Thursday, October 31, 2019

Declarations of Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Declarations of Freedom - Essay Example   In the declaration of freedom, Elizabeth Cady Stanton writes about the declaration of Sentiments, in which she airs the sentiments of women in the fight for recognition and freedom. This was presented at the Women’s Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, in New York. In this conference attended by about three hundred people, only one hundred signed for the declaration. To elaborate further misunderstanding or less of it for the women’s plight, those who signed for it did so after it was revised and corrected. There are reasons that encouraged women to sit and jot down these sentiments. Among these are the misrepresentations in the legislative front, the fact that is fostered by their being denied elective rights. Men, also infringed on women’s rights to ownership of property as well as their right to pursue quality higher education, which left women under their control and mercy. Women, because of this oppression, felt worthless with little or no confidence in themselves. Men who struggle to dominate them in every aspect of life have trashed their self-respect. This renders women completely willing to live dependent on men and abjectly at that. It is because of these reasons that the declaration of sentiments was unveiled in the Women’s Right Convention. From the above points on discrimination of women, it is clear that the rights of women are not prioritized as compared to those of men. The latter group enjoys all the elective and representational rights that exist in the society. In addition, they also define what is considered okay for women to do, as well as what is not right. In the Cuban culture, women were similarly discriminated against just like in America before the united colonies gained their independence. This was before the revolution, 1959. Women were required to perform their roles as wives and homemakers, as opposed to being educated and independent individuals. For those who had the privilege of going to school , their academic potential was limited (Cuba Solidarity). They were required to give up their academic dreams for the sake of caring for their families.     

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Business Forecasting Using eViews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Forecasting Using eViews - Essay Example Some of their equipment failed in the market and they faced a multi-million-pound lawsuit. This led to a huge deficit in their pension fund. This was the cause of the major fall in their share prices in that period. From the analysis, the prices were performing better from that point onward and rose in an almost steady gradient. This was until the first quarter of 2005 when the share price fell slightly, then another steady rise to mid-2006. Subsequently, there was a drop of the index by about 50. The graph then rises and a number of more falls follow before the end of the sample period. Due to the noise of the graph, trend identification is difficult. A histogram illustrates a slightly clearer representation of the data, this helps with the noise problem. Due to the non-linearity and volatility of financial data, it is difficult to predict the level of the series at each period. The figure below is stationary, which makes it more predictable. It also depicts the first differences in the series. It shows the first differences of the Rolls Royce shares during the period 01/01/2000 and ending 31/12/2007. The differences in this period are stationary relative to their mean; their variance is relatively stable as well. There is a slight increase in the middle of the graph between mid-2002 and mid-2003. The first difference of the logarithms is the returns to share in the financial market. This is the representation of the value. The change or the first difference of Y is c. If the accurate prediction of the consequent references were possible from the series, then the next period would be an increment to the current level to achieve the next level. Reiterations for all higher levels takes place. The constant model expansion yields Financial data are very volatile due to the many factors that affect its behavior. This makes it very unpredictable.  

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Entrepreneurship for Small Businesses

