Monday, September 30, 2019

Health Care Utilization

According to â€Å"Keeping America Healthy† (2013), â€Å"Medicaid provides coverage for individuals according to poverty guidelines who are unable to afford health care insurance because of limited income† (Eligibility). John Q. Qualifies for Medicaid but lives in a rural community with no public transportation to travel to access his benefits due to provider office hours and the distance he must travel to the location. John does own have a car. John is predisposed to heart disease through heredity and has been diagnosed with high blood pressure. According to â€Å"What Is High Blood Pressure? 2011),† blood pressure is when blood is forced against the artery walls to disperse oxygen and turbines carried in the blood to the body. Blood pressure is measured by two numbers; Systolic the top number or the higher of the two is measured when the heart beats pushing the blood against the walls of the arteries. Diastolic is the measure when the heart is at rest between beats. The normal measure for normal is 120/80. Persons with a measuring of 140/90 or higher is a person with High Blood Pressure or HIP† (What happens in the body when blood pressure is high? ).HIP can lead to Hypertensive heart disease (â€Å"Hypertensive Heart Disease†, 2013). Regular doctor visits and prescribed medications to control blood pressure can offset the nest of Hypertensive Heart disease in patients with high blood pressure. Regular physician visits are required to keep check on John's condition (â€Å"What Is High Blood pressure? † 2011). The problems with health care utilization for John is that he lives in a rural community with limited providers, the distance of travel to reach locations, time needed to schedule appointments, and office hours of the available physician locations will not provide him with reasonable access.Many Medicaid participants are faced with this same set of problems and have to adjust their lives to gain access o healthca re. Medicaid programs have benefits available to help participants conquer many obstacles. Patients need to inquire and learn what benefits are available to help. Utilizing social programs available in the community, and accessing information on Medicaid websites help to inform members of what is available for help. Medicaid programs have established grants for rural health clinics; John needs to find out if a clinic exits in his area.These clinics provide information about benefits and do health screenings. The clinic can be a place where John can go to get blood erasure checks to make sure he is in target range regularly without having to travel too physician's location for blood pressure checks. Rural health clinics provide education to patients and can issue devices such as blood pressure monitoring equipment and train patients to utilize self-check methods between physician visits. Government medical programs do provide for education and training to use medical devices like blo od pressure monitors used at home for patient self-monitoring.Missing time from work can be a problem. Most employers have paid time off that employees can access and schedule for personal situations. John can have his physician provide documentation of his appointments to submit to his employer and arrangements can be made for an adjustment in hours or to come into work on additional days if possible. Other options to John may be to use vacation time or sick time to cover missed time at work when he has to visit the doctor. According to â€Å"Medicaid. Ova; Keeping America Healthy† (2013), â€Å"Medicaid benefits cover inpatient hospital care, outpatient hospital services, and rural clinic services. These services give John comprehensive coverage to help with chronic illnesses like high loot pressure. He also has available prescription coverage for medications to help manage his blood pressure. Preventive services and diagnostic screenings are available for early detection and prevention† (Benefits). Medicaid and Medicare also pays for transportation to and from medical appointments for patients covered through the government programs.John can research and locate Passport certified transportation providers in his area to reach his medical provider of choice. The Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 gave states the option to expand Medicaid in their states with federal funding. It also provides more insurance options for lower income residents to other insurance plans that may be more accessible for member access to services and providers. Starting in 2014 the act also makes John eligible for insurance through other carriers even though he has a preexisting illness (â€Å"Gpo. Ova†, 2010). John may need to make lifestyle changes to accommodate his illness. Eating a healthy diet and reducing sodium intake would be the first changes to make. John's diet should consist of heart healthy foods, like Broccoli and other dark green vegetables. By ex ercising and keeping weight under control at an ideal weight or his height and age he will decrease the chances of heart problems and promote self-healing by keeping blood pressure numbers from getting higher increasing risk of other related illnesses.John and many Americans face the dilemma of access to quality healthcare. John has a chronic illness that may lead to other related illnesses and continuous access to healthcare is crucial to his remaining healthy and productive enough to continue working. The government provides financial coverage because of his eligibility status as beneath poverty level income. Although he has uncial assistance, he still has problems with appointment times and transportation. These obstacles are mutable, but his illness is a predisposed health condition that is immutable.Educating himself in what is covered by government assisted health plans and obtaining the needed medical care access would help John's situation. He must also be responsible for hi s own well-being. Adapting his life, eating healthy, and exercising will not only deter worse health but also improve his high blood pressure.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Golden Rice

Golden rice Vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins to humans, and it plays an inevitable role in our daily life, thus Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects millions of people, causing serious health problems. Therefore, scientists are searching for the most effective method to let people obtain enough Vitamin A as possible. As a consequence, the scientific program of cultivating Golden Rice has attracted people’s attention. â€Å"Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta-carotene, a source of Vitamin A † (Golden rice, para. ). This new technology has aroused many controversial debates. Some organizations and individuals think that Golden Rice poses unknown threats to the environment and human health, even preventing people from diversifying their diet. In contrast, others hold the opinion that Golden Rice has more benefits than harm to humans, helping to release the severe situation about VAD. This issue is a worth exploring in the aspects of technology , economy and efficiency.As a new project with high-tech content, Golden Rice needs reliable technical supports. Until now, many developing countries, such as African country, have no chances of benefiting from bio-technology, while developed countries have already enjoyed the new invention to obtain their mental health. Many people from the developing country recommend that, since the last green revolution had been missed, they do not want to miss this one, which may allow them to have the opportunity to lift millions of people out of hunger.What is more, International Rice Research Institute( IRRI) is optimistic about the prospects for the Golden Rice project, and they believe that it may open up a kind of new research model creating partnerships with the private institution. On the contrary, people consider that this technique needs to establish its reliability before it becomes available to the general public. Methods such as testing should be done, making sure it could suit the local environment. Moreover, this advanced agriculture technology needs to be promoted through marketing subjects in order to assure its safety.As far as I am concerned, bio-safety cannot be guaranteed. As we know, data on the potential health risks of Genetically Modified Foods (GMO) foods are scanty, which has made it impractical to remove the risk. There is a concern that the transgenic crop may endanger biodiversity, and lead to the extinction of valuable bio-resources, thus it is unwise to take this risk. Beyond that, the economic factors cannot be ignored. For people from developing countries, Golden Rice was thought to be contributed to reach self-sufficient in food to climb out of poverty.After all, economic turmoil and social instability may well happen without food security. It is also significant for the independence of nation and peace to the world. Besides, the IRRI thought they could seek economic help for private sectors, so that they do not have to worry about the f unding issues. On the other hand, Friends of the Earth (FOE) found that such a project can hardly get nearly the amount of funding they deserved according to the data of past years.It is said that† more than $100 million dollars has been spent on developing golden rice, and another $50 million has been budgeted for advertisements touting the crops’ future benefits â€Å"(Pollan, 2001, p. 15). How many cases of blindness could be averted right now if the industry were to divert this investment from advertising spending to a few of the programs such as providing free seeds to poor famers to help more people? In addition, the main purpose of this research is to solve the VAD and the poverty problem.However, malnutrition, diseases and poverty are deeply rooted in social soil, associating with economic and political systems, such as, the unfairness of income distribution. Hence, the Golden Rice has done little to address the fundamental problem. With all these essentials, t he other important factor is on effectiveness on consuming. There is no denial that Golden Rice can supply a certain amount of Vitamin A, and it is necessary for developing countries to operate as stakeholders, instead of just accepting the decision made by government from developed countries.However, the fact is that Golden Rice has too little Vitamin A, a woman has to eat 16 pounds of cooked rice a day to satisfy her minimum daily requirement of Vitamin A, according to the research made by FOE. Hence,FOE advocate diet diversification. â€Å"Previous studies either focused solely on effects of the rice on Vitamin A intakes without considering health outcomes, but used only highly aggregate intake data without taking into account important nutritional features like dietary heterogeneity† (Stein, Sachdev, & Qaim, 2006, P. 4-10). In addition, Krawinkel argued that the general issue is that nutritional deficiencies are rarely focused on one nutrient (e. g. , vitamin A, iron, selenium, zinc or others). In most cases, they are complex conditions and many sources for the various nutrients (Krawinkel , 2007, p. 9). It can be seen easily that the technical issue, economic issue and efficiency of Golden Rice have connected with each other closely.Essentially, I tend to think that disadvantages of developing Golden rice outweigh the benefits, located with three main reasons including doubting about the safety of genetically modified (GM) crops, reasoning the huge payout with small output and disagreeing with the monotonous diet, instead of a diverse diet. From my point of view, developing the varied diet is not only the most radical way to get all the nutrients we need but also helping to improve the life quality as well as developing a healthy lifestyle. References IRRI. (n. d. ). Golden rice.Retrieved from http://www. irri. org/index. php? option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=category&id=764:golden-rice-at-irri&lang=en Krawinkel, M. B. (2007). W hat we know and don't know about golden rice. Nature Biotechnology, 25(6), 623; doi: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1038/nbt0607-623 Pollan, M. (2001, Mar 04). The great yellow hype. New York Times Magazine, 15. Stein, A. J. , H. P. S. Sachdev, ;amp; Qaim, M. (2006). Potential impact and cost-effectiveness of golden rice. Nature Biotechnology, 24(10), 1200-1. doi: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1038/nbt1006-1200b

