The opening scene of City of God is fun to watch as we see the chicken escaping from those who want to eat it. City of God engages with the cinematic tropes of political filmmaking as this film is set in the poverty-stricken communities of Rio de Janeiro during the 70’s. This film uses location shooting in Rio de Janeiro’s poorest neighborhoods, adding to the atmosphere and height of the situation where people struggle to even live. The police show up in the opening scene, which causes the residents of the community to defend themselves. Like many political films, it shows the police as the enemy. City of God reappropriated Glauber Rocha’s “the aesthetics of hunger” in showing a big group of people running after a single chicken when they realize it got loose. They all have guns and are trying to shoot the chicken down and even push people out of the way in order to get to the chicken. Rocha said “violence is normal when people are starving”, therefore we can understand the importance of the length this group goes through to get the chicken back. A contemporary film I found that shares similarities to the Cinema Novo aesthetic is Elite Squad (José Padilha, 2008). This film focuses on the relationship between the police and drug dealers in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. The film sheds light on the violence that occurs in such poverty-stricken areas and the corruption of police forces. In the clip below, we can see the use of location shooting and the dim natural lighting to set the mood of the scene. The narrator also discusses a bit on how the corrupt cops negotiate with drug dealers so there is a “balance”.

POST 2:

Then opening scene of City of God is really artistic and creative in their way of storytelling before the film even begins. It uses the importance of the chicken in a way that makes the chicken sort of a vital portion of the film. The chaos and intensity of catching the chicken gives the chicken power. The camera also shows POV of the chicken while it’s on the run which identifies the pressure and feelings of this chicken against everyone. This then goes into showing the feelings of Rocket and the pressure he’s experienced as well. This film reminds me a lot of the opening scene of Crooklyn and how although these are both contemporary films, they are both sort of coming of age as well in a storytelling kind of way. Like in City of God, In the opening scene of Crooklyn the camera shows a lot of mis en scene and the community of the film by showing how valuable the community is to the film and how every portion of the setting is key in connecting with the films narratives. Kids playing, people working, poor neighborhoods, chaos and overall culture. Just how City of God is shaped around Rockets POV, Crooklyn is shaped around Troy’s POV as well.
Both of these films show how little things hold so much value to these communities.

POST 3:

This question is interesting and can be approached from several different angles. It’s difficult to separate referential treatment from pure appropriation. This is something that modern culture is still struggling to directly diagnose. In my opinion, this is a case of reverence and respect for Hiroshima (1959), because the similarities are so blatant that this could not simply be a situation of “I like this scene, so I’ll throw it into my film.” It’s an homage to the themes of Hiroshima (1959), issues of time, memory, massive trauma that stretches beyond the individual and into the collective realm. Both films begin with two people experiencing an intimate moment, but there are a few differences. The cinematic techniques like close-ups were utilized slightly differently; in Bare no Sorest (1969) we’re given a more thematic introduction to the characters because there is a lack of voice over that dominates the scene, and the camera feels like the main cinematic tool being utilized to present the scene. We actually see their faces; we’re presented with more. I wonder if this is because this film is presented this way to indoctrinate more of a sense of realism right from the beginning, which plays well into the themes of false reality and interpretation of events being real or not.

POST 4

City of God’s opening sequence was a great representation of how the character, Rocket, finds himself always caught at a crossroad with both ways leading to the same outcome. They represent this by showing how the chicken runs away from getting cooked, but then finds itself in the middle of a possible shoot out. The scene ultimately includes a lot of handheld camera movement with the use of natural lighting. One way that this opening sequence reappropriated Rocha’s “the aesthetics of hunger” by showing how the street gang of young men have to cook a live chicken for their food, so much so that when one tries to get away, they are determined to chase it. Another way would be how we see how Rocket seems to experience some disconnect with the environments he finds himself in and is seeking the understanding of his identity. The film also assimilates Cinema Novo by showing the showdown that happens between the street gang and the police. The fact that the police don’t tell Rocket to move out the way can also show they might think he’s also part of their gang.
A contemporary film that could be in conversation with Cinema Novo would be Judas and The Black Messiah for its focus on racial inequality and the power dynamic that existed. In this scene, you not only see a shootout happen between 2 Black Panthers, but also the treatment the 2 get after surrendering.

