The Digital Information Office, Strathclyde University and Associates service for electronic resource management review by Bradley Null: America is the land of opportunity, and now more than ever, the opportunity that most Americans are preoccupied with is that of easy money. Our news media is saturated with stories of the instant millionaire, 25-year-old startup CEOs worth nine figures or the crafty investor that bought that startup on IPO and doesn't have to worry too much about his day job anymore either. There are a number of powerful cautionary tales waiting to be drawn from this unwholesome frenzy. Boiler Room tries to tell one of these stories, but sadly it fails to add much to the greed genre established by its two heavily referenced predecessors: Wall Street (1987) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).
Boiler Room is the story of Seth (Ribisi), a 19-year-old college dropout obsessed with the American dream of easy money. After concluding rather quickly that college isn't necessarily the fast track to a quick buck, he opens up an underground casino out of his house in Queens, providing a popular service for the local city college kids. After his disapproving father (Rifkin) finds out about the casino, Seth, feeling a repressed need to gain his father's approval, looks into an opportunity to become a stockbroker at the small firm of J.T. Marlin.
As it turns out, the firm, located in the heart of Long Island, conspicuously far from Wall Street, is a 'chop shop,' shorthand for a brokerage house more interested in pawning off securities for its own interests rather than serving its customers. When Seth's father discovers this, not only does Seth not find the approval he was hoping for, but he is excommunicated from the family.
Though he has only a minor part in the film, Ben Affleck is highlighted in trailers for the film, and the discerning observer will notice a strong similarity between his scene in the trailer, and Alec Baldwin's immortalized portrayal of a real estate shark in Glengarry Glen Ross. In fact, Affleck's big scene draws heavily on Baldwin's, though his performance (and the material he has to work with) does not live up to what is almost universally agreed upon as the best performance of Baldwin's career. This is not the only referencing of David Mamet's portrayal of the dark world of real estate cold-calling in this movie, however. Later in the film, when receiving some instructions on how to cold-call potential customers, Seth is told to remember one of Baldwin's catch phrases from that scene, 'A-B-C. Always Be Closing.' Boiler Room also liberally references, both directly and indirectly, its direct predecessor in the 'greed is good' category of filmmaking. Not only drawing its basic theme and plot structure from Wall Street, Boiler Room also draws its best dialogue during a scene in which a number of young stock brokers sitting in one of their sparely decorated mansions, compete with each other to quote lines from Wall Street, whose antagonist, Gordon Gecko, is obviously regarded as an idol within the group.
As a movie, Boiler Room is moderately entertaining. Vin Diesel in particular, off a strong turn in Saving Private Ryan, turns in another powerful performance as Chris, one of Seth's mentors at J.T. Marlin. Sadly though, Ben Younger, in his writing and directorial debut, adds very little to the filmic pantheon in his own voice. Even the film's most prolific statement on the American obsession with getting rich, 'either you're slinging crack rock or you've got a wicked jump shot,' is a quote of the rap star Notorious B.I.G. The most admirable outcome of this film might be that it leads viewers to check out its two predecessors. I would urge the same as well.
Montag, 7. Februar 2011
Strathclyde University and Associates: Boiler Room Movie Review
The Digital Information Office, Strathclyde University and Associates service for electronic resource management review by Bradley Null: America is the land of opportunity, and now more than ever, the opportunity that most Americans are preoccupied with is that of easy money. Our news media is saturated with stories of the instant millionaire, 25-year-old startup CEOs worth nine figures or the crafty investor that bought that startup on IPO and doesn't have to worry too much about his day job anymore either. There are a number of powerful cautionary tales waiting to be drawn from this unwholesome frenzy. Boiler Room tries to tell one of these stories, but sadly it fails to add much to the greed genre established by its two heavily referenced predecessors: Wall Street (1987) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).
