Financial and Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial and Management Accounting - Essay Example It helms in planning and decision making and is governed by strict international standards. Financial accounting plays crucial role in the business world today. It is through financial accounting that flow of money and resources in a business organization is monitored. This includes wages and salaries among others. Since financial accounting involves preparation of key documents like profit and loss account and balance sheet, it shows how transactions are done over a period of time. It also helps stakeholders and would be investors to make the right decision on investments. Financial accounting is governed by a number of legal requirements and principles. According to Collins and Collins (2009), the business entity principle must be observed. It states that each business establishment must be accounted separately and that personal issues should not be accounted together with the business issues. Cost principle should also be in place. It states that only costs as a result of business dealings should be included in the financial account. Objective principle, which stipulates that all information in the financial accounts should not be subjected to personal opinion, should also be observed. Finally, the going-concerned principle should also be observed. This is a legal requirement that states that business operation will go on as long as the business gains assets and discharges liabilities during its normal operations. Financial accounting has a lot of advantages. According to Daniel (2007), financial accounting helps many business establishments to comply with legal requirements which include tax returns among others. Financial statements, such as balance sheets, help the institution in communication in the organization. Financial accounting also helps in protecting business assets, since flow of money and assets is recorded periodically. Finally, it helps in appropriate decision making,

Women Throughout History Essay Example for Free

Women Throughout History Essay For much of history, women did not have the same privileges and rights as men did. In fact, it was only about a century ago that women gained the right to vote in Canadian federal elections. For years, women were at a constant struggle against society, as they believed their only place in this world involved raising the children and housekeeping. Over the past two centuries, women have made the ongoing effort to fight for their right to have the same opportunities as the opposite sex. These beliefs in equality lead to things such as more job opportunities, the right to vote, and most importantly a completely new outlook on women. In our modern day society, the media and society shape and mould our views on how women should act, look, and be. Throughout the course of history, men saw women as their property, homemakers, caretakers, and the inferior being. In colonial society, almost all women were married and the only success they could pride themselves on was that of their husbands. Although women have made progress over the past two hundred years, women still face inequality in several countries such as Saudi Arabia and India. With women becoming political leaders and CEOs of successful companies, they show the world their ambitions while continuing to contribute to societys growth through science, business, literature, and the arts. With figures such as Oprah Winfrey to the CEO of HP Meg Whitman women let the world acknowledge that this is not a â€Å"man’s world†. It is important to remember the struggles and obstacles women faced and overcame to show to the world, women are capable of accomplishing great things. With each turn, the Earth makes women continue to prove to the rest of the world that they are a force to be reckoned with. References: Here is where I found my quote http://www. goodreads. com/quotes/tag/women beesha (2013). Women in Society throughout History.

Men, Women, and Sports: What is Acceptable? Essay examples -- Sports G

Men, Women, and Sports: What is Acceptable? Throughout history, society has clearly defined the roles that men and women were expected to play. In these roles, men were seen as both physically and mentally stronger, and women were seen as more gentle, caring and physically and mentally weaker. As such, men participating in sports which demonstrate grace and elegance was not, and to some extent, still is not considered to be the norm. Likewise, women participating in sports which demonstrate or require a great deal of physical strength is considered to be un-ladylike. Additionally, there has been a certain physical image associated with both men and women, and when a person is physically different from what is considered the norm, then they are open to ridicule and prejudice from society. Traditionally, the image of women is that of curvaceous, maternal-looking people. Thus a woman who is exceptionally physically fit, or who has large and well-defined muscles is seen as strange. In fact, an "overly" muscular woman is generally seen as very masculine, or as someone who is trying to be manly. It is for this reason that many female athletes have been branded as "butch" or as lesbians. Conversely, men who do not carry the image of testosterone-filled, macho, muscular and physically strong people are seen as less manly than they should be. Society seems to believe that men should participate in sports which promote the macho image, such as those sports which have a violent aspect to them, and those sports which base themselves in a demonstration of physical strength. As such, men who participate in sports such as boxing or power lifting are far more easily accepted than men who participate in sports such as synchronized swi... ...pread and secretarial jobs are considered to be women's jobs. There are many incongruities between what is considered acceptable for men and what is considered acceptable for women, and this can be seen in all walks of life. It stems from the traditional images of what men and women should look like and how they should behave which have been imposed on us by both our society and the traditions passed on to us from our ancestors. These incongruities and prejudices are most clearly seen and acknowledged in the world of sports, but in truth they pervade almost every aspect of our lives. This is not an issue which has an easy solution, but it is an issue which must be addressed if there is to be an end to the ridicule which many people are subjected to as a result of following a career path or making life decisions which do not conform to this set of unspoken rules. Men, Women, and Sports: What is Acceptable? Essay examples -- Sports G Men, Women, and Sports: What is Acceptable? Throughout history, society has clearly defined the roles that men and women were expected to play. In these roles, men were seen as both physically and mentally stronger, and women were seen as more gentle, caring and physically and mentally weaker. As such, men participating in sports which demonstrate grace and elegance was not, and to some extent, still is not considered to be the norm. Likewise, women participating in sports which demonstrate or require a great deal of physical strength is considered to be un-ladylike. Additionally, there has been a certain physical image associated with both men and women, and when a person is physically different from what is considered the norm, then they are open to ridicule and prejudice from society. Traditionally, the image of women is that of curvaceous, maternal-looking people. Thus a woman who is exceptionally physically fit, or who has large and well-defined muscles is seen as strange. In fact, an "overly" muscular woman is generally seen as very masculine, or as someone who is trying to be manly. It is for this reason that many female athletes have been branded as "butch" or as lesbians. Conversely, men who do not carry the image of testosterone-filled, macho, muscular and physically strong people are seen as less manly than they should be. Society seems to believe that men should participate in sports which promote the macho image, such as those sports which have a violent aspect to them, and those sports which base themselves in a demonstration of physical strength. As such, men who participate in sports such as boxing or power lifting are far more easily accepted than men who participate in sports such as synchronized swi... ...pread and secretarial jobs are considered to be women's jobs. There are many incongruities between what is considered acceptable for men and what is considered acceptable for women, and this can be seen in all walks of life. It stems from the traditional images of what men and women should look like and how they should behave which have been imposed on us by both our society and the traditions passed on to us from our ancestors. These incongruities and prejudices are most clearly seen and acknowledged in the world of sports, but in truth they pervade almost every aspect of our lives. This is not an issue which has an easy solution, but it is an issue which must be addressed if there is to be an end to the ridicule which many people are subjected to as a result of following a career path or making life decisions which do not conform to this set of unspoken rules.

