Thursday, December 26, 2019
What You Need to Know about Surrogate Motherhood
What You Need to Know about Surrogate Motherhood Medical science has advanced to such a degree that two separate women can be involved in giving birth to one child. What was considered to be infertility just a couple of decades ago can be biologically conceivable today through surrogate motherhood. Surrogacy is normally sought for when a couple has difficulty in conceiving and bearing a child. This difficulty in conception can occur due to a variety of reasons. There could be biological, physiological and sometimes, even psychological reasons for difficulty in conception. A surrogate mother can be chosen as a substitute to bear the child instead of the real mother. In most cases, the sperm from the biological father would be used to fertilize the egg extracted from the biological mother. The fertilization process would take place in a Petri dish in a lab environment. Since the fertilization takes place outside the body in a glass-like container, it is called in vitro fertilization. The term â€Å"in vitro†means within the glass. Once the egg is fertilized, it is placed inside the surrogate mother’s uterus and is allowed to develop into a normal pregnancy. The rest of the pregnancy is totally identical to a normal pregnancy. If either of the biological parents is not capable of providing sperm or the egg, a donor might be used in their place. In some rare instances, when the biological mother cannot produce healthy eggs, the surrogate mother might be made to conceive through artificial insemination. But in this case, since the surrogate becomes the biological mother as well, there could be complications in the adoption process. The medical history of the surrogate should also be taken into account to ensure the health of the baby.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Problems in Raising New Funds Case of Briarwood Medical Equipment Study
Essays on Problems in Raising New Funds: Case of Briarwood Medical Equipment Case Study The paper "Problems in Raising New Funds: Case of Briarwood Medical Equipment" is a perfect example of a case study on finance and accounting. Briarwood Medical Equipment (BME) needs to raise capital for a $250 thousand expansion to meet customer demand. BME is a small business entity. The company can face many problems in raising new funds because it is not listed in the stock market. Below are listed some ideas of what might be most suitable.SELLING EQUITY STOCKS: the company has the option of selling its equity shares through IPO. The company can easily raise new finance through this method. On the other hand, this method will result in the liquidation of control. BME is a family business and management wants to retain the control of the business in the family. But this is only the method that carries low risk. BME has recently launched the IPO of common stock in the market. This means that potential investors will carry voting rights and control with their investment.BANK LOANS: BME can also raise new finance to meet customer demand through bank loans. The company can request a bank loan of $250 thousand. BME can also secure this loan on any of its business assets. On the other side of the coin, debt finance carries many risks with them. The bank can also impose some limitations on the company against the loan. As the BME is operating in the small business sector, then there is the possibility that the bank can demand a higher level of interest rates.        BUSINESS ANGELS AND VENTURE CAPITALISTS: BME can also consider the way of business angels and ventures capitalist to raise the finance of $25,000.CAPITAL ASSET PRICING MODEL:Capital asset pricing model shows how the minimum required return on a security depends on its risk (ACCA, 2010) The CAPM of the BME Company has been calculated belowCAPM = Rf + b (Rm-Rf)WhereRf = Risk-free return(Rm-Rf) = equity risk premium (sometimes referred to as average market risk premium)b = systemat ic risk of the investment compared to the market and therefore the amount of premium needed.Data for BME CompanyRf = 10% ;                            (Rm-Rf) = 5%;                                   b = 1.25CAPM = 10 + 1.25 (5)CAPM = 16.25% DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW:Discounted cash flow is a valuation method that is used to estimate the attractiveness of investment for potential investors. (Investopedia)DCF = Cf / ( 1 +r )1 + Cf / ( 1 +r )2 WhereCf = cash flow;                      r = Rate of returnData of BMECash flow 2012 = $260,000Cash flow 2013 = $270,000Rate of return = 16.25% (assumed from CAPM calculation)DCF = (260,000 / 1.1625) + (270,000 / 1.351)DCF = 423506RECOMMENDATIONSBME Company is seeking opportunities for raising new finance for $ 250,000 to meet with the customer demand. The management of the company is planning to raise new finance by issuing common stock. Common stock is another way of capital growth and capital returns (Investopedia). On the basis of CAPM calculation, BME has a return of 16.25% which is higher than the market rate. This means that the common new common stock will give a higher level of returns. The value of discounted cash flow seems good in relation to new investment. The revenue projections are also showing a constant increase in the revenue in the result of new investment in common stock.RECOMMENDATIONS TO BME:The idea of raising new finance by issuing new common stock is good, but the management needs to consider the division of control of current shareholders. Current shareholders will lose their control and voting rights because the common stockholders have more voting and control rights due to the nature of their investment. (ACCA, Financial Management, 2008).          