Analysis of the Use of M&A Strategy

Question: ExplainAnalysis of the Use of MA Strategy. Answer: Introduction In order to gain the profitability and competitive advantages, every organisation engages in the different strategies and plans. These plans and strategies help the firms to compete in the market and develop supportive relationship with the different stakeholders to generate positive corporate image (Dor, Dynkin and Hyman, 2011). In this, the merger and acquisition strategies are effective to generate values to the organisations, which also enable them to generate more profits from the collective operations. Acquisition strategies offer various benefits to the companies such as cost cutting, large insights of market, improving in performance and creating market access for product (Lacity and Willcocks, 2015). In this concern, this report critically analyses the merger and acquisition strategy that are used by the companies in energy sector during the oil price drop of 21014 to 2016. With the help of appropriate academic models, this report also discusses the challenges and benefits of merger and acquisition strategy with the examples of energy sector companies. Analysis of the Use of MA Strategy In recent years, the strategy of merger and acquisition has gained lot of popularity in order to capture the market of other companies in the respective fields. It is analysed that in the energy sector, there are many companies that use this strategy to meet the needs and demands of customers and achieve profitability and growth. During the oil price drop of 2014 to 2016, the energy companies used MA strategies to strengthen their competitive position. It is because due to drop in oil price, merger companies enabled to not to overpay the money at the time of merger and acquisition activity (Deloitte, 2016). It helped the companies to save their money on merger. It is found that in the global energy sector, the volatility in the oil price levels influenced most of the aspects of industrys performance. It is because due to volatility in oil price, the actual profitability figures of oil and gas companies has come, which made the MA activities more effective during the oil price drop of 2014 to 2016 (Bertocco, Keuer and Milisavljevic, 2015). For example, in the merger and acquisition between Sabine Oil gas and Forest Oil Corporation, Sabine Oil and Gas Company merged with Forest Oil Corporation. It helped both the firms to capture the market area as well as assets to increase the profitability. Through this, both the organisations have also enabled to develop the internal strengths to capture new market opportunities in effective ways (Business Wire, 2014). It is analysed that during the year of 2104 to 2106, the low oil price distressed the oil and gas companies. It also generated the wave of merger and acquisition as most of the companies wants to recover their price due to loss by the low price of oil. In this, the merger and acquisition strategy helped the oil and gas companies to provide benefits to the shareholders and enhance the effectiveness and success of merger in the energy sector (Scheck and Raice, 2014). Along with this, it is also identified that merger firms effectively used the merger and acquisition strategy during the oil price drop of 2014 and 2016 in terms of establishing defensive mergers. As per the PEST model, there are various factors that influence the merger strategies of oil and gas companies. In this economic factor is one of the external factors that affect the merger strategies (Chorafas, 2016). For example, during the low oil price of 2014 to 2106, in the merger between Shell and BG Group, due to demonstration of decreasing in oil price, the firm decreased the value of its oil and gas assets by nearly 6bn. At the same time, Shell also announced to cut its spending by approx 10bn for the next three years (BBC News, 2015). It helped the new merger to gain effective profits and remain competitive in the crisis situation. In support of this, it is also identified that during the low oil price of 2014 to 2016, the oil and gas companies also used the MA strategies to develop the strength in terms of enhancing the product and service portfolio. Through this, the companies also enabled to provide greater values to the customers that also supported them to increase profitability during the low oil price period (Gomes, Weberand Brown, 2011). On the other hand, it is also analysed that at the time of sharp decline in the oil price, the weaknesses of oil and gas companies in merger and acquisition also has emerged in terms of managing the stress of balance sheet. It is because decline in the oil price negatively affected the profitability of the merged firms that also impacted on the relationship and created a reason of merger failure (Hotten, 2014). But, at the time of low oil price in the market, mergers and acquisitions were increasingly recognised as an effective way of spreading risks in both upstream and downstream functions. It also helped the companies to cut their costs and achieve economies of scale (Dor, Dynkin and Hyman, 2011). For example, at the time of depressed oil price, the merger of BP and Amoco helped the oil industry to provide more effective products and services. In this, the firm announced to operate in all the industry segments, manage more than 130 business units in more than 100 countries. It also helped the merger to achieve profits and competitive advantages (Gomes, Weber and Brown, 2011). According to Chon (2012), the