He ran headlong at me: I felt him grasp my hair and my shoulder:
he had closed with a desperate thing. I really saw in him a tyrant,
a murderer. I felt a drop or two of blood from my head trickle
down my neck, and was sensible of somewhat pungent suffering: these
sensations for the time predominated over fear, and I received him
in frantic sort. I don’t very well know what I did with my hands,
but he called me “Rat! Rat!” and bellowed out aloud. Aid was
near him: Eliza and Georgiana had run for Mrs. Reed, who was gone
upstairs: she now came upon the scene, followed by Bessie
and her maid Abbot. We were parted: I heard the words –
“Dear! dear! What a fury to fly at Master John!”
“Did ever anybody see such a picture of passion!”
Then Mrs. Reed subjoined –
“Take her away to the red-room, and lock her in there.” Four hands
were immediately laid upon me, and I was borne upstairs.
CHAPTER II
I resisted all the way: a new thing for me, and a circumstance
which greatly strengthened the bad opinion Bessie and Miss Abbot
page 14 / 853
were disposed to entertain of me. The fact is, I was a trifle
beside myself; or rather OUT of myself, as the French would say:
I was conscious that a moment’s mutiny had already rendered me
liable to strange penalties, and, like any other rebel slave, I
felt resolved, in my desperation, to go all lengths.
“Hold her arms, Miss Abbot: she’s like a mad cat.”
“For shame! for shame!” cried the lady’s-maid. “What shocking
conduct, Miss Eyre, to strike a young gentleman, your benefactress’s
son! Your young master.”
“Master! How is he my master? Am I a servant?”
“No; you are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep.
There, sit down, and think over your wickedness.”
They had got me by this time into the apartment indicated by Mrs.
Reed, and had thrust me upon a stool: my impulse was to rise from
it like a spring; their two pair of hands arrested me instantly.
“If you don’t sit still, you must be tied down,” said Bessie. “Miss
Abbot, lend me your garters; she would break mine directly.”
page 15 / 853
Miss Abbot turned to divest a stout leg of the necessary ligature.
This preparation for bonds, and the additional ignominy it inferred,
took a little of the excitement out of me.
“Don’t take them off,” I cried; “I will not stir.”
In guarantee whereof, I attached myself to my seat by my hands.
“Mind you don’t,” said Bessie; and when she had ascertained that
I was really subsiding, she loosened her hold of me; then she and
Miss Abbot stood with folded arms, looking darkly and doubtfully
on my face, as incredulous of my sanity.
“She never did so before,” at last said Bessie, turning to the
Abigail.
“But it was always in her,” was the reply. “I’ve told Missis often
my opinion about the child, and Missis agreed with me. She’s an
underhand little thing: I never saw a girl of her age with so much
cover.”
Bessie answered not; but ere long, addressing me, she said — “You
ought to be aware, Miss, that you are under obligations to Mrs.
Reed: she keeps you: if she were to turn you off, you would have
to go to the poorhouse.”
page 16 / 853
I had nothing to say to these words: they were not new to me: my
very first recollections of existence included hints of the same
kind. This reproach of my dependence had become a vague sing-song
in my ear: very painful and crushing, but only half intelligible.
Miss Abbot joined in –
“And you ought not to think yourself on an equality with the Misses
Reed and Master Reed, because Missis kindly allows you to be brought
up with them. They will have a great deal of money, and you will
have none: it is your place to be humble, and to try to make
yourself agreeable to them.”
“What we tell you is for your good,” added Bessie, in no harsh
voice, “you should try to be useful and pleasant, then, perhaps,
you would have a home here; but if you become passionate and rude,
Missis will send you away, I am sure.”
“Besides,” said Miss Abbot, “God will punish her: He might strike
her dead in the midst of her tantrums, and then where would she go?
Come, Bessie, we will leave her: I wouldn’t have her heart for
anything. Say your prayers, Miss Eyre, when you are by yourself;
for if you don’t repent, something bad might be permitted to come
down the chimney and fetch you away.”
page 17 / 853
They went, shutting the door, and locking it behind them.
The red-room was a square chamber, very seldom slept in, I might
say never, indeed, unless when a chance influx of visitors at
Gateshead Hall rendered it necessary to turn to account all the
accommodation it contained: yet it was one of the largest and
stateliest chambers in the mansion. A bed supported on massive
pillars of mahogany, hung with curtains of deep red damask, stood
out like a tabernacle in the centre; the two large windows, with
their blinds always drawn down, were half shrouded in festoons
and falls of similar drapery; the carpet was red; the table at the
foot of the bed was covered with a crimson cloth; the walls were
a soft fawn colour with a blush of pink in it; the wardrobe, the
toilet-table, the chairs were of darkly polished old mahogany. Out
of these deep surrounding shades rose high, and glared white, the
piled-up mattresses and pillows of the bed, spread with a snowy
Marseilles counterpane. Scarcely less prominent was an ample
cushioned easy-chair near the head of the bed, also white, with a
footstool before it; and looking, as I thought, like a pale throne.
This room was chill, because it seldom had a fire; it was silent,
because remote from the nursery and kitchen; solemn, because it
was known to be so seldom entered. The house-maid alone came here
on Saturdays, to wipe from the mirrors and the furniture a week’s
quiet dust: and Mrs. Reed herself, at far intervals, visited it