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Peer Response DQ1JB and DQ2ZH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Peer Response DQ1JB and DQ2ZH - Essay Example Another good comment in your response that I liked is that companies that use risk management are efficient at optimizing. Complying with production methods such as Six Sigma can optimize a production line. â€Å"Six Sigma at many organizations simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection† (Dickerson, 2004). Legal mitigation is a risk management practice because it can lead to out of court settlements that save companies from incurring in bad press that hurts the corporate image of the company. Multinational corporations have to be adept at risk management due to legal, regulatory, and culture factors that make each country unique. Jones Paul George once said, â€Å"It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win† (George). I agree with your premise of complying with regulations and implementing risk management initiatives can be useful for an organization. In the chemical industry it is imperative to have superb security measures. Implementing risk management techniques is more effective when the executive management team supports prevention and well-being programs. Companies must establish contingency plans to be prepared to deal with any type of situation or scenario that is considered a business risk. Another type of risk that must be dealt with as part of a risk management program is financial risk (Guzman, 2012). In your response you mentioned CRM tools can be used effectively to lower risks. The utilization of CRM can be used to improve the relations with the customers of the company (Crm, 2012). Improving security measures is a risk management technique that protects the assets of a company. A good risk management focuses on three areas: human resources, physical resources, and financial resour ces (Corbett, 2004). Bayer, L., Mechler, R. (2008). Insurance against losses from

Friday, September 27, 2019

Philosophy Functionalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy Functionalism - Essay Example Its core idea is that mental states can be accounted for without taking into consideration the underlying physical medium (the neurons), but instead attending to higher-level functions such as beliefs, desires, and emotions. For (an avowedly simplistic) example, a functionalist theory might characterize pain as a state that tends to be caused by bodily injury, to produce the belief that something is wrong with the body and the desire to be out of that state, to produce anxiety, and, in the absence of any stronger, conflicting desires, to cause wincing or moaning. According to this theory, all and only creatures with internal states that meet these conditions, or play these roles, are capable of being in pain. Suppose that, in humans, there is some distinctive kind of neural activity (C-fiber stimulation, for example) that meets these conditions. If so, then according to this functionalist theory, humans can be in pain simply by undergoing C-fiber stimulation. But the theory permits creatures with very different physical constitutions to have mental states as well: if there are silicon-based states of hypothetical Martians or inorganic states of hypothetical androids that also meet these conditions, then these creatures, too, can be in pain. ... satisfy the descriptions - then it's also logically possible for non-physical states to play the relevant roles, and thus realize mental states, in some systems as well. So functionalism is compatible with the sort of dualism that takes mental states to cause, and be caused by, physical states. Still, though functionalism is officially neutral between materialism and dualism, it has been particularly attractive to materialists, since many materialists believe (Lewis, 1966) that it is overwhelmingly likely that any states capable of playing the roles in question will be physical states. If so, then functionalism can stand as a materialistic alternative to the Psycho-Physical Identity Thesis, the thesis that each type of mental state is identical with a particular type of neural state. This thesis, once considered the dominant materialistic theory of the mind, entails that no creatures with brains unlike ours can share our sensations, beliefs, and desires, no matter how similar their behavior and internal organization may be to our own. This is a consequence that many regard as implausible. Thus functionalism, with its claim that mental states can be multiply realized, is widely regarded as providing a more inclusive, less "(species-) chauvinistic" (Block, 1980) - and thus mo re plausible - theory that is (at least arguably) compatible with materialism. Within this broad characterization of functionalism, however, a number of distinctions can be made. Functionalism has three distinct sources. First, Putnam and Fodor saw mental states in terms of an empirical computational theory of the mind. Second, Smart's "topic neutral" analyses led Armstrong and Lewis to a functionalist analysis of mental concepts. Third, Wittgenstein's idea of meaning as use led to a version of

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Image of Women in News Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Image of Women in News - Research Paper Example There are many existing newspapers and studies that portray women and how such portrays perceive or shape them in public in addition to practices and newspapers. This paper seeks to explain the image of women in media, most specifically in Los Angeles Times, Nov 29, 2011 5.40 PST.Retrieved from: http://www.latimes.com/. It is important to audit and review the representation of women in newspaper, as there is still hope of women being represented and encouraged to enter into the business field, and not only to advertisements and show off their bodies like what the media had portrayed them as earlier on. Question B In Los Angeles Times, Nov 29, 2011, The number of women who appears in new picture in four sections is; News( the front section) is 4,in Sports 3,Business, 4, In lifestyle (Calendar, Arts, Home)11.The number of men in news photo is 14, while the total number of people in news photos is 36. Question C Both men and women play a large role in new stories. Rakow and Kranich arti cle Pg 1, reveals that 21 percent in news media are women, while the remaining 79% are women. After 20 years of transition, women are still underrepresented in the media or news content. To add to this, there are only 25% of women who are newsmakers and it will take some more years to achieve gender equivalence in matters to do with newspaper representation and reporting, (Synder, 2005, Pg 12-14). Newspapers are still trying to diversify their general content, from their sources, readers, story ideas, the bottom point being to attempt to include women as much as possible. Women Institute for Freedom of the Press (1997, Pg 21) also writes that newspapers have come up with a strategy of writing articles and ideas which reflect issues of women narrowly. This issue has become an umbrella that is ambiguous under a category of themes and stories which are gathered. Some of the roles men and women play in news stories are, to start with, readers, journalists, advertise, sports and entertai nment news. This can be well explained by Rakow and Kranich article on â€Å"Woman as sign in Television News†. They write that women appears as subjects and sources in news, where they represent them as feminist voices and role that are ritualized in the mainstream which are designees of females that are homogenous. Women as signs Chart Woman signs categories Men in My Research (14) Women in research (22) Private individuals 20% 10% Authorities 22% 8% Celebrities 8% 20% Political activists 30 % 22% Unidentifiable 10% 30% Feminists 10% 10% In category 1, Women are represented in media as relatives or mothers. Ecompanion states that 32% of women and 24% are represented in this category. If a woman speaks in news, she does so as mother, sister, wife, consumer, neighbor, and a housewife. They speak as witnesses and passive reactors instead of participants in public events. This comprises of 30 %. In this category, men are represented by women, because women speak for them as wiv es, as mothers or sisters. Men represent a 10% of this unidentifiable category. In category 2, women as sources will carry on instead of creating meaning of the stories they appear in. They are used to demonstrate the private consequences of public actions and

