Free Narrative Essays - Killing Ourselves with Work :: Example Personal Narratives

Killing Ourselves with Work Americans are killing themselves with work. Americans often are sleep deprived, stressed and have problems at home. All of this are most probably caused from over working. I think sleep deprivation is a major problem in the United States. It must make sense that if an American is over working he/she cannot possibly get in the minimum of six hours sleep. Being a college student myself, I often see over worked students sleep through class. These students work and are pressured to keep up good grades. I often here student telling me that they got in about four hours of sleep. If at a college students age, they are sleep deprived, it's logical to think that by the time they hit thirty they will be doing double the workload. Americans are simply not saving themselves from over working. "[N]o labor has been saved," says Juliet B. Schor. To me, being sleep deprived is almost like a vicious cycle: get up for a long day of work, college, family life, or whatever it may be, then people get 5 hours sleep if they're lucky. By the time the next day comes, they're simply too tired to function! from what I have witnessed you simply get student s taking naps in class - not learning! Another problem with Americans over working is the massive stress levels. For many people work alone is often a main source of stress. I know my mom is under a lot of stress to do the house work, spend time with her family and work. According to Schor, "mothers reported it caused either "a lot" or an "extreme" level of stress." To me, this is killing yourself with work. Where's the fun to life? When do we take those relaxing holidays to release stress? Although workers have the option to take a few weeks leave for vacation, I'm hardly convinced many Americans do this. Especially for a married couple, getting time off at the same time must not be an easy task. "Two-earner couples have less time together, says Schor. Consequently, this must cause a great deal of stress for any couple. Exhaustion is another symptom of stress. Many Americans seem to be exhausted at the end of the day.

Stevenson and Conrad: The Duality of Human Nature Essay -- Victorian A

The Victorian Age marked a period of immense transition in many aspects of human life. In 1859 Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, a work that opposed the traditional way of perceiving religion. Candyce Klin author of â€Å"Darwinism as A Cultural Issue†, states that The Origin of Species proposed the theory that all living creatures had to compete within their own preconditions in order to survive. This may be why the controversial issue of the duality of human nature has been found at the heart of many Victorian works. The theme of the duality of man can be found in the works of two famous English authors, Robert Louis Stevenson and Joseph Conrad. Stevenson and Conrad both incorporate the theme of the duality of human nature within their own novellas. Stevenson employs this theme throughout his novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and similarly Conrad employs this theme throughout his novella Heart of Darkness. In both novellas the theme is found i n the literary devices of symbolism and personification. Although both works embody the theme of the duality of human nature, each author takes their own individual approach in utilizing literary techniques to help preserve this crucial theme. Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on November 13, 1850. From a young age Stevenson was fascinated with the darker side of human nature, reflecting his abiding interest in the concept of a double life (The Norton Anthology of English Literature 1643). Stevenson composed The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1855, publishing it the follow year in 1856. Upon publication The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde expeditiously became a best seller in both Britain and America (The Norton Anthology of English... ...ample of symbolism is ivory. In Heart of Darkness ivory symbolizes greed and the calamitous nature of man, or the evil side. All throughout the novella the agents and mangers of the Company are consumed by obtaining ivory, so much so that they abandon all their moral principles, instead apply any method necessary to acquire heaping shipments of ivory. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. "Heart of Darkness." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. By Stephen Greenblatt and M. H. Abrams. 8th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 1891 1947. Print. Klin, Candyce. â€Å"Darwinism as A Cultural Issue† Cedar Crest College, 2 June 2001. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. Stevenson, Robert L. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. By Stephen Greenblatt and M. H. Abrams. 8th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 1643-1685. Print.