Entrepreneurship for Small Businesses Entrepreneurship creates a new field of business, despite risks and uncertainty. To achieve profit and growth, a business must identify crucial opportunities and assemble the necessary resources to capitalize on them. Most forms of entrepreneurship are small scale businesses which begin targeting a specific class of customers. Entrepreneurship business has a bright vision according to the report by many studies. Starting business might be an opportunity for people who have been the unemployed, caused by economic recession. There are two important factors to keep creativity which is the ability to develop new ideas and to discover new ways of looking at problems and opportunities. Next innovation is the ability to apply creative solutions to problems and opportunities while enhancing or enriching peoples lives. Furthermore, the three steps to implement creativity and innovation are developing a strategic plan for a business using the nine steps in the strategic planning process, and building a marketing plan, pricing strategies, financial plan, and cash flow management. These will be necessary for a small business to be successful as well as a harmony with considering the opposite side opinions. Background of Current Economic Situation The condition of global economy is in the recession and that is evidence through various economic figures like the GDP, the rate of unemployment, crisis of subprime mortgage which is a huge economic crisis to intimidate the base of economy system caused by deficit of real estate by overestimation (Oshinsky, J., Fleishman, B., Murray, J., Fields, J., 2007). Aggregate supply which is a total amount of producing by companies in a country, and aggregate demand which is a total amount of consuming by customers in a country are getting to decrease (Vogel Jr., J., 2007). Especially unemployment rate influences the real living quality of people. The more the unemployment rate increases, the worse the quality of peoples living is. Moreover, the social instability is caused by the high rate of unemployment (Barrell, R. Holland, D., 2008). Considering Entrepreneurship as a Solution In this situation, the establishment of a small business and entrepreneurship is one of the solutions to decrease financial crisis such as a high rate of unemployment and deduction of the GDP. This will provide not only the opportunity to recover the loss of many unemployed workers and the GDP, but also create many jobs and products caused by new entry of small businesses. Furthermore, there are many other reasons to support entrepreneurship as a good alternative to solve the recession (Patterson, S., 1993). Common people still regard establishing a business as a risky challenge that could lead to big failure. It is usual that one who does not have confidence in his or her success might avoid establishing his or her own business. But, if there is a unique idea to be applied in a new business, and it is certain that a competitive business strategy plan and solid management could be settled based on thorough analysis regarding the new market, the result of small business would not be risky, and could make an amazing profit. Of course, maintaining a study for corresponding customers feedback and avoiding any potential drawbacks is an essential requirement for the success of small business (Carmona, J., 2008). The Positive Aspects of Entrepreneurship First of all, there are reasons why the entrepreneurship will be appropriate for recovering and restarting a career in the period of recent recession in two points of view. In a viewpoint of the individual entrepreneur, the entrepreneurship will be a chance to create your own destiny after resigning from your former profession. Owning a business provides entrepreneurs the independence and the opportunity to make their desire a reality. It is certain that the result of managing businesses should be required to their responsibilities if their businesses are successful or not. The small business will be an opportunity to make a difference because they see a chance to make a difference in a cause that is important to them. The entrepreneurs are always looking for ways to combine their concerns for social issues and their desires to earn a good living. Moreover, the entrepreneurs businesses become their instrument for self-expression and self-actualization. Their businesses are exciting and challenging for them. The entrepreneurs usually enjoy their businesses as their hobbies, not a work. Their success of businesses depends on their ability regarding how much they are creative, enthusiastic, and vision will be imposed from their potential capacity (Klein, K., 2008). Besides, the entrepreneurship will be a good opportunity to earn impressive profits. Many of them do become wealthy. For example, nearly 75 percent of those on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans are first generation entrepreneurs. According to research by Thomas Stanley and William Danko, self-employed business owners make up two thirds of American millionaires. Furthermore, small business owners are generally among the most respected and most trusted members of their communities. Business deals based on trust and mutual respect are the guarantees of many established small companies. These owners are proud of the trust and recognition they receive from the customers they have served faithfully over the years. A study by the National Federation of Independent Businesses found that seventy eight percent of Americans believe that small businesses exerts a positive influence on the countrys direction, a ranking exceeded only by science and technology (Zimmerer T. W. Scarborough N. M., 2008). Most advantage of the entrepreneurship is that owners of small businesses can make their hobbies their work, and they can enjoy their work with great interest and fun. Even though their business is not successful, they can satisfy just their working process because they have a business they enjoy and love (Shah, A., 2007). In a viewpoint of the contribution to society of the entrepreneurship, not only small companies lead the way in creating jobs, but they also take the brunt of training workers for them. One study by the Small Business Administration concluded that small businesses are the leaders in offering training and advancement opportunities to workers. Small companies offer more general skill instruction and training than larger ones, and their employees receive more benefits from the training than do those in larger firms. Even though their training programs tend to be informal, in-house, and on–the–job, small companies teach employees valuable skills, from written communication to computer literacy. Small businesses also produce fifty one percent of the countrys private GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and account for forty seven percent of business sales. In fact, the US small business sector is the worlds third largest economy, trailing only the entire US economy and China. Small companies also are incubators of new ideas, products, and services. Small firms actually create thirteen to fourteen times more innovations per research employee than large companies. Traditionally small businesses have played a role in innovation and they continue to do so today. Many important inventions trace their roots to an entrepreneur, including the zipper, FM radio, the laser, air conditioning, the escalator, the light bulb, the personal computer, and the automatic transmission (Stottlemyer, T., 2008). Likewise, the entrepreneurship business has a positive vision based on above facts. If the entrepreneurs want to make their business successful, they need a good plan to differentiate their business from other businesses. Thus, creativity about their business should be represented as one of the main factors of success. Creativity is not only an important source for building a competitive advantage, but it also is a necessity especially for survival of small business. Small businesses relatively have disadvantages for the high cost to produce goods and services, and narrow selling channels compared with big companies. Therefore, creativity is a very important part to motivate the company, making it more competitive in the market. Creative ideas would not be easy to be caught, thus should be found after the creative process which involves seven steps (Spence, R., 2006). Preparing for Entrepreneurship The first step is the preparation that includes a formal education, on the job training, work experience, and taking advantage of other learning opportunities. These ways can provide a foundation on which to build creativity and innovation. For instance, the adaptation of attitudes of a lifelong student will assist owners of small businesses to establish and manage their businesses. Every situation you meet will be an opportunity to learn about the business. Reading many writings even if it is not in your field of profession, will be a source of creativity and innovation which are frequently originated from blended ideas and concepts in various fields of different expertise. In addition, gathering articles related to your small business should be the great guide book to bring the information from which to draw ideas and inspirations. Furthermore, joining professional and trade associations and attending their meetings will be a chance to brainstorm with others who have similar interests. You can learn how others solved specific problems, which will give you new insight to solve your problems of business. Besides, there are practical plans to prepare for creativity like investing time in studying other countries and their cultures. This offers incredible business opportunities for entrepreneurs with necessary knowledge and experience by your global experiences. The second step is the investigation which requires one to develop a solid understanding of the problem, situation, or decision. To create new ideas and concepts in a particular field, an individual must first study the problem and understand its basic components. Creative thinking comes about when people make careful observations of the world around them and then investigate the way things work (Zimmerer T. W. Scarborough N. M., 2008). The third step is the transformation which involves viewing the similarities and the differences among the information collected. This phase requires two types of thinking: convergent and divergent. Convergent thinking is the ability to see the similarities and the connections among various and often diverse data and events. Divergent thinking is the ability to see the differences among various data and events (Zimmerer T. W. Scarborough N. M., 2008). The fourth step is the incubation which is concerned about the time of subconscious needs to reflect on the information collected. To an observer, this phase of the creative process would be quite boring; it looks as though nothing is happening. In fact, during this phase, it may appear that the creative person is loafing. Incubation occurs while the individual is away from the problem, often engaging in some totally unrelated activity. Working on the problem or opportunity in a different environment helps stimulate your creativity (Zimmerer T. W. Scarborough N. M., 2008). The fifth step is the illumination which occurs at some point during the incubation stage when a spontaneous breakthrough causes â€Å"the light bulb to go on.† In the illumination stage, all of the previous stages come together to produce the â€Å"Eureka factor†- the creation of the innovate idea. In one study of two hundred scientists, eighty percent said that at least once a solution to a problem had â€Å"just popped into their heads†- usually when they were away from the problems (Zimmerer T. W. Scarborough N. M., 2008). The sixth step is the verification. For entrepreneurs, proving an idea as accurate and useful may include conducting experiments, running simulations, test marketing a product or service, establishing small scale pilot programs, building prototypes, and engaging in many other activities designed to verify that the new idea will work and is practical to implement. The goal is to subject the innovative idea to the test of cold and hard reality (Zimmerer T. W. Scarborough N. M., 2008). The seventh step is the implementation. The main purpose of this step is to transform the idea into reality. Many people come up with creative ideas in order to promise new products or services, but most never take them beyond the idea stage. What sets entrepreneurs apart is that they act in their ideas. An entrepreneurs final goal is to make their innovative ideas in the reality successfully (Zimmerer T. W. Scarborough N. M., 2008). Designing a Competitive Business Model After establishing creative ideas which are differentiated from other competitors, entrepreneur needs to design a competitive business model. Obviously the number of strategies from which the small business owner can choose is enormous. But, there are three basic strategies remain permanently. First one is cost leadership. A company pursuing a cost leadership strategy strives to be the lowest cost producer relative to its competitors in the industry. Low cost leaders have a competitive advantage in reaching buyers whose main purchase criterion is price. They have the power to set the industrys price floor. This strategy works well when buyers are sensitive to price changes, when competing firms sell the same products and compete on the basis of the price , and when companies can benefit from economies of scale. Not only is a low cost leader in the best position to define itself in a price war, but it also can use its power to attack competitors with the lowest price in the market. Next is the differentiation. A company following a differentiation strategy seeks to build customer loyalty by positioning its goods and services in a unique or different fashion. That enables the business to command higher price for its products or services than competitors. The key of differentiation is to be special at something that is important to the customers. In other word, a business strives to be better than its competitors at something customers value. Last one is the focus strategy which recognizes that not all markets are homogeneous. In fact, there are many different customer segments, each having different needs, wants, and characteristics. The principal idea of the focus strategy is to select one or more market segments, identify customers special needs, wants, and interests, and approach them with a good or service designed to excel in meeting these needs, wants, and interests. Focus strategies build on the differences among market segments. Fro instance, most markets contains a population of customers who are willing and able to pay for the premium goods and services, giving small companies the opportunity to follow a focus strategy aimed at the premium segment of the market. Strategic Management Entrepreneur should plan the strategic management process. Generally small companies that lack clear strategies may achieve some success in the short run, but as soon as competitive conditions stiffen or an unanticipated threat arises, they usually â€Å"hit the wall† and fold. Without a basis for differentiating itself from a pack of similar competitors, the best a company can hope for is mediocrity in the marketplace. In todays intensely competitive global environment, entrepreneurs who are not thinking and acting strategically are putting their businesses at risk. Strategic management is the mechanism for operating successfully in a chaotic competitive environment. The goal of developing a strategic plan is to create for the small company a competitive advantage which is the aggregation of factors that sets the small business apart from its competitors and gives it a unique position in the market. Every small firm must establish a plan for creating a unique image in the minds of its potential customers. A company builds a competitive edge on its core competencies, which are a unique set of capabilities that a company develops in key operational areas, such as quality, service, innovation, team building, flexibility, responsibilities, and others, that allow it to get over past competitors. They are what the company does best and are the focal point of the strategy. This step must identify target market segments and determine how to position the firm in those markets. Entrepreneurs must identify some way to differentiate their companies from competitors. The initiate step of developing a strategic plan is that developing a clear vision and translating it into a meaningful mission statement. Highly successful entrepreneurs are able to communicate their vision to those around them. The firms mission statement answers the first question as what business am I in? The mission statement sets the tone for the entire company. The second step is assessing the companys strengths and weaknesses. Strengths are positive internal factors; weaknesses are negative internal factors. The third step is scanning the environment for significant opportunities and threats facing the business. Opportunities are positive external options; threats are negative external forces. The fourth step is identifying the key factors for success in the business. In every business, key factors that determine the success of the firms in it, and so they must be an integral part of a companys strategy. Key success factors are relationships between a controllable variable and a critical factor influencing the firms ability to compete in the market. The fifth step is that analyzing the competition. Business owners should know their competitors business almost as well as they know their own business. A competitive profile matrix is a helpful tool for analyzing competitors strengths and weaknesses (Shah, A., 2007). The sixth step is to create company goals and objectives. Goals are the broad, long-range attributes that the firm seeks to accomplish. Objectives are quantifiable and more precise; they should be specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, timely, and written down. The process works best when managers and employees are actively involved. The seventh step is to formulate strategic options and select the appropriate strategies. A strategy is the game plan the firm plans to use to achieve its objectives and mission. It must center on establishing for the firm the key success factors identified earlier. The eighth step to translate strategic plans into action plans. No strategic plan is complete until the owner puts it into action. The last step is to establish accurate controls. Actual performance rarely matches plans exactly. Operating data from the business assembled into a comprehensive scorecard serve as an important guidepost for determining how effective a companys strategy is. This information is especially helpful when plotting future strategies (Shah, A., 2007). Marketing Strategy After that, building a marketing plan is necessary for entrepreneurs to act their managing strategies in reality, which is the process of creating and delivering to customers including all of activities related to winning and retaining loyal customers. Thus, marketing plan focus on the companys target customers and how to satisfy their needs and wants. Solid marketing plan should determine customer needs and wants through market research, and pinpoint the specific target markets the company will serve. Furthermore, after analyzing the firms competitive advantages and building a marketing strategy, entrepreneurs should create a marketing mix for their customers (Spence, R., 2006). Entrepreneurs should understand where in their customers product life cycle lately. They also focus on choosing the appropriate channel and place of distribution and using it efficiently. Setting the right price for their products or services is pretty hard because this work need to utilize the statistic data and catch the emotion of customers regarding their products. At the end of marketing strategy, owners of small businesses should develop a promotion for their products including advertising, personal selling, creating events, and guerilla marketing that is a kind of marketing promotions focused on emphasizing unique comparative advantages relative to other competitors (Spence, R., 2006). Opposite Side Opinion People who have opposite opinions against entrepreneurship point out ten potential risks. First is management mistake that is the primary cause of business failure. Sometimes the owner of a small business lacks the leadership ability, sound judgment, and knowledge necessary to make the business work. Second is lack of business experience which indicates that most entrepreneurs tend to be beginners to be easy to make management mistakes in their own businesses. Third one is poor financial control. Effective managers realize that any successful business venture requires proper financial control. Business success also requires having a sufficient amount of capital on hand at start-up. Undercapitalization is a common cause of business failure because companies run out of capital before they are able to generate positive cash flow. Entrepreneurs tend to be overly optimistic and often misjudge the financial requirements of going into business (US Recession Would Hurt, 2008). Fourth one is weak marketing efforts that means entrepreneurs tend to misunderstand the marketing efforts. For example, owners of small businesses usually believe their businesses will make a great number of customers automatically, but it almost never happens in reality. Building a growing base of customers requires a sustained and creative marketing effort. Keeping customers coming back requires providing customers with value, quality, convenience, service, and fun. Fifth thing is failure to develop a strategic plan. Many small business managers ignore the process of strategic planning because they think that is something that benefits only large companies. Without a good defined strategy, a business has no sustainable basis for creating and maintaining a competitive edge in the marketplace. Establishing a strategic plan drives entrepreneurs to assess realistically a proposed businesss potential. Sixth thing is uncontrolled growth. Business growth is a natural, healthy, and desirable part of any business, but it must be planned and controlled. As the business increases in size and complexity, problems increase in magnitude, and the entrepreneur must learn to deal with them. Seventh thing is poor location. Business location are often selected without proper study, investigation, and planning. Some beginning owners select a particular location just because they found a vacant building. The sales business should be influenced heavily by choice of location. Eighth is improper inventory control. Insufficient inventory control results in shortages and stockouts, causing customers to become disillusioned and leave. More common situation is that the manager has not only too much inventory, but also too much of wrong type of inventory (Zimmerer T. W. Scarborough N. M., 2008). Ninth is incorrect pricing. Small business owners usually underprice their products and services for making strong competition. Establishing accurate prices is to know what a product or service costs to make or to provide. Then, business owners can establish prices that reflect the image they want to make for their companies with an observation on the competition. Tenth is inability to make the Entrepreneurial Transition. After the start up, growth usually requires a radically different style of management, one that entrepreneurs are not necessarily good at. Growth requires entrepreneurs to delegate authority and to relinquish hands-on control of daily operations, something many entrepreneurs simply can not do (Zimmerer T. W. Scarborough N. M., 2008). Suggestions for solving opposite side Entrepreneurs must know their business field in depth. Small business owners should get the best education in their business area before they set out on their own business. Small business managers have to become serious students of their industry to analyze and examine their industry for their success. Reading trade journals, business periodicals, books, and research reports related to their industry, which can guide entrepreneurs to the success. Moreover, personal contact with suppliers, customers, trade associations in the same industry is another excellent way to get that knowledge. Small business owners should develop a solid business plan that is a crucial ingredient in preparing for business success. Well written and planned business plan not only provide a pathway to success, but it also creates a benchmark against which an entrepreneur can measure actual company performance. This planning process drives entrepreneurs to ask and answer some difficult, challenging, and crucial questions. Managing financial resources is also essential part for entrepreneurs to run their business successfully. The best defense against financial problems is to develop a practical information system and then use this information to make business decisions. The first step in managing financial resources effectively is to have adequate start up capital. Estimating initial capital as much double as entrepreneurs expect will be good for starting a business because many costs that entrepreneurs do not expect will come out at the beginning time. The most valuable financial resource is cash. Even though earning a profit is essential to its long term survival, a business must have an appropriate supply of cash to pay its bills and obligations. Managing cash is one of entrepreneurs primary abilities to maintain their business. Owners in small businesses have to understand financial statements what is going on in the business. These financial statements are reliable indicators of small businesses health. They can be helpful in realizing potential problems like declining sales, slipping profits, rising debt, and deteriorating working capital that are symptoms of potentially critical problems which require immediate attention. No matter what kind of business entrepreneurs launch, entrepreneurs must learn to manage people. Every business depends on the foundation of well trained, motivated employees. Business owner can not do everything alone. In the end, most dominant sustainable resource is the good quality of the people entrepreneurs have. Starting business is like running a marathon. If entrepreneurs are not physically and mentally prepared, entrepreneurs had better do something different. The success of business depends on entrepreneurs constant presence and attention. It is critical to monitor a business condition constantly. Also successful entrepreneurs recognize that their most valuable asset of their time, and they learn to manage it effectively to make themselves and their companies more productive. Conclusion Entrepreneurship is not ultimate solution for solving recession, but it can be one of primary alternatives to help people come out of economic recession. Although there are risks to start a business, entrepreneurship have many advantages to be valuable for challenging new industry. For instance, good opportunity to earn impressive profits, making hobbies main work, and the contribution to society is representative advantages of entrepreneurship. Therefore, considering the opposite opinions, building solid managing strategy and marketing plan, maintaining a study for corresponding customers feedback must make entrepreneurship successfully.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Lady Macbeth is a Feminist Role Model and a Despicable Human Being Essa

