Analytical and Comparison of ABC Mining and jPhones - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 11 Words: 3290 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Before progressing on to the analysis of the companies given, a general introduction on asset allocation needs to be satisfied before progressing on this line. Let us see what asset allocation is why it is important for us during this exercise. Before giving any advice on asset allocation certain things needs to be kept in mind or followed so that the exercise will yield good results for the advisor and client. This not only ensure that all client requirements are met but also safeguards his interest against any unforeseen financial difficulty. Fundamental Analysis This involves checking basic financial information about a company going back a few years to check the major financial trends of companies so that a decision can be arrived at. Various investment gurus stand by this method of analysis as they firmly believe that this method of analysis yields results on the long run. The basic information that is sought out to accomplish this are the balance sheet and cash flow statements. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Analytical and Comparison of ABC Mining and jPhones" essay for you Create order As we are going to adopt a fundamental analysis approach as a first step balance sheet and cash flow statement of ABC Mining corporation and jPhone Ltd are listed below. Following this various financial analysis of various components will be calculated and analysed. The data then gathered would help any financial advisor the best decision that can be taken. ABC Mining corporation balance sheet Profitability Ratio: This ratio measures the profit generating capacity of a company. More frequently it can relate assets utilised, equity present to the sales that has been generated by the company. It gives an overview on the companys ability to generate wealth to its investors, owners, etc. It can be used for comparison against various timelines for the same companies and also across the industry. Return on Capital Employed Commonly denoted as ROCE, this ratio compares the net profit against the capital used to generate that profit. The formula for calculating the ratio is as follows: Return on Capital Employed = Net Profit x 100% Capital employed (including long term loans) Return on Capital Employed = 6195 x 100% = 15.56% Year 2002 39820 Return on Capital Employed = 5214 x 100% = 15.43% Year 2001 33789 Comments: For both the years, the values are quite similar and the change is very marginal. One things that needs to be kept in mind is that the low values can be affected quite quickly during economic downturns. Care needs to be entertained when coming across companies with such low values as investment in such companies will yield very poor returns. Another such ration used to calculate the profitability of an organisation is return on owners equity the formula for calculating the same is below. Return on Owners Equity = Net Profit before Tax x 100% Owners Equity Return on Owners Equity = 8725 x 100% = 23.28% Year 2002 37320 Return on Owners Equity = 5214 x 100% = 22.28% Year 2001 33789 Asset Turnover or Asset Utilisation Ratio As business use assets to generate income, a look at how assets are utilised actually give a pretty good idea of how efficient a company is in generating value using its assets. A better asset turnover actually proclaims an efficient business. Asset Turnover = Sales Net Assets Asset Turnover = 35000 = 0.94 Year 2002 37320 Asset Turnover = 29634 = 0.88 Year 2001 33789 A point to note is the trend in this ratio. An improving ratio denotes improving efficiency. Companies that are becoming more efficient as they mature will exhibit this trend. When compared to the year 2001 to 2002 the ratio has shown marginal improvement. This is a good sign that operational efficiency is improving within the organisation. Net Profit Margin This is the most utilised margin calculation that gives an overview of a firms financial position. If this ratio is poor investors do not usually go beyond this. Gross Profit Margin Gross Profit Margin = Gross Profit x 100% Sales Gross Profit Margin = 9100 x 100% = 26.00% Year 2002 35000 Gross Profit Margin = 7705 x 100% = 26.00% Year 2001 29634 Net Profit Ratio Net Profit Ratio = Net profit x 100% Total Sales Net Profit Ratio = 6195 x 100% = 17.70% Year 2002 35000 Net Profit Ratio = 5214 x 100% = 17.59% Year 2001 29635 Liquidity Ratio Liquid cash is the blood that drives the organisations to function. As such this ratio gives a clear idea of how well an organisation is positioned to handle day to day financial requirements. Liquidity is like a grease applied to a machinery, if applied to an optimal level it maintains an optimal working condition of the machinery. The ratio should be higher than one to denote a healthy status. In case of low values the organisations ability to service its short term debt and operating expenses are under questions. Current Ratio Current Ratio = Current Assets Current Liabilities Current Ratio = 71800 = 2.25 Year 2002 31980 Current Ratio = 53000 = 2.76 Year 2001 19211 Management Efficiency Ratio Stock turnover ratio Stock Turnover = Cost of Sales Stock Stock Turnover = 25900 = 4.31 Year 2002 6000 Stock Turnover = 21930 = 3.66 Year 2001 6000 Common-Size Analysis (CSA) One of the disadvantages of looking at balance sheets is that due to varied methods that are used by a company or companies in different industry one will at a superficial level tend to bias us towards a company that has large values. To overcome such disadvantages a common approach to both the companies needs to be done. One such method is CSA. This compares the same components against a set of data and gives a ratio for comparison of various companies. The formula for CSA is as follows Common Size Ratio = Item of interest Reference Item If the formula above is to be modified for inventories then it can be stated as follows Common Size Ratio for Inventory = Inventory Total Assets Limitations: As companies use different accounting principle the values can be misleading if used carelessly. Care must be taken to ensure that such practises are identified and noted before embarking on any such ratio analysis. The same principle applies accounting calendars practises that may change for various countries of the world. Trend Analysis This form of analysis tries to predict future movement of various components that are being analysed. Though trends analysis gives a clear cut information on the trends, questions remains regarding its ability to predict future trends. Also it does not address operational strategic decisions that are required to be taken, thus even a correct trend analysis can fail simply due to the fact that it is not backed up by operational decisions. Individual Components ABC Mining jPhone Company Change in Value Change in Value % of Change % of Change 2002 2001 2002 2001 ABC Mining j phone ABC Mining jPhone Net sales 35000 29634 412500 350000 5366 62500 18.11% 17.86% Dividents issued 3450 2900 58500 31000 550 27500 18.97% 88.71% retained earnings 5059 2314 116794 79719 2745 37075 118.63% 46.51% fixed asset 49300 38000 169000 180000 11300 -11000 29.74% -6.11% equity finance 54559 43314 531794 399719 11245 132075 25.96% 33.04% Comparative Statement Analysis Funds Flow Analysis Fund flow analysis involves categorising stratifying the changes in various financial components between two time periods for an organisation. It enables decision makes to have knowledge and analysis the organisations use of funds for various activities. The management also uses the results to decide on how much and when to give dividends. As the statement gives a detailed analysis of funds and its utilisation it serves to be an invaluable tool for fund allocation planning and budgeting. Cash Flow Analysis This analysis is on the similar lines to fund flow analysis excepting the fact that it considers only cash and records the inflow/outflow of funds to various components within an organisation. Some countries have a legislation that make this analysis mandatory. For eg, in India all listed companies are required to prepare and make this available for all stakeholders on a periodic basis. Used in conjunction with fund flow this can give a very clear view on the financial aspects, financial principles that are in vogue within an organisation. Comparison between Fund Flow Analysis and Cash Flow Analysis Fund Flow Analysis Cash Flow Analysis Mainly concerns itself with working capital It is mainly concerned with cash and ignores other aspects of workign capital Though it tracks funds it does not specifically record opening and closing positions Records specific closing and opening positions for a time period Records specific sources of funds and where and how it is utilised within an organisation Records only inflows and outflows Does not have a standard format that needs to be incorporated and can show considerable differences between companies or within departments Presentation should be in a standardised format as prescribed by statutory bodies Balanced Score Analysis This was a concept that was put forth by Kaplan and Norton. The balanced score card concept was a new idea where managers were made to focus on both short-term trends and solutions and how they can be aligned to meet the companys long term strategies. The concept depended upon identifying four parameters which can be measured and targets set and points allotted according to performance. It gave an overview of the performance and did not include any other details which was heavily criticised by some researchers. However, it is an important tool that can be used. Balanced score card after its first publication has undergone around three modifications and at present followed widely in English-speaking countries and Scandinavian companies. The designing process involves choosing components that represent the long term goals of an organisation along with a target set against each value. Once the actual performance is noted down, the balanced score card will give an overall picture on how a particular department or a particular manager has performed against his metrics. Posted below is an example of BSC for Financial analysis, as we are mainly concerned about financial aspects, we will concentrate on four important aspects that are the pillar of financial stability for any organisation. Balanced Score Card ABC Mining Corporation 2002 Component Goal Weightage Performance Target Profitablity Ratio ROCE 2 15.56% 20% ROOE 2 23.28% 25% Asset Turnover Ratio 2 0.94 1 Gross Profit Margin 2 26% 30% Net Profit Ratio 2 17.70% 20% Liquidity Ratio Current Ratio 10 2.25 2.8 Management Efficiency Ratio Stock Turnover 10 4.31 4.5 jPhones Ltd 2002 Component Goal Weightage Performance Target Profitablity Ratio ROCE 2 14.66% 20% ROOE 2 18.67% 25% Asset Turnover Ratio 2 2.15 1 Gross Profit Margin 2 35% 30% Net Profit Ratio 2 23.16% 20% Liquidity Ratio Current Ratio 10 2.19 2.8 Management Efficiency Ratio Stock Turnover 10 0.43 4.5 Financial statement of company j Phones Profitability Ratio Return on Capital Employed The formula for calculating the ratio is as follows: Return on Net Asset = Profit before interest and tax x 100% Capital employed (including long term loans) Return on Net Asset = 144375 x 100% = 75.39% Year 2002 191500 Return on Net Asset = 122719 x 100% = 42.46% Year 2001 289000 Return on Capital Employed Return on Capital Employed = Net Profit x 100% Capital employed (including long term loans) Return on Capital Employed = 95575 x 100% = 14.66% Year 2002 651500 Return on Capital Employed = 110719 x 100% = 25.2% Year 2001 439000 Return on Owners Equity Return on Owners Equity = Net Profit before Tax x 100% Owners Equity Return on Owners Equity = 95575 x 100% = 18.67% Year 2002 511794 Return on Owners Equity = 110719 x 100% = 36.94% Year 2001 299719 As the name goes this looks at asset utilisation i.e., how an organisation is utilising its assets to generate income. The formula for calculating the same is as below Asset Turnover = Sales Net Assets Asset Turnover = 412500 = 2.15 Year 2002 191500 Asset Turnover = 350000 = 1.21 Year 2001 289000 The value is not represented in percentage but in a ratio. A rising ratio usually denotes improving performance. Net Profit Margin This is the most utilised margin calculation that gives an overview of a firms financial position. If this ratio is poor investors do not usually go beyond this. Profit Margin = Profit before interest and tax x 100% Sales Profit Margin = 95575 x 100% = 23.17% Year 2002 412500 Profit Margin = 110719 x 100% = 31.63% Year 2001 350269 Gross Profit Margin Gross Profit Margin = Gross Profit x 100% Sales Profit Margin = 144375 x 100% = 35% Year 2002 412500 Profit Margin = 122719 x 100% = 35% Year 2001 350269 Comments: The company has maintained a good profit margin for both the years compared and has shown resilience in maintaining the same. But it would do good to improve the same. Net Profit Ratio Net Profit Ratio = Net profit x 100% Total Sales Net Profit Ratio = 95575 x 100% = 23.16% Year 2002 412500 Net Profit Ratio = 110719 x 100% = 31.57% Year 2001 350625 The company has shown a drop of 8.34% in its NPR. This is an alarming trend to note. Unless the company takes steps to arrest this growth it may result in value erosion for investors. Liquidity Ratio The ratio largely looks at a firms ability to repay its liabilities. The thumb rule is that the higher the ratio the better. Current Ratio Current Ratio = Current Assets Current Liabilities Current Ratio = 895000 = 2.19 Year 2002 408500 Current Ratio = 490000 = 2.12 Year 2001 231000 Comments: A very good and stable current ratio. But since it is consistently above 2, it also means that jPhones is not effectively utilising its assets or financing avenues properly. Acid Test Ratio = Current Ratio Stock (liquid assets) Current Liabilities Management Efficiency Ratio Stock turnover ratio Stock Turnover = Cost of Sales Stock Stock Turnover = 316925 = 0.43 Year 2002 730000 Stock Turnover = 239906 = 0.62 Year 2001 384000 Corporate Ratios Earnings per share: Measures the profit allotted to each share in the common stock category. Earnings per Share = (Net profit after tax + preference dividend + extraordinary items Number of shares in issue Market to book ratio Market to Book Ratio = Market Capitalisation x 100% Book value of equity Dividend Yield Dividend Yield = Dividend Declared x Dividend Rate Market Price of Share Financial Ratio Gearing Ratio Gearing Ratio = Total Assets x 100% Book Value of Assets Common-Size Analysis (CSA) One of the disadvantages of comparing balance sheet results is that the numbers give a quantitative weightage and no further information on efficiency. Common size analysis of balance sheets can be done by comparing two components of similar nature for the companies compared and based on the outcome a better company can be selected. The formula for CSA is as follows Common Size Ratio = Item of interest Reference Item If the formula above is to be modified for inventories then it can be stated as follows Common Size Ratio for Inventory = Inventory Total Assets Limitations: Different accounting principle used by different firms needs to be taken into consideration. The same applies for the difference in accounting calendars. Ratio Analysis Comparison of ABC Mining and jPhones Ltd: After the various ratio analysis undertaken for coming up with an advise to the investor the same is posted below ABC Mining Corporation jPhones Ltd Principle Component Sub Component 2002 2001 2002 2001 Profitablity Ratio Return on Capital Employed 15.56% 15.43% 14.66% 25.20% Return on Owners Equity 23.28% 22.28% 18.67% 25.20% Asset Turnover Ratio 0.94 0.88 2.15 1.21 Gross Profit Margin 26% 26% 35% 35% Net Profit Ratio 17.70% 17.59% 23.16% 31.57% Liquidity Ratio Current Ratio 2.25 2.76 2.19 2.19 Management Efficiency Ratio Stock Turnover 4.31 3.66 0.43 0.62 Source: Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement above From the table above it can be seen that jphones has added substantial values to its shareholders by generating higher income though during the later years the same has dropped. Even though the gross profit margin has stayed the same, ROCE has dropped by almost 10% while ABC Mining corporation has scored considerably on this count by maintaining a consistent value. This shows that the management is quite mature during various time scales to concentrate and generate a good return. Another point to note is the ability to generate dividend on a consistent basis. This is better suited to people who would expect continuous cash from time to time. Based on all the above parameters, the customer would do well to invest in jPhones Ltd as the company has generated higher profits and has also given better dividends over the same period. Provided no major changes are experienced in its stock prices it will prove to be a better investment for a year or two initially. Tools of Financial Analysis During the recent economic downturn that has gripped the world; one thought has come to the forefront of corporate financial managers. It has questioned the core value of accounting practise that are practise by auditing firms and various companies. With this backdrop financial managers the world over have their task cut for themselves to prove that they can add value and regulate themselves without any outside intervention. On one hand businesses do have a requirement to take calculated risk and grow their business but blind risk will put organisations future and reputation at risk that needs to be avoided. Organisations sundry and great now are taking steps to ensure that financial data collected, recorded, and analysed are actually reflecting the status of their companies as it is this information that is used to make strategic decisions. The situation has also renewed interest on failure prediction and financial models that proclaim to predict the start of a downturn financially. However, these tools though quite phenomenal in their performance do not give strategic suggestions but results are rather in the form of numbers and this once again underline the value of human mind that can make sense and give purpose to these numbers. The notion of recording financial transactions has been in existence from very old times. From a crude record of marking lines to denote data in olden days, financial information has assumed various forms and has undergone considerable standardisation to the present day. This standardisation has in effect brought a degree of transparency to all people who view this report as the reports to some extent are standardised by various governing bodies. A reason for such standardisation stands justified as the information may be given to two sets of people who are well versed with accounting principles and also by those who are have no idea of financial standards, managers and public. The same information is looked at from a different view by investors, financiers and tax departments. Thus it is quite clear that financial information and analysis serves a host of people intent on knowing about the status of an organisation. As such financial information and details is akin to a doctor feeli ng the pulse of a patient to elicit diagnosis. Analysis financial information is not as simple as it is believed mainly due to the varied group of people accessing the information. The information needs to be in a standardised format such that a varied group comes to the same conclusion after going through the information. A lot of studies have been undertaken to ascertain the effectiveness of financial analysis. Before making a judgement on the effectiveness, let us look at the parameters of analysis of performance. The following broad parameters are used for financial analysis of a company at any point in time. Profitability Ratio Liquidity Ratio Management Efficiency Ratio Corporate Ratio Financial Ratio Employee Ratio In addition to the above parameters, various other criterias are used mainly Balanced Score Card Cash Flow Analysis Fund Flow Analysis Trend Analysis Common Size Analysis. The presence of various tools means that there will always be a debate on how effective each of the component or a group can measure up as a tool to predict future direction. As predicting the future is a means to be better prepared, care needs to be exercised on how to analysis and what to analyse. Conclusion As mentioned earlier the main reason for looking at the ratios from time to time is to check the healthy nature of the organisation and take effective steps to improve the situation. However, great care needs to be emphasised during such analysis, as the outcome of the results only have values and do not suggest any alternatives. In a recent study on checking the effectiveness of ratio analysis in predicting an organisations failure led Johnson to conclude that there is no clear logical link between the results found in a ratio analysis to failure. Nonetheless, as the human mind links numbers to performance, ratio analysis is here to stay. The results need to be taken up with a pinch of salt with comparison of performance against other analytical methods to yield proper views and steps that needs to be taken from an organisational point of view. Another argument is that ratios do not given underlying economic turmoil or alternatives that can be taken by human mind. Thus ratio analysi s with application of sound decision making can go a long way in putting the organisation in the right path to success.

