The Hurt Locker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Hurt Locker - Essay Example Nonetheless, the three created a brotherlike connection along their tour in Iraq. Respect, trust, and courage were their core values in succeeding with their work. In the course of their tour, the three had already detonated a bomb, which was implanted within a public area. They had also succeeded with their encounter against snipers in an open desert. Also, along the way, James had been familiar with an Iraqi boy named Beckham, who sells pirated DVDs. In an encounter, James thought that the boy was killed and was implanted with bombs. However, he was wrong, and in the next morning, he sees Beckham selling him DVDs. In the last days of their tour, the team encounters an Iraqi man who is locked with bombs around his body. However, their will to help the man was not enough to remove all the locks, and the man dies with the explosion. After their tour, James went home to his family and attended sessions to relieve him from the stress he had from work. However, James realized that he may love his family, but he cannot function well around them. This leads him to decide to go back in Iraq and have another year of tour of duty (Berra 9). The Characters There are three main characters in the movie with differing degree of nature; nonetheless, when put together they create an exciting combat film such as The Hurt Locker. Staff Sergeant William James is played by Jeremy Renner, who is an adrenaline junkie in terms of facing his job facing and detonating bombs in the streets of Iraq. Aside from this, he also has a keen understanding on the bombers. The character of James is considered as a hero in a sense that he compulsively does his job; nonetheless, he does it with precision and artistry that he engulfs himself with the life-threatening situation. The next character is Sergeant J. T. Sanborn, who is portrayed by Anthony Mackie. Sanborn is considered as James’ eyes around while he tries to detonate the bombs. He always follows the rules and has a realistic view on situations. Lastly, their team is completed by Specialist Owen Eldridge, portrayed by Brian Geraghty, who portrays the weak link, yet he always tries to find the good side of danger (Ebert 253-255; Scott). Screenplay Writer: Mark Boal The screenplay of the movie was written by Mark Boal. He is a journalist who had been a correspondent for the Playboy, The Village Voice, and the Rolling Stone. Due to his passion for his work, he decided to record the lives of the U.S. Army unit, which is the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team, whom he considers as the people who has one of the most dangerous jobs. In 2004, the EOD in Iraq were to detonate bombs on the streets. Boal decided to take part and record the lives of these people, along with putting his life on the line, which allowed him to realize his realistic themes on death, war, courage, and life. During this time, Boal was able to survive his flight in Iraq against the Improvised Explosive Devices and the ambushes together wit h the EOD. As Boal returned from his flight, he wrote about his experience in Iraq in 2004 in an article published in Playboy with a title of â€Å"Death and Dishonor.† This article was his basis for the screenplay of the movie The Hurt Locker, which was released in 2009 (â€Å"Mark Boal - Biography†; Bigelow). The Director: Kathryn Bigelow The director of The Hurt Locker is Kathryn Bigelow, who is a critically acclaimed Hollywood

British Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

British Airways - Essay Example The company also improves its efficiency by lessening the day its pays off its suppliers and collects from its customers. An investor is most likely be attracted by the escalating share price of British Airways but be put off by the 0 dividend yield. Profitability ratios measure the ability of the company to generate income from its investments less the costs incurred. The computed operating profit margin, which is the ratio of operating income to sales measures as a percentage of sales, the excess revenue from sales over cost of normal operation excluding financing. Net profit margin, on the other hand, is the ratio of net income to sales. Return on common equity (ROCE) is a variant of return on investment. The return on common equity assesses the rate of return on the investments of common stockholders in the company (Analyzing Company Reports 2005). Another ratio is the turnover ratio which shows to what the extent the company uses its assets to produce revenue. Logically, higher profitability ratios indicate a healthier financial condition. Table 1 shows the computed profitability ratios of British Airways in 2006. In order to fully asses the profitability of British Airways in 2006, the company's profitability ratios for 2005 are also included. ... During 2006, the airline is able to turn 8.3% of its revenue in operating profit and 5.5% into net income from the 7.20% and 5.0% recorded in the previous year, respectively. It should be noted that operation in the airline industry requires incurring huge operating costs which could justify the relatively low percentages. However, compared to its competitors like Ryaniar Ltd and Thomsonfly Ltd, British Airways lags far behind. In term of asset turnover and return on equity, British Airways is in a downslide. It can be recalled that the main goal of a business organisation is the maximization of stockholder value which is reflected on its return on equity. British Airways declining ROCE indicates its deviation from this goal. From the point of view of investors, British Airways appears to be mediocre investment relative to its competitors. This is also true for creditors who look at the profitability of a business organisation to assess its paying capacity. For managers, this can signal the company to check its management of cost and other disbursements. Financial Leverage Ratios Financial leverage ratios provide an indication of the long-term solvency of the firm. They indicate the extent of non-owner claims on the firm's profits as well as the firm's operating capability to meet its obligation. Gearing is the long-term debt to equity ratio which assesses the balance between liabilities and equity in the firm's long term resource structure. Another is the interest coverage ratio which measures the extent to which earnings cover the interest obligation of the company (Thomson 2002, p. C-6). Table 2 Table 2 shows the financial leverage ratios which reveal the capital structure of British Airways. The debt-to-assets and debt-to-equity ratios