Confession of a Public Speaker

I have not imagined my audience naked but have imagined my audience of 300 persons wearing a clown's nose which made me smile and helped me control my nerves. Another scenario that Scott mention I can relate to†¦ As the person who creates and assist the senior executives at Atlantis including the CEO, a very funny guy who always pick on someone in the audience to poke fun at and keep his audience laughing throughout his delivery. I made a comment to him about how his humor always keeps his audience entertained and he told me that he uses It to get rid of the butterflies and fear because he gets nervous everywhere he has to speak.Before any presentations all presenters have a practice session which Includes practicing and rehearsing the time to prepare the presenter before delivering their presentation which helps a lot. We also go to the venue and practice with all of the presenter to get comfortable with the environment and to gauge the time it takes overall. One thing that I a lways do is keep a backup remote control and a hard copy of the presentation so that when they advance too many slides and lose their position, (which happens with every presentation), I always get them back on track, and the audience never knows what happened.Also one thing that we do for the presenters is show the count-down timer at the halfway mark and in one minute decline as opposed to from the beginning of their presentation to make them feel uneasy. This book is loaded with Coot's own personal stories and experiences of his speeches. It is also good to hear that even professional speaker uses Powering to assist them with their speeches and it was refreshing to know that even paid public speakers have their moments of embarrassment; it makes them seem more human. The book is packed with tips and advice for speakers from all backgrounds.To me he is a highly paid good story teller who is brutally honest and entertains his audience to get his message across. I do not get paid to speak but have received donations from speaking at a few youth organizations at the end of the event. I the book there Is some profanity which I would have skipped because I do not believe that you need to use profanity to get your point or message across. He did teach me the value of being prepared, how to organize my thoughts and Ideas, delivery techniques to make my content flow better and what to do if you forget what cause most of my audience wants to learn something to take away from my speech.Another good technique that I got from the book is how to deal with difficult people in my class, and how to teach using technology, which I do primarily. Now I now know why most people are terrible at speaking†¦ It's because they do not use the right tools and techniques to perfect their speeches. After applying some of these skills to my real life situations I realize how important communications skills are for a speaker and that anyone can learn once you deliver the correct cont ent using the racial approach. The book teaches how you can perfect the art of persuasion and not making your speech too boring for your audience.This can be effectively done using the proper graphics in your Powering, but not to overdo it. If it is a boring topic I do use pictures and animations to engage and grab their attention. Most people's attention span is for about 10 minutes so you have to find creative ways to keep them entertained so that they do not lose interest in your presentation. Far too many speakers lack relevant content and try to make up for that with fancy Powering presentations. There are some â€Å"does and don't† from using Powering. Many speakers use the wrong style and too much fonts, videos, and graphics.You do not want to lose your message with too much fluff. If you are going to use Powering you should not put your entire presentation on the slides but use bullet points to talk and add more power to the point. Keep in mind that mistakes will happ en but, it is how you recover from your mistakes that matters, and that no speaker is perfect, and to always expect the unexpected. Most mistakes can be controlled if you prepare ND plan your presentations in advance. Remember if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Prepare an outline of what you have to say on paper first and transfer this to your Powering.The presenters notes section in Powering can help you stay organized and focus on what to say next, but do not use them too much. By practicing you should learn your material backwards. Knowing your material helps eliminate blank spots during your delivery and give you the confidence you need to deliver a flawless presentation. You must go to the venue about an hour or two before your presentation to get to now the environment. This is a good time to test and run the Powering or rehearse on the stage to get comfortable with the room.Test the lighting and the microphone and any other audio visual equipment that will be used. The wo rst thing that can happen is equipment failure because you did not take the time to test prior to presenting. Remember that every person in your audience is different and their expectations are different. They all want you to have a successful presentation and get to the end. Use the space in the room adequately. What I did when I had to peak to a staff of 300 even the room could accommodate 500, I had another team member seat everyone in the room.As they came in I had the back and side rows roped off and told the participants that we were only using a certain section due to the recording of the event. Everyone cooperated and was on their best behavior during the presentation because they knew that they were being recorded and did not want to look unprofessional on video. Another reason was because we did not want to have everyone running to the back of the room like most people would do everyone sat close which gave the illusion that the room was packed.You should get to know your audience by arriving early to talk to as many participants prior to speaking as possible. Because I had taken the time to get to know them I knew what their interest were which helped me to be more engaging. I found this assist with working the room, I would find the person that I met before the presentation and used that person to connect with and also helped me to smile at them, by connecting with your audience you feel a lot more relaxed and confident. I also involved them in the presentation by using music and dance.One time during the presentation I had the entire audience dance to a beat that is common in our culture which made them to believe that my performance would be a lot of fun, interesting, and engaging. It gave me a lot of energy to start and set the tone for the rest of the presentation. Just like Scott says in the book, most people are trapped in their seat and will not walk out during a presentation because the focus of attention is suddenly on them. Also you must say what you really feel and not hold back because you over think and ay say the wrong thing to offend anyone.Let your thoughts flow naturally. People have a tendency to speak honestly and from the heart, others say what they mean and mean what they say whether it hurts or not. You do not want to stray of your topic and start speaking about something unrelated this is what is known as eating your microphone, which makes no sense to me, but that's what is referenced in the book. This happens to the unprepared speakers. Do not speak with a rushed tone of voice; this is another way to lose your audience. Always speak clearly and take your mime.That's why it is import to get to your event and start on time. At the end of the event ask the audience if they had questions that you did not cover during the speech. Ask if they need you to explain something that was covered with a different point of view. If I do not have time to answer all questions I always leave them with my contact inform ation that that can use to communicate with me after. Overall this is a good book that I found to be entertaining, full of humor and techniques to assist me with being a better speaker and presenter.

Death of a Hero, Written by R.Aldington

The text under analysis is taken from the novel â€Å"Death of a hero†, written by Richard Aldington. The first extract under analysis is very emotional by itself. In connection with the main theme of the novel the main idea of the first extract is the representation of the beauty of things menaced by war. The first is a beautiful canvas of spring as seen by two young and sensitive people in love. And the second one is regretful author's interposition about British nature and vulnerability of people of art during the war. From the very beginning of the text we see this beauty, and when George and Elizabeth just entered the Bushey Park .They were literally shocked by the beauty of the English garden and nature. This unexpectedness is conveyed to the reader through the metaphor â€Å"sudden ecstasy of delight†. We realize how sensitive and poetic they are, and how subtly they feel this delight. And the whole text, with its highly-emotional vocabulary, rhythm and colorful descriptions sounds more like a poem. And we can find the prove in the next couple of sentences. The description of the garden is very imaginary, as if we can see it through our own eyes. This effect is created with a help of certain syntactical structure.Many sentences beginning with adverbials of place: â€Å"Between the wall†¦ and another long high wall†¦ â€Å", â€Å"Underfoot†¦ â€Å", â€Å"There†¦ â€Å", â€Å"Among them†¦ â€Å", directing our gaze and inviting the reader to enjoy all the loveliness of the sight. The choice of words is also very rich and poetic in this part of the extract. Such as â€Å"†grandiose scale†, â€Å"innumerable bulbs†, â€Å"great secular trees†, â€Å"vast fans† help to show the splendor of the nature, to emphasize the color the author uses mostly coupled epithets such as â€Å"glittering green-and-gold foliage†, â€Å"the stouter green of wild plants†, â€Å"ten der blue sky†, â€Å"white and blue blossoms† and many others.All these create a visible scenery of the garden. For the greater part the epithets or attributes denoting color, are combined with metaphors describing the shapes of the flowers: â€Å"pale hearts† of the lilacs, â€Å"foam of white and blue blossoms†. A whole cluster of metaphors is devoted to the wild daffodil: â€Å"the soft, slim yellow trumpet†, â€Å"a pointed ruff of white petals†, â€Å"gold head†. Also, to create even more visional scenery the author uses simile very often in this part of the extract.And he compares the grass to an evening sky and the flowers to stars, the red tulips to bubbles of dark wine, and the large parti-coloured gold and red tulips are said to be â€Å"noble and sombre like the royal banner of Spain† . The colors are very warm and soft, ad its completely different from the colors that would be used in the next part. The choice of wor ds is remarkable for their sonorous quality (foliage, unfold, verdure, alert, sombre, banner etc. ). The passage is particularly rich in adjectives with alliterating (slender, stiff stem; glittering green-and-gold foliage; lost in the lush herbs).The alliterations are mainly based on the l- and r-sounds. These features make the passage particularly musical. To create the same musical effect the author uses the inversion. These stylistic devices create the atmosphere of harmony, beauty and splendor. With the words â€Å"English spring flowers† the second part of the text starts. And we can hear admiration and regret in this words. The change from the mood of tender delight to that of sadness and tension is immediate. Emotional words pervading the paragraph change their key; they are woe, bitterness, despair, bleak, mournful, appalling, foul, regretful.The author just opposed the the peaceful beauty of nature and the bitterness and despair in the world of men. This sharp contra st creates the atmosphere of despair and in this sentence â€Å"What an answer to our ridiculous â€Å"cosmic woe†, how salutary, what a soft reproach to bitterness and avarice and despair, what balm to hurt minds! † we realize it even more clear how unnecessary it is to have war. And the allusion from Virgil's  Aeneide shows to us that people should stop or they would have the same destiny as Troyans.Another contrast, brought about, is between the â€Å"bleak sky† and the â€Å"bleak race† of England and her beautiful flowers and poets. The final pathetic rhetorical question is whether the prospective conqueror would â€Å"think regretfully and tenderly of the flowers and the poets†. Also, the presentiment of England's final ruin is worded as one more classical quotation. The phrase: â€Å"fuit Ilium† is from Virgil's  Aeneidethe whole line being: â€Å"Fuimus Troes, fuit Ilium† which is the Latin for â€Å"We were Troyans: Troy was†, implying that it is now no more.The sharp contrasts, as well as the emphasis laid on the effect the transitory moment produces upon the heroes' senses, the refined metaphorical imagery comparing things in nature to man-made objects of luxury, — all these combine to bring Aldington's word-painting close to the Impressionist school. The lyrical intensity of Aldington's descriptions largely depends on the combination of the direct imagistic method, i. e. presenting things in a series of images almost physically palpable and real – with the author's own comments, bitter or sad.

