Recent orders
Education- Group Facilitation
Employee Benefits and Cigarette Makers Penalties
(Author’s name)
(Institutional Affiliation)
Abstract
Understanding consumer behavior and market equilibrium is essential for understanding economics (McEachern, 2011). The first section of the paper explores the concept of employee benefits, illustrating how the theory of consumer behavior can be used to explain decision-making regarding choosing flexible employee benefits. The second section of this article explains how the U.S cigarette makers managed to manipulate the concepts of market equilibrium and product elasticity to decrease bankruptcies brought about by penalties.
Key Words: Employee Benefits, Theory of Consumer Behavior, Cigarette Makers
Penalties, Elasticity, Demand, Supply, Market equilibrium
Employee Benefits
Providing benefits for employees is part and parcel of any organization culture that is aimed at reimbursing employees for their services to an organization (Wessels, 2000). Progressively, employees can opt for basic or optional benefit items ranging from medical and life insurance to retirement benefits. However, owing to the nature and relevance of the benefits, some employees may prefer to receive more wages than benefits, whereas, others prefer more benefits than wages. Employees who recognize the significance of the benefits offered tend to decide on benefits, and those who do not understand the benefits play it safe and select more wages. This inclination of decision-making may be explained through the theory of consumer behavior, which emphasizes the amalgamation of goods to create paramount unity and satisfaction for consumers (Blythe, 2008). In economics, consumer behavior refers to the study of the consumer decision-making processes. Economists are interested in finding out why, how, when and where consumers opt for some products and services over others in an attempt to influence their decisions.
The concepts of the theory of consumer behavior imply three facets of a consumer’s decision-making process including, utility maximization, associated costs, and preferences (Blythe, 2008). Just as the consumer, an employee is a rational individual who will invest their time in attaining products that provide the individual with the greatest amount of satisfaction. While consumers want to get the most for their money, an employee wants to receive the most for their services to an organization. In essence, the associated cost of the benefit offered will determine the choice for benefits over more wages. Employees behavior and consumer behavior is similar in that they tend to choose the most satisfying combination of benefits based on the partiality of the prices for the benefits. Conclusively, employees’ decision concerning benefits or salaries is, principally, determined by individual preferences. Employees will choose the option that satisfies their needs, both at present and in the future. However, this all draws back to employee comprehension of the benefits offered. Those who understand the hidden values of benefits may choose to receive benefits, as opposed to, more wages. Employees who choose more wages feel that more salary provides them the most satisfaction for their services to the organization.
Cigarette Makers Penalties
Over the last few years, U.S. cigarette manufacturers have been faced with plenty of lawsuits and damage penalties, which led to the loss of billions of dollars by companies (AllBuiness.Com, 2005). Additionally, economists suspected bankruptcy by cigarette manufacturers but recent information from the wall street journal suggest otherwise. U.S Cigarette manufacturers successfully managed to recover their financial losses through the increase of prices for their products. Essentially, they manufacturers use the concepts of demand, supply, elasticity, and market equilibrium to pull this off successfully. In economics, product demand refers to the amount of a product that consumers are willing to purchase. Supply, on the other hand, refers to the amount of a product that manufactures produce for their consumers in the market. Coupled with each other, demand and supply make up the market equilibrium concerning the utilization of a product in the market (Wessels, 2000). Lastly, product elasticity refers to a product’s reactivity to a change in price. At the outset, cigarette manufacturers are aware that, as products, cigarettes are highly inelastic owing to the addictive nature of the product. Put simply, no matter how much the price of the product increased or decreased, the demand for the product would remain the same. Cigarette manufacturers, therefore, increased the prices of cigarette to cut back on their losses. The demand for cigarette continued to soar even with the increased prices, which, in turn generated more income for the manufacturers.
References
Blythe, J. (2008). Consumer Behavior. USA: Cengage Learning EMEA.
