were crossed which means that no guest and no presents. This proves that the role friendships play throughout lie is important. Friendships for children provide numerous important functions including companionship, stimulation, and physical and affection. Each of this functions has a different degree of importance at different times of development. Several theorists view the development of friendships similarly to other areas of human development, as going through predictable progressive stages. In first stage, friendship for children four to six years old is based on based on physical or geographical considerations and is rather self-cantered. A friend is playmate who lives nearby and has toys. At this stage there little or no understanding personality traits. The second stage concerns children of age seven to nine years old or younger, at this stage children begin to understand reciprocity and develop an awareness of the other child’s feelings. There no doubt that having a friend is extremely important for children. Many researches have proved this saying that more than half the children referred for emotional or behavioural problems have no friends or experience difficulty in peer interactions. Friendships contribute significantly to the development of social skills, such as being sensitive to other peoples point of view, learning the rules of conversation, and learning sex and age appropriate behaviours. They also help to define both self and self-worth. Friends also have a powerful influence on a childs positive and negative school performance and may also help to encourage, or discourage, deviant behaviours, such as delinquency or drug use. Compared to children who lack friends, children with good friends have higher self-esteem. They are less likely to be lonely and act more pro socially. They are able to cope with life stresses and normal transitions and are also less victimized by peers. Interestingly, children with friends of both sexes, as a group, are well-adjusted and have greater social skills than children who have only same sex friendships. As parents, it is important to keep in mind that is although friendships follow a somewhat predictable developmental sequence, as in other areas of physical, cognitive, or social-emotional development, not all children progress at the same rate and delays are not necessarily a need for concern. Additionally, parents who interpret their childrens desire for solitary play as loneliness and attempt to push friends on them may be making an incorrect assumption. As important as friendships are, like their adult counterparts, children may greatly enjoy and choose solitary activities. Its important to distinguish between being lonely and the desire to be alone, even in childhood. Like adults, children need alone space to grow and develop and, in their own way, reflect on the days activities. If we could take a close look on Horrid Henry birthday story, you could understand the financial situation of the family. It seems that family income has an effective effect on child development. Even casual observers note that the children of affluent parents are more likely to succeed in life than the children of poor parents. For instance, compared to more affluent children, poor children:score low on tests of cognitive skill in early childhood, have more behaviour problems in school and at home; are more likely to drop out of high school, and those who do finish high school are less likely to enrol in or graduate course, are more likely to have children at young age; are more likely to be poor themselves when they adults. The most intuitive explanation for this difference is that rich parents can spend more than poor parents on their children and that these â€Å"investments† lead to better outcomes for their children. This intuition fit the interests of policy makers look ing for simple solutions to alleviate poverty and its apparent by-products: If poor children fail because their parents cannot make sufficient monetary investments in their future, then government can improve the life chances of poor children by providing families with the means to make the investments or by providing the investments directly in the form of schooling, health care, and other human capital in- puts (Mayer 2010) However, poor parent’s inability to invest in their children is not the only possible explanation for the relationship between family poverty and child well-being. Other parental characteristics associated with their poverty have been implicated, especially parental education and marital status. Environment characteristics and parental behaviour or culture have also been implicated. These explanations argue for policies other than income support to improve children’s well-being as adults. According to (Buss and Plomin 1984), sociability refers to one of the three dimensions of temperament (the others being emotionally and activity) which are taken to present at birth and inherited. Since the environment where human live is not a fixed entity that inevitably imposes upon individuals. When movement is constrained, some aspects of the physical and social environment may influence on individuals whether they like it or not. Nevertheless most aspects of environment do not operate as an influence until they are activated by appropriate behaviour. For instance lecturers do not influence students unless they attend. In social cognitive theory, people are neither driven by inner forces nor automatically shaped and controlled by environment. As we have already seen, they function as contributors to their own motivation, behaviour, and development within a network of reciprocally interacting influences. Person are characterised within this theoretical perspective in terms of the number of basic capabilities. This book is interesting on another aspect, mainly the aspects of illustrations. As a matter of fact, children also learn through pictures. Pictures can help children to understand the story even though before reading it, and this also helps children who experience reading difficulty. They can analyse the story, participate in what is going on in the classroom. Those pictures help and stimulates children’s imagination. As one researcher said, picture books helps in the development of the concept of cause and effect. These books raise children’s interest in the lesson. This is why Segun (1988) believed that â€Å"illustrations are literature in their own right and, whether used by themselves or integrated with written texts, they sharpen the perception of children, stimulate their imagination and increase their sense of observation. The overall development of children can be aided by good illustrations.