Good Morning, Vietnam; Good Night, Reality Essay

Good Morning, Vietnam; Good Night, Reality - Essay Example The film is fairly accurate in what it does portray: Croanuer is a hot-shot Deejay brought in to entertain (and thereby distract) the troops and is welcomed by his peers while several of his superiors are nervous about his lack of respect for authority. Cronauer blends well enough in his new environment, even taking on a class teaching Vietnamese - although this is to meet a love interest. He befriends the girl's brother, Tuan, fighting to get him into the locally owned G.I. Bar Jimmy Wah's. Cronauer is supended from the air when he ignores the censor by announcing the subsequent bombing of Jimmy Wah's. After his return to radio, Cronauer goes into the field to do remote interviews, unknowingly walking into enemy occupied territory. Tuan finds and rescues Cronauer, who returns to find that he is be reassigned to a different location, due to his involvement with Tuan, who proves to be a Vietnamese guerilla. After bidding farewell to all of his acquaintances, Cronauer departs, while a taped broadcast of his farewell show is played to the troops. Sadly, the focus of the film proves very limited. Despite the film's entertainment value, the narrow locality of it's story (primarily in the radio station) does not allow for a more comprehensive view of American soldiers in the field, the shifting political situation or the political history, and makes almost no effort to recognize Vietnamese history and concerns. Part of this is explained by Sergeant Joe P. Dunn, of the 199th Infantry Brigade, 1969-1970; who completed his tour with the 1st Air Cavalry. He observes that there are three primary methods today of studying the Vietnam conflict: 1) Asianists, who are specialist in the history, culture, and so forth of the Asia, who treat American involvement "as merely one stage, in the long history and series of conflicts", 2) Americanists, who are primarily historians and focus on various aspects of American issues that led to U.S. involvement (although the Asianists denounce the absence of Vietnam history and culture in this approac h), and 3) Literature/Pop-culture, which Dunn contends too rarely have "the analytical tools of the historian and the political scientist." Good Morning, Vietnam proves to have a slight leaning to this second category, but an overwhelming influence by the third. How then does the film attempt to justify it's blatant entertainment orientation It does this through a small inserts of liberal efforts of social equality. Cronauer seeks to equalize the military hierarchy by constantly lampooning the upper echelon. Likewise, Jimmy Wah's, a place where there has been a small measure of cultural acculturation in so far as the Vietnamese are benefiting from American presence (and exploitation), is the only real battleground in which Cronauer struggles for Vietnamese equality, i.e. the right to patron the bar. Unfortunately, the Vietnamese is only lightly touched upon by Tuan and his sister, and then only in lamenting the impact of America on an already war-torn culture.

Advertising and promotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Advertising and promotion - Essay Example This paper aims to explore the role of advertising as part of the integrated approach to marketing communications as well as some relevant models and theories that can help explain the process of communication. This is showed through relevant examples through real-life applications of companies and brand owners of these concepts. Lastly, this paper aims to explore the new trends in the integrated marketing communications industry with changes that are prompted by the onset of new technology. Advertising has a distinct characteristic both as a strong force and a weak force in communicating with consumer (Jones 1990, 233-246). The advertising functions role in the overall marketing communications mix of the company depends on whether the advertising should be used as a strong force, or a weak force. In the older times, advertising has always been viewed as a strong force—it is the main function that is being used by companies to promote products. With advertising, brands are created as they help gain peoples attention, and later on create attitudes toward these brands (Duncan 2005). When advertising is used as a strong force, it is usually aimed to create awareness from the target audience (Jones 1990, 233-246). This is apparent in an advertisement campaign which is developed in the late 1990s for the Meat & Livestock Commission: The advertising developed by BMP DDB, ‘Recipe for love’, first slowed and then reversed the market decline. The ads ‘dramatised the unique pleasures of red meat meals’ and ‘encouraged people to make a little more effort and cook them more frequently (instead of ready meals, chicken and so on)’. There was also a ‘reassurance’ campaign that gave basic information about the nutritional benefits of red meat. Sales of both beef and all red meat grew in 1997 over 1996 (Broadbent 2008, 763). However, other people believe that advertising, in