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Marine Insurance Law & Salvage, Collisions, Admiralty Jurisdiction & Essay

Marine Insurance Law & Salvage, Collisions, Admiralty Jurisdiction & General Average - Essay Example Where both maritime and non- maritime obligations are involved, admiralty jurisdiction will generally be denied, unless the maritime part can be separated from the rest of the policy . The nature of Marine Insurance is described as ‘Uberrimae fidei’ which means utmost good faith. If any of the party involved in the contract observes no good faith, then the contract can be avoided. As defined in the Marine Insurance Act 1906, the clauses related to the disclosure of information by assured and disclosure by agent effecting insurance are as follows: Disclosure by Assured : 1) It is liable on the assured to disclose all the information and material circumstance before concluding the contract. The assured in returns need to know every circumstance which, in the ordinary course of business, ought to be known by him. If the assured fails to make such disclosure, the insurer may avoid the contract. 2) The premium is fixed by the insurer taking into consideration every material. 3) In the absence of inquiry the following circumstances need not be disclosed : a) In which there is a reduction of the risk involved. b) In which presumption to know general information is required. c) In circumstances in which information is given by the insurer; d) any circumstance which it is superfluous to disclose by reason of any express or implied warranty 4) For any circumstance, being material or not, which is not disclosed becomes a question of fact 5) The term circumstance here refers to any communication made to or received by the assured.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Intermediate Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Intermediate Accounting - Essay Example MHS inventory system indicates a retail method but it does not explain the entire process of the retail method. This method associates with purchases and sales or any other returns or disbursement accounts. In its application, this method requires that the company should keep all records associate with these accounts for internal purposes and control. For example, sales revenue, beginning inventory valued at both cost and retail, purchases during the period, which is also valued at cost, and retail, adjustment for markups and markdown, cancellation or discounts, and data related to damaged goods, returns, transfer, breakage, or because of other reasons. The objective of using the retail inventory method is â€Å"to find the ending inventory value at cost† (Ibid). For MHS to use bar code with the products are recorded and classified by the cost value makes the physical count time consuming and difficult. This type of unit cost inventory method is unsatisfactory. Goods on stock or inventory are related to accounts payable and affect sales. If they are not properly recorded, they can cause ending inventory to be overestimated and pretax income to be overestimated by the same amount. Similarly, ending inventory can be underestimated and pretax income be underestimated by the same amount. This method also makes it difficult for the company management to evaluate which items cause problem in stock out or over stock.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Strategic Marketing Plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Strategic Marketing Plan - Case Study Example From its humble beginnings in 1980, Applebee International, Inc. has risen to become the largest casual dining restaurant chain in the United States based on size, market share, and revenue. Applebee is founded by Bill and TJ Palmer with their first restaurant TJ Applebee's Rx for Edibles and Elixirs changing the name to Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar in 1986. Two years later, franchisees Abe Gustin and John Hamra bought the rights to the Applebee's concept from W.T. Grace. With the pursuit of its growth strategy, Applebee International is established, growing into 54 restaurants in 1998 when it opened for franchising Today, Applebee operates 1, 900 casual dining restaurants all over the world operating with the commitment of providing "attractive, friendly, neighborhood establishment featuring moderately priced, high-quality food and beverage items, table service and a comfortable atmosphere that speaks to all ages" (Company Overview, 2007). Applebee's global operation is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. The United States is the company's largest market where develops and operates 1,841 restaurants within 49 states and one U.S. territory while it also has 89 restaurants in 16 international counties. Of the 1,900 restaurant chains in the world, 1,409 (74%) are franchised operated leaving only 521 (26%) restaurants in its sole management. Specializing in casual dining, Applebee restaurants offer lunch and dinner made up of entrees of beef, chicken, pork, seafood and pasta dishes, desserts and appetizers which the company changes from time to time in response to the patrons' tastes and preferences. (Fast fact, 2007). The price of an average meal is $11. Aside from providing dine-in services, it also introduces Carside To Go which allows customers to consume their orders outside the store premises. Recognizing the clamor for a healthier lifestyle, it has teamed up with Weight Watchers International in offering the Weight Watchers selections. Geographically, it has the small market segment in rural areas under 25,000 in population while cornering larger market segments in the cities. (Horovitz, 2003). Under the leadership of Lloyd L. Hill, who became chief executive officer in 1998, the company has posted positive net earnings, despite a fluctuating growth trend in total operating revenues in the past ten years (Hoovers, 2007). The company's operations are grouped into three business divisions: 1. Company restaurant sales which is comprised of the sales of food and beverages; 2. Franchise royalties and fees from its franchisees (franchise royalty are generally 4% of the franchise restaurant's monthly gross sales while franchise fees are typically

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Corporate Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Corporate Accounting - Essay Example However, in 2013, another company was added to the list of subsidiaries. The reason for conducting the activities under different subsidiaries is to be able to allocate and utilize the resources properly. In addition to that, the company can target the market according to the products and services offered through the subsidiaries. The company can also monitor and evaluate financial performances of the subsidiaries distinctively. Moreover, with the activities distributed under different subsidiaries, the company is able to manage the operations throughout horizontal chain of authority. Had the company conducted all the activities under a single entity, it would have rendered the whole business process extremely complex. 5. No, minority or non-controlling interests have not been reported within Brickworks Limited’s balance sheet or income statement. This is precisely because minority interest is only recorded in case of ownership level of less than 50%. However, in case of Brickworks Limited, it has 100% and 50% ownership over its subsidiaries (Phillips, Libby and Libby, 2011). 6. Minority interest or non-controlling interest can generally be found under the non-current liabilities section of a company’s balance sheet. It represents a parent company’s ownership level of less than 50% over its subsidiaries. 7. Since Brickworks Limited does not have non-controlling or minority interests recorded in its financial statements, I have identified another company that has been assigned to my colleague. The company has minority interest recorded in its financial statements. I had a thorough discussion with my colleague regarding non-controlling interest. The discussion revealed that a non-controlling interest is a position that a particular entity holds over another company which does not give him any power to influence the way the held company is to be managed. This means that their ownership level is considerable insignificant, compared to the total number

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Capital Structure choice of Pepsico