American Gangster Film Review by Steven Zaillian

A Film Review November 27, 2007 Title: American Gangster Genre: Gangster Writer: Steven Zaillian Director: Ridley Scott Date and Place of performance: November 21, 2007 at my house On November 21, 2007, I was home for break and watched an interesting-historical film titled American Gangster. The film was written by Steven Zaillian and was directed by Ridley Scott. American Gangster was a gangster movie that reflected back on the pass. The performance environment was at my house in the living room on a DVD player. The room was dark, cool, and very comfortable, which made it very relaxing and easier to watch and study the film. American Gangster took place in Harlem, New Jersey, in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It was a movie that was based on a true story, of a man by the name of Frank Lucas. American Gangster was basically about Frank Lucas and his life as a big time business man, big time street-pharmacist, but most of all a family man. Frank Lucas was a business man of street drugs; he was a gangster, who transported drugs from Bangkok in the Vietnam War to the east cost of the United States. Frank Lucas was not just and old street-pharmacist, he was smart he had people working for him, people on his side, like the war, the mob, but most of all his family. He got his money up and had his family had his family move from North Carolina over to New Jersey, in a big white house, this way his brothers could work for him and his clientele would increase and he would save money because his family was working for him. Lucas was also smart because he was not like the other gangsters, he did not flash around his money, and he did not wear loud colored clothing. Lucas wore regular suites, as if he was a true business man, he did not have anybody on to him until people started dying from the drugs he had out on the streets, called Blue Magic. It was called Blue Magic because it was a pure drug, nothing in it was mixed. Lucas had the whole east coast on this Blue Magic; he had the Queens, Bergen Country, N. J. , Brooklyn, and the Bronx. This is when a man by the name of Rickie Roberts came in; he was a man who worked for the law and in a prosecutor’s office. Rickie Roberts was a good cope, at least he thought, he did something no cope would ever do, he turned in nine-hundred-eighty-seven-thousand dollars unmarked cash and did not one police officers respect him for it. Roberts had a lot in his life, he had a son whose mother was taking him to court for custody of the child, he was going to school to become a lawyer and his state bar test was coming up, and he wants to catch Frank Lucas. Roberts finds out about the Blue Magic by his partner dying from it, then that is when he started letting his guard down by wearing the flashy coat his wife bought for him. This is when Roberts had the man he was looking for; he just needed a way to stop him. In the end Lucas finally was caught coming out from church, by Roberts. He was convicted of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and was sentenced to seventy-years in prison but he only served fifteen-years and was released in 1991. His brothers were convicted on drug trafficking. His mother moved back to North Carolina, and his wife moved to Puerto Rico. However, Rickie Roberts quit the prosecutors’ office and became a defense attorney; his first client was Frank Lucas. The film is episodic because of the short scenes and numerous characters. The type of message I received from this movie was â€Å"don’t sale drugs†, because you only in up in two places behind bars or six feet under. It also gave me the feeling of a person getting fast money not working hard for what they want, but â€Å"good things come to people who are patience and work hard†. American Gangster is compared to the American dream; and the American dream is defined as having a nice house, good paying job, kids and a dog, and no worries in the world. The way I think American Gangster relates to that is, Frank Lucas did kind of lived the American dream and beyond because he had a nice house for his family and a good paying illegal job, a dog but no kids of his own, I guess his brothers were his kids. The purpose of this film was to inform audiences about a, true life story, of a man who tried to live the American dream by selling drugs and his negative results. The writing of this film was very unique. I thought the film was a work of considerable technical as well as artistic merit, because it makes you respect and acknowledge the fact that this was a smart dangerous man. I think, Zaillian’s, point of view of this movie was to express how Frank Lucas’s life really was, and to get the audience to feel the hurt that Lucas went through. I thought the story and the theme was interesting because it showed how greed, wealth, progress, and success can lead to trouble in someone life. I think â€Å"the more money you have, the more problems you will see†. The reason why I think this is because Lucas, over the time became greedy and he was not able to receive drugs anymore because the war was over. So he started to have problems with everything, life, family, and his wife. I thought the story gave a fresh insight into human condition of wealth and greed. I thought the American Gangster was based and a portrayal source of historical events, for example, when Roberts’s partner killed the black man for drugs at that apartment, and all the black people were outside the apartment ready to charge the door. It seemed like a riot to me. The whole movie was a historical event because it was based on a true story, which is historical. The director uses a lot of money as a symbol of evil and trouble. I think this because everybody who had money or was real wealthy in this movie was evil and had a lot of troubles in their life. The irony of it was Rickie Roberts. For example, when he had the chanced to have a lot of money he did not take it, he turned it in instead, and everybody thought he was stupid for it, but really he was smart for turning in the money. I think this because the money would have brought evil and trouble to his life and since he turned it in, I think he was the real wealthy person because in the end he to Frank Lucas, he passed his law exam, and was able to become a defense attorney. The directing of this movie was great. I thought the story was told in a visually interesting way, because it showed a lot of action and it was not just about gangsters it was also about learning how to survive in the streets. The special effects were very effective, the way characters would get shot looked real, but most of all when they showed characters use the drugs and the way their skin would look after wards. The director did a great job on the location and studio environment because the sound effects and picture was nice a clear. I think American Gangster did not really show, Ridley Scott’s, personal style of movies, because this movie was about someone’s life and they had to make it like Frank Lucas’s life was back in those days. I thought the actor’s performances were guided by the director effectively. The acting of American Gangster was great. The stars of American Gangster were; Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Cuba Gooding, J. R. I thought their performances were real life like; it gave me that real street life feeling. These are also all magnificent actresses. The actors who played the supporting roles were so effective I would have thought they were professionals. The actors made American Gangster, Frank Lucas’s, story seem believable, serious, and heart fulfilling. The editing was interesting and effective. The sequences do develop emotional impact. For example, when he bought his mother and his family the new house, to see the happy look on his mother’s face when she was told that it was her house, was so emotional it gave that deep feeling like when you want to cry for something that is good. The unusual or symbolic juxtaposition I thought added interest was when Rickie Roberts was trying to put the pieces together by taking pictures trying to put the pieces together by taking pictures of suspects and putting their pictures in order so the story would come together and it would get him closer to Frank Lucas and the bottom of the story. In the end Frank Lucas put all the pictures in order and told the story. The production elements of the movie were effective. The setting of the movie was effective, because it starts with Frank Lucas killing someone by setting them on fire and then he shot them. This made me feel like it was going to be a really good action movie. The lighting was effective it set the moods. The music set the mood as well, when it was sad, happy, and intense. The costumes and makeup were effective; the actors played their parts well when it came down to acting like an old school gangster. For example, when Frank Lucas went into the hood to sale his products he was made up in an afro and long beard, he would be in disguised. The special effects were effective, when they showed the dead bodies on the Army plane, they looked real. There were no continuity breaks while watching this film. The elements that I was able to identify were the music, the special effects, and the makeup. My overall impression of the film was great, I really enjoyed it. The film’s strengths were the special effects and the acting. For example, the special effects were good when someone was shot and when they showed the dead bodies in the army bags. The all around best, I think Denzel Washington is a good actress in every movie he makes. The film’s weaknesses was none, I do not think I seen any weaknesses. I was not disturbed by anything; I was impressed with the whole movie. The movie was great; I would recommend others to experience this film. The iconographic that I came upon was when Frank Lucas speaks of being to loud, like the big bright suits they wore. This made me think of the street-pharmacist today, their profile is big cars with a loud color paint job and loud music with flashy clothing. I think foreshadowing was used when Rickie Roberts gets Lucas’s cousin to snitch, then he tells him that Frank Lucas will find out he snitched then he will kill him because he was his cousin. The films political significance was the use of violence, when the whole world became greedy and wanted money and drugs. The social significance was the study of the society in Harlem, went from bad to everybody on drugs and dying, which I would call it social dead zone. The film historical significance was that it was based on a true story. If the film was from another culture, their conventions would be interesting and unusual. The movie did have subtitles; it was necessary and beneficial to read the subtitles. The effect it had was good; I was able to understand what was going on in the movie and not get confused. I think American Gangster can not be a sequel because it was based on a true story of someone’s life. My critical perspective of this movie was that it was very unique, never seen anything like it, I feel that it will reduce the numerous of people who sale drugs, and overall it was an in creditable movie.

Kanye West Analysis

The song â€Å"So Appalled by Kanye West seems to be one of many songs on Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, album that takes a straight forward attack on the life that Kanye lives but at the same time likes. It seems that the album itself makes many claims about the lifestyle and things that people in the high society do. Beyond that Kanye West is well known for his music being strictly more or less about the internal battle with himself. One that is easily pointed out is â€Å"I'm trying to write my wrongs, But its funny these same wrongs helped me write this song. †(Touch the Sky) I would have to say that through Kanye West career as a song writer he’s is one of the most consistent artist that openly points out and accepts the life he lives as something that isn’t the most holy life to have. As I listen to the song So Appalled I noticed that of all the songs on the album this song seemed to have the most serious or viable beat to go with its pretty direct meaning. As I did the grammar and thesaurus changes to the song I did a lot of adding of the word I changing literally every verse into the first person and of course it sounded more like a story realistically about Kanye’s life. I think the most important changes to me was the changing of the word â€Å"ridiculous† to â€Å"unbelievable† and also changing â€Å"appalled† to â€Å"amazing† which in my eyes gave the song kind of a double meaning and also reminded me of another song he did that was actually called amazing done in the album before this 808 Heartbreak which is kind of the other half to this double meaning in the song. With most of the changes I made I feel like I changed the song to better resemble the song â€Å"Amazing† which is in first person as he talks strictly in one verse about him knowing he is a problem and saying that that’s something he is fine with and saying that you’ll never be able to take that away from him. So I don’t really believe I changed the song from its meaning just directed it and kind of tried to make it more direct which seems to be more like Kanye. In my eyes the song really talked about the way Kanye west realizes what he does in life really is kind of unbelievable and somewhat unrealistic to the everyday ife of a middle class or even a rich person who is just beginning to see the high life but hasn’t yet really experienced the whole package to think on this level. I believe that jay-Z verse is the most straight forward verse on the track that points out the sinful but amazingly unbelievable life the rappers live. I also kind of took this from Push T’s verse in the song were he starts out with â€Å"success is what you make it† â€Å"take it how it comes â€Å" as the verse goes on it seemed to me like he was talking telling a story of his like as if it was something you tell a child. He took the important concept of success and twisted it as if he’s success was good and turned to be someone what of an amazing but odd success that he is happy with but appalled with at the same time. The song really makes you think about how much the most successful rappers think about their lives as a whole. This song has to one of the most, straight forward and most creative songs created by Kanye West. I find it’s really confusing and interesting at the same time that the rappers in the song like the lives they live but at the same timed they call it ridiculous.

Securing a Vessel With Cleats Chocks Bits and Bollards

Securing a Vessel With Cleats Chocks Bits and Bollards At some point early in your maritime career, someone is going to ask you to tie a boat to something solid so it doesn’t float away. There are specific fixtures on all vessels and docks made for this purpose. We will take a short look at four of the most common and save the specialty fixtures for a little later. Cleats These are fixtures found on docks and vessels. They are shaped like a very wide and short capital letter T. Closed types have a solid base while open types have two closely spaced legs in the center. A line with a loop on the end can be passed through the legs and secured over the horns the name of the horizontal piece of the cleat. This allows it to pull tight without the chance of working loose as it would if the loop were just placed over the cleat. Some Dock Masters frown on this because the line can abrade the dock. The best way to tie to a cleat is with a hitch at the end of a line. They come in all sizes from the size of your little finger to the size of your leg. Chocks These are fixtures that hold a line rather than using it as a tie point. It is found near a cleat and keeps the line in position so it does not move laterally and chafe or abrade. They are flattened loops that have a narrow opening at the top to accept and remove the line. Like cleats, these come in all sizes but are usually found aboard vessels and not on docks. Bits These fixtures are a solid column which is sometimes square and sometimes cylindrical. They have a crossbar that is of lesser diameter and forms a lowercase letter t. These are also called Samson posts because they are so strong. You tie to them with a hitch around the crossbar or they accept a looped line well. Bits are mostly found on vessels near the bow and stern, they appear infrequently on docks but it isn’t unheard of if there is a need to use something taller than a cleat in order to accept large diameter lines. Bollards These are the things that look like short metal mushrooms. You can find them on docks and large ships and almost never on smaller vessels. They are made for a loop of line that is placed over the top and the slack is taken up on the other end to make the line tight. Each of the fixtures above has a preferred method of tying. Some of the methods, such as passing the loop through the legs and over the horns of an open cleat, are suitable for heavy weather situations with strong wind and waves. Other methods like a loop should be used in calmer conditions but a hitch can be used at any time. If you want to learn more go to our maritime glossary where you can find more than a simple definition of a term and get some insight into the context and rich maritime history.

