Credit control and charity research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Credit control and charity research - Essay Example The supplier`s background is unknown to RTE and so there is huge risk involved in making the payment early. What if payment is not done, supplier waives off from his liability, the goods promised are not provided? The above questions are examples of financial risk that the company features. To reduce financial risk RTE can do a credit check on the customer’s financial history. To verify credit worthiness these are checks on the customers financial position (Gruening, 2000). To see whether a party is capable enough of making the loan payments, these checks are carried prior to accepting loan requests. Credit Bureaus run these credit checks and to verify financial data, various financial institutions are contacted. The company`s credit score is then a measure of the company’s credit worthiness – and therefore a low credit score means high financial risk. To reduce their financial risk RTE can make use of references that are provided to them by customers. The mechanism is simple. A list of references is exchanged at or before the contract .Reference is one who confirms that the details provided by a particular person are legal or not. Verifying the details by all references prior to making the payment can actually minimize Regeneration Through Charity Limited`s exposure to financial risk. By this they will not expose themselves by paying anything that should not be paid. A true picture of the supplier can be obtained as the references are often people and companies with good reputation (Weiss, 2000). Other option on hand to the company to reduce financial risk is negotiating. In the current case the supplier asks for fifty percent initial payment. New terms can be set between RTE and supplier which are beneficial to RTE. There is an option that the supplier might agree to lower the initial amount of payment to be made if the overall contract price is increased by a little margin.

Kit Kat Company Essay Example for Free

Kit Kat Company Essay 1: INTRODUCTION Kit Kat started in August 29 in 1935 in York by Rowntree, in 1973 Kit Kat entered in Japan market. In 1988, Nestle took over the Kit Kat ( Kit Kat, 2014). Today, Kit Kat is very successful in Japan, Kit Kat has more then two hundred different products in Japan, it help Kit Kat get more and more market share in Japan( Kit Kat, 2014). More and more people think Kit Kat is like a logo in Japan, because there are some special Kit Kat products only selling in Japan. Kit Kat success in Japan is the fact, but why Kit Kat is successful in Japan, it must be affect with generic strategy. Kit Kat using the right strategy to help them success. Generic strategy is very important for the company, it will help the company increase the competitive. When the Kit Kat choose the right generic strategy, it will help the company more stronger, they can get more market shares, help the company to be successful. 2. Generic Strategy Generic strategy was described by Micheal Porter in 1979, Porter’s generic strategy is talking about how a company increase the competitive advantage in their chosen market. There are three generic strategy, cost leadership, differentiation or focus, focus is about two different way, cost focus or differentiation focus (Oxlearn.com, 2014). Cost leadership strategy means save the cost in the organization help the company to increase the competitive advantage. For example: Wal-Mart, they are using cost leadership, they are very successful, they find the cheap domestic suppliers and from low-wage foreign markets, they keep the cost and using  the lower price selling to the customers (Small Business Chron.com, 2014). Differentiation strategy means a company using many different products to increase the competitive advantage and get more market shares. For example, Apple company is a very successful in the world, they have many different products, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Watch, etc. They are using different products to improve themselves, help the company to get more customers and market shares. Focus strategy is including cost focus and differentiation focus. The different with cost focus and differentiation focus is focus the cost or products differentiation. Cost focus is focus the cost, use the lower cost to improve the competitive advantage. Differentiation focus is a company try to produce the different products in the new market take the company more stronger, increasing the competitive advantage. Kit Kat is a successful company in the world, they are using cost leadership strategy and differentiation strategy. There are some reasons for why Kit Kat chosen cost leadership strategy. Lower cost raw materials. Kit Kat owned by Nestle SA. Kit Kat is selling chocolate, when they making the products, the need the raw materials, for example: sugar, milk, coffee and cocoa. Nestle SA is doing business with this raw materials, so they can use the cheaper prices to get the raw materials (MarketWatch, 2014). That will help the company to reduce the cost, it means Kit Kat can use the lower price to selling their product and keep the profit, increase the competitive advantage. Retail. In January 15 2014, the world’s first Kit Kat opened in Tokyo (Ashcraft, 2014). Before 2014, Kit Kat do not have any store, they only selling in the other shops. All of the customer can buy the Kit Kat from the supermarket or shops. It can help the company save the cost. They are selling in the supermarket can help the company, they do not need to hire more employees and open the own shop they need to spend more cost. Today they opened the first store in Tokyo, but customer also can buy the Kit Kat from the supermarket or in other shops, it can help the company get more customer and increase the competitive advantages. There are some reasons for why Kit Kat chosen differentiation strategy. The strategy customer. Kit Kat has more then 200 different products in Japan. There are more then forty products are only selling in Japan, for example: Wasabi, Strawberry Cheesecake, Lemon Vinegar, and Cucumber (Break with Kit Kat, 2014). Kit Kat  produces many different products, that is achieve the differentiation strategy, they try to use the differentiation to improve the company. Different people has different taste, need and want, so different will get more and more customer to buy the products, different product is suitable to different customers. That is the reason why different products can increase the competitive advantage for the company. All of the different products have their own package, different colour and different weight. In 1942, Kit Kat fist time selling the blue Kit Kat in the market, in 1949, Kit Kat start to selling red Kit Kat in the market, after that, Kit Kat produced more and more different Kit Kat, for example, in 1990s Kit Kat start to selling the Nestle Macintosh Corporation ( Kit Kat, 2014). Japan is a developed country, people want to improve the quality of life, so they need more different products, they want more different experience. Everyones life is different, so they have different demand, students, workers and old people have different need, today you can find much more different Kit Kat in Japan, anyone can choose different Kit Kat for them. Different Kit Kat has own colour, people like different colour, so different colour can keep different customer and different weight is suitable for different customer, for example, if one family like eating Kit Kat, they need more weight, can help them save time, do not need to buy many times, so bigger weight is suit for them. Key competito rs. Kit Kat is doing business with chocolate, but there are some chocolate industry in the world, for example:Ferrero brands, Mars brands and Cadbury brands. They are also doing the business with chocolate, the are also very successful, so Kit Kat need to improve the competitive advantage. Other brand do not have much different products, but Kit Kat have many different products, it will help Kit Kat easy to get the customer. Kit Kat is owned by Nestlà © SA which also owns a range of other product brands, from 2007 to 2012, the market share only changed 0.7%, that mean differentiation help the Kit Kat keep the market shares (Break with Kit Kat, 2014). Kit Kat’s target market is men and women of all ages, so different products can help Kit Kat keep the market shares. All of the chocolate company selling the products in Japanese market, the number of customers is fixed, so Kit Kat is using differentiation strategy to increase the competitive advantage, when Kit Kat  fight with other company in the market, they are more stronger, they can get more market shares, help the company more successful. 3. Ebola and Kit Kat Ebola virus is an infectious disease, this disease has a high risk of death (Who.int, 2014). First cases notified in March 2014 in west Africa.(Who.int, 2014). It affect the price of cocoa, in November the price of cocoa up twenty percent, before November it was up to thirty-five percent to forty percent (PBS NewsHour, 2014). West Africa is the worlds largest cocoa origin, when Ebola virus found in west Africa, that affect the cocoa trade, many farmer in Ebola virus disease, because this disease has a high risk of death, so much of the farmer died of Ebola virus disease, so they lose a lot of labor, they do have enough people to working with the cocoa, so the chocolate company can not buy the enough cocoa, demand higher then supply, the price of cocoa will going up. In USA, all of the price of chocolate increase ten cents for each Kit Kat. Kit Kat is a chocolate company, cocoa is the most important raw material, they need the cocoa to make the chocolate, but the price of cocoa going up, so they need to spend more cost on the cocoa, but they did not pass all the cost to the customers, so in 2014 the sales slump seven percent (FoodNavigator-USA.com, 2014). Kit Kat can use operational level strategy. Operational level strategy A plan that details how a business will use its production resources to meet its goals. Many business managers will put together a detailed operation strategy in order to clearly present to subordinate staff their plans for how their portion of the business should function in order to attain its objectives (BusinessDictionary.com, 2014). The price of cocoa up around twenty percent is about the global economy, so all of the chocolate companies are increase the costs, they also need the cocoa to produce the products. If Kit Kat is using cost same like other time, they also want to keep the profit, they must transfer the cost to the customer, it means increase the price of the Kit Kat, but Kit Kat can choose to reduce the cost in the transport or other please, they also can find the cocoa supplies from other countries, help them to reduce the cost. Seventy percent cocoa from west Africa, there are also thirty percent cocoa they can find, using the cocoa from other may be is cheaper, try to save the cost in the other places, for example: package,  or transportation. Kit Kat can find the cheaper other raw materials, help the company to reduce the cost. When Kit Kat try to save the cost in other places, do not increase the price of products, they can increase the competitive advantage, help the company keep the customer and market shares. 4. Conclusion Kit Kat is a very successful company in Japan. Kit Kat is start from 1935 to now, Kit Kat has 79 years history. In this 79 years, Kit Kat from a small business becoming this successful company, because they are using the right strategy, right strategy can help the company service and becoming more stronger. They have more the four hundred different products, they can fight with the Ferrero brands, Mars brands and Cadbury brands, and becoming same with that brands, even more successful in Japan. Different strategy suit for different situation and different company, there is not best strategy, there is only suitable strategy, a strategy may be can take the company more and more successful or closed. 5. List of References Kit Kat. 2014. KitKat History. [ Online]. Available from: http://nestle.jp/brand/kit/about/history/ [Accessed 22 DEC 2014]. Oxlearn.com, (2014) Oxford Learning Lab Watch it Learn it Badge it. [ Online]. Available from: http://www.oxlearn.com/arg_Marketing-Resources-Porter%27s-Generic-Strategies_11_33 [Accessed 28 December 2014]. Small Business Chron.com, (2014) Examples of Cost Leadership Strategy Marketing. [ Online]. Available from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-cost-leadership-strategy-marketing-12259.htm l [Accessed 28 December 2014]. MarketWatch, (2014) Nestle keeps view on raw material inflation. [ Online]. Available from: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nestle-keeps-view-on-raw-material-inflation-2012-08-09 [Accessed 28 December 2014]. Ashcraft, B. (2014) The Worlds First Kit Kat Store Is Opening in Tokyo, Kotaku. [ Online]. Available from: http://kotaku.com/the-worlds-first-kit-kat-store-is-opening-in-tokyo-1501753395 [Accessed 28 December 2014]. Break with Kit Kat, (2014) Global Business Strategy. [ Online]. Available from: http://breakwithkitkat.weebly.com/global-business-strategy.html [Accessed

