Financial Reporting and Accountability exam questions Essay

Financial Reporting and Accountability exam questions - Essay Example 6 Consolidations: Qualitative 7 Why do regulators require consolidations? 7 What is fair value and why is it an important concept in consolidation? 7 Why do regulators require inter-company profits to be removed from consolidations? 7 Corporate Governance 8 What is ‘the public interest’ and what is its relationship to accounting? 8 Do we need mandatory regulation of reporting? If so how should we regulate? Are there major problems? 8 IASB and due process – what are the stages of due process – why is convergence with the US important? 9 What is the ‘market for corporate takeovers’ and the ‘market for managers’ – and what impact have these on accounting disclosure? 10 Reporting Financial Statements Why is one of the elements of the financial statements useful to shareholders? Statement of the changes in position of equity for a company provides the movement of the holding position of the equity shareholders. This statement gen erally comprises of the net profits that can be attributed to the shareholders, the changes in the share capital reserves, the dividend that is paid to the shareholder, the effect of the accounting policy changes or the any kind of changes that has been done to correct any error in the previous period. This is an essential statement that needs to be disclosed to the shareholders because the factors that have an effect on the changes in the position can be known. This statement would be reflecting the nature of the changes that take place in the equity reserves which otherwise would not be available to the shareholders. For example the issue and redemption of the share capital can only be obtained from the statement of financial position. What is the purpose of one kind of disclosure e.g. discontinued activities, or expenses such as audit? Discontinued operations of an enterprise would entail those activities by which the company would be selling a component through any transaction o r demerger or would be disposing off the assets or liabilities of the organisation or abandoning any component of the business. It is important for a company to make the disclosures of the discontinued operations because it would help in assessing the cash flows of the enterprise, the capacity to generate earnings and to make proper segregation of the information about the discontinuing operations form that of the continuing operations. Organisations should cite the evidence of auditing process in the annual statements. Thus the fees that are paid for the auditing as well as the non auditing services need to be paid. On the other hand it is considered that the independence of the auditors is essential for a sound and fair auditing process. Hence by the payment of the fees the quality of auditing in the organisation is ensured. Earnings per Share Basic and diluted EPS Basic EPS is the earnings of the company that accrues to the shareholders of the organisation. Basic EPS is derived b y dividing the net profit of the company by the total amount of outstanding shares. The amount net profit is calculated after distribution of the dividends to the preference shareholders. This may be explained with the example of the following example. Suppose the Net Profit available for a company is $ 40000. And the number of equity shares outstanding is 2000. Then the EPS of the company would be $50. Diluted EPS on the other hand is the net profit of the company divided by the number of equ

European Year of Education through Sport 2004 Essay Example for Free

European Year of Education through Sport 2004 Essay Research, analyse and critically examine the (European Unions) European Year of Education through Sport 2004, illustrating your answer with examples from European countries. Sport has been a major arena for the display of popular European values ever since the very first recorded Ancient Olympics were held at Olympia in 776 B.C. The Olympics of Ancient Greece and subsequently the modern Olympics gave rise to the ideology of Olympism, a way of life that embodies through sport these qualities and values. In the years that have passed, the changing face of sport has modelled and re-modelled itself in line with contemporary trends and technological advancements, but the core beliefs have remained the same. Whilst even then in its infancy, sport had to deal with bribery and corruption, with politics and commercialism; the same evils that have plagued the sporting world at the highest level ever since; sport has survived, and the ethos of sport and Olympism continue to be heralded as the archetype of health, vitality and virtue. In September 2003 a Eurobarometer survey was carried out, in order to establish the general public feelings towards education through sport. The results it returned were unswerving in their support. Almost two-thirds of the survey sample cited team spirit as the most important sporting value, whilst 70% were in favour of a harder crackdown on doping in sport. Amongst other revelations of a similar trend it is notable that the 2 highest responses when asked if the EU should do more to promote education through sport were those of Greece (90% said yes) and Portugal (85%). These of course will be the 2 main focal points for sporting excellence in 2004; hosting the Olympic Games and the European Football Championships respectively. It is clear that the officials of the European Union share the belief that the prominent values and health benefits that can be garnered from education through sport are desirable. Following the conclusion of the Eurobarometer survey and further research, a budget totalling à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½11.5 million was made available specifically for the initiative they dubbed The European Year of Education through Sport (EYES). The allocation of the budget is divided, in simple terms, as described on the InfoBase Europe website, (www.ibeurope.com): A budget of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½11.5 million will be available to support meetings, campaigns and events designed to further the aims of the Year throughout the European Union. Whilst à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½11.5 million may appear at first glance to be a substantial amount, further examination reveals otherwise. To be simplistic in analysis, let us say that the funds were equally divided amongst the European Unions 15 member states; this would leave à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½766,667 (or à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½522,575 [source: www.xe.com]) per nation to distribute internally to cover the entire year. This would work out at around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½14,744 or à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10,050 per week for the whole country, far less than the wage of some professional athletes. The UK branch of EYES has 3 key objectives: 1. Promote EYES in the UK and on a pan-European basis. 