How can we understand ourselve essays

How can we understand ourselve essays Often in life, man comes to an understanding of himself with time. He may not be very certain of how to achieve this understanding. In many cases they what to achieve this understanding of himself is through seeing life from another person point of view. When I was in elementary school, I was not a model student. I was constantly in trouble, and the way I came to learn this is that my friends and family would scold me for all the terrible things I did. I was an embarrassment. In 5th grade, as a prank, I stole my best friends pencil box and I teased him for about a week about it when my friend did find out, he was extremely angry. This shows that I was an extremist, and I learned this through my friends anger towards me. This experience revealed a side of me that I was not familiar with. In the novel Nectar in a Sieve a character named Rukmani comes to learn and understand herself through her family, friends, and even her enemies. In one part of the novel Nathan, Rukmanis husband, scolds Rukmani of not being able to bend like the grass. Rukmani learns that she has a hard time accepting change. She learns that she could not accept it even if her life may depend on it. Kunthi one of Rukmanis enemies threatens to reveal Rukmanis infidelity with a white doctor. Rukmani learns that by keeping her secrets from her husband she is performing a destructive behavior. She is in turn scared of her husbands denial Through the reactions of others we realize more about ourselves. Whether it is my friend helping me to realize my mistake, or whether Rukmani is learning her faults through pain and fear; they show that man can learn about themselves only through an eye of another. Other people are what allow us to realize our faults and good points. ...

Levels of Taxonomy Used in Biology

Levels of Taxonomy Used in Biology Taxonomy is the practice of categorizing and naming of species. The official scientific name of an organism consists of its Genus and its Species Identifier in a naming system called binomial nomenclature. The Work of Carolus Linnaeus The current taxonomic system gets its roots from the work of Carolus Linnaeus in the early 1700s. Before Linnaeus set up the rules of the two-word naming system, species had long and unwieldy Latin polynomials that were inconsistent and inconvenient for scientists when communicating with each other or even the public. While Linnaeuss original system had many fewer levels than the modern system has today, it was still an excellent place to start to organize all of life into similar categories for easier classification. He used the  structure and function of body parts, mostly, to classify the organisms. Thanks to advances in technology and understanding the evolutionary relationships among species, we have been able to update the practice to get the most accurate classification system possible. The Taxonomic Classification System The modern taxonomic classification system has eight main levels (from most inclusive to most exclusive): Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species Identifier. Every different species has a unique species identifier and the more closely a species is related to it on the evolutionary tree of life, it will be included in a more inclusive group with the species being classified. (Note: An easier way to remember the order of these levels is to use a mnemonic device to remember the first letter of each word in order. The one we use is Do Keep Pond Clean Or Fish Get Sick) Domain A domain is the most inclusive of the levels (meaning it has the most number of individuals in the group). Domains are used to distinguish between the cell types and, in the case of prokaryotes, where they are found and what the cell walls are made of. The current system recognizes three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Kingdom Domains are further broken into Kingdoms. The current system recognizes six Kingdoms: Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, and Protista. Phylum The next division would be the phylum. Class Several related classes make up a phylum. Order Classes are further divided into Orders. Family The next level of classification that orders are divided into are Families. Genus A genus is a group of closely related species. The genus name is the first part of the scientific name of an organism. Species Identifier Each species has a unique identifier that describes only that species. It is the second word in the two-word naming system of the scientific name of a species.

Should the tv media (television shows and ads) be required to present Essay

Should the tv media (television shows and ads) be required to present women in a realistic and respectful way at all times - Essay Example Most people have different views, and this is what we will try to explore and come up with our point of view by the end of the day (Parker and Adrian 1-4). Different writers have featured on this topic, and this is where we will get ideas and arguments so that we can come up with a substantive opinion on the topic. First, I think television should and must present women in a respectful and a more realistic way all the time. The reason behind this is that women play important roles in our society, and most people look unto them as their role models (Richmond and Hurtman 58-59). For instance, when a child is being brought up, he or she believes that her mother is always right. However, when they grow up and understand what the world means to them, they start to change they mentality and way of view on very many issues. One of the things that greatly influence them is the role and impact of media on their lives. Televisions plays are important role in our lives as they give and update us on all the information on what is happening both locally and internationally (Berger 16-29). Almost every household can afford a television in our homes today and easily accessible to our children. Most of the advertisements that are aired on television focusing on various products use women to convey these messa ges. A good example could be women who are used to advertise toilet soaps where most of them are mostly naked. From a recent study, it showed that women are mostly used as sex objects in most television adverts. This study mostly focused on specific environment under certain conditions. The main aim of this study was to help promote gender stereotypes in response to social views and perceptions. Behavior was also an important factor was also considered. This is because this is where young children and teenagers where they learn and emulate these people as their role models. In most cases, television advertisements are normally very persuasive and suggestible.

Equality and debt case assignment 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Equality and debt case assignment 5 - Essay Example Debt financing has a fixed term for repayment. Like loans the terms can be either short or long and is normally raised from banks and small business administration (SBA). It has a fixed rate of interest payable. However equity financing is not repayable; the lender has a right over the business and can participate along with the board of directors, in the annual shareholder’s meeting, to have an active role in the decision making of the company. It is generally raised by family or friends, who are normally called ‘Angel investors’ (Samuels et al, 2000). Also financing can be got by venture capitalists, private equity firms and the investors are normally referred to as ‘Venture Capitalists’(Samuels et al, 2000). This form of financing does not have a fixed cost, but the cost varies based on the performance of the company. Also with newer investors becoming a part of the business makes the business more credible and gains higher attention from the lende rs network (Weston and Copeland, 1988). In debt financing there is a tendency of businesses to rely too much on the mode of financing, however if the company does not generate enough revenues to pay back the loans it could cause a lot of problems for the business like bad credit ratings and can even lead to closing down of the business. Also it makes the company unattractive to investors. If the company has a lot of loans investors would view and classify the company as ‘High Risk’ which would cause them not to make investments in the business (Samuels et al, 2000). The debt to equity ratio normally affects the cost of debt; hence if the ratio is high it would make it difficult for the business to obtain debt financing. Both the sources of financing require to be well balanced, and it is essential that the company carries out enough debt to balance the equity investment however care needs to be taken not to affect the chances of getting

Research Paper for Financial market Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

For Financial market - Research Paper Example The opinions of these individuals range from over-leveraging of the financial products and excessive risk-taking by banks to unjustifiable executives bonuses and salaries and the lack of sufficient regulation of the money and capital markets. It is important to provide an overview of the causes of the economic hardships that prevailed following the Great Recession which began in 2007. This paper is focused on analyzing the causes of the 2008 financial crises with a view of avoiding decisions that associated with negative economic impacts, such as the collapse of the largest financial institution prior to 2008 (Lehman Brothers); the collapse of the Lehman Brothers on September 2008 resulted in the loss of significant investments, jobs and substantial effects on the general performance of the economy (Quirk 31). The subprime mortgages are classified as risky mortgages due to the high probability of defaulting on the loan payment by mortgage borrowers; on the other hand, the prime mortgage is considered less risky mortgage since the borrowers are unlikely to default on the loan payment. The subprime mortgages are considered by a majority of lenders as profitable given the fact that they are associated with high levels of high-interest rates; however, the borrower is likely to fail to meet the periodical payments and the total sum of the loan. The period prior to the financial crisis of 2008, there was an increased competition among the mortgage lenders that saw a number of these players relaxed the underwriting standards to experience increased profits and significant market share (Weber 159). In this respect, there was a tendency by a majority of the mortgage lenders to lend subprime mortgages (risky mortgages) among borrowers with low level of creditworthiness. The lending of the risky mor tgages was notable among mortgage lenders between 2004 and 2007; this