Gang Violence Essay - 1599 Words

Gang Violence Did you know that gang violence affects our world today? In this century we’re experiencing more gang related crimes ever than before. Current research shows that there is an estimate of 250,000 gang members in America (Almonte and Desmond 4). The more gangs the more killings. Adolescents are getting more involved in gangs, because of this dropout rates are increasing. The more dropouts the more drug dealers. Once they begin to sell drugs they end up in jail. This is where we come in as taxpayers. Gang violence affects the public with the crimes they commit. Murders, robbery, and vandalism are some of the main crimes that are committed. These things can be prevented if we pay more attention to our teens. Rehab centers and†¦show more content†¦This is when you have to duck and hide or break out running. The public is put at high risk because of this, because you have innocent bystanders who can be killed or injured badly. Children to the elderly have to be aware of the ir surroundings. Knives are also a weapon that gang members mainly use but knives and guns aren’t the only weapons. . Current research shows that gun violence costs the economy at least $229 billion every year. This is including $8.6 billion in direct expenses for medical and emergency care, the direct costs of hospital use for gun assault injuries by itself was estimated to $8.4 million on 2010. Taxpayers paid 65% of these costs (Follman and Lurie par.1). Vandalism or graffiti is another crime that affects the public. Taxpayers have to deal with this because we have to pay for the graffiti to get off of buildings, cars, or homes. Graffiti encourages more crimes to happen because if one gang doesn’t like what another gang puts out there, then it becomes a gang fight. Graffiti promotes gangs, this shows that this is that particular gangs turf. Once you notice the graffiti you automatically know that a gang has taken over this area. 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Best Methodology for Web Development Essay Sample free essay sample