2. Give as many people as possible access to the work being undertaken during the EYES 2004 programme. 3. Engage more young people in physical activity and sport, enhancing other developments in the field in the UK. These objectives run parallel with those of the EU as a whole (see annexe 1). In terms of promotion, the initiative is being spearheaded by an All-Star team of popular former and current stars of European sport; the most familiar of these perhaps being Jurgen Klinsmann, Clarence Seedorf, Amelie Mauresmo and Sir Steven Redgrave. Alongside these 5 are another 37 individuals (as well as the Latvian National Football Team), ranging from internationally famed to somewhat obscure, all of whom are committed to actively supporting the campaign. (http://www.eyes-2004.info/254.0.html) There seems to be a solid base from which to build a real Europe-wide success. In addition to the All-Star Team, EYES can boast partners from all over Europe, from a variety of different sports as well as many Governmental ministries and Educational Associations, 4 TV Channels and, perhaps most significantly, Sponsorship from VISA and the German travel company Vietentours. There will certainly be a significant amount of publicity surrounding EYES as the year goes on. The logo, accompanied by its slogan (move your body, stretch your mind) will be on display at nearly 200 events during 2004, including the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games and Euro 2004. It appears that from a promotional point of view, as well as the infrastructure, the EU has got it right. There will be plenty of opportunities for people to find out about and participate in EYES. But then what? Even if we were to blanket the entire continent with an awareness of EYES; even if every school in every nation participated; what next? 2005 will not be the European Year of Education through Sport, II. Surely the priority must be to lay down the foundations for future and continuing education through sport throughout the continent? Any continuing legacy or suchlike goes unmentioned in the aims and objectives sections of EYES on both the official website and InfoBase. The focus seems to be on getting as many people interested in sport as possible, then assuming their enthusiasm will remain at a constant level without further promotion. It implies a level of naivety in terms of the EUs awareness of the seemingly obvious expendable novelty value that can be associated with most short-term governmental and pan-European events of this ilk. There is no function in place to prevent the project from slipping into history without having made any real long-term difference to the education of the public through continuing participation in sport. The official UK website (www.eyes2004.org) contains information for schools on how to get involved, news updates on EYES projects and media releases, and online challenges for schools to take part in by inputting results from different activities into a database to create live, on-line competition between schools (http://www.eyes2004challenges.org/splash.htm) This attempts to address the access aim of the website; whether or not it does this remains to be seen. In my personal experience, the efforts of the British arm of the project so far appear to have been poor, especially on the promotional side. Public awareness seems to be non-existent; I have mentioned EYES to many people, young and old, at every level of the education system; from my neighbours primary school children to my 16 year old brother, to my Mother, (a project manager at the local 6th form college). Neither any of them, nor any of the others I spoke to were previously aware of the EYES. Whilst I am aware that this casual sampling cannot be considered in any way to be indicative of the entire British population, they dont exactly imply a resounding success of the project in my local area. However, it is important to note that in this, as in all cases, only 4 months of the year have passed and there is still time for awareness to be created. There are 5 projects currently running here in the UK: The use of sport and education for the social inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees. (Loughborough University) Basic Skills and Education through Sport (Hull City Council) Clean Start programme (UK Sport) Learning Through Football: Euro 2004 (Football Association) Leeds Education Activity Partnership (Leeds City Council) http://www.eyes2004.org/projectnews.htm The first project on the list highlights the poor promotional aspect perfectly. Whilst it is being run here at Loughborough University; the level of awareness of the project itself and of EYES as a whole has been minimal. Continental Europe, however, may prove to be a different story. Whilst the British Physical Education system is comparatively relaxed in its decentralisation, possibly leading to the aforementioned ineffectiveness in the dissemination of the EYES message, the French political infrastructure, for example, may prove a far more effective and efficient vehicle for the promotion of EYES due to its highly centralised nature. Another aspect is to promote the value of voluntary work for the young and the benefits it can provide for informal education. An example of this is in Portugal where by The Portuguese Youth Institute supported by the European Voluntary Service are giving children under the age of 16 the opportunity to help out in European Football Championships 2004 as ball boys and holding flags and banners before games. The aim of the scheme is to bring young people from different communities and racial backgrounds together through voluntary participation in sport. It may also be argued that, whilst 2004 may have initially appeared to be the ideal year for EYES, with 2 internationally prestigious sporting events being hosted in Europe; the reality may be somewhat different in that EYES could well be overshadowed to the point of insignificance by both Euro 2004 and the Athens Olympics. To make a conclusive statement about the success of EYES at this early stage in the year would I feel be somewhat naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. It can be said however, that the right building blocks have been put into place in order to make it a success. The infrastructure and the