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga Essay -- Nervous Conditions T

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga â€Å"Quietly, unobtrusively and extremely fitfully, something in my mind began to assert itself, to question things, and to refuse to be brainwashed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The main character, Tambudzai, in the novel Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga, is determined to get a white education without losing her native tongue and ways. However this proves to be more difficult that she would expect and seeds that are planted in her mind by the whites begin to take shape, and greatly affect her existence. I will begin by giving an overview of the story leading up to the point where Tambu heads off to begin her education at the missionary school. Next I show how Tambu has already been brainwashed into believing that the white’s educational system is better than her own. Following I will discuss the influences that Tambu had to overcome in order to refuse to be brainwashed further. Finally I will give exam to the insight that Tambu’s story offers on the situation of a person in her position.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tambu, as we shall call her, wants very badly to attain an education. Since her brother is the oldest and male he is given the first opportunity to attain an education. Because Tambu is a female it is thought by her family that attaining an education would not benefit her family, but some other man outside of her family, because she will marry, therefore she is not given an opportunity to be educated. Tambu fights this oppression by cultivating mealies in her grandmother’s old garden, and then taking them to the city to be sold. While there she is told by a white woman that she should be in school, and her teacher who was with her states that Tambu would very much like an education but can not afford it. The woman gives Tambu ten pounds which pays for her education at the local village school for a long time. Her brother then dies, creating a opening for a student from their family at the missionary school where her uncle Babamukuru is the headmaster. Since she has no more male siblings at the time it is okay for Tambu to be educated. Tambu’s education is now of some value since her brother is gone, as it will help pull the family further out of poverty since a higher education will allow her to marry well. Tambu believes that her education will help her family, although she hopes it will be independent from marriage. Because of her desire... ...ch as white culture, and that some things are bad, such as African culture. However it can work both ways. Nyasha had to face being told that her culture was bad while in England so she conformed to the English culture; however Nyasha’s father is now telling her that all her English ways are bad, both parties sought to educate Nyasha, and she did not bother to ask why. Finally I believe that Tambu would want people to know that one’s will to succeed can cause them to be able to triumph over circumstance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this paper the quote from Nervous Conditions, â€Å"Quietly, unobtrusively and extremely fitfully, something in my mind began to assert itself, to question things, and to refuse to be brainwashed, bringing me to this time when I can set down this story† has been analyzed to show how Tambudzai thought she was brainwashed. Also examined were the influences that Tambudzai had to overcome in order to refuse further brainwash. Finally we deducted what insight Tambudzai would offer to a person who was in her similar situation. Like Nyasha and Tambudzai, millions were negatively affected by colonialism not only because of the plundering, but because of the loss of their culture.

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”

William Faulkner's â€Å"A Rose for Emily† was originally published in the April 30, 1930, issue of Forum. It was his first short story published in a major magazine. A slightly revised version was published in two collections of his short fiction, These 13 (1931) and Collected Stories (1950). It has been published in dozens of anthologies as well. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is the story of an eccentric spinster, Emily Grierson. An unnamed narrator details the strange circumstances of Emily’s life and her odd relationships with her father, her lover, and the town of Jefferson, and the horrible secret she hides. The story’s subtle complexities continue to inspire critics while casual readers find it one of Faulkner’s most accessible works. The popularity of the story is due in no small part to its gruesome ending. Faulkner often used short stories to â€Å"flesh out† the fictional kingdom of Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, for his novels. In fact, he revised some of his short fiction to be used as chapters in those novels. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† takes place in Jefferson, the county seat of Yoknapatawpha. Jefferson is a critical setting in much of Faulkner’s fiction. The character of Colonel Sartoris plays a role in the story; he is also an important character in the history of Yoknapatawpha. However, â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is a story that stands by itself. Faulkner himself modestly referred to it as a â€Å"ghost story,† but many critics recognize it as an extraordinarily versatile work. As Frank A. Littler writes in Notes on Mississippi Writers, ‘‘A Rose for Emily’’ has been ‘‘read variously as a Gothic horror tale, a study in abnormal psychology, an allegory of the relations between North and South, a meditation on the nature of time, and a tragedy with Emily as a sort of tragic heroine. ’’