to review the contents of a certain secret drawer in the wardrobe,
where were stored divers parchments, her jewel-casket, and a miniature
page 18 / 853
of her deceased husband; and in those last words lies the secret
of the red-room — the spell which kept it so lonely in spite of
its grandeur.
Mr. Reed had been dead nine years: it was in this chamber he breathed
his last; here he lay in state; hence his coffin was borne by the
undertaker’s men; and, since that day, a sense of dreary consecration
had guarded it from frequent intrusion.
My seat, to which Bessie and the bitter Miss Abbot had left me
riveted, was a low ottoman near the marble chimney-piece; the bed
rose before me; to my right hand there was the high, dark wardrobe,
with subdued, broken reflections varying the gloss of its panels;
to my left were the muffled windows; a great looking-glass between
them repeated the vacant majesty of the bed and room. I was not
quite sure whether they had locked the door; and when I dared move,
I got up and went to see. Alas! yes: no jail was ever more secure.
Returning, I had to cross before the looking-glass; my fascinated
glance involuntarily explored the depth it revealed. All looked
colder and darker in that visionary hollow than in reality: and
the strange little figure there gazing at me, with a white face and
arms specking the gloom, and glittering eyes of fear moving where
all else was still, had the effect of a real spirit: I thought
it like one of the tiny phantoms, half fairy, half imp, Bessie’s
evening stories represented as coming out of lone, ferny dells
in moors, and appearing before the eyes of belated travellers. I
returned to my stool.
page 19 / 853
Superstition was with me at that moment; but it was not yet her
hour for complete victory: my blood was still warm; the mood of
the revolted slave was still bracing me with its bitter vigour; I
had to stem a rapid rush of retrospective thought before I quailed
to the dismal present.
All John Reed’s violent tyrannies, all his sisters’ proud indifference,
all his mother’s aversion, all the servants’ partiality, turned
up in my disturbed mind like a dark deposit in a turbid well. Why
was I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, for
ever condemned? Why could I never please? Why was it useless to
try to win any one’s favour? Eliza, who was headstrong and selfish,
was respected. Georgiana, who had a spoiled temper, a very acrid
spite, a captious and insolent carriage, was universally indulged.
Her beauty, her pink cheeks and golden curls, seemed to give delight
to all who looked at her, and to purchase indemnity for every fault.
John no one thwarted, much less punished; though he twisted the
necks of the pigeons, killed the little pea-chicks, set the dogs
at the sheep, stripped the hothouse vines of their fruit, and broke
the buds off the choicest plants in the conservatory: he called
his mother “old girl,” too; sometimes reviled her for her dark skin,
similar to his own; bluntly disregarded her wishes; not unfrequently
tore and spoiled her silk attire; and he was still “her own darling.”
I dared commit no fault: I strove to fulfil every duty; and I was
termed naughty and tiresome, sullen and sneaking, from morning to
noon, and from noon to night.
page 20 / 853
My head still ached and bled with the blow and fall I had received:
no one had reproved John for wantonly striking me; and because I
had turned against him to avert farther irrational violence, I was
loaded with general opprobrium.
“Unjust! — unjust!” said my reason, forced by the agonising
stimulus into precocious though transitory power: and Resolve,
equally wrought up, instigated some strange expedient to achieve
escape from insupportable oppression — as running away, or, if that
could not be effected, never eating or drinking more, and letting
myself die.
What a consternation of soul was mine that dreary afternoon! How
all my brain was in tumult, and all my heart in insurrection!
Yet in what darkness, what dense ignorance, was the mental battle
fought! I could not answer the ceaseless inward question — WHY I
thus suffered; now, at the distance of — I will not say how many
years, I see it clearly.
I was a discord in Gateshead Hall: I was like nobody there; I had
nothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her children, or her chosen
vassalage. If they did not love me, in fact, as little did I love
them. They were not bound to regard with affection a thing that
could not sympathise with one amongst them; a heterogeneous thing,
opposed to them in temperament, in capacity, in propensities; a
page 21 / 853
useless thing, incapable of serving their interest, or adding to
their pleasure; a noxious thing, cherishing the germs of indignation
at their treatment, of contempt of their judgment. I know that
had I been a sanguine, brilliant, careless, exacting, handsome,
romping child — though equally dependent and friendless — Mrs. Reed
would have endured my presence more complacently; her children would
have entertained for me more of the cordiality of fellow-feeling;
the servants would have been less prone to make me the scapegoat
of the nursery.
Daylight began to forsake the red-room; it was past four o’clock,
and the beclouded afternoon was tending to drear twilight. I heard
the rain still beating continuously on the staircase window, and
the wind howling in the grove behind the hall; I grew by degrees
cold as a stone, and then my courage sank. My habitual mood of
humiliation, self-doubt, forlorn depression, fell damp on the embers
of my decaying ire. All said I was wicked, and perhaps I might be
so; what thought had I been but just conceiving of starving myself
to death? That certainly was a crime: and was I fit to die? Or