My Spanish Dress and the Spanish Fair Essay -- Observation Essay, Descr

At eleven o'clock I am wishing my shoes did not have hobnails in them as I noisily tread down the tranquil street lined with four-o-clocks and horse stables. I try unsuccessfully to not let my footfalls disturb this peaceful night. Silently, I curse myself for deciding to wear this heavy Spanish dress loudly swishing at my ankles. Agitated, I tug at my hair and red shawl. At the comer a rainbow of people spreads out before me. The appetizing aromas of warm bread, seafood, and sherry surge over me and instill a craving. Vibrant colors reflect from the resplendent dresses my friends wear. We greet each other with two kisses and saunter under an arch of lights to the Spanish Fair, la Feria. From the left, screams of delight ascend from the rides on the other side of the Feria. We continue strolling on the gritty dirt road lined with stucco buildings called casetas. From these buildings drift a stifled blend of music and laughter. Families assemble together while eating and telling stories. Children and teenagers are captivated, as their fathers and grandfathers relate (with exaggerated hand gestures) funny stories and old tales. Most men don riding attire: vests, riding boots, chaps, and black wide-brimmed hats. A few women are dressed traditionally as well, in long skirts, riding boots, and amazona jackets. Many more women wear Sevillana dresses like ours. Some even wear the exquisitely hand-embroidered silk shawls called mantones. These dresses have a Gypsy style, heavy with lace and fabric. We all have the same type of shoes although some are more broken in than others. My shoes are new and the stubborn leather constricts my feet. The hobnails, used as taps, make sli ght clicking sounds on the and dirt underfoot. We enter a... ...tly. My wrists rotate and I delicately twist my fingers in the moist air as my hand-made red and black dress swishes with each pass I make. The long fringes of my manton swing smoothly at my sides as I dance with the clapped rhythm. I dance without stopping as each ancient song blends into the next. As the hours pass by I know I could dance fortever and forget about tomorrow. The air at seven a.m. is warmed with the rising sun. Perfumed four-o-clocks are sleeping peacefully, and the scent of the ocean pervades as the new morning begins. My dress sways pleasantly at my ankles. My disheveled hair plays around my face and my manton hangs crooked but comfortably on my shoulders. My legs and feet are exhausted but the nails tap flawlessly on the gritty earth. Their cadence refreshes the sensation I felt earlier while dancing, and I am proud to wear my Spanish dress.

Mental Health Presenting Issues Essay

It may seem at first that Medical Tourism is doing the world a favour by clearing the backlogged waiting lists for certain procedures without having to expand the local capacity that is in demand. (1). It is also proposed by supporters of Medical tourism that by bringing tourists into the country, not only the health sector, but other sectors, like the tourism and hospitality sectors will also benefit and through this flow on effect the people of the host country will benefit. For example India’s health care market is expected to expand from 5.2%GDP to 8.5% GDP by the end of 2012 because of Medical tourism. (2) This is taking a superficial look at the problem. It also effects on the health care of people of the host country, the standard of care received by the patient and effects on the workforce itself. While countries like India, Thailand and Singapore may seem to benefit overall, it has been argued that the extra funding the health care system is receiving from medical tou rism does not get diverted to help the public health sector -with levels of public spending on healthcare in India are amongst the lowest in the world (3). The local people should receive some of this profit that the health industry itself is receiving as many are unable to afford comparative health care. There is also the question of the effect on the workforce. There are fears that medical tourism could worsen the drain of local professionals by luring them from the public sector and rural areas to take jobs in urban centres. (2) The medical tourism facilities offer not only a better rate of pay, but also access to good equipment, resources and medications. Finally there is the cost on the individual receiving the care. Presently, there are a lack of comparative quality and safety data including infection rates for overseas institutions. There is also little information about adverse events as reporting of these events is also lacking. Many of the practitioners in these health care facilities pay less indemnity insurance and matters are dealt with locally. It is hard to know what compensations would be made, were something to go wrong during a procedure. – In nations that have long waiting lists for certain procedures, medical tourism provides a mechanism to clear backlogs by sending patients to foreign countries without expanding local capacity. Lancaster J. Surgeries, side trips for medical tourists. p. A1. Washington Post. October 21, 2004. – this reduces the burden on the local healthcare resources of the native country. – this is reinforced by Insurance companies have jumped on the medical tourism ride by offering reduced rates to those who are willing to travel overseas for medical treatment, further encouraging the medical tourism market. – It is proposed by supporters of Medical tourism that by bringing tourists into the country, other sectors, like the tourism and hospitality sectors will also benefit and through this flow on effect the people of the host country will benefit. – For example India’s health care market is expected to expand from 5.2%GDP to 8.5% GDP by the end of 2012 b ecause of Medical tourism. Medical visas mark growth of Indian medical tourism. Bull World Health Organ. 2007 – while countries may seem to benefit overall, it has been argued that the extra funding the health care system is receiving from medical tourism does not get diverted to help the public health sector. Levels of public spending on healthcare in India are amongst the lowest in the world. Health Spending in India, the impact of current Aid structures and Aid Effectiveness. EU HEALTH ODA AND AID EFFECTIVENESS / COUNTRY BRIEFING 6 / DECEMBER 2011(sourced at http://www.euroresources.org/fileadmin/user_upload/AfGH_Policy_Briefs/PolicyBriefing6_India_LoRes.pdf) – according to the WHO in 2010, in India 71% of total health expenditure was spent on private health – public health spending compared to private. The private costs are too high for the average Indian so they can’t directly benefit, if an – effect on public health workforce, There are fears, however, that medical tourism could worsen the internal brain drain and lure professionals from the public sector and rural areas to take jobs in urban centres. Medical visas mark growth of Indian medical tourism. Bull World Health Organ. 2007 – The question has arisen regarding the safety and quality of health care reicieved whilst overseas. – also who manages complications which may arise after treatment that was received overseas. Who should be responsible for that? – When medical treatment is sought from abroad, the normal continuum of care may be interrupted. Perhaps not surprisingly, given commercial imperatives, evidence of outcomes for medical tourist treatments is limited and reports are difficult to obtain and verify.