Payroll system Essay

INTRODUCTION Information Technology is the study, design, development, implementation and support management of information system. It helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate and/or disseminate information. We used the term information technology or IT to refer to an entire industry. In actuality, information technology is the use of computers and software to manage information. In some companies, this is referred to as Management Information Services (or MIS) or simply as Information Services (or IS). The information technology department of a large company could be responsible for storing, protecting processing, transmitting and retrieving the information as necessary. Nowadays all establishment are becoming modernized, they use modern technologies to make their transaction fast, easy and accurate in order to avoid waste of time and for the sake of safety and security. It also helps human to solve and understand complex problem and analysis such as computational need of human. Implementing such kind of payroll system make their transactions easy and accurate and to secure their files and data. It will be time consuming to the administrator to locate such file in order to provide the teachers request. And by doing so the administrator can easily compute the salary of a teacher and deduct the necessary taxes through their computers. It would going to be efficient for an establishment will going to consume workers just to manage the system. Only such that the teacher should used his/her valid ID to enter on school and for requesting area he/she only needs to present the teacher id to process his/her request and all the data transactions will be going to save into the administrator account. By proposing this kind of system might can do help into a certain said school to manage their payroll system in a fast, easy, efficient ways. Hoping that it would help a lot to the management to easily control their system and performed it excellently through the cooperation of their employee and staffs. OBJECTIVES Computers have the great impact on the profession of accounting. With the rapid growth of technology today, there is no doubt that computer will become a common asset in all profession. As computer technology changes at such fast phase, many businesses sectors try to cope up by upgrading computer system constantly in order to stay competitive. The multi-function ability of technology for its advance system is also an important factor for a company to use software. Payroll Management System by using input device such as computer to store data is one of the software that the professional is develop, the system is good for its specialty in the fields of accounting, It is easy to use and effective and efficient in organizing and calculating the salary transactions. While in manual system payroll are difficult and hard-work, you need more time in order to make your school payroll computations accurately, manageable and reliable to your employees. In addition, in manual computation we cannot say that, there are no human errors in computing the payroll, same in computerization process, but similar to the manual process. And because of the bulkiness of the school employee that needs to pay for their services, the school needs more time to calculate and to reconcile their payroll. In order to solution this problem, they should developed the alternative solutions using the advance technology, by merging the software and hardware technology. It is a Computerized Payroll System. The system will give a big relief to the employee and employers as well, to minimized their time consuming for inputting information and computations to the payroll process. PROJECT CONTEXT Technology pretty much touches all of our lives in some way and hence technology news is a vital resource that can keep us up to date with developments and ways in which the world will be changing. For instance, the onset of digital television is something that will affect most people; news stories that inform us of the dates for the switch over are vital so the average member of public can understand when their analogue signal will be turned off. In the same way, news of technologies that may make our cars safer and more efficient is important to all those who drive on our roads. Today’s world is full of pieces of technology that we take for granted, the microchip has truly revolutionized the way in which we live and do business. The world we see would not be recognizable to people of a few generations ago and nowhere is this truism greater than in the world of computing. Hence it is important to stay up to date with technology news; while many may think that this type of news is purely for geeks it is clear that all of us should have at least a passing interest in news of technological developments. The phenomena is only set to continue, as computers become more powerful and have greater and greater applications it will not be long that we will plan our lives around the computer. This is not an attempt to act as a harbinger of doom, it is just theorizing on ways in which technology will impact upon the human race. Computers are used in every industry and type of business today. They come in many different forms and new uses are being developed constantly. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Our task is to creation a new payroll system. The old system is outdated and no longer adequately manages the payroll process and the entry of employee time card information. Therefore, manual intervention is required to process the payroll. In addition to the preexisting category of salaried employee, which the current payroll process does support, our organization now accommodates two new types of employees: those employees working on commission, and those employees working on an hourly basis. The current payroll process doesn’t support these two new employee types, which are described in detail later in this problem statement. In addition to accommodating all employee types, as well as ensuring that our system can accommodate newly created categories of employees in the future, the system must also allow each of these employees to save his or her data information or daily time record through presenting his/her valid ID, or any valid data that support his/her request. The Administrator is the only assign person who is capable to have an account and to access in order to save and retrieve such kind of teachers list of data’s being given . The payroll process can process only â€Å"signed† time cards, which are those time cards that the employee has identified as accurate. Overall, the system will store information about the approximately 2,000 schoolteacher employees. The payroll process must run on the fifteenth and last day of each month at 12:00 A.M. Eventually, the system must enable employees to maintain their direct request information via the system as well. However, this feature is beyond the scope of the initial release. If we basically compare to the manual process and computerized process. The administrator consumes a lot of time in calculating each employee’s Salary and recoding as well. It took several hours to finish a manual calculation for the Employee’s salary. It also consumes a lot of time to search for their names one by one and it’s not well organized. After a manual calculation has been done, the user still has to encode it for a record. The computation that have been made is also need to be written on a brown envelop together with their cash pay. While in computerized payroll system process the administrator will save a lot of time with less effort in calculating each employee’s Salary and recoding as well. FEASIBILITY FACTORS In the field of computer and technology, there always an option to automate things likes payroll system. But of course, A feasibility study should be conducted in order to see the benefits of computerized payroll system over manual payroll system as well as other alternatives. At first, you should study the organizational systems such as the users, policies, functions and objectives. Consider also the problems existing over the present systems like redundancies, inconsistencies and slow services. Also, know the constraints such as the nonfunctional requirement. After analyzing the present or current system, possible alternatives should be presented. Sticking to the current or present system is always an alternative. Advantages and disadvantages of each alternative should be discussed. In addition, the computation of payback analysis, net present value analysis, and return on investment analysis should be included in your feasibility study. If there is a feasibility study, the best alternative is to be preferred by the management because there a chance of comparing alternative. Feasibility study will determine the best solution to the problems. After all, feasibility study is written to assess each alternative and come out of the best alternative that will benefit the intended people involved in this study. This project proposal is conducted in order to give and see the benefit of computerized payroll system over manual payroll system as well as other alternatives. In manual payroll system accounting has a hard time to do all things such kind of work like saving all the data files of their school teacher employee and do such kind of mathematical computation to calculate the salary of the teachers wages and taxes deduction. Having a hard time to locate such requested files to processed. That’s why we do proposed this kind of system to letting their realize that there is such a possible way to make their works faster and completely done . The only main advantage of this system is that they can process data and compute salary more than a manual form can do. But also we cannot say that this proposed system is such a perfect idea theres also a disadvantage on it. Using a computerized payroll system comes with its own set of problems, such as the need to protect against data loss through power failure or viruses, and the danger of hackers stealing data. Computer fraud is also a concern, and you need to instigate a system of controls for who has access to the information, particularly teacher information. If there is a security breach and data is stolen, management can be held personally liable for the loss of data. You also need to make sure that the data has been correctly entered into the system, as a mistake in data entry can throw off a whole set of data. A payroll system involves everything that has to do with the payment of employees and the filing of employment taxes. This includes keeping track of hours, calculati ng wages, withholding taxes and other deductions, printing and delivering checks and paying employment taxes to the government. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Speed in processing payroll system will have a faster performance by means of decreasing the manual input areas. Mathematical errors will be prevented by automatic computations that the proposed, system will provide and you may not have to worry about having financial or legal trouble. Do the salary computation/transaction with the deduction of taxes through computerized system for fast processing. Tallying of time cards will be done automatically by only presenting /tapping his/her valid teacher ID to the accounting department . In the proposed system the administrator is the one responsible in computing that the time the employee worked. The proposed system will record all data in all reports at the same time so you can make sure they are consistent and it also saves time. Employers will never have to spend much time in keeping up to date with taxes and deductions because the system will be designed updated to such deductions. Storage of files will be safe and secured for which only the administrator has the only have the privileged and also not easily be accessed. Easy to manage and handle by a certain person , doing such work like saving, retrieving and computing faster. The teacher can access their data files but only just to view it to make them updated regarding with their salary transaction. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In less than a generation, computer technology has revolutionized business all over the world. This has brought about changes in the area of business, finance, industry, government, agriculture, education, health care, sports and even on our personal lives. Today, computers do much of the works. Data collection continues to become easier and easier, data processing is getting faster and faster, mathematical calculations continue to be performed with increased precision and information is being provided to users in generally more useful forms. Such that was made possible through the use of electronic files and database. This chapter presents some of the previous related works relevant to the understanding of the problem. In order to gather information, We used books, thesis and encyclopedia. The wide spread development of digital technology also results to parallel advance in software, which allows this technology to be used by persons other than computer experts. The database has become a central organized framework for information system, taking advantage of the concept of data independence that allows sharing among diverse system – organized collection of data maintained and used with the aid of management information system (mis). It is a state of the art information system process and retrieve information ever faster, they are more robust in terms of the volume of data that they can process and in terms of reliability; and their performance is more cost-effective. BUTUAN CITY SCHOOL OF ARTS AND TRADES PAYROLL SYSTEM A Documentation Presented to the Computer Studies Program Father Saturnino Urios University Butuan City In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Subject SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN IT 304 By: Rheman Tidalgo Analyn Rivera Ailyn Son September 19, 2013 DEDICATION This project proposal is dedicated to the BCSAT School Department And to the Teachers Faculty Staff Accounting Department TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE i INTRODUCTION ii OBJECTIVES iii ACKNOWLEDGMENT iv DEDICATION x ABSTRACT xi LIST OF TABLES xii CHAPTER 1. PROJECT CONTEXT Background of the Study 1 Review and Literature 1 2. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 4. FEASIBILITY FACTORS

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Human Resource - Essay Example ition, it I concerned with modern industrial relations, for instance, it balances organizational practices with regulations that arise from collective bargaining and legislative laws. From the definition above, I would disagree that every manager is HR manager; however, I would argue that management of human resources is part of every manager’s job. Not every manager takes part in the recruitment and selection of employees, however, the rest of the definition of human resource management holds to every manager. Managers have the ability to functional guide their teams/departments, organization as whole and/or individual employees. For instance, the corrective actions in which managers perform effectively provide re-directional guidance for the employees’ behaviors (Kumar, 2011). Every manager comes into contact with people hence manages them by doing some fundamental HR management. They are required effectively to influence the teams they head to complete the task, managing the individuals on the team make a portion of their job same as the HR manager. In the case, the team members fail to get along well, or other problems arise, the most likely per son to deal with the situation is the manager. Further, managers are undoubtedly involved in employee training and development. On the process, they evaluate them so as to promote them. Generally, every manager is plainly attempting to enhance the adequacy or effectiveness of their workers by regulating them, advising them, correcting them and motivating them (Kumar,

Engineering Materials, Manufacturing and Electrical Machines Essay

Engineering Materials, Manufacturing and Electrical Machines - Essay Example This conversion is carried out by deforming the metal permanently by the application of forces on it. The desired form or final shape of the metal defines which type of deformation process has to be applied. Physical and mechanical properties of metal such as strength, hardness, brittleness, elasticity, plasticity, malleability, toughness, grain structure, isotropic behavior etc. also play an important role in deciding which kind of manufacturing process is to be used. Metals are generally ductile materials with a large plastic range on stress strain curve. This is due to the metallic bond present in them (Askeland, 2009: 33). The stress strain curve of mild steel is shown here, (although it will be different for each metal, it will follow more or less the same pattern): The area after the yield point is the plastic range of mild steel. Clearly, it can undergo significant amount of plastic deformation before it finally fractures. Same is true for other materials. Hence, to form a material in to desired shapes, plastic deformation is a desirable process. There are many different yield criteria which tell us the stress required to cause permanent yielding in a material. Out of these Tresca criterion is considered suitable for ductile materials (Marciniak et al., 2002: 20). It suggests that yielding occurs (or plastic deformation starts) at a point when shear stress crosses a certain limit. Formability of a metal is its ability to deform in to desired shape or form without failure. Failure can be due to different physical phenomenon like shearing or necking etc. (Kalpakjian and Schmid, 2001: 424). One of the earlier developed tests is Cupping Test. In this test, a steel ball or any circular profile made of steel is pressed against the sheet with uniform increment of stress. The depth to which the sheet can be deformed is a measure of its formability. This method however has its own limitations as the results obtained are specific to the test conditions. The

Research Methods on Economy Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Methods on Economy - Research Proposal Example As the report declars  the variables selected for analysis are Investments, Assets, Liabilities, Debt, Equity, and Earnings per share, Return on Assets, Return on Investment, Asset Turnover, Current Ratio, Quick ratio. Each country is analyzed for each variable separately using time series analysis. The interpretation for each measure of performance is explained. The limitations of the study are listed.As the discussion stresses economic liberalization and globalization have brought about a new and competitive environment for the common and small investors who are willing to participate in the equity of the corporate sector in our country. Understanding the firm’s investment decisions under imperfect market conditions is one of the central issues of the financial economics. Studying firm’s investment in such environment can provide insight into the dynamics of its growth as a function of internal and external financial sources. In the presence of financing constraints the firm’s investment vary not only with the availability of the profitable investment projects, but also with the internal funds. Consequently, the severity of the financing constraints is proposed to be measured by the magnitude of the cash flow sensitivity of investment. In this paper, the authors propose an alternative perspective to investigate the relationship between financing conditions and the sensitivity measure.   The paper concludes by stating that financing conditions may determine investment and growth of the European Firms.