Post 5：

After watching the opening scene of City of Gods, I really enjoyed the fast past chase scene that got more and more intense as the Chicken was escaping just slightly from their grasp. It almost gave this sense of how little this chicken was watching other chickens being cut and cooked right in front of him. After the chicken was trapped between the boys with guns and the cops, the scenery changes and it feels this sense of scared over the boys needing to defend themselves against the cops. The Camera angles do a really great job of showing how dramatic Katia Lund and Fernando Meirelles aesthetics of hunger are, as these boys are more so driven to catch this chicken no matter what, enjoying the chase and even pulling out guns to make it entertaining for both the audience and the characters. Almost has us distracted by the environment and other people’s lives that are just barely out of notice, but when you do pay attention, you get this feeling of struggle and poor culture. Showing us how small the world is and how theirs always a bigger fish.

1. Describe the basic steps of the organizational development process.

2. Evaluate the strategic role of change in the organization and its impact on organizational performance.

3. Analyze the human, structural and strategic dimensions of the organizational development.

Assignment Question(s):

You are a management consultant at Miri & Co Partners; you receive an email from one of your long-term clients stating as follows:

“Following an overhaul of the company and a shift from the conventional model to telecommuting, several challenges have emerged. First, the majority ofthe departments are not meeting their monthly targets. This follows an introduction of a policy that the most productive employees will receive a monthly bonus. Secondly, numerous conflicts are emerging from the finance departments. We need an urgent solution to increase the productivity of this department.” Answer the following questions:

1. How can the company improve the group awareness in the company?

2. State the process of using a microcosm group to address organization-wide issues.

3. What are the disadvantages of restructuring based on functional structure?

4. Should the reward system be individual-based or group based?

5. What is the role of executive leadership in transformational change?

6. Finally, provide a workable solution to the client in not more than 200 words.

Note:

• Use the concepts developed in this course in your answers.

• You must include at least 5 references.

• Format your references using APA style.

Instructions: Find an article online about a topic that interests you. You may use a database from our library that’s provided on the course page, or you may use an online search engine. The Opposing Viewpoints database would be the easiest and most reliable for this type of assignment. That particular database would also give you great ideas for research paper topics.

Read your chosen article closely and answer ALL of the following questions to the best of your ability. Think of each assignment as practice. The more you do, the more prepared you’ll be for doing research and to write your own paper. I treat these analysis worksheets as participation, so you will receive full credit for each one as long as you answer every question.

**NOTE: These are not essay assignments. You only need to answer each question. **

1. What is the issue (the main topic)?
2. What is the argument (writer’s position on the main topic)?
3. Identify and provide the one sentence you think is the writer’s main claim (thesis).
4. What reasons does the writer give to support the main claim (HINT: Examine the topic sentence—first sentence—of each body paragraph).
5. What kind of evidence does the writer provide to support the claim?
6. What counter argument(s), if any, does the author mention? A counter argument identifies a position opposite that of the writer and explains why that opposing view is flawed.
7. Did the author influence your thinking about the argument? Why or why not?
8. What is your position on the topic and what reasons do you have for your position?
9. Create an APA reference entry for the article (use the library APA link for help).

• The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard (WORD format only) via allocated folder.
• Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.
• Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented; marks may be reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.
• Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.
• Late submission will NOT be accepted.
• Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.
• All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).
• Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Describe decision making process for complex issues pertaining to business environment both internally and externally (C.L.O :1.1)
2. Define different perspectives and concepts of problem solving in diverse contexts and business situations. (C.L.O :1.2)
3. Explain and apply critical thinking and cognitive psychology as it pertains to analyze and synthesize information for problem solving and decision making. (C.L.O :2.1)

Assignment Instructions for Part-I:

• Log in to Saudi Digital Library (SDL) via University’s website
• On first page of SDL, choose “English Databases”
• From the list find and click on EBSCO database.
• In the search bar of EBSCO find the following article:

Title:                    “Drive Innovation with Better Decision-Making.”