was the vault under the chancel of Gateshead Church an inviting
bourne? In such vault I had been told did Mr. Reed lie buried;
and led by this thought to recall his idea, I dwelt on it with
gathering dread. I could not remember him; but I knew that he was
my own uncle — my mother’s brother — that he had taken me when
a parentless infant to his house; and that in his last moments he
had required a promise of Mrs. Reed that she would rear and maintain
me as one of her own children. Mrs. Reed probably considered she
page 22 / 853
had kept this promise; and so she had, I dare say, as well as her
nature would permit her; but how could she really like an interloper
not of her race, and unconnected with her, after her husband’s
death, by any tie? It must have been most irksome to find herself
bound by a hard-wrung pledge to stand in the stead of a parent to
a strange child she could not love, and to see an uncongenial alien
permanently intruded on her own family group.
A singular notion dawned upon me. I doubted not — never doubted
— that if Mr. Reed had been alive he would have treated me kindly;
and now, as I sat looking at the white bed and overshadowed walls
— occasionally also turning a fascinated eye towards the dimly
gleaning mirror — I began to recall what I had heard of dead men,
troubled in their graves by the violation of their last wishes,
revisiting the earth to punish the perjured and avenge the oppressed;
and I thought Mr. Reed’s spirit, harassed by the wrongs of his
sister’s child, might quit its abode — whether in the church vault
or in the unknown world of the departed — and rise before me in
this chamber. I wiped my tears and hushed my sobs, fearful lest
any sign of violent grief might waken a preternatural voice to
comfort me, or elicit from the gloom some haloed face, bending over
me with strange pity. This idea, consolatory in theory, I felt
would be terrible if realised: with all my might I endeavoured
to stifle it — I endeavoured to be firm. Shaking my hair from
my eyes, I lifted my head and tried to look boldly round the dark
room; at this moment a light gleamed on the wall. Was it, I asked
myself, a ray from the moon penetrating some aperture in the blind?
page 23 / 853
No; moonlight was still, and this stirred; while I gazed, it glided
up to the ceiling and quivered over my head. I can now conjecture
readily that this streak of light was, in all likelihood, a gleam
from a lantern carried by some one across the lawn: but then,
prepared as my mind was for horror, shaken as my nerves were by
agitation, I thought the swift darting beam was a herald of some
coming vision from another world. My heart beat thick, my head grew
hot; a sound filled my ears, which I deemed the rushing of wings;
something seemed near me; I was oppressed, suffocated: endurance
broke down; I rushed to the door and shook the lock in desperate
effort. Steps came running along the outer passage; the key turned,
Bessie and Abbot entered.
“Miss Eyre, are you ill?” said Bessie.
“What a dreadful noise! it went quite through me!” exclaimed
Abbot.
“Take me out! Let me go into the nursery!” was my cry.
“What for? Are you hurt? Have you seen something?” again demanded
Bessie.
“Oh! I saw a light, and I thought a ghost would come.” I had now
got hold of Bessie’s hand, and she did not snatch it from me.
page 24 / 853
“She has screamed out on purpose,” declared Abbot, in some disgust.
“And what a scream! If she had been in great pain one would have
excused it, but she only wanted to bring us all here: I know her
naughty tricks.”
“What is all this?” demanded another voice peremptorily; and Mrs.
Reed came along the corridor, her cap flying wide, her gown rustling
stormily. “Abbot and Bessie, I believe I gave orders that Jane
Eyre should be left in the red-room till I came to her myself.”
“Miss Jane screamed so loud, ma’am,” pleaded Bessie.
“Let her go,” was the only answer. “Loose Bessie’s hand, child:
you cannot succeed in getting out by these means, be assured. I
abhor artifice, particularly in children; it is my duty to show
you that tricks will not answer: you will now stay here an hour
longer, and it is only on condition of perfect submission and
stillness that I shall liberate you then.”
“O aunt! have pity! Forgive me! I cannot endure it —
let me be punished some other way! I shall be killed if — ”
“Silence! This violence is all most repulsive:” and so, no doubt,
she felt it. I was a precocious actress in her eyes; she sincerely
page 25 / 853
looked on me as a compound of virulent passions, mean spirit, and
dangerous duplicity.
Bessie and Abbot having retreated, Mrs. Reed, impatient of my now
frantic anguish and wild sobs, abruptly thrust me back and locked
me in, without farther parley. I heard her sweeping away; and soon
after she was gone, I suppose I had a species of fit: unconsciousness
closed the scene.
CHAPTER III
The next thing I remember is, waking up with a feeling as if I
had had a frightful nightmare, and seeing before me a terrible red
glare, crossed with thick black bars. I heard voices, too, speaking
with a hollow sound, and as if muffled by a rush of wind or water:
agitation, uncertainty, and an all-predominating sense of terror
confused my faculties. Ere long, I became aware that some one was
handling me; lifting me up and supporting me in a sitting posture,
and that more tenderly than I had ever been raised or upheld before.
I rested my head against a pillow or an arm, and felt easy.
In five minutes more the cloud of bewilderment dissolved: I knew
quite well that I was in my own bed, and that the red glare was the
nursery fire. It was night: a candle burnt on the table; Bessie
stood at the bed-foot with a basin in her hand, and a gentleman
sat in a chair near my pillow, leaning over me.
page 26 / 853