Strategies Which President Lincoln used Essay Example for Free

Strategies Which President Lincoln used Essay All great speeches contain ingenious rhetorical strategies. It is a great way to captivate and relate the gist of it all to the audience. In his second Inaugural address, Abraham Lincolns purpose was to reflect on the ever-lasting Civil War and look forth to peace. His strategy is to convey his view with God as his witness. President Lincoln successfully achieves his purpose of contemplating the effects of the Civil War and offering his vision for the future of the nation, using meaningful rhetorical strategies. Lincoln understood there was no need for a lengthy address, instead a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper (4-5). He lets everybody know what to expect from his second oath of the Presidential office. He is direct and relevant. In the third paragraph he reveals the reason for the war, All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union (31-35). This metaphorical interest Lincoln refers to is the colored slaves localized in the southern part of the Union. This metaphor serves to re-collect the idea of the malice slavery has brought to the nation and how little the government has helped to put a stop to it. He interacts with the audience by proposing the authoritative scheme put forth by the Almighty God. Religion is his basis for his testimony, being his most apparent rhetorical strategy. He continues in his third paragraph with a influential biblical allusion, Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh (50-53). This allusion refers to the offense America has committed, in providence of God, which brings the misfortune North and South has experienced. His clever parallelism, Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away (61-63), serves to put emphasis on the magnitude of the problems war has brought forth and how crucial it is to cease. Lincoln uses inclusive rhetorical strategies to accomplish his purpose to reflect on the Civil War and offer his vision for the future of the nation, With malice toward none, and with charity for all (70).