growth strategy model indicates that strategic acquisition is effective for the companies to follow the strategy of transformation. Due to this, the companies are also enabled to mitigate the challenges that they face during the crisis situations. It also helps the firms to achieve comp etitive advantages over their competitors. In similar ways, it is analysed that during the low oil price of 2014 to 2016, the oil and gas companies effectively used the merger and acquisition strategy to mitigate the gaps and access the financial resources of each other to meet the organisational goals and objectives. For example, in the case of BP and Amoco merger, BP effectively used the resources of Amoco, which enabled the firm to hold a stronger market position in different countries that also supported the firm to achieve competitive advantages in the depressed oil price situations (Lacity and Willcocks, 2015). At the same time, the fall in oil price also helped the oil and gas companies to develop their relationship with the same sector companies. As per the SWOT analysis model, it is found that due to sharp fall in the oil price, global energy companies received the opportunities to expend their market in the developing countries like India and Indonesia by developing strategic partnership with the local companies. It is because expanding market in developing countries enabled the global energy companies to save their cost on RD as well as establishment of plant to explore the oil and gas from the resources (Lacalle and Parrilla, 2015). On the other hand, in the energy sector, the oil and gas companies also used the merger and acquisition strategy in order to mitigate the cash flow problems. For example, the consideration of merger of Salamander Energy by Ophir Energy was based on the cash flow problems. In this merger, corporate purchase has taken place at the bargain price, which helped the firm to force investors to exit their investment quickly and realise cash at any price (Armstrong, 2014). Due to this, the Ophir effectively resolved the cash flow problems due to fall in the global oil price. Challenges and Benefit of MA Challenges In order to accomplish merger and acquisition in the energy sector, a company faces various challenges and problems to make it successful. In the merger and acquisition process, it is the difficult task to analyse which company will stay and which will go out (Belyi, 2013). It is a major and concerning decision for the companies board of members and their equity shareholder. It is not possible for a company to go out from the market, which continuously earning good profit as well as it is also not possible for the debt bringing company to stay much time in the market. Along with this, it is also a challenging aspect to identify the proper reason behind the communication of merger and acquisition. It is because; it is difficult for a company to find out actual interest of another company behind the MA activities (Campbell and Wstmann, 2013). During the time of oil price drop of 2014 to 2016, most of the merger and acquisition companies faced the challenges related to the finance. It is because due to fall in the oil price, the companies unable to generate much finance to pay to the investors their money. It also created issues related to the failure merger strategies adopted by several companies such as AOL and Time Warner Company. According to the SWOT analysis, energy sector has many opportunities such as favourable government policies, earn high profit, minimum competition, etc. (Cartwright and Cooper, 2012). So, capital is required to take the benefits of various opportunities. In the oil and gas industry, sometimes challenges can arise in the marketing of the petroleum product, pipelines of petroleum product. An acquiring company also faces the challenges in comparing the benefits, compensation, culture, dividend, taxation, HR policies of both companies because every company have different policies regarding them. AOL and Time Warner merger is failed due to the lack fulfilment of the commitment from each side (Fu and Zhang, 2011). It is the main challenge in the merger and acquisition to complete the pre-determined commitment. It is difficult for a company to create value after the MA in the energy sector. It is because; MA activities can break the price of the oil and gas at extent level because it is possible that financial debt amount of transferred from acquired company to acquiring company (Holburn and Vanden, 2014). If the amount of debt is much higher compared to profit earning per year that time, it is difficult for an acquiring company to make the profit and overcome from debt. Often, it has been seen during the merger and acquisition, companies fail to achieve the predetermined targets. It is because; a company cannot focus on the business objective until the deal has closed. Sometimes, mismanagement also becomes the reason of the missed targets. It is difficult for the management team to manage two companies activities at the initial stage. Merger and acquisition bring up the problem of the loss of the key people in the organization. At the time of the deal, the company requires the renormalization the organizational structure and delegation of the leadership (Inkpen and Moffett, 2011). The delegation of the authority is also a critical aspect for the firm due to there is the requirement of concentration on both companies candidate. Benefits A successful MA is that which involves the focus on the both operational and cost effectiveness