Romania and the euro

History Romania euro On 1 January 2007, Romania joined the European Union and therefore, committed to the acceptance of the euro once it complies with all the needed conditions. At that peculiar clip, right before come ining the planetary fiscal crisis, the acceptance of the euro seemed to convey many alone advantages and was considered as the top precedence refering the hereafter options. However, this is non the instance any longer, as things have changed along the old ages. The first clip Romania announced its program to fall in the ERM was in May 2006, as a status for come ining the Euro Area after 2012. However, the day of the months for come ining the Eurozone were changed many times, as Romania kept proroguing it, as it did non pull off to follow with all the standards at one time. In December 2009, the Rumanian authorities officially changed the day of the month for fall ining the Eurozone to 1 January 2015, as the acceptance of the euro is the 2nd most of import aim of the National Bank, after the 2005 denomination of the Rumanian currency leu, which ended a period of more than 15 old ages of heavy rising prices. Despite this, two old ages subsequently, in April 2011, it announced it was doing all the attempts to carry through the first four standard, but that it will non be able to fall in the ERM by 2013 or 2014. Still, 2015 seemed like an unrealistic mark, as it was really hard for Romania to follow the euro by that clip ( Valentin Lazea ) , and this was confirmed by Mugur Isarescu, the governor of the National Bank of Romania, who stated, in November 2012, that Romania will non be prepared and will non fall in the Euro Area by 2015. Harmonizing to his statements, the hold was caused by work force productiveness, besides adverting by non being portion of the Euro Area, Romania was really advantaged during the period of European debt-crisis. Consequently, Romania did non stipulate a mark day of the month for following the euro in the Convergence Programme of 2013 to the European Commission, as it did non desire to come in the Euro Area unprepared. ( Victor Ponta ) Finally, in the Convergence Report of 2014, Romania indicated the 1 of January 2019 as the new functionary day of the month for euro acceptance. Indeed, 2015 was rather an impossible mark, holding in head all the reforms the state assumed, when following the Maastricht Treaty. Thinking about the positive side, Mugur Isarescu emphasized the advantages of maintaining the national currency ( NYT 2012 ) , stating that by non giving up the leu ‘Romania obtained obtained a flexibleness in seting the involvement rates, in commanding cashflow and in leting rising prices in order to cut down the budget deficit’ . However, he besides stated that this brought ‘unhappiness and letdown, as fall ining the EU was seen as a solution to all problems’ , underscoring the public sentiment which was in favour of following the euro. Furthermore, by maintaining the national currency, the exports from other EU member which have non yet adopted the euro were encouraged, doing it easier for the state to take less extremist steps for forestalling the fiscal crisis. On the other manus, even if Romania is non portion of the Euro Area, it depends in a great extent on the development of the euro. The country’s economic system, finance of loans and exports are straight related to everything go oning in the Eurozone. This shows one more clip the necessity of following the euro Talking of advantages, the one ensuing from following the alone currency must besides be taken into consideration. The riddance of rising prices and of the exchange rate, the decrease of the macro-economic hazards and of the involvement rates, the riddance of dealing costs and currency hazards, the integrating of the fiscal markets and the development of international trade alongside with the increasing grade of pulling higher investings are merely a few of them. ( The acceptance of the Euro by Romania Ioan Dan BRA‚TEAN ) However, the Erste Group Bank stated that the 2015 mark is really ambitious and that Romania would happen it difficult to carry through. This is non particularly because of the obstructions posed by the convergence standards, but instead because of existent convergence standards, as the state struggles to make several required degrees refering the existent convergence conditions, such as increasing the GDP per capita from 50 % to more than 60 % above the Euro Area mean degree – EGB ) . Furthermore, fall ining the Eurozone in 2019 require come ining the ERMII in 2017. Therefore, advancement demands to be made particularly refering this procedure. Therefore, at the present minute, Romania does non follow with all the convergence standards necessary for fall ining the Euro Area, but the state did nevertheless aligned itself to the demands and aims of following the alone currency and fall ining all the European Union establishments in the procedure. ( wiki ) Conformity with the standards in the period 2007-2011 As mentioned in the old chapter, the trial of nominal convergence consists chiefly of the grade of accomplishment of the Maastricht standards: monetary value stableness, sound public fundss, sustainable public fundss, exchange-rate stableness and convergence lastingness. Refering the first standard of monetary value stableness, Romanian failed to run into it in the period 2007-2013, as the one-year mean rising prices rate was higher than the standard required ( it exceeded 1.5 per centum points above the three best executing MS of the EU ) , as it can be seen in the tabular array above. The one-year rising prices increased from about 4 % in the first half of 2007 to 8,7 % by the 3rd month of 2008. ( CR 2008 ) The chief causes were an acute addition in monetary values of nutrient, a rise in monetary values of import ( as a effect of the depreciation of the national currency in 2007 ) alongside with another addition in the monetary values of trade goods. ( CR 2008 ) The highest values were, though, registered after the economic crisis between 2008 and 2011. In fact, of all time since come ining the EU, the Rumanian norm rising prices has been good above the mention value and it even increased during the old ages. In July 2008, it reached a three-year high point of 9.1 % , but it decreased up to 5.6 % in 2009, still being an hindrance on the manner of come ining the Eurozone. However during 2010 and 2011, the rising prices rate was expected to diminish well, due to the slow economic activity, making a degree of 4.3 % and 3 % severally. In malice of these prognosiss, rising prices in Romania remained rather high. ( CR 2010 ) Sing the standard on authorities budgetary place, in 2007, Romania recorded a 2.5 % of GDP as financial shortage, a value below the mention one of 3 % . As for the authorities debt ratio, it amounted merely 13 % in 2007 and 13,6 % in 2008, good below the mention value of 60 % . However, an increased financial consolidation was necessary, in order for the state to keep the shortage ratio far below the mention value and to carry through the aim on medium-term from the SGP, the same specified in the Convergence Programme ‘as a cyclically adjusted shortage cyberspace of impermanent measureas of around 0.9 % of GDP.’ ( CR 2008 ) Up until 2009, Romania was non capable to a determination of the EU Council refering the being of an inordinate shortage. However, since July 2009, the Council asked the state to rectify this shortage by 2012. The general authorities shortage reached 5.4 % of GDP in 2008 and increased even further to 8,3 % of GDP by 2009. In the undermentioned old ages, it decreased well, but still non run intoing the mention value. ( CR 2010 ) In what may concern the long-run involvement rates, these were on mean 7.1 % , both in 2007 and 2008, good above the mention value of the standard on involvement rates. This tendency was observed of all time since Romania joined the EU and it continued to remain the same in 2009 ( 9.4 % ) , 2010 ( 7.2 % ) and 2011 ( 7.3 % ) . ( CR 2008 and 2010 ) In footings of exchange-rate stableness, Romania has gone through a period of big fluctuations merely during a little period in 2009, when the exchange rate surpassed the +/-15 % allowed bound. In fact, the state received international fiscal aid, which led to the national currency stabilising during 2009 and at the beginning of 2010. The short-run involvement rates were narrowed, which reflected significantly in improved money market conditions overall. ( CR 2010 ) However, the state was non yet take parting in the ERMII, still runing on a floating exchange rate government. Conformity with the standards during recent old ages: 2012-2014 During recent old ages, Romania seems to hold improved slightly in what may concern some of the convergence standard. However, the state still struggles with high rising prices and it besides didn’t manage to go portion of the ERMII, one of the most of import conditions for fall ining the Eurozone. Of all the convergence standards, Romania finds it most hard to follow with the monetary value stableness one. In fact, it has ne'er managed to accomplish an rising prices rate lower than the three best executing EU MS, as the status requires it. In 2014, for illustration, the rising prices rate registered 2.1 % , while the maximal allowed was 1.7 % . Still, it is the best ‘compliance’ up until now, being merely 0.4 % above the mention value. ( CR 2014 ) By looking at the recent informations, the one-year rising prices decreased well since making a high degree in September 2012 ( 5.4 % ) to merely 1.1 % in September 2013. However, in April 2014, it increased once more up to 1.6 % , due to a rise in the excise responsibilities on fuel. ( CR 2014 ) Indeed, rising prices fell well during the 2nd half of 2013, due to several grounds such as, decreases in nutrient monetary values ( good crop ) or a diminution in the VAT for flour and other bakeshop merchandises. As prognosiss, the major international establishments predict the mean one-year rising prices to lift in 2015 up to 3.3 % . There are nevertheless some hazards that must be taken into history, chiefly related to a strong addition in planetary trade good monetary values and farther deregulating of energy monetary values. Despite all these, it is hard to accurately foretell the consequence that the procedure of ‘catching-up’ of Romania, connoting lower degrees of GDP per capita and of monetary values than in the Euro Area. ( CR 2014 ) When taking into consideration Romania’s authorities budgetary place during recent old ages, the first thing that should be mentioned is that presently, the state is non capable to a determination of the EU Council on the being of an inordinate shortage. In 2012, the state has so surpassed the mention value of 3 % , making 5.2 % , but in the undermentioned old ages, it has managed to remain within the bound ( 2013 – 2.9 % ; 2014 – 2.3 % ) . This consolidation was expenditure-driven, as the entire outgos relative to the GDP decreased by 1.7 per centum points, while entire grosss declined by 1 per centum point during 2013. ( EEF 2014 ) Taking into consideration the customary no policy alteration premise, the GDP shortage is expected to diminish even further in 2015, achieving a depression of 1.9 % . This would be go oning at the same tie with the betterment of grosss, a stronger domestic demand being the most of import driver of growing. Besides, Romania must do ce rtain that it makes adequate advancement towards making its medium-term aim, viz. a structural shortage of 1 % of GDP. ( CR EEF 2014 ) As for the authorities debt to GDP ratio, Romania has complied with the bounds during recent old ages, holding registered values good below the 60 % mention value. However, the value is expected to increase up to 40 % and to keep this degree during 2015. The primary dangers that can be assessed to the budgetary public presentations are related to the outgo control refering the revenue enhancement aggregation. ( EEF 2014 ) In footings of long term involvement rates, Romania has managed to register a 5.3 % value on norm in 2014, good below the 6.2 % mention value of the three best executing EU MS. In recent old ages, the long term involvement rates have fluctuated around 7 % ( 2013 – 7.25 % ; 2014 ; 6.36 % ) , as the rising prices kineticss tended to forestall the downward tendency in the nominal involvement rates. As in the last old ages, rising prices has declined well, this allowed the cardinal bank to decelerate down the policy rates. This in bend, resulted in a narrowing of differential in long-run involvement rate between the Euro Area norm and Romania. In respects to the exchange-rate stableness standard, the first thing that should be mentioned is that Romania did non pull off to fall in the ERMII, even though it traded under a government of flexible exchange rate, with a managed natation of the currency. Therefore, the exchange rate of the national currency leu against the euro has emphasized a high grade of volatility. In May 2013, the Rumanian leu somewhat appreciated, but instantly weakened, as the volatility increased during the half of 2013. Afterwards, the leu managed to acquire stronger once more, and it stabilized its degree around the 1 obtained at the beginning of 2013. As a long-run attack, April 2014 brought a close degree of the existent effectual exchange rate of the leu against the euro to the historical norms on 10 years’ clip. Furthermore, the current and the capital history of Romania had been adjusted during recent old ages, as challenges from the external environment.

Journalists can talk the economy up or down - Emphasis

Journalists can talk the economy up or down Journalists can talk the economy up or down The media should exercise caution when reporting the Euro crisis, researchers warn, as the language that journalists use seems to be affecting our economic fortunes. According to a new report from the Emphasis Research Centre, there is a strong link between consumer confidence and the use of the word recovery in the press. The study tracked the presss use of the word recovery (along with green shoots) during the recent recession and the months leading up to it. In doing so, researchers found that the use of the terms increased significantly even as the financial markets were still in freefall. From August to November, for example, the FTSE 100 fell an enormous 24 per cent. Yet references to recovery rose by 26 per cent in the same period. Meanwhile, just months after recession became official in January 2009, consumer confidence began to rise and continued to rise the more recovery appeared in the media. Crucially, however, consumer confidence lagged slightly behind the presss use of the word. The researchers suggest that the language used by the press may have helped buoy consumer confidence and therefore contributed to the UKs eventual climb out of recession. They also warn that the media itself could trigger the much-feared double-dip recession. Rob Ashton, Chief Executive of Emphasis, says this appears to support anecdotal claims that the press can talk the economy up or down, even if they do so unwittingly. It could be that merely repeating the word recovery, like a mantra, somehow seeped into the subconscious of both the public and the market, he explains. This may be an example of journalists influencing the news, as well as reporting it. The research project began as a positive alternative to The Economists R-word index, which tracks how often the word recession appears in The New York Times and Washington Post. Over the past two decades, the index has spotted major economic turning points, such as the start of recessions in America in 1981, 1990 and 2001. A copy of Recovery Watch is available from the Emphasis website at emphbootstrap.wpengine.com/resources/research-centre/ Ends Press enquiries For more information, please call Indigo Cow, Emphasis PR agency, on 01273 773516 or email info@indigocow.com Notes for editors 1. Recovery Watch tracked the number of articles containing the words recovery and green shoots in the UK broadsheets between January 2008 and May 2010 against the backdrop of market activity and intervention measures. These measures include the UK Governments stimulus package, announced in November 2008; the start of quantitative easing in March 2009; and the G20 summit leaders $1.1 trillion package to tackle the financial crisis in April 2009. While these other factors may have contributed to renewed faith in the future of the markets, similarities between the rise in newspaper references to recovery and the Nationwide Consumer Confidence Index appear significant. 2. Recovery Watch is the second research project published by the new Emphasis Research Centre. Launched in April 2010, the centre conducts research into language, communication and writing skills in the UK. 3. The Emphasis Research Centre is funded by Emphasis Training Ltd, which is the UKs leading business writing training organisation.

The Journalist in the UAE Media Organization

The Journalist in the UAE Media Organization as it takes time to do it right (p.81). The respective results of the study therefore postulated the significant development of correctional measures through the infusion of strategic training elements into the gate keeper training fundamentals and other respective case examples. Moreover, Stacks and Salwen (2008) further postulate that, Scholars recognize that individual gate keepers have the power to pass some items through gates and reject others, but studies have also shown that gatekeepers actions must be understood within the context of environment. The expansion of gate keeping studies to multiple levels of analysis opens the door of study of the most interesting of Lewins concepts (p.82). This introduces another aspect with respect to the future of current gate keeping approaches. It suggests that there is an increasing need for more focus to be placed upon the achievement and contextual application of gate keeping based on a particular environment. This is because there are various forms of difference emanating from geographical areas due to culture differences, and other interacting levels in society leading to the potential need for developing better mechanisms in the domain of gate keeping as a new strategy.

