Skidmore Owings Merrill LLP Profile and Analysis

SKIDMORE OWINGS AND MERRILL: PROFILE AND ANALYSIS In every field there are people who seem to leave their mark for everyone to remember them by. In the field of Arts and Architecture, there are many such names, which are not only held in great respect and honor, but have also been a source of great inspiration for the future generations. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill or SOM, as they are more commonly known as, are such pioneers in American history, which are held in great esteem for the many contributions that they have made in the field of Architecture. The firm was initially founded by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Alexander Owings in the year 1936 in Chicago and was later expanded to New York in the year 1937 and was later joined by John Ogden Merrill in the year 1939 (CURL). The firm made teamwork as the basis for their company and it has been the result of this philosophy that after working more than 6 decades, the company is still strong and still capturing the imagination of the people. The company has been associated with some of the most prestigious projects in the USA and even beyond that. The company is known to handle some of the most challenging projects in the world over, the likes of which included the Sears Tower, Jin Mao Building in China, Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Center in China, besides many other names, and the latest accomplishment of the company has been in the form of Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is the worlds tallest building. A

Heathcliffs account of childhood after Mr Earnshaws death Essay Example For Students

Heathcliffs account of childhood after Mr Earnshaws death Essay Heathcliffs account of childhood after Mr Earnshaws death, during the period of time when Catherine has recently returned from Thurshcross Grange. You should aim to create an authentic voice for Heathcliff which builds upon Emily Brontes presentation of this character and captures aspects of the writers chosen form, structure and language Hindley the desolate offspring of Mr Earnshaw ascended to the position of new proprietor of The Heights, after the master died. He had been waiting for this his entire unremarkable life; now, finally, his domineering controlling behaviour would serve a purpose. A point which would become clearer as he took sovereignty over all inhabitants, especially my young self. Those days after Mr Earnshaws death were dark; the rain wouldnt stop, I remember Nelly saying its not only us crying, the Gods are too. Not only did we have the pleasure of Hindley among us for the Masters funeral but we were introduced to my adoptive brothers odious wife, Frances. Who, you would have thought, shared in equal measure, the abhorrence that Hindley held in his heart for me. If it was not for these two monstrous concoctions, these pathetic excuses for human life, my early days would have been far less troubled, and I would have had no cause to wreak such havoc amongst the people I loved. However Hindley had different ideas of letting bygones be bygones, and came home with the sort of wrath, which only the all- powerful almighty God has. The austere and lonely moors surrounding The Heights merely emphasised the bitter atmosphere awaiting me, in the place that had been my abode. However it was only Hindley who was openly malicious and hateful towards me, and for that I will always feel nothing but loathing towards him. I would not deign to spit on his burning flesh; instead I would celebrate and dance around his agony in the manner of a pagan, praising the Gods for the gift they have given me; namely his thoroughly deserved death. All of this started with bitter jealously. The fact that Hindley was unable to cope with not being the only male his father loved. I will always be grateful for Mr Earnshaws wonderfully generous nature for letting me in, and Hindley hated the deep love his sister and I shared. Aware, I have no doubt, that his cold-hearted self would never be able to love the way I loved Catherine. Jealously can be the only reason for his devilish attacks upon me, and for that he will never be granted my forgiveness. Memories from before his ownership of the Heights still give me nightmares, when the creature, as that is the only word to depict him in the English language as he surely cannot be human. Had the audacity to call me a dog and then launched an iron weight toward my chest. The anger and pain inside me I felt at that very moment would have killed him if I was able to lay a finger on him; but Nelly intervened. Now with many years of sorrow and angst I have been able to curb somewhat the murderous and vengeful feelings I experience towards him. Instead I have been quietly plotting against Hindley who I am ashamed to say, by law alone, is my brother. I admit however, that now that I am stronger, I do enjoy these fights and conflicts we have. Brothers have them and if anything they make me fitter and stronger also they show that I am stronger then he, there is a power struggle within the Heights and I realise now that this scares him. Everyone knows that we dislike each other intensely, but the fact he went to extreme lengths in order just to see me miserable, is testimony to his hard hearted acrimony towards me. Sadly, after the loss of Mr Earnshaw there was no one to stop him. He became irrationally obsessed with the power which he had been granted, and did his very best to ensure that I eked out a slaves existence. I was instructed to undertake a plethora of mindless errands, or copy entire lengthy passages out of the Holy Bible; he gave me many beatings, when he deemed that I had in some way misbehaved. He merely needed to express his displeasure, and I was his vulnerable target. .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 , .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 .postImageUrl , .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 , .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7:hover , .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7:visited , .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7:active { border:0!important; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7:active , .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7 .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u33d25cea9597daf1b500f1faa3ac54d7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Could Ernest Hemingway be considered a tragic figure in contemporary literature? EssayHowever despite this ill treatment I did not permit myself to feel sorry for myself. I had the joy of knowing that despite him hurting me, I was in fact hurting him far more emotionally and spiritually with the depth of the bond which I shared with his sister. If it had not been for her presence in my life, I doubt that I should have been able to continue living. With Cathy in my heart , the torment was undoubtedly worth it, just seeing her bright peacock blue eyes elated me far beyond the realms of despair , and allowed me forget about everything. I longed to see her every moment of every day. Time passed so slowly when we werent together. I was truly happy when Cathy taught me all she knew, especially after Hindley concluded I neither deserved nor required the benefits of an education. We stood against the demoralisation surrounding Wuthering Heights by behaving roguishly on occasion, even though this defiance led to more beatings towards me. However, looking back, life with Cathy at the centre of it was good. Life, unfortunately however, worsened in quality, I thought it was ghastly to begin with but when Cathy moved to the Lintons Thrushcross Grange life was truly barely worth living anymore. If that wretched dog hadnt bitten her ankle I am sure we would have gone on like we were before. I wouldnt have been forced to treat her like the other servants do. Furthermore Mrs Linton wouldnt have changed her, she taught her so called social graces and transformed the young and innocent girl into a young woman. How dare she take my Cathy away from me! She changed after those five weeks; these were the most exasperating five weeks of my life. Each day hoping she would come home, back so we could laugh at the snobbish Linton children. I had been certain that she would have had wonderful stories to tell, what the three of them had got up to, the stories would have made me laugh for years to come I imagined . Instead she came back in a dress, looking beautiful, but utterly different. Not my Cathy at all. We have grown distant since she returned, and even though life now is dark and cold without the love I and Cathy once shared, a love which I shall never forget. Why I still love and long for my Cathy every day, I will never comprehend. Those days we spent together were the happiest I have ever lived, the conversations we had, and the fact I knew that we both trusted each other so thoroughly was a wonderful thing. I would give anything just to return to those blessed times with my Cathy. I will always be grateful for the love we shared. I beseech any great powers out there to allow me to bask once again in the glory of that love, for Cathy and me to be permitted to return to that happy state of intimacy. Just the two of us where we will grow old together, fortune could throw anything at me, and I would happily take it my stride. Please. Allow this wish to be fulfilled, I need her.