Author:                Linda A Hill, Emily Tedards, Taran Swan

Date of Publication:        November–December 2021

Published:            Harvard Business Review

Assignment Question(s):                                                         (Marks 15)

Part-I

Read the article titled as “Drive Innovation with Better Decision-Making.” by Linda A Hill, Emily Tedards, and Taran Swan published in Harvard Business Review, and answer the following Questions:

1. Summarize the article and explain the main issues discussed in the article. (In 500-600 words)                                                                                           (Marks 5)
2. According to the article, why we should focus on Decision-Making? Discuss in relation with the text you learnt in the course. Use additional reference to support your argument. (In 400-500 words)                                                   (Marks 5)

Part-II- Critical Thinking Question

1. “Decision making is the process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions.” Explain the statement with example         (Words 400-500)                                                         (Marks 5)

Answers

1. Answer-

2. Answer-

3. Answer-

4. Answer

Capstone Project 3 Instructions
Benji’s Department Store
Capstone Project 3 Instructions 1
Benji’s Department Stores, with corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, operates department stores in midsize towns in selected areas of the West. The organization maintains a large database for its accounting operations; other departments often download data to complete additional analysis. Eve Darden, analyst for the corporate sales department, regularly creates reports based on her analysis of sales by product areas and regions. Right now, Eve is compiling and summarizing data about the best-and worst- performing product group and time period for certain regions and product groups. You are to complete the following:
1. Download the starter Excel data file named Capstone_3_Starter_Data_File and save it as a new Excel workbook with the name Benjis_Stores_nn.xlsx where nn are your first and last initials.
2. In the Documentation sheet, enter your name and the date (use the date you start this capstone project with the format of mm/dd/yyyy).
3. In the Sales Data worksheet, create an Excel table with the name of ProductSales. Format the Sales column in the Accounting format with no decimal places. Apply a table style of your choice.
4. Make a copy of the Sales Data worksheet with the new name of the copied worksheet as Sort. Sort the table in ascending order by Product group, then in ascending order by Region, then in ascending order by Year, and then in chronological order by Month (Jan, Feb, Mar, …).
5. Make a copy of the Sales Data worksheet with the new name of the copied worksheet as Filter with Total Row. Insert a slicer for the Product Group field. Move the slicer to row 1. Match the slicer style with the style you selected for the ProductSales table. Resize the slicer height and width to eliminate any excess space.
6. Display the records for Gardening and Sporting products in 2016, excluding sales in Utah. Sort this data in descending order of sales.
7. Add a Total row and calculate the average sales for the filtered data. Change the label in the Total row to Average.
8. Split the worksheet into two panes. In the top pane, display the table data. In the bottom pane, display the Total row. In the top pane, select cell A1.
9. Make a copy of the Sales Data worksheet with the new name of the copied worksheet as Subtotals 2016. Filter the list to display only data for 2016, and then include sutotals that calculate the total Sales by Region and Month.
Capstone Project 3 Instructions
Benji’s Department Store
Capstone Project 3 Instructions 2
10. Make a copy of the Sales Data worksheet with the new name of the copied worksheet as Bottom 15. Display the 15 lowest periods based on sales (each row represents a period). Sort the sales so that the lowest sales appear first.
11. Based on the data in the sales Data worksheet, create the PivotTable and PivotChart in a new worksheet with the name of the worksheet as PivotChart. shown as follows:
12. Based on the data in the sales Data worksheet, create a PivotTable to calculate the sum, average, minimum, and maximum sales categorized by region and product group. Insert a Year slicer (for years 2015 and 2016) and use it to only show sales in 2016. The name of this worksheet is Region Statistics. When the PivotTable is complete, the results should look like as follows (ignore the instruction headings):
Capstone Project 3 Instructions
Benji’s Department Store
Capstone Project 3 Instructions 3
13. Based on the data in the Sales Data worksheet, create a PivotTable and slicers displaying total sales by Year, Product Group, and Region. Include a second value calculation that displays each Product Group and Region as a percentage of the total company sales (i.e. percentage of a subtotal in PivotTable). The name of this worksheet is Percent of Company Sales. The results of this PivotTable should look as follows when completed:
Capstone Project 3 Instructions
Benji’s Department Store
Capstone Project 3 Instructions 4
14. Format the PivotTable and slicers with matching styles, and adjust the height and width of the slicers as needed to improve their appearance. Step 13 already has these changes applied and can be used as an example.
15. In the Percent of Company Sales worksheet, Filter the Product Group to display sales in 2016 for the Automotive and Electronics product groups in all Regions except Utah. When complete, the results of these changes will appear as follows:
16. Save the workbook as Benjis_Stores_nn.xlsx where nn are the initials of our first and last name and submit to Blackboard per the instructions of your instructor