The Capital Structure choice of Pepsico The collection of securities that the firm issues to raise capital from investors is the firms capital structure. Equity and debt are the most commonly used securities by firms. The amount of debt determines the firms leverage. The firm should always use a capital structure which will maximize the total value of the securities issued. In order to determine the capital structure of a firm, It is also necessary to determine the different ratios such as net debt ratio, fixed coverage ratio, interest ratio, long term debt ratio, cash flow ratio, etc, to evaluate the effects of the ratios on the on the firm. These ratios are useful for comparing analyzing with other competitor firms. Ratios help the firm to determine their position in terms of the market value, book value, market capitalization, debt value, revenues, etc. The  Modigliani-Miller theorem states that, the firms value is unaffected by the way it is financed in the absence of taxes, bankruptcy costs and asymmetric information in a perfect market.  It does not matter if the firms capital is raised by issuing  stock  or by selling debt. It does not matter what the firms  dividend  policy is. Therefore, the Modigliani-Miller theorem is also often called the  capital structure irrelevance principle. We will look at this theory in detail in capital structure. In this report we look at the different theories (pecking order theory, trade-off theory, asset substitution theory, modigliani-miller theory) capital structure choice of PepsiCo by determining various ratios, comparing PepsiCo with its competitors. Analysis of the results and recommendations provided. INTRODUCTION Pepsi was originally named as Brads Drink, after its creator, Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist from New Bern, North Carolina. Pepsi was created in 1893 and was later renamed as Pepsi Cola in 1898. Pepsi contained the digestive enzymes pepsin and kola nuts used in manufacturing Pepsi. Bradham had thought about creating a drink for people that was delicious and would help in digestion and boost energy. PepsiCo Inc. is an American Multinational Corporation headquartered in New York. The company manufactures markets sells a range of salty sweet grain based snacks. It also produces carbonated non-carbonated beverages and other food products. PepsiCo has approximately 285,000 employees working in over 200 countries. Pepsi Cola Company began in 1898, but it only became known as PepsiCo when it merged with Frito Lays in 1965. Until 1997 it also owned KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. In 1998 2001 PepsiCo bought Tropicana Quaker Oats. In 2005 PepsiCo surpassed Coca-Cola Company in market value for the first time in 112 years since both companies began to compete. Over the years PepsiCo has become a global beverage, snack foods company. PepsiCo owns 5 different billion dollar brands such as Pepsi, Tropicana, Frito Lay, Quaker Oats Gatorade. PepsiCo also owns other brands such as Diet Pepsi, 7UP, Mirinda, Ruffles Potato Chips, Aquafina Bottled Water, Pepsi Max, Mountain Dew, etc. Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi has been the chief executive of PepsiCo since 2006. PepsiCo delivered some solid financial performance in 2009, Its Net revenue grew by 5%, Core division operating profit grew by 6%, Core earnings per share grew by 6%, Management operating cash flow excluding certain items reached $5.6 billion up by 16%, Annual Dividend raised by 6%. PepsiCo estimated worldwide retail sales of $108 billion through all the products. In 2009 PepsiCos Net Revenue was $43,232 million, mixed net revenues of 37% from food products and 63% from beverages. Net Revenues generated according to operations in US and outside US are 52% in US and 48% outside US. Net Revenues generated through PepsiCo and its subsidiary companies are 48% by PepsiCo Americas Foods, 23% by PepsiCo Americas Beverages, 29% by PepsiCo International. 2.1 PepsiCos Strategies for driving growth Expand the Global Leadership Position of Snacks Business Ensure sustainable profitable growth in global beverages. Continue to deliver environmental sustainability goals and commitments. Cherish associates and develop the leadership to sustain growth. 2.2 PepsiCos Competitive Advantage Strengths PepsiCos competitive advantage lies in their talented, dedicated and hard working work-force, that work on its huge brands, innovating producing differentiated products, using excellent marketing methodologies. PepsiCo also uses cost saving initiatives in operations. All these factors help them to sustain a competitive advantage in the market. PepsiCos strength lies in its brand name recognized all over the world, huge range of food and beverage products, marketing style in different regions according to the place culture segmentation, and huge marketing budget. CAPITAL STRUCTURE The most fundamental question of corporate finance is how a firm should raise capital from investors. A firm must determine the type of security it will issue to the investors. Capital structure refers to the way a firm finances its assets through some combination of equity, debt, or other securities. There are different theories to determine the capital structure of the company. (3.1) Pecking Order Theory (developed by Stewart Myers, 1984) states that the firms have a preferred structure for financing; the factor with a high preference uses internal financing such as retained earnings before opting for any external financing. External financing uses debts, convertible securities, preferred stock common stock. So the firm first uses its retained earnings for operations or investments or expansions and then if required they can opt for external financial resources. (3.2) Trade-Off Theory states that the firms are financed partly with equity and partly with debt. Debt financing is preferred here due to the tax benefits of debt. Debt financing also bears bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy costs. Further according to the theory marginal cost of the debts increases as the debt increases and marginal benefits decline as the debt decreases. (3.3) Agency Cost Theory states that there are 3 different agency costs related to a firms capital structure, they are asset substitution, cash flow underinvestment. Asset Substitution states that as the debt to equity ratio increases the firm gets more freedom to invest in new projects, this leads to the decline in the value of the firm which results into wealth being transferred from debt holders to shareholders. Underinvestment problems occur when debt appears to be more risky, in this scenario of the firm the returns from the investment in projects will be directed towards the debt holders rather than the shareholders. This may lead to the firm declining to start any new projects, and there is a potential to increase the firms value. Free Cash Flow states that free cash flow is also a problem for the firm if the cash is not returned to the investors. Doing so will disrupt the value of the firm. (3.4) Modigliani-Miller Theory (developed by Merton Miller Franco Modigliani) states that it is assumed that there are no transaction costs, no taxes and there is a perfect market condition. They also stated that the value of a firm is determined by adding up all the debts and equity of the firm. This can be viewed through an example Firm A Firm B Debt value 0 2,500,000 Interest on debt 0 5% Expenses on debt 0 125,000 Share 1,000,000 500,000 Price per share 5 5 Market value of equity 5,000,000 2,500,000 From the above table we can see the market value of Firm A is 5million (only equity), Firm A is only financed by shares, therefore the value of Firm A is 5million. Market value of Firm B is 5million (equity + debt), 50% financed by shares and 50% by debt, but Firm B has to pay interest on the debts which is 5% of the debt value which is 125,000. Therefore the returns on equity for Firm B will be its earnings minus the value of interest on debts. Returns per share for Firm B will be returns on equity divided by earnings. If Firm B would have sold its stock at a premium rate then it could have made arbitrage profits. Modigliani Miller theory states that the value of a firm in a perfect market is not affected by the way the company is financed but it is affected through the sort of capital structure the firm utilizes. PEPSICOS NET DEBT RATIO Debt ratio that indicates the proportion of debt a company has relative to its assets. The measure gives an idea to the leverage of the company along with the potential  risks  the company faces in terms of its debts. If debt ratio is higher than 1 then the firm has more debt than assets, if debt ratio is less than 1 then the firm has more assets than debts. The formula for calculating debt ratio is, Debt Ratio = total debt / total assets. Debt Ratio helps to measure the risk a bank or financial institution will take if they are financing a firm. Net Debt is the measure of a firms overall debt by taking the net value of debts and cash. Net Debt is calculated as, Net Debt = (long term debt + short term debt) cash cash equivalents. According to PepsiCo, they measure net debt ratio on market-value basis where net debt equals total debt. PepsiCos Net Debt Ratio (L*) = (D + PVOL CMS) / (NP + D + PVOL CMS). D is the market value of total debt (long term debt plus short term debt), PVOL is the present value of operating leases, CMS is the cash marketable securities, N is the number of common shares, P is the common stock price. From the assignment referring to exhibit 2 exhibit 4, all values in millions dollars except for the common stock price, D = 9215, PVOL = 479 * 5 = 2395, CMS = 1498 and reduce it by 25% for remitting to US therefore CMS = 1123.5, N = 788, P = 55.875. L *= [(9215+2395) 1123.5] / [((788*55.875)+9215+2395) 1123.5] L* = 19.2 % (PepsiCos Net Debt Ratio is 19.2%). Now to analyze this we can ask some questions as how much debt really exists? If we consider exhibit 2 in the assignment there are other factors like accounts payable, short term debt other current liabilities which constitute of total current liabilities plus long term debt other liabilities, all this together shows that the total liabilities are 18,119million dollars, which is a bit high according to the market situation. That is why this shows the Moodys rating of PepsiCo is A1/A. PepsiCo will have to reduce their liabilities in order to gain a rating of Aa3/AA of Coca-Cola. What kind of debt is it, long term or short term? Firstly let us talk about short term debt, if we talk about short term debts then we can assume it can be included in current debts, so according to the balance sheet in exhibit 2, total current liability is 5230million dollars, while total long term liability is 12889million dollars, so the total long term debt is very high compared to total current liabilities. PepsiCo will have to reduce its long term debts more effectively in order to increase its ratings and also increase its assets. Can the company afford the debts if  it runs into financial trouble? Let us calculate the debt ratio as explained above in the beginning, Debt ratio = total debt / total assets (both values are in million dollars) = 18119 / 25432 = 0.71. If the debt ratio is less than 1 it means that the firm has more assets than debts. So PepsiCo can afford to be debt financed at a certain level. Looking at the current assets if the company runs into financial trouble then it can clear all its debts by selling off its assets. RATIO COMPARISON ANALYSIS Table of calculated ratios referring to values given in exhibit 5 in assignment, RATIOS PEPSICO CADBURY SCHWEPPES COCA COLA COCA COLA ENTERPRISES MCDONALDS INTEREST COVERAGE 4.565 4.896 16.911 1.444 7.379 FIXED CHARGE COVERAGE 3.094 4.287 16.911 1.406 3.588 LONG-TERM DEBT 0.165 0.090 0.011 0.517 0.112 TOTAL DEBT TO TOTAL ADJUSTED CAPITALIZATION 0.176 0.146 0.016 0.521 0.125 CASH FLOW TO LONG TERM DEBT 0.427 0.569 2.730 0.155 0.539 CASH FLOW TO TOTAL DEBT 0.395 0.330 1.839 0.153 0.474 Lets look at each ratio one by one in detail and analyze it. (5.1) Interest coverage ratio is used to calculate the firms ability to pay interest on the debts. If the ratio is low the firm has huge debt expenses. If the ratio is less than 1 then it means that the firm is unable to generate revenues to incur the interest expenses. Interest coverage ratio = earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) / interest expense. According to the table above, we can see that interest coverage ratio of PepsiCo is 4.565 which is very higher than 1 and is considered as good. Comparing it with other companies in the table, we can see that Coco Cola has the highest ratio of 16.911 which is very impressive, but Coca Cola Enterprises has a ratio of 1.44 which is a caution alarm for its investors. To be on a safer side if the ratio is 1.5 or less then firms ability to meet its interest expenses can be questionable i.e. the is not able to generate sufficient returns to meet the interest expenses. (5.2) Fixed charge coverage ratio is used to calculate the firms ability to pay its fixed-charges such as rent and interest on debt without increasing the debts. If the ratio is less than 1 then the firm is not able to pay its fixed charges and vice versa. Fixed-charge coverage ratio = (EBIT  + fixed charges before tax) / (fixed charged before tax +  interest). According to the table above, we can see that PepsiCos fixed charge coverage ratio is 3.094 which is greater than 1. Comparing it with other companies in the table, Coca Cola has the highest ratio of 16.911 which is very impressive, but for Coca Cola Enterprises is 1.406 which is very less. PepsiCo should decrease its debts in order to reduce its fixed charges which will help to increase the value of the ratio. (5.3) Long term debt ratio is used to calculate the firms leverage. Higher the ratio, higher is the firms leverage. Firm with a high ratio is considered more risky for investors to invest because they have more liabilities than equity and vice versa. Long term debt ratio = long term debt / (long term debt + preferred stock + common stock). According to the table above, PepsiCos long term debt ratio is 0.165 which is less. Comparing to other companies in the table, Coca cola has a ratio of 0.011 which shows that it has more equity than liability, but Coca Cola Enterprises has a ratio of 0.517 which shows that it has almost 50% equity and 50% liability, so investing in Coca Cola Enterprises is more risky. (5.4) Total debt to total adjusted capitalisation ratio is used to calculate the firms leverage which includes long term and short term debts. Total debt to total adjusted capitalisation ratio = (long-term debt + short term debt) / [(long-term debt + short term debt) + preferred stock + common stock]. According to the table above, PepsiCos total debt to total adjusted capitalisation ratio is 0.176. Comparing to other companies in the table, Coca Cola has a ratio of 0.016 which shows it has more equity than liability, but Coco Cola Enterprises has a ratio of 0.521 which is again very risky. (5.5) Ratio of cash flow to long term debt is used to calculate the firms ability to generate cash in comparison with the long term debts. Ratio of cash flow to long term debt = cash flow / long term debt. According to the table above, PepsiCos ratio of cash flow to long term debt is 0.427 which is not good enough. Comparing it with other companies, Coca Colas ratio of cash flow to long term debt is 2.730, which is very impressive. PepsiCo has more long term debts than its annual cash flow while Coca Colas annual cash flow is 3 times the value of its long term debt. Firms with a high cash flow after interest and taxes are in a better position to distribute cash dividends. Firm with high cash flow can also use the cash to invest in other projects, buy assets, reduce debts etc. (5.6) Ratio of cash flow to total debt is used to calculate the firms ability to generate cash in comparison with its total debts. Ratio of cash flow to total debt = cash flow / total debt. According to the table above, PepsiCos ratio of cash flow to total debt is 0.395. Comparing it with other companies, Coca Colas ratio of cash flow to total debt is 1.839 which is very good. PepsiCos total debt is more than twice the value of its annual cash flow while Coca Colas annual cash flow is 2 times the value of its total debt. After considering all the ratios in the table, we can say that PepsiCo needs to reduce its debts by a huge margin and generate more cash so that it can use this cash to pay out more dividends to its investors, increase equity and reduce liability, invest in more products, buy assets, etc. Coca Cola is the largest competitor of PepsiCo, so PepsiCo needs to improve its equity in order to compete more effectively with Coca Cola. If company has less debts and liabilities people will invest more which will provide PepsiCo with a good rating as Coca Cola. PepsiCo can easily borrow money from the market for investments and also it can easily pay it back. Even in financial or economic crisis it will be the least affected company. Capital structure of PepsiCo has debt and equity. According to the net debt ratio we can say PepsiCo has about 20% 25% debt and 75% 80% equity. PEPSICOS RATING OBJECTIVE Ratings are given to companies depending on various factors such as its debt value, equity value, sources of finance, stock price, number of shares, profits, dividends, etc. Moody rated A as upper-medium grade, subject to low credit risk,  but that have elements present that suggest a susceptibility to impairment over the long term. PepsiCo has a rating of A1/A which places it in the upper medium grade category. A1 is the high quality rating given to PepsiCo, Aaa is the highest rating available. Coca Colas rating is Aa3/AA shows that it has much better ratings then PepsiCo. If PepsiCo wants to have a net debt ratio of 20% 25% then it will have to increase its debts and reduce equity, if this happens the Corporate Debt Rating of PepsiCo might fall to Baa which is lower medium grade. This will show a bad image of the company in the market, investors will find it risky to invest in PepsiCo. This means people will not buy shares of PepsiCo and it will not be able to raise funds through the issue of share to decrease its debts or to invest in the business. As a result of which they will have to borrow from the banks, Banks would also lend them funds to a certain limit where their assets are equal to liabilities, Banks would like to make sure that PepsiCo are able to pay back the funds with interest before lending them the funds. PepsiCo should reduce their net debt ratio to at least 15% instead of increasing it, due to this they will have more cash flow, reduced debts, can easily pay back dividends to investors, they can easily raise funds through issue of shares instead of borrowing from banks or other financial institutions. This will overall help PepsiCo to increase its ratings from A to Aa. CONCLUSION