RECOMMENDATION FOR POTENTIAL INVESTORS:The investment in the BME Company can give good value to the money of potential investors. The company is performing well and it is expected that the new investment will generate a higher level of returns in future years. In addition, BME is paying a constant level of dividends to its shareholders. As the company is expected to grow its performance in future years so it is the possibility that the company will increase the level of dividends in the near future. Capital growth and wealth maximization is another main thing that a shareholder wants (ACCA, Financial Management, 2008). According to CAPM calculation and future projections, it is expected that the shareholder’s wealth will increase in the near future. In short, on the basis of given data potential investors can give good value to their money by investing in the BME company.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Plastic Pink Flamingo free essay sample
Jennifer Price in her essay â€Å"The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A natural History†, provides the reader with a brief account of a fad(belief) during the 1950’s. While narrating the article with an informative, ironic tone, Price includes an abundance of details to present her narrative tone. While doing so she embeds her own views on the United States culture as overly commercialized and fickle. The sudden â€Å"splash†of the pink flamingo into the fifties is a result of materialistic nature. The ironic tone in the introduction â€Å"boldness†serves a double purpose of real flamingos extinction hunted by Americans in the 1800s. Besides lighting up the atmosphere, Price’s satire also emphasizes her views such as â€Å"Bugsy†Siegel who built Las Vegas. She states the obvious by claiming that the two major reasons the flamingo became popular is because it is a â€Å"flamingo†and that it was pink, and she’s right. We will write a custom essay sample on Plastic Pink Flamingo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The flamingo had been â€Å"hunted to extinction†in the 1800s and conveyed one century later, Americans enshrined the pink plastic version. It was conveyed by placing it on their front lawns. This was chain effect. As a result of Miami Beach’s first grand hotel, the Flamingo, the bird became â€Å"synonymous with wealth. †American entrepreneurs took this opportunity to redesign the bird from ground up. They painted it pink which Marling states was â€Å"the hottest color of the decade†and plasticized it. Unlike other venerated figures of the past, such as the many religious idols, this plastic bird has no history at all. Still, it became â€Å"an instant hit. †It stands for nothing, perhaps just the flamboyance and commercialization of American culture and this is what Price criticizes. The importance of the â€Å"Pink Flamingos†was emblematic of leisure and affluence. American veneration of this â€Å"thingamajig†has resulted purely from these two simple reasons, plus the work of clever entrepreneurs. Price views Americans at the present day as simpletons that would pursue anything that is popular, even a plastic bird. Price’s logic establishes her credibility â€Å"it remains a major motif in art, dance, and literature†where in other countries such as Egypt, Caribbean, and in Mexico it is still as new and stunning just as the old days. The â€Å"boldness†of the pink flamingo represents the wealth of American people in 1950s.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Short Story Sonny Blues free essay sample
It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less. †(Baldwin 600) This is not the only time that the ice presents itself. It reappears when the narrator meets one of Sonny’s friends who is also a drug addict, and again later when Sonny is over for dinner with the narrator’s family. The ice that appears whenever the narrator feels an uncomfortable or painful situation represents how the narrator is incapable of dealing with his own emotions well. The ice also allows the reader to empathize with how the narrator feels about how his brother is leading his life. Another symbol Baldwin uses throughout Sonny’s Blues is light and darkness. Throughout the story there is a contrast of light and darkness. For example, in the first paragraph of the story, Sonny’s Blues Baldwin writes, â€Å"I stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside. We will write a custom essay sample on Short Story Sonny Blues or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page †(Baldwin 599) This contrasts the lightness and the darkness. It demonstrates the contrast between his own suffering and the world around him and the suffering of the world. Another example of lightness and darkness Baldwin uses in the short story is when the narrator’s mother is recalling the story of the narrator’s father and his brother she says â€Å"there was a moon that night, it was bright like day. †(Baldwin 607) This is when the narrator’s father and his brother are having a good time and walking home. This brightness of the moon is used to represent the light, which represents all the hope and good things in life. The narrator’s mother later recalls, â€Å"he says he never in his life seen anything as dark as that road after