Understanding Nourishes Belonging

Understanding nourishes belonging. A lack of understanding prevents it. Belonging is not a solo act. For belonging to exist there must be some facilitation on the sides of two separate parties. Belonging hinges on how these parties create an understanding of each other. Many of Emily Dickinson’s poems reflected the difficulty which she experienced upon attempting to forge a connection with her society.Her personas in â€Å"My Letter to the World† and â€Å"I had been hungry all the years† both initially struggle with belonging to their society, and resolve these issues through establishing a sense of understanding; the former with her peers and the latter with herself. Similarly, the titular character in Shaun Tan’s acclaimed picture book, â€Å"The Lost Thing† finds itself alienated in a world that is dismissive of things it cannot understand. This lack of understanding stems from the society’s inability to reconcile with that which is diffe rent, and the â€Å"Lost Thing† ultimately must journey to a sanctuary where it is understood and accepted.The composers of each text underscore their ideas using powerful imagery, with symbols and metaphors common features of all three. Understanding facilitates the development of belonging, and this cannot occur unless individuals go out of their way to forge connections with the larger world. The persona in Dickinson’s â€Å"My Letter to the World† attempts to do this on a massive scale, addressing her â€Å"letter† – a metonymy for her entire body of work – to a world that is dismissive of her. The persona makes it clear that she is writing to a society that â€Å"never wrote to me†, which suggests feelings of isolation.These feelings are turned around upon the establishment of a connection with the persona’s countrymen based on the persona’s love of nature, which is personified and described here with a regal and ma jestic beauty. It is due to this love that she allows herself to ask them to â€Å"judge kindly of her†. The persona’s adoration of Nature is expressed clearly through the ardent description of â€Å"Her† in the fourth line. The juxtaposition of the words, â€Å"tender† and â€Å"majesty† is striking, and impresses upon readers a sense of both nature’s gentle beauty and its powerful reign throughout the world.Nature is a commonality between the persona and the society from which she feels alienated; thus, by penning this letter and reaching out, the persona discovers a way of belonging in her society facilitated by an understanding based on their mutual respect for nature. In another of Dickinson’s poems, she addresses the possibility that by pursuing an understanding of belonging, an individual can come to experience that feeling within their own self. The persona of â€Å"I had been hungry† expresses a hunger that has spanned years, a hunger symbolising the innate human need for belonging.Dickinson employs imagery associated with food and eating throughout the poem, in keeping with this extended metaphor. The persona is given the opportunity to â€Å"sample the plenty†. The persona’s hesitance and apprehension in doing so are evident, as she â€Å"trembling drew the table near†. The persona is bewildered by the â€Å"curious wine† and comes to discover that this particular type of belonging isn’t for her. This discovery is emphasised in the metaphor in the second stanza, â€Å"Like berry of a mountain bush/Transplanted to the road†.The juxtaposition of the berry, a thing of nature, and the man-made road signifies the jarring feeling the persona is experiencing. In the end, the persona finds that, â€Å"the entering takes away†. By engaging with the possibility of belonging, much like their counterpart in â€Å"My Letter to the World†, the persona c onversely finds that it isn’t for her, and instead comes to the understanding that she was more comfortable in her own place. Lack of understanding, especially of things that are foreign to us, and how it acts as a barrier to belonging is a theme explored extensively in Shaun Tan’s â€Å"The Lost Thing†.A boy discovers a creature and takes it on a journey through