In the private healthcare syst... free essay sample

In the private healthcare system you often have more flexibility in choosing a doctor as well as medical facility. For patients that want the same doctor all the time, this can be a very important advantage of this type of system.2. Shorter Wait TimesIf you are having a surgery that is necessary but not life threatening, there are often long wait times. In a private health insurance system the patient will often have shorter wait times because the medical facility is less busy. And even if there are a lot of people waiting, you can often by pass the line by paying a little bit extra for faster medical attention.3. Improved FacilitiesUnfortunately, because the public system is funded with government money it does not have access to as much funds as the private sector one do. This means that public hospitals and health care facilities are often overcrowded, and lacking certain comfort amenities. We will write a custom essay sample on In the private healthcare syst or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Private health care facilities, on the other hand, are usually well maintained,with private wards, private bathrooms, phones, TVs, and better tasting food.Disadvantages:1. Private Health Insurance Costs More than Public Health InsuranceWhile the US government might be saving a marginal amount of money by having a private healthcare system instead of a public one; there is no doubt that American citizens are paying a lot more money to get a decent level of private healthcare coverage than they would be required to pay in a public system. Most Americans are paying around $200 ormore for their monthly health insurance premium plus a co-pay and deductible. Public system costs: under $100 monthly with no co-pay or deductible.2. Private Health Insurance Creates InequalityUnfortunately when health care insurance is privatized the healthcare providers and insurance companies are always thinking about their bottom line. This means that if you are willing to pay, you can get priority treatment. In the public system everyone is treated equal, money or no money; order of treatment is based on severity of medical condition and who was there first.3. Private Health Insurance Seldom Covers All Medical ServicesWhen getting private health care insurance quote you choose the health insurance plan that best suits your needs and fits into your budget. Unfortunately no health insurance plan is perfect so policy holders are forced to pick and choose what health benefits are most important andwhich ones they think they can do without. If you choose incorrectly, this could leave you with huge policy gaps that force you to go without treatment or pay the high costs.7 Comments