Ethics of Online Learning with Pros & Cons Research Paper

Ethics of Online Learning with Pros & Cons - Research Paper Example Online education refers to a system of education whereby the learner is autonomous in learning and is separated from the instructor by time and space. The history of online education stems from the growth of modern communication technologies such as the internet that have enabled the students to learn at their pace (Bill & Mary, 2007, p 122). The topic is important since online education presents certain ethical challenges that may hinder the quality of education. The topic is essential in my career as a mathematics teacher since students expect educational content that will enable them meet their learning objectives (Bill & Mary, 2007, p126). In addition, learners need more explanation on complex mathematical models and techniques in order to effectively solve mathematical problems (Browne, 2010, p 247). Accordingly, skills in mathematics improve the cognitive and analytical capabilities of the learner thus leading to succeed in the workplace. The topic interests me because numerous multinational companies have complained about the low analytical and mathematical skills of graduates in the labor market. Accordingly, the education policies must promote equity of access, quality and diversity of choice of the mode of study (Bill & Mary, 2007, p 135). ... It is also referred as e-learning, web-based learning and computer-based learning due to the use of web technologies and computing in delivering knowledge and skills to the learners (Smith, 1996, p 25). It entails the use of telecommunication technology and computing in delivering and receiving of the course content materials. This type of education relies on videoconferencing and internet in ensuring that students receive the digital content (Browne, 2010, p 250). Course materials can be provided through different online medium such as e-mails, bulletin, online videos, discussion forums and chat rooms. Online learning can take place in the workplace, home, online access points or at a public library. For the past few years, the number of online learners has grown substantially that traditional higher education enrollment due to the high internet access and flexibility of online learning. Since 2003, online enrollments have grown by more than 400 percent. According to latest statisti cs, about 6.7 million students are enrolled to a least one online course in the United States. About 32 percent of the US higher education students have participated in online education while 65 percent of the higher education institutions have implemented online learning programs (Browne, 2010, p 257). Accordingly, the 21 percent annual growth in online learning enrollments has by far exceed the just 2 percent growth in traditional classroom enrollments in higher education (Haughey, 2007, p 141). About two-thirds of higher education institutions regard online learning as part of their long-term strategy in increasing the access, flexibility and quality of education. Despite the ethical challenges, about 70 percent of the educators rate online education outcomes either

As you suggest Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

As you suggest - Movie Review Example Piketty programs significance of wealth in contemporary economies is reaching levels only previously seen during World War I. From this, Piketty formulates a outstanding hypothesis about capital and inequality, it’s and that wealth increases quicker than economic productivity or growth. A proposition to assure every citizen an annual salary of Fr.30,000 is underway in Switzerland. The salary is paid irrespective of the citizen’s employment starters or wealth. The proposition has gone a sufficient number of supporters to prompt a referendum in the country. Paul Solman, an Economics columnist, speaks about this proposition in the fast rate at which it is acquiring traction across political party margins outside Switzerland in developed economies such as the United States. However, Solman says views on this idea vary on, if, and how and assure the basic salary would be practical (Solman, 2014). Solman, P. (2014). Idea of paying citizens a yearly stipend is gaining support in Switzerland. PBS. Retrieved from

All Animal Rights Are Equal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

All Animal Rights Are Equal - Essay Example This is similar to what Martin Luther King Jr. argued for when he said that people should be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. Singer also argues that just because there exists certain factual differences between groups of people (i.e., women are generally physically weaker than men), that this doesn’t justify â€Å"any difference in the amount of consideration we give to their needs and interests† (1977). Singer then relates racism and sexism to a concept known as speciesism. Since racism means that a person believes their race is better than another race, and sexism means that a person believes their gender is superior to the opposite gender, speciesism similarly means that a person believes that humans are superior to animals and can therefore treat them as they please. Speciesism is therefore as morally wrong as racism and sexism. However, a person may ask, why should we treat animals with the same consideration and respect as humans if they can’t reason or talk? For the answer to this question, Singer points to a statement made by Jeremy Bentham, who wrote, â€Å"The question is not, can [animals] reason? Nor can they talk? But, can they suffer?† (1977). The fact that both humans and animals suffer, he believed, shows that both deserve to have their needs and interests considered. In this article, Singer argues that most humans are speciesists. By eating animals, we are using them for our own selfish ends and not considering the violation of rights which we have committed against that animal. If humans had to eat animals to survive that would be another matter, but since we are capable of getting the same nutritional value from things like vegetables and beans, humans usually only eat animals for pleasure. Singer argues that this is unnecessarily cruel and therefore morally wrong. He also writes that many scientific experiments involving animals are also wrong because of they are cruel and the animals are often killed. Here, he says, the benefits to mankind from many of these studies do not outweigh the costs of the inflicting pain on and the killing of animals. Speciesism and the Idea of Equality Although Bonnie Steinbock also writes that we should give consideration to animal suffering, she refutes Singer’s claim that animals and humans have equal rights. But Steinbock does not focus on animal rights in her article because she argues that even if people and animals don’t have equal rights, that doesn’t mean we are justified in treating them poorly. For instance, pulling on a cat’s tail is wrong not because cats have equal rights, but because doing so is simply a morally wrong and cruel action intended to hurt another sentient creature. Of course, Steinbock argues, unnecessary cruelty toward animals in wrong. Yet she could see certain scientific experiments involving animals as justifiable and not morally wrong. If an animal experiment saves human lives, for example, she argues that such an experiment is morally justifiable. She also writes that it is not reasonable to say that animals and

As you suggest Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

As you suggest - Movie Review Example Piketty programs significance of wealth in contemporary economies is reaching levels only previously seen during World War I. From this, Piketty formulates a outstanding hypothesis about capital and inequality, it’s and that wealth increases quicker than economic productivity or growth. A proposition to assure every citizen an annual salary of Fr.30,000 is underway in Switzerland. The salary is paid irrespective of the citizen’s employment starters or wealth. The proposition has gone a sufficient number of supporters to prompt a referendum in the country. Paul Solman, an Economics columnist, speaks about this proposition in the fast rate at which it is acquiring traction across political party margins outside Switzerland in developed economies such as the United States. However, Solman says views on this idea vary on, if, and how and assure the basic salary would be practical (Solman, 2014). Solman, P. (2014). Idea of paying citizens a yearly stipend is gaining support in Switzerland. PBS. Retrieved from

Plan of Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Plan of Care - Essay Example The organs include head, neck, nose, mouth, and throat. The visual assessment will encompass looking for anomalous shape, color, size, texture among other aspects. Generally, nurses utilize physical assessment expertise and skills to identify the patient’s problems and develop a basis of data and information, which are utilized for subsequent nursing processes (Cox & Turner, 2010). I will explain to the student the assessment techniques that are involved in the physical assessment including palpation, percussion and auscultation. Palpation incorporates the utilization of hands to feel the body organs in enabling the assessment of abnormal shape, size, level and location of pain. On the other hand, Percussion incorporates the generation of sound by scrapping or tapping the body part in order to determine the parameters including the organ density and size (Cox & Turner, 2010). Consequently, auscultation entails listening to sound produced by various organs like the throat and lungs. These are the assessment techniques utilized in Evelyn’s scenario: Critical observation is conducted first whereby the nurse takes appropriate time in observing the patient with all senses including eyes, nose and ears. In this process, the nurse must utilize good lightning in order to ascertain his observation on color, shape, position and symmetry. Consequently, observation for odors of skin and mouth is essential (Sawyer, 2012). In this process, deep (5-8 cm) and light (1 cm) touch by the back of the nurse’s hand (or fingers) is utilized to assess the patient’s skin temperature. Consequently, use fingers to inspect the moisture, tender areas and texture. This is an essential part of the physical assessment where by the nurse strikes the body surface to generate sound. The following sounds; resonant, dull, flat and tympanic are utilized to determine shape and size of underlining structures in the relevant body organs (Sawyer, 2012). This assessment mostly

The Foundation of Society Essay Example for Free

The Foundation of Society Essay Education is one of the most essential aspects of any society or any country as it provides the fundamentals that people need to accomplish things in life. It molds young people into respectable and dignified individuals by teaching them proper conduct and discipline. In addition, in higher levels of learning it cultivates the skills, professions, and careers that a person would like to pursue and use for his or development. The road to being a doctor, architect, engineer, nurse, and lawyer, among others, always begins with getting a good education. In short, education serves as the foundation for society as it teaches various lessons in life. Moreover, education has a variety of implications and can also affect all aspects of society. In terms of economics, education is essential for any country as it helps it attain high levels of economic growth. When more people are educated, there would be more technically-skilled workers that contribute to society and help shape the economy. In addition, In short, the higher the educational rates of a country is, the more it can adapt to the growing trends and policies of the rest of the world. High rates of education would also lead to vast improvement of technology, which is a key factor in the development of any country. In other words, it can then be deduced that education plays a highly essential role in the performance of the economy. Education also plays a crucial role in the fields of health and medicine. In society, if people are educated with the best measures that would ensure their health and safety, they would be able to avoid the most infectious diseases and deadliest illnesses. Research, which is another important part of education, is also crucial because it provides people with new information regarding the latest strain of viruses or bacteria that can cause potential harm to individuals. In short, in the field of science in general, obtaining continuing education is of primary importance because it paves the way for new breakthroughs and innovations. Due to the importance of education in the world, it should then follow that its goals should also be equally important. Every country must ensure that the goals of its educational system is updated and would provide students with more than enough skills and knowledge that can prepare them for the real world. However, before doing so, a nation must first ensure that all children, regardless of economic status, will be able to access high-quality education because it is a right and not simply a privilege. Moreover, aside from being able to teach students skills in Mathematics, Science, History and Languages, an educational institution should also be able to instill a sense of competitiveness among learners. To do this, the curriculum of any school must always be updated and meet educational standards. It should be comprehensive enough and proper for the level of education where is being applied. Furthermore, teaching methods should also be goal-oriented in order for students to know their target objectives. These methods should also be innovative and interactive so that an educator can determine whether or not his or her students have truly learned from him or her. In short, when all these standards are met, educational institutions would not only be of high-quality but would also produce top-caliber, highly competent, and well-rounded graduates who can impart to other people what they have learned.