the industrialised conglomerate that takes no heed of it. The â€Å"Lost Thing† is first discovered on a beach; its striking red shade and natural-looking shape instantly convey to the reader how out of place it is in respect to its rather colourless, angular surroundings. The confusion and uncertainty that the people who notice the â€Å"Thing† are epitomised in the narrator’s lines â€Å"It just sat there, looking out of place. I was baffled. † In the end, their search for the â€Å"Lost Thing’s† place, take them to a bizarre place, where all sorts of lost thi ngs have gathered.Far away from the wider society’s inability to comprehend the â€Å"Lost Thing’s† existence, here it can assimilate into a world where its features are far less likely to warrant particular notice. Throughout the book, a recurring visual motif appears in the form of a white, wavy arrow. It initially evades notice – much like the â€Å"Lost Thing† in its society – up until it becomes relevant to the story as a marker leading the two main characters to the world that the â€Å"Lost Thing† eventually finds a home in.Much like Dickinson’s persona’s, it is by making the attempt to find a place of belonging that the â€Å"Lost Thing† is able to navigate past a society that does not understand it into one that does. Society’s perceived indifference and its associated unwillingness or inability to understand play an integral role in the â€Å"My Letter to the World† persona’s percept ion of belonging. Whether this perception is the reality is not made clear; however, by playing on the insecurities of the persona this perception exacerbates her inability to belong.The persona makes it clear that she is alienated by the wider world through the line, â€Å"Her message is committed/To hands I cannot see†. As she is not privy to the contents of this letter, she is therefore not part of this understanding that is shared by the wider community. The idea that this is passed by hands that she cannot see is also significant; it gives the connotation that there is a barrier between the persona and the rest of the world, and until she bridges this barrier and shares in the understanding, she cannot belong.Through â€Å"My Letter to the World†, Dickinson expresses the idea that understanding is perhaps the key to belonging between individuals and groups. Similarly, in â€Å"The Lost Thing†, a lack of understanding gives way to the absence of belonging, a nd a desire on the part of the wider society to get rid of that which the misunderstanding originates from. The society of Tan’s book is unable to connect and interact with the objects they cannot accept into the drab surroundings of their day to day life.The society’s misguided attempts to categorise everything in their world is embodied in the â€Å"Federal Department of Odds and Ends†. Tan parodies government mottos by inventing one for his invented federal department, â€Å"sweepus underum carpetae†. The pseudo Latin suggests that the Department’s purpose is nothing more than to â€Å"sweep things under the rug†. An imperative, â€Å"Don’t Panic†, follows the question â€Å"finding that the order of day-to-day life is unexpectedly interrupted? on the Department’s advertisement, and is indicative of the entire society’s attitude to things that seem out of place. The Lost Thing’s invisibility in its soci ety is highlighted by the small size with which it is depicted against the cityscape. On one of the last pages, Tan poses a series of illustrations in which it appears as though the view is panning out from a tram to a view of several, then of hundreds; this impresses upon readers how easy it is to go unnoticed in the face of society’s lack of care and understanding.An understanding thus cannot be reached between the Lost Thing and its environment, prompting its search for one where this is possible. An understanding between individuals and groups is imperative to a sense of belonging. Both Dickinson’s poems and Tan’s picture book detail the struggles to belong that can transpire from a lack of understanding and also depict the happy reality that results from newfound understanding.