Ethics And Scandals In Financial Reporting Accounting Essay

Ethics And Scandals In Financial Reporting Accounting Essay Integrity is of utmost importance for a successful career in business and finance in the long run. Some believe that the world of finance lacks ethical considerations. Whereas the truth is that such issues are prevalent in all areas of business. The business environment in much of the world is reeling from the revelation of several financial scandals in the past few years. The optimism of the turn of the century has been replaced by scepticism and distrust. It will be discussed as to how we landed ourselves in this situation, what is being done to correct it, and what the future holds for us. Though Enron has been used as the poster-child for this purpose, breakdowns in accounting and corporate governance in Enron as well as in other companies will be discussed. Some companies that have encountered financial reporting problems will be discussed along with the role of auditors (including Andersens role in Enron), the regulatory environment, some of the causes of the problems, and the current and possible future outcomes. Ethics and Accounting Ethics (maintaining true and fair statements) is a key part of financial reporting. For shareholders to trust a company with money, they must feel confident in the companys financial reporting. Financial reporting presents all data relating to the entitys  current, historical and projected health meaning investors and shareholders rely upon the available financial data for making informed and educated decisions. To help entities comply with business regulations and maintain financial reporting, shareholders can trust the existing organizations designed to watchdog different aspects of the accounting world. Primary among the organizations are the Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC), Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). These three bodies together ensure financial reporting is fair, reliable, and available to all investors. The specific importance of ethics in business and in financial reporting is to inspire and ensure public and investor confidence in companies. Without a strong code of ethics, and adherence to that code, individuals may not be certain their investments are secure. Accounting professionals must have a strong ethical and moral reasoning as their decisions regarding financial reporting can have major consequences for individuals as well as corporations and entire nations. Ethics in the business environment are more than just issues that relate to accounting; because ethical practices can and will cross boundaries from business practice in to what a company may ask its accounting professionals to do in financial record-keeping and recording. The many recent scandals involving accounting fraud generally began at the CEO and made their way down into the financial records. Before the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, various financial abuses such as WorldCom, Enron, and Adelphia Communications plagued the American public and affected economic health of the entire nation adversely. Most of these frauds stemmed from unethical accounting practices instituted at the highest levels of the corporations, but carried out in the financial reporting practices of public accounting firms. In December 2001, Enron, which used to be one of the worlds leading energy companies once, filed the largest bankruptcy in the history of the U.S., using the retirement accounts of thousands of American workers, to enrich those at the highest levels of the corporation. Using thousands of off-the-records partnerships to hide nearly $1 billion in debt and to inflate profits, company had defrauded shareholders of billions. Due to these scandals, President Bush and Congress were forced to take tough stance in the form of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in July of 2002. When ethics seem to be on the downfall in a society, the common man naturally turns to the government for guidance. Various crises in the history of the United States have led to creation of several regulatory bodies and laws. The three entities in the US, mentioned above, work closely together to ensure financial accounting is honest. The SEC, the FASB, and the PCAOB are each an independent entity, but they often work in cooperation in certain areas such as oversight and reporting. While these three bodies work together, they rely on cooperation from member companies and from participation from whistle-blowers in companies and public citizens. As the Enron collapse illustrated, there were systemic failures in the private-sector watchdog-groups. The SEC and the PCAOB must work closely together and include way to fast-track criminal cases. Enron and other financial reporting scandals Enron was a great symbol of widespread problem in corporate America as its rise was as spectacular as its fall. Enron, formed in 1985 when Internorth purchased Houston Natural Gas was soon being run mainly by Houston Natural Gas executives, with Ken Lay as CEO. In 1990, both Jeffrey Skilling and Andy Fastow were hired. In 1996, Skilling became the President and COO. A meteoric rise in both reputation and stock value came by, with Enron being named as one of Fortunes most admired companies in 2001 and its stock price peaking at $90.56 a share as on August 23, 2000. Much of the companys success was credited to the financial wizardry of Fastow. However, companys fall was just around the corner, with Skilling resigning in August of 2001. This was followed by a $1.2 billion write-off, and the beginning of an SEC investigation in October. By December, Enron had declared bankruptcy and the share price was $.26 per share. If Enron had been a lone case, concern would have dissipated quickly and confidence in capital markets would not have plumped. But it was not so. Before Enron, there were companies such as Waste Management and Sunbeam not significant by themselves, but they should have acted as a warning of what was to come. After Enron the disclosures kept coming. WorldCom was caught capitalizing expenses. While Enron was trying to outsmart the accounting and capital market regulators, WorldCom made accounting errors that even novice accounting students would know were inappropriate. A disturbing aspect of many of these scandals is the collusion among many executives. An important observation is that all of these scandals cant be attributed to one factor alone. Each one was different. Hence it can be concluded that the solution is not easy to