How to Choose the Right Book Cover Dimensions in 3 Simple Steps

How to Choose the Right Book Cover Dimensions in 3 Simple Steps How to Choose the Right Book Cover Dimensions When we talk about book cover design, we often talk about the color palette, typography and use of images. What we rarely mention are the dimensions of the cover. After all, it’s usually determined by the book’s trim size. That, or it’s seemingly inconsequential, as most new independent authors rely on ebook sales anyhow, where the cover only really exists on digital retailers.In this post, we'll look at the standard sizes of book covers in publishing and help you decide on the right dimensions when creating or commissioning your own design.Before we jump too far into the conversation, let's start by looking at the most popular ebook cover sizes used today.What are the recommended book cover dimensions?Kindle Direct Publishing recommended size -   2,560 x 1,600 (1.6:1 aspect ratio)Novels and Non-Fiction -   2,560px x 1,600px (1.5:1 aspect ratio)Illustrated Books -   2,800px x 3,920px  (1.4:1 aspect ratio) or  3,000px x 3,600px (1.2:1 aspect ratio)Audiob ooks -   3,200px x 3,200px (1:1 aspect ratio)These numbers might be confusing at first, especially if you're not familiar with pixels and aspect ratios. In this next section, we'll take a closer look at what these terms mean, and how they will affect your cover. Choosing the size and shape of your ebook coverThe cover on the right has half the dots per square inch (DPI) of the version on the left.Both KDP Print and IngramSpark suggest a resolution of 300 dots per square inch (DPI) for your cover design. And in the case of most printers, a CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow) color profile is preferred over an RGB (Red Green Blue) one.To learn more about designing your perfect cover, check out this complete guide to book cover design on the Reedsy blog.Do you have any questions or thoughts on book covers and their recommended dimensions? Drop a message in the comments below.

Digital watches Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Digital watches - Assignment Example The designed watch is reliable, portable and fully functional with a 10-segment LCD display unit. The watch start with the hour, minute and second counters set to zero. After every, minute or hour the respective counter increments while continuously checking the sum. When it hits fifty-nine, both the second and minute counters reset to zero whereas the hour counter resets at counter sum of twenty-four. Time is a basic physical quantity measured by use of instrument like a watch. In simple terms, time requires a specified physical process that proceeds at a known rate (Abayomi-Alli et al 3), and a method to measure the continuity of the process. Several categories and sizes of watches are in use. On of the determinant factor in classification of watches is how time is displayed (Abayomi-Alli et al 5). There are four different classes of watches. These include analog watches, digital watches and auditory watches. Digital watches usually display numeric time version. The most common numeric display formats are the 24-hour and the 12-hour notations. The 24- hour notation has hours counter running from 00 to 23 whereas the 12 hour notation uses the symbols AM indicating time from midnight to one minute to noon. The PM symbol runs from noon to one minute to midnight. Digital watches employ the use of an LCD or LED for displaying the time (Abayomi-Alli et al 2). In the making of digital watch, microcontrollers are used as the main control of the entire circuit. For effectiveness, the microcontrollers are interfaced with other components to complete the digital watch circuit. Such a component includes a counter which is mainly one of the Real Time Watch IC (Abayomi-Alli et al 3). This is â€Å"a low-voltage, high-performance CMOS 8-bit microcontroller† (Abayomi-Alli et al 5). It has a 4 kilobytes (KB) of Flash erasable and programmable read-only memory (FEPROM). The 8-bit microcontroller

In vitro Fertilization Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

In vitro Fertilization - Term Paper Example excess of embryos being wasted every year. Some of the ethical considerations have also been taken under evaluation which is associated with IVF. Lastly, the ethical undertakings will be elaborated in the context of moral absolutism, relativism plurality, ethical egoism and utilitarianism. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) has become one of the smarter ways through which non-productive women can now give birth with healthy pregnancy. It is basically a method which enables reproduction of human pregnancy externally (outside the body). The method that is applied for pregnancy in IVF involves the man’s sperm and woman’s egg is combined together within the laboratory setting. Once the reaction between the woman’s egg and man’s sperm takes place, the reacting embryo is transferred to the uterus of woman by a surgical process. The procedure is conducted under planned time frame which cannot afford any delays or mishandling (Sher, Davis, & Stoess, 2005). Apparently, a lot of critics have mentioned that IVF is an easy method which has been contested by IVF practitioners. IVF is a complex process that involves systematic procedure for undergoing pregnancy. The processes that are involved in the IVF process includes following systematic steps: This step involves drugs that are especially given to women so that multiple eggs can be produced. This allows the ovaries to produce multiple eggs that are in a continuous yet natural cycle. This step is very important to note because this has a special association with the conflict of frozen embryos. The need of more than one cell is because not all eggs can be used for fertilization. Thus, more than one egg is produced in the IVF method of pregnancy (Bonnicksen, 1989). The second step involves the retrieval of the eggs from the woman’s body. This step does not take long as this based upon surgical method of retrieval of eggs. This step also undergoes the filtration of the

Why you like Risk Management Plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why you like Risk Management Plans - Essay Example A risk management plan is a document that is created by the project manager to estimate risks, assess the impact of the risks and define solutions to the challenges. Risk management plans also contain a risk assessment matrix that determines the impact of a risk over a specific period (Power, 2008). The procedure of creating a risk management plan starts with understanding how risk management works then the project is defined, stating all the risks and their possible impact. Input from other stakeholders is crucial at this stage. All irrelevant issues are removed then probability of each risk occurring is calculated. The possible losses from the risks are then assigned with an impact number on a scale from 0.00 to 1 with less risky activities having a small value. Next, the total risk is computed then mitigation strategies are developed. After that, the project manager creates contingency plans and analyzes the efficiency of the strategies. Finally, an effective risk is calculated. A risk management plan has several objectives. The plan calculates risks and the probability of the risks resulting in loss. This is important when determining whether to pursue a business project. A risk management plan creates strategies for managing risks or managing the losses from the risk. The plan reduces the possibility of surprises and supports efficient use of organizational resources (Rejda, 2011). Risk management plans contain strategies on how to tackle risks. These strategies include risk avoidance, loss reduction, and risk control, spreading the risk, self-retention, and duplication of resources, accepting risks and transferring risks. Risk avoidance is the most efficient risk management technique. By avoiding a risk, the possibility of loss is eliminated completely. Risk avoidance is the most effective approach but not the most practical one. It is impossible to eliminate all aspects of risk in a project. Some

Job Search Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Job Search - Essay Example The aforementioned are just some of the reasons why I have studied linguistics. On the professional level, I want to apply my knowledge and skills in making communication even better for people. Culture is currently one of the interests of studies for objectives on globalization therefore, linguists are necessarily sought for. Aside from having helped some people in communicating with others, I have worked for â€Å"Cinescape†, a company in Kuwait which works on films, adding Arabic subtitles for English films intended for the Arab-speaking viewers. This is where I learned basic skills and techniques in performing the job. in addition, I worked for two years at Lohaibi Company translating interviews from Arabic to English and English to Arabic. Moreover, I also worked for a television network as an assistant translator after my contract with Lohaibi. Basically, my job was to translate conversations in the films from English to Arabic and vice versa as well as add subtitles to the films. I enjoyed my jobs because along the way, I have learned more than what I expected and my interest in language grew even stronger. The advertisement of Market Road Films has caught my attention initially because I know that I am qualified for it. I do not just have the interest for the job but I also possess knowledge and skills that are necessary in completing the task. ... I think such projects are necessary for the preservation of the parts of historical information so it should really be taken seriously. The job may be a pro bono but just the thought of working on a great project along with the director and editor of the film themselves, is simply overwhelming. I love to work with people and I believe that the job will not just be beneficial for me, giving me a sense of fulfillment and pride but it will also become my contribution to the Arab world in preserving an important part of their history. Abdulaziz Alwehaibi 588 Main St. Hackensack, NJ 07601 201-417-1147 aziz_92@student.fdu.edu Travis Ballenger Market Road Films 232 3rd St., Studio B401 Brooklyn, NY 11215 Dear Mr. Ballenger, This is in response to your advertisement on the need for a translator for â€Å"First to Fall†. I have degrees in Linguistics and Accounting, providing me with the communication and organizational skills. I have translated films from Arabic to English and English to Arabic for five years. In my work experience, I have gained the basic computer skills and experience needed for the job. I worked well with other employees and through the years, I have acquired not only knowledge but foreign friends as well who have been great contributors and influences in my career and decisions with my studies. In addition, I improved my English oral and written communication skills. I have come to appreciate the treasures found in languages which now drive me to learn more for me to be able to contribute more to my community. I believe my education on languages and work experiences where I applied most of what I learned in school qualifies me to the position being sought for. I understand that a lot of people are

Data analyse and Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Data analyse and Literature Review - Essay Example A more effective approach in understanding this pay should be based on considering it as an outcome of socially developed arrangements of corporate governance whereby the parties involved possess relative discretion to affect the outcomes. Including such a view in an attempt to understand executive pay tends to provide a much more conclusive explanation of the ongoing debate about executive pay both in practice and in theory (Hengartner, 2006). The issue of executive pay is one of the aspects of business that has been generating newspaper headlines quite often in the recent past. The media tends to regularly display the public outrage on the extreme highs that executive bonuses, financial gratuities and salaries have reached. In the middle of all this turmoil, many company directors have found it difficult to explain why and how much they pay their various executives as they do. The field of determining and explaining executive pay is dominated by the agency theory’s perfect contracting approach (Jensen & Meckling, 1976). This theory on executive pay explains that this is a key instrument used in alleviating agency problems. In order to ensure the separation between firm control and firm ownership is harmless, the theory states that executive pay is a key instrument used in aligning the interests between management and shareholders (Fried and Bebchuk, 2004). Pay setting is often seen as an issue of optimal pay design that is based on risk preferences and market forces. (Wiseman and Gomez-Mejia, 1997) Market forces contribute to optimal pay structures and levels that compensate the concerned executives for the various risks they took in managing the corporation in the shareholders’ best interests. This is the reason that most of the literature and studies conducted on executive pay structures tends to focus on the