organisational aspect is far-reaching enough to be of use to the whole continent; whilst remaining centralised enough in key areas to focus on the same goals. The promotional side is again set up right, with representatives from many sports and many countries being involved from the high-profile to the less glamorous. Whilst the signs of implementation of EYES in schools are encouraging; LEAPS (Learning and education through activity and participation in sports) in Dublin; Basic skills and Education through Sport (Hull); Together in Sport for growing up (Italy); the true results of EYES success in schools may take some time due to the enormous amount of feedback required to get a realistic overview of all events and projects. The apparent lack of continuation in terms of the aims and objectives of the initiative can be put down to one of two things. One is that the EU are banking on the continuing success of a one-off push into sport, ignoring the possibility of a speedy return to the low participation rates of recent years. The more likely explanation is that, whilst the EU realise that the effects of EYES may wear off as the future years go by, it will be more effective, given the comparatively small budget available, to concentrate on getting the message out there to as many people as possible this year than to try to implement long-running programmes with less public awareness. Ultimately the deciding factor on the success or failure of EYES, as with most things, will be the budget. Even if, as suggested, the money is directed in the correct manner with minimal amounts of wastage, it is still a relatively insignificant sum on an international scale. I would predict that for there to be any lasting impression left by EYES on the future education through sport in this continent, the amount of funding behind the initiative would have to be substantially larger. Bibliography http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/Olympics/olympicorigins.shtml (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.ecdel.org.au/whatsnew/2003/sports.htm (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.ibeurope.com/Database/Factsheets/F050eyes.htm (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/sport/key_files/annee_eur/a_2004_en.html (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.xe.com/ucc/ (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.eyes2004.org/splash.htm (Accessed 17/03/04) http://www.eyes2004.org/projectnews.htm (Accessed 18/03/04) http://www.eyes-2004.info/254.0.html (Accessed 18/03/04) http://www.eyes-2004.info/4138.0.html (Accessed 18/03/04) Annexe 1 The Aims of EYES (http://www.ibeurope.com/Database/Factsheets/F050eyes.htm) The aims of the European Year are: (a) to make educational institutions and sports organisations aware of the need for cooperation in order to develop education through sport and its European dimension, given the very great interest that young people take in all kinds of sport; (b) to take advantage of the values conveyed through sport to develop knowledge and skills whereby young people in particular can develop their physical prowess and readiness for personal effort and also social abilities such as teamwork, solidarity, tolerance and fair play in a multicultural framework; (c) to promote awareness of the positive contribution that voluntary activities make to non-formal education, especially of young people; (d) to promote the educational value of pupil mobility and exchanges particularly in a multicultural environment through the organisation of sporting and cultural contacts as part of school activity; (e) to encourage the exchange of good practice concerning the role sport can play in education systems to promote the social inclusion of disadvantaged groups; (f) to create a better balance between intellectual and physical activity in school life by encouraging sport in school activities; (g) to consider the problems relating to the education of young sportsmen and sportswomen taking part in competitive sports.

Clarissas Way of Death Essay -- Samuel Richardson Clarissa Essays

Clarissa's Way of Death In Clarissa, Samuel Richardson finds "an exemplar to her sex." But her story does not provide a model to live by, as such a qualification may lead one to expect. Only in the afterlife does Clarissa presumably receive what she deserves. The life suggested by her example is untenable. Clarissa's death is the inevitable result of her unrealistic, unimpeachable virtue  ­ a virtue that is defined less by what she does than by what she will permit. Her death serves not only a narrative end in the novel, but the demands of psychological realism. Richardson respects the conclusion made inevitable by the very "divinity" of Clarissa's personality. This heroine can have no other conclusion. Her death-drive is a fundamental aspect of her character, one present since the very beginning of the book. Though she is an extremely rational heroine, she is not necessarily reasonable. Like all young people, she wants happiness  ­ but her idea of it is impossible to live, an almost childish fantasy. Her devotion to "the single life" is not only a resistance to an unwanted match, but a refusal to have her purity blemished. Her purity and her virtue are the building blocks of her selfhood, but these elements have been formed in her childhood, and thus are not directly transferable to the exigencies, and duties, of adult life. In defense of this virtue, Clarissa has an almost morbid streak that prefigures her conclusion. There can be no worldly happiness for Clarissa. Lovelace's crime, in a certain sense, is only incidental. Clarissa can never be married, as she can never accept its corollary, adulthood. Growing up implies a change of state that she cannot reconcile with her established identity. It is a shock, upon... ...these "trials" is the confirmation of her "divinity". "The fall of a regular person, no doubt, is dreadful" she writes to her uncle Antony (426). But this is not her situation, not her crime. She herself is not a "regular person", and her fall was not a typical fall: "would to Heaven," she implores later in the letter, "that I had had the circumstances of [my fall] inquired into!" (426-7). Her death is the manifestation of her blamelessness. Death recreates her as immaculate, by proving that a blemished existence is not consistent with her nature. Though she asserts, "I am ruined in my own eyes; and that is the same to me as if all the world knew it" (316), it becomes proof of her transcendence that "all the world" know it. By agreeing to publish her tale after her demise, she has transformed the circumstances of her disgrace into a proof of her greater purity.