Boiler Room is the story of Seth (Ribisi), a 19-year-old college dropout obsessed with the American dream of easy money. After concluding rather quickly that college isn't necessarily the fast track to a quick buck, he opens up an underground casino out of his house in Queens, providing a popular service for the local city college kids. After his disapproving father (Rifkin) finds out about the casino, Seth, feeling a repressed need to gain his father's approval, looks into an opportunity to become a stockbroker at the small firm of J.T. Marlin.
As it turns out, the firm, located in the heart of Long Island, conspicuously far from Wall Street, is a 'chop shop,' shorthand for a brokerage house more interested in pawning off securities for its own interests rather than serving its customers. When Seth's father discovers this, not only does Seth not find the approval he was hoping for, but he is excommunicated from the family.
Though he has only a minor part in the film, Ben Affleck is highlighted in trailers for the film, and the discerning observer will notice a strong similarity between his scene in the trailer, and Alec Baldwin's immortalized portrayal of a real estate shark in Glengarry Glen Ross. In fact, Affleck's big scene draws heavily on Baldwin's, though his performance (and the material he has to work with) does not live up to what is almost universally agreed upon as the best performance of Baldwin's career. This is not the only referencing of David Mamet's portrayal of the dark world of real estate cold-calling in this movie, however. Later in the film, when receiving some instructions on how to cold-call potential customers, Seth is told to remember one of Baldwin's catch phrases from that scene, 'A-B-C. Always Be Closing.' Boiler Room also liberally references, both directly and indirectly, its direct predecessor in the 'greed is good' category of filmmaking. Not only drawing its basic theme and plot structure from Wall Street, Boiler Room also draws its best dialogue during a scene in which a number of young stock brokers sitting in one of their sparely decorated mansions, compete with each other to quote lines from Wall Street, whose antagonist, Gordon Gecko, is obviously regarded as an idol within the group.
As a movie, Boiler Room is moderately entertaining. Vin Diesel in particular, off a strong turn in Saving Private Ryan, turns in another powerful performance as Chris, one of Seth's mentors at J.T. Marlin. Sadly though, Ben Younger, in his writing and directorial debut, adds very little to the filmic pantheon in his own voice. Even the film's most prolific statement on the American obsession with getting rich, 'either you're slinging crack rock or you've got a wicked jump shot,' is a quote of the rap star Notorious B.I.G. The most admirable outcome of this film might be that it leads viewers to check out its two predecessors. I would urge the same as well.
Boiler Room is the story of Seth (Ribisi), a 19-year-old college dropout obsessed with the American dream of easy money. After concluding rather quickly that college isn't necessarily the fast track to a quick buck, he opens up an underground casino out of his house in Queens, providing a popular service for the local city college kids. After his disapproving father (Rifkin) finds out about the casino, Seth, feeling a repressed need to gain his father's approval, looks into an opportunity to become a stockbroker at the small firm of J.T. Marlin.
As it turns out, the firm, located in the heart of Long Island, conspicuously far from Wall Street, is a 'chop shop,' shorthand for a brokerage house more interested in pawning off securities for its own interests rather than serving its customers. When Seth's father discovers this, not only does Seth not find the approval he was hoping for, but he is excommunicated from the family.
Though he has only a minor part in the film, Ben Affleck is highlighted in trailers for the film, and the discerning observer will notice a strong similarity between his scene in the trailer, and Alec Baldwin's immortalized portrayal of a real estate shark in Glengarry Glen Ross. In fact, Affleck's big scene draws heavily on Baldwin's, though his performance (and the material he has to work with) does not live up to what is almost universally agreed upon as the best performance of Baldwin's career. This is not the only referencing of David Mamet's portrayal of the dark world of real estate cold-calling in this movie, however. Later in the film, when receiving some instructions on how to cold-call potential customers, Seth is told to remember one of Baldwin's catch phrases from that scene, 'A-B-C. Always Be Closing.' Boiler Room also liberally references, both directly and indirectly, its direct predecessor in the 'greed is good' category of filmmaking. Not only drawing its basic theme and plot structure from Wall Street, Boiler Room also draws its best dialogue during a scene in which a number of young stock brokers sitting in one of their sparely decorated mansions, compete with each other to quote lines from Wall Street, whose antagonist, Gordon Gecko, is obviously regarded as an idol within the group.