This fall, the second instalment of the Hunger Games trilogy was released in theatres. The main character, Katniss Everdeen, is a brave, intelligent, female character with an exceptional level of physical and inner strength. Even 50 years ago it would have been considered unacceptable to present this type of female in entertainment and media has made significant strides when representing women in such a positive way. Yet in the 16th century, Shakespeare crafted a character that shared many of the same traits as Katniss while simultaneous pleasing an audience with traditional views on femininity. As a result, Lady Macbeth is a feminist role model before the rise of feminist ideology in the mainstream and a truly evil person as well. Lady Macbeth is shown to be a leader as it is her ambition that is the driving force behind the murder plot and her husbands actions. She had the strength to go through with the plan to kill King Duncan and holds it together for both she and Macbeth afte r the muder is complete. Finally, in elizabethan England the idea that a women could be capable of such evil wrongdoing would have been inconceivable. The fact that Lady Macbeth had murderous thoughts makes her equal to the men she was surrounded by. It is through these points that Lady Macbeth’s character can be both vilified and explored as a feminist role model. An audience who would have attended Macbeth in the 16th century would have believed that women we're incapable of ambition and leadership. Lady Macbeth shatters this when she latches onto the idea that Macbeth will be king and creates a plot to murder Duncan. While Macbeth is hesitant about assassinating the current monarch, Lady Macbeth doesn't have a second though; she tells her husband... ...he makes a plea to â€Å"Make thick my blood. Stop up the access and passage to remorse† (1. 5. 33-37). Her character broke down the notion that women are somehow more pure than men. She does an awful thing and as a result she sheds a light on the difference between the evil in men and women, there is none. If Shakespeare was alive today the story of Macbeth might have gone a little differently. People are multidimensional, they can be motivated by terrible thing and feel hesitation and guilt for these forces at the same time. As a result, Lady Macbeth could be the only Macbeth if the play has been written after the 20th century. She is both the face of women in power and a prime example of what happens when power gets the best of you. Lady Macbeth uses her ambition, leadership skills, emotional strength, and sheer absence of remorse to gain the throne for her husband.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Essay

Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. There are lot of many thing which is helped to improve way of living , The one of the example is preparing food is became easier. The reason why living style or way of living is improved is discussed in the below paragraphs. First , in the market there are different types of foods are available for example : fruits, fast food, mills, cooked food. Depend on the need the people buy their food. One of them fast food is easy to prepare and everywhere available in the market. Imagine your naive to preparing any kind of food and you have no other option other than preparing our-self. That time you try to cook the food which is easy to prepare , so that it will save your time, money and energy. To prepare food easily, technology is also helping which is countable in improving people way of living. For example : Microwave , refrigerator , cooker etc. Consider , thousands of student/professionals are buying easy to prepare foods then demand of food market will increase. The number of food developing company / Factory will be increased in the city / village. The number of employment will increase in the town , so that everyone will be earning good amount of money and it will help to improve their life and the way of living in the society. Second, we cannot compromise the health while preparing the any food. Normally every easily prepare food which is actually available at authentic market place for example wall mart , malls etc. So they keep the food within the expiry date. People who want to lose the fat or increase the proteins or people who are on diet. Food companies help them by writing the quantity of Fats , protean, and vitamins. So we can control the our body needs and control the health. On the other hand , when i was student. My college time , study time , assignment time , other activity don’t allow me to prepare food in less time with a good taste , even i was not the perfect cooker. That time I used fast cooking foods and bought some devices which is helpful to prepare food fast. That mean time I’ve used in my extra activities. Foods price was moderate and devices was bit expensive but it was worth to buy it. There are many companies are working on to reduce the price of the foods as well as the price of technology which is used to prepare the food easily , so that people can buy food and prepare it without consuming time and energy. Conclusion , above reason and example state directly or indirectly people changed the way of live by saving time and helping economy.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Industry Analysis: Airline Companies Essay