Here is the prompt for the paper.
Compose an 1200-1400 word thesis-driven essay that creates a causal argument in response to the following question: Why does the concept of “fake news” influence the way our society understands and responds to current events? In other words, what would you identify as the cause of “fake news”, and how can we use that knowledge to better understand our current situation? As you write this essay, you should narrow your argument to persuade a particular intended audience; for example, you might choose to join the conversation about the impact of fake news with students, millennials, political activists, young voters, social media users, mainstream media outlets, etc.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS FROM THE READINGs
https://philosophynow.org/issues/82/Morality_is_a_Culturally_Conditioned_Response
http://www.ditext.com/russell/rus12.html

Prinz:

-What is ‘relativism’ in his sense of the term? (Remember it’s not merely the claim that there are cultural differences with respect to beliefs or practices.)

-What is his main argument for relativism in this paper? (Hint: This is the ‘inference to the best explanation’ we discussed in class.)

-Two objections to this argument: “Deny variation” and “Deny that variation matters”

-Why does Prinz think that objectivist theories are inferior to relativism? (Here you need to remember his claim that an objectivist theory is reasonable only if it provides a good explanation of the source or basis of any supposedly objective moral values. And since he thinks no such explanation is possible, he rejects objectivist theories. For example, he thinks objective morality or moral truth can’t be based on God’s commands, or human nature, or reason…)

Russell:

-What are the three conditions on an adequate theory of truth, according to him?

-Why does he think there could be no truth if there were no consciousness?

-Two objections to the coherence theory of truth: (1) There could be more than one coherent system of beliefs, and (2) The idea of coherence depends on the idea of truth.

-What is “correspondence” and why does Russell think that a correspondence theory best satisfies his three conditions on an adequate theory of truth? (Remember that we are not going to be concerned here with the details of his “multiple relation” theory of correspondence–this is just a specific version of correspondence, not essential to the general idea.)