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Globalization - Essay Example This essay is a critique of the major driver towards globalization. It offers an explanation of how information and communication technology has contributed greatly to globalization above all the other factors, and how the contemporary society is so much focused towards moving beyond personal and national boundaries to create a link between them and other communities internationally. It mainly focuses on the technological, economic and political drivers towards globalization. The major economic factor that has contributed to globalization is technological advancement. Development in information and communication technology has to a great extent contributed to the integration of communities sharing of information as well as business world wide. For example, the use of internet enables people from all over the world to conduct business and share ideas without meeting. Social interactions through the internet have further contributed to globalization since people can share information cheaply and debate over issues regarding trade (Nye 2002). Dealing through information technology systems is one of the economic segments that have responded positively to advancement in trade. Innovation in communication technology has facilitated economic advancement especially due to the enhancement of the capability of companies to employ labor force from beyond political boundaries. It has led to division of labor globally through the establishment of multinational compan ies (Giddens 2006). They can advertise employment opportunities through the internet, and they can be able to reach people all over the world. Business is also leading people to move global in order to utilize the opportunities in the global market to sell their products. Many of the less developed nations have realized that technological advancement can not be separated from

Blacks Leisure Group Plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Blacks Leisure Group Plc - Case Study Example Black’s leisure Group Plc is one of the leading retail outdoor and board wear group in United Kingdom. The company carries all its operations under two categories: The Outdoor Group and the Boardwear Division. The Outdoor Group comprises Millets and Blacks, the largest outdoor retailers in the UK, and Freespirit and Mambo, the leading retail chains in the newly emerging UK boardwear market. The Boardwear Division comprises the wholesale and retail arms of the O'Neill brand, one of the world's leading names in boardwear. The Group has the exclusive distribution rights to the brand for the UK. In brief, the company operates more than 450 stores under seven companies- owned and managed retail chains. 1. A macro-environmental and competitive audit The UK Boardwear market has been growing strongly in recent years and is estimated to be worth around  £400m at retail prices. Blacks Leisure is market leader in this fast growing market segment through its O’Neill and Free Spir it businesses. The main competitors for Blacks Leisure Group is Debenhams, JJB Sports, Snow & Rock and Halfords. With an increase in the number of consumers of the broad wear market, the competition has been growing tremendously. A large number of new entrants are seen entering this market in the past few years. However, Blacks Leisure still continues to dominate the market with its large range of products and a large number of outlets. PEST Analysis: PEST analysis is concerned with the environmental influences on a business. The acronym stands for the Political, Economic, Social and Technological issues that could affect the strategic development of a business. Identifying PEST influences is a useful way of summarizing the external environment in which a business operates. Although the PEST analyses rely on past events and experience, it can be used as a forecast of the future (Wilson and Gilligan, 1998). Political factors The political environment is good. The government is stable and reliable, even if Britain fails to achieve total agreement with some EU policies from time to time. At present no EU directives are known which will have a direct effect on the UK sports or outdoor wear retail industry in the near future. Due to the EU membership a trend can be seen towards stricter environmental protection legislation. This may have a direct or indirect effect on Blacks Leisure Plc or its suppliers. Economic factors Looking at the economic environment, it is somewhat tricky since on one hand there is the strong sterling compared to the Euro. Euroland encourages imports and endeavors to hold domestic prices at an attractive level. But on the other hand it is difficult for UK to be competitive outside its boundaries because of the high pound sterling exchange rate against the Euro. As Blacks Leisure Group sells about 92% in the UK marketplace, this may currently only have a limited effect, but could be more important in the future when thinking globally. Social factors In the present world scenario it is being observed that the people retire earlier these days, and are working for shorter hours as well. Average working hours per week have decreased over the last 20 years. As a result people have more spare time. This means they have time to compare prices in the High Street and the quality of goods and services from retailers. As a result they are spending more time comparing different sellers. Another issue these days is the "Green environmental issues". A large number of people are getting concern over the environment and thus are getting in the depth of the production cycle of products. Blacks Leisure is taking different steps to assure people that they operate as an eco-friendly environment. Technological factors Another issue is the speed of technological transfers which also has an impact on the industry - it is not comparable with the fast growing internet business - but nevertheless it

Exam, Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Exam, Culture - Essay Example Colonialism has few advantages like it is an expansion of religion, culture and expansion of country. While disadvantage is law enforcement, may result in unrest. The term Orientalism appeared in 19th century, it is the study which colonial powers do, so that they fully understand the culture of the area to be ruled, in order to have full knowledge of their lifestyle and language to have full control. Orientalism is the scholarly perception of Asians in West. The orient became a western concept, Orientalism a tool to control and manipulate. For example, when British ruled India they never let Hindus and Muslim come closer to each other because they always had religious differences, while British used the policy of divide and rule. No culture of the world has the power of remain same; every culture is prone to changes. Some people in a culture may remain use the traditional way of living but not everybody in culture has this strong control. So when culture inherently allows changes, the elements of culture keep changing slowly or in result to correspond to pre-industrial societies. Next, change can take place even if some important cultural elements still evolve slowly. Generally speaking, societies in transition to industrialization, colonialism or imperialism have this type of cultures. So this kind of cultures has allowed notable changes during the last 25 years. They correspond to confirmed industrial societies and, mainly, the post-industrial ones. For example, in subcontinent the Hindus and Muslims have lived together for so many years, so now they have so much in common like language, fashion, politics and studies. Indian Cinema: India has one of the largest cinemas in the world with the production of almost 1200 movies per year. Largest regional cinemas are Bollywood, Bengali Cinema and Tamil cinema while small cinemas include Kannada cinema, Malayalam cinema, Marathi cinema and Telugu cinema. Indian cinema makes movie on serious content, realism and naturalism. Indian Cinema has also made its name popular world wide in parallel cinema. Bollywood and Hollywood: Bollywood: Bollywood is the name given to the Indian film industry, just like Hollywood but the B of Bollywood comes from Bombay, a big city in India. Bollywood claims to be the largest of the world with the production of 800 movies a year. The typical Bollywood movie is about the boy who falls in love with a girl and then there is a villain plus a comedy sidekick. The film also includes a lot of colors with all the songs and dances with a lot of costumes. Hollywood: Hollywood is the film industry of the United States of America in Los Angeles. It started with a silent movie in the year 1830. Hollywood is the most popular cinema of the world. There are four main periods of Hollywood, silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood and contemporary period (after 1980). Critique of cultural purity (authenticity): Cultural purity is one of the oldest concept in which that Humanists used to believe one day the Roman Empire will rise again for the restoration of classic cultural purity, and so by the late 14th and early 15th century, humanists likeLeonardo Bruni believed they had attained this new age, and that a third,Modern Agehad begun. So the cultural purity is now a concept which is now considered a myth now as it is impossible

Protestantism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Protestantism - Essay Example And also their belief system compels them to save more in order to defer gratification, which transforms into investments and thus higher productivity in the longer run. This was suggested in Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism that a "Protestant ethic" was instrumental for economic progress, several interpretations have emerged how the greater economic affluence of Protestants relative to Catholics might have come about. The idea of Weber that Protestantism has a great impact on the economic progress of a country was depicted in Figure 2,3a and 3b. But not all areas in Prussia have exhibited the jolt of Protestantism to their economic status. Figure 2 has revealed a concentric pattern of the diffusion of Protestantism with Wittenberg at the centre. There was a marked x in Wittenberg, to emphasize the distance from the areas with dominant protestant population. The central, north and the north-eastern part of Prussia is predominantly Protestant, which accounts more than 75 % of their population. Protestant diffusion came to a halt in the western provinces (Rhineland and Westphalia) and in the eastern parts which were predominantly Polish speaking. As a general tendency, the predominantly Protestant regions in the centre of Prussia are also economically more successful (Figures 3a and 3b). Another centre of economic progressiveness is the western rural area with its mineral resources, in which not all residents were Protestants. The idea of having a positive correlation between Protestantism and the growth of per capita income in Prussia does not hold in the North-eastern and the Western Part of the region. The north-eastern part has a predominantly protestant population but it was not reflective to the percentage share of employment in manufacturing and services, they only have less than 22% share. In the western part, in which less than 22% of the population were Protestants, revealed a larger share of employment in manufacturing and services with more than 30% Becker and Woessmann have disputed Weber's idea that Protestantism itself generates greater growth. They have suggested that higher literacy among Protestants was responsible for greater growth of per capita income; it's not because of religion alone. The idea of Becker and Woessmann of literacy being the key factor to economic progress was base on Luther's Educational Postulations. Luther was the first one to translate the Latin Bible into German. His idea of convincing people to read the gospel, instead of a priest reading it to them, has lead to his advocacy of teaching them to read (in order for them to understand the bible). Luther has explicitly urged for the expansion of education (cf. Rupp 1996a, 1996b, 1998). Quite obviously, if one wants to read the Bible, one must be able to read. Very early on, in what is generally viewed his first major pamphlet that signified the breakthrough of the Reformation among the general public, To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Concerning the Reform of the Christian Estate, Luther (1520, pp. 461-462) explicitly demanded that every town should have both a boys' and a girls' school where every child should learn to read the Holy Scriptures, in particular the Gospel. Luther's call to teach everyone in order for them to be able to read God's Word by themselves is the key feature for our alternative theory of the relative