of the companies involved in the deal. It is an interesting aspect for the reader to enhance the knowledge on the benefits of the merger and acquisition in the energy sector. Merger and acquisition activities provide various types of benefits for the both acquired and acquiring companies. Through the MA activity an oil and gas company can pay their debt in the time of crude oil are collapsing (LaMattina, 2011). As per the SWOT analysis, it is stated that merger and acquisition provide different types of strengths to the energy sector namely strong technology development, quality human resource and large market share (Campbell and Wstmann, 2013). Similarly, during the oil price drop, the MA strategies helped the companies to receive these benefits by developing greater relationship with each other. The taxation is also a benefit for the acquiring company in the merger and acquisition activi ties. It is because, the government provides taxation reduction in the merger and acquisition activities that leads to the decline in the tax liabilities. In the energy sector, if a company acquires another country companies that time acquiring company, which helps the companies to save their costs. During the oil price drop, the MA in the oil and gas industry also helped the firms to achieve economic of scale. A major example of the economies of scale involves Sabine Oil gas and Forest Oil Corporation in which the new merger enabled to reduce the cost of its production by using the valuable resources of both the companies. Acquiring a company in the same industry is increased the production level with more efficiency in the production. In the energy sector, MA is a most appropriate way of the expanding their business at the large scale (Rothaermel, 2015). Through the merger and acquisition, a firm can take advantage of the market opportunities. It also reduces the competition in the market and helpful for a company that wants to enter the new market. Merger and acquisition provide higher market share to an oil and gas industry for conducting business activities. In the case of oil price drop, a strong financial company purchases smaller company that provides the benefits to the stronger financial company to achieve customer base as well as resources of that company Due to this, firm is also benefited in terms of cost-efficient and time consuming (Wstenhagen and Wuebker, 2011). Shell and BG group merger provided to organic growth to the acquiring company. The decision of Shell to acquisition in the same sector helped in reducing the operational cost of organization as well as increasing the revenue of the firm. It is also beneficial in terms of increasing the supply chain and pricing power. Thus, the combination of the two companies in the energy sector enables to enhance the work performance and strength of business network by improving market reach (Belyi, 2013). Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be concluded that during the oil price drop of 2014 to 2016, the merger and acquisition strategy is one of the effective strategies that adopted by the energy sector companies to reduce the negative effects of low oil price. It also helped the companies to expand their businesses in new markets as well as provide better and effective services to increase the customer base in the crisis situations. The energy sector companies also used the merger and acquisition strategies to provide the benefits to the investors in terms of giving better returns on their investments. At the same time, it can also be concluded that the oil and gas companies also used the merger and acquisition strategy to manage the balance sheet stress and cash flow problems significantly. It also helped the oil and gas firms to meet the needs of cash and provide profitability by establishing a strategic relationship with the other companies in the different countries. References Armstrong, A. (2014) Ophir agrees 314m takeover of Salamander. [Online]. Available at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/11249706/Ophir-agrees-314m-takeover-of-Salamander.html [Accessed: 8 July 2016]. BBC News (2015) Royal Dutch Shell to buy BG Group in 47bn deal. [Online]. Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/business-32213341 [Accessed: 8 July 2016]. Belyi, A.V. (2013) Institutional trends in Russias oil and gas sectors. The Journal of World Energy Law Business, 5(6), pp.39-45 . Bertocco, R., Keuer, W. and Milisavljevic, M. (2015) Preparing for the Coming Wave of Consolidation in Midstream Oil and Gas. [Online]. Available at https://www.bain.com/publications/articles/preparing-for-the-coming-wave-of-consolidation-in-midstream-oil-and-gas.aspx [Accessed: 6 July 2016]. Business Wire (2014) Sabine Oil Gas and Forest Oil Announce Definitive Merger Agreement. [Online]. Available at https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140506005979/en/Sabine-Oil-Gas-Forest-Oil-Announce-Definitive [Accessed: 6 July 2016]. Campbell, C.J. and Wstmann, A. (2013) Campbell's atlas of oil and gas depletion. UK: Springer. Cartwright, S. and Cooper, C.L. (2012) Managing Mergers Acquisitions and Strategic Alliances. UK: Routledge. Chon, K. S. (2012) The Growth Strategies of Hotel Chains: Best Business Practices by Leading Companies. UK: Routledge. Chorafas, D. N. (2016) Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Business Competitiveness: The Fragility of Interdependence. USA: CRC Press. Deloitte (2016) The impact of plummeting crude oil prices on company finances. [Online]. Available at https://www2.deloitte.com/ng/en/pages/energy-and-resources/articles/crude-awakening-the-impact-of-plummeting-crude-oil-prices-on-company-finances.html# [Accessed: 6 July 2016]. Dor, A. B., Dynkin, L. and Hyman, J. (2011) Quantitative Credit Portfolio Management: Practical Innovations for Measuring and Controlling Liquidity, Spread, and Issuer Concentration Risk. USA: John Wiley Sons. Fu, X. and Zhang, J. (2011) Technology transfer, indigenous innovation and leapfrogging in green technology: the solar-PV industry in China and India. Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, 9(4), pp.329-347. Gomes, E., Weber, Y. and Brown, C. (2011) Mergers, Acquisitions and Strategic Alliances: Understanding the Process. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Holburn, G.L. and Vanden Bergh, R.G. (2014) Integrated market and nonmarket strategies: Political campaign contributions around merger and acquisition events in the energy sector. Strategic Management Journal, 35(3), pp.450-460. Hotten, R. (2014) Falling oil prices threaten to transform the industry. [Online]. Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/business-30393690 [Accessed: 8 July 2016]. Inkpen, A.C. and Moffett, M.H. (2011) The Global Oil Gas Industry: Management, Strategy Finance. UK: PennWell Books. Lacalle, D. and Parrilla, D. (2015) The Energy World is Flat: Opportunities from the End of Peak Oil. USA: John Wiley Sons. Lacity, M. and Willcocks, L. (2015) Nine Keys to World-Class Business Process Outsourcing. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing. LaMattina, J.L. (2011) The impact of mergers on pharmaceutical RD. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 10(8), pp.559-560. Rothaermel, F.T. (2015) Strategic management. USA: McGraw-Hill. Scheck, J. and Raice, S. (2014) Will Cheap Oil Lead to Big Mergers?. [Online]. Available at https://www.wsj.com/articles/will-cheap-oil-lead-to-big-mergers-1417750974 [Accessed: 8 July 2016]. Wstenhagen, R. and Wuebker, R. eds. (2011) The Handbook of Research on Energy Entrepreneurship. USA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

The Smallest One was Madeline free essay sample

â€Å"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. They left the house at half past nine the smallest one was Madeline.† When I was a child, I would sit on my mothers lap as she read to me. The books we chose ranged from those telling the tales of princes and princesses and woodland creatures to stories of ghosts and ghouls. However, the books I remember the best are the ones with bright illustrations and bold white print on the covers; the books that told the story of Madeline. Orphaned at a young age, the little girl lived in a French boarding school with her eleven classmates and their school mistress, Miss Clavel. Considered to be the trouble maker of the class, Madeline was always the most daring and lovably mischievous. Most of all, no matter what anyone else thought of her, Madeline was never afraid to speak her mind or defend what she believed to be right. We will write a custom essay sample on The Smallest One was Madeline or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Looking back, I believe it was these qualities that drew me to Madeline and made me want to be like her—to the point of cutting my curly, waist-length hair into a short bob. Her intrepid boldness and spunk taught me that its okay to be myself, no matter what; if Madeline hadn’t been tucked in between dashing princes and innocent princesses, who knows if I’d be any of the things I am today. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from Madeline was that of leadership. For example, I am currently serving my second term as Student Council president and my third year as a section leader in our schools marching band. As Student Council president, I interact not only with the student body and our adviser, but also with our principal and members of the community. I am also directly responsible for the outcomes of certain school events such as our blood drives and Homecoming dance. As a section leader, I help new band members become better musicians and, in some ways , better human beings. I, along with the other section leaders, teach them to do everything with passion and intensity and to convey those feelings to the audience. This job, above any other that I have held, requires patience, understanding, a willingness to push oneself and a willingness to have fun. As a leader in marching band, I must force myself to stay positive—in the same way Madeline would—to help the underclassmen and new members exert the same kind of energy as we rehearse. Holding such highly regarded positions, I am required to possess superior leadership skills—ones that I may never have learned if my mother had introduced to Madeline. We are living in a special time in history—one in which women are openly and strongly accepted as leaders. And as a young woman and a leader, I believe that all young girls should read or be read the stories of Madeline. Like she taught me, she can teach them that it is alright to be smart and strong in a world where women are still—in some places, at least—expected to be naive and fragile. In fact, as a leader with in my school, I like to believe that my peers and my teachers have placed me in the most esteemed positions not because of my naivete or fragility, but because of my candidness, tenacity and drive to succeed. I also like to believe that a little, red-headed girl in a blue coat and yellow hat had something to do with it as well.