As a movie, Boiler Room is moderately entertaining. Vin Diesel in particular, off a strong turn in Saving Private Ryan, turns in another powerful performance as Chris, one of Seth's mentors at J.T. Marlin. Sadly though, Ben Younger, in his writing and directorial debut, adds very little to the filmic pantheon in his own voice. Even the film's most prolific statement on the American obsession with getting rich, 'either you're slinging crack rock or you've got a wicked jump shot,' is a quote of the rap star Notorious B.I.G. The most admirable outcome of this film might be that it leads viewers to check out its two predecessors. I would urge the same as well.
Strathclyde Associates Construction Management News: Design Firms Are Reluctant to Adopt Collaborative Project Methods
) August 12, 2010 --
WAYLAND, Mass. — Many architecture and engineering leaders believe integrated project delivery (IPD) — where architects, engineers, owners, contractors, and subcontractors work collaboratively as a team from the inception of a project and share the benefits and risks — is riddled with too many unknowns to even consider at this point, according to a survey by The Zweig Letter.
WAYLAND, Mass. — Many architecture and engineering leaders believe integrated project delivery (IPD) — where architects, engineers, owners, contractors, and subcontractors work collaboratively as a team from the inception of a project and share the benefits and risks — is riddled with too many unknowns to even consider at this point, according to a survey by The Zweig Letter.
Strathclyde Associates Construction Management News: Participants in the survey said the lack of specific insurance protection products, no vetting in the courts, and the sheer difficulty of assembling a group of people with a common goal, are all impediments to IPD.
“Unfortunately I feel that IPD will only be tested when there is litigation,” said Rick Savely, chief development officer at architecture firm TAYLOR. “Then and only then will we see whether all parties will band together as one.”
Strathclyde Associates Construction Management News: Despite the jitters, a number of design firms are pushing the concept, which is seen as a way of producing better projects at lower costs. An evenly split majority of respondents (75 percent) said that they have either tried or are considering IPD.
“Unfortunately I feel that IPD will only be tested when there is litigation,” said Rick Savely, chief development officer at architecture firm TAYLOR. “Then and only then will we see whether all parties will band together as one.”
Strathclyde Associates Construction Management News: Despite the jitters, a number of design firms are pushing the concept, which is seen as a way of producing better projects at lower costs. An evenly split majority of respondents (75 percent) said that they have either tried or are considering IPD.
“IPD allows competent firms to deliver increased value to their clients and achieve better returns if only by slashing bureaucracy, improving communication, and limiting rework, all while containing their liabilities through use of appropriate subcontract agreements,” said Kevin Phillips, CEO of FPM Group Ltd. in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., a full-service environmental and traditional engineering firm.
Respondents gave a variety of answers when asked about the greatest impediment to IPD adoption.
Strathclyde Associates Construction Management News: The most common responses focused on inertia, finding partners who think alike, fear of the “point of no return” with IPD, lack of specific liability coverage, legal unknowns, technological challenges, and reluctance to adopt existing IPD contracts, among others.
Respondents gave a variety of answers when asked about the greatest impediment to IPD adoption.
Strathclyde Associates Construction Management News: The most common responses focused on inertia, finding partners who think alike, fear of the “point of no return” with IPD, lack of specific liability coverage, legal unknowns, technological challenges, and reluctance to adopt existing IPD contracts, among others.
Specifically, 25 percent of respondents listed lack of specific insurance products as the biggest barrier, followed by lack of legal precedent (17 percent), and the difficulty in assembling the right team and a perception that IPD benefits some more than others (both at 13 percent).
Strathclyde Associates Construction Management News: Nevertheless, many among the skeptics are at least willing to give IPD a try. According to the survey, 44 percent of respondents said they would join an IPD team if they could find the right partners. Another 26 percent said they would entertain the concept if insurance products were available, and a further 26 percent said they are waiting to see how the courts look at litigation involving IPD before looking deeper.