find. There is no single accounting practice that made these entities vulnerable to executive excesses. What these scandals had in common was a culture that was pervasive in corporations. A culture had come in that made it permissible to lie to shareholders and the markets. The ends justify the means became the corporate mantra. Also, the watchdogs, the auditors had turned a blind eye with their focus just on their consulting businesses. They were not as vigilant as they should have been in audits. The auditors role in ensuring fair play Auditors are supposed to protect the public from the types of abuses that have been seen in the past. Even though financial statements are responsibility of management, the shareholders hire auditors for the protection of their interests and to add credibility to financial information provided by the firms. To be credible, auditors need both expertise and integrity. Expertise assures if there is a financial reporting irregularity, the auditor has the capacity to discover it. Integrity assures that auditors will disclose any irregularity they may find. These two qualities are essential. They are also multiplicative that is if either is missing, other has no value. It has been found that both were missing in many cases. Expertise was missing as audits had come under cost cutting measures of firms. This happened often at the cost of quality. Integrity was gone when auditors forgot that the first allegiance of a professional is to the public. Seldom did auditors betray management for the benefit of the public. Hence, even if they did discover reporting problems, rather than reporting them to the public they often helped management devise ways around the reporting problems. Auditors fell into this position (probably not because they were incompetent or unethical but) because of the cultures in major accounting firms. Andersen, Enrons auditor, is a classic example. There were good auditors who got caught up in an economic struggle leading to undue focus on revenue generation. An audit firm having the highest reputation for competence and integrity compromised on its values as that was the only way its partners thought to be economically competitive. In the more recent Satyam case in India, the fraud started at the top level management and reached the financial records. The role of Pricewaterhouse, Satyams auditor, is also controversial in the said scandal. Causes of financial reporting problems The regulatory environment had not changed suddenly then why did the financial reporting problems surface at the time, is a question to be pondered upon. There are many reasons, not one that dominates. It was a confluence of circumstances that opened eyes to the problems. The bursting of the bubble economy was a major reason these financial abuses came to light. When everything was seemed bright, nobody questioned companies financial reports. In accounting the lack of relevance of historical cost accounting and even the basic traditional accounting framework were being discussed. The new economy was not to last forever. And when it did not last, investors began to ask tough questions. For many of the questions, there were no answers only denials and cover-ups. In the auditing profession, audits had become loss leaders. The balance sheets and income statements had lost value, so auditing of the statements was not important. Thus, many audits became hasty and more of a formality. No one was willing to pay for quality audits, so many audit firms believed there remained no sense in competing on the basis of quality. Cost drove audit decisions. Lower cost even with lower quality was the norm. The passivity of corporate boards was also a contributor. This was worsened by the growing number of complex financial transactions, most of which were beyond understanding of board members, who had gained their experience before such instruments came into being. Even a former accounting professor heading Enrons Audit Committee, a person of utmost integrity, had difficulty understanding the implications of the companys financial manoeuvring. Finally, the biggest culprit is the corporate culture. Focus was laid on short-term gains forgetting about all long-run considerations. Also the executive scorecard became focused on salary. Many players had become greedy executives, investors, and attorney, among others but more than that was the need to compete on the basis of compensation. Implications for accounting educators The perpetrators of most of financial reporting scandals are former students, graduates of accounting or MBA programs. So educators must ask themselves: What are they doing wrong and what must they do to fix the problems? The first obvious reaction is to emphasize ethics in business and accounting curricula. This is important. Educators in a business ethics class can not dissuade someone who is inclined to commit a fraud from doing so. But it is also true that most perpetrators did not at the onset set out to commit a fraud. They simply got ended up on a slippery zone. Also, the most disappointing aspect about most of the scandals is the number of people who, (though not personally involved) knew what was happening and still did nothing. Exceptions to the rule are some courageous whistle blowers, many of whom were products of university accounting programs. Thus, the focus of ethics classes should be to recognize and analyse the situations that can lead to compromise on ones ideals and values, and to promote the reporting of inappropriate behaviour. This can be best done in context because ethics issues come up in context, with you imagining yourself in the real situation. It is easy to go into an ethics class and give the answer that the instructor wants. It is an altogether different thing to put ones self in a case situation with conflicting pressures, and determine the appropriate action when ethics is only one of the many factors impacting your decision. Conclusion The accounting profession is in the middle of a challenging time. A reputation gained over years and decades can be lost in a day. Accountants were thought of as persons of high integrity working at an uninteresting job. In the current scenario the job has gotten more interesting, but at the cost of their reputation for integrity. It is essential to win back the trust of the public and maintain their belief in the importance of accounting. The road to restoring integrity of accountants today is a long one. The job will neither be quick nor easy, with the new series of financial reporting scandals that have come up.