Teaching Philosophy
Majid Maki Nayeri
My devotion to teaching as part of education process comes from my deep belief that education is one of the main solution to many problems around the globe. Higher education not only improves individuals’ life but also is beneficial to all society due to its externalities. This belief in profound effects of education in wellbeing of the societies is reflected in my current research paper which is on the effect of financial literacy on household fragility, where the empirical finding suggest that higher financial literacy lower the household default t rate and consequently financial fragility.
Over the course of my academic career I have had the opportunity to learn that teaching is more than a set of responsibilities, including asking questions, lecturing, assigning homework, and grading examinations, etc. I believe a significant portion of a teacher’s work in the classroom is mental and to create an environment where students are encouraged to express their own ideas and participate in their education experience. As an economics instructor, I always keep in mind that it is important to deliver a crucial point that everyone uses economics principles every day to make more or less critical decisions without noticing it and economics class aim to inform them about these useful principles and help people to make more inform and optimal decisions.
According to my experience as an instructor in university of Wisconsin there is no one way to teach and no one right method that will lead to effective instruction for all students and a good instructor should find the right blend of strategies given the courses and the students they are teaching. For example, in my basic economics courses such as principle of macroeconomics and statistics where more students are junior and are not familiar with basic concepts and principals, I prefer to use the chalk and talk type of lecture rather than teaching with technological tools. However, to avoid boringness in these class I occasionally use some relevant short videos, data tables and graphs. For instance, when I talk about inflation in macroeconomic class, to help students to grasp how high inflation could harm the economy and people, I play a short video about Germany hyperinflation from 1918 to 1924. On the other hand, in my money and banking class which consist of many financial terms and definitions and most students are senior with some pervious knowledge, I prefer to teach with technological tools such as PowerPoints. Besides, to raise the student interaction in this class, I ask student to present a financial term related to class topics such as home equity loans, bitcoin and credit default swap and encourage other student to ask questions and discuss about these topics.
Although I tried different methods given the type of students and courses, I always follow a same goal which is to draw out and develop the interest, understanding and critical thinking skills of my students. During each class I follow pre- planned steps to achieve these goals. First, I mention each session’s outlines. Second, I briefly explain pervious lecture and connect it to current lecture in order to have consistent and meaningful path of subjects. Finally, I start each topic with a sequence of related questions (if it’s applicable) and try to define the main concept based on student’s answers, then clearly and concisely present the main ideas and relevant definitions.
For each topic, I draw out my students’ interest in the course material through meaningful, tangible examples. These examples need not all be at the beginning of a class or before presenting an idea or definition. For example, while teaching statistics I use NFL or NBA data and encourage students to consider how statistics may vary by player position and verify this using the data. Finally, I develop my students’ understanding of the material by giving them opportunity to apply it in organized discussions, activities and exercises.
I believe an interactive and disciplined class environment requires instructor to be welcoming, fair and tough based on the situations. A welcoming and friendly relationship with students in classroom makes them comfortable to participate in class activities and express their opinions. ln all my classes I try to find mutual interests with students to talk about them briefly during or after class. for example, in my money and banking class, I asked students to watch a movie “The Big Shon” which is about financial crisis 2007-2008, and next session students eagerly listened to lecture about financial crises and asked many relevant questions. In order to further promote my relationship with Students, I make it clear that I am always available on request by email or in office hours. Fairness is another critical point to conduct a class and I tried to treat all students with absolute equality, regardless of age, gender, nationality, intellectual ability or personal attractiveness. Finally, I’m tough when it comes to student’s responsibilities such as homework and presentations because I believe, being responsible about their duties to their teacher and other students, make them ready for after college life as an employee and family member.
In past four years, I have been given an opportunity to teach a broad range of courses, including the principles of macroeconomics, money and banking, Economics of Personal finance and Economic statistics. I have been awarded prize for my performance as an instructor, the Holahan Prize for Outstanding Teaching in 20 I 8. However, I consider teaching to be an area of self-improvement. I collect feedback throughout the course and continuously evaluate my performance. I believe that my teaching philosophy and my commitment toward the students are aligned with the mission of your institution and I am well prepared to contribute towards creating a rich and stimulating learning environment for students at your university.

Instructions
-Portfolio – Outcome 1

This e-portfolio assessment is designed to be used as both a learning tool and as a professional portfolio that you can include in your resume or applications for jobs. You want to begin developing your portfolio ideas during Week 3, even though it is not due until Week 8. In this assignment you are asked to choose any three of the four HRMN 302 course outcomes and reflect on your learning in our class.

There are two distinct parts to this assignment. The first is your reflective ideas about your learning for three of the four course goals. The second is the actual creation of the E-portfolio on the Google Site. There is a partially completed portfolio provided for you at the very end of these instructions.

For directions on how to create an E-portfolio/Google Site go to url https://goo.gl/pIMkbu

The four course outcomes for HRMN 302 are:

Apply appropriate communication media and methods to various situational needs in organizational settings.
Apply communication theories to organizational communication challenges.
Recognize and respond constructively to cultural differences in communication.
Analyze and assess the communication dynamics of an organization through the completion of a communication audit.
Once your portfolio site is created, follow the specific instructions below.

Begin with an Introduction page, develop at least one page for each of the three outcomes you’ve selected. Be sure to include a Reference page at the end.

You will have a minimum of 5 pages.

On each outcome page:

Provide the specific course outcome you’ve selected.
Explain in your own words and 1-2 paragraphs how each outcome relates to what you have learned in class.
Post one artifact for each outcome (video, paper, chart, or any type of file you wish to use) and that demonstrates your mastery of each outcome. NOTE: the artifacts do not have to be newly created. You can use work you’ve developed previously.
Explain, in detailed sentences and approx. 2-3 paragraphs how each artifact relates to the course outcome.
Here is an example of a partially completed portfolio:

https://sites.google.com/site/hrmnportfolio2011/

To Submit Your E-Portfolio for Grading:

Copy and paste your E-Portfolio url into a word document. Then post your 1 page word document to the assignment folder Communication Skills- E Portfolio

Answer the following questions using 100 words for each.
1. Is there room for both Bernard’s and Abelard’s approaches to Christianity?
2. On the surface, the Cistercian and Cathar ways of life seem somewhat similar. Why, then, was one considered orthodox while the other was deemed heretical?
3. What does Henry’s conflict with Thomas Becket say about the relationship between Church and state in the 12th century?
4. According to legend, Innocent III dreamt that the Church was saved from collapse by landing on St. Francis’s shoulders. Was this the case?
5. How was Innocent III able to force King John and King Philip Augustus to come to terms of peace?