Strathclyde Associates Construction Management News: Nevertheless, many among the skeptics are at least willing to give IPD a try. According to the survey, 44 percent of respondents said they would join an IPD team if they could find the right partners. Another 26 percent said they would entertain the concept if insurance products were available, and a further 26 percent said they are waiting to see how the courts look at litigation involving IPD before looking deeper.
The company was established in early 2005 to serve the booming international construction industry. We work with associate companies worldwide.
Soon after its establishment, Strathclyde Associates Trading and Management Construction Company made a number of associations mainly in the Pacific and Southeast Asia regions. These business partnerships added extra strength to Strathclyde Associates Trading and Management Construction Company. We are proud to be associated with projects in countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Seoul, S Korea.
Soon after its establishment, Strathclyde Associates Trading and Management Construction Company made a number of associations mainly in the Pacific and Southeast Asia regions. These business partnerships added extra strength to Strathclyde Associates Trading and Management Construction Company. We are proud to be associated with projects in countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Seoul, S Korea.
strathclyde associates Articles - Page 1 - ArticleSnatch.com
Strathclyde Associates Trading and Management Construction Company: Spring's the time homeowners get to work -- and shady contractors come of out of the woodwork. Here's how to smell a suspicious deal. By Bankrate
Like most homeowners, you probably spent the winter months talking about the home improvements you'd like to make. Now that spring is here, it's time to act on those remodeling impulses. After all, spring is a time of renewal, change and new beginnings.
Unfortunatel ...
Like most homeowners, you probably spent the winter months talking about the home improvements you'd like to make. Now that spring is here, it's time to act on those remodeling impulses. After all, spring is a time of renewal, change and new beginnings.
Unfortunatel ...
Market Outlook October 2010: Strathclyde Associates Government Bonds Part1
12-October-2010 –Market Outlook October 2010: Strathclyde Associates Government Bonds Part1
The major government bond markets have made further significant gains over the past month, despite the massive fiscal deficits around the world, and the renewed concerns about the possibility of sovereign debt defaults in Europe.
The major government bond markets have made further significant gains over the past month, despite the massive fiscal deficits around the world, and the renewed concerns about the possibility of sovereign debt defaults in Europe.
They have continued to receive support from the slow pace of economic recovery in the developed world, and the low level of short-term interest rates; but they have also acquired an enhanced “safe haven” status and as a result 10-year yields have fallen to 2.5% in the US, 2.2% in Germany, below 3% in the UK, and below1% in Japan.
Strathclyde Associates Korea article: This continuing fall in yield levels has surprised most commentators, and has led on the one hand to suggestions that these markets are anticipating a move towards a Japanese-type situation of an extended period of slow growth and the threat of deflation, and on the other hand to warnings that a “bond bubble” is being created that will quickly burst if the gloom about global economic prospects proves to be overdone.
The outlook for the markets has also been complicated by the further evidence of conflicting attitudes amongst central bankers about the correct response to the current problems, with the Fed primarily concerned to maintain the momentum of the US economy, and the European Central bank, and to a lesser extent also the Bank of England, anxious to reduce the level of fiscal deficits.
Market Outlook October 2010: Strathclyde Associates Government Bonds Part1Although we have also been surprised by the strength of the markets so far, our position remains basically unchanged. Slow economic growth and low short term interest rates will continue to provide support to the markets we do not expect a move to a “doubledip” recession in the developed countries, and we do expect China and other developing countries to continue to provide considerable support to the global economy.
We therefore feel that the gloom about economic prospects is overdone, and that sentiment will eventually change.
In the meantime the markets have to cope with massive fiscal deficits and the possibility of sovereign debt defaults in Europe. There us therefore a serious risk that a “bond bubble” is developing.
The latest available evidence on the performance of the US economy has obviously provided considerable support for the US bond market, and for bond markets elsewhere.