The airlines industry contains diverse types of players that compete in distinctive niches each with different business models. Airline companies owned by the State characterized the airlines industry into the 1980s. Because of privatization, this model no longer exists in Europe or in the U.S., but it is still present in Asia and Africa. Standard airline companies offer scheduled flights with flight connections, at least two classes on board, and other services such as in-flight entertainment, frequent flyer program airport lounge, food, etc. The majority of their revenues are earned through ticket sales. Low-cost airline companies offer scheduled flights with only one class on board and without additional service on board like in-flight entertainment, frequent flyer programs, airport lounges, etc. Their business model is different from the standard company because they have a different form of income through the ticket price. Ryanair and EasyJet fall into this category. Regional airline companies offer scheduled flights, usually with small airplanes and for short distances; they previously worked on behalf of other big airline companies (standard, major, government-owned) some of which owned a regional company to provide short route flights. Examples are US Airways Express owned by US Airways and Air Dolomiti owned by Lufthansa. Cargo airline companies offer freight transport. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines like Air France Cargo or Alitalia Cargo, but there are also independent companies like DHL and FedEx. Industry competitors are also known to build alliances. Reasons for airline companies to build alliances: scale economies, access to markets or technology, market power, and lower operating costs. Many alliances start as a code-sharing network whose benefits are cost reductions from sharing of sales offices, investments and purchases in order to negotiate extra volume discounts, operational staff (g round handling personnel and check-in and boarding desks), and operation facilities (catering or computer systems). We can find drivers for different types of alliances and divide them into three categories: deregulation of the industry, changes in customer preferences, and changes in technology and infrastructure. Deregulation has opened up the market and led to intensifying competition and consequently a battle to secure market presence and decreased costs. Changes in customer preferences comprise such factors  as overall globalization of businesses, the diminishing role of airline nationality in customers’ choices and the preference by customers for high flight frequencies, and seamless connections to nearly any point in the globe. Technological and infrastructural changes include the introduction of medium size long-range aircrafts and the development of sales and distribution technology (i.e. the Internet and many airports in many areas). The strength of buying power that firms face from their customers, and thus the sharing of the value created by the transactions, depends on two fa ctors: buyer’s price sensitivity and their relative bargaining power. The airline industry shows two sources of potential price sensitivity. First, the importance of flight cost as a proportion of total cost of travel; this is exemplified in leisure travel where price typically represents twenty-five percent of total travel costs. The exact percentage varies depending on the length and type of travel, and increases in the non-liberalized markets. Secondly, the low or non-existent differentiation perceived by the customers increases the willingness of the buyer to switch airlines on the basis of price. Deregulation has increased price competition and has exposed buyers’ price sensitivity. A study by Gillen, Morrison and Stewart found substantial demand elasticity. It established that business travelers are usually less price-sensitive (less elastic) than leisure travelers, and that elasticity on short-haul routes are generally higher than on long-haul routes, a result explained by the presence of potential substitute for the first. The bargaining power of buyers relative to that of the seller is considerably by the size and concentration of buyers relative to producers as well as the buyers’ switching costs. The airline industry has achieved 598 billion of revenue in 2011, carrying 2.75 billion passengers. These figures clearly show that a large number of buyers have very small individual purchases compared to industry revenue, thus losing a single traveler has a low impact on the total revenue. Although we can say that this first factor is favorable for the airlines, in the airline industry switching costs are relatively low, because of the minimal search costs to find alternative suppliers, and learning costs, linked to the specific knowledge required to use a product, as well as the total absence of emotional cost, and psychological and social risk. Airline companies have successfully tried to increase them through frequent flyer programs, which  create advantages to the customer for their loyalty. Finally we can state that the relative bargaining power of buyers is medium, because of the opposite effects of the two described factors. However, when considering the high price sensitivity and the relative economic power of buyers their share of the created value is relatively high. Prices and profits within an industry depend on buyers’ propensity to substitute its products with existing alternatives based on their prices and performance. Air transportation does not have any perfect substitutes for intercontinental flights, however, short-haul routes, have potential substitutes: car, bus, and train. Cars are higher in convenience, allowing the traveler to reach the place nearest the final destination, but are limited by potential traffic and other complications. Moreover the trend of rising gas prices in recent decades has dramatically reduced the feasibility of driving. Busing is a similar substitute to driving, but is less convenient though frequently less expensive. We consider trains to currently act as the main substitute to air transportation. The development of high-speed rails, mainly in Europe and Asia, allows for a huge decrease in the transportation time by train. Considering that trains are often cheaper than flights and allow travelers to reach a destination nearest their final one, they represent a formidable substitute for air transportation. We observed the existence of high supplier power in the airlines industry. These suppliers predominantly consist of airplane providers, airports, labor unions, and fuel providers. These suppliers increase competition in the airline industry as well as decrease the profit potential for airlines by raising prices, decreasing product quality, and by making products scarce. Boeing (US) and Airbus (EU) largely dominate the global airline supply industry. The reduction in product availability resulting from long waitlists, including Boeing’s three years waiting period for the 777 jet, and design/production delays cause complications for airlines attempting to update or expan d their fleets. The new airplanes are designed to increase fuel-efficiency therefore, delays to upgrade may result in higher fuel costs and airlines that do not plan accordingly may also spend more on maintenance and repair costs. Airlines’ technological competitive advantage may largely depend upon being at the top of the waiting list. Boeing and Airbus have the advantage of scarce product availability and expensive prices which gives them high supplier power.  Airlines must pay airport-landing fees. Each airport has different rates for landing fees that are based a measurement of aircraft size that is also unique per airport. In 2007 IAD charged $2.13 per 1,000 pounds of maximum landing weight. This price is on the lower end of a spectrum that can peak around $4.59 charged by DFW the same year. High traffic airports will charge greater airport-landing fees knowing that airlines will pay them in order to have access to those customers. Although the airports’ supplier power is not as high as the airplane providers, they still have a high supplier power because they are able charge higher prices. In addition, the majority of airline industry labor is unionized, which contributes to high supplier power in the industry. This means that in the event of disagreements between airlines and their employees there is an organized system for the employees to unite under. Unions include, Association of Flight Attendants, the Air Line Pilots Association, National Association of Air Traffic Controllers, and the Transport Workers Union. Collective bargaining by these unions raises the cost of labor for airlines making it more difficult to compete on a low cost strategy. Rising fuel costs are also a constant struggle for airlines to maintain. Fuel costs are estimated to be approximately thirty percent of operating cost for each airline. Some companies combat this by hedging costs, but even with these measures airlines have very little control over fuel prices. The ability of fuel providers to decrease the profit potential for airlines and increase fuel costs gives them high supplier power. The capital investment required to start an airline industry alone is a huge barrier to entry. Some of the required equity includes many fixed assets that lead to low profit margins and perhaps the lowest return on equity among competing airlines. The industry is also characterized by a large contribution margin; variable costs are particularly low compared to fixed. Variable costs are: landing fees, paid by the carriers according to the number of passengers, and catering and selling fees, paid mainly to online sellers and travel agencies. Staff, fuel, airplane maintenance and leasing, and amortization and depreciation determine fixed costs. Given the high contribution margin, volatility in the volume of passengers seriously impact companies’ operating profit losing a customer means a large loss for the company. Government regulation limited competition with rules about prices and routes, but deregulation drove the  industry towards ticket price competition. Because of this the traditional business model became unsustainable for almost everyone already present in the business. The deregulation of the airline industry has also given rise to the competitive pricing environment, which enables airlines to freely set price s in order to compete. Airlines have created complex pricing models that essentially improve their service to customers. With the combination of affordable ticket prices and increased availability of travel options, the total customer base has increased significantly. Moreover this difficult situation is compounded because of the low switching cost and lack of brand loyalty. Depending on geographical location and competition, the airports and airplanes comprise such a significant portion of the cost that it is very challenging for any airline to make a profit. Large airlines are able to offset these costs with economies of scale. Airlines must invest in R&D, technology, and management in order to provide services to customers at some profit. Large airlines have also established a global presence that makes it extremely difficult for small, local startup airlines to gain some degree of advantage. A hub of concentrated alliances in vital geographical locations also make it difficult for new airlines to compete. Such alliances provide a network among allies that enable them to efficiently capitalize on their marketing and advertising strategies. Large marketing and advertising efforts are spent in the hope of capturing a large share of the market, and frequent flyer programs are created in an effort to secure this market share. Nevertheless, the regulatory hurdles within the airports are extremely challenging for new entrants. There are a number of federal requirements that airlines must obtain within an airport to include the use of airfields, terminal facilities, limitations on capacity, specifically take-offs and landings, to resolve the issue of air traffic congestion. In addition, the bargaining power of suppliers makes it difficult for new airlines to enter. Today, the two major airline suppliers, Airbus and Boeing, have already established exclusive agreements with firms within their value chain that make it very difficult for new entrants to enter the industry. The high-risk of the airline industry is one of the aspects that make it very unattractive. In the firm analysis we wish to focus and understand how a traditional flagship company and a new low cost carrier has faced this strategic challenge in an unattractive industry. Ryanair The Ryan family with little capital and a staff of twenty-five people founded Ryanair in 1985. In 1986 Ryanair obtained permission from the regulatory authorities to challenge the British Airways and Aer Lingus, flagship of Ireland, a high fare duopoly on the Dublin-London route. In 1991, after an uncertain start and loss accounts, Michael O’Leary got the task of restructuring the company by adopting the economic model â€Å"low fares / no frills†, which was used successfully by Southwest Airlines. In 1995, Ryanair overtook Aer Lingus and British Airways to become the largest passenger airline on the Dublin-London route (the biggest international scheduled route in Europe) proving that Ryanair’s low fares, high frequency formula continues to win acceptance in every market between Ireland and the UK. The European Union finally completed the â€Å"Open Skies† deregulation of the scheduled airline business thereby enabling airlines to compete freely throughou t Europe. In January 2000, Ryanair launches Europe’s largest booking website – www.ryanair.com and becomes the only source of low airfares in Europe. Ryanair spotted opportunities in the market arising from the inefficient traditional business model adopted by the flagship companies; issues such as inflexible labor roles, high staff numbers and salaries, and extravagant airport fees could work adequately only within the previous regulatory constraints. In this environment Ryanair has been able to build a cost competitive advantage that offers air transportation services that are more valuable to its customers than similar offers for a simple reason, price. The airline, in its effort to achieve becoming the lowest cost European airline, has implemented a double faced strategy: it has completely changed its core and complementary services mix and it strives to reduce costs in any possible way, thus dramatically reducing its the core service, air transportation, price, and created new sources of revenue. Ryanair has a different kind of revenue in respect to the other airline carriers. For standard airline companies revenue is made by ticket prices, but not for Ryanair. The goal of the firm is to grow the number of passengers through cost reduction, which allows the company to offer low-ticket prices. Ryanair targets price sensitive consumers, such as young people or occasional travelers that usually use substitute products like trains and cars. The company offers tickets for a price that does not allow  them to cover all operative costs, but their cost structure is built so they get other revenue from additional services. Ryanair charges their customers for the accessory services they offer; the only service that is included in the ticket price is the flight. There is no food service during the flight, there are no assigned seats on the plane, customers must pay for checked baggage, and they pay an extra fee for booking with a credit card. These service charges account for the thir ty percent of the company’s total revenue. On average they charge every passenger 10.8â‚ ¬ when the normal price of a one-way ticket is 50â‚ ¬. With this business model the company does not need to hire as many employees because some the services are provided by the customers, one example is the check in line that is mandatory if you do not want to pay 50â‚ ¬ for every boarding card. This has brought the company to an important cost advantage position with respect to competitors, and their cost structure allows them to win every price war battle. Under the guidance of O’Leary, Ryanair has always sought to reduce its costs, sometimes â€Å"maniacally†. The first element of this effort is their fleet. The company’s fleet history can be split into two epochs. In the beginning, Ryanair followed the behavior a lot of small low-cost companies and bought whatever best met its needs in terms of price, passenger volumes, and financing abilities, this resulted in a fleet with many different types of aircra fts with many different capacities and requirements. This attitude changed in 2002 when Ryanair ordered a hundred of Boeing 737-800, its first move in creating a standardized fleet. Currently the airline has a fleet of 305 Boeing 727-800s with a unique design characterized by having the maximum density possible and the lowest average age among competitors. All these features allow for lower maintenance costs, training costs, fuel consumptions, and cheaper parts and equipment supplies. Regarding aircraft usage, Ryanair has some particular features, mainly focused on reducing turnaround time and fuel consumption, such as choosing to land at secondary, less congested, airports, avoiding large hubs, relying on point to point routes thus maximizing aircraft flying time, and imposing strict fuel consumptions limits on its pilots to avoid repetitive refueling. Ryanair’s human resource policy clearly shows its effort to cut costs. Personnel, both cabin crew and pilots, has a dominant variable component on salary, this is based on hours flown, the same or increased duties relative to other airline  employees, training, uniform costs at the employees own expense, and no trade union representation. Despite the inevitable high turnover ratio and disgruntled employees, these policies allow the company to have a very flexible and relatively cheap labor force. Another important cost advantage is in flying to secondary airports; this policy allows the company to dramatically reduce its fees cost. Frequently Ryanair is the only one that carries in these airports, therefore their and all the linked business’ subsistence revolves around the company having a large bargaining power and some government subsides. Ryanair changed the environment of the industry. Before air transportation was perceived like an elite way of travelling, in fact high prices of the tickets pushed people to use substitutes for the short haul routes, such as car and train. Ryanair’s prices changed the people mind, allowing airplanes to be used more often for short vacation on weekends or even daily. Its main competitor is EasyJet, which uses a â€Å"lighter† low cost business model, focusing on different kind of customers such as business travelers, although with lower margins. The two main differences are its use of primary airports, giving more convenience to the customers, and its unionized labor force. Our analysis regarding to the potential recommendation for Ryanair has started from the consideration that its business model has been successful in facing the challenge and we have identified three possible directions. First, Ryanair could enter into the intercontinental market with new routes between Europe and the U.S. This market is characterized by high ticket prices (a minimum of 500â‚ ¬ round trip). Although the company could utilize some of its sources of cost advantage, such as intercontinental point-to-point routes, personnel policy, revenue from supplementary services, its cost advantage is not completely replicable in this context. Indeed it would have to buy new long distance carriers with more capacity. Sacrificing their fleet standardization and intercontinental flights requires high turnover time for refueling, and the possibilities of using secondary airports are limited by legal issues concerning the necessity of opening new borders. Another potential recommendation is to enter the Chinese domestic market which is a fast growing market (forecasting states that it will represent the 23% of the worldwide growth in passenger number in 2010-2020) and the second largest air travel market in the world behind USA. However, there are some  current constrains, mainly that airport systems are still in development, with a total number planned to increase from 175 to 270 in 2010-2020, and a relatively restricted middle class, only 10% of the country population although strongly growing. According to the present market environment we believe that this might be the best alternative in 5 to 10 years. We believe that currently the best recommendation is maintain its focus on Europe, increase its market share in countries mainly served by Easyjet, such as Turkey and East Europe. We recommend that Ryanair enter the intercontinental market, characterized by high-ticket prices, with new routes between Europe and the U.S. Ryanair could benefit by utilizing some of its sources of cost advantage. Ryanair could use secondary airports in the U.S. and through its intercontinental, point-to-point, routes focusing on the main tourist and business cities. Its personnel policy could also be applied in this market; by offering low core service prices they could increase their revenue with supplementary services. Ryanair could develop an alliance with Southwester Airlines using the same airport and split their transatlantic flights, thus increasing the passenger volume for both companies in their core business continental flights. Lufthansa Since its inception in 1953, the Lufthansa German Airline has been regarded as a premier airline company that has become the largest airliner in Europe. They have diversified both locally within Europe and globally. Their key strategic efforts have led them to be the founders of the world’s largest airline alliance, Star Alliance. They have diversified into various business segments to include â€Å"passenger airline groups, logistics, MRO, catering and IT services. With this combination of efficient business segments, the airline group has been able to generate more than 30.1 billion euros, the highest revenues compared to other European airlines. Lufthansa’s main strategy is to increase the equity/value of the company, maintain and also improve their exceptional reputation on customer satisfaction, be very robust during economic fluctuations, and maintain profitability. In an industry involving high operational costs; where competitors are increasing moving towards c ost advantage strategies Lufthansa aims to meet their strategic goals through a differentiation advantage that emphasizes customer service, alliances, and its reputation as a premium full-service airline. An important resource for Lufthansa is its extensive fleet. Lufthansa Passenger Airlines has a fleet that currently consists of more than four hundred aircrafts; they also enjoy a first-mover advantage by being the launch customers or early adopters of many different aircrafts. These include acting as a launch customer for Boeing 747-8I in 2006 and being the second to operate the Airbus A380 in 2010. By consistently participating in fleet renewal Lufthansa is able to regularly update to more cost-efficient and more environmentally friendly aircrafts. In July of 2011 a Lufthansa Airbus A321 was used in a six-month bio fuel trial expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1,500 tons in the trial period. Lufthansa’s extensive and modern fleet enable the airline to have extensive global reach, cutting edge aircraft technology to increase efficiency, and environmentally conscious technology to define a new environmental industry standard. This attention to fleet quality ensures that customers have an excellent flying experience that is not hampered by old and inefficient planes. Passengers are also able to enjoy the distinctions accompanied with first, business, and economy class. First class seats convert into a bed and seats in all classes feature personal Audio-Video-On-Demand screens. In addition, attentive staff on all flights generously offers a wide range of complimentary food and beverage. Many terminals include lounges for First Class flyers; Frankfurt Airport even features a First Class Terminal that sports a full-service restaurant, bar, cigar lounge, relaxation rooms, offices, and even bath facilities. 55,236 employees as of 2012 are trained to deliver the highest quality customer service. Lufthansa operates as an upscale airline and is therefore able to charge premium pricing to absorb the costs of providing such exceptional customer service. Despite the higher ticket prices the services and ease of use for customers are incomparable to other airlines and often leads first time passengers to become loyal users. Lufthansa services eighteen domestic destinations and one hundred and ninety seven international ones. Its global reach is one of Lufthans a’s key resources; it allows the company to provide greater and improved service to customers. These resources are greatly supplemented by the abilities of the other activities of the Lufthansa Aviation Group and by their participation in the Star Alliance. The Lufthansa Aviation Group is a parent company made up of the passenger airline business, logistics, maintenance, repair, and  overhaul, catering, and IT services. The ability of these sister companies greatly supplement the resources of the passenger airline business. The Star Alliance is another key resource that now operates with twenty-eight partners and services four hundred and ten worldwide destinations. The alliance captures twenty-eight percent of the global market measured by revenue passenger kilometers. Because the frequent flyer program Miles & More is transferable among all members it aids to broaden the scope of Lufthansa’s reach. The alliance makes up the world’s largest airline alliance and is the world’s first multilateral airlines alliance. The abilities of Lufthansa’s othe r alliances would not be possible without OAG, who describe themselves as, â€Å"the most powerful schedule connections analysis tool for modeling flight connections between every airline flight, anywhere.† OAG’s services provide them with current, detailed, and accurate data that enables Lufthansa to drive efficiency and optimize its business processes. The changes Lufthansa makes from this data analysis increase customer satisfaction while reducing costs and increasing revenue. It helps monitor competitor activity, identifies codeshare opportunities, and manages partner schedule synchronization. Due to the timeliness of this data the firm has the capability to quickly react to market changes and counter-attack other competitors’ advantages. Excellent customer service is ensured through the critical connection of this data that enables Lufthansa to continuously improve the customer completion and baggage processing metrics. Lufthansa’s fleet renewal, customer service, terminals, and alliances are scarce resources that are difficult to imitate. The fleet, terminals, and alliance are difficult to imitate because of the sheer size and scale of these resources, whereas its service is costly and would be difficult to incorporate into any firm that does not have the cost structure and capital resources to support it. As the majority of airlines already compete by cost advantage, we feel that Lufthansa would be disadvantaged if they attempted to replicate that strategy. Therefore, we recommend that Lufthansa expand its premium customer service differentiation advantage by partnering with hotels that also provide excellent customer service in areas near its terminals. As Lufthansa’s fliers already value their premium customer service this partnership would ensure that passengers’ luxury experience would not end upon reaching their destination. The range of  hotels to partner with will correspond with flight class and frequent flyer status. First Class passengers will have the option to stay in top tier hotels and Economy Classes will have the option to book with upscale hotels that are more price sensitive. The Miles & More program will be expanded so that fliers earn credits by staying with these luxury partner hotels. The hope is that the fliers will have such a wonderful experience with the complementary services that they will express their delight to current hotel customers. As the hotel customers already value premium customer service it is our hope that in the future they will be inclined to book with Lufthansa as they offer such service. The success of this partnership has the potential to result in a revenue sharing agreement, in which Lufthansa will receive a percentage when passengers book with a partner hotel through Lufthansa. Their risk will also be reduced, as they are engaging in a partnership instead of attempting to enter this foreign industry alone. Although this partnership would be Lufthansa’s first non-aviation venture we believe that they will benefit by offering such a complementary service. The goal of this partnership is to connect customers that value upscale customer service with Lufthansa, who enjoys a reputation as an upscale full-service airline, to increase the ir market share; market share that their cost advantage competitors sorely need.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Sarbanes-oxley