As demands on the U.S. public health system continue to increase, more quality improvement strategies are needed to support the system and improve outcomes. Public health agencies, like leaders in other industries, are developing quality improvement approaches for application in public health settings. Bringing together local, state and national healthcare practitioners and other stakeholders in quality improvement and quality assurance efforts has yielded several best practices and lessons for public health stakeholders. However, more work is needed if quality improvement is to become standard practice in public health.

Instructions

In this assignment you will read the article “Quality Improvement in Public Health: Lessons Learned from a Multi-State Learning Collaborative.” You will list the major concepts within the article and explain the positive outcomes in the two case studies. Further explore the how quality improvement programs could be systematically used in public health systems and explain the goals, values, and vision that should be considered in implementing such programs. Finally, consider the future, after such programs have been created and findings have been determined. How would ensure that the findings are implemented and followed in public health and public health policy in the future? This paper should be at least 1000 words in length. The paper has at least three references. Your writing should be well ordered, logical and unified, as well as original and insightful. All sources used should be properly cited using APA formatting.

Requirements
•List the major concepts within the article and explain the positive outcomes in the two case studies.
•Explore how quality improvement programs could be systematically used in public health systems and explain the goals, values, and vision that should be considered in implementing such programs.
•Consider the future, after such programs have been created and findings have been determined and how to ensure that the findings are implemented and followed in public health and public health policy in the future

THE FINANCIAL REPORTING PROJECT
Fall 2018
OVERVIEW:
This project involves an in-depth analysis of a publicly traded company, and a comparison of it to a competitor. The project will be completed in groups of 4.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Company Selection
Groups will be assigned companies by your instructor based, in part, on each group’s preference on which company to study. The companies you can choose from include:
Company Name: Most recent 10-K report date:
Avon Products December 31, 2017
The GAP, Inc. February 3, 2018
Amazon December 31, 2017
Tyson Foods September 30, 2017
Mattel Inc. December 31, 2017

Obtain a copy of your company’s latest Annual Report or 10-K. See the date listed above for your assigned company. This will ensure you are using the most recent report.

Requirements
The project is completed in two phases. The first part of the project, which is an MS Excel spreadsheet analysis, is due at the start of the class on October 25. The second part of the project, which is an MS Word write up of your analysis, is due at the start of class on November 15. These deadlines are firm!
The spreadsheet analysis requires your group to submit an MS excel file that includes your computations for account information and ratios. Please carefully follow the instructions and requirements for completing that file. The MS Excel file must use equations linked to financial information contained in the spreadsheet. In class, you will be shown how to use Excel to complete this assignment. When calculating ratios, please use the formulas found in the course’s Libby et al., 9th edition text.

A major objective of the second part of the project is to help develop your written communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and concisely. Hence, the report should be between seven and ten pages (excluding a cover page, Excel tables and appendices). Your report should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman font (12-point) with a 1” margin throughout (left, right, top and bottom) and include page numbers at the bottom of each page. You are strongly encouraged to seek advice from the Northeastern University Writing Center (https://www.northeastern.edu/writingcenter/) if you need additional help drafting your analysis.

Please properly cite all information sources using MLA formatting. Further, be mindful of source credibility when determining which information sources to reference – General purpose financial websites, such as Investopedia, are not appropriate substitutes for information contained in the textbook.
The MS Word report is to be written as though you are consultants and you are preparing a report for your manager who could then present the report to a client. Therefore, you are to write this analysis in a report format (although no need for an executive summary). Do not provide a ‘list’ of answers to the assignment questions. You should use headings where appropriate to organize your report. You should also not use the words “I/we” (in reference to the authors) or “they” (in reference to the company).
Finally, carefully follow rounding requirements as specified. Round numbers to the nearest thousands or millions, and round ratios to two decimal places. For example, $65,000,000 should be presented as $65 million, and a ratio of 3.8572 should be presented as 3.86.