Causes and Effects of Smoking Essay Example for Free

Causes and Effects of Smoking Essay Causes and Effects of Smoking There are millions of people around the world who smoke daily. They inhale the toxins into their bodies, which can harm them internally. Although you may not be a smoker, there are still chances that you are inhaling the toxins of the cigarrete as well. Thousands of people die a year from smoking; more than car accidents and other sunstance abuse. Smoking can lead to many health problems. People who smoke are at high risks of problems with their heart, lung and respiratory system, ertain types of cancers, premature death, and other health problems. There are several different types of harmful chemicals in tabacco smoke. Out of the 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful, including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. While there are several different types of chemicals, out of the 250, there are approximately 70 chemicals that can cause cancer. Some of the cancer-causing chemicals are arsenic, beryllium, nickel, vinyl chloride, as well as other chemicals. The types of cancers that smoking can lead to are lung, mouth, esophagus, kidney, stomach, and throat cancer. The more that a person smokes, the higher at risk they are of conceiving these types of cancer; mainly lung cancer. Approximately 90% of people who are diagnosed with lung cancer are caused by smoking. If no one smoked, lung cancer would be a very rare illness. However, for someone who may have quit smoking, it will take approximately 15 years for their lungs to become the same as non-smokers. Smoking can also lead to various types of diseases. One disease that is very common is heart disease. Heart disease is not Just one condition, but it is a group of conditions. The heart has many root causes such as coronary artery disease. If plaque builds up in the arteries, then the blood will not be able to reach the heart. Your heart is a muscle with blood constantly moving in and out. The blood keeps your heart to work properly. But, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stress, and smoking can lead into coronary artery disease. Other types of diseases that are caused by smoking are Alzheimers disease, bronchitis, emphysema, and several others. Although people do not smoke, they still somehow are diagnosed with cancer or diseases from smoking. How is this exactly? Well, people who dont smoke can still inhale the toxins from cigarettes of people who smoke around them, or in their environment. Second-hand smoking is also known as environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoking. It is the combination of sidestream smoke (the smoke given off by a burning tobacco product) and mainstream smoke (the smoke exhaled by a smoker) Inhaling the moke given off by the cigarette can lead to lung cancer in a non-smoking adult. There are thousands of people who are non-smokers, which die each year from lung cancer. This is because they were exposed to second-hand smoking. Second-hand smoke causes disease and premature death in non-smoking adults and children. Women who are pregnant and exposed to second-hand smoking can give birth to a baby with a low birth weight. While adults can get lung cancer and other diseases, children can also be exposed to second-hand smoking. Children who are exposed to ronchitis, and asthma. It can slow the growth of the childs lungs and cause them to be breathless. In conclusion, smoking can lead to several health problems. Several of these health problems can lead to other types of diseases and cancers, as well as death. Pregnant women and children exposed to second-hand smoking can ruin their health. Smoking affects us and the world because it is one of the leading causes of death. Inhaling the toxins destroys our bodies, and there are more and more people every year who die from these toxins.

Video game and software industry Essay Example for Free

Video game and software industry Essay Introduction The video game industry is very broad in scope and continuously growing at a rapid pace (Exhibit 1) with billions of dollars to be made. Although the large potential for growth cushions rivalry amongst the existing competitors in this industry, video game companies constantly focus on differentiating their products and seize new opportunities to gain and secure their customers loyalty in order to continue in the business. Most of these new opportunities are created through advancements in technology which have a huge impact on the video game industry by enforcing constant growth. Aside, threats like new competitors, substitutes, and regulation influence the video gaming and software industry every day, making the market even more competitive, while an increasing desire for fun and unique products on the customer side force companies to steadily create new and innovative technology. Therefore, competition among companies in this industry can be fierce, with each video game company struggling against the others for market share. Sales According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) (Exhibit 2) game sales hit $7. 0 billion in 2005 for total sales in the U. S. game software market for game consoles (PlayStation, XBOX, etc. ) and PC games. With $6. 06 billion, the lions share of the overall sales came from console game sales, while $. 953 billion were cumulated through PC game sales. Expressed in units of games sold, in 2005 190. 5 million units were sold for console systems compared to 38 million units for PC games. Historically sales of video games have grown in almost every year since 1996. US based sales (Exhibit 1) in 1996 were $2. 6 billion (74.1 million units) and rose to $7. 4 billion in 2004 (250 million units), which was an increase about roughly 300%. For 2006, statistics show that 42% of the target audience purchased or planned to purchase one or more games. The following games are the top selling game titles for 2005 (Exhibit 3): With the release of the Nintendo Wii, and Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) (which came out at the end of 2006) industry sales can be expected to increase even more, while overall retail sales of game machines, software and accessories for other system should also see more sales. Although Sonys release of the PlayStation 3 had various initial problems due to supply constraints, the perceived ease of finding the PS3 in online or offline stores is noticeably higher than for Nintendos Wii. On the other hand, with an average of $249. 99 per console the Wii has a much more attractive sales price, while the PlayStation 3 is priced at $599. 99. Controversy and Regulation Computer and video games are subject to routine controversy and regulation. While not all games have a dark side, sometimes computer and video games include graphic violence, drug usage and profanity. Due to these and other questionable things being placed in games, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was established to police the games and place a rating on every game dependent upon content, similar to the ratings movies receive. The ESRBs ratings are intended to give truthful and objective information about the substance in computer and video games for consumers to allow them to make a knowledgeable purchase choice more easily. Some challengers of video games include parents groups, politicians, organized religion groups and open lobby for new laws and legislation to be enforced in the United States (U.S. ). Competition The video gaming industry is competing with television, movies and music in an overall crowded entertainment market. The capability to play music and movies with game consoles and handhelds (PSP, Nintendo DS) drives overall industry growth, since consumers intend to see video gaming devices as a do-it-all media device platform. The video gaming industry has been growing exponentially in recent years and is expected to continue growing in the future. While the video game market is expected to increase mostly driven by online gaming and the continued development of portable gaming devices, the online console gaming market is primed to explode due to advances in networking and online gaming capability along with the increased availability of broadband to the global market. The ability to download games and to access better-quality content, including high-definition video, has increased and plays a major part in influencing the design and features of subsequent generations of video games and the hardware that supports them. Demographics and Statistics According to the industry statistics reported by the ESA 69% of heads of American households play computer and video games in 2005, compared to 75% in 2004. The average game player is 33 years old, and is therefore slightly older compared to the average game player in 2004 (30 years old). Remarkable, in 2005 25% of gamers are over the age of 50, compared to 19% in 2004. The percentage of male gamers increases by seven points of percentage to 62%, while the number of female gamers decreases (38% in 2005, 43% in 2004). The average age of a buyer of computer and video games is 40 years. The statistics show that adult gamers have been playing computer and video games on average for 12 years and that an increasing number of adults have become gaming enthusiasts. Accordingly, the gaming industry is shifting its focus from teenagers to adults. There is also an opportunity for growth in the family gaming segment, where 61% of parents believe that games play a positive role in their childrens lives. The top four reasons why parents play video games with their children are as follows: Data also shows that parents are likely to play the game as well. 35% of American parents say they play computer and video games, and the average age of a parent playing games is 37 years. Conclusion Overall trends help or impede an industry given the analysis above. Because the video game industry is very dynamic and has space for growth, the industry must be ready take advantage of any opportunity that is presented to it. Companies have to respond quickly to competitive moves, especially in sectors like product development and product differentiation to counter with their own to stay competitive. A first mover advantage may give a leading company more market share and customer revenue and a beginning step on the learning curve. The basic premonition is that video game companies must utilize their opportunities by taking advantage of new technology and innovative ideas, while being prepared to combat the threats if they want to stay alive. This way, the industry will continue to grow to support the overwhelming numbers of customers. References: Essential Facts About The Computer and Video Games Industry 2006 by the Entert ainment Software Association. http://www. theesa. com/archives/files/Essential%20Facts%202006.pdf 2006 Essential Facts About The Computer and Video Games Industry 2005 by the Entertainment Software Association. http://www. theesa. com/files/2005EssentialFacts. pdf 2005 Survey Reveals U. S Gamer Market Is Diversifying by Parks Associates. http://www. parksassociates. com/press/press_releases/2006/gaming_pr4. html August 29, 2006 Game sales hit record highs by Beth Winegarner GameSpot http://www. gamespot. com/news/6117438. html January 28, 2005 Global Electronic Gaming Industry Will Approach $60 Billion by 2011 by BCC Research http://www. bccresearch. com/editors/RIFT052A. html June 7, 2006.