Consider technological innovations and developments in your field or other fields, and analyze how one such innovation has either increased or decreased equality and social justice in the U.S. You should define the concepts of equality and social justice and examine the impact of the technological innovation on both equality and social justice. Please consider multiple aspects when you discuss the impact of the technological innovation on social equality and social justice. Cite at least one course reading and one appropriate source from outside class. Direct quotes should not be more than 10% of total text.

Instruction: 1. Please review the rubrics before you start writing the paper. 2. Your paper should have a clear structure, including a thesis, body paragraphs with clear topic sentences and focused discussions, and a conclusion. 3. The paper should be detailed in analysis and your argument should be based on specific evidence. Make sure to choose a focus that allows you to provide specific examples, statistics or any other kinds of factual details or data in your paper. 4. You can use APA or MLA citation format, and should include intext citations and a reference list for either citation format. APA citations of all reading materials are listed in the document “APA citations for course reading materials” posted in the first module of the home page and also at the end of the course syllabus.

Format: double space, 12 font size. Submit a word document or a PDF file.

Are multinational corporations the tools of states (realism), or are states the tools of multinational corporations (critical view)? Which view better explains the world as we see it today? Defend your position with contemporary or historical facts.

Please make sure to incorporate:

(1) A clear introduction that directly addresses the question posed by the instructor;

(2) A body of factual examples that support your thesis; these examples may be drawn from either the assigned readings or footnoted sources researched independently by the student; Wikipedia is not an appropriate source for academic essays;

(3) A coherent paragraph structure that highlights your main points; and

(4) Appropriate citations for materials drawn from the works of others; plagiarized threads will be penalized

Main Discussion Essay posting should be approximately 1000-1500 words in length. Long, rambling, unfocused messages discourage readership and suggest fuzzy thinking. It is more difficult to express ideas in short essays than in long ones.

I am very easy to communicate with and open to brainstorming and being a part of the process. Thank you so much :)

Preparing for the Assignment:

You have been recognized as a financial analysis expert. As such, you have been hired to conduct a review of a for-profit organization’s latest consolidated financial statement and make recommendations to leadership based upon your findings. The business proposal requires the use of 3 scholarly sources to support your work.

Select 1 consolidated financial statement from a for-profit health care organization of your choice.

Review the financial ratios in the Wk 3 Discussion – Financial Ratios.

Assignment Directions:

Choose 2 of the financial ratios listed below and perform a calculation of that ratio using your selected organization’s financial statements. Alternate ratio names are provided in parenthesis.

• Current ratio (liquidity ratio)
• Debt to assets ratio (solvency ratio)
• Free cash flow (solvency ratio)
• Price-earnings ratio (profitability ratio)
• Profit margin ratio (profitability ratio)
• Return on total assets Ratio (profitability ratio)
• Working capital (liquidity ratio)

Include an explanation of what the result of the calculation means about the organization.

Write a 1,050- to a 1,400-word business proposal using your own template or the Business Proposal Template.