Zigbee

The message therefore contains two destination addresses: * Address of the final destination * Address of the node which is the next â€Å"hop† The way these addresses are used in message propagation depends on the network topology, as follows:Star Topology All messages are routed via the Co-ordination. Both addresses are needed and the â€Å"next hop† address is that of the Co-ordination. Tree Topology A message is routed up the tree until it reaches a node that can route it back down the tree to the destination node.Both addresses are needed and the initial â€Å"next hop† address is hat of the parent of the sending node. The parent node then resends the message to the next relevant node – if this is the target node itself, the â€Å"final destination† address is used. The last step is then repeated and message propagation continues in this way until the target node is reached. Mesh Topology In this case, the propagation path depends on whether th e target node is in range: * If the target node is in range, only the â€Å"final destination† address is used. If the target node is not in range, the initial â€Å"next hop† address is that of the first node in the route to the IANAL destination. The message propagation continues in this way until the target node is reached. I I Application programs in intermediate nodes are not aware of the relayed message or its contents – the relaying mechanism is handled by the Gibe stack. I I The message propagation methods for the different topologies are illustrated by the animations below. Star Topology Tree Topologies Topology I Click â€Å"Next Page† to continue.I Previous Page | 1 12 13 14 15 16 17 I Negotiate o connecting 1 Route Discovery The Gibe stack network layer supports a â€Å"route discovery' facility in which a mesh outwork can be requested to find the best available route to the destination, when sending a message. Route discovery is initiated wh en requested by a data transmission request. Route Discovery Options There are three options related to route discovery for a mesh network (the required option being indicated in the message): SUPPRESS route discovery: The message is routed along the tree.ENABLE route discovery: The message is routed along an already discovered mesh route, if one exists, otherwise the Router initiates a route discovery. Once this is complete, the message will be sent along the calculated route. If the Router does not have the capacity to store the new route, it will direct the message along the tree. FORCE route discovery: If the Router has the route capacity, it will initiate a route discovery, even if a known route already exists. Once this is complete, the message will be sent along the calculated route.If the Router does not have the route capacity, it will route the message along the tree. Use of this option should be restricted, as it generates a lot of network traffic. Route Discovery Mechani sm The mechanism for route discovery between two End Devices involves the following . A route discovery broadcast is sent by the parent Router of the source End steps: Device. This broadcast contains the network address of the destination End Device. 2. All Routers eventually receive the broadcast, one of which is the parent of the destination End Device. 3.The parent Router of the destination node sends back a reply addressed to the parent Router of the source. 4. As the reply travels back through the network, the hop count and a signal quality measure for each hop are recorded. Each Router in the path can build a routing table entry containing the best tat to the destination End Device. 5. Eventually, each Router in the path will have a routing table entry and the route from source to destination End Device is established. Note that the corresponding route from destination to source is not known – the route discovered is unidirectional.I The choice of best path is usually t he one with the least number of hops, although if a hop on the most direct route has a poor signal quality (and hence a greater chance that retries will be needed), a route with more hops may be chosen. Device and Service Discovery The Gibe specification provides the facility for devices to find out information about other nodes in a network, such as their addresses, which types of applications are running on them, their power source and sleep behavior.This information is stored in descriptors on each node, and is used by the enquiring node to tailor its behavior to the requirements of the network. Discovery is typically used when a node is being introduced into a user-configured network, such as a domestic security or lighting control system. Once the device has Joined the network, its integration into the outwork may require the user to start the integration process by pressing a button or similar. The first task is to find out if there are any other devices that it can talk to.Fo r example, a device implementing the switch conforming to the HOC profile tries to find devices containing HOC load controllers to which it could potentially send its switch state information (the process of associating the switch with a particular load controller is handled by the binding process, presented earlier in this course). There are two types of discovery, Device and Service Discovery: Device Discovery Device Discovery involves interrogating a remote node for address information.The retrieved information can be either: * the MAC (IEEE) address of the node with a given network address * the network address of the node with a given MAC address. If the node being interrogated is a Router or Co-ordination, it may optionally supply the addresses of all the devices that are associated with it, as well as its own address. In this way, it is possible to discover all the devices in a network by requesting this information from the Co-ordination and then using the list of addresses corresponding to the children of the Co-ordination to launch queries about their child nodes.