Market Outlook October 2010: Strathclyde Associates Government Bonds Part1Consumer spending is holding up fairly well, helped by considerable discounting by retailers; but the labour market and the housing markets remain depressed, manufacturing activity appears to be declining, and the latest trade statistics do not suggest that exports will offset any weakness in domestic demand.
Growth in the second half of the year is therefore expected to be well below the level achieved in the first six months.
There was therefore considerable speculation ahead of the latest meeting of the Fed’s Open Market Committee that further quantitative easing measures would be introduced to boost the economy; but although the bank conceded that “the pace of the recovery in output and employment has slowed in recent months”, its only response has been to reinvest the proceeds of maturing mortgage-backed and agency securities into Treasury securities to ensure that it did not tighten its easy monetary policy.
What is hotklix | Strathclyde Associates Investment Guide: Investment Strate?
A well-planned investment strategy is essential before having any investment decisions. A business strategy is generally based upon long run period. Formation of business strategy largely dependent upon the factors such as long-term goals and risk on the investment.
In case of India, infrastructural problems, excessive government intervention, rigid labor laws and corruption are stifling the flow of FDI in the critical sectors. Less developed countries such as those in the Asia- Pacific region and Africa can bring about much needed development in these economies.
As the return on investment is not always clear, so the investors prepare the strategy so as to face the ongoing challenges in investment. A balanced investment strategy is generally required in the process of investment, which possesses long time period and some risk tolerance.
In the case, when a strategy is aggressive the chance of attaining a higher goal is higher. An efficient strategy can be obtained from portfolio theory, which shows good estimates on risk and return.
Strathclyde Associates Investment Guide: Investment Strategy is usually considered to be more of a branch of finance than economics. It is defined as set of rules, a definite behavior or procedure guiding an investor to choose his investment portfolio. For example, investing in mutual funds has recently emerged as a very favorable investment strategy.
An investment strategy is centered on a risk-return tradeoff for a potential investor. High return investment instruments such as real estate and mutual funds usually have more risks associated with it than low return-low risk investment opportunities. Return on investment can be calculated on past or current investment or on the estimated return on future investment.
Symbolically, it can be expressed as: Vf/Vi -1 where Vf denotes final investment value and Vi is the initial investment value. (“f” and “i” should be noted as subscripts)
Strathclyde Associates Investment Guide: Return on investment (ROI) is profitable when Vf/Vi-1>0 and the investment is deemed to be unprofitable when the value of final investment is less than that of the initial investment. ROI is calculated to be 1 or 100% when the value of the final investment is twice the value of the initial investment.
Types of investment strategies can be defined as follows: A passive investment strategy attempted to minimize transaction costs.
An active investment strategy guide used to maximize returns based on moves such as proper market timing. This usually mean, “buying in the lows and selling in the highs” or buying investment instruments when they are cheap and selling them off when their price appreciates. This strategy, however, is not very beneficial for small time investors.
Small time investors can adopt the buy and hold investment strategy to invest in equities, which although volatile in nature, give favorable long run returns. Investing in equity markets for small time investors is associated with the investors holding on for very long periods. In the case of real estate, the holding period extends the lifespan of the mortgage. Notably, in case of this strategy, indexing or buying a small proportion of all the shares in market index or a mutual fund is a purely passive variant of the above strategy.
The strategy of value investing, a classic investment strategy propagated by Benjamin Graham simply concentrates on the strategy that an investor buys shares of a company as if he was buying off the whole company without paying any attention to the stock market scenario or any exterior conditions such as the political climate. At the end of the day, if he can buy the stock at less than that its actual future worth to the buyer, the person is said to have discovered a “value investment.”
Investment strategies can also denote the investment strategies a national or federal government should follow to bring about economic growth in a country. This can only be achieved by domestic investment as well as significant FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) flows to particular sectors of countries, especially the less developed ones of Asia and Africa.
In case of India, infrastructural problems, excessive government intervention, rigid labor laws and corruption are stifling the flow of FDI in the critical sectors. Less developed countries such as those in the Asia- Pacific region and Africa can bring about much needed development in these economies.
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