Job Search Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Job Search - Essay Example The aforementioned are just some of the reasons why I have studied linguistics. On the professional level, I want to apply my knowledge and skills in making communication even better for people. Culture is currently one of the interests of studies for objectives on globalization therefore, linguists are necessarily sought for. Aside from having helped some people in communicating with others, I have worked for â€Å"Cinescape†, a company in Kuwait which works on films, adding Arabic subtitles for English films intended for the Arab-speaking viewers. This is where I learned basic skills and techniques in performing the job. in addition, I worked for two years at Lohaibi Company translating interviews from Arabic to English and English to Arabic. Moreover, I also worked for a television network as an assistant translator after my contract with Lohaibi. Basically, my job was to translate conversations in the films from English to Arabic and vice versa as well as add subtitles to the films. I enjoyed my jobs because along the way, I have learned more than what I expected and my interest in language grew even stronger. The advertisement of Market Road Films has caught my attention initially because I know that I am qualified for it. I do not just have the interest for the job but I also possess knowledge and skills that are necessary in completing the task. ... I think such projects are necessary for the preservation of the parts of historical information so it should really be taken seriously. The job may be a pro bono but just the thought of working on a great project along with the director and editor of the film themselves, is simply overwhelming. I love to work with people and I believe that the job will not just be beneficial for me, giving me a sense of fulfillment and pride but it will also become my contribution to the Arab world in preserving an important part of their history. Abdulaziz Alwehaibi 588 Main St. Hackensack, NJ 07601 201-417-1147 aziz_92@student.fdu.edu Travis Ballenger Market Road Films 232 3rd St., Studio B401 Brooklyn, NY 11215 Dear Mr. Ballenger, This is in response to your advertisement on the need for a translator for â€Å"First to Fall†. I have degrees in Linguistics and Accounting, providing me with the communication and organizational skills. I have translated films from Arabic to English and English to Arabic for five years. In my work experience, I have gained the basic computer skills and experience needed for the job. I worked well with other employees and through the years, I have acquired not only knowledge but foreign friends as well who have been great contributors and influences in my career and decisions with my studies. In addition, I improved my English oral and written communication skills. I have come to appreciate the treasures found in languages which now drive me to learn more for me to be able to contribute more to my community. I believe my education on languages and work experiences where I applied most of what I learned in school qualifies me to the position being sought for. I understand that a lot of people are

Harsh Parenting during Adolescence Research Paper

Harsh Parenting during Adolescence - Research Paper Example More often than not these social constraints are enforced and reinforced by parents. (Choudhury, Blakemore and Charman) A variety of reasons are prescribed for parental control including (but not limited to) the rebellious attitude of teenagers, the parent’s desire to make the individual more conforming to their ideals and ideologies and the need to make the individual more compliant to social norms and values. These objectives are met by parents in a variety of ways. The relationship between teenagers and parents is generally a rocky one. In order to exert their influence, parents may resort to physical and emotional coercion. (Kelley) Such parental behaviour is seen to affect adolescent growth and their adult behaviour negatively. Most adolescents with coercive parents are known to develop aggressive symptoms later in life. This aggression may be emotional or physical and may continue throughout an adult’s life unabated. (Pedersen) Though the effects of parental contr ol on adolescent behaviour are well documented but the immediate outcomes have been historically overlooked. Parents exerting themselves on children encourage the growth of individuals who are seeking chances to overthrow the established regime of parental control. The results are often disastrous such as school shootouts such as the Columbine massacre. Moreover, teenagers may resort to joining gangs or resort to drug use in order to exert their independence. It remains notable here that all forms of parental control result in deviant social behaviour. Therefore it can be hypothesised that excessive parental control during adolescence can lead to an increase in deviant behaviour in society. This text attempts to analyse such a relationship through secondary research. Literature Review Numerous studies have been conducted in order to clarify the connection between parental exertion and resulting adolescent behaviour. Various perspectives and aspects have been covered through these st udies. This text was prepared by reviewing a few instrumental studies and their results which are discussed below. The distinction between physiological control and behavioural control for human beings has long been established firmly. (Baumrind) Baumrind’s study was conducted over a fourteen weeks period where he observed three different groups of children. The behaviour of each group was markedly different. One group was composed of energetic and friendly children while another group was composed of conflicted children who were irritable. The last group was composed of impulsive and aggressive children. The parents of these children were interviewed to discern the distinct patterns of parenting. There is an overwhelming tendency to combine these two aspects of human control and to study their effects together. Such an approach is hardly considered feasible as it tends to coalesce related aspects so that they are not distinctly recognisable anymore. For example the psycholog ical effects of beatings on a child who is being cajoled psychologically as well cannot be distinctly related. The typological approach developed by Baumrind is highly helpful in this regard as it delineates categorical distinctions to psychologically and behaviourally controlling parents. For example, authoritative parents are represented as being warm and accepting. Such parents tend to establish strict behavioural guidelines but promote psychological

Uni 220 Syllabus Essay Example for Free

Uni 220 Syllabus Essay UNI220: Academic Refresher is a one-credit hour course designed to assist students in creating strategies for success in their academic lives. The unique course employs dynamic in-class activities, collaborative learning, supplemental instruction (SI), and journal writing which requires consistent re? ection and participation. The course is taught from an â€Å"organic perspective,† which is student/content centered. Students are the most important contributors to the educational environment. To enable the students and the instructor to have frequent and meaningful interaction with each other and with the group, class size is limited to 20 students per section. You will receive a letter grade for UNI 220, but no +/- will be granted JAMES LEWIS: E-mail: James. Lewis. [emailprotected] edu O? ce: UASB 127A O? ce Hours: Blackboard REQUIRED MATERIAL: †¢ eBook: †¢ Downing, Skip. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. 6th Ed. Boston: Houghton Mi? in Company, 2011. †¢ IMPORTANT: The textbook required for this class is o? ered as a rentable eBook from www.CengageBrain. com. The On Course eBook includes features like highlighting, note taking, searching, printing, and mobile access. To purchase or rent the book: †¢ A. Copy and paste the following URL in your web browser: http://www. cengagebrain. com/shop/isbn/9781439082171 †¢ B. Make sure you are purchasing the eBook On Course (6th ed. ) written by Skip Downing. †¢ C. Add the digital eBook to your shopping cart and follow the purchase instructions. †¢ D. If you have any questions related to the eBook go to the Cengage support page: http://www. cengagebrain.com/shop/ Support. html †¢ A planner or personal calendar in paper form †¢ An ASU e-mail account and reliable internet access †¢ A 3-ring binder (1-1-1/2†) for all your course materials COURSE OBJECTIVES: Through their participation in this course, students will: †¢ Explore personal and academic strengths and barriers that impact success †¢ Identify and utilize university resources available to support success at ASU. †¢ Acquire and enhance academic skills necessary for success in the university. †¢ Discover ways to stay on course to meet academic goals. TOPICS COVERED: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Responsibility and choice/self-management Self-assessment Academic success strategies Mindset connections Procrastination Diagnosing barriers Creating networks Identifying patterns Embracing change UNI 220 Academic Refresher UNI 220: Academic Refresher ATTENDANCE: Because much of the learning in UNI 220 takes place via classroom activities and group interaction, attendance is taken at the beginning of every class and is an integral part of your UNI 220 grade. If you are not on time to class, you may be marked absent. Consistent with University standards, more than two absences may result in an ‘E’ (failing the course) on your transcript. At some point, if you choose to discontinue the course, you must drop the course o? cially. The instructor will not drop you. If your name appears on the roster at the end of the semester, but you have stopped coming to class, you will receive a grade that re? ects all missed work. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES: †¢ Participate throughout every class meeting. †¢ Discussion is not only encouraged but necessary to facilitate a ful? lling classroom experience. Your active participation in classroom discussions is an integral part of your ? nal grade. Because engagement with campus resources is also a critical part of academics, students are able to earn up to half of their participation points (50 points) for completing one or more of the following: †¢ Attend the PASS program (10 points, freshmen only). †¢ Utilize a campus resource, provide proof of attendance, and complete the â€Å"Campus Resource Usage Form† found on the Blackboard. Examples of appropriate campus resources would be the Writing Center, tutoring, Supplemental Instruction (SI), the Financial Aid o? ce, the Career Services o? ce, etc. If you have questions about resources, please contact your instructor (10 points each). †¢ Attend meetings with the Success Team Leaders available through the Student Success Center. For more information about Success Team Leaders and/or to make an appointment, call (480) 965-9072 (5 points each). †¢ Turn in all out of class assignments at the beginning of class. †¢ No late assignments will be accepted; no exceptions. Plan ahead for last-minute emergencies, including printer and computer issues. Please note: all journal entries must be present in your ?nal portfolio in order for you to pass this course. †¢ Complete all in-class exercises in full and to the best of your ability. †¢ All activities and exercises will be graded on both e? ort and accuracy. †¢ Attend class. †¢ Notify the instructor before the class meets if you will be arriving late or leaving early, either of which may result in a deduction of points from your ? nal grade. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain any missed information, assignments and handouts from BlackBoard or from another student. †¢ Turn o? and put away all electronic devices. †¢ Unless otherwise instructed, you will not need any electronics for this course. All iPods, MP3 players, cell phones, mobile devices, and laptops should be turned o? and put away before class begins. Students who choose to use electronics during class will be asked to leave and will be marked absent for that class period. †¢ Regularly check email and Blackboard and participate fully in Facebook discussions. †¢ Please note: The syllabus and course outline are subject to change. You will need to regularly check your ASU email and/or Blackboard for updates and announcements. UNI 220: Academic Refresher. UNI 220: Academic Refresher †¢ Join the Facebook Group †¢ Students are required to join the course Facebook Group Page. †¢ It is a private group, so only members will be able to read posts and comments. †¢ Also, members of the group will not be able to see each others Facebook info, wall posts, etc. unless a â€Å"friend request† is accepted. †¢ First and foremost, this is a social space, but it’s also a great class resource. †¢ Students will often be able to answer your questions more quickly than I will, so use this group to socialize and ask general or speci? c questions relating to homework or lecture notes. †¢ Read and understand this entire syllabus. †¢ Students will be held responsible for knowing the information contained in this syllabus whether they have read it or not. FINAL LEARNING PORTFOLIO: You will keep all notes, invention work, homework, drafts, handouts, your journal, and anything else you produce for this class in a three-ring binder. This binder, along with a re? ective essay, will help demonstrate your understanding of the material, ability to apply material, and active engagement in your own learning process. Keep everything you produce throughout the semester for this course. JOURNAL GUIDELINES: †¢ All entries must be submitted on Blackboard †¢ Answer all questions/prompts thoroughly and thoughtfully. †¢ Copy the directions (the bold part) for each journal prompt. †¢ Be honest with yourself †¢ Be spontaneous and creative †¢ Most importantly, DIG DEEP and expand on your ideas †¢ Entries must be turned in on time for credit †¢ In order to pass this class, you must have all journal entries completed and printed for your portfolio on the day it is due__________. ASSIGNED WORK OUTSIDE OF CLASS: Additional work will be required outside of class. These assignments are due at the beginning of the assigned due date, no exceptions. Please plan ahead for any last minute emergencies (i. e. printer and computer issues). Late work will not be accepted, no exceptions. DISCUSSION/DEBATE GUIDELINES: Throughout the semester we will be discussing sensitive and controversial issues. Our discussions and debates will be conducted in a polite, civil, and respectful manner. While it is ? ne to disagree, do so in a respectful, polite manner. Any perceived attacks will not be tolerated. Failure to abide by these policies will result in a severe loss of points and a possible  withdrawal from the course. ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS: If you need academic accommodations or special consideration of any kind to get the most out of this class, please let me know at the beginning of the course. If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for equal access to education at ASU, please call Disability Resources for Students. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is located in Matthews Center at the Tempe campus. Phone : (480) 9651234 or TDD : (480) 965-9000 E-mail : [emailprotected] edu. UNI 220: Academic Refresher UNI 220: Academic Refresher ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: You are expected to uphold the principles of academic integrity in all the work you do in this course. Students who engage in academic dishonesty (i. e. cheating, plagiarism, etc. ) will be withdrawn from the course and receive a failing grade. Plagiarism (the use of other peoples ideas or words without attribution) whether intentional or not, is immediate grounds for failure. Academic integrity is expected of every individual in the University. Students are responsible for all policies included in the college and student handbook, as well as this syllabus. See http://www. asu.edu/vpsa/studentlife/ for more information. Academic Integrity – It Matters! GRADING PROCEDURE: STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES Participation Quizzes, Homework Journal Group Project Portfolio TOTAL PERCENT PERCENT 20% 15% 20% 25% 20% 100% 90-100 80-89. 99 70-79. 99 60-69. 99 0-59. 99 = = = = = A B C D F NOTE: IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO CHANGE ALL OR PART OF THIS SYLLABUS DURING THE COURSE OF THE SEMESTER. If one advances con? dently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to the live the life of which he imagines, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. Henry David Thoreau UNI 220: Academic Refresher.