Christmas Carol Essay Example

Christmas Carol Essay Charles Dickens, 1812 1870, wrote A Christmas Carol, published in 1843 and it is one of Dickens most loved works. It is a heart warming story which was very popular at the time of publication. The novel aims to educate and enlighten the reader, as well as entertain, with the story of a cold, grasping man, by the name of-Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge is certainly a bad employer and Bob Cratchit, his clerk, would know. He is a poor-family man; time off for the Christmas holiday isnt an issue, especially when you work for Ebenezer Scrooge. As Christmas Eve approaches so does the ghost of Marley, who was dead to begin with! Marley warns Scrooge of three ghostly visits. The ghosts show Scrooge his past, present and a frightening future without love, not to mention disaster for the Cratchits. The purpose of the ghost is to teach Scrooge a lesson in order for him to become a better person. The ending of the novel shows Scrooge can change, pennies are given to charity and certainly the Cratchit familys spirits are lifted as Scrooge gives generously. Charles Dickens wanted his novel to have an important message. He wanted to show that no one should be as selfish and money grasping as Ebenezer Scrooge because if they are they will die lonely and their meanness hurts others. Dickens teaches us that in society the rich people can ease the lives of the poor and make things better for them even with simple acts and gestures! However, we see that characters like Scrooge are unprepared to do so. Life in Victorian England was very difficult, if you were a poor person. Industrialization had bought factories, but unfortunately the working conditions were awful. The poor who worked there didnt get paid a lot at all and would really struggle. If you didnt get employment, then the work houses would be a last resort. This was better than being in prison though and was a warm shelter for Britain. Charles Dickens saw what conditions in the work houses were like and wrote about this in his famous novel Oliver Twist. Dickens was very aware of the poor conditions around, when he moved down to London. He realised (and was shocked at) how badly the rich treated the poor. He was determined to do something about it. We will write a custom essay sample on Christmas Carol specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Christmas Carol specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Christmas Carol specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer By writing about London society and the conditions in which the poor lived, even though these characters were fictional, Dickens was able to raise awareness of poverty and injustice. Dickens wanted to show that rich people should be charitable and help the poor. These charities could make a difference. This relates to A Christmas Carol as Ebenezer Scrooge is a tight fisted and an uncharitable man. The workhouses during Dickens time were in bad condition; they were a last resort to families. Indeed the charity workers inform us that, Many cant go there and many would rather die. This reveals the plight of the poor. Scrooge has money and if he gave to charity he could make a difference and perhaps save a family from the work house. We can see from the changes he goes through and learning from the ghosts, that by the end of the novel he can help save a life by being thoughtful of others and charitable; he can make a difference. In the first scene of A Christmas Carol Dickens gives the readers an impression of Scrooge in just the first few lines. We are told about Scrooges business, the firm was known as Scrooge and Marley and that Scrooge, Answered to both names. This tells us that Scrooge is just a business not a person who lives a proper life. The text states that Scrooge is tight fisted which gives the impression that scrooge is a mean and hard person. The simile hard and sharp as flint tells us that Scrooge is cold and brittle with no warmth in him at all. Flint was used to spark up a fire but theres no fire or warmth in Scrooge! Dickens says from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire. We see how Scrooge lives on his own and enjoys this when Dickens uses the simile, solitary as an oyster. This is odd because oysters make beautiful pearls but there is nothing lovely about Scrooge!