† Actually through illustrations, children can have a sense of personal identity and an awareness of their cultural heritage. Jelongo (2004) also views things in the same way when s/he says that teachers who take time to engage in reading picture books promote literacy among their pupils who then become literate adults with the ability to decode words and enjoy reading. The book can also contribute to the organisation of role play or class parties for children. It is so interesting that other authors have come with Horrid Henry complete birthday party kit for kids References Aunola, Kaisa and Stattin, Hà ¥kan and Nurmi, Jari-Erik (2000); Parenting styles and adolescents achievement strategies, vol: 23, no. 2, pp. p205-222 Guajardo, Nicole R and Snyder, Gregory and Petersen, Rachel (2009) ; Relationships among parenting practices, parental stress, child behaviour, and childrens social-cognitive development, Vol: 18, no.1.pp.p37-60 Gol, Hayedeh Cheraghali and Rostami, Amir Masood and Goudarzi, Mahdi (2013); Prediction of Marital Satisfaction based on Perfectionism; vol: 89, p 567-571 Vinall, Jillian and Miller, Steven P and Synnes, Anne R and Grunau, Ruth E (2013); Parent behaviours moderate the relationship between neonatal pain and internalizing behaviours at 18 months corrected age in children born very prematurely Early friendships profoundly affects child’s development at: http://www.hvparent.com/school: Dr Paul Schwartz (2013) Jessica Kingsley 1992. Six theories of Child development Margaret E. Wood 1973. Development of Personality And Behaviour Mayer, S (2010). Revisiting an old question: How much does parental income affect child outcomes? Vol:20.no: 2.pp.p21—26 ED1034 – Developing Learning in Early Childhood Assignment – A Book Review Using your knowledge of the factors which contribute to quality in resources used to support children’s learning and development, choose one example of either a published children’s book, or a well known children’s game and write an essay that explains how this resource supports children’s learning and development. Within this essay you must: Make reference to theoretical and philosophical perspectives on child development to support your discussion. Discuss the factors that contribute to quality in resources Demonstrate an understanding of the holistic nature of learning and that learning can occur in many contexts. Word count 3000 words. â€Å"The Importance of Illustrations in Children’s Books† in Illustrating for Children  edited by Mabel Segun. Ibadan: CLAN, 1988. pp 25-27

Comparing the American Dream in My Antonia, Neighbor Rosicky, and 0 Pio

The American Dream in My Antonia, Neighbor Rosicky, and 0 Pioneers!      Ã‚  Ã‚   While many American immigrant narratives concentrate on the culture shock that awaits those who arrive from the more rural Old World to live in a city for the first time, Willa Cather's immigrants, often coming from urban European settings, face the vast and empty land of the plains. Guy Reynolds notes that "the massive outburst of America westwards was in part powered by the explosion of immigrants through the eastern seaboard and across the continent. Ethnic diversity was at the heart of America's drive westwards" (63). The land and land ownership shape the lives of these newcomers in powerful ways, giving them an immigrant experience that is in some ways quite unique. In "Neighbor Rosicky," 0 Pioneers!, and My Antonia, Cather presents vivid characters and situations that serve to describe the urban-rural conflict in America, and as John H. Randall III notes, "'there is no doubt in the author's mind as to whether the country or city is the real America" (272).    In "Neighbor Rosicky", the notion of land ownership as a fundamental feature of the American Dream is most clearly set forth. Anton Rosicky is a Czech who experienced life as an immigrant both in London and New York City and found both lacking. Only in his life on the farm in Nebraska does he find peace and fulfillment.    Rosicky had been a tailor in the Old Country and had immigrated first to London, where he was miserable and poor. At age twenty he left London for New York, and for a time he was happy there, becoming "a good workman" (Cather, "'Neighbor Rosicky" 241) and experiencing the cultural life of the city, including opera and the ballet. As time goes on, however, he ... ...at owning land brings are a substantial part of the American Dream immigrants come to the United States hoping to achieve.    Works Cited Cather, Willa. My Antonia. New York: Quality Paperback Book Club, 1995. ---. "Neighbor Rosicky." Collected Stories. New York. Vintage Classics, 1992. 231-261 ---. 0 Pioneers. New York: Quality Paperback Book Club, 1995. McFarland, Dorothy Tuck. Willa Cather. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1972. Randall, III, John H. "Interpretation of My Antonia." Willa Cather and Her Critics. Ed. James Schroeter. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1967. 272-322. Reynolds, Guy. Willa Cather in Context. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996. Woodness, James. "Willa Cather: American Experience and European Tradition." The Art of Willa Cather. Ed. Bernice Slote and Virginia Faulkner. Lincoln: 1974. 43-64.   