Include the following items in your business proposal:

• Background/History of the Organization:
• Describe the health care organization.
• Include the history and purpose, and identify the service or product they offer. (This information is typically found in the annual report.)
• Operational Structure:
• Describe the company’s operational structure (i.e., sole-proprietorship, corporation, partnership, etc.).
• Include a definition of the type of structure and discuss their financial health. (This information is typically found on the SEC website.)
• Financial Analysis and Stability:
• Explain the purpose of financial analysis.
• Identify the steps required in performing a financial analysis.
• Include information about the organization’s assessment of its current financial stability.
• Identify their growth plans or plans to increase future revenue. Include any challenges they have encountered or anticipate.
• Vertical and Horizontal Analysis:
• Compare vertical and horizontal analysis.
• Include the actions the organization should take if the findings show unexpected differences. Provide 1 example.
• Financial Ratios:
• Explain the use of financial ratios.
• Define the 2 financial ratios you selected for this assignment.
• Using the organization’s financial statements, perform a calculation for the 2 ratios.
• Include an explanation of what the result of each calculation means about the organization’s financial status.
• Recommendation For Leadership:
• Recommend 1 financial strategy to leadership. The recommendation must be based on the organization’s financial statements and related to their financial status improvement, liabilities reduction, revenue streams expansion, or future growth.
• Conclusion:
• Write a conclusion. This closing paragraph is designed to assist the reader in understanding the purpose of the paper.
• Summarize the key points from the supporting paragraphs without introducing any new information.
• Include how this information would be used by health care managers.

Cite 3 scholarly sources to support your assignment.

Format your citations and references according to APA guidelines.

Problem 1 (6 marks)

Bob, a retired librarian from SMU, would like to donate some money to his alma mater to endow a $5,000 annual scholarship.  The first scholarship will be awarded at the beginning of year 8.  The University will manage the funds and expects to earn 3.5% per year., with annual compounding.

1. How much will Bob have to donate today to ensure the endowment fund never runs out of money? (3 marks)
2. If Bob wants to increase the amount of the scholarship by 1% per year, how much will he need to deposit today? (3 marks)

Problem 2 (6 marks)

You are an investment advisor and have been referred the following new client.  Rosella is 80 years old and needs to move to an assisted living care facility.  Her health is not great, so you are using a life expectancy of 10 years.  She has investments totalling $300,000 but they are mostly in low yielding savings accounts (her last advisor told her this was the least risky option).  Her pension income amounts to $2,000 per month (this excludes any income from her investments).  Rosella has found several beautiful places to live but the monthly cost is quite high, and she doesn’t know if she can afford any of them.  Rosella wants to know the maximum amount she can afford to spend per month (payment at beginning of month) if she has no other monthly expenses. Assume you can invest her $300,000 and earn 5% compounded monthly.

Problem 3 (9 marks)

Nick Suzuki, 23, newly named captain of the Montreal Canadiens, recently signed an 8-year, $63 million contract ($7,875,000 per year for 8 years, with equal installments paid at the end of each month).  If Nick spends only $20,000 per month over the life of his contract, investing the rest into an investment paying 5% compounded quarterly, how much will he have available to spend every month if he retires at the end of his contract and lives to age 80? (Assume he continues to earn 5% compounded quarterly on his funds).

Problem 4 (6 marks)

After living in residence for a year, Jess has decided to move into an apartment for the remaining 3 years of her degree.  She has found a nice apartment that will cost $1000 per month, payable at the start of each month.  Rent for the first and last month must be paid in advance up front.  How much money will Jess need to have in her account today to be sure she will always have enough for rent. Her bank account pays 4.5% APR with monthly compounding.

Problem 5 (15 marks):

You are considering the following 3 investments, each with an upfront cost of $45,000 today.  Which would you choose?  Show your work to support your answer.