“Cigarette Makers Protest Justice Department Penalties.” allbusiness.com. Retrieved from:
http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/food-stores/4484441-1.html
McEachern, W. A. (2011). Economics: A Contemporary Introduction. USA: Cengage Learning.
Wessels, W. J. (2000). Economics. New York: Barron’s Educational Series.
Analysis of Hitchcocks North by Northwest
Name
Professor
Course
Date
Analysis of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest
Known for famous classics such as Psycho and The birds, Alfred Hitchcock has revolutionized the dynamics of film and theater. The creation of North by Northwest joined the list of Hitchcock’s masterpiece films earning the movie the title as his last critically acclaimed film. Filmed in 1959, North by Northwest portrays the use of cinematography, mines-en scene and editing. These techniques were not as profound as compared to the films in present day. This puts the movie and Hitchcock’s directing skills ahead of his time. The movie thus set the pace for the creation of high quality productions in the film industry.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze Hitchcock’s movie North by Northwest. This will be done by providing the plot and summary of the movie. The paper will later look into the use of cinematography, mines-en -scene and editing to bring out the thoughts and fillings of the main character Thornhill. The paper later provides a concluding paragraph on the contents of the paper in relation to the theses.
Plot summary
The movie begins when the wrong man is mistakenly kidnapped by two gangsters. This is a result of Thornhill being in the wrong place at the right time. The man kidnapped is an advertising agent who is new to this world. He is wrongfully accused of being an American spy responsible for the death of a Russian secret service agent. Based on the time when the cold war had taken centre stage, the movie addresses the activities that occur between the two sides of the war. Thornhill is thus forced to defend himself by proving his real identity. For him to achieve this, he is forced to change his identity so as to protect himself. The movie is defined by the use of adventure, comedy and most of all suspense. Aided by his accomplice Eve Kendall, they set to find out the identity of the actual spy so that they can go back to their normal lives. In their quest to do so, they are met with many challenges making them take refuge in different locations of the country.
Use of cinematography
Cinematography makes up for most of the features of an entire movie. It comprises of the use of the camera, photography, shooting and picture making. The camera is one of the most essential devices in the making of a film. It is used to emphasize the angles that the director views as the most critical parts of the film. The movie generally does not portray a lot of the use of the camera. One of the pivotal scenes where the camera is used is during the end of the film where Roger Thornhill and Eve Kendall’s lives are in danger. The director shows Thornhill look for a way out by first glancing to the left, right and then back to the left as Eve Kendall is clutching on to him for dear life. This brings out his desperation in that he has few options to choose from. All he can picture is his whole life flash before him. The use of shadows across the faces of Mount Rushmore brings out the intensity of the scene. They are miraculously saved by the sniper who shoots their attacker. The camera is pointed towards the attacker who is situated on the floor and, later tilted towards the direction of the sniper. This scene also displays the use of twists to maximize on the suspense of the movie.
Mines-en -scene
Mines-en-scene is the display of the view, picture and the location of a movie in general. The movie utilizes this factor significantly in that it is set in different parts of the country. Thornhill is thus forced to run for his life and take refuge in several parts of the country. Hitchcock achieved this by shooting scenes in pivotal places such as Mount Rushmore that is known for the presidential faces during the end of the movie. This is where he redeems himself by becoming a hero in a turn of events. Another area where the director displays mines-en-scene is in the United Nations building located in New York. The use of a hidden camera was enabled so as to view the entrance of Thornhill as he climbs the stairs. What sets this movie apart from the rest of Hitchcock’s thrillers is the use of the sunlight during the chase. Most of the films are short in dark places to add suspense to the movie. This was however not required in that the use of the wide terrain was the preferred choice. One of the scenes where this factor is brought out is the chase of Thornhill in the cornfield. This is contrary to the use of dark corners, which keeps the viewer out of the loop. The use of light was thus essential in that all the scenes were seen with ease making the movie easy to follow while maintaining its suspense.