Comparing William Bennetts Leave Marriage Alone and Andrew Sullivans

What is marriage? For thousands years, marriage has been a combination between a man and a woman. When they love each other, they decide to live together. That is marriage. But what will love happen between two same sex persons? Will they marry? Is their marriage acceptable? It is the argument between two authors: William J. Bennett and Andrew Sullivan. The two authors come from different countries and have different opinion about same sex marriage. Sullivan agrees with the gay marriage because of human right, on the other hand, Bennett contradicts his idea because he believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Even though their theories are totally different, their opinions are very well established. In Bennett’s essay, he does not want to support gay-marriage so he provides evidences as to why it is a bad idea. In his opinion, marriage is a connection of a husband and a wife. On the other hand, gay marriage is a damage of this society because he doesn’t think same sex marriage is actually a marriage. First of all, he believes â€Å"same sex marriages would do significant, long term social damage† (Bennett 177). At this point, I don’t agree with him because in my opinion, gay people do not harm the society except decreasing population in a passive action but it is not the main deterioration to be long term or significant. As everyone knows, beside gay marriage, abortion is also the hot issue of the world especially with the religion today. Why do they have to get rid of their â€Å"blood†? When they love each other so much, they get married or have sex before marriage (it’s very normal with teenager today), and then when the love is bro ken, they decide to abort or in other word, they want to kill their ba... ...riendship, or the love to your friends. After reading two different essays, I think why we have to struggle with those things we don’t have to. Why don’t we just let it go and love will answer everything? In conclusion, same sex marriage is not a problem; the problem is how we can live together with it. I’m a Christian so basically, I don’t support gay marriage but when I think about human right, I feel it is not a dangerous problem for us. If they love each other, let them marry and they will solve that problem by themselves. Who knows after gay law is passed, no one want to marry with same sex person any more. So just let it is solve by itself. Sources Cited William Bennett, Leave Marriage Alone Andrew Sullivan, Let Gays Marry An Exchange on Same-Sex Marriage - William Bennett and Andrew Sullivan http://faculty.mc3.edu/barmstro/sullivan.html

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Mount Vernon; George Washington's Mansion There are many historic Memorial in the United States, but Mount Vernon is the most popular and visited site. It is one of the most unique home built in the eighteenth century. Thousands of people visit Mount Vernon yearly become educated about the life of George Washington and how he lived. Mount Vernon is a beautiful, luxurious estate home to the first president of our country, George Washington. Mount Vernon sits at 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Washington’s family owned the land since the time of Washington’s great grandfather in 1674. Washington older brother owned the land until he died in 1752. Lawrence’s will said that his widow should own a life at Mount Vernon. Two years after George’s brother died, George began leasing the land from Lawrence’s widow, Anne Fairfax. George got possession of the estate in 1754, but did not become it’s sole owner until 1761. In 1739 George Washington launched on an expansion of the estate. He constructed the mansion between 1757 and 1778. Its currently 11,028 square feet, ten times larger of an average home in colonial Virginia. Over four decades, Washington expanded and refurnished Mount Vernon twice. The architect of this estate is unknown, but George Washington is said to have many helpers and sources to constructing his dream home. The exterior of his mansion appears to look like stone, but is actually made of yellow pine siding.It is built of wood in a loose Palladian style. Most rooms at Mount Vernon have been touched up since George Washington and his wife, Martha, lived in the mansion. Mount Vernon is not only a mansion; it also includes the Ford Orientation Center, mansion outbuildings,Gardens, Martha and G... ...t. In the months March, September, and October, its opened from nine to five. In November through February the estate is open from nine to four. Mount Vernon is open 365 days a year. When travelling with a school group student’s tickets cost eight dollars, while adult tickets cost fourteen dollars. An adult chaperone is required to visit Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon will help our class understand how George Washington lived. This is an extremely important site because George Washington was the first leader of our country. I think our class will get a ton of information from visiting this ancient estate. Mount Vernon will remind why George Washington is called â€Å"the father of our country.† This gorgeous estate is a must see site. Its beauty and perfection will hopefully change they way we viewed how George Washington lived his life when he was not serving our country.