System are created to work out Problems. One can believe of the systemsapproch as an organized manner of covering with a job. In this dynamic universe. the topic system analysis and design. mainly trades with the package development activities. This station include: * What is System?* What are diffrent Phases of System Development Life Cycle?* What are the constituent of system analysis?* What are the constituent of system planing?What is System?A aggregation of constituents that work together to recognize some aims forms a system. Basically there are three major constituents in every system. viz. input. processing and end product. In a system the different constituents are connected with each other and they are mutualist. For illustration. human organic structure represents a complete natural system. We are besides bound by many national systems such as political system. economic system. educational system and so forth. The aim of the system demands that some end product is produced as a consequence of treating the suited inputs. A well-designed system besides includes an extra component referred to as ‘control’ that provides a feedback to accomplish coveted aims of the system. SYSTEM LIFE CYCLE System life rhythm is an organisational procedure of developing and keeping systems. It helps in set uping a system undertaking program. because it gives overall list of procedures and sub-processes required for developing a system. System development life rhythm means combination of assorted activities. In other words we can state that assorted activities put together are referred as system development life rhythm. In the System Analysis and Design nomenclature. the system development life rhythm besides means package development life rhythm. Following are the different stages of system development life rhythm: * Preliminary Study* Feasibility survey* Detailed system survey* System analysis* System design* Coding* Testing* Execution* Care The different stages of system development life rhythm is shown in this diagram Phases of System Development Life CyclePHASES OF SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLELet us now describe the different stages and related activities of system development life rhythm. ( a ) Preliminary System StudyPreliminary system survey is the first phase of system development life rhythm. This is a brief probe of the system under consideration and gives a clear image of what really the physical system is? In pattern. the initial system survey involves the readying of a ‘System Proposal’ which lists the Problem Definition. Aims of the Study. Footings of mention for Study. Constraints. Expected benefits of the new system. etc. in the visible radiation of the user demands. The system proposal is prepared by the System Analyst ( who studiesthe system ) and places it before the user direction. The direction may accept the proposal and the rhythm returns to the following phase. The direction may besid es reject the proposal or bespeak some alterations in the proposal. In drumhead. we would state that system survey stage passes through the undermentioned stairss: * Problem designation and undertaking induction* Background analysis* Inference or findings ( system proposal )( B ) Feasibility Study In instance the system proposal is acceptable to the direction. the following stage is to analyze the feasibleness of the system. The feasibleness survey is fundamentally the trial of the proposed system in the visible radiation of its workability. meeting user’s demands. effectual usage of resources and of class. the cost effectivity. These are categorized as proficient. operational. economic and schedule feasibleness. The chief end of feasibleness survey is non to work out the job but to accomplish the range. In the procedure of feasibleness survey. the cost and benefits are estimated with greater truth to happen the Return on Investment ( ROI ) . This besides defines the resources needed to finish the elaborate probe. The consequence is a feasibleness study submitted to the direction. This may be accepted or accepted with alterations or rejected. The system rhythm returns merely if the direction accepts it. ( degree Celsius ) Detailed System Study The elaborate probe of the system is carried out in conformity with the aims of the proposed system. This involves elaborate survey of assorted operations performed by a system and their relationships within and outside the system. During this procedure. informations are collected on the available files. determination points and minutess handled by the present system. Interviews. on-site observation and questionnaire are the tools used for elaborate system survey. Using the undermentioned stairss it becomes easy to pull the exact boundary of the new system under consideration: * Keeping in position the jobs and new demands * Workout the pros and cons including new countries of the system All the informations and the findings must be documented in the signifier of elaborate informations flow diagrams ( DFDs ) . informations dictionary. logical information constructions and illumination specification. The chief points to be discussed in this phase are: * Specification of what the new system is to carry through based on the user demands. * Functional hierarchy demoing the maps to be performed by the new system and their relationship with each other. * Functional web. which are similar to work hierarchy but they highlight the maps which are common to more than one process. * List of properties of the entities – these are the informations points which need to be held about each entity ( record ) ( vitamin D ) System Analysis Systems analysis is a procedure of roll uping factual informations. understand the procedures involved. placing jobs and urging executable suggestions for bettering the system working. This involves analyzing the concern processes. garnering operational informations. understand the information flow. happening out constrictions and germinating solutions for get the better ofing the failings of the system so as to accomplish the organisational ends. System Analysis besides includes subdividing of complex procedure affecting the full system. designation of informations shop and manual procedures. The major aims of systems analysis are to happen replies for each concern procedure: What is being done. How is it being done. Who is making it. When is he making it. Why is it being done and How can it be improved? It is more of a thought procedure and involves the originative accomplishments of the System Analyst. It attempts to give birth to a new efficient system that satisfies the current demands of the user and has range for future growing within the organisational restraints. The consequence of this procedure is a logical system design. Systems analysis is an iterative procedure that continues until a preferable and acceptable solution emerges. ( vitamin E ) System Design Based on the user demands and the elaborate analysis of the bing system. the new system must be designed. This is the stage of system planing. It is the most important stage in the developments of a system. The logical system design arrived at as a consequence of systems analysis is converted into physical system design. Normally. the design returns in two phases: * Preliminary or General Design: In the preliminary or general design. the characteristics of the new system are specified. The costs of implementing these characteristics and the benefits to be derived are estimated. If the undertaking is still considered to be executable. we move to the elaborate design phase. * Structured or Detailed Design: In the elaborate design phase. computing machine oriented work Begins in earnest. At this phase. the design of the system becomes more structured. Structure design is a bluish print of a computing machine system solution to a given job holding the same constituents and inter-relation ships among the same constituents as the original job. Input. end product. databases. signifiers. codification strategies and processing specifications are drawn up in item. In the design phase. the programming linguistic communication and the hardware and package platform in which the new system will run are besides decided. There are several tools and techniques used for depicting the system design of the system. These tools and techniques are: * Flowchart* Data flow diagram ( DFD )* Data lexicon* Structured English* Decision tabular array* Decision treeEach of the above tools for planing will be discussed in detailed in the following lesson. The system design involves:I. Specifying exactly the needed system end producttwo. Determining the information demand for bring forthing the end product three. Determining the medium and format of files and databases iv. Inventing treating methods and usage of package to bring forth end product v. Determine the methods of informations gaining control and informations input six. Designing Input signifiersseven. Planing Codification Schemeseight. Detailed manual processsnine. Documenting the Design ( degree Fahrenheit ) CryptographyThe system design needs to be implemented to do it a feasible system. This demands the cryptography of design into computing machine apprehensible linguistic communication. i. e. . programming linguistic communication. This is besides called the scheduling stage in which the coder converts the plan specifications into computing machine instructions. which we refer to as plans. It is an of import phase where the defined processs are transformed into control specifications by the aid of a computing machine linguistic communication. The plans coordinate the information motions and command the full procedure in a system. It is by and large felt that the plans must be modular in nature. This helps in fast development. care and future alterations. if required. ( g ) Testing Before really implementing the new system into operation. a trial tally of the system is done for taking the bugs. if any. It is an of import stage of a successful system. After codifying the whole plans of the system. a trial program should be developed and run on a given set of trial informations. The end product of the trial tally should fit the expected consequences. Sometimes. system proving is considered a portion of execution procedure. Using the trial information following trial tally are carried out: * Program trial: When the plans have been coded. compiled and brought to working conditions. they must be separately tested with the prepared trial informations. Any unwanted occurrence must be noted and debugged ( error corrections ) * System Test: After transporting out the plan trial for each of the plans of the system and mistakes removed. so system trial is done. At this phase the trial is done on existent informations. The complete system is executed on the existent information. At each phase of the executing. the consequences or end product of the system is analysed. During the consequence analysis. it may be found that the end products are non fiting the expected end product of the system. In such instance. the mistakes in the peculiar plans are identified and are fixed and further tested for the expected end product. When it is ensured that the system is running error-free. the users are called with their ain existent informations so that the system could be shown running as per their demands. ( H ) Execution After holding the user credence of the new system developed. the execution stage begins. Execution is the phase of a undertaking during which theory is turned into pattern. The major stairss involved in this stage are: * Acquisition and Installation of Hardware and Software * Conversion* User Training* DocumentationThe hardware and the relevant package required for running the system must be made to the full operational before execution. The transition is besides one of the most critical and expensive activities in the system development life rhythm. The information from the old system needs to be converted to run in the new format of the new system. The database needs to be setup with security and recovery processs to the full defined. During this stage. all the plans of the system are loaded onto the user’s computing machine. After lading the system. preparation of the user starts. Main subjects of such type of preparation are: * How to put to death the bundle* How to come in the information* How to treat the informations ( treating inside informations )* How to take out the studies After the users are trained about the computerized system. working has to switch from manual to computerise working. The procedure is called ‘Changeover’ . The undermentioned schemes are followed for conversion of the system. ( I ) Direct Conversion: This is the complete replacing of the old system by the new system. It is a hazardous attack and requires comprehensive system proving and preparation. ( two ) Parallel tally: In analogue run both the systems. i. e. . computerized and manual. are executed at the same time for certain defined period. The same information is processed by both the systems. This scheme is less hazardous but more expensive because of the followers: * Manual consequences can be compared with the consequences of the computerized system. * The operational work is doubled. * Failure of the computerized system at the early phase does non impact the working of the organisation. because the manual system continues to work. as it used to make. ( three ) Pilot tally: In this type of tally. the new system is run with the informations from one or more of the old periods for the whole or portion of the system. The consequences are compared with the old system consequences. It is less expensive and hazardous than parallel tally attack. This scheme builds the assurance and the mistakes are traced easy without impacting the operations. The certification of the system is besides one of the most of import activity in the system development life rhythm. This ensures the continuity of the system. There are by and large two types of certification prepared for any system. These are: * User or Operator Documentation * System DocumentationThe user certification is a complete description of the system from the users point of position detailing how to utilize or run the system. It besides includes the major mistake messages likely to be encountered by the users. The system certification contains the inside informations of system design. plans. their cryptography. system flow. informations dictionary. procedure description. etc. This helps to understand the system and license alterations to be made in the bing system to fulfill new user demands. ( I ) Care Care is necessary to extinguish mistakes in the system during its working life and to tune the system to any fluctuations in its working environments. It has been seen that there are ever some mistakes found in the systems that must be noted and corrected. It besides means the reappraisal of the system from clip to clip. The reappraisal of the system is done for: * cognizing the full capablenesss of the system * cognizing the needed alterations or the extra demands * analyzing the public presentation.If a major alteration to a system is needed. a new undertaking may hold to be set up to transport out the alteration. The new undertaking will so continue through all the above life rhythm stages.