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 H.R.3763 - The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 A lot has been made, perhaps without justification, of the July 30, 2002 passage of H.R. 3763, The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley" or The Act). Having read the Act, I suspect that the great praise is unfounded. I intend to address three issues presented within the act. First, I will address stock options as considered (or neglected, as the case may be) by Sarbanes-Oxley. Second, I will address the creation of a Commission designed to oversee audits and corporate accounting practices, and the potential efficacy of this Commission. Finally, I will address the modifications to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines as it relates to corporate fraud. The failure to directly address accounting practices as they relate to stock options and other corporate incentives in Sarbanes-Oxley indicates the flaw in Federal regulation of corporate practices. Sarbanes-Oxley was designed to address the fraudulent accounting practices undertaken by the accountants for Enron and WorldCom. One of the biggest problems with regard to the accounting used in preparation of financial statements by corporations has been the issue of non-salary executive compensation. Corporations, as part of a combined incentive and retention program, often offer executives stock options and enhanced performance pay. The key debate, with regard to accounting practices, has been how these incentives should be depicted on annual and quarterly corporate financial reports. The position of the Internal Revenue Service has been that corporations, in order to fairly obtain the tax benefits often garnered on corporations based on their compensation plans, should list these compensation plans (options, in particular) as expenses on their financial reports. See Simon Kennedy and Brendan Murray, IRS Proposes Stock Options be Expensed for Some U.S. Affiliates, Bloomberg News Wire Service(Jul. 26, 2002). ... Free Essays on Sarbanes-oxley Free Essays on Sarbanes-oxley Wednesday, July 31, 2002 H.R.3763 - The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 A lot has been made, perhaps without justification, of the July 30, 2002 passage of H.R. 3763, The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley" or The Act). Having read the Act, I suspect that the great praise is unfounded. I intend to address three issues presented within the act. First, I will address stock options as considered (or neglected, as the case may be) by Sarbanes-Oxley. Second, I will address the creation of a Commission designed to oversee audits and corporate accounting practices, and the potential efficacy of this Commission. Finally, I will address the modifications to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines as it relates to corporate fraud. The failure to directly address accounting practices as they relate to stock options and other corporate incentives in Sarbanes-Oxley indicates the flaw in Federal regulation of corporate practices. Sarbanes-Oxley was designed to address the fraudulent accounting practices undertaken by the accountants for Enron and WorldCom. One of the biggest problems with regard to the accounting used in preparation of financial statements by corporations has been the issue of non-salary executive compensation. Corporations, as part of a combined incentive and retention program, often offer executives stock options and enhanced performance pay. The key debate, with regard to accounting practices, has been how these incentives should be depicted on annual and quarterly corporate financial reports. The position of the Internal Revenue Service has been that corporations, in order to fairly obtain the tax benefits often garnered on corporations based on their compensation plans, should list these compensation plans (options, in particular) as expenses on their financial reports. See Simon Kennedy and Brendan Murray, IRS Proposes Stock Options be Expensed for Some U.S. Affiliates, Bloomberg News Wire Service(Jul. 26, 2002). ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Suicide