Force and Functional Setting Essay

Force and Functional Setting Essay Force and Functional Setting Essay There are two major reasons people choose to wear weight belts. The first is to increase performance and the next is to decrease injury. Both of these assumptions, however, are incorrect, and im gonna tell you why. The first point I would like to make is that using a weight belt to increase the weight one can lift only seems like a good idea. A football player might be able to squat 400 pounds with a weight belt, which would strengthen his legs. However, what happens when that is brought to a functional setting? He may be able to fire off the line with 400lbs of force, but his core has not been conditioned to take that force. This is likely going to result in an injury because he has created a weak link. Even in the weight room injuries are more likely to occur The International Journal of Sports Medicine posted an article that measured injuries found among competitive weightlifters. They found that the those who use weight belts have an increased injury rate of the lumbar spine. This is because of the shear forces implied on the spine that has no core to protect it Some people would go so far as to say that the belt even encourages pour technique. And as we all know bad technique fosters injuries Stuart McGill. Author of Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance Low Back Disorders says that the belt helps to add weight by stiffening a curved back. However, if the lift is performed properly with a straight back, then the belt has very little effect. So if

Urban Politics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Urban Politics - Research Paper Example Poverty in the United States is seen to vary to a great degree depending on a number of factors; some of these factors include an individual’s education level, age, family living arrangements, area of residence and labor force attachment. Poverty is noted to generally be more highly concentrated in some areas as compared to others. This aspect is clearly demonstrated by the fact that poverty levels are found to be considerably higher in the center of cities as compared to a city’s suburban areas. In addition to this, poverty rates are also found to be about three times as high in the poorest states as compared to the least poor states. Of note is that it is normal for some neighborhoods to be characterized as having a higher concentration of poverty as compared to others. According to Gabe (2015), the incidence of poverty in central city areas is generally found to be considerably higher at 19.1% than that in suburban areas 11.1% within metropolitan areas. As at 2013, nonmetropolitan areas were recorded as having poverty rates averaging about 16.1%. A typical pattern in poverty rates in metropolitan areas is for the poverty rates to generally be highest in the center city areas. These high rates of poverty then proceed to gradually drop off as one moves towards the suburban areas before experiencing a subsequent increase with increasing distance from the core of the metropolitan area. Ever since President Lyndon Johnson first moved to declare a War on Poverty in the United States and the subsequent passage of the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act, the optimism that first surrounded these measures is noted to have rapidly faded over the years. Both the Federal and the State governments have over the years designed and implemented a number of policies designed to help to reducing poverty rates but these have been met with moderate success. The rather unwelcome corollary that has resulted from rural-urban

Fair Values in Accounting for Financial Instruments Essay - 2

Fair Values in Accounting for Financial Instruments - Essay Example Along with the depth development of financial instruments and fair value accounting practices by national standard setting bodies in many countries, fair value measurements have helped to create a more accurate representation of fact. Because of this, the FASB, IASB and other agencies continue to improve the recognition and measurement standards of financial instruments. For instance, in 1990, Richard C Breeden, the chairman of the SEC pointed out that historical cost for financial reporting does not help to prevent and/or defuse financial risk. As such, fair value accounting should be taken as the measurement of financial instruments (SEC, 1990). Although many people support the implementation of fair value, the debate about this has not stopped and has become fierce; especially after a financial crisis. As means of providing an example, FASB No. 157 provides a definition of â€Å"fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.†(Deans, 2007) There also have another defines set out by IASB including IAS 32 (presentation of Financial Instrument) and IAS 39 (recognition and measurement) which Fair value is defined as â€Å"the amount for which an asset could be exchanged, or a liability settled, between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s length transaction. (IASB) IAS 39 defines fair value slightly differently from SFAS 157† (Laux & Leuz, 2009). Firstly, the information provided by the fair value accounting method can be considered as more relevant. Generally speaking, such information should satisfy the requirements of relevance and reliability at the same time. Brath explains the quality characteristic of accounting information. In this way, he proposes that it includes reliability, relevance, predictive, timely, neutrality, comparability, etc. (Ball, 2006). Historical costs