We Must Ban MTBE Gasoline Use in Cold Climate Areas :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

We Must Ban MTBE Gasoline Use in Cold Climate Areas Several years ago doctors told us that because butter contained a lot of cholesterol it would be healthier to use margarine instead. Yet just recently it was discovered and told us by doctors that although butter has more cholesterol, overall it is healthier than margarine (Kamen 1). Margarine had some unseen negative effect on the human body, and human health. A similar yet distinct situation is happening today in the gasoline industry. In order to reduce the pollution that vehicles emit oxygenates are added to gasoline. Oxygenates reduce the amount of toxins released. The most common used oxygenate is methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). MTBE like margarine has had some unexpected and previously unseen harmful effects on the human health when used in cold climate areas. It has caused respiratory problems, nausea, headaches, and tissue inflammation and irritation (Cong 2). In an effort to protect all aspects of human health I propose that the use of MTBE as a gasoline oxygenate be banned in cold climate areas of the United States of America. When the United States was founded, Congress, the legislative branch of government was established to pass laws and legislation for the betterment of the people. Due to an increase in the number of vehicles, pollution from their emissions has become an increasingly large problem. Vehicle exhaust emissions contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) that when combined with sunlight create ozone. Ground level ozone is harmful to plants and to the human respiratory system. It causes chest pain, headaches, nasal congestion, sore throats, and reduced breathing capacity. Cars also emit carbon monoxide (CO) which is toxic to the human body (ADEQ 1). In order to better ensure and maintain clean air Congress passed the Clean Air Act of 1990. As part of this Act the cities in the United States where the set limit of carbon monoxide (CO) had been exceeded were required to sell oxygenated gasoline at the gas pumps to help reduce the CO level (Cong 2). In all there are over thirty areas in eighteen states that use oxygenated gasoline (EPA other 1). There are several different oxygenates, but in the U.S. 84% of the oxygenated gasoline uses MTBE as the oxygenate (EPA other1). MTBE must make up 15% of the gasoline mixture in order to meet federal standards (EPA 19).

Employee Motivation Essays -- Employment Management Workforce Labor

Employee motivation is the level of energy, commitment, and creativity that a company's workers apply to their jobs. In the increasingly competitive business environment of recent years, finding ways to motivate employees has become a pressing concern for many managers. In fact, a number of different theories and methods of employee motivation have emerged, ranging from monetary incentives to increased involvement and empowerment. Employee motivation can sometimes be particularly problematic for small businesses, where the owner often has spent so many years building a company that he/she finds it difficult to delegate meaningful responsibilities to others. But entrepreneurs should be mindful of such pitfalls, for the effects of low employee motivation on small businesses can be devastating. Some of the problems associated with unmotivated workers include complacency, declining morale, and widespread discouragement. If allowed to continue, these problems can reduce productivity, earn ings, and competitiveness in a small business. On the other hand, small businesses can also provide an ideal atmosphere for fostering employee motivation, because employees are able to see the results of their contributions in a more immediate way than in large firms. Besides increasing productivity and competitiveness, a highly motivated work force can allow a small business owner to relinquish day-today, operational control and instead concentrate on long-term strategies to grow the business. ... ... advancement. Managers who recognize the "small wins" of employees, promote participatory environments, and treat employees with fairness and respect will find their employees to be more highly motivated. One company's managers brainstormed to come up with 30 powerful rewards that cost little or nothing to implement. The most effective rewards, such as letters of commendation and time off from work, enhanced personal ful-fillment and self-respect. Over the longer term, sincere praise and personal gestures are far more effective and more economical than awards of money alone. In the end, a program that combines monetary reward systems and satisfies intrinsic, self-actualizing needs may be the most potent employee motivator.