Definitions and Concepts in Economics Studies

Definitions and Concepts in Economics Studies Task 1 a. Definition of economic. Economics is a social science researches the production and consumption of goods and the transfer of wealth in human society. Economics explains human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. Therefore, economics is the study of trade-offs when selecting between alternative sets of decisions involved. (Study Economics 101, 2014) Purpose of its activities. The main purpose of economic activity is the production of goods and services to satisfy consumer’s needs and wants. To meet the needs of the people to use both as a way of life but also to meet their ever-growing demand for a better lifestyle or standard of living. (Norsafiah, 2012) Economic problems. The basic economic problem is about scarcity and choice since there are only a limited amount of resources available to produce the unlimited amount of goods and services which human, people wants and needs. Because of scarcity, various economic decisions must be made to allocate resources efficiently. (Norsafiah, 2012) Definition: Needs: Needs are the things we must possess in order to survive food, water, and clothing. (Norsafiah, 2012) Wants: Things that human would like to have in order to improve the status in life. Having limited resources leads to why we encounter this problem. (Norsafiah, 2012) Scarcity: Resulting from the lack of availability in resources, from people’s insatiable wants, or from a combination of the two. (Norsafiah, 2012) Choice: Resources are scarce and most of our wants are extensive, a choice has to be made about how to use scarce resources in the best way. Based on the choice, the highest-value option will be forgone and this is called ‘opportunity cost’. (Norsafiah, 2012) Example of economic problem nowadays: i. Land Land includes all natural resources such as water, soil, natural oil and metal ores. (Norsafiah, 2012) Natural resources are either renewable or non-renewable depending on whether or not they replenish naturally. Natural resources are materials and components can be found within the environment. Every man-made product is composed of natural resources. Due to increasing scarcity but also because the exportation of natural resources is the basis for many economies. (Norsafiah, 2012) ii. Labor Labor includes all physical and mental effort such as construction labour import from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Vietnam to occupy the emptied position to do the labour work. Since, the local tend to choose blue collar job that has more stable income and less risk compare to construction labour work. (Norsafiah, 2012) iii. Capital Capital includes machinery and other items that go into further production such as the latest technologies that needed to use in construction process that only available at other region. In order to use the technologies need to import it and it cost more including the transportation cost , skill labour cost that only few of them knows to operate the technologies and other unexpected cost. (Norsafiah, 2012) iv. Enterprise Enterprise is the art of combining the other three factors in the production process. (Norsafiah, 2012) b. Discuss and outline a comparison between Supply and Demand. Supply Demand Definition The willingness and ability of sellers to produce and offer to sell different quantities of goods at different prices during a specific time period. (Ksamouce, 2014) The willingness and ability of buyers to purchase different quantities of a good at different prices during a specific time period. (Ksamouce, 2014) Laws As the price of good rises, the quantity supplied of the good rises, and as the price of a good falls, the quantity supplied of the good falls. (Ksamouce, 2014) As the price of a good rises, the quantity demanded of the good falls and as the price of a good falls, the quantity demanded of the good rises. (Ksamouce, 2014) Equation Pp =Ss Ss =Dd Theoretical operations As the price increases, other things constants, a producer becomes more willing to supply the good. Price act as signals to existing and potential suppliers about the rewards for producing various goods at higher price attract resources from lower-valued uses. Higher price also increase the producer’s ability to supply the goods. Since, producers face higher marginal cost of production, they must receive a higher price for that output in order to be able to increase the quantity supplied. Substitution Effect When a Price of a good increase, its relative price makes consumers less willing to purchase this good. Income Effect When the prices of a good increases – real income declines – reduces the ability to buy good – decline in quantity demanded Example Sugar factory willing and able to supplied sugar and sell 1000 packet during Hari Raya season at RM 2.50 per packet. P(RM) Supply Qty no(Demand) Mirae demand for comic by saying that she is willing and able to buy 30 comic a month at RM 8 per comic. P(RM) Supply Qty no(Demand) Task 2 â€Å"It is best to think the cost-benefit analysis approach as a way of organizing thought rather than as a substitute for it.’ – Michael Drummond- Cost Analysis Benefit Cost Analysis Benefit estimates and totals up the equivalent money value of the benefits and costs to the community of projects. (Watkins, Valley Alley, ET, 2014) It has been established as a tool for use by the government in making their social and economic decisions. While it also measures costs and benefits to the community of adopting a particular course of action such as constructing a highway. Cost Analysis Benefit a decision making device for evaluating activities that not priced by the market by attempts to stimulate a market result in areas where the market does not operate to establish prices or to quantify and include in estimates of cost and benefits to the client but also the community. (Norsafiah, 2012) Example: Improvements in transportation often involve saving time. The question is how to measure the value of time saved. The value should not be merely what transportation planners think time should be worth or even what peoplesay their time is worth. The value of time should be that which the public reveals their time is worth through choices involving tradeoffs between time and money. (Watkins, Valley Alley, ET, 2014) Task 3 Definition of â€Å"Price Mechanism† by Adam Smith. Adam Smith defines the invisible hand of the price mechanism in which the hidden hand market operates in a competitive market through the pursuit of resources allocated selfish best interest of the community. (Riley, 2012) Theory Price mechanism is a term used to describe the means by which millions of decisions taken by consumers and businesses interact to determine the allocation of scarce resources between competing uses. (Riley, 2012) Theprice mechanism plays three important functionsin a market: Signaling function They adapt to indicate where resources are needed, and where they do not. If prices rise due to high demand from users, this is a signal to the supplier to increase production to meet higher demand. Prices go up and down to reflect scarcities and surpluses. (Riley, 2012) Transmission of preferences Through their choices consumers send information to producers about the changing nature of needs and wants. (Riley, 2012) Rationing function Prices serve to ration scarce resources when market demand exceeds supply. (Riley, 2012) Example RON95 petrol and diesel was increased by 20 sen to MYR2.10 a liter (+ 10.5%) and MYR2.00 per liter (+ 11.1%), effective September 3, 2013 fuel prices were last raised in July / Dec 2010 (5.7 %).The expected impact of this 3 Sep fuel price hike to be small on the earnings of research coverage. Sectors directly impacted would be the building materials which are the steel and cement that consume relatively more gas and electricity than the other sectors. (Maybank IB Research, 2013) Higher diesel prices will lead to higher costs in managing construction machinery or heavy equipment and transportation costs are higher for construction materials. Building material prices could still rise due to the increase in transportation costs. Most contractors have however been associated raw material cost increases in their construction projects. (Maybank IB Research, 2013) Task 4 a. Definition of ‘competition’ in business. Competition in which every seller tries to get what othersellersare looking at the same time:sales,profit, andmarket shareby offering a combination of the best practices of price, quality and service. If market information flows freely, competition plays a regulatory function in the supply and demand balance. (Business Dictionary, 2014) b. Factor affecting the economics of an organization Demand and Supply Demand and supply are the two main factors that affect the working of any business model. Demand is the will and ability of consumers to buy certain commodities, while supply is the ability of the business to provide for the demand. Example, mobile phones embedded with latest technologies introduced in the market, it will have a higher price because of the demand in the market. Prices will continue to rise if the supply does not meet demand. (Buzzle.com, 2014) Economic Growth and Development Economic growth set financial sum society as a whole is showing total income and development of the money invested in long-term channel up gradation. Among all the economic factors, the development is one of the most important, as a business that has to meet the demands of society in terms of a dynamic economy. For example, luxury brands performed well during the economic upturn, more than the companies that produce significant deals. (Buzzle.com, 2014) Income and Employment Important aspect of the economy that affect business operations, is the density of employment and income levels. The per capita income and density of employment determines the rate of demand, density of demand, and also the purchasing power of the people. For example, during the development of the economy, there are jobs that generate income that allows people to have a stronger purchasing power. On the other hand, as the density of employment and income levels dropped in the recession, peoples purchasing power is reduced. (Buzzle.com, 2014) c. Source of finance. Source of finance Example Internal (raised from within the organisation) Owner’s investment Retained profits Sale of stock Sale of fixed assets Debt collection External (raised from an outside source) Bank Loan Bank Overdraft Additional Partners Share Issue Leasing Hire Purchase Mortgage Trade Credit Government Grants Task 5 SP Setia Sdn Bhd has decided to develop massive residential projects in Greater Klang Valley area after considering the factors of rate of return and the cost benefits analysis conducted. a. Definition of financing source Money available for a business to spend in the form of cash, liquid securities and credit. Before going into business, entrepreneurs need to obtain sufficient financial resources to operate efficiently and well enough to encourage success. (Business Dicionary, 2014) Types of sources based on the project Source of finance Use Source of finance Retained profits Retained earnings in the company and not paid to shareholders as dividends. Retained earnings are widely regarded as the source of the most important long-term finance for business. (Aashfield, 2009) Bank Loan This is money borrowed at an agreed rate of interest over a set period of time. This is a medium or long-term source of finance. (Aashfield, 2009) Bank Overdraft This is where the business is allowed to be overdrawn on its account. This means they can still write cheques, even if they do not have enough money in the account. This is a short-term source of finance. (Aashfield, 2009) Additional Partners This is sources of finance suitable for a partnership business. The new partner’s can contribute extra capital. (Aashfield, 2009) Mortgage This is a loan secured by property. Businesses will own the property once the final payment is made. This is a long-term source of finance. (Aashfield, 2009) Government Grants Government organisations such as Invest NI offer grants to businesses, both established and new. Usually certain conditions apply, such as where the business has to locate. (Aashfield, 2009) b. Propose a financing source suitable for the project. Based on the SP Setia Sdn Bhd massive residential projects in Greater Klang Valley area, I propose to use Retained profits, Bank Loan, and Additional Partners as multiple financing sources. The reason I choose to use multiple financing source because this project is massive project and it needed more resource, if just rely on one source is not enough to cover the whole cost of project. (Aashfield, 2009) Firstly, by uses retained profit method SP Setia Sdn Bhd using their internal source, these earnings are readily available to the management and directors dont have to ask outsiders for finance.Retained earnings are cheaper than external equity because the floatation costs, brokerage costs, underwriting commission are other issue expenses are eliminated. Relying on retained earnings eliminates the fear of ownership dilution and loss of control by the existing shareholders. Retained earnings carry positive connotation as compared to equity issue as far as stock market is concerned. (Shenoy, 2012) In addition, applying for a bank loan because they offer a set repayment spread over a period of time which is good for the budget. Therefore, to maintain the project operating cash flow, and making it easier for SP Setia Sdn Bhd to cover unexpected expenses. Thus, SP Setia Sdn Bhd are able to make payments on their loans using the new income earned from businesses grow. (Bolander, 2011) Lastly, use partnering the ability to raise funds may be increased, both because two or more partners may be able to contribute more funds and because borrowing capacity may be greater. Prospective employees may be attracted to the business if given the incentive to become a partner. Partnerships can benefit from a combination of complementary skills of two or more people. Have a broader knowledge, skills and contacts. Partnerships can be cost-effective as each partner specializes in certain aspects of their business. There are opportunities for income splitting, the advantages of particular interest because of the tax savings generated. (Koppel, 2009) In conclusion, I propose on using multiple financing source such as Retained profits, Bank Loan, and Additional Partners to finance the massive residential projects in Greater Klang Valley area since rely on one source is not enough to cover the whole cost of project. Reference [1] What is Economics?, (2014), [Online], Available: from http://www.whatiseconomics.org/ [17 September 2014] [2] Thayer Watkins, Silicon Valley Tornado Alley, (2014), An Introduction to Cost Benefits Analysis, [Online], Available: from www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/cba.htm [17 September 2014] [3] Norsafiah Bt. 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Norazman, (29 November 2012), Scarcity and Choice in Resource Allocation [18 September 2014] [9] Maybank IB Research, (19 September 2013), Subsidy Rationalisation Assessing the Impact On PLCs, [Online], Available: from http://research.maybank-ib.com/pdf/documentrg/Subsidy_rollback_19_Sep_2013_2893.pdf [21 September 2014] [10]Business Dictionary.com, (2014), Financial resources, [Online], Available: from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/financial-resources.html [21 September 2014] [11] Dinayak Shenoy,(2012), What is Retained Earning? 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Comparing Death in D.H. Lawrence’s The Horse Dealer’s Daughter and Kath

Comparing Death in D.H. Lawrence’s The Horse Dealer’s Daughter and Katherine Mansfield’s The Garden Party Controlling the movements of the short stories, death is a regnant theme in D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter† and Katherine Mansfield’s â€Å"The Garden Party.† Death brings forth consciousness and it excites the need for an epiphany within the protagonists. To a lesser extent, death creates tremors in the worlds of the antagonists. Death furthermore makes the indifferences of the secondary characters more pronounced. Affecting the lives of the protagonists, the antagonists, and the secondary characters of these two short stories, death plays an integral role in the themes of these works. Lawrence’s â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter† was originally called â€Å"The Miracle,† marking the protagonist’s rebirth of love out of death. Mabel, the twenty-seven year old spinster, is revived physically and spiritually after her submergence in the â€Å"dead cold pond† (2337). For a decade, Mabel played housekeeper for her â€Å"ineffectual brothers† and although she was not happy, the â€Å"sense of money†¦kept her proud, confident†(2334). After the death of Mabel’s father, the family’s horse-dealing business collapses and Mabel becomes â€Å"mindless and persistent, [enduring] from day to day† (2335). Distant from her brothers and receiving no visitors other than dealers and â€Å"coarse men† (2334), Mabel concludes that her life is like a barren field. Even though Mabel reassures herself that she â€Å"would always hold the keys of her own situation† (2335), she has a lready died a spiritual death – a death that is mirrored by the imageries of the desolate house and the â€Å"sloping, dank, winter-dark fields† (2334). Mabel does not have any hopes for ... ... resonates throughout both short stories and it spurs the growths of the protagonists and antagonists, characters who reach new heights of understanding about themselves and others. These characters are also able to resolve the peace with death, the purgative process that transforms them. The secondary characters in these two stories are unfazed by death, thus uncovering their insensitivity towards the loss of others. Albeit tragic in many ways, â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter† and â€Å"The Garden Party† reveal glimmers of hope and humanity in the shadow of death. Works Cited Lawrence, D.H. â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter.† 1922. Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 2000, 2: 2330-2341. Mansfield, Katherine. â€Å"The Garden Party.† 1921, 1922. Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 2000, 2: 2423-2433.