Macro and Micro Economic Drivers

Macro and Micro Economic Drivers Management in a Complex World A View on Macro and Micro Economic Drivers At a macro level, the complexity of global corporate management can be better understood by studying the Business Cycle Fluctuations. However, the complexity is further intensified with the existence of micro economic forces, which we will be studying using Michael Porters Five Forces model. MACRO-ECONOMIC FORCES Business cycle fluctuations are a key driver of multinationals’ profits. An accurate understanding of the length and depth of business-cycle fluctuations is therefore an important element in successful planning of firms’ investments as well as in forming the appropriate strategies. During the last fifty years there have been a decline in frequency and depth of recessions in a large majority of countries in what is known as the Great Moderation. However, the Great Recession that began at the end of 2007 brought this pattern to an end. Understanding the causes of the Great Moderation is critical as it helps in understanding the future patterns of the macroeconomic environment. Two important aspects of recessions are tightening of credit conditions and increased unemployment. However, these conditions significantly differed across countries. While in Germany or Denmark the unemployment rate did not increase much, in Spain it has increased from 8% to over 20%. The Great Recession should be seen as a wakeup call for the risks of globalisation. Increased trade volumes that have come with globalisation is the international amplification of downturns in large developed economies such as the U.S., Japan and the EU. Increased financial integration paralysed developing countries from counteracting the global effects of these shocks. As a result, domestic recessions in developed economies contribute with a significant destabilizing force towards developing countries. This new reality was hard to anticipate 10 years ago when the consensus was that openness to international capital was the main destabilizing factor of developing economies. However, China did not experience any currency crisis in the 1990s and became the largest holder of foreign exchange reserves, together with effective capital controls, China maintained an artificially low RMB that helped it grow its export markets. Despite China’s productivity miracle had many factors, one of the most important was the acceleration at which Chinese companies mastered increasingly sophisticated technologies. A large academic literature tried to understand the causes of business cycle fluctuations and their effects on the economy. Some of the literature propositions include shocks to government spending, taxes, money supply and demand, input prices such as energy or capital, news about future technology, wage and price mark-ups, volatility and frictions in credit markets. 2.1UNEMPLOYMENT A key aspect of business cycles is the fluctuations in the unemployment rate. The academic literature has studied this in the context of the search and matching models (Mortensen and Pissarides, 1994). These models recognise that it is costly for workers to search for jobs and for companies to post vacancies. In equilibrium, these search and matching frictions generate both unemployed workers and unfilled vacancies. The search and matching models have been used to study how different regulations such as firing costs, hiring cost, minimum wages, and collective bargaining agreements affect the unemployment rate and the average duration of unemployment phases. 2.2BUSINESS CYCLES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES In addition to analysing the time variation of fluctuations, the literature also studied the geographical variation in business cycles. In particular, a body of research tried to understand how and why business cycles are different in developed and developing countries. Comin et al. (2009) explore the effect that shocks to developed economies have on developing countries. They found that disturbances that originate in developed economies are a key driver of business cycles in developing countries. This is not only the case because they contract the demand for exports to the developed economies but also because they affect the flow on new technologies to developing countries. 2.3GLOBAL IMBALANCES Though the literature on global imbalances has taken a U.S. theme, global imbalances are as much about Chinese trade surpluses as U.S. trade deficits. Some of the proposed explanations of the global imbalances are: Lack of investment opportunities in developing countries. Savings glut (Rajan, 2006). Increased in U.S. wealth (Backus et al., 2009). Excess consumption by the U.S. Decline (increase) in relative competitiveness of U.S. (Asian countries). Undervaluation of the RMB (Dooley et al., 2003). More efficient financial intermediation by the U.S (Eichengreen, 2004). Asian reserves are a collateral for U.S. FDI in Asia (Dooley et al., 2004). 2.4INFLATION Empirical evidence suggests that high inflation is damaging to an economy because of its distortionary effects on investment and savings decisions. High inflation encourages people to spend and discourages saving, thereby reducing the funds available for deployment to the most efficient uses in the economy. So, in the long run, overspending and reduced savings could result in an underperforming economy and ultimately lead to slower economic growth. Perhaps more condemning is that high inflation is often highly variable. Because investment decisions are based on forward-looking expectations of real (inflation-adjusted) interest rates, inflation that is highly variable is damaging as it amplifies uncertainty and ambiguity. 