1. $5,000 at the end of each year for 15 years with the first payment one year from today (end of year 1). APR of 6% with semi-annual compounding
2. $5,200 for 16 years with the first payment 2 years from today. APR of 7% with annual compounding
3. $4,400 at the end of each for 17 years with the first payment one year from today (end of year 1). APR of 5% with monthly compounding

Problem 6 (14 marks)

Nineteen-year-old Spanish tennis sensation, Carlos Alcaraz, beat 23-year-old Norwegian Casper Ruud in 4 sets to win the 2022 US Open, collecting a prize of $2.6 million, bringing his total year to date winnings in 2022 to $7.4 million.

5. If Carlos decided to invest half of his US Open winnings, plus $250,000 from his future quarterly earnings (starting next quarter) into an investment earning 5.25% compounded quarterly for the next 10 years, how much would he have at the end of 10 years. (9 marks)
6. If Carlos uses the accumulated funds from (a) to donate to his favourite charities, how much could he donate annually at the end of each year, if he wanted to continue his donations for 20 years? (Assume funds are kept in the same investment) (5 marks)

Problem 7 (9 marks)

You always enjoyed a Starbucks Iced Oat Latte every day (5 days a week) on your way to work at a cost of $5.70 including tax.  At lunch you’d pick up a sandwich and coffee from the bakery at your office building for an all-in cost of $12.50.  You were tired after your long commute so you would order out three nights a week at a cost of about $20 per meal.  You have been trying to save for a trip but never had any extra cash to invest.  Then COVID hit and you had to work from home.   Now that you are back at your office, you are bringing your own coffee, packing your own lunch, and only eating out occasionally.  You estimate you are spending only about 10% weekly of what you were spending pre-covid and saving the rest.  If you invest your weekly savings into a mutual fund with an annual rate of return (APR) of 6.5%, compounded weekly,

1. a) How much will you have accumulated at the end of two years to fund your trip? (7 marks)
2. b) How much would you have to deposit in one lump sum today to have the same amount in your savings at the end of two years? (2 marks)

Problem 8 (19 marks)

You have saved $50,000 to use as a down payment for some property and to build a home. The home is in a prime building location that has trees and a stream running through the property.  The clearing of the land and the building of the house will cost a total $650,000.

1. How much money will you need to borrow through a mortgage for your home? (1 mark)
2. The bank offers to finance your purchase with a 25-year amortized mortgage with a 5-year term at 4.125%. If you want to make monthly payments on this loan (end of each month), how much will each payment be? (5 marks)
3. Prepare an amortization schedule for your first 3 mortgage payments (3 marks)
4. At the end of the 5-year term, the mortgage terms allow you pay down an additional 10% of the original mortgage amount and the terms allow you to change the remaining amortization period. You have saved the additional money to pay down the amount of the loan (additional 10% of the original mortgage amount) and you want to shorten the remaining amortization by 5 years. The bank will fund your mortgage at 4.50% for a 5-year term. If you are to make monthly, what are your new monthly payments for the mortgage after the renegotiation? (9 marks)
5. What would happen to your payment if monthly mortgage payments were made at the beginning of the month instead of the end? (Briefly explain – no calculation required) (1 mark)

Solve the following problems or answer the following questions, supplying detailed steps wherever required. Thorough answers to solutions and questions required using complete sentences for answers to the questions (short incomplete sentences not acceptable).

Jobs – Order of Processing

1. Five jobs arrive nearly simultaneously for processing and their estimated CPU cycles are, respectively: Job A52 m s , Job B512 m s , Job C515 m s , Job D57 m s , and Job E53 ms.
2. Using FCFS, in what order would they be processed? What is the total time required to process all five jobs? What is the average turnaround time for each of these five jobs?
3. Using SJN, and assuming that all jobs are present when the algorithm begins, in what order would they be processed? What is the total time required to process all five jobs? What is the average turnaround time for all five jobs?
4. Using SJN, and assuming that all jobs are present when the algorithm begins, what is the average turnaround time for all five jobs using these speeds: Job A512 ms, Job B52 ms, Job C515 m s , Job D57 m s , and Job E53 m s.