The Case Analysis for Clean Edge Razo free essay sample

We will discuss from two aspects, one is the U. S. razor market and another is from the product itself. The paper through a series of economic analysis, including the background the razor market, razor market segments, consumer behavior, competition between producers, the feature of Clean Edge Razor and so forth, to got a positioning recommendation, brand name and budget recommendation to help product manager of company, Randall, find the right answer. The body paper will round some special questions to analyze what is the right way for put the Clean Edge Razor in the market. Some economic research and individual opinion will comprise the whole analysis. Eventually, we will got a conclusion and do some special recommendations. Question 1: a. What changes are occurring in the nondisposable razor category? There are two major changes are occurring in the nondisposable razor category. Firstly, the nondisposable razors experienced more growth, approximately 5% form 2007 to 2010, and most of the growth due to the innovations and new product introductions. We will write a custom essay sample on The Case Analysis for Clean Edge Razo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The customer is more want to trying new products than before. Secondly, industry experts divided the nondisposable razor market into three segments based on price and quality, super-Premium, moderate, and value. The first change of nondisposable razor category was in the segment of super-Premium. According the case paper, the volume and dollar of Super-Premium in 2009 nondisposable razors and refill cartridge retail sales were 25%, and 34% respectively. And in the last decade, there was experienced significant growth in the super-premium segment. Many innovations appeared in the super-premium segment to make this part a huge growth. . Assess Paramount’s competitive position. What are the strategic life cycle challenges for Paramount’s current products as well as for Clean Edge? The challenge of strategic life cycle is the replacement cycle had been shortened. According the case paper, consumers purchased razors and replacement cycle more frequently in 2009 than previous years. It is mean that customer want to try the different pro ducts, and their demand is change to more flexible. Moreover, advertising and sponsored articles that introduced some razor let customer change their demand more easily. That is a huge challenges for Paramount’s current products as well as for Clean Edge that they must continuous provide different kinds of products and let customer to use their products in a relative long life cycle. It is also mean the Paramount’s must use lots of money, technology, and work to design much kinds and much quality products. Question 2. How is the nondisposable razor market segmented? Examine consumer behavior for nondisposable razors. The nondisposable razor market was divided three segments based on price and quality: super-premium, moderate, value. According the case paper, the volume and dollar of Super-Premium, moderate, value in 2009 nondisposable razors and refill cartridge retail sales were 25%, 34%; 43%, 44%; 32%, 22% respectively. The super-premium segment has significant growth in recent 10 years due to the innovation and new products. The moderate still has a main position in amount of both volume and dollar. There are also three segments of nondisposable razor of consumer behavior: 39% Involved Razor Users (Social/Emotional Shavers), 28% Involved Razor Users (Aesthetic Shavers), 33% Uninvolved Razor Users (Maintenance Shavers). The kinds of Social/emotional shavers are the customer who will consider the different products of razor. They like shaking everyday, because to do this can make them more confidence. Aesthetic Shavers are the customers to consider which razor are the more effectively remove hair. And the last one Uninvolved razor uses, maintenance shavers, they think the entire razor are the same, and they have no interest to consider which razor is more better. Question 3. a. What are the arguments for launching Clean Edge as (a) a niche product and (b) a mainstream brand? The supporters that supporting the Clean Edge as a mainstream brand think that nowadays, the customer need a more sophisticated and expect more advanced technology products. The Pro does not provide this but Clean Edge can. More and more people want to get an advanced product and abandon normal one. And Pro is in the mature phase of the product lifecycle and it has no excess extra space to develop. They think now it is best time to lunch the Clean Edge in dominant position in the razor market. On the other hand, the objector think it should be make Clean Edge as a niche product. Rosenberg said that he couldn’t believe they are even considering a mainstream positioning strategy. He thinks Clean Edge will siphon off consumers from Pro. Moreover, making Clean Edge as a mainstream brand will dilute the brand power for their bread-and-butter product, Pro. The company will just be cannibalizing itself. The niche strategy makes more sense. According the pro and con, I conclude that the main arguments are how to rational allocate the share for different type products, which one will become the main products of company, and how combine the different product will get maximize profit for company. b. Which would you recommend? What are the strategic implications of your recommendation? We recommend that make Clean Edge as a mainstream brand. We think that the most important thing of company is profit. Selling products can get profit. So how much selling products decide how to profit company can get. And what does decide how much products can be sold, the share of market. So, if you have very great products, let it to dominate marker. For example, Apple Company is the fastest push the newest products, and makes it become the mainstream product to dominate market share. But Nokia just makes their advanced products as a niche product that fail to dominate market. So, Now the Apple is more success than Nokia. Question 4. Based on your positioning strategy, what brand name and marketing budget allocations would you advise? According our positioning strategy that makes Clean Edge as a mainstream brand, we advise the brand name would be â€Å"Clean Edge by Paramount†. The reason to make the Clean Edge name is that it can make the brand stand out and differentiate other product form Paramount. As its great quality and all new style to dominate market share. The company must improve the maximize budget allocations for Clean Edge to dominate market share. Conclusion