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Misuse of Ritalin :: Drugs Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Misuse of Ritalin Kyle Carroll of Albany, New York was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) when he was in the first grade. His teacher told his parents, Michael and Jill, that Kyle was too hyper and couldn't concentrate for long periods of time. Without even going to see a professional about Kyle's problem, Kyle was put on Ritalin. Immediately, his parents started to notice side effects on Kyle and when they tried to take their child off of the medication, the teacher threatened to call social services and lodge a complaint about child abuse (Karlin). Many families across America are faced with the problem of ADHD. In fact, approximately 4-million school aged children suffer from ADHD (Rowland). Many cases are misdiagnosed and over one million children take Ritalin who don't need it (Karlin). In 1939, Dr. C. Bradley first prescribed Methylphenidate, or Ritalin, as a stimulant to treat children with ADHD (Mann). ADHD is a brain disorder characterized by a short attention span, jumpiness, and impulsive behavior. To be diagnosed, the victim of the disease usually has gone to see an average of eleven doctors (Rowland). Ritalin is a risky drug. Taking this drug means having to take a dosage every four hours. Like any other medication, large doses can lead to addiction. At the end of the day, when the medication starts to wear off, mood swings occur and the sufferer becomes irritable. Side effects, which include insomnia, loss of appetite, stunted height, and irritability are brutal to the victim (Mann). Ritalin, if taken improperly, can increase a person's heartbeat and blood pressure. This can cause cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and premature death. If ADHD doesn't get treated correctly, or within the first couple of years, there are some serious long term consequences (Ciampa). Ritalin is also hitting the streets of college campuses under the names of "Vitamin R" and "R-Ball". College students are using this drug to improve concentration, so they can study longer, boost their alertness during major tests, and to help stay up all night. Selling and buying this drug is illegal, but anyone can find it on almost all of the campuses. College kids aren't the only ones who find this a booster.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A Closer Look at Life at Camelot :: Essays Papers