Composition Of Consumer Co Operative Societies

Composition Of Consumer Co Operative Societies Consumers are unorganized and therefore exploited by traders in price, quality and weight. Consumer co-operatives protects the interests of consumers against artificial scarcity, over charging of prices, supply of sub standard goods and the unfair trade practices distorted by private traders. Definition: Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960, defines consumer co-operative society as a society, the object of which is: The procurement, production or processing and the distribution of goods to or, the performance of other services for its members as also other consumers, The distribution among its members and customers, of the profit occurring from such procurement, production, processing and distribution are in proportion as prescribed by rules or bye-laws of the society. A consumer co-operative society is basically formed for the promotion of the interests of the consumers. Composition of consumer co-operative societies: National Co-operative Consumers Federation (1) State Co-operative Consumers Federation (28) Departmental Stores (Apna Bazaar) Wholesale / Central Stores (681) Primary Consumer Co-operative Stores (26469) University College Consumers Stores Consumers Stores of Industrial Workers Consumers Stores for Rural Population Objectives of consumer co-operatives: To educate the consumers to keep their needs within the income limit. Stabilization of market rates. To supply the goods and services regularly at reasonable costs. To protect the consumers from black marketing, increase in market rates, scarcity, cheating and adulteration. To supply proper unadulterated goods and to use proper measurement (weighing scales). To inculcate the habit of savings and economy among the consumers. To control the profit-making tendency Need and importance of consumer co-operatives: Supply of things and services as per needs- The consumer co-operative societies are formed to satisfy the needs goods and services as demanded by the consumers. There are directly contracts with producers and manufacturers of things and required goods are purchased directly from them, thereby the consumers can be supplied with the goods as demanded. Eradication of malpractices of traders- It is found that there are many malpractices in trading like black marketing, artificial scarcity, cheating in measurements, hoarding, etc. proper measurements are not used whereby the consumer becomes ultimate victim of all these malpractices by the traders. There is no place for all these things in co-operative consumer societies and so the consumers are attracted towards them. Necessity of time: India has adopted financial planning and there is importance for public distribution of essentialities of life. The consumer co-operative societies help the government in distributing these essentialities to rural and urban areas of our country. These societies have become very important day by day. Since these societies have been entrusted the job distribution, the consumers are saved from financial exploitation and hardship. Establishment of proper trading system: The consumer co-operative societies supply good quality of things at reasonable cost by using right measurement and pure things. Hence from the viewpoint of customers these societies are very important. Eradication of traders chain: There is long chain in between the producers and consumers. The things are sold at higher cost to consumers because the middlemen add their own profit and expenses. The consumer co-operative societies directly purchase the goods from the producers and chain of middleman can be avoided. Apna Bazaar Apna Bazaar is probably the oldest and largest consumer co-operative multi-state society with a customer base of over 12 lakhs. The Rs 140-crore retail chain, that, for over 55 years remained largely middle-class, Apna Bazaar has 80 outlets in Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region. It has recently opened its first shop outside the state in Goa. It recorded a turnover of Rs 127 crore for the year 2003-04. Apna Bazar, the synonym for the basic needs, Brand name of Mumbai Kamgar Madhyavarti Grahak Sahakari Mandal Ltd Date of Incorporation 9th May 1948 Constitution Multi State Co-operative Society Sector Private Industry Retailing Registered Office 106-A, Govingi Keni Road, Naigaon, Dadar [East], Mumbai 400014 Role of Apna Bazaar: Apna bazaar plays a vital role by market intervention during the shortages of essential commodities. The distribution of these items is taken up by the Apna Bazaar at a loss to fulfill its social commitments. At times of need, Apna Bazaar has diverted its manpower and resources, even at the cost of its own commercial interest, for the public good. Objectives of Apna Bazaar: To undertake wholesale and retail distribution of consumer goods and essential commodities; and to establish department stores; To foster the growth products and new manufacturing units through market support and management advice To lower distribution costs and to introduce fair and better trading practices such as fixed prices etc; and Eradication of malpractices of traders black marketing, artificial scarcity, cheating in measurements, adulteration, etc. Necessity of time public distribution of essential commodities in rural and urban areas. Elimination of middlemen. Management and Organization: Apna Bazaar is headed by a management team comprising a chairman, vice chairman and Hon secretaries. The team largely provides direction to the organization and is not involved in the day-to-day affairs. The day-to-day affairs are managed by an executive team, which consists of a general manager, additional general manager and office bearers of the organization. Outlet Apna Bazaar has a customer base of over 12 lakhs. Apna Bazaar has 80 outlets in Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region. It has recently opened its first shop outside the state in Goa.The break up of the stores is: Items Sold By Apna Bazaar Apna Bazaar has the following three main categories of items: Agro products Branded products Rural products Apna Bazaar sells an immense variety of items through its various departments/retail outlets. These are described below: Furniture: All type of wooden furniture, steel furniture library furniture, hospital furniture, revolving chairs, computer furniture, mattresses, pillows, sofa cushion. Household: Steel utensils, aluminum utensils, non stock, gas stoves, locks, mixer-grinder, juice-cum-mixer grinder, hot-cases, room heater, room convector, geysers, all type of fans, electrical goods, washing machine, air-conditioners, water cooler, voltage stabilizer, generator set, crockery, flasks, plastic items, electrical bulb/tubes and tube fittings, table lamp, emergency light, cell, torch, electric wire, desert cooler, exhaust fans. Footwear: Shoes, sandals, ladies purse, belt, umbrella, school, bag, suit cases, brief cases, file box, file bag, luggage bag. Textile: Woolen suiting, tericot suiting and shirting, blanket, blazer, bed-sheets, pillow cover, dress material, all types of sarees, markein cloth, long cloth, voil, mulmul khadi etc. Handloom: Towels, dusters, curtain cloth, bed-covers, carpets, quilt, durries, jute matting, blankets, pillow covers, door-mats, PVC flooring. Ready Made Garments: Pants, shirts, undergarments, socks, sweaters, leather jackets, ladies suits, petticoats, children garments, rain coats, over-coats, mosquito mat, curtain tapes, machine oil, raxine. Stationery: All types of duplicating, typing, photocopies paper, printing paper, all types of rules registers in different sizes peon books, dak pads, pens, pencils, pen stands, eraser, markers, sign pens, gum-bottles scales, colours, art material, sealing wax, white fluid, sutle, stencil and carbon paper, all type of computer stationery, butter paper, crepe paper, glaze paper, graph paper, file covers, log books, all type of printed forms (Govt. offices), PVC sheet for binding purposes, transparency sheets, ledgers, cash books calculators, computer floppy, fax roll, typewriting ribbon, ammonia paper rolls. Watches: Watches of reputed companies like Titan. Grocery Toiletries: Pulses, spices, atta, rice, oils, tea leaves, and various other edible items, insecticides, disinfectants, phenyle, detergents, soaps, cosmetics, tissue rolls and napkins etc. Medical Surgical Equipment: All types of medicines, medical surgical equipment etc. Members Benefits: Dividend on shares at 12% to individuals, society and government. Purchase rebate on share amount 10% each year. Attractive rate of interest up to 9% on fixed deposit by the members. Facilities Offered By Apna Bazaar to Consumers: Apna Bazaar provides the following facilities to consumers: Quality products at reasonable prices. Variety of items under one roof. 24 hours drugs outlets. Self-service counters Items of high quality tested by its quality- testing laboratory. Display boards and price lists at various counters to enable the customer to make his/her choice. Home delivery, but this facility is only available for purchase from branches. Discount sales periodically on various items Location: The location for the store is selected taking in consideration the residential population in the area, the standard of living of the people, the amount of business the other shops are doing and also future development that are likely to take place in that area in future. Area covered: Apna Bazaar has 80 outlets in Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region. It has recently opened its first shop outside the state in Goa. However the density of Apna Bazaar is high in Naigoan and Chembur Space required: The minimum requirement of area for setting up Apna Bazaar is1000 sq.feet. The biggest store is at Vashi, which is spread across 27000 sq.feet. Target segments: The store was started keeping in mind the lower middle class section of the society. But gradually it has moved up the consumer ladder with the inclusion of the middle class as its target consumer. Now slowly it is drawing the upper class towards it. It now caters to almost all the segments of the society depending on the location. In order to attract the upper class to combat growing competition in the retail industry it is making changes in its product-mix. Change in product Mix: The above table indicates decline in the sales of Rice, Wheat, Pulses etc which shows the change in the food culture/consumption pattern of the consumer. It indicates that the consumers inclination towards ready-to-eat food is increasing. Taking this into consideration Apna Bazaar had made has made appropriate changes in its Product Mix. Slowly the Percentage of food grains, pulses has declined and that of FMCG products has increased. In a couple of years the percentage of poultry products in the product mix would increase whereas that of food grains pluses etc. would decline. This would further change the product -mix of Apna Bazaar. Store Layout: Layout of shop Apna Bazaar does not have any specific layout of shop. But in most of outlet the 1st division you would come out is Vegetable, Fruit, Medical product, food grains, and FMCG product. The only think that is kept under consideration that Heavy Product like 5kg. Sugar, 10kg. Wheat, 5 ltr. Oil is near cash counter for convenience of customer. In case of display they see to it that display at entrance is very colorful attractive. Hence they display cosmetics FMCG product. Besides product, which is new to the market, are also displayed to grab attention of consumer Product Display: The brands are displayed in a very attractive manner .The decision to place a Brand on a particular shall depends upon the Market share enjoyed by the company /Brand. Usually there are 5 Shelves. Out of which 2nd, 3rd 4th shelves are most important ones on which the brand with high market share or high brand equity are placed. These products are always in demand by the customers. Footfalls: In big stores, like the departmental store at Andheri, there are 2000 to 3000 footfalls in a day (on weekdays) on weekends there are around 3000 to 3500 footfalls. In small outlets there