Catcher in the Rye: Holdens Relationships Essay -- essays research pap

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye†, Holden Caufield longs for intimacy with other human beings. One of Holden’s main problems is that he sees childhood as the ideal state of being. He thinks that all adults are phonies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the first relationships that is mentioned in the story, is Holden’s relationship with D.B., his brother. Throughout his childhood, it is obvious that Holden has idolized his older brother. Now that D.B. is a writer for Hollywood, Holden considers him a phony, and accuses him of prostituting himself by agreeing to work for the film industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Holden has a close relationship with his younger sister, Phobe. They are total opposites. She has a positive outlook on life, while Holden hates life and figures he’s doomed. Phobe was his â€Å"ray of hope†, and brought him true joy. To Holden, she is young, and hasn’t become phony. He would do anything to protect her and other children away from adulthood, and preserve their childish innocence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At Pencey, Holden meets Robert Ackley. Ackely has horrible hygiene, and does not hide it. Although this is disgusting, Holden has more respect for him than for his roommate, Stradlater. Holden calls Stradlater a â€Å"secret slob†. Stradlater is like many adults, because he tries to hide his imperfections. Holden is the complete opposite, because doesn’t care what people think of him, just as long as he feels go...

Essay --

Each of the following '' Life Coaching'' aims is being defined, and each has the description of how it's useful in helping the client to promote self-awareness and personal development. It is worth mentioning that these aims being discussed, is from what I understood from the ''Life Coaching'' manual, (CMIT, 2010). Aim One: ''Life Coaching'' builds a'' joint venture'' where the Life coach guides the client to apprehend their full potential, and attain success in the different aspects of life. How it will help and be useful for the client? The Coaching process would create a tuneful balance for all aspects of the individual's life, in addition to developing comprehensible paths which would transfer the client into a brighter future. Aim Two: ''Life Coaching'' process depends on the growth of a special relationship between the coach and the client. The ''Life Coach'' manages this relationship and designs the appropriate coaching program for it. The later coaching program focuses on the future rather than looking to the past. How it will help and be useful for the client? The coac...

History of the Fbi and Women

OUTLINE FOR PARAGRAPH 1 When J. Edgar Hoover took over the Bureau in 1924, he inherited two female agents: Jessie B. Duckstein and Alaska P. Davidson, who both resigned within a few months as part of the Bureau’s reduction of force. In 1972, JoAnne Misko and Susan Malone were the first two women to enter the FBI Academy. In 1978, Special Agent Christine Karpoch (Jung) would become the first female firearms instructor—and she would shoot the coveted â€Å"possible,† a perfect score on the FBI’s Practical Pistol Range.In 1990, Special Agents Susan Sprengel and Helen Bachor were sent to London and Montevideo, Uruguay to serve as the FBI’s first female assistant legal attaches. In 2001, Special Agent Kathleen McChesney became the first woman to attain the rank of executive assistant director. Up until 1972 the FBI did not accept applications from women to become special agents. More than 2,600 women special agents currently serve and lead in all roles i n the FBI. The FBI originated from a force of special agents created in 1908 by Attorney General Charles Bonaparte during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.Martha Dixon Martinez was the first female agent in the field office to be certified as a SWAT team member. In the four decades since women have served as FBI agents, they’ve taken on one of the most difficult—yet vitally important—roles in the Bureau: going undercover. It was in 1972—40 years ago this year—that women were allowed to join the ranks of FBI agents, reversing a policy that had been in place since the 1920s. The first major expansion in Bureau jurisdiction came in June 1910 when the Mann (â€Å"White Slave†) Act was passed, making it a crime to transport women over state lines for immoral purpose.William J. Flynn, former head of the Secret Service, became Director of the Bureau of Investigation in July 1919 and was the first to use that title. From 2010 to 2012, the FBI di sciplined 1,045 employees for a variety of violations, according to the agency. Eighty-five were fired. June 29, 1908 Attorney General Bonaparte begins hiring special agent force. March 1909 Named Bureau of Investigation. April 30, 1912 Alexander Bruce Bielaski appointed Chief of the Bureau. They were pioneers, the first trio of women known to serve as Bureau special agents and among the first women in federal law enforcement.All three women did well in training at the New York office and, in general, performed up to standard. Alaska Davidson and Jessie Duckstein were assigned to the Bureau’s Washington field office. Both were dismissed when newly appointed Director J. Edgar Hoover dramatically cut the Bureau rolls in the spring of 1924 to clean house following the Teapot Dome scandals. Lenore Houston was hired after these initial cuts and served the longest of the three. She, too, was assigned to the Washington office. She was asked to resign in 1928.It would be nearly anoth er half century—May 1972– before social mores would change and women special agents would become a regular and vital part of the FBI. October 11, 1925 First special agent killed in line of duty. January 1, 1928 Instituted formal training program for new agents. March 14, 1950 â€Å"Ten Most Wanted Fugitives† program launched. May 8, 1972 New, modern FBI Academy training facility opened at Quantico, Virginia. October 10, 2001 Most Wanted Terrorists list created. OUTLINE FOR PARAGRAPH 2-4?Cassandra Chandler Cassandra Chandler is a graduate of Louisiana State University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and English. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the Loyola University School of Law and became a member of the Louisiana State Bar. Prior to joining the FBI, Mrs. Chandler enjoyed a career as a television news anchorperson, reporter, and talk show host for a major network affiliate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She also practiced law with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mrs. Chandler began her investigative career as a Special Agent in 1985.She first served in the FBI’s New Orleans and Los Angeles Field Offices, where she investigated white-collar crimes, violent crimes, and civil rights violations. Mrs. Chandler has held numerous managerial positions throughout her career with the FBI, both in the field and at FBI Headquarters. In 1991 Mrs. Chandler was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent in the Legal Counsel Division at FBI Headquarters to support the defense of the Bureau and its personnel in civil litigation matters. She was later assigned as a manager in the Criminal Investigative Division, where she assisted with the creation of the FBI’s Health Care Fraud Program.Following a promotion to supervisor of white-collar crimes in the San Diego Field Office, Mrs. Chandler oversaw numerous joint agency operations, including one of the country’s first international health care fraud undercover operations. She also managed the El Centro Resident Agency, which investigated violent crimes, including cross border kidnappings, and environmental crimes. In 1997 she was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the San Francisco Field Office where she oversaw the office’s White-Collar Crime Program, National Foreign Intelligence Program, and Terrorism Program.She also managed the division’s largest Resident Agency in Oakland, California. Her next promotion was to Section Chief in the Investigative Services Division, where she oversaw the FBI's Analytical Intelligence Program for Criminal and Domestic Terrorism. She then was appointed Assistant Director of the Training Division, where she was responsible for managing the FBI Academy and the FBI’s other training and career development programs. In 2002, Mrs. Chandler was appointed Assistant Director of the Office of Public Affairs.In that capacity she was responsible for managing all of the FBI’s public affairs operations and serving as the FBI’s National Spokesperson. In 2005 Mrs. Chandler was appointed Special Agent in Charge of the Norfolk Field Office. In that role, she is responsible for managing and leading all of the FBI’s investigations and operations in Norfolk, VA and the 17 surrounding counties. Charlene B. Thornton Charlene Thornton is a graduate of Marion College, Marion, Indiana, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science.She later received a Juris Doctorate degree from Indiana University’s School of Law, and a Master's from the University of San Diego’s School of Law. Prior to joining the FBI, she worked as an Intern in the Marion County Prosecutors office. Mrs. Thornton's first assignment with the FBI was to the Indianapolis Field Office, where she was responsible for investigating bank robberies and property crimes. Next, she transferred to the Los Angeles Field Office, where she investigated white-collar crime, counterterrorism, and drug matters. Mrs.Thornton has held numerous managerial positions throughout her career with the FBI, both in the field and at FBI Headquarters. She began her managerial career as a Supervisory Special Agent in the Legal Research Unit at Headquarters, and was later promoted to Chief of this unit. She then served as an Assistant Inspector in the Inspection Division, and as a Supervisor in the Baltimore Field Office and in the Southern Maryland Metropolitan Resident Agency. Her next promotion was to Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Honolulu Division, where she oversaw the FBI’s extraterritorial investigations throughout Asia nd the Pacific. In 1997 Mrs. Thornton was promoted to Deputy General Counsel, where she oversaw the FBI's Legal Training, Legal Forfeiture, and Legal Advice programs. Next, she became an Inspector in the Inspection Division and in 1999 she was named Special Agent in Charge of the Birmingham Field Office, where she was responsible for managing all FBI operations and investigations in northern Alabama. In 2002 Mrs. Thornton became Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Office, where she was responsible for managing all FBI operations and investigations in the state of Arizona.In 2004, Mrs. Thornton was promoted to Assistant Director of the FBI’s Inspection Division. In that capacity she was responsible for managing all Inspection Division operations and providing independent, evaluative oversight of all FBI investigative and administrative operations. In August 2006, Mrs. Thornton was appointed Special Agent in Charge of our San Francisco field office, where she manages investigations and operations for the northern and central coast regions of California. Kimberly K.Mertz Kimberly Mertz is a graduate of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate degree. Ms. Mertz became an FBI Special Agent in 1989, and her first assignment was to the San Diego Field Office. She later served as the Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of the El Centro Resident Agency, San Diego Field Office. Ms. Mertz has held numerous managerial positions throughout her career with the FBI, both in the field and at FBI Headquarters. In 1999, Ms.Mertz was promoted to the Public Corruption Unit at FBI Headquarters, where she served as a Supervisory Special Agent. She was later promoted to Chief of the Public Corruption Unit. In 2001, Ms. Mertz was appointed Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Honolulu Division. In 2003 Ms. Mertz became an Inspector in the Inspection Division, and in early 2005 she was designated as the Chief Inspector. In November 2005, Ms. Mertz was appointed to serve as the Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Field Office. In that capacity she is responsible for managing all FBI operations and investigations in the state of Connecticut.