Pinnacle Foods Ipo

Pinnacle Foods Inc. : Initial Public Offering MACKK Consulting Group BSAD 444. 20 April 1st, 2013 Company History Pinnacle Foods Group is a food packaging company specializing in shelf stable and frozen food categories. The company was formed in 1998 as Vlasic Foods International, acquiring several food-manufacturing brands such as Swanson TV dinners and Open Pit from the Campbell Soup Company. Pinnacle’s portfolio of iconic brands dates back in existence to the 1800s. The earliest brand owned by Pinnacle Foods, Armour Star, has existed since 1867 when Philip Armour founded it as Armour and Company.Armour was the first company to produce canned meat and was once Chicago’s most important business, helping to make the city and its stockyards the center of the American meatpacking industry. Throughout the late 1800s and 1900s, iconic brands such as Duncan Hines, Log Cabin, Aunt Jemima and Hungry Man were introduced and now are a part of the Pinnacle Foods name. Pinnacle F oods acquired Aurora Foods in 2003 when the company’s health was in jeopardy due to lawsuits in 2001.Ian Wilson, a former executive with Coco-Cola, founded Aurora Foods in 1995 using the company to purchase Van de Kamp Seafood from Pillsbury along with several other brands. As a result of major lawsuits in 2001, Wilson and other Aurora executives plead guilty to securities fraud for misrepresentation of the company’s financial statements. Jim Smith replaced Wilson as CEO of Aurora Foods until 2002, at which time motions were set in place that lead to Pinnacle’s acquisition of Aurora. Pinnacle closed Aurora’s Missouri offices and moved them to Cherry Hill, New Jersey where the currently remain.In 2007 The Blackstone Group, a New York City private equity firm, bought Pinnacle Foods for $2. 16 billion (G. S. , 2007). Since then, Pinnacle Foods has acquired Birds Eye Foods, Inc. , adding a mix of frozen and specialty brands to its already iconic portfolio. In dustry Overview * Ashley Company Overview Today Fortune Magazine ranks Pinnacle in the Top 1,000 Companies with over 4,000 employees. Pinnacle’s products can be found in more than 85% of American households and are leaders in their respective categories, holding the first or second market share position in 10 of the 12 of the categories in which they compete.Pinnacle currently focuses on growing their â€Å"leadership brands† while reinvigorating their â€Å"foundation brands†. Their leadership brands are those with the most potential for growth and innovation. These include brands such as Vlasic, Duncan Hines, and Ms. Butter-Worth’s. Pinnacle prides themselves on debuting category breakthroughs with these brands. These leading brands are used prominently in marketing campaigns that celebrate their robust vitality. Pinnacle’s foundation brands are those that have a strong and recognizable reputation in most households.Families already know and love these brands such as Aunt Jemima Frozen Breakfast, Open Pit, and Hungry-Man. Pinnacle strives to raise the bar with these familiar foods through new flavours and health benefits. Pinnacle must be innovative with these familiar brands to ensure they remain as popular as they currently are. Financial Overview Financially, Pinnacle has experienced minimal growth over the last year. Net sales increased marginally from $2. 47 billion in 2011 to $2. 48 billion in 2012 and in North America specifically, net sales grew a meager 1% from $2. 07 to $2. 08 billion.EBIT was $284 million in 2012, after giving effect to $66 million in pre-tax charges related to restructuring and refinancing. This restructuring also impacted net earnings, as Pinnacle had to pay $51 million in after-tax charges and was left with $53 million in net earnings. Despite these charges, this net income shows a strong recovery from 2011 when the company suffered a net loss of $47 million. Total capital expenditures were $7 8 million in 2012, down from $117 million in 2011. These expenditures include footprint consolidation. A summary of these figures can be seen below in Exhibit 1.Exhibit 1: Pinnacle Financial Statements It can be seen in Exhibit 1 that Pinnacle has a substantial amount of acquisition, merger and other restructuring charges. These charges are primarily related to Pinnacle closing facilities in Washington, New York, Wisconsin, and Delaware. A complete breakdown of these expenditures has been included in exhibit 2. Exhibit 2: Acquisition, merger, and other restructuring charges One of the problems that Pinnacle currently faces is their large amount of debt. They have roughly $550 million of a term loan that is due in 2014.This resulted in Pinnacle entering the market with a $300 million incremental term loan last year, dubbed F, with proceeds to be used to help repay the $550 million. Pinnacle has an additional $400 million E term loan that was syndicated earlier in 2012. This loan matu res in October 2018 and is covered by a 101 soft call premium until April 17, 2013. Proceeds from that deal were used to issue $199 million in 10. 