A Closer Look at Life at Camelot GRAPH Mounted Knight with the Arms of Jean de Daillon. Tapestry, southern Netherlands, Tournai, about 1483. Moutacute House, Yeovil (Somerset); The National Trust. Today when asked about tapestries, most will imagine glorious wall decorations, with fantastic scenes and vibrant colors hanging on museum walls. In the Middle Ages however, tapestries were not only used as wall hangings, but because of their warm and durable fabric, as covers for beds tables, and furniture. Although wealthy burghers could afford to purchase several tapestries, the medieval tapestry industry was mostly supported by nobles who owned several houses. Since the interiors of these houses were minimally furnished when the owner was away, there was a need for something quick and easy to transform the barren house into a home when the owner came there. Tapestries provided the perfect solution, since they were easy to move, store and gave any room an instant makeover. Some tapestries were made to order by requests; the majority, however, were woven after existing designs. The tapestry shown above was ordered from Wuillaume Desreumaulx of Tournai by Jean de Daillon, seigneur de Lude. He, however, never got to see it, because he died in 1481 and the tapestry was delivered to his widow in 1483. This piece is the only one known to have survived from a series of wall hangings it belonged to. In the tapestry a mounted knight can be seen, with arms of Jean de Daillon. The colors are bright and vibrant perhaps symbolizing the knight's strength and victory in battle. To learn about different aspects of a knight's life, you can click on various parts of the tapestry above. GRAPH Knighthood - Although the concept of knighthood existed before the eleventh century, it wasn't until the Norman Conquest, which occurred in 1066, that being a knight become a profession. William the Conqueror organized his cavalry into a group of knights, and as a result a knight's services, majority of which included fighting battles, became an essential part of life in the Middle Ages.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Hrm Between Hai Di Lao and Little Sheep Essay

Human resource aspect Hai Di Lao Trust and Equality Hai Di Lao few employees recruited from the community, most of the existing staff introduced to friends and relatives. They are all familiar with each other in the environment, whether good or bad, are easy to spread and grow. Hai di Lao try to implement a trust in the values of quality. More important than the expansion Hai Di Lao employee orientation is very simply, only 3 days. It is mainly about the lives of common sense and some basic knowledge of service. the real training is practical after entering the store. Each new employee will have a teacher mentoring. Rather than hiring external trainers, Hai Di Lao selects the company’s best performers to prepare new employees for the tasks ahead. They experience of values and human service concept, learn to deal with different problems than those of fixed service action norms more difficult. Employee welfare Employee compensation goes beyond financial reward, the company also looks after employee welfare – from high quality housing to company excursions to free education for children of employees. hey also cover the parents insurance for the employees who had good performance. Employee empowerment Full delegation of authority to the staff, can greatly stimulate the creativity of employees. For example, the services that Hai Di Lao provides for the customers, such as nail polishing, etc, were created by the staff in their daily work. In addtion, Hai Di Lao also provides that any of the staff is no need to consult the manager with giving customers discounts. Xiao Fei Yang Workforce diversity Now days, globalization is not of interest only to large firms, more and more companies are opening up foreign markets to international trade and investment. As a Chinese hot pot restaurant in Korea, it requires the employees to be international. The proportion of Chinese and Korean employees is 1 to 1, as what Hai Di Lao does, the new employees will have teacher mentoring. Especially Korea attached great importance to culture etiquette, the employees must aware of etiquette. Rewarding the staff With then part-time staff, Xiao Fei Yang provides a vote per month, the more satisfied customers are, the more â€Å"smiley face† the staff would earn. By the end of every month, two of the highest voted staff would get salary raised. And for the regular staff, if their performance are approved by the manager and customers, they would receive bonus. Dealing with customers If there is any issue happen between staff and customers, staff will immediately contact the manager to deal with, in the meantime, they will try to meet customer needs.