The Marketing Strategy Analysis of Starbucks Corporation

Under today’s ever-changing market, strategic marketing planning has become more and more significant whether of the functional or the fundamental. Especially, although financial crisis leaded economy growth slowdown, it did not cause a serious influence for chain coffee shop. As Howard Schultz said, CEO of Starbucks, â€Å"I don't think we had a business plan for the severity of what has taken place. History demonstrated to us that a downturn in the economy would not affect us, and in fact, we would be recession-proof. (Katie Couric, 2008) Based on Financial Times, Starbucks revealed that strong earnings of $242m of 2008, a jump from the $64m it recorded during the comparable period last year and total revenues for the quarter were $2. 7bn, up 4 per cent from the $2. 6bn recorded during the comparable quarter at the end of 2008. It illustrated that consumers will still pay premium prices for its coffee even in uncertain economic times. Greg Farrell 2010) In this essay, besides demonstrating the concept of strategic marketing, I will take Starbucks Corporation, United States for a case to define its position in this turbulent chain coffee shop market. Then, identify the â€Å"customized mass production† and evaluate how the organization affect and communicate the market. Next, the strategic importance of Starbucks Corporation, United States will be analyzed by various tools such as demand chain approach, SWOT and TOWS, PESTLE, pricing policies and so on with practical examples. Finally, based on these strategic analyses, the recommendations will be available for the organization to improve the competitiveness over this competitive market in the future. Brief history of Starbucks Corporation Starbucks Corporation, United States (NASDAQ: SBUX), the largest international coffeehouse chain company over the world, opened in 1971 by Gerald Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl in Seattle, Washington, United States. In 1982, Howard Schultz, the present CEO of Starbucks, joined the company as Director of Retail Operations and Marketing. In 1987, Howard Schultz purchased Starbucks chain and rapidly started to expand. The first location outside Seattle was established at Waterfront Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Chicago, Illinois. In 1992, its initial public offering (IPO) on the stock market with common stock being traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the trading symbol â€Å"SBUX. † In 1996, Starbucks opened first store outside of U. S in Japan. Today, there are more than 15,000 stores in 50 countries all of the world, including with over two thirds in the home market in the United States. The products sold include coffee, beverages, merchandise, and fresh food and consumer products such as coffee beans, Starbucks cups and so on. Besides, Starbucks engages in gaining the brands add value such as business responsibly nowadays that earn the respect and trust of the partners and customers. They claimed that two areas including ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship and community involvement would be focused on. For example, the plan of Starbucks Corporation is that by 2015, all of the coffee will be grown using ethical trading and responsible growing practices. Besides, they also said that by 2015, 100% of our cups will be reusable or recyclable. So, what Starbucks Corporation emphasized is not only the tangible products, but the intangible assets such as brand image or the add value. The development and concept of the Strategic Marketing First of all, I want to define what is ‘market’ and ‘marketing. ’ The word ‘market’ can be referred to the process of exchange controlled by supply and demand, and the price involved. The word ‘marketing’ is the relationship between supply and demand and now favors demand and consumer choice. (Chapman and Cowdell, 1998) Trace back to the origins of modern marketing, it is from the Industrial Revolutions in Britain around 1750 and in the Germany and USA around 1830. The emphasis earlier was on â€Å"how to do it,† with a focus of the technique of marketing. As time goes by, people pay more attention on the philosophy of marketing and influence on stakeholders and society as a whole. Jobber and Fahy, 2009) Therefore, the strategic marketing becomes more and more significant since it can help organizations to find its own position of the competitive market; thus, they just can justify their strategy against whether the existing or the potential competitors. Therefore, organizations should classify the marketing environment including competitive environment (its immediate competitors and customers) and the macro-environment (the wider social, political and economic setting they operate. In order to develop the right strategy whether for short-term or long-term, organizations not only need to know the concept of strategic marketing but also how to use it within the competitive marketing. In addition, fundamental to strategic thinking is the concept of ‘strategic fit. ’ It indicates how organizations match the internal resources and capabilities with the opportunities in the external environment. The strategic model used to evaluate the appropriateness of the vision or decision making of the organizations (Hooley G et al 2008). A competitive advantage can be developed successfully by a suitable and unique combination of capabilities and resources. Nevertheless, organizations should pay more attention to classify the differentiation between resources and capabilities. Capabilities are focused on the learning effect of the organizations’’ possesses, whereas resources is connected to the inputs to production owned by the organizations. In other words, they should seek the appropriate balance between the marketing of functionalism and fundamentalism under this ever-changing market actually. Black Box Method Kotler et al. (2009) explain that the consumer is regarded as a ‘black box' in the sense that the consumer’s behavior is a conditioned response to marketing stimuli. After consumers making decision of purchase, the black box concept in behavior science responses. Because of the external stimulation, the consumers’ decision making process will be affected by the marketing planning and environment. The significance and the strengths of the model is that after consumers processing the various stimuli in their mind, they will react in specific ways. Generally speaking, in the model, the external elements to the consumer will move to behavioral stimuli; however, before a specific behavioral reaction is created, the consumer's decision-making process and personal characteristics will interact with the stimuli. On the other hand, in the ‘black box' model, people can’t get much information about the way human mind operates. The weakness of this model is people still cannot get the ideas of what goes on in the brain and have no ideas about what goes on in there. In other words, through the ‘black box' model the main internal process and influences of consumer’ behavior can be identified when consumer behavior operates, but the way how consumers convert the data, together with the stimuli, to act specific responses cannot be available. So, it is just called the ‘black box' model. (Kotler et al. 2009) The figure is shown the content and process involved in the ‘black box' model. Therefore, in order to understand consumers’ behavior in the market, organizations need to realize the fundamental process of perception and motivation. Through economic analysis and behavioral adds value can help organizations to make the marketing planning (Chapman and Cowdell 1998). Take Starbucks Corporation for example, last year (2009) in order to to maintain its brand image as a premium customer experience, it revealed â€Å"a long term, multi-million dollar† advertising campaign in the US, as it seeks to combat perceptions that its products are over-priced. As Howard Schultz, chief executive, said that they indicated the new â€Å"value focused† offerings had improved customers’ perception of the value of its products and it is based on the company’s research (Jonathan Birchall 2009). Source: Keegan et al. (1992, p. 193) Marketing Demand Chain Approach Demand is the relationship between needs and wants and also can be inferred to producer/supplier and consumer. Whole markets are motivated by demand; consumers can exercise demand by choice freely (Chapman and Cowdell 1998). A demand chain is composed of the organizations which sell products or services. For example, from the customer perspective, the demand chain may be composed by the customers who lead the sales transaction and the suppliers who sell or create the goods. Or from the supplier perspective, the suppliers create or offer the products and the customers buy it. In addition, the market for specific products or service can be defined by a three-dimensional box. The three sides of the box are product purchase, buyer group and buyer location (Chapman and Cowdell 1998). For example, the demand for Starbucks Corporation can be defined using this method. Buyer group could be identified by age, education or salary characteristics – such as students, white collar workers and retired people. Product purchase could identify the range or type the products offering such as beverage, pastries, whole coffee beans, coffee-related retail items and so on. Then, buyer location could be described the locations of buyer groups. Under this complicated and competitive coffee market, the demand chain approach is appropriate for managers to use the concept of identifying the market segmentations. Once the demand is identified, the necessary change and strategic marketing planning of the business environment could be evaluated effectively. The competitive position and market segmentation of Starbucks Corporation ‘Position’ describes the characteristic place in the market and becomes important more and more in a competitive market because it makes the comparisons to be set between organizations, products and services. It also makes the market segmentation to be classified and the competition analysis and market analysis to be connected to an organization’s strategy. The market segmentation is produced by the differences in customer’s needs, wants and attitudes (Chapman and Cowdell, 1998. Take Starbucks Corporation for a case, numerous cheap coffees are available, what is its attraction under this competitive coffee market? The idea can be also referred to â€Å"the role of positioning is to support that process, not to be it. † (Mintzberg et al 2009) The advantage of defining the position is to help Starbucks Corporation both defending itself and attacking the existing or potential competitors by utilizing the strategic tools such as Porter’s generic strategies, Porter’s five forces and so on. For example, using Porter’s generic strategies for the strategic tool shown below, differentiation focus is Starbucks Corporation’s position compared with other competitors. Hence, the suitable strategy could be set by it. Through identifying the position of the market, not only analyzing the competitors but creating competitive advantages is necessary to organizations. Competitor identification is the purpose of competitor analysis and it investigates competitor strategies, objectives, capabilities and prediction of response patterns. In addition, the process is to offer a foundation of competitive advantages, defining their future strategies. Competitive advantages are the resources and skills of the organizations; classification of the organization’s core competences could be available by analyzing those factors (Jobber 2001). â€Å"Customized mass production† of Starbucks Corporation For Starbucks, it is very important that it provides mass customization to their customers. They obey the conception which is every customer is unique. Therefore, both products and services are created to be a unique experience and atmosphere for the customers individually. So, what customer pay for is not just the products or services but including the unique experience and atmosphere. As B. Joseph Pine (1999) said, â€Å"We have shifted from a goods economy (coffee beans in a can) to a service economy (hot coffee at a diner) to an experience economy (coffee sold in a special mug, in comfortable surroundings – Starbucks). † In other words, under an ever-changing economy, what trend the organizations should follow is that converts products into services and then services into a unique and memorable experience. The unique and memorable experience is the differentiation between Starbucks and its existing or potential competitors. Starbucks Corporation’s Strategic Marketing Planning Strategic Marketing Planning includes the competitive position creating of both the organization and its offerings, core strategy decision making and implementing that strategy. The significance of planning marketing strategies for organizations are to make sure that the organizations’ capabilities are appropriate or not and it is not just for short-term but for the long-term (Hooley et al, 2008). Besides, organizations also need the market audit to model and understand the key factors in the marketing environment. A marketing audit could be defined that â€Å"it is an essential tool for the periodic reassessment of any organization’s marketing effectiveness. † It is the way to analyze organizations’ environment, activities and strategies critically, and improve them (Chapman and Cowdell, 1998. ) Starbucks Corporation’s strategic marketing planning starts with marketing audit and it could be divided to three parts, macro environment, internal environment and external environment. Macro environment is examined to recognize the directions and patterns; inter environment is scanned to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses and opportunity and threat is involved in external environment. * PESTEL analysis For macro environment, it could start with PESTEL analysis (an acronym for Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Ethical and Environmental and Legal factors) of the organizations’ environment. Starbucks Corporation tends to classify main drivers which play important role in the strategic marketing planning by its PESTEL analysis. Take the socio-cultural environment for example; identifying the difference such as consumer preferences could shift from coffee to other beverages can help Starbucks Corporation finding the target groups by setting the suitable marketing strategies. In addition, increasing usage of community networks such as Facebook in the technological environment can provide Starbucks Corporation the efficient way to promote the brand on the popular channel nowadays. In other words, organizations can understand the macro environment by using strategic tools and then set the appropriate marketing strategies for not only now but for the future. Appendix-A provides the summaries of Starbucks Corporation’s PESTEL environment * SWOT analysis For internal environment (strengths and weaknesses) analysis, its purpose is to make organizations to get valuable chances and then to enable them taking advantages of them. For external environment (opportunity and threat) analysis, a marketing opportunity is a field of buyer interest and need that organization with high possibility of beneficially satisfying. In addition, an environmental threat is a danger by a negative development or trend that would lead to decrease profit or sales (Kotler and Keller 2009. According to the information of the internal environment and external environment, Starbucks Corporation develops SWOT analysis to classify the key strengths and weaknesses related to opportunities and threats (Appendix-B). Consider this case, the strengths such as strong global coffee brand, differentiated atmosphere and customer base loyalty would let Starbucks Corporation to grow the market share in new markets such as some specific cities with high population density in China. Besides, take the other care for example, facing the threat of more and more competitors are from various channels such as McDonald in the competitive market, Starbucks Corporation develop new strategy to defense it. Last year (2009), Starbucks Corporation embraced customer research surveys and ran its first major advertising campaign (Claire Cain Miller 2010). * TOWS Matrix The SWOT analysis provides the identification of organizations’ strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Nevertheless, according to such an nalysis, it is rarely and static of the development of definite substitute strategies. Hence, the TOWS Matrix is instituted for analysis the competitive situation of organizations or lead to the evolution of four different sets of strategic alternatives. In addition, the TOWS Matrix is a conceptual structure and begins with the threats since organizations try to make strategic marketing planning under the pressure of perceiving danger, crisis, or threat (Koontz and Weihrich 2007). Appendix-B shows the example of TOWS Matrix. Starbucks Corporation plans to spend the majority of its $40m marketing budget to promote its Via brand of instant coffee and Frappucino drinks through grocery stores (Greg Farrell 2010. ) This is the example for the SO strategy of Starbucks Corporation based on the strength of strong global coffee brand and the opportunity of New products/services/ distribution channels. In addition, take the other case for example, in 2009 the New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released the results of a study about the ordering habits at 115 Starbucks stores in the city. The study, which was conducted in 2007, found that the average blended drink had 239 calories. The average cup of coffee had 63 calories. â€Å"The popularity of blended coffee beverages has grown in recent years,† Dr. Thomas A. Farley, the city’s health commissioner, said in a statement. â€Å"Unfortunately, many of these drinks are loaded with calories. Your afternoon pick-me-up may be weighing you down. † After that announcement, Valerie O’Neil, a vice president at Starbucks, said in a statement: â€Å"We offer wholesome food and beverage options for our customers, including blended coffee beverages less than 100 calories. Looking forward, we continue to find helpful ways to deliver information for our customers to make more informed choices. † (A. G. Sulzberger 2009) This is the example for the ST strategy of Starbucks Corporation based on the strength of product diversification and the treats of healthy issue (calories). In other words, by using the TOWS Matrix, organizations can know that how to take advantages of the opportunities. Meanwhile, the impact of weaknesses could be minimized and defense them against threats. By clearly identifying the analysis of threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strength, organizations can make the appropriate strategic marketing decisions actually. Pricing strategies of Starbucks Corporation â€Å"Price may be defined as the value (measures by whatever means is appropriate) given to a product or a service by a market. The price of a product or a service refers to the term by which it can be acquired, and may be expressed in monetary or non-monetary terms (Chapman and Cowdell 1998). In organizations, designing pricing strategies effectively not only needs a systematic approach but also a complete understanding of consumer psychology and then just can set or adapt prices appropriately (Kotler and Keller 2009). Consider the case of Starbucks Corporation, last year (2009) they announced a new pricing scheme. It included the price decreased of many of its popular products such as brewed coffees and lattes. This action is in order to confront the danger of the other organization with offering lower price coffee such as McDonald’s stealing price sensitive customers (Claire Cain Miller 2009). However, in this article written by Claire Cain Miller in the New York Times, it also mentioned Starbucks increased some drinks’ price including Frappuccinos and caramel macchiatos. The reason is that Starbucks thought there are less competition from rivals in higher-end more complex drinks. Starbucks is attempting to make the most profit from its loyal customers who are desired on its products and expecting they will patronize Starbucks continually. Jobber and Fahy (2009) stated that positioning strategy is one of the key factors influencing price-setting decisions. Positioning strategy includes the creation of a differential advantage and the preference of target market. These factors affect price enormously. In addition, price is the main element to make great influence to the marketing strategies since it is the only factor of the marketing mix that impact on the generates revenue directly. Indeed, the pricing strategy plays a very important role of organizations because it is can be a good indicator of its future growth potential.