How to reflate France’s economy Essay

Introduction There are two different ways to help France’s economy get back on track. They are austerity and growth. Austerity programs consist in a set of policies established by governments in financial debt difficulties. These policies aim to reduce spending for public goods and services. (Example in France, with president Sarkozy, approximately 150.000 civil servants were fired, this decreased the amount of money used to pay civil servants in France, which in turn, made it possible to run the country without having to borrow as much money). Growth programs consist in increasing the GDP and spending money, to reflate the economy. Of course this money has to come from somewhere, so growth programs often include imposing a lot of taxes. (Example in France, with president Hollande, taxes were imposed on bank profits, and taxes on the richest part of the population were increased). Economists are very divided on this subject, and both of theoretically work; it depends of the situation we are in. Economic Program Austerity is a short term solution only; a country’s economy cannot rely on it forever. This is why as a president; it would be good to start by making the debt of France smaller, then using this to our advantage, and Firstly, we have to make France more competitive. To do this, we will change the work time of the French, and their minimum age of retirement. Today, the French work on a minimum basis of 35 hours per week, and retire at a minimum age of 60. To make France more competitive, we will change these to 40 hours, and an age of 64. The average life span keeps on rising thanks to better health care; it would only go well for the economy if people were to work a few years more, because there would be less to pay for people who work. The 40 hours will be payed the same, because if there were the same amount of workers in a company but all of them had to be payed more, the company in question would either lose money in paying them, or fire a part of them. To increase competitivity, we have to make the price of production in France lower, so that fewer companies send their production in China for example. To do so, we have to lower the national insurance contribution payed by the employer to pay his workers in France. Products that are made in France will therefore be more expensive because the workers are payed in France than in China for example. To counter this, we will add a tax on products (depending on the price of the product) made in countries that have very cheap labor. (China, Vietnam, Turkey, Thailand, etc†¦) This will bring part of the production back to France, and the loss of money in the lowering of the national insurance contribution will be compensated by the tax. Next, we will reduce the salaries of the ministers and the president. The salaries of the ministers is now of 9940 euros (Under president Hollande), which will be reduced by 30%, leaving them with 6660 euros per month. The salary of the president is now of 14 910 euros (Under president Hollande); it will be reduced by 40%, leaving the president with 8950 euros per month. We would also stop having mayors in every single city, and do like in the U.S.A, which is to instate a governor for each department. This governor would be in charge of all the cities in his department, and when a decision is to be made, 20 inhabitants of the department will be called, to hold a â€Å"committee† and make the decision. It will be a duty, which means the inhabitants will have to go. This will help the economy, as there will be only one person to pay per department, and not dozens of mayors, it also gives a â€Å"voice† to the citizens in decision making. There are many people who are unemployed in France (10%) and receive unemployment benefit for a very long time, without trying to find work. As this does not motivate them to find one because they receive money without doing anything, we will keep on giving this unemployment benefit, but only for 2 months, the time for them to find work. This reform will motivate them to find work, this way they will be productive, therefore helping a company or industry to grow, and money will not be wasted. This change will of course also make unemployment decrease. Small companies are very important to the economy, as they might end up as the next multinationals, but they are heavily taxed, which makes them very hard for them to grow. If we make these taxes smaller, people would be encouraged to start their own companies, and this will create employment. Small companies that are already created will grow faster, and will create jobs, which will make the company itself more productive. These jobs will be there for the population receiving unemployment benefit. There will be a loss if we just relieve taxes on small companies, so we will compensate this by taxing bigger companies, which have already emerged, because they will not be affected by a tax as much as a small company. (The tax in question will not be too strong; it will just be enough to compensate for the loss in the tax relief on smaller companies) Education is a very important part of the French economy. Schools are here to â€Å"train† the future generations of workers. Access to education is free today in France, but the quality of this education is sometimes questionable. Firstly, there are not enough professors in the schools. It is logical that if there were to be one professor for 25 students, the quality of the education they would receive would be better than today, where we have in average one professor for 30 students. To compensate this lack of professors in schools, we will create 12000 jobs for professors in school; this will make the student/professor ratio smaller, which will increase the quality of the education received. To become a professor, you have to be â€Å"trained† two years in a university. This is not enough, considering the disciplinary problems in some schools. Professors should have 3 years of complete training, which would include a deeper disciplinary course, teaching methods, etc†¦ The principal sectors of production of France are agriculture, energy, tourism, trade and industry (France is one of the first industrial powers worldwide). Mass market retailing is choking the sector of trade, as it attracts the clients of little traders and makes mass profit out of it; it also allows itself to buy products at very low prices from producers (Farmers in the case of a supermarket). To resolve this problem, we would add a tax on products bought in mass market retailing services, which would bring clients back to the little traders, so that they don’t die out. Little trades do not buy products as low priced as supermarkets do, which would make money for producers. In the case of a supermarket, the trade and agriculture sector would both benefit from this tax. A French household produces in average 16.4 tons of Co2 every year; this is far too much. To avoid this, and preserve the environment, a tax will be imposed on households that end the year with more than 16 tons; of course this number will decrease every year to improve the given results. Renewable energies provide 13% of the electricity needed in France, nuclear energy provides 76% and fossil fuels provide 11%. We would invest in research for renewable energies (Hydro-energy, wind energy, solar energy), and close down the most risky nuclear reactors. (For example the 4 reactors in Blayais, Braud-et-Saint-Louis, which are not very productive and are very old and unsafe). Conclusion As a president, I would go towards austerity first, to reduce the debt of France, and to have more possibilities in my actions later. France is already in a dangerous situation, and going into a politic of growth would be spending too much money that we don’t have (Which is why I chose austerity as a short term solution), and it would be too much, France would go into a recession. After a period of austerity (Which means: after having reduced the debt), I would have gone in a politic of growth, which would have thrown France’s economy back on track.