Argumentative Philosophy Essay Topics

Argumentative Philosophy Essay TopicsArgumentative philosophy essay topics are great for helping students prepare for philosophical debate. The number of arguments that can be made is limited by the topic you select. When you select a topic that is not very complex, you can easily discuss the basic facts and whether the arguments are coherent.There are a variety of argumentative philosophy essay topics available to you. You will need to know what these topics are and how they are used in the argumentative philosophy essay. A brief introduction to the topic will help you choose a different argumentative philosophy essay topic each time you plan to write your essay. This will keep the topics interesting to students.Students must learn how to form their own opinions about a given topic if they wish to write an argumentative essay on the subject. Students should spend time researching the topic to be written on. There are many books and websites that offer information about the topic and the experts who specialize in that subject. Students should research the topic before they begin their essay.You should also look for essay topics that are usually seen in textbooks. These topics are usually presented as actual research findings. Students may want to read these essays if they want to learn more about the topic and what really goes on in a philosophical argument. You should make sure that your students read these arguments so that they understand how the experts base their research.It is important that you check with your professor or tutor before you write an argumentative philosophy essay topics. They may ask you to come up with a topic on their own. When you do this, it is important that you give them all of the facts that you have gathered about the topic. They may be able to help you make a good topic choice if they want to.Argumentative essay topics are normally referred to as criticisms. They may be given against the view of someone else. A critic will presen t their views against someone else's view. The focus will be on the strengths and weaknesses of the argument.Different historians will give a lot of information about certain philosophers or religion based philosophers. There will be times when you have to deal with opposing opinions, the opinions of the opposing side, and other related things. You will need to show how a person came to their conclusions and how they reacted to various arguments. If your essay topic deals with this topic, you will need to include your opinion and analysis of the topic.The best argumentative essay topics will be written on your own initiative. You can use the essay topics that other people have written, but you should also write your own essay. You should show your strength of opinion as well as demonstrate the strength of your argument.

What Every Writer Should Know Before Creating a Prologue

What Every Writer Should Know Before Creating a Prologue Arguably one of the most famous prologues in literature, Charles Dickens opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities is a perfect example of how to write a prologue. It is the most quoted line from the book, and has stood the test of time because it does exactly what it is meant to do- make the reader want to continue reading.It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair†¦Charles DickensFor any writer, creating a Dickens-like prologue is a daunting task. This is especially true for first-time novelists who are unsure of the process of writing a book from start to finish, and what it will entail. Theyll often make the mistake of starting with a prologue- because its fun to start a story that way- without understanding the real purpose of those few pa ges at the beginning of their story.The bad news firstWhen someone gives you the option between hearing good news and bad news, youll likely choose the bad news first, right? So here it is.Literary agents looking to represent another best-selling author generally dont like prologues. One reason is that theyve read a lot of them. Theyve seen it all for a books beginning, especially from authors who take 500 words to describe an approaching storm or use the prologue to do something different or cool, which usually only results in completely confusing the reader. With so many samples of work coming across their desk, they start to recognize tell-tale signs about you as an author- how you pace your story and the tone of your narrator. They ultimately want to represent an author who can sell books, and use simple metrics to help their decision on whether to represent you.Now to conclude the bad news, lets take a step back and ask the question: Do you hope to become a best-selling author and have your work accepted by big publishers? If the answer to that question is yes, then you might want to rethink a prologue entirely in the first place.Take a step back and determine whether your prologue would be strong enough to beat the odds of having your manuscript accepted.Advice from the prosElmore Leonard, bestselling western and crime fiction writer, who has also published tips for writers, suggests to do away with a prologue entirely. Sandwiched in between tips like never open a book with weather and never use a verb other than said to carry dialogue, he suggests that a writer avoid prologues. If avoiding a prologue lands in the Top-10 list of industry-wide standards for best practices, then it obviously is something to consider thoroughly before you begin the querying process to have your book published.Theres a valid reason why literary agents tend to avoid reading prologues when considering authors to represent. For example, Janet Reid is a literary agent at New Lea f Literary and Media in New York City. Her client list includes several New York Times Bestselling authors, and she knows how literary agents think. From a literary agents point of view, a