Submission
The first part of the project (the MS Excel spreadsheet) should be emailed to your instructor by one group member no later than the start of class on October 25. Please don’t try to submit your MS Excel spreadsheet through ‘Turnitin’, because ‘Turnitin’ does not accept Excel spreadsheets.
The second part of the project (the MS Word report) should be submitted through ‘Turnitin’ via the link on Blackboard by the start of class on November 15.
All files (.xlsx and .docx) and Turnitin submission titles must be as follows:
• Company Name_Students’ last names_sectionnumber:
o For example: “Apple_Jones.Liu.Martinez.Murray_Section08
The “Evaluation of Group Members” form (at the end of this file) must be completed by each student for each part of the project, and handed in on the day the report is due. Individual students not submitting the evaluation form will not receive a grade for the report! Points will be deducted in accordance with the grading policy (below) for late group member evaluations.

GRADING
– Points will be deducted from your report if the above instructions are not followed.
– The quality of the project will be judged on the basis of the collective group effort. Thus, you are each responsible for every aspect of the product submitted by your group. Experiencing the challenges and the rewards of working as a group in a business setting is an integral part of the learning process in this course. Individual grades will be adjusted based on the evaluation of the group members submitted by each group member. Please note the purpose of this peer evaluation is to identify obvious or egregious “free riders” or “social loafers” who made very minor contributions compared to the rest of the project team.
– Based on past experience, the following procedures will help you maximize your performance in the project:
o Each group member should independently complete the entire assignment required for each part of the project before meeting with other members of the group.
o The group meetings should review all of the individual work, investigate and resolve disagreements, and work together to prepare the assignments.
o After the draft of each assignment is completed, each person in the group should review the draft to ensure that the file is accurate, writing is concise and clear, and that the spelling and grammar are appropriate, before turning in the final draft to the professor.
– Late Submissions (no exceptions): 0-24 hours: 20% deduction for the assignment. Each following day: additional 10% deduction.
– Any plagiarism will result in failure of the project and will be reported to OSCCR.

Assignment #1: Completion of the MS Excel Worksheet
PART A:
Complete the MS Excel worksheet following the specified instructions. You can also make additional optional comments in the Notes for the Professor columns. Your MS Excel worksheet will also serve as the foundation for Part 2 of the Project.
Table A:
Calculate key ratios like the gross margin percentage and the net income growth rate.
Table B:
Report key financial information such as:
a. What method(s) of depreciation does your company use?
b. What method(s) does your company use to value its inventory?
c. Where are the resources that your company employs (i.e., what percentage of the total assets of the company are invested in current assets, long-term assets etc.)?
d. What is the breakdown of liabilities for your company (i.e., what percentage of the total liabilities of the company are current liabilities, long-term liabilities, etc.)?
e. What is the capital structure (debt versus equity) used to finance the company’s assets?
f. Which public accounting firm (the auditor) provided assurance over your company’s financial statements?
Table C:
Identify key account balances found in the income statement (e.g. net sales, cost of goods sold) and the balance sheet (e.g. assets and liabilities by current vs. non-current classification). Strive to link as many account balances as possible, e.g. if you input current liabilities into Table B, you can then link the current liabilities in Table C directly to Table B, so if you change the current liabilities balance in the Table B, the balance in Table C will also change.
PART B:
Table D:
Identify a competitor company, and briefly explain why you chose this particular company.
Table E:
Identify additional key financial information like stockholders’ equity, interest expense, number of shares outstanding, and market value price of common stock that will help you calculate key ratios in Table F (see below).
Table F:
Compute key ratios (e.g. return on equity, return on assets, etc.), including supporting calculations as to how you calculated those ratios, for your company and competitor in the most current year. Use the information in Table E to link complete calculations in Table F.
Assignment #2: Completion of the MS Word Financial Reporting Project.
Reporting requirements include:
PART A:
Company Background

1. Identify the stock exchange(s) where your company stock trades.
2. What is the ticker symbol of your company?
3. Briefly explain the major operations of your company.
4. Record the closing price of the stock at the end of the company’s most current fiscal year. Identify the trend of the stock price from the start of this year (e.g. for a company with a calendar fiscal year, what is the price trend from January 1 through December 31?). Remember that not all companies may have fiscal year ends that correspond to calendar year ends, so please identify the fiscal year period(s).

