Abstract
The paper explores both the advantages and disadvantages of the LEI and Shang-Wa merger and provides a situational analysis of the merger. The paper also provides a Gap analysis and includes tables that outline the issue and opportunity identification, stakeholder perspectives and end state goals.

Outline:
Situation Analysis
End-State Vision
Gap Analysis
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The acquisition of one firm by another is, of course, an investment made under uncertainty. The basic principle of valuation applies: A firm should be acquired if it generates a positive net present value to the shareholders of the acquiring firm. However, because the NPV of an acquisition candidate is very difficult to determine, mergers and acquisitions are interesting topics in their own right. A merger refers to the absorption of one firm by another. The acquiring firm attains its name and identity, and it acquires all of the assets and liabilities of the acquired firm. After a merger, the acquired firm ceases to exist as a separate business entity (Ross, 2005)."

Tags:acquisitions, stockholders, leverage, revenue, finance

Abstract
This paper considers the case of Lester Electronics and its relationship to the supplier Shang-wa Electronics. The paper considers whether a deal between the two companies makes sense in the context of other business alternatives. The paper considers the players, the situation and the options and determines that a merger between the companies makes sense.

From the Paper
"Lester Electronics, Inc., is a U.S.-based distributor of consumer and industrial electronic components, with annual revenues of $500 million. Since 1978, Lester has had a close partnership with Shang-wa Electronics, a Korean manufacturer of capacitors with $60 million in revenues. This partnership has consisted of yearly agreements for Lester to purchase a minimum of $1 million wholesale from Shang-wa, in return for rights to exclusivity. In recent months, informal discussion between the principals - Mr. Bernard Lester, CEO and founder of Lester, and Mr. John Lin, founder and CEO of Shang-wa - has involved the possibility of a $60 million joint venture in a yet-to-be-determined Asian country that would be designed to combine Lester's management expertise with Shang-wa's manufacturing efficiencies to produce components in the growing market for capacitors."

Tags:business, analysis, financial

Abstract
In his book "You Gotta Have Wa", journalist Robert Whiting considers the differences between Japan and the United States in terms of how they play baseball, a game originating in the U.S., adopted by Japan and today a highly popular form of entertainment in Japan. This paper examines Japanese and American culture and society, the differences between the two countries and how these differences are reflected through the way both nationalities play the game of baseball.

From the Paper
"In Japanese society, there are certain signs and symbols differentiating between private and public space. Every society makes some distinction between these two spheres, but the underlying meaning of this difference and the ways in which the difference is enforced differ from one society to another. The Japanese view of public and private spheres is bound with ideas about religion, historical developments, and attitudes toward the place of the individual in society. The Japanese view also contrasts sharply with that of the Anglo-American tradition, indicating a number of differences in the way the two types of society are constructed and the ways in which the individual relates to those societies."

Tags:individuality, winner, loser

From the Paper
"In his book You Gotta Have Wa, journalist Robert Whiting considers the differences between Japan and the United States in terms of how they play baseball, a game originating in the U.S., adopted by Japan, and today a highly popular entertainment in Japan. Americans may know that baseball has become popular in Japan, but most have little idea that the game is played differently there or that there are many American players who have found second careers by playing in Japan, all of which Whiting explains. Whiting develops his discussion against the background of the concept of wa, which is a Japanese reflection of social harmony, and the differences Whiting finds between Japan and the U.S. indicate different values placed on social harmony and different ideas about public, private, group, and individual. The contrasts are developed in the book as Whiting ..."

Tags:japan

Abstract
This paper introduces and discusses "The River Between" by Ngugi wa Thiong'o which tells the tale of two rival communities, Kameno and Makuyu, which face each other and are separated only by the Honia River. The paper describes how these two villages are in a constant battle over conflicting myths of leadership and religion, which have been the basis of their arguments for many generations. The paper shows how Ngugi focuses on the impact of Christian missionaries on the balance of African culture.

From the Paper
"The inhabitants of the Kameno ridge have indigenous cultural traditions such as polytheism and circumcision, while those of the Makuyu ridge had already succumbed to Christianity and British colonization. This story is mainly about the conflicted relationship between two villages representing traditional African beliefs on the one side and Christianity on the other. In this novel, a mission-educated character tries unsuccessfully to synthesize the Christian worldview with the Gikuyu, even as he comes to understand the completely destructive force Christianity will have on his indigenous culture."

Tags:Mugo, wa, Kibiro, Joshua, Livingstone, Waiyaki

Abstract
This paper provides a close reading and comparison and contrast to two texts that are of the same story from Islamic Orient tradition and culture. The first is Nazami's "The Story of Layla and Majnun" and the second version is Fuzuli's "Leyla and Mejnun." A variety of elements of the texts of the love story between Leyla and the poet Majnun are discussed, including narrative, imagery, characterization, culture and others.