big problem with authors sending in a prologue as a query is the fact that it doesnt give them an opportunity to see the writers true pacing and story-telling style. Prologues often contain vague references or back story, leaving the reader- or in this case, literary agent- with little knowledge about your talent and capabilities as a writer, but a lot of confusion trying to understand a prologue outside of the context of the manuscript as a whole.With multiple manuscripts to read daily, literary agents look for tale-tell signs of poor writing to help speed the process. In many cases, when receiving a query, an agent will skip past the prologue and start immediately on Chapter 1.In addition to that, many literary agencies ask for a query as an introduction to your work. Its standard for agents to request that the author send in a query, with only 3-5 pages of the book as a sample. Since a prologue stands on its own, its a bad introduction to what you can do as a writer. A query is not the full manuscript and its certainly not the finished book, says Reid. Reading at the query stage is often skimming. Its not settling down on the couch with a cat and a cup of java for a nice read of an 800-page novel.Reid also suggest that writers ask themselves an important question before submitting a query containing a prologue. If you leave the prologue out of your query, she writes, will the agent be able to understand Chapter One? If so, leave it out of the query. Remember, you only have 3-5 pages most likely, or not many more, to catch an agents attention.She also advises that if you simply must have a prologue and have faith that it will stand out as extraordinary, remember that the point of the query is to engage the reader. It is up to the writer to determine if the prologue would d o that best, or if Chapter One would be more of a hook. Be very critical in your assessment here, says Reid. If Im only going to read five pages, which ones are they?Reid is not alone in her feelings about prologues. Michelle Andelman of Regal Hoffman and Associates, another New York City-based agency, shares the same opinion. Im not a fan of prologues, she writes, preferring to find myself in the midst of a moving plot on page 1 rather than being kept outside of it, or eased into it. Andrea Brown of Andrea Brown Literary Agency puts it like this: Most agents hate prologues. Just make the first chapter relevant and well written. Laurie McLean of Foreword Literary writes, Prologues are usually a lazy way to give back-story chunks to the reader and can be handled with more finesse throughout the story. Damn the prologue, full speed ahead!Finally, the good newsWith the bad news out of the way, lets focus on the good, especially if your manuscript is already written and you know the pro logue youve included is perfect. Kristin Nelson, President and Founding Literary Agent of Nelson Literary Agency in Denver, has represented over 35 New York Times bestselling titles. She, unlike most in her field, doesnt completely discount the potential of a prologue. However, if youre going to send it out for agents to read, at least avoid some of the most common mistakes writers make in writing their prologue.According to Nelson, there are two definite mistakes to avoid. Ranking at #1 and #2 are writing a prologue for backstory so the real story can begin, or making the prologue too long. Both of those mistakes combined would, in her words, be the death of a manuscript.Another common mistake she has seen often is when writers present a prologue that is in a completely different writing style or voice compared to the rest of the book. A writer might do this for several reasons, perhaps to stand out or be different than the rest. Nelson writes, †¦then when Chapter 1 begins, re aders are left flummoxed- especially if that style or tone of voice is never revisited.As for the perfect prologue, and its place in a novel, Nelson admits that a prologue can be a truly amazing tool for a writer and make a novel more successful. However, she also notes that extraordinarily written prologues are not the norm, and she can count the number she has seen on two hands. These odds might not be ones you want to face in your querying process.What makes an extraordinarily written prologue?If youre still convinced your manuscript needs a prologue and you can avoid the whole thing by not sending it out in queries, here are some best practices to consider as you write it.Make readers want more. As in Dickens A Tale of Two Cities, write a prologue that captures the readers attention so much that they simply cant put the book down until they know the story and its every detail. Thats the kind of hook you need to make a prologue work in an industry that doesnt really take well to prologues in the first place.Use the prologue as the proverbial hook, but dont try to yank the hook forward by starting Chapter 1 in the same way. If youve written a dynamic prologue, slow the action down a bit when writing Chapter 1.Think of the prologue as its own unique part of the book. Instead of writing a snippet or snapshot of action that will take place later in the book, think of it as a short story that can stand on its own. If you do this, youll be more likely to give the prologue the attention it deserves.Dont make it too long. If your prologue is wordy and in any way bores the reader, its a useless device. You want to engage the reader and hook them into reading more, not run them away with a bad first impression.Write it in a voice that continues in the rest of your novel. Many writers make the rookie mistake of writing a prologue that is in the voice of the villain, or worse, a character who doesnt play a significant role in the rest of the story. This is not only con fusing for literary agents taking a small glimpse of your work- its confusing to any reader.Dont use your prologue for a lot of back story. Throwing in back story details is often more effective within the plots progression, and can be difficult for your reader to grasp if there are too many details included.Read a lot of prologues. Look at what other authors have done in writing their prologues. Compare how they use it to set up their story, or hook the reader in to reading more. A prologue doesnt have to be a bad thing if you do it right. The fact that there are many bestsellers on shelves that contain a prologue shows that the device still works. Look at what publishers liked (obviously, by publishing the novel), and dissect how other authors have managed it.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali Essay