Duport Analysis: the Number Game

DuPont Analysis: Playing The Numbers Game! The summary of this case is that a newly joined CFO of a company, Plastichem Inc. , was able to turn the company’s unfortunate situation around when he first arrived. Yet, five years later, Plastichem has gone through some difficult times including their stock price/ratings severely dropping with no understanding as to why. The case ends with the CFO attempting to figure out what went wrong with the numbers he was given. To determine the liquidity, we used the quick ratio, current ratio, and interest coverage ratio.From these equations, the higher the ratios meant the better of the company’s financial condition, or more liquidity. The acceptable ratios vary from different industries. In general, company’s quick ratio should be 1 or higher, and its current ratio should be above 1. 5 to be considered liquid. In the comparison between two companies’ ratios, DCM Molding has shown a better financial condition on averag e in the past four years, and Plastichem has barely met the acceptable average or is below the average in the past four years. Quick Ratio = (Cash and marketable securities + A/R + Other Current Asset)/ Current Liabilities | Year| 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| Plastichem| 0. 86| 1. 141| 1. 039| 0. 826| DCM Molding| 0. 99| 0. 93| 1. 114| 1. 568| | Year| | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| Plastichem| 1. 301| 1. 523| 1. 462| 1. 309| DCM Molding| 1. 632| 1. 518| 1. 826| 2. 095| | Year| | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| Plastichem| 0. 763| 1. 9113| 1. 962| 2. 442| DCM Molding| 4. 667| 1. 217| 4. 217| 8. 6| To measure the leverage, we calculated the debt-equity ratio. Plastichem had a relatively high Debt-Equity Ratio, which indicated that Plastichem was using many debts to finance its growth.High Debt-Equity Ratio also indicated that Plastichem bore more risk because the cost of debt (interest). The company would make more profit if the incremental profit exceeds the incremental cost of debt; however, the comp any may lose more money/ make less money if the incremental profit is less than the incremental cost of debt. | Year| | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| Plastichem| -19. 331| 5. 076| 4. 862| 1. 355| DCM Molding| 1. 192| 1. 477| 1. 274| 0. 714| To determine the profitability, we calculate the Profit Margin, ROE, and ROA. By looking at the ratios, Plastichem’s profit has dropped in the past four years.The high leverage may have enlarged the loss of the company. On the other hand, DCM Molding has shown a steady income/profit over the years. | Year| | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| Plastichem| -24. 14%| 0. 68%| 3. 45%| 5. 65%| DCM Molding| 5. 91%| 6. 19%| 5. 37%| 5. 09%| | Year| | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| Plastichem| ? | 3. 53%| 6. 38%| 17. 30%| DCM Molding| 17. 76%| 18. 64%| 17. 44%| 10. 95%| | Year| | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| Plastichem| -26. 90%| 0. 58%| 1. 09%| 7. 34%| DCM Molding| 8. 10%| 7. 53%| 7. 66%| 6. 39%| A common size balance sheet is a different type of balance sheet that hows each d ollar amount in a form of percentage of a common number from the actual balance sheet. Common size balance sheet is useful in comparing companies that have a different scale of operations. This type of balance sheet helps in observing at the firms as a common sized and it also helps in comparing the changes in various segments over a period of time. PLASTICHEM INCORPORATED| | | | | Annual Income Statements (Value in Millions)| | | | | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| Sales| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| Cost of Sales| 74. 81%| 62. 76%| 63. 39%| 65. 04%| Gross Operating profit| 25. 19%| 37. 24%| 36. 61%| 34. 6%| Selling, General & Admin. Expenses| 13. 27%| 18. 54%| 18. 66%| 20. 73%| EBITDA| 11. 92%| 18. 71%| 17. 95%| 14. 23%| Depreciation & Amortization| 6. 16%| 5. 51%| 5. 82%| 4. 41%| EBIT| 5. 76%| 13. 20%| 12. 12%| 9. 82%| Other Income, Net| -0. 17%| 0. 20%| 0. 12%| 0. 08%| Total Income Avail for Interest Exp. | 5. 59%| 13. 40%| 12. 24%| 9. 90%| Interest Expense| 7. 54%| 6. 90%| 6 . 18%| 4. 02%| Minority Interest| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Pre-Tax Income| -1. 95%| 6. 50%| 6. 06%| 5. 88%| Income Taxes| 0. 03%| 0. 71%| 2. 61%| 0. 23%| Special Income/Charges| -22. 15%| -5. 10%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Net Income from Cont.Operations| -24. 14%| 0. 68%| 3. 45%| 5. 65%| Net Income from Discont. Opers. | 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Net Income from Total Operations| -24. 14%| 0. 68%| 3. 45%| 5. 65%| Normalized Income| -1. 99%| 5. 78%| 3. 49%| 5. 65%| Extraordinary Income| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Income from Cum. Eff. of Acct. Chg. | 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Income from Tax Loss Carryforward| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Other Gains| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| -2. 02%| 0. 00%| Total Net Income| -24. 14%| 0. 68%| 1. 43%| 5. 65%| PLASTICHEM INCORPORATED| | | | | Annual Balance Sheets (Values in millions)| | | | | | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001|ASSETS | | | | | Current Assets| | | | | Cash and marketable securities| 1. 20%| 1. 40%| 1. 47%| 0. 60%| Accounts receivable| 17. 34%| 17. 33%| 14. 74%| 21. 03%| Inventory| 10. 31%| 7. 01%| 7. 44%| 12. 88%| Other Current assets| 1. 54%| 2. 21%| 2. 03%| 0. 40%| Total Current Assets| 30. 40%| 27. 94%| 25. 68%| 34. 91%| | | | | | Non-Current Assets| | | | | Property, Plant & Equipment, Gross| 35. 44%| 28. 70%| 25. 85%| 47. 99%| Accumulated depreciation & Depletion| 14. 41%| 9. 13%| 8. 15%| 19. 42%| Property, Plant & Equipment, Net| 21. 03%| 19. 57%| 17. 71%| 28. 57%| Intangibles| 45. 67%| 50. 07%| 53. 53%| 33. 0%| Other Non-Current Assets| 2. 90%| 2. 41%| 3. 09%| 3. 52%| Total Non-Current Assets| 69. 60%| 72. 06%| 74. 32%| 65. 09%| Total Assets| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| | | | | | LIABILITIES AND EQUITIES| | | | | Current Liabilities| | | | | Accounts payable| 7. 71%| 6. 92%| 6. 03%| 9. 76%| Short Term Debt| 2. 48%| 1. 63%| 1. 03%| 3. 92%| Other current Liabilities| 13. 17%| 9. 80%| 10. 50%| 12. 98%| Total Current liabilities| 23. 36%| 18. 35%| 17. 56%| 26. 66%| | | | | | Non-Current liabilitie s| | | | | Long-term debt| 80. 96%| 64. 35%| 65. 38%| 30. 89%| Deferred Income Taxes| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 0%| Other Non-Current Liabilities| 1. 13%| 0. 84%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Minority Interest| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Total Non-Current Liabilities| 82. 09%| 65. 19%| 65. 38%| 30. 89%| Total Liabilities| 105. 46%| 83. 54%| 82. 94%| 57. 55%| | | | | | Shareholder's Equity| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Preferred Stock Equity| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Common Stock Equity| -5. 46%| 16. 46%| 17. 06%| 42. 45%| Total equity| -5. 46%| 16. 46%| 17. 06%| 42. 45%| | | | | | Total liabilities and Stock Equity| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 340| 100. 00%| DCM MOLDING| | | | | Annual Balance Sheets (Values in millions)| | | | | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| ASSETS | | | | | Current Assets| | | | | Cash and marketable securities| 0. 33%| 1. 25%| 0. 47%| 8. 06%| Accounts receivable| 19. 87%| 18. 36%| 20. 31%| 19. 44%| Inventory| 14. 32%| 13. 34%| 14. 69%| 10. 83%| Other Current assets| 1. 89%| 1. 48%| 2. 19%| 4. 72%| Total Current Assets| 36. 40%| 34. 44%| 37. 66%| 43. 06%| | | | | | Non-Current Assets| | | | | Property, Plant ; Equipment, Gross| 47. 28%| 42. 08%| 43. 44%| 56. 39%| Accumulated depreciation ; Depletion| 17. 20%| 12. 66%| 11. 09%| 10. 83%| Property, Plant ; Equipment, Net| 30. 08%| 29. 42%| 32. 34%| 45. 56%| Intangibles| 33. 0%| 35. 46%| 28. 44%| 5. 28%| Other Non-Current Assets| 0. 22%| 0. 68%| 1. 56%| 6. 11%| Total Non-Current Assets| 63. 60%| 65. 56%| 62. 34%| 56. 94%| Total Assets| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| | | | | | LIABILITIES AND EQUITIES| | | | | Current Liabilities| | | | | Accounts payable| 7. 66%| 8. 10%| 8. 28%| 5. 56%| Short Term Debt| 7. 44%| 6. 61%| 4. 22%| 7. 50%| Other current Liabilities| 7. 21%| 8. 10%| 8. 28%| 7. 50%| Total Current liabilities| 22. 31%| 22. 69%| 20. 63%| 20. 56%| | | | | | Non-Current liabilities| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Long-term debt| 28. 63%| 31. 93%| 29. 22%| 15. 00%|Deffered Income Taxes| 0. 1 1%| 0. 57%| 0. 00%| 3. 89%| Other Non-Current Liabilities| 3. 33%| 4. 45%| 6. 09%| 2. 22%| Minority Interest| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Total Non-Current Liabilities| 32. 08%| 36. 94%| 35. 31%| 21. 11%| Total Liabilities| 54. 38%| 59. 64%| 55. 94%| 41. 67%| | | | | | Shareholder's Equity| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Preferred Stock Equity| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Common Stock Equity| 45. 62%| 40. 36%| 43. 91%| 58. 33%| Total equity| 45. 62%| 40. 36%| 43. 91%| 58. 33%| | | | | | Total liabilities and Stock Equity| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| DCM MOLDING| | | | |Annual Income Statements (Value in Millions)| | | | | 2004| 2003| 2002| 2001| Sales| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| 100. 00%| Cost of Sales| 66. 83%| 64. 85%| 64. 76%| 62. 96%| Gross Operating profit| 33. 17%| 35. 15%| 35. 24%| 37. 04%| Selling, General & Admin. Expenses| 17. 23%| 18. 65%| 19. 60%| 22. 22%| EBITDA| 15. 94%| 16. 49%| 15. 64%| 14. 81%| Depreciation & Amortization| 4. 61%| 4. 40%| 4. 32%| 4. 86%| EBIT| 11. 33%| 12. 09%| 11. 32%| 9. 95%| Other Income, Net| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| -0. 12%| -0. 23%| Total Income Avail for Interest Exp. | 11. 33%| 12. 09%| 11. 20%| 9. 72%| Interest Expense| 2. 43%| 2. 16%| 2. 0%| 1. 16%| Minority Interest| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Pre-Tax Income| 8. 90%| 9. 93%| 9. 10%| 8. 56%| Income Taxes| 2. 99%| 3. 75%| 3. 73%| 3. 47%| Special Income/Charges| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Net Income from Cont. Operations| 5. 91%| 6. 19%| 5. 37%| 5. 09%| Net Income from Discont. Opers. | 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 35%| 0. 00%| Net Income from Total Operations| 5. 91%| 6. 19%| 5. 72%| 5. 09%| Normalized Income| 5. 91%| 6. 19%| 5. 37%| 5. 09%| Extraordinary Income| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Income from Cum. Eff of Acct. Chg. | 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Income from Tax Loss Carryforward| 0. 0%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Other Gains| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| 0. 00%| Total Net Income| 5. 91%| 6. 19%| 5. 72%| 5. 09%| We can see that the cost of the s ales has been increasing for both the companies. But, the cost of goods sold for DCM is less that than of Plastichem. This indicates that DCM has been better at controlling their cost so they have a higher gross margin as compare to Plastichem. This reduction in the gross profit has lead to the reduction on the expenses occur due to selling the goods, but since DCM has a higher gross profit than Plastichem, they can also spend more in selling their goods.Plastichem also has more debt compare to DCM, due to which they have a higher interest expenses compare to DCM. A DuPont analysis helps us better understand the changes in return on equity (ROE). DuPont analysis tells us that three things affect ROE: operating efficiency, asset use efficiency, and financial leverage. Therefore we break up ROE into its components: ROE = Profit Margin (PM) * Total Asset Turnover (TAT) * Equity Multiplier (EM) | 2004| Return on Equity| Net Profit Margin| Total Asset Turnover| Equity Multiplier| | | | | | | Plastichem| 0. 00%| -24. 07%| 1. 12| 0. 00|DCM| | 17. 76%| 5. 91%| 1. 37| 2. 19| | 2003| | | | | | | | | | | Plastichem| 3. 53%| 0. 68%| 0. 85| 6. 08| DCM| | 18. 64%| 6. 19%| 1. 22| 2. 48| | 2002| | | | | | | | | | | Plastichem| 6. 38%| 1. 47%| 0. 74| 5. 86| DCM| | 17. 44%| 5. 72%| 1. 34| 2. 28| | 2001| | | | | | | | | | | Plastichem| 17. 30%| 5. 65%| 1. 30| 2. 36| DCM| | 10. 95%| 5. 32%| 1. 20| 1. 71| If we look at the figures we find that the reduction in ROE for Plastichem is mainly due to the drop in net profit margin. Plastichem increased their use of debt, which resulted in a higher EM, but poor PM ensured the fall of ROE.For DCM, on the other hand, we see that it has been fairly constant as well as ROE components. Some of the limitations regarding the various financial analyses above are: Many companies near the year or quarter end improve the appearance of their figures presenting them in the most attractive way possible. The miss misrepresentation of numbers makes the analysis more difficult. The analysis may also be unclear by inflation as general price levels for goods and services go up and subsequently purchasing power goes down, which makes comparison difficult over time.Many firms also use different accounting methods which make comparing of different companies difficult for instance there are two primary accounting methods used in USA, cash and accrual accounting. Cash accounting reports income and expenses are reported in the year they are received and paid; accrual accounting reports income and expenses in the year they are earned and incurred. Again making it very difficult to analyze different companies. Some additional data Jay and Jack need in order to improve their finding would be to look into the companies accounting practices and see if any off balance sheet items are present.From there they need to make sure the off balance sheet items are converted to in the balance sheet items to have an appropriate comparison. A statement of cash flows would also useful in analysis, as it would allow in determining the short-term viability of a company, particularly its ability to pay bills. A statement of cash of cash flows also allows us to view cash and cash equivalents coming in and out of company, giving better understanding as to where money is going and coming from.Also although looking at numbers may allow analysis to quickly spot differences in financials, I believe you must research companies in how they are run and if they are consistently making good business decisions. After collecting, compiling, and analyzing data we have come to conclusion that DCM Molding has shown a better financial condition on average in the past four years, and Plastichem has barely met the acceptable average or is below the average in the past four years. The Plastichem had a relatively high Debt-Equity Ratio, which indicated that was using many debts to finance its growth.The high Debt-Equity Ratio also indicated that Plastichem b ore more risk because the cost of debt (interest) making things difficult. The cost of the sales for both the companies have increased. But, the cost of goods sold for DCM is less that than Plastichem. This indicates that DCM has been better at controlling their cost so they have a higher gross margin as compare to Plastichem. This reduction in the gross profit has lead to the reduction on the expenses occur due to selling the goods, but since DCM has a higher gross profit than Plastichem they can also spend more in selling their goods.So in comparison we see that DCM Molding is doing far better with its figures showing much better results than Plastichem. Recommendation that Jack would be justified in making in his report to Andrew would be Plastichem needs to increase profit margin after looking at the figures we find that the decrease in return on equity for Plastichem is mostly due to the drop in net profit margin. Plastichem increased their use of debt that resulted in a higher equity multiplier, but poor profit margin ensured the fall of return on equity.Plastichem had a relatively high Debt-Equity Ratio, which indicated that Plastichem was using many debts to finance its growth. It should be treated as a serious problem being that Plastichem’s main rival is rated as a strong buy while their stock is rated as a hold. The strong drop in price will create fear for potential and current shareholders. If that fear continues, Plastichem’s shareholders might sell their stock at a decreasing rate, causing more issues for the company.The CFO should do a comparison between Plastichem and DCM’s numbers, and find the strengths and weaknesses amongst his company, in particular within its management teams. He should also begin finding ways to pay off Plastichem’s debt as well as not accumulating anymore, being that Plastichem is already seen as risky. The CFO should also find a tighter way to control the company’s costs. The analyst s are very accurate in their recommendations to the two firms. DCM Molding figures showed far better results and stock should rise; While Plastichem might consider selling stocks, if financial performance continues to worsen.