the lights of that car had gone away. (Baldwin 608) Referring to after the narrator’s father’s brother had been hit and killed. The color of the men’s skin also represents the contrast between light and darkness. The men that killed the narrator’s father’s brother were all white and the other two men were dark skinned. This is also an example of the con trasting of light and dark. This shows how the difference of something in the same situation can both have two different results. Meaning that both the light men and the dark men were drunk. They were each also having fun. The situations were both similar, but the end results of each situation were very different. One of the dark men lost their life to the light men. The darkness is used to represent the tormenting and dark moments in the characters lives. The darkness however is always stabilized with lightness. Just like the dark road was stabilized with the lightness of the car lights. This light is used to signify safety and comfort, while the darkness represents the turmoil also looking to destroy that safety and comfort. Another way Baldwin symbolizes the overall theme of suffering is through the character’s facial expressions and interactions. Baldwin writes â€Å"And I watched her face as she laughingly responded to something someone said to her, still keeping time to the music. When she smiled one saw the little girl, one sensed the doomed, still struggling women beneath the battered face of the semi-whore. †(Baldwin 602) This shows that even under her â€Å"battered face†there was still a glimpse of when she was young. The narrator can see her as a young innocent little girl. This shows the reader that there is hope even in suffering. Baldwin is also trying to get his point across that even though one may suffer, the suffering will not change the past and whom you are or have become. Another example of how Baldwin incorporates the facial expressions of his characters to help promote the overall theme of suffering is when the narrator is on the subway in the first few sentences of the short story. He writes, â€Å"I stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces of the bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness. †(Baldwin 600) This illustrates that not only does the narrator feel and see suffering inside himself and his own face, but he also sees it inside the faces of others and the surroundings around him. This also proves that the overall effect of suffering is visible to one who is suffering themselves, like that of the narrators. Baldwin also promotes the theme of Sonny’s Blues by using the presence of music. The entire short story is loaded with occasions of music. The overall title of the story even contains music. â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, promotes the tone and theme of suffering throughout the entire story. It provides the reader with information that there will be suffering in the story. Giving them an idea of what is to come before even being read. Another example of music is Sonny’s growing love for playing the piano. The narrator states â€Å"†¦Sonny was so serious about his music and how, as soon as he came in from school, †¦he went straight to that piano and stayed there until suppertime. †, â€Å"He was at the piano all day Saturday and all day Sunday. †(Baldwin 612) This tells the reader of Sonny’s love for music. It illustrates how the music is Sonny’s safety and allows him to not suffer. When Baldwin makes it clear to the reader that Isabel and her mother grow tired of the music, â€Å"it wasn’t like living with a person at all, it was like living with sound. And the sound didn’t make any sense to her, didn’t make any sense to any of them – naturally. (Baldwin 612) This proves that music can both heal suffering but also create it. The music for Sonny was a safety. To Sonny the music made him feel at ease and helped to subside his suffering. It wasn’t until after Sonny stopped playing the piano and his records that he began to truly feel the power of his suffering. Although the music was a medicine to Sonny’s suffering, it was the cause of suffering for Isabel and her mother. This suffering caused Isabel’s mother to snap and yell at Sonny. This caused Sonny to stop playing the piano and thus the true suffering began. Another example of suffering and music is when the narrator witnesses the meeting on the corner. He watches the battered people play their music and notices their suffering. He says, â€Å"As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on something within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them; and time seemed, nearly, to fall away from the sullen, belligerent, battered faces, as though they were fleeing back to their first condition, while dreaming of their last. †(Baldwin 615) Showing again how music can be a safety and a rescuer to not only Sonny but others as well. By the narrator stating this it shows that it is noticeable of the change in expression music brings as it lessens the sufferings of those who play. â€Å"Sonny’s fingers filled the air with life, his life. †(Baldwin 620) Near the end of Baldwin’s story Sonny plays his music once again. To most, the music Sonny plays is merely for entertainment. But to some it is a story, Sonny’s story. As Sonny plays, the narrator notices the things his brother has been through and felt. While Sonny plays the narrator notices both his brother’s suffering as well as his own.
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