625% subordinated notes due in 2017. Altogether Pinnacle has about $641 million outstanding under the extended term loan due in 2016 (Bisbey, 2012).This is one of the primary reasons for Pinnacle’s IPO, as will be discussed later in the report. The balance sheet below summarizes Pinnacle’s debt obligations as well as their assets and equity. Exhibit 3: Pinnacle’s Balance Sheet for 2011 and 2012 After performing a two-finger analysis of this balance sheet it can be concluded that Pinnacle has not made any drastic changes over the past two years. Assets have decreased slightly but that was coupled with a decrease in liabilities by roughly the same amount which is reasonable.Exhibit 4 is a portion of Pinnacle’s cash flow statement that helps explain these changes in the balance sheet. Pinnacle’s cash flows from financing increased 212% between 2011 and 2012, the vast majority of this expenditure being the repayment of debt. By making a number of loan repayments, Pinnacle decreased their cash and therefore their assets, while also reducing their liabilities. Exhibit 4: Cash Flows from Financing Activities Ratio| 2012| 2011| Return on Equity| 5. 9%| -5. 54%| Return on Assets| 1. 19%| -1. 05%| Return on Sales| 11. 46%| 7. 4%| Current Ratio| 2. 11| 2. 17|Quick Ratio| 1. 04| 1. 17| Debt-to-Equity Ratio| 3. 95| 4. 26| | | | Exhibit 5: 2012 Ratio Analysis of Pinnacle Group Inc. These ratios †¦ IPO The food-industry sector is changing due to increased globalization, vertical integration, and mergers and acquisitions. This is forcing many firms to look to alternatives to debt financing in order to keep up with the competition. The public equity market is a valuable option in financing the growth necessary to survive amongst competitors, as it offers access to more equity capital than coul d be attained from other sources (Stegelin & Houston, 2007).With millions of dollars in debt obligations coming up due in the next few years, it is understandable that Pinnacle is having an Initial Public Offering to raise capital. This follows suit with research that has shown that as a food-industry firm’s leverage ratio increases, the likelihood of an IPO increases as well (Stegelin & Houston, 2007). It has also been noted that the probability of a food-industry firm IPO decreases with the firm’s size and age (Stegelin & Houston, 2007). Pinnacle is currently 15 years old which is incredibly â€Å"young† compared to industry leaders Kraft and Kellogg which are both over 100 years old.This could be a contributing factor to why they are wanting to go public. This IPO will follow 13 other offerings in 2013 backed by financial sponsors such as private-equity firms. These 13 other offerings can be used to loosely predict the success of Pinnacle’s IPO, as Pin nacle is backed by private-equity firm Blackstone. These IPOs were successful, seeing an average first-day gain of 22% and are up an average of 21% from their listing dates. These results are promising in comparison to 30 other IPOs at large, showing an average 15% first-day gain and a gain of 19% from the listing dates (Driscoll, M. 2013). Another important benchmark is the IPOs of other food sellers. There were mixed results regarding the success of food seller IPOs in 2012. The health food sector showed strength with natural food companies Annie’s Inc. , Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc. , and WhiteWave Foods Co. performing well since their IPOs. Annie’s shares have more than doubled since being listed last March while the value of Natural Grocers has risen over 40% since their listing in July (Driscoll, M. , 2013). On the other hand, Roundy’s Inc. and Amira Nature Foods Ltd. have underperformed since their IPOs.Roundy’s is a Midwestern supermark et chain and Amira is a rice seller, both of which are down about 20% from their offerings in October and February respectively (Driscoll, M. , 2013). Since Pinnacle offers processed, packaged foods, benchmarking their success from the natural, organic food IPOs is not very reliable. With people becoming more and more health conscious these days, it is not surprising that these health food companies found success in their IPOs. Although Pinnacle does carry the frozen vegetable brand Birdseye, they also carry a number of brands that would not be classified as healthy.Of the aforementioned companies, the most reliable comparison for Pinnacle would likely be with Roundy’s, the supermarket chain. Supermarkets sell a wide variety of processed and pre-packaged foods, and are the medium through which Pinnacle’s brands are sold. However, there is still not a strong correlation between the two firms. On March 27th, 2013, Pinnacle announced their Initial Public Offering of 29,00 0,000 shares of common stock at $20 per share. Pinnacle also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase an additional 4,350,000 shares at the IPO price.It is estimated that Pinnacle will raise net proceeds of about $545. 