Film Review: All Quiet on the Western Front Essay

After being put through training camp under the harsh command of Corporal Himmelstoss, the group of friends is shipped out to the front lines. It is there that they see firsthand the tragic and often bloody effects of war. The film as a whole is told from the point of view of the Germans, which in my personal opinion takes away the romanticism that other films depicting this time period tended to include, and gave the movie more appeal because of what I felt was a more realistic, and less biased depiction. In All Quiet on the Western, we are given perspective from that of young German soldiers, and in providing the audience with this perspective, the Germans are humanized. This films message emphasizes the harsh reality of war, the fact that it took a toll on the ‘enemy’ as well, how pointless WW1 really was, and how preventable it could have been. After being persuaded to enlist in the army by their impassioned teacher Kantorek, Paul and his fellow classmates are quickly sent off to basic training. While there, they are under the command of the sadistic Himmelstoss. He is charged with training the young men, and does that but has an unfortunate penchant for harshly punishing anyone for even the smallest mistake. When their training is completed, the men are sent to the front lines, where they are put under the charge of Stanislaus Katczinsky. Katczinsky proves to be a much fairer and pleasant leader then Himmelstoss. It is by him that the boys are taught what is most important in the war and how to achieve it: staying alive. With an increasing number of encounters with the enemy, comes an increasing amount of casualties. After losing many of his friends throughout the efforts of war, and being injured himself, Paul returns home. But when there, finds himself uncomfortable with his old life, and readily returns to the front lines. Although I enjoyed the general premise of the plot, which in my knowledge seemed fairly realistic, there were several scenes and developments in the plot that I felt dragged on too long. One of which was when the boys were sent off to training camp, I felt that much of their time there that was shown was just them learning the same basic things over and over again, and this seemed to take up a reasonable amount of time without any real plot development. Overall, Paul’s transition from an innocent to a weary man knowledgeable in the ways of war is good as pot overall, but there were certain developments that tended to drag on pointlessly and had somewhat of a dulling effect on the movie. I have very limited knowledge on what a person who experienced, or had been in the process of experiencing WW1 should have been like, therefore my opinion on the following is just that of my personal opinion. I’m not sure if this really pertains to the actors and the portrayal of their character, but the majority of the characters in the film seemed to be very muted in their expression of opinion and emotions except for that of the character of Himmelstoss, who came off as more of a caricature. Although Richard Thomas does a decent enough job at giving his character some depth in his portrayal, such as the scene when Paul is left with only the company of a French soldier who is half alive because of previously being stabbed by Paul, this seems to serve as the only real look that we get at his inner turmoil. The direction in which the director has taken also seems somewhat stinted and drawn out. The issues pertaining to the war are addressed, but when being addressed are either paid extreme attention, or none at all. An example of the latter would be when Paul’s fellow soldier joins him in the hospital after having had his leg amputated. The film focuses on this plot development for such a drawn out amount, that the significance of it is somewhat lost. In contrast, there is a scene where Paul is witness to a fellow soldier suffering from the effects of mustard gas, and he seems like he is hardly affected by this brief occurrence, which is never mentioned again. From what I can tell the script was well written in accordance to the situation, and the narrations by Paul served to further the story rather then hinder it. Although at times the dialogue seemed somewhat lacking, I feel that during such situations dialogue would realistically be lacking. Considering that All Quiet on the Western front is a made for TV movie from the late 70’s, I can’t really get to into it’s technical quality. There were a few things though that I thought could have been improved in that area. One of which was the overall editing of the film. As I have said before, there were some seems that didn’t serve to further the movie at all, and some that were extended to a point of boredom. An example of such an instance were many of the battle scenes, which just seemed to drag on. The battle scenes also exhibited another flaw in the technical aspect of the movie, which was the exclusion of actual blood from the battle scenes. The lack of blood when it came to the battle scenes gave the film more of a contrived feel. The view that was afforded during the battle scenes was not the best either, the camera having a tendency to shy away when anything too gruesome, such as a bomb going off would occur. In this respect though it did allow the quality of sound affects to prevail, providing our imagination with at least some sense of the battlefield. As film overall, the film paints a picture and concludes in a way that stresses and conveys the director and writer’s point: The needless innocence was lost in a war that could have very well been avoided. Although the scenes tend to drag on in certain points, everything of importance is included in the film, which is better then leaving too many things out. The character in the film effectively play the role of the soldier, but can be lacking in certain parts, which leaves me confused as to if this is purposeful or not. The film could have shown more of the gory effects of war to really convey the severity of it to the audience, and could have delved deeper into it’s effects on the characters rather then pointlessly dragging on. But overall these things do not discourage the film from conveying it’s overall point, and the generally plot is one that is fresh and surprisingly enlightening.