Cipero River

Methodology Where was data collected? Data was collected at Cipero River, South Trinidad The Cipreo River was chosen as the area of study for pollution. The study of pollution was ideal for the area, as it is a major area which is situated near the San Fernando region, these very rivers banks where also overflown of the year 2010. When was data collected? The field study was conducted on June 12th 2012, between the hours of 8. am. and 10. am. How was data collected? Data was obtained by the use of various instruments, such as a * Camera * Pen Stationary paper * Measuring tape * Stopwatch * String * Cups * PH meter What was done to obtain this data? * 7 points of the Cipero river were examined, at each point of the river a cup was lowered into the water, by the use of the string, to obtain water from the river, the PH meter was then used to determine whether that part of the water was polluted, by showing results from the test either being acidic or alkaline. * Data was also obtained, by determining the velocity of the water at each point of the river, which was visited. 1.Stationary paper was used to make a paper boat 2. Measuring tape was then used to measure a certain distance, this determined the departure and arrival of the boat at the given area. 3. The boat was then released and the stopwatch immediately started 4. When the paper boat passed the required distance the stopwatch was then stopped, results where then recorded. Aim * To identify the causes and consequences of pollution, at various points along Cipero River South, Trinidad. Analysis and Discussion Do you know the meaning of the word pollution?Longman Geography for CSEC gives the definition as, â€Å"†¦the unclean state of the environment resulting in physical, chemical and biological changes that can seriously affect ecological systems. † Pollution results from the improper disposal of waste, whether solid, liquid or gas, with this being said from the results which were obtained at Ciprero River it is my belief that the river is polluted. Seven points of the river were examined at the river and at each point which was visited there was pollution of various forms present.At the beginning of the river it was slightly polluted there was little improper disposal of unwanted materials such as garbage and iron present, this may have been due to individuals who pass nearby the river occasionally, and also due to motor vehicles who are constantly passing on the roads on a daily day to day basis. Despite this it was noticed that as I examined more and more points of the river, the more polluted it seemed. At point four of the river there was pollution present in the water due to improper drainage caused by industries, industrial waste was seen circulating in the water.At various parts of the water it was brown and murky black in color, it also had an offensive smell. There are three types of major pollution that can be observed at the Cipero River. Land pollution is on e of them, the Cipero River is located in an area which is close to the town San Fernando, many people on a daily bases pass through this area to go to attend their jobs, and also to reach to the town. It can be said that people often throw and dispose of their garbage improperly and due to the constant presence of individuals passing through this region, more and more garbage is accumulating near and inside the river.Water pollution is the second major form of pollution, in the form of sewage due to improper drainage. Water enters the river due to the housing developments poor drainage system and also from industries that release harmful chemicals and waste into the water, this affects the color and quality of the water. Water pollution, also poses a threat to the animal species that are present in the water, it was observed that at point one of the river fishes and alligators were seen living in this river as their habitat, when the water becomes polluted and they can’t sur vive, what will be the outcome?!Offensive odour also presents itself as pollution, improper drainage from people’s houses and industries enters the water causing it to have an unpleasant odour. The Cipero River is also located on a road which is constantly busy, sometimes at night people may also not have a choice and urinate near the river, this along with the water pollution and land pollution increases the smell of the river making it smell more fowl.Conclusion Evidently there is a problem of pollution which is present at the Cipero River, due to types of pollution such as, sewage, offensive odour, and waste water. This is mainly due to poor waste and sewage practices and poor regulation of drainage, this problem can be easily stopped if individuals are willing to make a difference. In conclusion, the matter of pollution is one that is not taken seriously in Trinidad and Tobago, all around us every day we see pollution existing, yet still nobody seems to care.Pollution is something that should be addressed more regularly because although it may seem like it’s not important, it is. Table Of Contents The Aim of the study Location of field study Methodology Presentation of data Analysis and Discussion Conclusion Bibliography Presentation of data Bibliography * The site of Cipero River South Trinidad * Paul Guiness et al. Geography for CSEC. Nelson Thornes, 2008 Name: Karishma Ramtahal School: Parvati Girls Hindu College Class: 5M1 Topic: Pollution at Cipero River South Trinidad

Cancer Research UK television advertisement Essays