In Kate Chopin’s classic novel, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier was a woman who felt trapped and burdened by her life. She is unable to express herself or free herself from the prison that life had placed her in. She ultimately freed herself from her prison by committing suicide. Edna’s prison was not one made of walls and metal bars. It was one made of responsibilities and burdens. These burdens and responsibilities are similar to the ones that people who seek death share. When these responsibilities and burdens become too heavy to bear, people seek suicide as the only escape. There are many reasons why people feel suicide is the only option available. These reasons can range from an unhappy marriage to children or even stress and society. The list of reasons why people commit suicide is nearly endless and can be a combination of any of the reasons. Edna Pontellier could not bare the burden and responsibilities that her marriage, children, society had placed on her, whi ch would ultimately cause her to take her own life. In all forms of satire, marriage is considered to be one of the worst possible outcomes that can happen to anyone being second only to death itself. Spouses are commonly referred to as "the old ball and chain" and are thus treated accordingly as this superfluous weight that drags us all down into our own peril. Generally speaking, marriage is but the beginning of an extended trek through the game of life that ends happily, but few rarely see the game to its completion and instead find simple ways to deal with the troubles that come coupled with a marriage. Troubles such as money, living quarters, happiness, a job, and children are all common area that marriage usually is connected with and if any one of those guidelines is not satisfied, then all the other guidelines are ruined. Marriage is not just about the material possessions listed above. It is also about love and caring, but for some it's difficult t... Free Essays on Suicide Free Essays on Suicide Suicide â€Å"There’s nothing to live for. Nobody cares about me. What’s the point of living? Nobody understands me. Everybody hates me.† These are the some of the thoughts that go on in the mind of those who take part in suicidal behaviors. One of the top ten reasons for death in the U.S. is suicide. Ronald Comer, author of Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, describes suicide as a self-inflicted death in which one makes an intentional, direct and conscious effort to end one’s life. Without the help of parasuicides, or people who have attempted suicide but didn’t receive their expected result of death, researchers wouldn’t have any basis for their research. Why is this? For the obvious reason, that some are successful in their intent to end their life. Some researchers have found it quite helpful to study the life of the individual and form an education opinion on the reason of the death. From research done on parasuicidals, it can be said that su icidal behaviors come from: feelings of hopelessness, depression, lack of coping skills, history of attempts, attraction to death, emotional turmoil, and distorted views of life. There are several attempted explanations of suicide. They are the psychodynamic, sociocultural, and biological perspectives. The psychodynamic view says that it results from depression and from anger at other and it was redirected toward oneself (Comer, 1999). They also believe that suicide is an extreme expression of self-hatred. A significant loss or separation may cause individuals to mold loss into one’s identity and eventually become, act and treat themselves as that entity. Freud believes that suicidal individuals are caught in a web of self-anger (Comer 1999). Freud’s views may not be very valid, yet believable for the fact that even he didn’t was dissatisfied with his theory. The sociocultural view believes that societal factors play a major role in suicidal behavior. The sociocultural ... Free Essays on Suicide In Kate Chopin’s classic novel, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier was a woman who felt trapped and burdened by her life. She is unable to express herself or free herself from the prison that life had placed her in. She ultimately freed herself from her prison by committing suicide. Edna’s prison was not one made of walls and metal bars. It was one made of responsibilities and burdens. These burdens and responsibilities are similar to the ones that people who seek death share. When these responsibilities and burdens become too heavy to bear, people seek suicide as the only escape. There are many reasons why people feel suicide is the only option available. These reasons can range from an unhappy marriage to children or even stress and society. The list of reasons why people commit suicide is nearly endless and can be a combination of any of the reasons. Edna Pontellier could not bare the burden and responsibilities that her marriage, children, society had placed on her, whi ch would ultimately cause her to take her own life. In all forms of satire, marriage is considered to be one of the worst possible outcomes that can happen to anyone being second only to death itself. Spouses are commonly referred to as "the old ball and chain" and are thus treated accordingly as this superfluous weight that drags us all down into our own peril. Generally speaking, marriage is but the beginning of an extended trek through the game of life that ends happily, but few rarely see the game to its completion and instead find simple ways to deal with the troubles that come coupled with a marriage. Troubles such as money, living quarters, happiness, a job, and children are all common area that marriage usually is connected with and if any one of those guidelines is not satisfied, then all the other guidelines are ruined. Marriage is not just about the material possessions listed above. It is also about love and caring, but for some it's difficult t... Free Essays on Suicide Introduction: Webster’s dictionary defines suicide as â€Å"the act of killing oneself intentionally†. What this definition fails to identify are the causes that lead to such rash behavior. Suicide is one of the most common manifestations of a psychologically disturbed person’s thoughts. It is a way out for that person and one that the person has contemplated at length and believes to be the only viable course of action that is left open to him. The most common cause of suicide is Undiagnosed Depression, which means that the depressed individual not only feels alone but also feels unable to open his feelings and thoughts to anyone, and those around him fail to identify his grievances. This leads to a feeling of helplessness and loneliness and a sense of foreboding which directs the individual’s thoughts towards finding a quick and easy way out; leading to desperation and at an advanced level, to suicidal thoughts. My perspective: In my view suicide is a cowardly act and one which is wholly unnecessary and avoidable. It is brought upon by the individual himself because he feels that he is helpless and does not motivate himself to alleviate his own suffering by trying to find a suitable solution. Instead the individual deludes himself completely by convincing himself that suicide is the only viable course left open. Also I feel that the apathy of those near the suicidal and depressed person is to blame for the actual taking of the life. The fact that people are so engrossed in themselves, or are so careless of others, that they miss crucial signs that can help them prevent the catastrophe is also a cause of the suicide. Depression is a killer. It takes away all the enthusiasm and fun from people’s lives, and makes suicide seem a viable choice, even one that seems unavoidable and simple. However I feel that it is ones own duty to understand the value of living and of life and to act so that at least other s around us can help ... Free Essays on Suicide Imagine you're standing atop a high bridge, you take a deep breath, say one last silent goodbye to your friends and family, and you leap to your death. By doing this, you're making a permanent solution to a temporary problem. You may be solving your own personal problem, but imagine the pain, suffering, and anguish that your friends, family, and peers go through. The people around you are wondering what was going through your mind and why you did it. Maybe you even told some of your friends that you were going to do it, and they didn't believe you, thinking it were a joke. You may have told your friends about your plans, but apparently your parents had no clue as to why you would choose to take your life, but this is the case with most teenage suicides. A lot of the time the parents don't have any clue that there was anything wrong in their children's lives, and also the teen's friends might have had some kind of clue, but they didn't do anything about it. Overall, they are left grieving their dead child or friend who took their own life away without any explanation. Sadly, teen suicide occurs nearly 5,000 times each year. Even more amazing is that 400,000 to 2 million teens attempt to commit suicide each year. Psychologists and therapists, teachers and school couslers, leaders of youth groups, and researchers who study society and young people have come up with a list of reasons as to why the teen decided to kill themselves. The list of culprits is long: too much divorce, too little religion, too much television, and too little communication between parents and children have been blamed. Absent parents, too much sexual freedom, widespread use of drugs and alcohol, too many guns, not enough love, and a world that seems hostile has also been blamed for pushing young people to their deaths. All these reasons have probably contributed to the suicides of teens, but none of them provide t... Free Essays on Suicide Over the past ten to twenty years a big issue has been made over a person ¹s right to commit suicide or not. The American courts have had to deal with everything from assisted suicides to planned suicides, and whether the constitution gives the American people the right to take their own lives or whether it says they have the power to allow someone else to take their lives. They have had to determine in some cases whether or not homicide charges needed to be brought up and others times whether or not it was done for an underlying reason such as insurance fraud. There are several aspects to suicide and the law, but we are only going to discuss a few of them. First of all we will examine why anyone would want to take their own life and decipher the differences between a rational suicide and an irrational suicide. Secondly we will look at ways assistance has played in the area of suicide. Next, we'll look at what the constitution says and see if any of the states have allowed suicide. Finally, we'll study some of the cases that have been brought before the American courts. Suicide has become a big part of American society, year after year more people are taking their own lives for many different reasons. A lot of philosophers have broken down all the reasons of suicides into two different categories, rational suicide and irrational suicide. A rational suicide has been given five basic criteria that usually must be met for the person's act to be considered rational. The five criteria which a person must show for their suicide to be considered rational are, "the ability to reason, realistic world view, adequacy of information, avoidance of harm, and accordance with fundamental interests."(Battin 132) Another opinion of rationality of suicide is, "it is the best thing for him from the point of view of his own welfare-or whether it is the best thing for someone being advised, from the point of view of that person's welfare"(Brandt 118). Pe... Free Essays on Suicide I wrote this poem at what I would call my weakest and lowest point in life. At the point in my life where the end justified the means. I believed that everyone around me would be better off if I wasn’t around. Suicide during this time seemed so peaceful. No worries-no bills to pay, child to feed and most of all no disappointments. I had enough disappointment, more than the average person could stand. I watched as everything I loved had been stripped away from me, systematically. I had people whispering in my ear; they’re with GOD and pray. In the back of my mind, I was thinking pray for what. He is not listening, if he was I still have what I cared about most. Then there was the people who told me suicide was a cowardly and selfish. My response was it would take a lot of courage to leave all that I have and as far as me being selfish; now is the time to do something for me. Looking back I can’t imagine wanting to end my life but nonetheless suicide for me was and is a reality. The reality is that there are many women my age, ethnicity and social status who contemplate suicide. During the time this poem was written I was screaming and crying for help. Surprisingly nothing in my life was that bad. However, I was a single parent, working forty hours per week, attending school thirty hours a week and nursing a twisted romance. I am certain that some or one of these factors contributed to my suicidal behavior. Life for me was okay but I still felt very empty, unfulfilled and thirsty. Thirsty for the dream society had promised me and my family had prepared me for. The white picket fence, two kids, the dog, a satisfying career and a husband. As far as I was concerned I had done everything right and I deserved the Black American dream. That dream was not reality and because I was not able to live up to other people expectations of who or what I was suppose to be I was depressed. Depressed to the point of needing medical attention and me... Free Essays on Suicide Suicide and Assisted Suicide The ability to end life, or suicide as it is well known, is an issue most people refer to young teens. In all actuality there are two types of suicide which man kind may act apon: 1) The ability and free will of man to take his own life for any reason he feels fit, 2) The ability of a medical physician to assist medically to end ones life. Assisted suicide is given to death penalty cases in many states via Lethal Injection. In our world under god I believe along with many that it is wrong to end your life purposely for reasons of pressure. â€Å"Every human being is taught from childhood that suicidal people are shameful, sinful, weak, and selfish.†(The Stigma of Suicide Within Us, 28). In the early years of life on this planet suicide was viewed as a way of repenting sins towards Pharaohs and Rulers. As the world progressed, taking your life became seen as an â€Å"easy way out of daily troubles.†(Web) Today the death rate in suicide in the US is nearly 30,000 a year, and most victims are white males†¦79%. Ones decision to take his/her own life is unavoidable and unpreventable, the attack for this is helping the overall view of life and daily involvement with society. The government needs to focus on the number of people taking their own lives and help figure out a P.O.A. for raising the level of subconscious love of life through out the country. MacIntosh 2 As stated before, one of the only ways of assisted medical suicide was thru lethal injection given to criminal as punishment for there crimes. Does a society based on equal rights have the base structure to end a mans life? I believe that the death penalty by assisted suicide should be used, but for only severe cases. Medical doctors have been studying the field of â€Å"Medical Suicide† and have come up with the lethal dose of drugs which end a persons life. â€Å"Anesthetic - Sodium thiopental, Paralyzing agent - Pancuronium bromide, To... Free Essays on Suicide In the Internet based text entitled â€Å"If you are thinking about suicide, read this first† I aim to discover and analyse the techniques used to persuade the reader. The author, in the first paragraph of the text explains that she is not a professional, instead, a normal person who â€Å"knows what it is like to be in pain.† This colloquial, less removed approached may help the reader cope with what is happening to them and how they are feeling. The text on numerous occasions congratulates the reader for getting that far into the text, to build self-esteem and build confidence in the reader. â€Å"That is good.† â€Å"Well, it’s been a few minutes and you’re still with me. I’m really glad.† The author is clever in the way she attempts to persuade, rather than making suicide a taboo, she lets the reader know that, although suicide is not an acceptable option, she understands how the reader feels. The author does however, plead with the reader to finish reading the text before making the life ending decision, she does this by putting herself into the readers’ position, attempting to understand the misery that they are reading. The author has then bought herself enough time to attempt to dissuade the reader from suicide. The author attempts to use her writing as a place rather than a textual piece using phrases such as â€Å"I can assume that you are here because...ending your life.† During the text there is a quote in much larger letters, which reads: â€Å"Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain.† This quote is emboldened and enlarged to attract attention to the fact that the reader is not at fault for feeling suicidal, and this is a very powerful and important quote. The author uses a friendly voice to get her message across she is sensitive to how the reader is feeling and says nothing that could possibly make the reader feel more hatred for themselves, â€Å"I would prefer to be t...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Cell phones how have they changed us socially Essay Example for Free (#3)