are around 100 footfalls on regular days .On weekends there are 200 to 250 footfalls. The footfalls are more especially on Sunday. The footfalls are more in evening between 6.30pm. 8.30pm .Whereas the footfalls are comparatively low during the afternoon slot of 1.30-3.30 pm. Keeping this in mind stores are closed down during this time. In this time the staff are rearrange the merchandise in the store. Sources of Income: Retailing is their core activity and a major part of their income come from the various retail outlets. They supply commodities like Dal, Pulses, Food grains, Cereals to Govt. Institutions, Hospitals for their Canteens. A 30 Days credit is given to them. They also earn income from the company racks that they display in their outlets. These racks contain the products of the particular company and the in turn pays Apna Bazaar for displaying these racks. E.g. Maggie, Colgate, Pepsodent, Vicks, Nescafe etc. They provide space to companies e.g. MEPL (Electronic goods) in order to display and sell their goods by charging rent for space provided. They have 37 Franchise outlets, which act as a source of income for Apna Bazaar as Apna Bazaar supplies 70% of goods. Provide place to banks for opening ATM center by charging rent since almost all the outlets are owned by Apna bazaar. MetLife India signed an agreement with Apna Bazaar Co-operative for selling life insurance policies. Based on the agreement, Apna Bazaar Co-operative shall become corporate agents for MetLife India and offer MetLife India products to its huge customer base. Henceforth Apna Bazaar will enable its customers to build financial freedom through MetLife India products based on need analysis. Apna Bazaar will receive a commission of 35% on Premium amount. Exports: Apna Bazaar is a 55 year old co-operative organization with US $ 37 million annual turnover through 07 departmental stores, 06 super markets 65 retail outlets. Apna bazaar used to export commodities like fish and grapes to Europe. In spite of good earnings on exports they have discontinued the exports from this year .Thus the reasons for the discontinuation were due to: The goods were seasonal in nature. In case of grapes the Jalgoan region in which grapes where cultivated was hit by drought, thereby by affecting the production of grapes. Besides the grapes were sprayed with certain chemicals which were banned in the European countries, thereby further affecting the exports. Besides exports is not Apna Bazaars core activity therefore the decision to discontinue exports was taken. SWOT Analysis: Strengths: Goodwill- Apna Bazaar has built its image over the years as a value for money store, which supplies good quality goods at economical price. Number of Outlets- Apna Bazaar has 80 outlets spread all over Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region, Lanza (Bombay-Goa road), among other places in Maharashtra. All these areas are easily accessible as public transportation is available. Hence providing easy accessibility to the customers. Team work- Although there is no training imparted to the employees at the outlets, there is co-ordination and understanding between them due to which the work goes on smoothly creating a win-win situation for both, the management and the employees. Modernization- Apna Bazaar makes use of modern technology to maintain correct supplier bills and giving accurate bills to customers giving details of each purchase and most importantly showing him the savings he has made while purchasing from Apna Bazaar. They also possess total details of their sales and the percentage of sales in each category so they know where the sales are high and where they are lagging behind. Genuine Products- The products of Apna Bazaar are genuine as they purchase it directly from the companies. Lots of imitations of consumables such as honey, oil, etc. are available in many stores. People get cheated, as it is not easy to identify them. CRM- Apna Bazaar organizes a customer meet for their regular customers called MELAVDA at their anniversary to build stronger relations with their customers. On this day, the customers are offered purchase discounts which show that they have taken corrective steps towards customer satisfaction. Weaknesses Capital- Raising capital for expansion and improvement is also a constraint. Apna Bazaar is bounded by the laws of consumer co-operatives due to which they cannot raise funds from open market. There is also limit prescribed by the consumer co-operatives for number of shares issued by Apna Bazaar. This is a major drawback for Apna Bazaar. Ageing society- Apna Bazar started after World War 2 when there was need of essential commodities at lower prices. But, after liberalization many super markets and hypermarkets have opened up due to which there is explosion of choices. Moreover, people today have the money to go for convenience shopping, and hence, the purpose for opening the co-operative is defeated. Obstacles in recruitment: Apna Bazar does not have the budget to recruit skilled staff. The employees are not well educated and hence, they are not aware of the management practices. A qualified employee demands higher salary, which cannot be given by Apna Bazaar due to their constraints. Hence they cannot appoint a MBA a managerial job. No online retailing: Apna Bazar does not have information about its products online. They should have their own website as it is very important in todays world. They could even learn about customer grievances by the feedback. Price fluctuation: Price Fluctuation is a major threat to Apna Bazar. If the product is bought at a higher price is has to be sold at that price only so as not to incur losses. For example, the price of oil fluctuates a lot. So if the price for oil is Rs. 820 for a can when it is purchased, it will be sold at Rs 820 per can even if the price falls to Rs. 800 per can. In this case the oil available from other shops will be cheaper. Opportunities Brand building: Apna Bazaar can take efforts to build its brand image. For this purpose, a marketing firm can he hired. This will attract more and more people to its outlets. Also, they have upgraded their outlets. This can be the base for attracting more customers as they will soon have all air conditioned stores. Expansion: Apna Bazaar can expand its outlets to other states. At present, they have discovered interests from Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The initiation is on the anvil. Development in suburbs: People are now moving in the suburbs; infrastructure is developing due to which there is huge potential to attract more customers. Retailing boom: Retailing today is not only about selling at the shop, but also about surveying the market, offering choice and experience to consumers, competitive prices and retaining consumers as well. The establishment of supermarkets and convenience stores has been a great effort to communicate the advantages of organized retailing to customers. Threats: Malls- There are a large number of malls that offer discounts the discounts offered by them are as good as those offered by Apna Bazaar because the malls purchase in bulk and can hence afford to give heavy discounts to the customers. The customer has an explosion of choices and will prefer shopping at these big malls because of the ambience. They get the complete shopping experience at malls. Hence, malls are a major threat for Apna Bazaar. Competition from other stores in terms of- Customer Centric Approach: Most other stores take feedback from the customers in form of grievances, opinions and suggestions. They can find out customer needs and ways to satisfy them. Image: Image of a private retailer is more modern and advanced compared to that of Apna Bazaar. The display is also more attractive in other super markets and hypermarkets compared to Apna Bazaar. Future Plans: Apna Bazaar plans to open outlets in the new housing colonies coming up in the interior suburbs like Kandivli and Thane. Increasing the distribution reach is a strategy to counter competition the co-operative plans to increase its outlets from 80 at present to about 100 by next year. This would comprise department stores, super markets, franchisee outlets and medical stores, both in Maharashtra as well as rest of the country. Apart from that, it has money transfer facility under an arrangement with Western Union money transfer. On the tie-up with HPCL for having Apna Bazaar outlets at the petrol pumps, so far three HPCL pumps have Apna Bazaar outlets and the results are still being analyzed. Apna Bazaar Co-operative has embarked on a restructuring exercise and has appointed Darashaw and Company as strategic consultants. The restructuring involves exiting certain business while adding more services, to be provided under its umbrella. The restructuring plan involves exiting out of businesses like export of fish and grapes, milk processing, manufacturing bakery products like biscuits and also pickles papads and spices. Online booking for provisions through the Net and a centralized system to control inventory are also on the anvil. To begin with the co-operative plans to have a dedicated call center for customers to phone in their requirements, which would then be delivered from the nearest Apna Bazaar outlet. An online presence, on the lines of Sangam Direct-the online initiative of HLL-is under consideration. To ensure minimum inventory and maximum rotation, the co-operative is planning to centralize its supply chain management. It is talking to FMCG majors like Tata, Nestle, HLL and PG to ensure rotation without building up much inventory. While the super markets would be serviced directly by the companies, the requirements of franchisee outlets would be met by Apna Bazaar to ensure better co-ordination. Apna Bazaar operates the Akshay Labh Yojana scheme wherein the customers can deposit Rs. 10,000 at any point of time in the year and get items worth Rs. 100 per month free. They also have term deposit schemes. Apna Bazaar has also entered into an eCRM tie-up with Venture Infotek, the e-infrastructure solutions provider, whereby Venture Infotek provides the integrated end-to-end solutions, with the shared infrastructure and payment-as-you-use payment mechanism, without investment in infrastructure. The first thing on Apna Bazaars plans is to work on all 365 days like other big players. Upgrading the skills of their manpower and create vehicle parking facility are also in their agenda. They plan to have a tie-up with Citibank on co-branding. Regarding credit card, they are on the verge of signing a MoU with SBI. As visual merchandising, a new way for presenting the products will be introduced. The National Consumers Co-Operative Federation has approached Apna Bazaar and enquired about the possibility of running department stores under the brand name Apna Bazaar in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Apna Bazaar is planning to open another outlet in Goa as they have got a good response from the supermarket. Recommendations: Government interference has had a major effect on the democratic setup of Apna Bazaar. Therefore, lesser dependence on government should be opted for. Government should help stores like Apna Bazaar with credit at cheaper interest rates. Apna Bazaar should improve their capital assets by enrolling more members and also introduce more product varieties. In the coming years, the economy will be dominated by the retailing sector. Times are changing, organizations are changing. Changing according to times is inevitable. Apna Bazaar has to change its traditional viewpoints. It should adopt new techniques and accept change wholeheartedly. Bringing qualitative changes in their skill and especially mindset will help it to survive competition. Apna Bazaar can open one outlet offering all the products it sells in the 80 outlets so that people get all products offered by Apna Bazaar under one roof. Other activities: Healthy child competition for member children. Ayurvedic camp conducted by apna bazaar every year in November. Consumer bulletins are printed and distributed to consumers, which gives them information about various products stored by them.