Precious vs Push

While reading Push, by Sapphire you are engaged in Precious’ every thought, whether it was random, or a part of what was going on in that very moment. You knew her responses to what was said to her, even if she did not respond aloud to what was being said. In the book, her own personal thoughts were intertwined with the dialect of the story. I enjoyed that aspect of the book, while in the film if you were to here all of the random thoughts and responses it would seem to be too much going on, and to confuse the reviewer. I enjoyed the fact that in the film I could look at the expression on Precious’ face and know, courtesy of the book, exactly what she was thinking. A film adaptation of a book should complement the book, still telling the story accurately and getting the characters personality and struggles or successes across and I believe the film Precious did just that. I can appreciate the book, but I am more drawn into the characters in the film than in the book. The book and the film work together and bounce off of one another to draw out what the other left dormant. In the book, you learn the stories of the classmates of the alternative school Precious was at, in the film they were able to come alive. You see ample personality in all of the girls in the film. Reading the book first, I paid more attention to the girl’s personalities in the film, maybe for the sake of comparing and contrasting, but with the book and the film combined I feel like I know those girls. In the film, the teacher of the Pre-G. E. D class, Ms. Rain was cast as a fair-skinned woman, pretty with nice hair. In the book, she was described as a darker skinned woman with dred locked hair. I enjoyed that the role was cast to fair skinned women and she was a valuable character. Yes, this woman fought for Precious sake in the film and the book, but the casting fairer skinned Ms. Rain I feel could be used to inspire Precious. Emphasized more in the book than the film, you hear Precious refer to being light skinned or correlating lighter skin with beauty and better treatment. For her to be exposed to a lighter skinned, beautiful woman that is teaching her, caring for her, helping her push is what she needs to realize who she is herself and what kind of woman she can develop into. The film cast a role of a social worker who was not white in my eyes, and in the book she is a white woman. I liked that Precious was not sure of her race, it gave a tone of the film that the social worker was a part of a ‘none-race’. A woman of a none-race was talking to her, and even though she didn’t see it, helping her. Precious was primed to believe that race mattered in relation to her well being. Being exposed to this, maybe Precious can realize that the race of those she came in contact with did not matter. A strength about the book is the ability to actually go in depth about parts of Precious’ story than the film does. If some of those things were included in the film, it would drag along and not be relative to the main points in the story that the film had to get across in a two hour period. In the book, I am grateful that Precious got to experience the incest survivor’s group meeting. She was able to see that others shared her same experience. She even got the experience of going downtown, which I got the impression that she had never been or hadn’t gone often. The book also gives a grime account of the sexual abuse committed by Precious’ father and the confused and hateful feelings she experiences from it. Honestly, I’m glad it was addressed only in the book, and not the film. I admired the director’s use of short cut scenes and flashbacks to tell those sides of the story instead of actually telling and showing the story of the abuse. The film also showed Precious and her fellow classmate’s infatuation with the male nurse John whereas the book did not include that at all. Strengths in the film were characterized by the opportunities to laugh at some of the characters, and to see that Precious sometimes too enjoyed herself. I appreciate the film showing the friendships that developed between her and the fellow classmates. I also found the most powerful scene that the book did no justice to is the monologue by Precious’ mother at the end of the film. Though a similar monologue takes place in the book, you get to see it on the actress’ face and you finally get to figure out what she was thinking all these years. Both the film and book had decent endings; one did not excite me more than the other. In the article by Hilton and von Hippel, 1996, we are given an explanation of Priming and its relevance to prejudice and stereotyping. I believe Precious had such a hard time with who she was, beside the effects of physical and sexual abuse from both her parents, due in large part to the emotional and verbal abuse she suffered from her mother. Everyday Precious was verbally put down and influenced by her mother that she equated to nothing and the only way to get through life was dependence on government aide and the negative demeanor towards whites. As much as Precious’ mother was negative toward whites, she put Precious down because she was black. Hilton and von Hippel state that how we process information is influenced by information that we have previously encountered. Precious previous encounters are her own life, and how her mother raised her to depend on welfare and be taught that white people are in place to restrict her progress. Prior experience determines what we see and hear and how we interpret that information and how we store it for later use† (Hilton & von Hippel, 1996). Precious was primed to believe stereotypes about her own race and self due to the influence of her mother. Hilton & Hippel say that â€Å"priming plays a dramatic role in the perception and evaluation of out group members†, but in the book and the film we see Precious’ inward perception of herself due to the influence of her mother and also toward out-group members such as whites, from the influence of her mother.