Cell phones how have they changed us socially Essay Some people might find it hard to believe that there was once a time when cell phones weren’t around. Having to recall a time when letters were used to get messages back and forth from one person to another. Then slowly we added the addition of phones. In the beginning phones were just a way to contact people if they happend to be home when called. Then we invented cell phones. With them we can make and receive calls in almost any location and we can send text messages . Cell phone use has increased in the past years because is really easy and economic to have one. Year into year cell phones become better and better. Today , except making and receiveing calls and also texting messages, we can do a lot of interesting things with them. For example we can listen to music, record voice notes, make video clips, play games, take pictures, access the internet and many other things. But there is also a bad side of cell phones. They affected the way we socialize these days; if you notice people are starting to text their friends and family instead if actually speaking verbally. Many adolescents and also older generations spend more time sending text messages or chatting on Facebook than speaking You go out to dinner and look around and see people out with family but there is no conversations going on at the table mostly just huh†¦ yeah†¦ mmhm.., because they are busy texting someone not there on their phones. I feel human communicant is slowly disappearing among friends and family. You even see parent’s texting their kids when in the same house to discuss something with them. Our communication between each other is depending on a little electronic device. People use cell phones in public places, and during church. I have even seen ten-year olds walking across the street texting their friends instead of paying attention to the cars. Cell phones how have they changed us socially. (2016, Apr 19).