Cancer Research UK television advertisement Essays Cancer Research UK television advertisement Essay Cancer Research UK television advertisement Essay Cancer Research UK is Britains leading charity and is dedicated to the research, treatment and prevention of cancer. With a team of 3000 scientists, and an annual research budget in excess of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½130 million, they are the largest independent cancer research organisation in the world. In todays world, adverts have a great deal of influence over what we buy and do. Nearly everywhere we go some type of advert bombards us. For example, there are adverts on buses, on television, in magazines and on the street. This essay will identify the techniques used by the Cancer Research UK advertisement, by looking in great detail at the colours, music, fonts and other techniques. More than one in three of us will develop cancer at some point. Few of us go through life without coming into contact with the disease in some way either through personal experience or through that of a friend or family member. Cancer Research UK is an organisation set up to find new and effective treatments for cancer quicker than ever before. The genre of an advert will determine its audience and most adverts are geared towards a certain target audience. For example, if the advert were for Mountain Biking UK it could use a famous mountain biker and detailed technical terms, which would appeal to the target audience. They would therefore be interested in and could identify with the product and the message the advert portrays. However, the Cancer Research UKs advert doesnt seem to clearly indicate who the intended audience is, probably because cancer affects everyone. It does however convey the fact that cancer affects not only the victim, but also those closest to them. In the advert a women dies leaving a child mother-less, it is a potential sorrow that many can identify with and is immediately understood even by children. In the advertisement there is two scenes in contrast with each other. The first scene shows to the viewer the affects cancer can have over a family. In the other scene, there is a family who has benefited from the organisation. This shows to the viewer the big impacts they could create from donating a small sum of money. The advertisement uses a number of techniques to convey to the viewer why they should contribute 2 a month to Cancer Research UK. The music in the background makes the viewer feel mournful, empathetic, and sad. There are lots of other effects like the voiceover, which is slow and meaningful, together with powerful visual images.  The advert starts with a high angle over shoulder shot at a boy who looks to be about seven years old and his mother. The director has chosen the location of the advert to be in the hallway whilst the child gets ready for school. This is a vital part of a mothers role to prepare her child for the day ahead. This makes the boy so vulnerable because he couldnt cope with a loss of his mother. This is why it is so important that the viewer contributes a sum of money smaller than the cost of their daily coffee in a caf This is a technique used in many adverts where the viewer is made to feel guilty for not participating in the event. Eva Cassidy who is a singer became famous posthumously, writes the music in the background. She has a distinctive soft and delicate voice that is instantly recognizable. It is a well-known fact that she tragically died of cancer at the age of thirty-three. Her voice used as the musical backdrop in this advert, is particularly poignant and apt. The lyrics to the music Youll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley can also have a reminiscent and nostalgic affect upon the viewer. The hallway portrays family life with shoes on the floor and coats hung up. However the lack of colour in the hallway creates a stark sterile atmosphere that is bereft of the busyness of everyday life. The camera then pans across to the right, the cancer research logo appears on the screen, the camera now gives an over shoulder view with the mothers back to the camera. The mother leans forward and whispers softly into the boys ear Dont forget your hanky and slowly disappears into the mirror. At this point the voiceover says, We dont have a magic mirror, but at Cancer Research UK, were helping more and more people survive cancer everyday. The voice is emotional, saying that there is no magic mirror, nothing will bring someone back, but the organisation is developing the cures for cancer. Were helping more and more people survive cancer everyday. It sounds catchy, and suits the context. It also instills hope into that scene of loss and despair. It encourages the viewer to believe that their financial contribution could avoid such tragedy in the future. This is another technique, which demonstrates what the viewer is buying with their small contribution; hope.

Three Sisters Essay Example

Three Sisters Essay Example Three Sisters Paper Three Sisters Paper In the light of your study of Stanislavski and after seeing Miss Julie how would you direct the opening act of Three Sisters? The opening of Act One of Chekhovs Three Sisters, gives detailed stage directions, which offers valuable information on the main characters of the play; the three sisters, Irina, Masha and Olga. As a director, I would encourage the actors playing these roles to read the information, as it defines clearly the different characters of the sisters, and so can be used for characterisation. As a director, I am fully aware that Three Sisters is a realist play; therefore, this would prompt me to use Stanislavski methods to develop true to life portrayals of the characters. The following is a sketch of Act One: During the opening of the play the three sisters will sit in their designated areas and the audience will watch while Olga marks her books, Irina puts on make-up for her party, and Masha reads a book on the window seat, subdued. In the background (the ballroom), the table will be laid by a servant, which could be played by Anfisa, the old nurse. The clip-clop sound of her heels as she rushes about will make stark contrast to the silence of the sisters. I aspire to obtain the audience to suspend their disbelief, and remain this through-out the play. This idea is heavily influenced by the theatre production of After Miss Julie. My intention is for the audience to see the closeness of the relationship between Olga and Irina. Moreover, to see how Masha is the recluse of the sisters, and overlooked by them due to her quietness and concealed emotions. Olga (as indicated by her regulation dark-blue dress of a high school teacher) is the mother figure for the sisters, especially Irina, who never really knew her mum. Irina seems distant from her sisters, as she is the only young one left, and she is still happy-go-lucky and enjoys her life without