In Between the Lines Professor Ramos Blog

In Between the Lines Lilia D. Merino Morales AmericanLiteratureII    20 May 2019 Being American now comes with more diversity. A person can be African American, Asian American, or Mexican American, the list goes on and on. Because of the physical or cultural difference that these other Americans have that the Angelo American does not have they face discrimination. Encountering this discrimination for a long time, people begin to rise against the discrimination that does not allow them to get jobs, get equal pay, equal benefits as the Angelo American. A group in particular who fought to create their own identity is the Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans had a difficult fight because they were always getting lost between being considered white with the Angelo Americans or being called colored like the African Americans. In the article â€Å"The Civil Rights Act and the transformation of Mexican American Identity and Politics† Nancy MacLean talks about how Mexican Americans had to fight to establish their identity by not allowing themselves to be assimilate d into the Angelo American category and protesting against the inequality as Mexican Americans not just people of color. Gloria Anzaldua describes some of what Mexican Americans had to go through in her essay â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue†. In the article â€Å"The Civil Rights Act and the Transformation of Mexican American Identity and Politics† by Nancy MacLean, she explains the events that began the Mexican American search for identity and political stance. With the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Mexican Americans began to identify as white, this allowing them to avoid some of the discrimination. Then with The Civil Rights Act of 1964 the Mexican Americans were able to start identify as their own person because the act outlawed discrimination. They began to join the African American people in their search for equal rights but by the 1960’s the Mexican Americas and African Americans were apart again declaring their rights for their races alone. Mexican Americans believed they needed to fight for their rights alone in order to create their own identity. Mexican Americans fought and continue to fight by protesting against the discrimination they have to deal with day by day in order to someday receive th e equal treatment they deserve. Mexican Americans felt they needed to categorize themselves as white because of the switch of lands it was forced upon them and the awful treatment they saw African Americans were facing. In 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was enacted and Nancy MacLean states, â€Å"made Mexicans in U.S. territory â€Å"white† by recognizing them as citizens at a time when the naturalization law made whiteness a perquisite of citizenship† (MacLean 124). At first Mexican Americans took advantage of this in order to avoid the same treatment that the African Americans received but this meant they had to confided to an identity that wasn’t their own. Gloria Anzaldua speaks of encounters where she gets told, â€Å"‘If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’ If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong’† (Anzaldua 1521). Anzaldua and many other Mexican Americans were told that in order to be American they could not have the ac cent they had when speaking English. This was one of the ways that the Angelo Americans were trying to assimilate the Mexican Americans. But the Mexican Americans began to rebel against the assimilation and discrimination that came with it. When it came to fighting for their rights Mexican Americans decided to join the African Americans in the fight for equality but then realized they weren’t making much progress for themselves. In the article by Nancy MacLean she describes the conflict between the two groups being that the Mexican Americans would not support the African Americans as they â€Å"voted against the call for solidarity, which they viewed as a distraction from ‘our own problems’† (MacLean 126). The Mexican Americans wanted to make an image by themselves for themselves so that they would not be put into a category and have their problems be considered solved. In her writing Gloria Anzaldua explains that both African and Mexican Americans â€Å"suffer economically for not acculturating† (Anzaldua 1529). The African and Mexican Americans were always being set in the same group because they were both being discriminated against but their problems were not the same. Both groups a re different people from different countries and by being set into a single group as ‘colored’ it was causing a further divide amongst them by treating their issues as the same for both groups. Mexican Americans had their own fight for their rights just as the African Americans. Part of their fight was establishing that their identity is not white or black but brown. Through difficult times the Mexican Americans made sure that they kept their culture. Nancy MacLean recounts the history in â€Å"The Civil Rights Act and the transformation of Mexican American Identity and Politics† while Gloria Anzaldua illustrates personally what discrimination a Mexican American had to encounter in her essay â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue†. Because of the color of their skin Mexican Americans were being set into the class of African Americans but because they were living on American soil during the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo they were considered Angelo Americans and being taught to act like it but they found that they did not fit in either state. They discovered they were in between these two lines being set by society and by the government and created a new name and identit y for themselves, the brown people of America.   Anzaldua, Gloria. â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue.†The Norton Anthology of American  Literature, edited by Nina Baym and Robert S. Levine, 8th ed., vol. 2, W.W. Norton   Company, 2013, pp. 1521–1529. MacLean, Nancy. â€Å"The Civil Rights Act and the Transformation of Mexican American Identityand Politics.†Berkeley La Raza Law Journal, vol. 18, no. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 123–134.EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=36094372site=ehost-live.

Creative Writing 5 Tips for Writing a Novel

Creative Writing 5 Tips for Writing a Novel Creative Writing: 5 Tips for Writing a Novel Even though creative writing gives you much more freedom than academic writing, it takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication to master. Luckily, if you are writing a novel, there are a few things you can do to make sure you end up with something you can be proud of. 1. Start Small One mistake aspiring novelists make is leaping right into writing a full-length novel. If you’ve not written fiction before, consider starting with a few short stories. This will let you hone your creative writing skills before you set to work on your seven-volume masterpiece! Not exactly what we had in mind, but sure.(Photo: kelly taylor/flickr) 2. Where to Begin? Speaking of starting points, coming up with an idea for your story is one of the trickiest parts of writing a novel. The old adage of â€Å"write what you know† applies here, so one option is to base a story on something in your life or something you’ve observed. Another top tip is starting with a character. Who is your story going to be about? What is their background? Where do they live? What challenges do they face? If you can answer these questions, the rest of your story should start falling into place. 3. Have a Plan Once you have a basic idea for your story, you should take some time to make a plan before you begin writing. Try to consider what the major plot points will be, who the main characters are, and what the end point will be. You might need a bit more detail than this. You don’t have to stick to this rigidly once you get going, but it should give you a basic structure you can use to guide your writing. 4. Give Yourself a Quota Every author has days when they don’t feel like they can get anything done or when the words seem to come out wrong. But don’t let this put you off! Give yourself a quota of words to write each day. This doesn’t have to be much (even a few hundred or a thousand words a day will add up eventually). They don’t even have to be perfect (you can edit later, so resist the urge to hit â€Å"delete†). The important thing is to keep going. 5. Edit Ruthlessly! Once you have a first draft, take some time away (have someone else read it and give you feedback if you can). But when you do come back to your manuscript, be brutal! Editing your own work can be painful, but it has to be done. Make your story as streamlined as possible. This means making small cuts where redundant words and phrases appear. But it can also mean cutting sections that aren’t essential to the plot, such as unnecessary scene-setting. Red pen optional.(Photo: Nic McPhee/flickr) If you can do this, you should end up with a much better novel as a result!

Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems - Essay Example One of the common wireless intrusion methods is known as ‘Wardriving’. Normally, this is done by using a Windows laptop running Wardriving software, for example NetStumbler, and equipped with an IEEE 802.11b adapter and external aerial. The ‘Wardriver’ moves near the wireless network area expecting to detect IEEE 802.11b signals that have spilled out onto the area around. NetStumbler search for beacon frames from the access points (APs) and processing these beacon frames, it is feasible to resolve the encryption strength, channel, and type of hardware used. The Wardriver may also get other details of the network such as the Service Set Identifier (SSID). Usually, this is done as a hobby and such hobbyists may combine the data with Global Positioning System (GPS) information to generate geographic maps of wireless networks in the area and their configurations. There are different software’s available for Wardriving, basing on the platform used. As a ma tter of fact, active software like NetStumbler, dStumbler, and MiniStumbler transmit probe request frames to extract responses from APs (Wright, 2002). This helps their probability of detecting APs. Another popular intrusion method is the Linux program AirSnort, most commonly used tool for WEP key extraction. Intruder by means of AirSnort would clandestinely gather wireless network traffic of the intended network. AirSnort can find out the WEP key of the network by processing the weak frames collected. There is also possibility of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on the network.

SPECIAL REPORT Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SPECIAL REPORT - Coursework Example The following are the traffic control strategies that have been put in place in Miami for the special event this year. The police should implement plans to educate road users in future on how to use roads during special events to avoid closure of roads, which is expensive and costly to both the police department in terms of labor needed to control traffic and to the residents in terms of time wasted in a crowded road. The police have issued guidelines and regulations that are going to ensure order during the major events at Miami Beach. According to Miami Beach Police Chief, the police analyzed the previous events and came up with a strategy to ensure a safe environment. The strategy will include directive orders to arrest people who are going to disrupt tranquility in Miami Beach. The police chief has said that the Police are hoping to avoid problems during this season by arresting people who are going to cause disturbance. According to Miami Beach’s police union the order, this weekend is for â€Å"patrol officers will need to meet an arrest quota of 2,000 arrests.†This number is two times the record of a thousand set in the previous years. In my opinion, this strategy is good except that the police should only make arrests to the offenders and not simply as a matter of meeting their target of 2,000 arrests. In my opinion, the police department has put in place extra measures which are different from the previous years and this is because of the increasing number of visitors that keep coming to Miami Beach each year. In previous years, the number of policy officers that were on the patrol was not as much as this year, and this is because of the increasing incidences of visitors who caused disturbance in the area. Similarly, the police have not been closing as many roads as it plans to close during this season. In my opinion, the police department should include the residents of Miami Beach to police the region during high season when