Friday, October 18, 2019

Obama was right to call for national conversation on race Essay - 1

Obama was right to call for national conversation on race - Essay Example The situation is openly apparent, but it is manifested in sections of society and governance structures that are bias towards some races and ethnicities. The most apparent cases of racial discrimination are exhibited by systems within existing governance structures and the implementation of policy. An example is during the hurricane Katrina incident where government intervention and response was criticized for being below par. This is attributed to the fact that the area that was adversely affected by the devastating hurricane comprised of minority African Americans thus; the governments illustrated prejudice in its reaction to the plight of these affected people. This paper seeks to present an analysis on whether Americans need a national conversation on race. The race issue in the US is exacerbated by the fact that slavery was an already established societal norm that permeated the American culture and traditions. Racism in the US is manifested through various aspects, and it is an apparent phenomenon that those who suffer racism belong to a certain racial background. African Americans have suffered the most severe manifestation of racism because they represent the foundation upon which the issue of race is founded in the US. Majority of slaves in the slavery days were of African origin who were considered second class human beings wherever they went in almost every part of the world where slavery was practiced. Advocacy and campaigning for an end to slavery was met with a lot of resistance because the white enslavers saw this as a threat to their source of cheap labor. African Americans have carried this adage of being second class citizens into the 21st century albeit a bit subdued, but the existence of these should not be ignored. The accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement have worked to establish African Americans as equal members of the US society. Open racism against African Americans is rarely seen or experienced, but it still does exist in vario us aspects of American society and life. The recent Trayvon Martin incident and case in an American court serves to depict that racism is still an emotive issue in American society. This issue comes to the fore every time an African American is involved in an altercation of the law alongside an individual of another race especially a white person. The ruling on Trayvon Martin’s case brought the race issue to the fore especially after president Obama commented on the issue. Obama’s direct reference to the race issue with regard to the Trayvon Martin case illustrated his unique position as bi-racial president to address the race issue and introduce a dialogue in America concerning race. Obama’s prose about race in America elicited diverse views with some citing it as an appropriate moment in his presidency for him to address the issue. Other people saw Obama’s foray into the race during Trayvon Martin’s murder trial as an attempt to boost his approva l ratings amongst the minority groups. The negative criticism Obama received for introducing the race angel in the case should not been. This is because it is his place as an African American president to address the race issue which is in his docket as other before him addressed issues that had affected them personally. According to Gerson, previous presidents had addressed issues t

Effective Planning and Management of Emergencies Case Study

Effective Planning and Management of Emergencies - Case Study Example As a corporate security manager, I shall ascertain the deficiencies like lack of resources in terms of equipment, supplies, trained personnel or items that require rectification to face the emergency (Gibson, 2007). I shall do pre-emergency preparation by training my people for using alerting services, handling casualties, knowledge of available options and corrective measures in case of an emergency. I shall place an emergency departure plan in the organization. All the members of the organization will be trained to use the plan and understand various signs it has to avoid panicking. Precautionary measures, safety policy, and rules will be established and communicated to all employees to avoid any mishap (Beutler, 2007). A crises management team will be trained and educated to provide emergency services such as firefighting, dangerous goods handling, evacuation and first aid medical services. Proper infrastructure in terms of emergency equipment required will be in a place like; firefighting equipment, first aid medical materials and communications tools etc. Facilities such as protected areas, safe pathways and well-defined evacuation plans shall be maintained. Training will be conducted for institutional strengthening. Backup system will be in place to restore and recover all information assets (Borque, 2006). Emergency response stage includes identification of the most critically hit area and then mobilizing emergency services to that area. In response stage, I shall rescue the disaster area by channelizing the core emergency services like police, ambulances, and firefighters etc. The fewer hit areas will be informed to remain precautious so that any panic may not harm or multiply the effect of calamity. The next step is to impede the disaster by understanding the root cause of it. An effective leadership team shall be taken on board to coordinate with the initial responders and implement a disciplined response plan.  

The life of an international student Research Paper

The life of an international student - Research Paper Example The basic reason as to why most people become international students is that the education standards in their home countries do not meet their needs. As a result, these students opt to learn in other countries whose education matches their expectations. However, in most cases, it is not easy to settle down in a foreign country as an international student. For some, the change is too overwhelming and they may opt to go back home, while others persevere and work towards achieving their goals and dreams. Luckily, some countries like the United States and Canada have programs in their universities and colleges that help international students cope with the new life. The life of an international student The transformation that an international student undergoes once they move to a foreign country cannot be understated. In most cases, being an international student means leaving your family and friends behind and adjusting to a completely new lifestyle. One is forced to learn a new languag e, learn the culture of the people, adjust to their schooling system and basically learn how to live in a new country. Before getting used to these changes, most international students feel like aliens, thus preferring to keep to themselves as they assess the people around them. With time, however, they start looking for other international student from their home countries so that the latter can help them adjust. ... Differences between the United States and the Saudi Arabian systems of education One of the challenges that international students face is the difference in education systems between their home countries and their host countries. For example, the education system of the United States differs from that of Saudi Arabia in a number of ways. One of the differences, for example, is in regard to the conduct of students in class. At the beginning, I was always the quite type in class because that is the culture of Saudi Arabian classrooms. The students in Saudi Arabian classes do not speak much but in America classrooms, the story is different as students are very opinionated. They also challenge the teachers directly in case they do not agree with what the teacher says. In addition, whereas Saudi Arabians are very disciplined in class, in terms of modes of dressing and behavior, American students have a lot of freedom. For example, students come to class in casual clothes and some even tak e snacks and sleep in class. Additionally, being from Saudi Arabia, I was accustomed to official dressing while attending class, and a lot of discipline during sessions. I, therefore, always felt odd when I went to class dressed formally and almost everyone else was in casual wear. Although I have tried to adapt to the American classroom culture, is still find myself being formal in dressing as I attend class and reserving some of my opinions during lectures. In addition to the classroom setting, I was also confused at the beginning because the American system seems to place so much emphasis on education and leaves little space for socialization. Here in the United States, one is expected to either be in class, in a study group, doing research, or participating in