2.5EXCHANGE RATES Businesses that trade internationally, are under the mercy of global exchange rate fluxes. Changes in currency conversion rates can increase or wipe out profit gains. When a firm has profits in millions, this can make a significant impact on profits and losses. For instance, McDonalds saw sales increase in Europe during 2011, but the annual profits went down as a result of a weakness in euro. The rapidly changing exchange rates can have the potential to make businesses reluctant to set firm figures in contracts early before a deal takes place. Therefore, organisations need to embrace and understand the risks of doing business internationally. MICRO-ECONOMIC FORCES The micro economic forces are best understood by considering Porter’s Five Force model, which consists of: Suppliers Bargaining Power, Buyer Bargaining Power, Threats from New Entrants, Threats from Substitutes, and Degree of Rivalry. For better understanding the author will use the automotive industry in the UK as a base for discussion. 2.1BUYER POWER Main buyers within the automotive manufacturing industry are dealerships. They are highly dependent on manufacturers which undermines their buyer power. There is a large number of buyers within the automotive manufacturing industry which, along a relatively high level of product differentiation, weakening the buyer power. Dealers are forced to sell car models of preference to customers, which also tends to reduce their buyer power further. Overall, buyer power is relatively weak in this industry. 2.2SUPPLIER POWER Key raw materials needed by automotive manufacturers are commodity items, such as metals. Which are usually manufactured by other firms. With the fairly low differentiation in raw materials, causing less differentiation on the supplied side, subsequently reducing supplier power. However, the critical importance of quality raw materials and components to automotive manufacturers (especially safety-wise) can enhance supplier power. Taking a macro perspective, there has been fluctuation in the prices of primary raw materials, which places pressure on manufacturers margins. Typical suppliers are more likely to sell to a variety of different sectors, with the automotive industry being forming a small part of their customer base. Which strengthens the position of suppliers. Overall, supplier power is moderate 2.3NEW ENTRANTS In markets where there is little protection or barriers to entry from government regulations, customers having little brand loyalty, start-up costs are low, products in the existing market are not unique, production process is simple and access to inputs are relatively easy, risks of new entrants are significantly higher. Putting this into context, the automotive manufacturing industry in the UK has a low new entrants threat level. For new entrants, setting up a production facility is an endeavour that involves the need of large start-up capital thus forming a strong entry barrier enhanced with the high fixed cost too. Which is further amplified with the existing car manufacturers who command strong brand equity and the tighter emission regulations. Taking a macro perspective, the global economic downturn has had a negative impact on car sales as consumers have avoided making expensive purchases. This has resulted in a fall in demand, which reduces the likelihood of new entrants. This shows the importance of considering the macro as well as the micro factors in the approach to corporate management. Overall, the threat of new entrants is assessed as weak. 2.4THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES Numerous other forms of transportation are available, but none provide the convenience and independence of automobiles. However, the main substitute threatening players in this industry is used vehicles. Taking a macro perspective, during the global economic downturn as consumers avoid making big purchases, this amplifies the threat of cheaper substitutes such as used cars or public transport. The threat of substitutes is fairly moderate. 2.5DEGREE OF RIVALRY Highly competitive industries generally yield low returns because the competition costs are high. The automotive industry for instance, is considered to be an oligopoly globally, which helps minimising the effects of price based competition. Automakers understand that price based competition does not necessarily increase the size of the marketplace but will rather put pressure on their profit margins. There is some degree of diversification amongst manufacturers. Honda, for example, uses diversification to reduce dependence upon the automotive industry to an extent, and consequently eases rivalry The presence of strong, multinational incumbents such as Honda and Nissan intensifies rivalry and makes it difficult for smaller players to compete. The degree of rivalry in the automotive industry is further increased by high fixed costs related with manufacturing and the low switching costs for customer when buying. Both macro and micro forces play indicative role for global corporate management. A detailed analysis of both macro and micro is essential in order for businesses to consider entering a foreign or local market.