Stomach Stapling: Surgical Treatment For Obesity Essay -- Research Med

Stomach Stapling: Surgical Treatment For Obesity In today's society there is an increasing number of obese people despite the growing concerns about leading a healthy lifestyle. There are numerous programs, diets, medications, etc. that have been developed to aid weight loss efforts and weight maintenance. One field that is being rapidly explored is methods of surgical treatment for obesity. This paper will explore these surgical methods. In doing so it is important to also discuss the definition and measurement of obesity, programs that have been established and claim to aid weight loss efforts, candidates for this type of treatment, medical research that has been conducted and the risks involved in this type of treatment for obesity. The purpose of this paper is to correctly inform the reader about the claims of surgical treatment and the risks that are actually involved. Obesity: Definition and Measurement The term obesity is quite difficult to define for the mere fact that humans are highly individualistic and vary in weight and height. Therefore, a standardized definition of obesity is not inclusive. One definition of obesity is "a clinical term for excess body weight generally applied to persons who are 20% or more above a desired weight for height" (Williams, 1992, p.221). Another way to define obesity is simply as an "excess accumulation of body fat" (Perri, Nezu and Viegener, 1992, p.23); however, this definition seems to be simplistic because it does not explicitly determine what the percentage overweight should be in order to define a person as obese. Because there is no standard body weight, overweight is often measured by body mass index (BMI). Body mass index is calculated as follows: BMI=weight(in k... ...H Consensus Statement 1991, March 25-27; 9(1):1-20. Mason, E.E., Doherty, C., Maher, J.W., Scott, D.H., Rodriguez, E.M. and Blommers, T.J. (1987). Super obesity and gastric reduction procedures. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, 16, 495-502. Perri, Michael G., Nezu, A.M., and Viegener, B.J. (1992). Improving the Long Term Management of Obesity. New York: Wiley. Wadden, T.A. and VanItallie, T.B. (1992). Treatment of the Seriously Obese Patient. New York: Guilford Press. Williams, Sue R. (1992). Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy. St. Louis: Mosby-Year Book, Inc. http://www.commpro.com/thin/obesity.html http://www.commpro.com/thin/surgery.html http://www.ivanhoe.com/docs/backissues/lapband.html http://www-surgery.med.ohio-state.edu/divisions/genr/obesity.htm http://text.nlm.nih...ww/84txt.

Financial Analysis of Microsoft Corp. Essay

This report is issued in order to inform the public about Microsoft Corporation. We analyzed the profitability and liquidity of this company. In addition, we were able to provide recommendations for investments or credits in Microsoft for the best interest of the public. Profitability ratios refer to the relative measure to what an actual created profit. Through these ratios the company is allowed to see how profitable the company. In addition it can serve as an examination of the overall performance of the company’s operations and how do these compare to past performances or other companies. The ratios in which accounting measures the profitability of a company are Profit Margin, Price over Earnings, Return on Equity and Return on Assets. In terms of Profit Margin it has a high ratio, which means that our company is turning 76.3% more of each dollar that we sell. The results of this could be the increase in the quantity sold, increase in the price, and decrease in costs. Compared to Apple, whose profit margin ratio is 46.2%, Microsoft is able to be more profitable in terms of profit margin. The Price over Earnings ratio helps to determine how much does a share cost is compare to how much the company is earning and it is interpreted as how long it will take you to earn back what you invested in a company. In this case for someone who invests in Microsoft it will take them approximately 15.3 years, compare to Apple’s 13.5 years, to earn back the amount that they will invest. The Return on Equity ratio helps to measure the profitability of a company for the investor and how it manages its equity. In this case, Microsoft experiences a 10.3% of Return on Equity. Ideally, a company would like to have a higher Price over Earnings ratio; compared to Apple’s 51.5% Return o n Equity, Microsoft stands at a lower percentage which might not attract others to invest in the company. Return on Assets ratio evaluates how a company is able to produce a profit before being on debt; it reflects on the efficiency of the management. In this case Microsoft’s 5.9% was again below Apple’s 33.4% in its ratio. Cash Flows are the inflows and outflows of cash in a company, which are directly related to the revenues and expenses in Microsoft’s income statement. The Net Income that Microsoft recorded for 2012 was $16,978.00 and its Cash Flows from Operating Activities equaled to 31,626.00. In this case the company recorded higher cash flows from operating activities compared to its net income. This was a result of the company’s management on its current liabilities and its current assets. Also, the addition in depreciation and amortization, goodwill, and stock-based compensation; these accounts are not part of the cash flows yet they still make an impact on the income of the company. Liquidity being, that which represents how fast the company is able to convert its assets into cash, is denoted with various ratios. The current ratio (D) takes the current assets of a firm and divides them by the firm’s current liabilities. Currently Microsoft’s current ratio is 2.9, showing that its current assets exceeds its current liabilities. Apple Inc., which is Microsoft’s contender, has 1.6 for its current ratio indicating that it’s not as quick in converting its assets into cash. Another liquidity ratio is the quick ratio (E); this ratio is calculated by subtracting inventory from current assets and dividing that difference by the firm’s current liabilities. Microsoft’s quick ratio is 2.6, showing that the company is still doing well in converting its assets into cash even after removing its most liquid asset –inventory. Apple’s quick ratio is 1.1, which shows how much inventory constructs the company’s current assets. Microsoft has been doing very well within its liquidity measures and meets its obligations as they become due. When discussing solvency, we analyze ratios that measure the long-term liability of a business to pay off its debts. The times interest earned ratio (H) is a solvency ratio; taking earnings before interest and tax, and dividing that total by the interest expense. Microsoft’s times interest earned ratio is 87.7, showing that this firm is very successful especially before any interest or tax is deducted from its overall earnings. Apple’s times interest earned ratio could not be calculated due to the fact that their data didn’t indicate a specific interest expense to complete the equation. Another solvency ratio is the debt to equity ratio (I); taking the firms total liabilities and dividing that total by owners’ equity. Currently Microsoft’s debt to equity ratio is 0.8, showing that there is less risk among the firm’s financials. This also means that the company doesn’t rely too much on external lenders. Apple’s debt to equity ratio seems to also be within good standing because it is .5, so it doesn’t rely too much on external lenders either. Overall, both liquidity and solvency ratios represent how financially stable this company is within converting its current debt into cash as well as its long-term debt. In most cases Apple Inc. falls behind Microsoft Corp. within its short and long term debt solvency. When analyzing Microsoft’s capital structure the percentage of liabilities that construct the firm’s total assets is 42.87%. Showing that less than half of the firm’s total assets are represented by liabilities. Now the percentage of the total assets that are represented by stockholders’ equity is 57.12%. Showing that stockholder’s equity represents slightly more than half of Microsoft’s total assets. When analyzing the capital structure of Microsoft’s competitor Apple, there are distinct differences. The percentage of liabilities that construct the firm’s total assets is 36.06%. Showing that unlike Microsoft’s percentage of liabilities to assets, there are a lot fewer liabilities representing the total assets of the firm. Now the percentage of stockholders’ equity that constructs the total assets of the firm is 64.93%. Showing that more than half of the firm’s total assets are constructed out of its stockholders’ equity. Apple seems to have fewer liabilities supporting its total assets and a higher percentage of stockholders’ equity. Overall, it seems that Microsoft Corp. has a significantly different capital structure than that of its competitor Apple Inc.. IFRS refers to the International Financial Reporting Standards; it is a set of accounting standards constructed by an independent, not-for-profit organization called the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). IFRS provides regulation for the company to prepare its financial statements off of, rather than setting rules for industry-specific reporting. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is an independent, private-sector body based in London that currently develops and approves International Financial Reporting Standards. The IASB is thoroughly responsible for all technical matters of the IFRS Foundation including, the full discretion in developing and pursuing its agenda, subject to certain consultation requirements with the Trustees and the public, and exposure drafts, following the approval and issuing of Interpretations developed by the IFRS Interpretations Committee. Some of the differences between IFRS and GAAP is that IFRS is considered to be more of a principles based accounting standard whereas in contrast the U.S. GAAP is considered more of a rule based accounting standard. Under IFRS, the LIFO method for accounting for inventory costs is not allowed. Under U.S. GAAP, either LIFO or FIFO inventory can be used. The move to a single method of inventory costing could potentially enhanced similarities between countries, and removes the need for analysts to adjust LIFO inventories in their comparison analysis. The reporting for each would differ. For instance the treatment of intangible under U.S. GAAP is recognized at fair value, while under IFRS, it is only recognized if the asset will have a future economic benefit and has measured reliability. Under IFRS, if inventory is written down, the write down can be reversed in future periods if specific criteria are met. Under U.S. GAAP, once inventory has been written down, any reversal is prohibited. The potential adoption of IFRS is likely to impact not only reporting structures but also how individual transactions are captured and processed. In many cases, operating leases under GAAP could become finance leases under IFRS. Impacts could be mostly identified on taxes and balance sheet ratios. IFRS may generate running obligations sooner than under GAAP due to the â€Å"more likely than not† principle. Contracts would need to be evaluated carefully under GAAP. Based on the previous analyses of the company’s data I can say I would definitely loan money to Microsoft Corp. short-term and long-term. The liquidity of the company calculated using current ratio and quick ratio represents how fast the company is able to convert its assets into cash. Seeing that the firm showed signs of quick asset to cash turnover within both current and quick ratio, shows that they are able to pay off any loans they might incur. In contrast to Apple its contender, which had low ratios depicting negative signs of asset to cash turnover. When looking at the solvency measures, we can see the long-term viability of a business to pay off its debts. We used the times interest earned ratio and the debt to equity ratio to depict what trend this firm had with balancing debt. Microsoft seemed to show very high earnings before interest and taxes, which resulted in a high times interest earned ratio overall. This high ratio means that this firm has great ability in paying off its interest and debt; this serves to be another viable reason for Microsoft to be approved for a loan. Another solvency measure that was taken was through the debt to equity ratio, which represents the degree to which the assets of the business are financed by the debts and the shareholders’ equity of a business. This ratio showed that Microsoft’s overall business doesn’t rely too much on the external lenders of the company. It shows it can attain profit through its own activities, and therefore has overall less risk. Overall, due to the fact that Microsoft has quick asset to cash turnover, increasingly high earnings before interest and tax, and a low debt to equity ratio; Microsoft would be an ideal candidate for short and long term loans. When discussing whether an individual should buy, sell, or hold on the stock of this company, I would recommend the hold on stocks. Based on the profitability ratios, which help us calculate how a firm is performing, Microsoft, compared to its competition Apple, is behind in terms of profitability. Microsoft has a higher profit margin then Apple does; however, its price over earnings, returns on equity and returns on assets fall below its competition. This can be a discouragement for anyone who is interested in the company. Yet, even though Microsoft’s overall profitability is not as good as Apple’s profitability, there could be still a chance in which the company can provide investors with more profitable income since the company is not at risk. Thus, this could take longer then expected, that is why it is better to hold on the stocks of this company. So, I recommend this individual hold on their stocks and see how the turnout ends for the most recent advancements Microsoft has made as a company, and from those figures on either decide to sell or buy more stocks.