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali - Essay Example The clock literally is a very clear illustration of time which tells us of things that we cannot get back anymore or perhaps the notion of fleeting objects and at the same time, the use of a clock metaphorically can be attributed to our memories. As a whole, the artwork tells a story where the fading clock is a strong symbolism for human’s memory which is something that we want to hold on to for as long as we can and yet is able to slip away. This is also the irony that it communicates especially creating the mood through the strong contrast between the light and dark colors. At first glance, you would be able to see the opposing reflection of softness and hardness theory. This is seen through the variety of use of shape and form where the art uses free form or natural shapes to demonstrate the softness of the art that would give you an illusion of softness and rigidity while using a mixture of the three-dimensional shapes and lines such as of the trunk that helped the art achieve the clarity of hardness, achieving the comparison with what stays and what are fleeting. Also, the contrast of dark and light colors here, repeatedly used creates that balance between the irony of our memories fleeting and at the same time the reality that time is something that is supposed to slip away. When it comes to the principles of design, movement is one of the greatly used principle in the artwork by using of the soft elements of the artwork such as the melting clock and letting it fills up negative space which is space around the hard objects and makes it lean towards it, copying the shape of the latter. Indeed, the art leaned on the use of movement to express a fading and melting state of the clock, directing it to the copy the shape or direction of the hard objects.  

Has the Criminal Justice Act 2003 effectively removed the rule against Essay

Has the Criminal Justice Act 2003 effectively removed the rule against the admission of hearsay evidence - Essay Example Discussion The Criminal Justice Act 2003 states, as a general rule, that hearsay inadmissible. Section 114 (1) states that â€Å"in criminal proceedings a statement not made in oral in evidence is admissible as evidence of any matter stated if, but only if,† then it goes on to outline four different exceptions.1 One exception is for when any provision, whether in this chapter or in any other statute makes the statement admissible.2 Another exception is when â€Å"any rule of law preserved by section 118 makes it admissible.3 The other exception is when the parties agree to the admissibility of the statement.4 The fourth and final exception is when â€Å"the court is satisfied that it is in the best interest of justice for it to be admissible.†5 Further, the Act carves out exceptions for when a witness is unavailable. In this case, hearsay is admissible if the statement that the unavailable witness would give would be deemed admissible as evidence;6 the person who made the statement has been identified to the satisfaction of the court;7 and that the witness is unavailable according to five different criteria.8 The criteria are that the witness must either be dead, unfit, outside the UK, cannot be found, or is in fear.9 More problematic are the categories that state that a judge can use his or her discretion in deciding whether to admit the statement, and when the witness is unavailable. When the witness is unavailable, then the defendant cannot cross-examine the witness. This would be fundamentally unfair to the defendant. A prosecutor should make every effort to bring witnesses into court so that he or she may be cross-examined, and the statutory provisions that are used for determining whether a witness is unavailable seem too broad. One of the provisions states that a witness may be unavailable because of fear. â€Å"Fear†in this case may either be fear for that person’s life or another person’s life, or it may be fear of f inancial loss. It seems that it would be too simple for a witness to use this excuse. Most witnesses have jobs, and these jobs are not always understanding about having to take off of word to testify. Therefore, the witness can state that he or she is unavailable because of fear of financial loss, and then that witness’ statement can be introduced as evidence against the defendant, without the defendant being able to cross-examine. This rule seems to be weighted in favor of the prosecution, because it seems that virtually any witness can be unavailable under this particular section of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Further, if the witness cannot be on the stand because the trial occurs on a workday, and that person could be fired, then it should be the prosecutor’s responsibility to have secured the statement, through a deposition, on a date that was convenient for the witness. This exception does not put the responsibility on the prosecutor to secure the statement, so this is another flaw. Moreover, although the court has guidelines as to when it can accept a statement under these conditions, these guidelines are rather vague. The judge may accept the statement if the statement should be â€Å"admitted in the interests of justice,†