2 million after subtracting underwriting costs. Pinnacle plans to use the entirety of these earnings to pay off some of their debt. They plan to redeem $465 million in aggregate principal amount of 9. 25% Senior Notes due in 2015 at a redemption price of 100%. The remainder of their IPO proceeds, along with some cash on hand, will be used to repay $119 million of the senior secured term loan B facility maturing in April 2014. IPO Success Pinnacle Foods had a very successful IPO on March 28, 2013.The company issued a total of 33,350,000 shares of common stock, including the entirety of the additional 4,350,000 shares that the underwriters had the option to purchase. Pinnacle now has a total of 117. 2 million common shares outstanding. Net of all underwritin g discounts, Pinnacle raised $627 million through this offering, which is $81. 8 million more than they had initially anticipated. Pinnacle will couple this money with $40 million of cash on hand to pay down $667 million in outstanding debt. Instead of their initial plans of repaying $119 million of their term loan B due next April, they will repay $202 million.Exhibit 6: Pinnacle Foods’ Stock Performance Since IPO as Compared to S&P 500 As can be seen in Exhibit 6, Pinnacle shares (blue line) seem to be experiencing steady growth since their IPO on March 28, 2013. This is especially positive since the S&P 500 (brown line) seems to be doing quite the opposite. Pinnacle shares have increased from their low of $22. 15 to a high of $24. 61, an 11% increase. References Driscoll, M. (2013, Mar 25). Pinnacle is hoping investors feel hungry. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/1319182111? accountid=13803 G. , S. S. (2007).Black stone Chows Down O n Pinnacle Foods Group. (cover story). High Yield Report, 18(7), 1-15. Stegelin, F. , & Houston, J. (2007). Factors Influencing the Initial Public Offering (IPO) Decision of Food Distribution Firms. Journal Of Food Distribution Research, 38(1), 215-216. Stratton, K. (2012). Pinnacle Foods Group Gets 55,000SF Update in Parsippany. National Real Estate Investor Exclusive Insight, 8. Bisbey, A. (2012). Pinnacle Foods Shopping $300M Incremental TL. High Yield Report, 23(34), 28. PRNewswire (2013, Apr 3). Pinnacle Foods Inc. Announces Successful Closing of its Initial Public Offering. ttp://investors. pinnaclefoods. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=223400&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1803206&highlight= PRNewswire (2013, Mar 6). Pinnacle Foods Finance LLC Reports Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2012 Results. http://investors. pinnaclefoods. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=223400&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1795035&highlight= Business Wire (2013, Mar 27). Pinnacle Foods Inc. Announces Pricing of its Initial Public Offering. http://i nvestors. pinnaclefoods. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=223400&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1801326&highlight= http://www. rttnews. com/2088372/pinnacle-foods-raises-net-proceeds-of-627-mln-i

Philosophy Questions Essay

Question One A causal claim, by definition, is a statement about the causes of things. Regular (non-causal) claims are considered to be any declarative statement. While the regular claim can simply be made about anything as long as it is a declaration, causal statements require a certain sense of cause and effect. Causal claims examine the complex processes in which people, forces, events, and other things interact to cause certain phenomena. Causal claims rarely are proven due to the different things that may happen to cause things. Feedback: I agree with the answer because causal claims are definitively hard to prove. It depends on how you look at the event in question. Impartiality is a virtue when exploring causal claims and is often hard to keep when personally involved in the matter. Question Two A real life example of common thread reasoning in advertising is Listerine. Listerine is a mouthwash that claims to kill more germs than any other leading mouthwash. In actuality, mouthwash does not actually kill germs and the rate of germs killed does not meet FDA standards for antiseptics. The common thread would be that all mouthwashes claim to kill germs and they really do not. Most of them also claim they are antiseptics when they do not meet current FDA standards. Feedback: Listerine is a mouthwash which makes false claims as does many mouthwash companies. The common theme among these companies is their determination to market a product with falsehoods. If all of these companies make false claim, then what are they to be called?