Monday, September 16, 2019

International Business Strategy Essay

The Shangri-La hotels and resorts initiated in 1971 with a flagship hotel in Singapore. The Hong Kong based hotel chain now has around fifty five deluxe hotels and resorts across the world. The Shangri-La currently has hotels and resorts in Asia, Middle East, Europe, and North America. Shangri-La hotels and resorts shall soon be opening hotels in the regions of the Maldives, the Philippines and in Bangalore, Mumbai, Thailand and India. We can concur from this rapid international growth of the Shangri-La that the hotel is expanding its operations to various countries and increasing its international presence. The hotel not only needs to devise strategies for entry but for overall operation as well with respect to human resource, marketing, services and general management. This paper shall discuss the intricacies of the entry strategy employed by Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, the corporate strategy that it observes, the competitive strategy and the competitive business strategy that it exercises. The paper shall also perform a functional analysis of the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in terms of the Human Resource Management strategy that it exercises. The paper shall conclude by identifying key organizational dimensions that have been established through the study performed in the paper. Introduction to the Subject MNE The launching of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts began in the 1971 with a flagship hotel, in Singapore. Till the year 2008 it has been recorded to have 55 deluxe hotels located in major cities of Asia, Europe, Australia, United States and the Middle East. Along with these the Shangri-La Resorts and Hotels bear alliance with their Sister Company the Trader’s Hotel that fulfills the catering requirements of business travelers. This chain of hotels was set up by Mr. Robert Kuok and now his nephew Mr. Edward Kuok Khoon Loong holds the position of chairman of the board for Shangri-La Asia Limited. Despite its ranking as a 5 star deluxe hotel, it has had quite a few unfavorable reviews. But it appears that the positive reviews far supersede the negative ones. For instance one guest reviewed the hotel as part spectacular and part unimpressive. According to this guest, The Horizon Club Premier room was far from the exemplary 5 star deal originally promised. However this guest goes on to suggest that while the Horizon Premier wing was unimpressive, when asked for a transfer to another wing, known as the Valley wing this guest was highly pleased, it was everything the hotel had promised and more. The luxuriant 5 star deluxe tagline was apparent in the spectacular yet cozy furnishing and the service was described to be incredible. Another guest however described the service of the hotel to be despicable. First not only were the details of their payments messed up, they were forced to pay more or if they could not, they had to move to the lowest paid room, which was a far cry from the luxurious settings of the Valley Wing, there they were submitted to zero rated service, as it appeared that only affluent guests were applicable to affluent treatment. However their being ushered into a lower class room meant that they were not worth the special brand treatment reserved for the high paying guests. Contrary to the above negative reviews, a couple who stayed at the Shangri-La Hotel described the treatment, services, luxurious settings and furnishings as unbelievably fantastic, they too stayed at the Horizon club and in contrast with above reviews, they described it as a highly pleasurable experience. Many such guests describe their stay at the Shangri-La hotel as a memorable and nostalgic experience. Every hotel despite its efforts at flourishing, obtains bad reviews, this most probably is dependent on the fact that environments are subject to every individual’s personal thoughts and interpretation, what was unpleasant for some, in contradiction was fantastically better for others. Motivations for Internationalization Internationalization is one of the major elements of growth for any enterprise or organization where companies take advantage of the global business environment involving various countries in the world. There are various factors that motivate companies to invest internationally and expand business from local to international levels. These factors include exploring new markets and taking advantage of growth patterns of certain industries in various countries. The Shangri-La hotel also focuses on new markets where there is good potential for hotels and resorts. Take the examples of India, U. A. E, Australia, Thailand and Maldives. These markets are becoming tourist destinations for individuals from all around the world. These countries are not only tourist destinations but also offer attractive environment for businesses like hotels and resorts. Another motivation for the hotel to internationalize is the lower cost of doing businesses in various countries and high level of revenues the hotel can generate from those areas. The foreign exchange a company earns by doing business abroad is also one of the causes of internationalization. Various countries also offer lower tax rates in various specific industries such as hotels, education and other industries. Shangri-La has gained from opening hotels in new locations both financially and in terms of goodwill. As the company opens new hotels and resorts in various locations, it draws closer to becoming a member of the highly reputed hotel chains of the world. The hotel has to keep up with the challenges being faced in the new locations both regarding the culture of the local populace and catering to the tourists flocking to these locations. The hotel has not only opened in various locations but the plans for extending to newer location and increasing the number of hotels in the present international locations identifies the hotel management’s ideology regarding internationalization. As the company benefits in terms of revenue and status from the international locations, its local popularity grows as well as Shangri-La now signifies a multinational hotel resort chain with five star hotels and resorts at various international locations catering to the needs of a diverse clientele base. The intention of opening hotels in U. A. E and Maldives implies how far the management is willing to go to introduce the hotel chain to newer markets and benefit from the hotel and resort friendly atmosphere in these locations despite of major cultural differences. The hotel chain invests in culturally viable human resource to tackle with the cultural differences and relies on a local and expatriate workforce as well. The hotel like other multinational companies depends heavily on these foreign locations for a constant and sustainable growth which is the most significant cause of internationalization of Shangri-La hotel and resorts chain. Functional Analysis – HRM Modern day Hong Kong based multinational organizations are choosing to establish a work force they can rely on to provide them with a working infrastructure that can adapt to various cultures. This is because of the fact that for multinational hotels, the aspect of human resource adaptability has become just as important as the professional abilities that the candidates posses. This becomes all the more significant in scenarios where hotels and hospitality establishments such as Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts are concerned. In the last few decades, the trend of hiring culture adaptable human resource has undergone a significant degree of growth. This is because of the fact that in order to cater to a global clientele and to serve them, it is essential that the elements performing the services are well versed in the language of the clientele. In order for the working elements of hospitality to function on a global scale, they have to be capable of thinking on a global scale. Albeit, one cannot ignore the fact that their functioning will be within a perimeter where foreign clientele will visit, therefore, it is essential to note that the human resource has to be proficient in the areas involved in the functioning of the immediate locale as well. Because of the same reason, hotels & resorts such as the Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts now choose to hire personnel who can entertain clients from all over the world with the same degree of hospitality. The candidates that Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts now seek out are ones who can be cordial, sociable and have former experience in the area of adapting to clients from across the world with a consistent degree of hospitality. For Honk Kong based Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, knowledge of the language of an immediate region is just as essential as the knowledge of the language used by their clientele from across the world. As Hong Kong based multinationals prepare to expand, the need for personnel who can not only function but also manage the infrastructure at the same time increases. The room for errors is decreasing exponentially over time. The Hong Kong based multinationals are also searching for a workforce which includes people who are affordable. Due to a substantial rise in the operating costs, doing business in Hong Kong has become more expensive in the last ten years. The firms based in Hong Kong are not enthusiastic about giving the incentives and bonuses to foreign workers as they did earlier. The same goes for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, the cost of doing business has affected the human resource policies in hotel management as well. The companies based in Hong Kong including hotels such as the Shangri-La now offer a salary package that includes housing and living costs on into the basic salary. The companies are also starting to offer performance based salary arrangement which are more attractive to new employees (Meijob. com 2008). Entry Strategy  There are three factors which determine the entry strategy for any hotel into international markets which are control of the hotel, commitments of resources and level of risk diversification. The entry strategies available to hotels include complete ownership, franchises, management contracts, joint ventures, strategic alliance and forming a consortium. The entry strategies adapted by Shangri-La hotels for various international locations include sole-ownership, management contracts and equity participation in the form of joint ventures or strategic alliances. These strategies vary from location to location depending on the specific environment of the host countries. The company operates sole-ownership hotels in countries where the gain on real estate is higher and the hotel operations are profitable and have a good potential for growth. In countries where a significant level of risk is involved the company opts for other options such as management contracts where direct ownership of real estate is either not possible or not viable for the company. The hotel chain uses joint ventures in areas where the cost of doing business and the cost of capital is quite high or in locations where there are certain property ownership constraints. The hotels established by the company in various areas were the first luxury hotels of the area and in some areas the company provided luxury hotel services solely. The company had signaled a long term planning structure for the time to come as in 1989 the company started a second hotel chain called Traders. This was a four star mid-ranged hotel brand with lower level of standards than the company’s main hotel chain. The company amended the newly acquired chain and upgraded services to meet the current luxury levels of Shangri-La. The main ideology behind this amendment was to introduce the concept of luxury hotels to newer markets and eventually establishing five star luxury hotels in these regions. Again this market entry strategy reflected the company’s long term goal to take luxury hotels and resorts to newer locations. Though the hotel chain saw difficult times the company gained substantially from its investments in China as the economy of the country flourished. In the starting of the new century the company amended its entry strategy slightly to adapt to global conditions. The company had now acquired hotels in Dubai and Canada. The growth of the company enabled it to open various hotels in different locations during 2000-2005 and there is a long list of hotels which are being planned for newer locations. The entry strategy for global locations has now changed slightly as these markets are already familiar to luxury hotels. The company now aims to gain from its reputation as one of the largest hotel chains of Asia. The company invests heavily in areas with high tourism capacity and targets areas which have a high potential for luxury resorts such as Dubai, Maldives, Thailand and Malaysia which have now become tourist hubs for individuals from around the world with diverse cultural backgrounds.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Music: Native Americans in the United States and Correct Answer Essay