Reflection Paper on Organization Behavior

kiwiberry2900 3/9/2013 MGMT 541 Self-reflection paper Motivation Motivation represents psychological processes that cause arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed. There are substantial positive relations between job characteristics, satisfaction, and motivation. Job characteristics of Variety and Task Significance were found to be particularly important to employee satisfaction and motivation.These are examples that almost everyone will encounter in real life: Job design and job enrichment My work experience when I was in Shanghai was with the Taxation Bureau. Initially I was assigned general work in the department such as doing tax registration for the new companies and I wasn’t motivated. The job was simple, just checking and cataloging all of the documents that the company representatives provided, and giving them the application forms. I also answered related questions and followed up after the companies with the tax license were san ctioned.At this job position, the skill varieties were very limited. The routine work was just following the rules and did not need any professional judgment. After a month or so, I felt bored. Besides the skill variety, the job also lacked autonomy. Sometimes I just went out for some reason, probably there were several company representatives were waiting for me, while other time there is nobody show up in a whole day. As a young woman, I can’t further myself in the job, anyone can do it. I had no progress, no satisfaction about the job and no intrinsic motivation.Although the tasks were significant to the whole bureau, it is hard to see our bigger function of the organization. In the end, after I pleased the human resources department several times, I was allowed to join another department. A lot of young people did not like to be fixed on a general position which would not allow them to accumulate the professional experience and explore the deep side of the field, and that often makes a problem in the hierarchical organization. Equity theory The Shanghai Taxation Bureau in which I had worked for more than 10 years is a hierarchical organization including a lot of levels.It is the administrative and management body that carries out the state’s taxation activities within the administrative jurisdiction of Shanghai Municipality. Its main functions and responsibilities include implementing state taxation laws, regulations and codes, researching and formulating tax development plans and annual work plans for local taxation. The administrative position involves supervising every month’s tax declaration and collection and making sure the money will be transferred into the state treasury according to the related laws, regulations and codes.There are 26 branches attached to the taxation bureau, and over 10000 employees working in the shanghai taxation bureau. Big organizations necessitate more comparison between people, or between branches. Peop le from every section seek to get equal benefits out of their input. There are a lot of couples in Shanghai taxation bureau. So if some branches gave the bonus to their employees, everyone in the whole system knew it. And afterwards other departments will mimic the policy to motivate theirs. That reflected the equity theory.From the equity theory, an individual’s motivation level is correlated to his perception of equity, fairness and justice practiced by the management. The higher an individual’s perception of fairness is, the greater their motivation level and vice versa. In the above context, I remembered that the branch leader who first gave the bonus will emphasize the special task they have completed, in order to stimulate his employees who have experienced high level hardship or difficulties. But other branches will spotlight their own achievements in the assignment, ultimately got the same bonus to protect or comfort their own morale in the workplace.In the yea r-end evaluation, every branch or individual will assess their own projects and achievements in the whole year and the human resource management would make overall balances and give different levels of reward. While some job positions comparatively have more opportunities to make achievements, others have less. Under that kind of situation, the management carried out the policy of job position rotation, therefore, almost every qualified employee with education history of financial and accounting would have the opportunities to rotate their positions. This policy is motivational, Extrinsic motivation and intrinsic otivation At my department people were driven by extrinsic motivation. We compared the bonus income, the benefit to others and calculated the upcoming income or vacation. We also expected to be promoted and got high level benefits. As if that is the core of our daily tasks. Sometimes we did some project according to superior’s will rather than the real information to avoid offending the leader. We even did not consider whether the result was meaningful or not. Although the department management wanted to motivate the employees and gave the gift cards to everyone before the festivals, we were not satisfied.We wanted to get more benefits comparing with employees at other branches. From the theoretic framework, these are hygiene factors which would not make people satisfied. Sometimes we got into research projects and worked with the other teammates. These were independent projects. The person in charge the project totally explained the purpose of the project and we felt we got involved and engaged. We were empowered to use our own way to collect data, analyze it, and draw the conclusion. We felt very satisfied in these projects.We cooperated with each other, attracted by the task, and we can focus solely on the project without complicated interpersonal relationships inside of this kind of temporary group. Further more, it was different from our r outine job, which gave us the opportunity to widen our view, enrich the job content, therefore satisfying all the teammates. This arrangement is like intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on external pressures or a desire for reward.Leadership From my experience, people want to motivate each other. He should build up himself first, has a long-term vision about the organizations, sets a goal for himself, matches the big environment and has the necessary ability or expertise in some area. Then he should also be authorized to be a leader. He may use his social skill and other ability and management resources to motivate people, and bring them together to a higher level. In my personal experience, I met good leaders as well as bad leaders.When I was a volunteer in a nonprofit organization at Chicago, I was elected as a member of the board of trust ees. In this setting, the president is our board leader and he displayed a typical bad leader profile. First of all, he is not a role model. He should have a positive attitude, and be supportive to every volunteer, but unfortunately he always escaped working hard and treated other volunteers like slaves. Secondly, he did not consider the opinions of other board members, he liked to be self-centered and lack of empathy. This character embodied in his schedule and his arrangement.He had no expert power, his personality is awful and he even played tricks in the nonprofit organization, which made everybody astonished. Now he had lost in the election for the board members. Admittedly, the situation above is very unique. Generally most authorized leaders have some attractive traits such as self-awareness, self-confidence, social skills and persuasive abilities. At the same time, they fully understand the organization goals. But different leaders have their own personal features. My friend Fan is a director of the audit department.I had been in his department for 3 years, and we became friends in the end. Fan is a veteran, he had little professional knowledge in auditing, but he knew management well. His job is to motivate all the auditing group leaders and auditors. He used his legitimate power at first to assign tasks to every group. After the tasks were finished, he gave all the evaluation report to every group with the help of his assistant. At the same time, he used his reward and referent power. He always kept the department on the way of organizational goal, showed his positive attitude, gave everybody most extent of autonomy.He also used his personal relationship to strive for the best interest of our department. That is why he got everyone’s respect. In his department, morale is very high. Nobody wanted to leave. Ahthough Fan is a good leader in most aspects except his professional knowledge, he can’t exert his expert power in his leadership. A great leader is a natural leader, who can exert his idealized influence power to his followers, and help to set common goals for the whole organization, incorporate, motivate followers, have them a clear picture of the future, make them active beyond the call of the duty.Bibliography Kreitner, Robert, and Angelo Kinicki. Organizational Behavior. Boston, MA: Irwin/McGraw- Hill, 1998. Print. â€Å"Equity Theory of Motivation. † Equity Theory of Motivation. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. â€Å"Welcome to Shanghai Municipal Office of State Administration of Taxation. † Shanghai Municipal Office of State Administration of Taxation. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. W. Chan Kim. â€Å"Fair Process Managing in the Knowledge Economy. † (n. d. ): n. pag. Web.