worry. Olga is the oldest, and uses this to boss the others sisters around. Olga is the only sister to work, and so is constantly moaning about her work. She revels in being the sister with authority, but also resents it, as she feels forced into work since her fathers death. Her movements should be very swift, and she should constantly be moving around, making herself busy, yet achieving nothing, reflecting a theme of the play. This will create humour for the audience, as they will see her fussing over everything, yet doing nothing. Her movements should be very rapid, restless, and hurried. Using Stanislavskis methods, I would find out the super objective of Olgas character, to create naturalism. Personally, I believe Olgas motivations in life are to return to Moscow, and find a husband. This is from the social context of the play, where many women believed they needed a husband to achieve true happiness, and also a husband would result in Olga not needing a job. To show this in the play I will show Olga being extremely interested in Tuzenback and flirtatiously behaving with him as he talks about Vershinin. This can be achieved by making lots of eye contact with him and her moving closer to him, until she hears he has a wife, and then she will sharply turn away. An objective of Olgas character is to continue working, although she says It wears me out, I believe she loves it and could not just sit at home like the other sisters. This arises one of the themes of the play work. None of the sisters worked previously as they are wealthy and do not have the need to work. I believe Chekhov used this to show that you need to work to have ambition and achieve in life. This is shown in the play, as all the sisters ambition is to return to Moscow, yet none of them does anything towards this ambition. Chekhov himself was born into a poor family, but worked hard and achieved an amazing amount. I think this highlights the social context of the play between rich and poor. Rich and poor is an underlying theme of Act One, and was an important issue in the era of the play. Natasha is of low class, and so discriminated against by the sisters who believe she is not good enough for their beloved Andrew. Masha in particular scrutinises everything about Natasha, from her clothes, which are downright pathetic to her make-up and hair. This shows a very materialistic viewpoint, and shows no intent to get to know Natasha, just judge her because of her class. This also shows how much the sisters love Andrew and do not want him getting hurt. I believe the sisters are very jealous of allowing another female into their household, which is why they resent Natasha. In Act One Natasha should be portrayed as a very timid young woman, this can be shown by her emotional outbursts and general uncertainty. Natasha and Andrew provide the only true love shown in Act One, and as they finish the Act, lead the audience to believe there will be much more to come. The couple give an optimistic out-look that good things can come out of bad situations, and I think this leaves the end of Act One on a happy and loving end. The sketch of the set of the play shows Masha is facing the audience she will be able to communicate with them, they will be able to see clearly her facial expressions, which will create an intimacy with the audience, and I hope result in the audience watching Masha and perhaps feeling sympathy for her. Being in at the side of the other two sisters also allows Olga and Irina to talk about Masha in whispers, and direct facial expressions at her, without her noticing. The description of Masha in a black dress, sits with her hat on her lap reading a book convey the isolation of her character. The black portrays seriousness, and hiding her feelings from the other sisters. I believe Masha is a character who tries to forget everything bad in her life. I think this results in her feeling severely depressed, as in the instance of the death of her father; bottling up her feelings has resulted in Masha not getting over the death, just replaying it repeatedly in her mind, effectively making her unable to think of anything else and become further withdrawn. She rarely speaks, and because of this, the sisters cannot help her. However when Masha does speak, it upsets the other sisters as Masha is the strong one, and causes them to break down with her; Olga particularly loses control. Masha is also depressed over her marriage; she believed her husband was intelligent and wise, and now she refuses to accept the reality that he is not this, and she does not love him. The audience will have an insight into the true Masha, an insecure person, who is deeply upset by her sisters relationship and her life in general. This will be shown by Masha observing the play, without allowing the other characters to see (which will create dramatic irony), and reacting to the action behind her, while facing the audience. Masha can use the audience as a friend, and watch them rather than interact with her sisters. Mashas facial expressions are very important in order to portray her character naturalistically. Due to this I would use Stanislavskis acting method of emotion memory, by asking the actress playing Masha to remember how it felt in a part of her life when she had no one to help her, and her life was disappearing before her eyes. I would then ask her to use these feelings with Masha, to create naturalism. Part of Mashas character resents the close relationship between Olga and Irina, and this leads to her feeling more isolated. This will be shown when Masha whistles. The whistle will be one of those pretend Im not here whistles but at the same time, the whistle will remind the other sisters of Mashas existence. There is a different side to Mashas character that occasionally shows a more ambitious and happy person; such as when she proclaims You only live once, where I believe Mashas voice should change from a bored, monotonous, pre-occupied, slow and quiet voice to a faster, excited, almost breathy voice. This will highlight the change of character and therefore the comedy-tragedy that Chekhov aimed will succeed. Both the sisters adore Irina, the youngest, but especially Olga, because of their mother-daughter