Understanding the Annual Report and 10K:
Profit, Capital, and Cash Flow

1. How does current year’s net income (i.e., earnings) compare with that in previous years? Compute the annual growth rate in earnings for the last three years. [For example, if earnings in Year 1 and 2 are 100 and 125 respectively, the growth rate from Year 1 to Year 2 is 25%]. What earnings trend do you observe and what factors may be causing this trend?
2. Calculate the gross margin percentage (Gross Profit divided by Net Sales) for the last three years. What trend in gross margin do you observe and what factors may be causing this trend?
3. Did stockholders’ equity change significantly during the year? If so, briefly explain the cause(s) for the change.
4. Compare the cash flows from operating activities for your firm with the net income for the most recent year. What factors have contributed to the difference between these two numbers?
5. What is the capital structure of your company (i.e., what percentage of the total assets of the company is financed through liabilities, and what percentage through stockholders’ equity)? What does this structure (the structure of debt to equity to finance assets) suggest to you (i.e. is this high, potentially dangerous etc.)?
6. Did the company receive assurance via an audit from a public accounting firm? Read the auditor’s report of the company and explain the purpose of the audit from the auditor’s perspective. Identify the name of the auditing firm. In some cases, if the company changed auditors, identify the initial and subsequent auditing firms. Were there any material issues noted by the auditors? Note: the audit report is often called the “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm”.

PART B:
The objective here is for you to analyze the company in terms of its profitability, solvency, and liquidity, and to provide your investment and credit recommendations. Using the information you calculated on your MS Excel worksheet, address each of the following questions. Use the results of your ratio and other analyses to support your answers:

You are to discuss the following ratio categories for your company:
(i) Profitability
(ii) Turnover (activity)
(iii) Liquidity
(iv) Solvency
(v) Other (as applicable)

Look up what each of these terms mean, and which ratios support the analysis of each. You can state what each ratio ‘tells’ us in general (do not report how the ratio is calculated – this is given in the excel file). Considering what the ratio is ‘telling’ us, analyze how your company is performing, and compare to your competitor. After presenting each of the individual ratios under their respective categories, finally, summarize how your company is performing in each of the five categories (profitability, turnover, liquidity, solvency, and other).

The below recommendations will be based on these conclusions.

Recommendations
To conclude your report, provide recommendations for whether:
a. Creditors should loan money to this company in the short-term
b. Creditors should loan money to this company in the long-term
c. Investors should buy, hold, or sell the stock (use the competitor as a baseline, and be sure to consider the current price of the stock)

Good luck on your financial reporting group project! If you have any questions regarding the project, please consult your teaching assistant or instructor for further direction.

Evaluation of Group Members – The Financial Reporting Project

Company:____________________ Class time:______________________

Complete the following evaluation for your entire group.
Identify your group members in the column headings (notice that you MUST include their names). INCLUDE YOURSELF IN THE EVALUATION!!

Use the following categories to assign numerical scores from 0 to 10.
Outstanding 10 Above Average 8 Below Average 5-6 Unsatisfactory 1-2
Excellent 9 Average 7 Poor 3-4 Did not participate 0

Scores for each Group Member (write a score from 0 to 10)
Evaluation Criteria Your Name:

Name: Name: Name:
1. Attended group meetings.

2. Contributed to group discussions.

3. Assumed a fair share of the group work.

4. Worked well with others.

5. Was creative and enthusiastic.

6. Assumed a leadership role.

7. Contributed to the development, writing and editing of progress reports.

8. Was timely in preparing work.

9. Provided quality work.

10. Helped others in the group to learn.

TOTAL – please compute the total points for each group member /100 /100 /100 /100

Your signature:_________________________________

Instructions briefing note
Please choose a policy problem at the federal level as reported in the House of Commons Finance Committee’s final report and the relevant pre-budget submissions for the 2017 pre-budget consultations and write a briefing note (maximum two pages) with recommendation(s):
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/FINA/StudyActivity?studyActivityId=9571255
• Follow the format of the INAC “Redesign of Indian Government Support” (without appendices!).
• This may require a bit of additional research, but it should not be extensive.
• Due: Course website, 23h59 on 15 October (5% penalty for every 24 hours thereafter). Upload Word document to Assignment folder that is in the Briefing note materials folder.
• Marking:
– (a) clearly defines the problem to be addressed (6 points);
– (b) provides a clear rationale for action and solution (goals and instruments) (10 points), based on status, issues and considerations;
– (c) is well-written and addressed to the relevant department or agency (4 points)

THE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

“Answering the Exam Question”

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Answerthe question below in standard essay format (No need to write Bibliography and Footnote):

 

Discus the skeptical arguments presented by Jeffrey Frankel (“Globalization of Economy,” in Art/Jervis 12th eds., pp.256-270), Pankaj Ghemawat (“Why the World Isn’t Flat,” in Art/Jervis, eds., pp. 270-275),  and Kenneth Waltz, “Globalization and Governance,” in Art/Jervis, eds., pp. 440-450) in response to the question of whether we are living in a truly globalized economy?

 

2. The essay is in three pages:
3. Light introduction
4. Body: answering the question
5. Conclusion

In answering the question posed, you may only refer to sources that I have already sent one book to the attachment file (Robert Art and Robert Jervis, eds., International Politics: Enduring Concepts and Contemporary Issues, 12th eds. Pearson, 2015). You cannot include any other source material