Report on Carrebean Internet Cafe Case

REPORT ON CARRIBEAN INTERNET CAFE CASE Assignment – 1 CASE SUMMARY David grant is an MBA student hoping to open Caribbean Internet Cafe in his hometown Kingstons, Jamaica upon his graduation as he always wanted to be his own â€Å"boss†. Due to low accessibility and usage of internet in Jamaica, David thought of it as a good timing to pursue this business opportunity. He has gathered data on all the relevant costs: equipment, rent, labor, etc. He has also found a partner in the local telephone company, Jamaica Telecommunications Limited (JTL), where he previously worked.JTL has offered to provide equity and a long-term loan at favorable interest rates. He is now faced with the task of analyzing the gathered information and making a decision of whether he should proceed with the venture, and if so, if it would be a profitable business for him and JTL. TABLE OF CONTENT CASE SUMMARY1 INTRODUCTION2 PROBLEM DEFINITION3 CONCEPT FEASIBILITY STUDY3 TARGET MARKET4 LOCATION4 COMP ETITION4 ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY4 CAPITAL AVAILABLE5 START UP COST5 FIXED MONTHLY COST5 PRICE COST MARGIN ESTIMATION5 TARGET CUSTOMER SEGMENT – 200006 REVENUE PER YEAR6 PROFITABILITY6 CONCLUSION6 RECOMMENDATIONS7 INTRODUCTIONThe report deals with the study of a business proposal to open an internet cafe. The report studies the decision of David Grant who is an MBA student, to open Caribbean Internet Cafe in his home town Kingston, Jamaica. David while studying in London visited a number of cafes and was intrigued by the concept. While visiting his hometown Kingstons, Jamaica during summers he noticed that in spite of high awareness of the internet, there was low accessibility and usage of the same. Seeing a potential market of consumers, David decides to open a European concept based Cafe which will offer brewed coffee, imported wines, juices and baked products.He decides to have three areas in the cafe: a computer area with booths, a wine lounge with comfortable sofas, and a ge neral cafe area with table and chairs. He envisioned providing the customers, a perfect vehicle to use internet and other service without making an expensive investment in computer hardware and in addition a social outlet where people can surf together , listen to music or simply relax and socialize. He gathers the required information for starting the cafe and makes notes. PROBLEM DEFINITIONAfter gathering all the information David grant has to decide whether it will be a profitable and sustainable decision to open an Internet Cafe in Kingstons, Jamaica. CONCEPT FEASIBILITY STUDY In order to make a sound decision a feasibility study is carried out which will focus on analysing the target market, location , the competitors in the area and the three categories of costs: Start up costs required to be invested in the business, Fixed monthly costs that are to be bore as result of operations and variable costs, that result with every customer visit to the cafe.TARGET MARKET It was assume d that main segment that can be targeted as the potential customers would be university students, who have computer knowledge and professionals with high disposable income as they would appreciate a venue where they could relax and socialize along with availing internet facilities. Total segment size was assumed to be around 20,000. LOCATION Location that was chosen for setting up the cafe was New Kingston as most of the banks, other financial institutions and corporate had their head offices in that area.Also this area consisted of hotels and shopping centre, which would mean more masses, would come to know about CIC. Along with these factors, one more important reason was that New Kingston was close to several affluent suburbs from which CIC could attract patrons. COMPETITION In Jamaica, internet accessibility and usage was low. There were many reasons, that accounted for low internet usage such as 1) High cost of computer as percentage of average salary, 2) the lack of telephone lines in some areas of Kingston and,3)the high rates that was being charged by the existing service providers.Along with these factors, the idea of an† Internet cafe† was not very popular in Jamaica. So, this overall plan was quite new for that region and as a result the competition was not quite great. ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY CAPITAL AVAILABLE Table [ 1 ] PARTICULARS| AMOUNT (JA$)| DAVID GRANT’S SAVINGS| 5,00,000| JTL INVESTMENT IN EQUITY (50% SHARE)| 5,00,000| LOAN PROVIDED BY JTL @ 10% pa| 12,50,000| TOTAL| 22,50,000| START UP COST Table [ 2 ] PARTICULARS| TOTAL COST (JA$)| EQUIPMENT | 1426000| UTILITIY DEPOSIT| 7000| ADVERTISING (Prior to Opening)| 20000|LEGAL AND DECORATIONS| 120000| TOTAL| 1573000| FIXED MONTHLY COST There is an assumption that loan from JTL in the startup is a 5 year loan with principal payable on maturity and 10% simple interest payable monthly. Table [ 3 ] PARTICULARS| TOTAL COST (PER MONTH) (JA$)| WAGES TO EMPLOYESS (90*40*4*2)| 28800| SALA RY TO MANAGER | 40000| SITE RENTAL| 30000| TELEPHONE BILL AND UTILITIES| 15000| INTERNET LINK RENTAL| 10000| INSURANCE PREMIUM| 10000| ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND PROMOTION COST| 10000| ADMINISTRATIVE AND MAINTENANCE| 50000| INTEREST ON LOAN| 4167|TOTAL| 197967| YEARLY TOTAL (197967*12)| 2375604| PRICE COST MARGIN ESTIMATION PRICE/CUSTOMER (JA$) Table [ 4 ] PARTICULARS| TOTAL CHARGES| COST INCURRED| MARGIN (REVENUE)| INTERNET (PER HOUR)| 120| 60| 60| DRINKS (PER VISIT)| 140| 50| 90| FOOD (PER VISIT)| 60| 30| 30| TARGET CUSTOMER SEGMENT – 20000 An independent research firm, commissioned by JTL, conducted a study and came to the conclusion that the estimates by the owner regarding target size and demand were indeed correct.They also provided three scenarios of the demand that the cafe would attract. The market firm projected tha , optimistically, 50% of the segment would visit the cafe, on an average of , five times a year. A realistic projection was that 40% of the segment woul d visit the cafe on an average of three times a year. Finally, a pessimist estimate was that 30% of the segment would visit the cafe twice per year. Total Customer Visits / Year Optimistic (50%, 5x/yr) – 50000Realistic (40%, 3x/yr) – 24000 Pessimistic (30%, 2x/yr) – 12000 REVENUE PER YEAR Table [ 5 ] PARTICULARS| OPTI MISTIC | REALISTIC| PESSIMISTIC| COMPUTER USAGE (40%)| 12,00,000| 5,76,000| 4,32,000| FOOD/DRINKS| 60,00,000| 28,80,000| 14,40,000| TOTAL| 72,00,000| 34,56,000| 18,72,000| PROFITABILITY * In optimistic scenario the cafe would generate a profit of 45263 JA$ * In realistic scenario the cafe would incur a loss of 214737 JA$ * In pessimist scenario the cafe would incur a loss of 334737JA$ CONCLUSIONAfter analyzing the various aspects of the proposal it may be seen that the only scenario turning out to be a profitable and sustainable proposal is the optimistic one where the assumption is based on the fact that 50% of the total segment i. e. 10000 of the total 20000 customer segment will visit the cafe on an average of 5 times a year. But it would not a practically advisable to go ahead with such an assumption as the realistic as well as pessimist scenario shows a loss reflecting a negative probability of the business being profitable and sustainable in the long run.But it has been mentioned that the area does not have a cafe which provides internet facility and at the same time a hang out joint offering snacks and music at the same place, which makes Caribbean Internet Cafe first of it kind in Kingstons Jamaica. Therefore scrapping the whole idea leads to loosing out on an opportunity which gives David Grantâ€Å"First Mover Advantage† of offering a new experience to the customers. Secondly, a potential unexplored market which can be catered to by opening such cafe.Therefore David must proceed with his proposition but only after making certain changes in the area cost and tariff. RECOMMENDATIONS * David should revise his ta riff of 120$ per hour considering the average charges of the internet facility is 90JA$ per hour. * Also David can reconstruct the menu of the snack bar as the offerings does not fits the demand of the local people and is adding to the cost due to being exotic in nature. Eg. It is clear from the case facts that local people does not drink coffee and hence it may be omitted from the menu.

Business Communication Trends Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business Communication Trends Paper - Essay Example The use of these communications is extremely important in creating strong business relationships between the business, the customer and company employees. Discussion Currently, as an Accounts Payable Manager (APM) for a real estate development company, all of the above communications and concepts are rendered. On a daily basis an APM position is required to act as the go between for the government, the company, and outsourced accountants. These daily tasks are accomplished by maintaining sources of information (i.e. policies and procedures, financial records, company information records, and incorporated accounting files) and later corresponded to expecting recipients. The ability for the APM to communicate effectively and efficiently within the organization is dire. For the most part an APM requires the availability of massive amounts of information to perform job duties. This position also has to be able to transmit information to individuals or parties that need it. Without proper job performance on behalf of the APM, the workplace environment will be deemed inadequate. This issue is derived from the acknowledgement that poor relationships in the workplace account for breakdowns in communication and inability to successfully exchange information within the organization (Smith, p. 1). Based on the ideals of workplace functions and exchanges there are several methods that can be used. An APM utilizes this method when hiring, selecting, training, evaluating, gratifying, and punishing company employees. The position also requires the APM to be readily available to respond to financial concerns for project managers and operations staff. When dealing with individuals on a more personal level in business specific communications are more suitable for utilizing personal interaction. This method is cited as person-to-person or in other words â€Å"involving direct communication or contact between persons or parties â€Å"person-to-person interview†; â€Å"per son-to-person telephone calls†Ã¢â‚¬  (Person-to-person, p. 1). The correspondence in this situation gives the APM the benefit of reading social cues, comprehending the situation, and dissecting dialect. Person-to-person communication is recommended in the case of building positive workplace relationships. According to Margaret Morford, breaking undesirable news face-to-face leaves employees to have â€Å"cultivated their respect for you because they will realize there was an easier way (voice mail or e-mail) that you refused to take,†(p. 1). In this case and equally personal cases like these physical correspondence is socially acceptable and expected. APM job responsibilities and capability to readily use technology as a form of communication is necessary to avoid unfortunate outcomes. Based on effective workplace functions there is much to be respected from the use of technology. Organizations are capable of allocating managerial duties to lower level associates and o utsourcing companies while maintaining the structure of big business with the use of today’s technologies. Using sms/mms, instant message, email, and all other available data transfer equipment (i.e. fax machines, etc.) companies are able to decentralize. More importantly these methods are less costly and present an APM with the ability to efficiently transfer any files or messages that