Country Risk Analysis-China Essay Example for Free

Country Risk Analysis-China Essay With the development of economic globalization, foreign direct investment (FDI) is increasingly being recognized as an important factor in the economic development of countries. Although FDI began centuries ago, the biggest growth has occurred in recent years. This growth resulted from several factors, particularly the more receptive attitude of governments to investment inflows, the process of privatization, and the growing interdependence of the world economy. Team B will perform a country risk analysis to ensure that endeavors of investing into the Chinese markets are warranted. Initial ScreeningGreater China has been one of the most dynamic areas in the world economy. With the entry of the China into the World Trade Organization, Chinas financial markets emerge on the frontier of economic reform and openness. Financial services also provide the most exciting foreign business opportunities in China. However, the recent Asian financial crisis illuminates the problems in Chinas state-run enterprises and an ill-functioning banking system. This paper is looking for the business opportunity of financial services industry in China. It will begin from the review of the emerging economies to explain why the specific region was chose. The research of this paper also includes business analysis in China, a review of profitable industry, the business entry strategy and its functional areas operate in China. At the end, the future strategy and the recommendations will be discussed for the further steps in this investment. Potentials/FDILooking at the environmental factors of China, the economic development it has undergone in the past 15 years is of increasing interest to marketers. It has developed and continues to grow into a great trading partner. If this growth pattern continues, China will someday have significant economic influence on the world. One reason China could have a particularly large effect is due to the number of Chinese citizens. China supports over 1.29 billion people and this number is increasing by .93%. If the standard of living persists and income levels rise, it would be possible to accept the Chinese as potential consumers that would unlock a huge market  of individuals. The massive population has been a burden on China because the economy, as it stands now, cannot bear to support such a number of citizens. The government is trying to gain control of this problem by limiting the number of children to one per household, with exceptions to ethnic minorities and those living in rural areas. Other countries are offering their services to attempt to control the birthrate by showing the government that population control can be managed without a coercive and involuntary approach. The government has been losing its authority due to political changes and popular resistance that make population standards difficult to maintain. Therefore, some projections still approximate that 1.6 billion will make up Chinas population by the year 2025. Countries wishing to take advantage of Chinas emerging opportunities are investing a large amount of time, effort and money in order to access such a vast market. These possibilities were made possible when China started its reform in 1978, opening its doors to foreign investments and trade. This changed a self-reliant central economy into a mixed economy that combined state owned enterprises and private businesses. China could now allow individual citizens to have different amounts of incomes. The results have changed China dramatically making it the fastest growing economy for 15 years. When the reforms began in 1978, 60 percent of the population earned less than $1 a day. Since the reform, GDP has grown steadily by an average of 9 percent. In the year 2000, GDP grew by 8 percent. Currently, per capita is equivalent to $3600 and as the economy continues to expand the purchasing power of individuals will increase as well. The new economic reform policy intends to reduce central planning and increase business autonomy and spread income. Many problems still exist, despite the success of the policy and rapid economic growth. There is a movement for more privatization of some State Owned Enterprises because many remain unprofitable. In the year 2000, 46.5% of the SOEs were running at a loss. These problems stem from the socialist system that is still in place under their Constitution. Under the Chinese Constitution, it is the  responsibility of the government to manage the economy by means of production quotas and price setting. This apparent contradiction between the reform policy and the Constitution (1982) seem to work against each other. China will never succeed at full potential unless it retires the Marxist views and embraces a market directed system. Economic IndicatorsChinas economic growth remains quite high due to the large investments from the United States and Europe. The labor sector has a competitive edge with the rest of the globe now, where outsourcing of work to China is a priority among the large corporations. The Second Screening tries to look at more specific types of economic indicators to determine the risk and safety for a foreign company to invest in China, a country that has a communist government. According to the World Economic Forum, China has moved up from 33 to 39 in their 2002-2003 Growth Competitive Index while the IMD has mainland China listed as number 12. Summary data can be accessed below.In terms of trade surplus, there are fluctuations all the time due to the business cycle. Not all cycles of goods and services in China fall into predictable patternsChinas trade surplus in March fell to $6.9 billion, well below forecasts and down sharply from Februarys $23.7 billion surplus, reports AP. It was not clear whether the drop in March was the result of government efforts or would have a lasting impact.(www.metrics2.com)http://www.metrics2.com/blog/economic_indicators/Inflation is something that remains as long as prices keep going up, and there are no controls of prices. The Chinese communist government does have strict controls over the Chinese currency. Its central bank controls the overall balance of payments within the country when dealing with foreign investors, as the United States. Chinas consumer price index (CPI) rose 5.3 percent year-on-year in July, mainly due to the lagging effect of price hikes at the end of 2003 and one-time factors, said the monthly report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Thursday. The July inflation rate was 0.3 percentage points higher than the 5 percent rise in June, making it the second  consecutive month that Chinas inflation exceeded 5 percent. Currency ConvertibilityCurrency in China is called the Renminbi and although it tries to be strictly controlled by the Chinese government, the currency competes on the world currency market just like the American dollar and the Euro. The currency is tied to the economic health of the country in terms of balance of payments. Sometimes this is difficult to understand because of the globalized world economies today, where every country deals in all of the worlds currencies. International corporation for example can pay for goods and services in any form of currency. The official currency of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is Renminbi (meaning in Chinese: peoples currency). The Peoples Bank of China, the PRCs monetary authority, issues the Chinese currency. The official ISO 4217 abbreviation of Chinas currency is CNY, but it is also abbreviated as RMB. Colloquially, the Chinese currency is also called Yuan and Kuai.(www.danwei.org)Gross Domestic ProductChina is likely to declare itself the worlds fourth largest economy next week, having leapfrogged Italy, France and Britain, after a widely expected revision of its annual gross domestic product figures. Economists say the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which is due to release part of the results of its first national economic census on December 20, is likely to put a much bigger figure on the size of Chinas services sector. Political and Legal barriers to doing business in ChinaThe Peoples Republic of China is a dichotomy of cultures and lifestyles. While maintaining the culture of an old world, there is a marked representation of Western culture all over the larger cities in the country. However, anyone wishing to do business in China will have to know and understand both cultures, and all the legal and political implications involved in doing creating a successful presence in China. In China, the first step in doing business is to have a legal framework to operate your business. You need a legitimate platform to launch your business venture. It is not advisable to use proxy or another Chinese company to conduct business in China (www.seve.gr). While the most obvious barriers to doing business in China include tariffs and other financial  limitations, there are some non-tariff barriers that could inhibit a business from doing business in China. Entry BarriersGovernments often provide trade consultations and administrative guidance to companies to facilitate implementation of their respective industrial policies. In some countries the role of government may take the form of a caretaker, coordinator and leader providing guidance, coordination and arbitration. In order to achieve these goals, governments use such tactics as licensing, foreign exchange allocations and quotas. These tactics could interfere with free trade and become a barrier to market entry (www.foxweb.marist.edu). Profit Remittance BarriersFinancial controls may take the form of exchange controls, multiple exchange rates, and prior import deposits, as well as credit restrictions and profit remittance restrictions. Exchange controls limit the amount of currency that can be taken abroad. Such controls limit the amount of currency an importer can obtain to pay for the goods purchased. It also limits the amount of currency an exporter receives for goods sold and the length of time it can hold the currency (www.foxweb.marist.edu). Prior to 2005, most businesses in China were state-owned and it was virtually impossible for non-state businesses to enter the Chinese market. However, in 2005, China lifted trade barriers that would allow private businesses to invest in the infrastructure, industry and utilities of China. Although the government has displayed support for the development of non-state economy in recent years, there are still barriers to the development of the private sector especially in the power and oil industries. Even in Shanghai where the private economy booms, the non-state business often faces many limits from various industries (www.English.peopledaily.com). Cultural IssuesChinas estimated population for 2007 is greater than 1,321,800,000 with a relatively small cohort. (CIA, 2007) The median age  in China is 33.2 (32.7 male and 33.7 female). Exhibit 1 (CIA, 2007)Life expectancy is estimated at 72.88 years. Seven out of every 1,000 people die each year. Infant mortality rate is 22.12 per every 1,000 births (20.01 male and 24.47 female). (CIA, 2007). The Chinese ethnic population is 91.9% Han Chinese; while the remaining 8.1% is made up of Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other. Exhibit 2 (Cyborlink, n.d.)Culturally, China ranks highest in long-term orientation. This dimension indicates a societys time perspective and an attitude of preserving; that is, overcoming obstacles with time, if not with will and strength. (Cyborlink, n.d.) Geert Hofstede has conducted many cultural analyses and ranked China the lowest in Asia in regards to individualism. This is thought to be in part to an emphasis on a Collectivist society by Communist rule. Culturally, the Chinese are close and committed to family and relationships and loyalty is considered very important. Hofstede also noted that China ranks 80 in regards to power distance; while the rest of Asia averages 60 and the rest of the world averages 50. This is indicative of a high level of inequality of power and wealth within the society. This condition is not necessarily forced up the population, but rather accepted by the society as their cultural heritage. (Cyborlink, n.d.) In regard religions, China is an atheistic society (94%); while only three to four percent are Taoist, Buddhist, or Christian, and one to two percent are Muslim. Education in China is very important. Two years before the dawn of the 21st Century the Chinese government proposed an ambitious plan intended to expand university enrollment to ensure a greater output of professional and specialized graduates. (Cyborlink, n.d.) The governments goal is to develop an elite of world-class universities. Today, 90.9% of the Chinese population is literate; however, only 85.5% of Chinese females are literate compared to 95.1% of Chinese males are literate. The 2006 estimated Chinese labor force consisted of 798 million people with  an official unemployment rate of 4.2% for urban areas. Unemployment and underemployment rates for rural areas are considerably higher. According to the 2006 labor estimates, 45% of the labor force was involved in agriculture; 24% industry; and 31% services. Exhibit 3 (CIA, 2007)Competitive forcesNumber, size and financial strengthWith this being a relatively new product idea there is very little competition. That is not to say that there is no competition. Similar software exists however it does not take into account the end user. Most fashion software is for the designer more so than the consumer. Our software allows people put in there body type and shape and then see how clothes would look on you before you ever step foot in a store. Market shareWith a very small number of competitors is allows for firms to have very large shares of the market. We understand that being brand new we will not be able to have the entire market, however within the first three months we expect to grow it by a factor three. This is very ambitious but we feel with our strategic partnerships and quality product we should be the market leader within the first 18 months. Marketing strategiesOur marketing strategy will be to associate our self with an established fashion label(s). We will use there good name to help promote our product as a product extension of the clothes. DistributionWe will distribute our products through online stores as well as their contemporary bricks and mortar counterpart. We feel this is the best over all solution to get the product into the hands of as many people as possible. The competition utilizes the internet as well as physical stores as well so we must do both as well. Modes of entryAs for the mode of entry, we have decided that because of the bureaucratic red tape associated with doing business in china it would be most beneficial if we combined our efforts with an already established clothing company. That way we would not have to launch a completely new company however just branch out as a different product line to an existing  brand. We will probably use price skimming as this type of software will be aimed at consumers who are willing to pay a premium for fashion. Also they might perceive a lower price as a lower quality product. An alternative mode of entry could be if we sold our software to multiple clothing makers and allow them to use the software as a tool. This also would eliminate some of the governmental procedures. This solution would also get the product out and into more users. The products of this industry are services, it is extremely important to build good relationship with customer and build customer loyalty in long term. This issue is currently managed by the group successfully. The only challenge is to keep the standard when entering the China market. In the highly competitive business atmosphere currently occurring in China, there is a large shortage of qualified employees. Many companies are eager to attract as many skilled professionals as possible, especially in financial services industry. Local business giants realize the urgency and magnitude of their needs. Besides the great number of expatiate executives, management-training companies in Shanghai have mushroomed to several thousand to provide the management talent. In conclusion, with the speed up of world economic integration process and the gradual opening of financial market after Chinas entry into WTO, China financial services sector will have to face more powerful competition and challenges from overseas intruders. China will be stepping up infrastructure development and offering equal opportunities to both the foreign banks and the domestics. It also is a greater opportunity for WF to take a step in sharing the market. References China lifts barriers of private business into monopolized industries. (2005). Retrieved April 21, 2007 from http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200501/20/eng20050120_171269.htmlCIA. (2007, April). China. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from The World Fact Book:https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.htmlCyborlink. (n.d.). China. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from International Business