From the Paper
"The love story of the poet Majnun and Leyla or Mejnun and Layla stems from the ancient Islamic Orient. Nizami Ganjavi relied on various traditional versions of their story to craft his great narrative poem "The Story of Layla and Majnun." As Dr Rudolf Gelpke translator of the Persian version maintains many later poets have imitated Nizami's work even if they could not equal and certainly not surpass it. "

Tags:values, norms, roles, adolescence, transcendence, poetry, epic, Arabic, Turkish, family, marriage, society, spiritual

Abstract
The paper provides a gap analysis that shows that the merger between Lester Electronics and Shang-wa Electronics will lead to significant benefits because they can be integrated into any marketing or strategic plan and help to satisfy organizational objectives. The paper notes that the applicability of marketing processes to Lester Electronics is based on the fact that, marketing processes are generally similar regardless of circumstances, especially when compared to Shang-wa Electronics.

From the Paper
"Lester Electronics mergers and acquisitions have been a part of many business activities that involve the joining of entities as a viable corporate strategy. However because it involves so many complex activities and has to integrate many aspects of finance, management, economics, and other related business activities it has become embedded within the overall complex business..."

Tags:gap, merger, acquistion

Abstract
This paper analyzes a merger between Lester Electronics and Shang-wa Electronics. The paper maintains that the merger between the two companies must consider needs for wealth maximization, identify medium-term financing alternatives, and analyze long-term financing instruments. The paper then identifies the issues and opportunities present with such a merger, looks at stakeholder perspectives and possible ethical concerns. After discussing financing options, the paper concludes that Lester Electronic's merger with Shang-wa has positioned the company as an industry competitor that has maximized the value for both longevity of Lester Electronics and its shareholders.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Situation Analysis
Issue and Opportunity Identification
Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas
Problem Statement
End-State Vision
Alternative Solutions
Analysis of Alternative Solutions
Risk Assessment and Mitigation Techniques
Optimal Solution
Implementation Plan
Evaluation of Results
Conclusion
Table: Issue and Opportunity Identification
Table: Stakeholder Perspectives
Table: Risk Assessment and Mitigation Techniques
Table: Optimal Solution Implementation Plan
Table: Evaluation of Results

From the Paper
"Stakeholders that will benefit from this merger include shareholders, Lester and Lin, the Board of Directors, and customers. A concern for a loss of revenue through poor investment choices and faulty capital budgeting will affect these same stakeholders. Shang-wa shareholders will expect a fair price for their shares or equivalent compensation through the new formed company. LEI shareholders will want to continue to collect returns on their investments."

Tags:ratios, discounted cash flow, negotiations leverage stability

Abstract
The writer of this paper shows how Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o in his novel "Devil on the Cross" uses at least five different oral styles that contribute volumes to the complexity of his seminal work. These styles are each analyzed by quoting various lines from the work. Each oral style is examined for what it contributes to the novel.

From the Paper
"The narrator begins and ends the novel with a unique oral style, as the "Prophet of Justice," providing poignant social and existential commentary: "The voice of the people is the voice of God," (p. 8). This particular narrative oral style becomes evident again from Chapter Ten onwards, at the close of the novel. Throughout Devil on the Cross, Ngugi wa Thiongo; speaks directly to the reader, acting as a third-person omniscient point of view. The narrator thinking and talking to himself forms a second key oral style in Ngugi's work. This voice is more subtle and literary than the Prophet of Justice's oral style. A third distinct oral style is used for Waringa, the protagonist of Devil on the Cross. From the time she tells her story to the stranger at the beginning of the novel till the end after her character's transformation, Waringa's oral style is central to Ngugi's novel. Throughout the description of the Devil's Feast, Ngugi employs a religious, biblical tone, filled with allegory, allusion and symbolism. The oral style is preachy and if read aloud would fill an auditorium (or a cave). Finally, the oral style hearkening to African song is used to evoke a sense of timelessness, rhythm, and mythology. Any Kenyan novel must be filled with verse in order to truly capture Kenyan cultural history and heritage."

Tags:kenya, biblical, prophet, culture, heritage, narrator, reader, literary, religious, waringa

Abstract
This paper looks at why "The Arabian Nights" story has remained famous and popular as a significant work in Arab literature. It examines the universal and positive appeal of the tales, their influence in Western literature and specific writers influenced by the Arabian Nights.

From the Paper
""Alf Layla wa Layla" translated as "A Thousand Nights" and also known as "An Arabian Night's Entertainments" has had a remarkable history equal to that of the characters in its tales. Some scholars surmise that these tales originated over years ago in ..."

Tags:Alf Layla wa Layla, Arabian Nights, A Thousand and One Nights