type relationship. Again, the stage directions explain Irinas character, in a white dress, stands lost in thought. Irina is young and free, with no commitments in life, and has time to spend her day deep in thought. Her character is portrayed through her becoming very excitable at the thought of her oncoming party, and applying make-up and choosing her clothes. This shows that she has the time to spend doing these useless tasks, and demonstrates her need to dress-up to feel more important and grown-up, as well as impress the male guests. Irina is innocent and pure, as indicated by her white dress, but can be immature, such as when she remarks I know everything, which show she believes she has knowledge, which is expanded on later in the play when Masha remarks We know too much, while talking to Andrew about their education. I believe Chekhov is making a political point about how many people believe they know too much, when they know nothing. Chekhov was very philosophical (which reflects in many of his characters including Masha and Solyony), and once said Only Charlatans know everything and understand nothing. This is true to many characters of the play; for example Tuzenback, has never worked a day in his life, and believes he learns all he needs through newspapers. As a director, I would use this to create humour, by allowing the audience to laugh at these sad people, who have no grasp on reality. The theme of ambition plays a large part of Act One, as well as the rest of the play. All three of the sisters are striving towards moving back to Moscow, as this is where all their happy memories are. However, none of the sisters do anything towards their ambition, and so nothing changes in their lives. This again highlights how sad rich peoples lives can be, as they have no drive to do anything for themselves, as they can happily survive on what their family provides for them. To show this in the play I would have the characters constantly fussing over the clock (placed in the centre of the drawing room). This will represent how time is passing by in front of them without them realising, while they continue their petty lives. Each of the characters deep down knows they will not achieve their dream, but each of them long for it all the same. The theme of ambition also shows the frustration of the sisters, particularly Masha, to escape to the big city yet they only talk about it. Again, I believe Chekhov is making a social statement about the amount of people in Russia who wanted to change the out-dated social order at the time of the play, yet did nothing to achieve this goal. This theme is personal to Chekhov, as he DID return to his family in Moscow, showing you can achieve dreams with effort. I would achieve comedy throughout Act One using the various characters Chekhov included to provide comic relief for the audience, characters such as Tuzenback, Chebutykin, and Solyony, to distract from the awful tragedy of the majority of the play. These characters can be completely over-acted but still believable. These characters are typical nutty professors and they should all be dressed eccentrically, and constantly thinking of new ideas. The doctor is the typical result of doing too much work in his life, meaning he has been driven crazy. To achieve humour the actors must fully believe every word they say and make sure they take themselves seriously, even though they are clowns. These characters all flirt with the sisters, that also creates humour, and I believe they find it their duty to look after the sisters since their fathers death. This is another case of the characters believing they know more than they do. Another chance for comedy is how the three sisters smother Andrew, and clap at him and generally treat him like a child. Humour is achieved by making the sisters become over-enthusiastic mothers, fussing over Andrew, and showing off his achievements, such as the frames on the piano. The audience will be able to relate to this experience and so find it very funny. Ferapont can also be used to create humour because he can be played as a typical bewildered, deaf, old man. The setting of Act One will be very naturalistic, all props will be used (including knives, forks, table cloth, tables, samovar, chairs, cake, columns, curtains and swords), with fully made-up rooms, including appropriate flooring, curtains, and wallpaper, with everything looking aged, to fit with the period of the play. Many unused and often ugly but expensive ornaments will be placed around the ballroom, to show how the Prozorovs have lots of money for luxurious items, as well as painting scattered on the walls and an old bookcase. The ballroom table will also convey the wealth of the family, using ridiculous numbers of knives and forks around the immaculately placed plates, with flowers in the middle of the table, to indicate the springtime time of year. Lighting will be used to mimic natural sunlight streaming through the windows. The audience will be situated around the stage in a semi-circle, and the audience size will be small (around 250), so they will all be very close to the actors. This will make the audience feel more involved, and make the drama more realistic, personal, and believable. All costumes will be to date, and according to the stage directions and only natural make-up will be used. All male soldiers will be wearing military uniforms and civilian clothing. The pace of Act One will develop throughout, to prepare the audience for more tension and a climax in the following acts. In conclusion, I believe the relationship between the three sisters is the focus of Act One, and how they react to other people. I believe the solution to making this play work theatrically is to use Chekhovs idea of comedy and tragedy, to develop the naturalism of the play, as life often has highs and lows. The tragedy of the play creates tension and allows the audience to relate to characters, and then the comedy allows the audience to forget the problems and enjoy the play, as well as making the tragedy more obvious, and at times heartbreaking. To develop Act One I would continue to use Stanislavski methods to increase the naturalism of the play, and improve characterisation.