Anouilh’s Tragedy and Oedipus Rex :: comparison compare contrast essays

Anouilh’s Tragedy and Oedipus Rex    Many definitions exist for the genres of â€Å"tragedy† and â€Å"melodrama.†Ã‚   Similar to the distinction between fruits and vegetables, most can tell the two apart but have difficulty describing why.   However, some definitions require a deeper look into a work, such as the interpretation provided by Anouilh’s movie version of â€Å"Antigone.†Ã‚   Whether or not Sophocles’s â€Å"Oedipus Rex† is a tragedy or melodrama has been debated since the teachings of Aristotle and strong arguments have been made for both sides.   â€Å"Tragedy,† as defined by Anouilh, takes on a lifelike form, putting a new twist on an old definition that requires one to take a different perspective on the play.   Though at a superficial level â€Å"Oedipus Rex† is a tragedy, its details point it towards the direction of a melodrama.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first and most glaring problem found while attempting to plug â€Å"Oedipus Rex† into Anouilh’s description of tragedy comes with how tragedy runs in a play.    The spring is wound up tight.   It will uncoil of itself.   That is what is so convenient in tragedy.   The least little turn of the wrist will do the job†¦. The rest is automatic.   You don’t need to lift a finger.   The machine is in perfect order; it has been oiled ever since time began, and it runs without friction (Anouilh’s â€Å"Antigone†).    Once tragedy has started to roll, it never ceases while continuing to snowball until the point of finality in the play.   In â€Å"Oedipus Rex,† this is not seen.   Rather, Oedipus himself works the machine, pulling each lever and pushing every button himself.   Though â€Å"the god’s design is open, [and] all his oracle is clear†¦ (Sophocles 76),† it is Oedipus himself that must hurry his fate.   The gods seem to hurry Oedipus along his journey as well, catalyzing the actions leading to Oedipus’s final revelations and self-mutilation.   â€Å"Friends, it was Apollo, sprit of Apollo.   He made this evil fructify (Sophocles 73).†Ã‚   Oedipus recognizes that the gods, notably Apollo had ushered him along, leaving him with little else than to explore his origins and eventually go mad.   Oedipus is not put into some fate machine and chewed around.   Oedipus is subjected to his own curiosity and the play of his own gods.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Anouilh, a tragedy must be very clean, whereas a melodrama is sloppy in nature.    Tragedy is clean; it is restful; it is flawless.

Examples of Discipleship Essay

I believe that Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Christian Aid are two prime examples of discipleship in this century, Bonhoeffer as an individual and Christian Aid as an organisation. Bonhoeffer was a German preacher born in 1906 to a medical professor and his wife in Breslau, a small town. From an early age he wanted to serve God, and so he studied theology at university and taught and preached in both Germany and America. He returned to his homeland in 1933 to protest against the newly elected Nazi party, and joined the new Confessing Church, having rejected his previous Protestant church for bowing to Hitler’s demands. He worked in a secret training centre for new pastors, run by the confessing church, for four years, as the Gestapo closed it down in 1937. After that, and with the signs of the oppression soon to be felt by the German people becoming clearer, Bonhoeffer took a more active role in his campaigning against the Nazis, eventually leading him to a cell in a prison and the hangman’s noose in 1945. One of the main tenants of Christian discipleship is Jesus’ teaching on the mountain: pacifism and love for enemies. Bonhoeffer was an avid believer in these ideals, and wrote his still-relevant book, The Cost of Discipleship, based around those thoughts. He interpreted the maxim of â€Å"If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also† as a call for pacifism and working out disagreements by reasoning rather than force. But Bonhoeffer was forced to challenge his own morals when the news of the violent anti-Semitism ignited by Hitler spread and several of his friends joined the German resistance. Most of those opposed to the Nazis saw that the only way to end the suffering caused by Hitler was to kill him. Public meetings were banned, and the press were heavily censored. The huge propaganda departments of the government would not allow any attempt by Bonhoeffer to spread his Christian teaching. So Bonhoeffer felt that he could be quiet, and wait until the war finished, and congratulate those that ended it, or he could play an active role in a plot to kill Hitler. Firstly he helped smuggle Jews out of Germany, but was caught and forced to give up any legitimate teaching. Forsaking any hope of reaching a peaceful end to the conflict, Bonhoeffer helped the bomb plot to assassinate Hitler. When it failed he was incarcerated, and he contemplated his deviance from Christian law. Bonhoffer had to make, on his own, one of the main questions that hangs over all belief systems: Whether the moment dictates what a person should do, or if people should always keep constant what they believe in. In his case it was between fighting evil and helping those in need or staying true to his pacifist roots. He chose to take a drastic step against some of Christ’s teachings to implement others, leading to his arrest and execution. This inevitable question still hangs over the church, and a viable answer has yet to be suggested. Christian Aid is a charity funded by numerous churches in the UK and Ireland. Although it is funded and staffed by Christians, Christian Aid will support any people in need, regardless of religion or race, and does not attempt to convert those it helps to Christianity. Although it combats poverty and need immediately and continually in global trouble areas, it also tries too stop poverty at it’s root, and was a large part of the ‘Jubilee 2000†² campaign to abolish third world debt. Christian aid has interpreted Jesus’ teaching on Discipleship and concentrated on the aid and help parts of his teaching. It would look to examples from his life: â€Å"When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying hands on each one, he healed them† (Luke 4:40) This sort of passage, frequent in the gospels, shows that Jesus cared greatly for the needy, rejecting the idea that they somehow ‘deserved’ their punishment, and was not afraid to get dirty and ritually ‘unclean’ to help. In the same way, Christian Aid was set up by Christians who do not judge those they help, and will go to any lengths to re-enact Christ’s good work. They also follow the teaching laid down by Jesus in his parables, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan: â€Å"He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own Donkey, brought him to an Inn and took care of him.† (Luke 10:34) The idea of this parable, where one man steps in where others fear to tread, inspires Christian Aid a lot, as they are physically helping the needy of the world while other members of society just stand back and watch, sometimes nodding approvingly. They see this following of Jesus as being true to one of Jesus’ main teachings, â€Å"Love your neighbour as yourself† And seek to harmonise the lot of people around the world by abolishing suffering through war, poverty and disasters. As Christian Aids motto goes; â€Å"We believe in life before Death†, Christian Aid is rejecting the traditional view of the churches preaching yet not acting, and are playing an active role in the reduction of suffering. They see Jesus’ message not just as an instruction to put up with life until you die, but also as a chance to help the needy, and prove before God their faith as Christians.