Use of editing
Like cinematography and mines-en-scene, editing is pivotal for the success of the performance of the film. The movie was shot for a period of 51 days led by chief editor Ben Herrmann. Some of the aspects that are the focus of the area are the use of music, time, light, and adding or removal of scenes. Editing is essential so that the final cut is achieved. One of the scenes that were edited was the scene at Mount Rushmore. Most of the music used in this scene was reduced to fit the time intended. Another part to note was the conflict between the studio and Hitchcock due to the time the whole film was expected to last. Hitchcock used his authority as director with the final cut to include major parts in the movie whose absence would have led to a different reception of the movie.
Conclusion
Film making is one of Americas recognized exports. The country has produced a number of considerable movies over the years due to the growth and development of the art. This would not have been possible without the likes of Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock has played a significant role in the creation of the country’s most talked about and duplicated masterpieces. North by Northwest was one of his last movies. Its success marked the exit of Hitchcock from the industry. One of the reasons for the film’s success was the use of cinematography, mines-en scene and editing to portray the characters. The analysis of the movie is thus essential in that it provides an understanding of these factors and their significance of film and visual arts.
Works cited
Duncan, Paul. Alfred Hitchcock: Architect of Anxiety 1899-1980 ; [the Complete Films]. Köln [u.a.: Taschen, 2003. Print.
Education Financial Aid
Education Financial Aid
Introduction
Education comes off as one of the most important things in the contemporary human society. Indeed, it has been linked to the quality of life that an individual with research showing that the higher the level of education, the better the quality of life that an individual leads. The increased importance of education has resulted in an increase in the cost of education, shutting out a large number of people from the same. The government and other institutions have, however, filled in the gap with financial aid to allow individuals pursue education even when they do not have sufficient funds (Lipphardt 13). Questions, however, have been raised as to the essentiality of these grants and financial aid. While differing opinions may be raised, students should not be given financial aid every semester rather they should be forced to take loans, which the government would reimburse once they clear their college education.
First, the high dropout rate in colleges leads to wastage of funds. For instance, the average freshman class size in Nicholls State University is 1268 students, with only 67% of the students returning after the first year ( HYPERLINK “http://www.campusdiscovery.com/colleges/profile/nicholls-state-university-campus” http://www.campusdiscovery.com/colleges/profile/nicholls-state-university-campus). Around 86% of students pay fees using loans and grants with grants taking up about 20% of the fees ( HYPERLINK “http://collegestats.org/college/nicholls-state-university/financial-aid” http://collegestats.org/college/nicholls-state-university/financial-aid). With the average grant size being $5000, it means that $2,092,200 goes down the drain every year ( HYPERLINK “http://www.excite.com/education/financial-aid/financial-aid-statistics” http://www.excite.com/education/financial-aid/financial-aid-statistics). This amount is for Nicholls State University alone, which means that the package and subsequent loss would be higher once the national or even state statistics are considered. These losses, however, can be curbed or, at least, reduced eliminating the grants part and requiring that they take loans instead. The government would then reimburse the monies taken for such loans, but only if these individuals clear their college, in which case the grants would be fully utilized.
Works cited
Lipphardt, Debra. The Scholarship & Financial Aid Solution: How to Go to College for Next to Nothing with Short Cuts, Tricks, and Tips from Start to Finish. Ocala, Fla: Atlantic Pub. Group, 2007. Print.
Financial Aid Statistics. Web retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.excite.com/education/financial-aid/financial-aid-statistics” http://www.excite.com/education/financial-aid/financial-aid-statistics
Nicholls State University. Web retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://collegestats.org/college/nicholls-state-university/financial-aid” http://collegestats.org/college/nicholls-state-university/financial-aid
Nicholls State University. Web retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.campusdiscovery.com/colleges/profile/nicholls-state-university-campus” http://www.campusdiscovery.com/colleges/profile/nicholls-state-university-campus