FastFit Case Analysis Essay

1. 1. Mark the main flows of goods and money in the diagram (above) and employ a key or table of descriptive elements to explain your answer. 1. HQ contacts the supplier and tells them how much of each product the company needs. 2. The supplier sends the goods to the FastFit warehouse. 3. The warehouse notifies HQ about receiving the goods and how much of each product is in storage. 4. HQ tells the warehouse, which stores to send the products to, how much product each store needs and when the store needs the products. 5. The warehouse sends the proper amount of each good to the FastFit stores. 6. Customers come into the FastFit stores and pay money to purchase the products. 7. Store sells the customer the merchandise, receives money and personal information about the customer and sends the happy customer home with their purchase. 8. Store sends money and customer information to HQ. Store also sends information about what products have been successful and which products are not selling. 9. HQ tells suppliers which goods are going to be re-ordered. Also HQ pays for the goods that the supplier has supplied. 10. HQ tells store managers how to set up and run the FastFit stores to enable the highest level of success. 11. Supplier sends information about the goods that have been shipped to the warehouse and how much money is owed for the goods. 2. a) List the specific items of information that are usually gathered at the POS (Point of Sale terminal or cash register) and recorded when a customer checks out (excluding obtaining the identity of the customer which is covered in Q3)? b) What are three important uses of this information at the store by the store manager and by management at the headquarters– a total of six uses? (use a table) (It is important that you give different responses/uses for store manager and the HQ) Transactional Information – POS Transaction ID – Payment Type (credit/debit) – Date of Sale – Time of Sale – Amount Paid – Amount Due – Store Details (Name, Location, Branch) – Promotion/ Discount (if any) Product Information – Type of Product (Clothing/Accessory) – Product ID – Size of the Product – Product Brand – Price of the Product – Quantity of Product Staff Information – Which employee sold the product to the customer – Comparison on employee success Store Information – Sales Promotions Occurring – How long the product has been in the store – How many of the same products remain in store – How popular the product has been Use of Information by Store Managers: Information Elements Needed Description of the use – Which Employee sold the product to the customer – Quantity of items sold to the customer – Date and Time of the transaction – Total Amount of money the customer paid – Managers can see which employees have been selling the most. They can identify which employees have not been selling as much. They can provide incentives to encourage employees to get more sales – Type of Product – Product Brand – Quantity of Product – Size of Product – Managers can see which products are most popular in the store. Can implement new structures to display products in a desirable manner. Can tell employees which products to heavily advertise to customers. Can keep store stocked appropriately based on which items are most popular. – Amount Paid – Date of Sale – Time of Sale – Managers can see how much money the store is making on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. If sales are slow during certain periods, management might make a decision to lay off some employees. If sales are strong, management might need to hire more employees. Use of Information by Management at Headquarters: Information Elements Needed Description of Use – Size of Product – Product Brand -Type of Product – Quantity of Product sold – Sales Management can assess the information and understand which brands are popular in which store locations. Knowing the popular brands they can contact the suppliers to replenish goods, and try implementing similar brands to certain store locations. – Amount Paid – Time of sale – Date of sale – Store details – Payment Type Income Management can look at financial success in each store. If some stores are more successful than others, they can move store managers around to try implement the successful tactics everywhere. Can also implement certain payment techniques if a credit card brand is popular at a specific store – Promotions – Type of Product – Product Brand – Size of Product – Quantity of Product Marketing Management can see which products are the most popular in each store. Can create advertisements that are catered to each individual store location. Can create new store layouts to promote the popular items in store and draw customers in. 3. a) What are some ways to obtain the identity of the customer at the POS and to associate this â€Å"identity† with more detailed information about the customer? b) What business actions could FastFit then take based upon this additional information? Obtaining Customer Identity Associate this Identity with more detailed information Actions based on Information Gathered Have the customer sign up for a FastFit customer card Customer created personal ID that gives the store information on all the customers’ purchases. Store will know what items are desirable to the customer and when they make the most purchases. FastFit can use this information to give the customer promotions towards their favorite items in the form of coupons and promotional emails. Also the store can email customer more information about their favorite brands, and suggestions of similar products the customer might like. Credit Card Information The customer’s credit card gives personal information on where the customer lives and what purchases they have made in the store. The store can put up more focused advertisements in the locations where their customers live. Ask Customers to fill out a survey Survey will gain information about how customers feel about the store and FastFit’s products. They can see if customers feel like the store has issues, and what people feel needs to be addressed with the overall company. They can recognize certain issues and address them directly. These might include changing the overall store atmosphere or the quality of products inside. If customers like a certain aspect of the store, FastFit can emphasize this. Maybe try and have a more diversified product mix or different advertising routine. 4. Assume HQ is responsible (HQ issues orders to suppliers and determines what warehouse should deliver to stores) for replenishing inventory at the stores. a) What information (elements) are needed and how are these used to decide what (the warehouse) sends to each store? b) Where do the information elements come from? (use a table to combine the responses for a and b). c) List two reasons why we didn’t have each store decide what (replenishments) to order from the warehouse? Headquarters Responsibilities Information Elements Needed Source of Information Product Information: – Type of Product (Clothing/Accessory) – Product ID – Sizes of the Product – Product Brand – Price of each Individual Product – Quantity of Product needed Computer checkout system takes all of this information, as products are being purchased and returned in the store. Transaction Information: – Date of Sale – Time of Sale – Amount Paid – Amount Due – Types of Products being sold at the time Computer checkout system in store takes in this information about how much was spent at the store and at which times the most spending occurs. Also managers can see tell when the busiest times of the day, month and year are just by observing customer patterns in the store. Customer Information: – Ages of customers coming into the store – Which gender (male/female) shops most frequently at the store – Which products the customers are purchasing the most – Where does the customer base live – When do the customers purchase the most merchandise Customer database formed by customers that are part of the FastFit customer card club. The personal ID gives info about customers past purchases and their preferences toward certain products. Surveys customers filled out which explains age, gender and store and product preferences. Computer checkout system also records customer purchases to see what people like and how often they visit the store. Store Information: – Sales Promotions occurring – How long the product has been in the store – How many of the same product remain in store – How popular products have been Inventory tracking database in each store keeps track of which items have not been sold. Store management and employees keep track of trends and promotional deals going on within the stores. They can also visually observe which items have been around for longer, and which items have been selling out very quickly. c. Management at HQ controls the replenishments because they can oversee all operations across all of the stores. They have the power to make calculated decision about each store that would benefit the company as a whole. If each store were to replenish the products themselves, they would only replenish what is popular at each time. HQ ensures that each store is receiving the goods that will properly sell in the location that the store is in. HQ can analyze trends on a larger scale, and implement advertising strategies and product mix based on the data trends. If replenishing were left to the individual stores, sales and profit would be lost. 5. a) Draw a system diagram that shows the key information and product flows between FastFit (HQ and Warehouse) and a supplier, including the steps for ordering and invoicing and label each flow descriptively. This diagram will have three circles. b) Compare your drawing with the diagram showing the flows that occur when a customer buys something at a (physical) store and explain why the former is more complicated. 1. HQ decides what needs to go into stores and orders the products from suppliers 2. Supplier sends HQ a confirmation of the order and also sends an invoice for how much money is owed 3. Supplier sends the merchandise to the warehouse 4. HQ pays the supplier for the products 5. HQ contacts the warehouse and confirms that the products have been shipped and accounted for in the warehouse 6. The warehouse sends an invoice slip to HQ for holding the products and sending them out as necessary 7. HQ pays the warehouse the correct amount on invoice slip 1. Customer goes into store and selects an item/items to purchase 2. Store receives money from customer for the purchased product 3. Store records information and sends the info to HQ b. The diagram above shown in the first part of problem 5 is more sophisticated than the latter diagram because it involves many more transactions. HQ must go through a careful decision process even before  ordering the products from the supplier. After ordering the correct items, HQ must ensure that the merchandise reaches the warehouse, and then the store without any issues occurring in between. This entails that HQ pays the supplier and warehouse in time. HQ has to deal with all of the physical decision making as well as financial details of each transaction. HQ pulls each element together. 6. Assume that FastFit headquarters receives and pays invoices from suppliers. a) How do they decide whether (i.e. which information elements does the HQ use) to pay and how much to pay? b) From where do they get the information to make this decision? (use a table to combine responses to a and b). Headquarters Decision Making: Information Elements Needed Source of Information/ Decision Pricing Information: – Product ID – Amount of Products being bought – Price of each different product – Amount of products being bought each season. – Which products FastFit wants to sell and (in the future) which products the customers have shown interest in. Supplier would provide the price of each product. Decision: HQ and supplier would agree on a set price based on how much of the product FastFit would be purchasing. FastFit would want to choose and continue doing business with the supplier based on what the customers have shown interest in Warehouse Information: – Warehouse checks to see that complete order has arrived – Checks for quality of products – Checks to ensure that the correct order has arrives – Records the information about received inventory Warehouse would provide the information about the order. Decision: HQ would pay the warehouse when the information gets relayed that the order was complete and correct. Warehouse and HQ would decide on a set price beforehand for each transaction that the warehouse performs. Delivery Information: – Date and time products are needed by – How quick the delivery takes place – Location of stores from warehouse – Location Supplier would set a price for the delivery of products to the warehouse. Warehouse would set a price for the delivery of products to the stores. Decision: HQ would potentially try and negotiate the price for deliveries with the warehouse and supplier. If the delivery services proved to be reliable HQ would feel satisfied with the price and process. Supplier Information: – Where the supplier is located – Reliability of supplier – How quick the supplier can get the product to the warehouse Supplier provides information about their processes and how much they charge for the products. Decision: HQ would pay the supplier based on how much product they are ordering and if the suppliers asking price is reasonable.