Incorrect 1. The language used to discuss music is universal. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 0. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): B Correct 2. One way 19th-century Americans were exposed to European classical music was through visiting European musicians. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A Correct 3. The musical language of America is based on: A) Western European musical concepts B) ancient Greek musical concepts C) neither a nor b D) a and b Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A Correct 4. When categorizing music, stylistic labels should be adhered to rigidly. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): B Correct 5. Diverse musical traditions are a contributing element to our rich national culture. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A Correct 6. The composer of a folk song is often: A) poor B) not a musician C) old D) unknown Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): D. Correct 7. Early American settlers _______________ the music of Native Americans. A) accepted B) tolerated C) copied D) rejected Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): D Correct 8. Most early religious, folk, and popular songs were derived the styles of: A) the British Isles B) South America C) a blending of Native American and European cultures D) Native American peoples Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A Correct 9. The instruments Americans have are, for the most part, derived from those in. Europe and the British Isles. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A Correct 10. Ethnomusicologists study the social aspects of music. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A Correct 11. Generally, a culture’s belief systems and music are separate. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): B Correct 12. The merging of cultural traditions produces: A) very little of national value B) ethnic minorities. C) new styles and modes of behavior D) race tensions Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): C Incorrect 13. It is necessary for professional musicians to earn the bulk of their living from performing. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 0. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): B Correct 14. The primary factor in the development of America’s cultural mainstream was the predominance of: A) English-speaking settlers B) African slaves C) Native American culture D) free trade Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A Correct 15. The __________ Law of 1909 provided ownership of popular songs to composers, lyricists, and publishers. A) Permission B) Copyright C) Ownership D) Holder Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): B Correct 16. Ethnomusicologists study audiences as well as performers. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A Correct 17. Many cultures in the world are still unaffected by outside influences. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): B Correct 18. Scientific research has found that music powerfully affects the emotions of listeners. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A Correct 19. Ethnomusicologists rely on a ______________ rather than an ethnocentric perspective to study and describe music. A) regional B) local C) global D) universal Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): C Correct 20. Who composed music for orchestra, but in the â€Å"pop† style? A) Bob Dylan B) Tchaikovsky. C) George Gershwin D) Beethoven Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): C Correct 21. According to the text, it is unnecessary to acquire a sense of what exists beyond our own cultural experience. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): B Correct 22. When music is transmitted from generation to generation by imitation or memory, this is referred to as: A) notational tradition B) oral tradition C) familial tradition D) none of these Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): B Correct 23. Music labels can be: A) helpful B) ambiguous C) a and b D) neither a nor b Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): C Correct 24. True artistry is generally only found in classical music. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): B Correct 25. Music has taken on a global perspective due to technological advances in communication and transportation. A) True B) False Table for Individual Question Feedback Points Earned: 4. 0/4. 0 Correct Answer(s): A.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Memory: Bullying and Life Essay

My earliest memory of my childhood joy was when I was four years old. I was sitting on the kitchen counter next to my mom helping her fix dinner. I do not remember what we cooked but I do remember having fun with my mom, it was the first time she taught me how to prepare food. I remember my mom cutting an onion and the juice squirted into my eye; it hurt so bad I screamed and yelled. To this day I still do not like to use onions when I am cooking, for this reason I have someone else cut the onions for me. I have always loved cooking with my mom and still love how we joke around when we are in the kitchen. I loved that I could tell her anything that is going on with me in my life when we are alone in the kitchen cooking together. Looking back at these moments in the kitchen with my mom, I realized more than ever that I wanted to start learning how to cook when I was four years old. We shared our lives while we were in that kitchen, and she taught me how to use many different types of recipes that I could use with many types of food. I love how we shared things and would tell each other our juicy secrets that we would never share with anyone else. She would also give me advice on problems that I had going on in my life. In the future, I will use this method to develop a relationship when I have my own daughter. I know she will ask me how to cook and show her step by step how prepare delicious food, that’s when I will cleverly ask her about her life. I want her to be able to come and talk to me about any problems that she has and when she needs a solution, I will help her resolve it quickly. Hopefully we will develop the kind of friendship that I have with my mother now and I hope this can be a stronger friendship that can never be broken and thrown away over silly things. My earliest unpleasant memory of school was getting bullied. I started getting bullied when I was starting middle school. Every day when I would go to school, the bullies would be there waiting for me to come so they could bully me until I would cry out in front of the whole school, I was so embarrassed and horrified of what they did to me in those days. Sometimes I am scared to tell my parents because I don’t know how they will react to the situation. I would get bullied because I didn’t have the right clothes that everybody else had on and because I was fat and they would say that people would never hang out with me or become my friend. I hated that my friends would not help me fight the bullies. They would just stand there clueless and not standing up against the bullies because they did not want to become the next target or get picked on. The bullies also picked on me because I had a learning disability. This means that I cannot defend myself because I was slow and could not comprehend what they were doing to me at school. In middle school I was a quiet kid who never bothered anyone, I was kind and I kept to myself. I didn’t know I was different or â€Å"uncool† until I started middle school. Sometimes being bullied makes me feel like I am the only one getting bullied on and I hated that so much. I was verbally and physically bullied every day and I couldn’t take anymore, I was getting harassed so much that they soon had nothing left to bring me down. I even tried to tell a teacher but she would not listen to me or believe my story. I was so scared for my life and nobody would help me; they would just stand there and laugh at me. At one point, I was constantly getting ridiculed by the popular kids and they always called me all sorts of names in the â€Å"bully book†. Getting bullied as a child scarred me for life and sometime I have a hard time forgetting what they did to me and how they did it. Four years later, I think back to all of things the bullies did to me and how I could have prevented it from happening in the first place. To this day, it still makes me cry every time I think about it. I feel like I will never be able to shake off the damage that was done to me. Will I ever be a complete person again? Getting bullied has affected me in so many ways but bullies do not really realized nor do they care how much agony they are causing the kids that they are picking on. I really want to tell the kids that are getting bullied today to realized that they can talk to someone about this. When this was happening to me I felt so alone and it is horrible to have no one you can turn to for help. It is also horrible in having going to school every day knowing those kids are getting enjoyment out of their misery. I hope one day I can talk to kids that are being bullied by other kids at school and encourage them to talk to a counselor or the principal about what’s going on. I have learned that I cannot let people bring me down because that can follow me in life. I have to make sure that I stand up for myself and what I believed in because fighting is not going to solve anything and I need to be stronger against my enemies that tried to bring me down. I can always know that I will have God by my side no matter what because I am not in this alone. My most vivid memory of my adolescent defiance is that I was easily agitated, I had a very explosive temper that I could not control during my adolescents years. I was so resentful, spiteful to my parents, my friends and to others that I treated badly. I would always get in an argument with someone that was getting on my nerves or talking my ears off about nonsense that I didn’t care about. At some point, I was desperate to prove that I was â€Å"an adult† to my parents and friends because they were not acknowledging me as one. Sometimes I often feel like I did not receive the respect and autonomy that I deserve. I would get so mad that I slammed the doors and would yell obscenities at people or my family members that did not deserve to be yelled at in the first place. I would just leave the house so that I can clear my head and think about my behavior and how I was vindictive to my family members and my friends that cared about me and loved me so much. I hated that I was disrespectful to them and that I called them names and cursed at them for no reason at all. As a teenager, it was tough for me to get along with people that did not like me or did not want to hang out with me. In high school, it was hard for me not to curse at the other kids who were saying bad things about me while they did not even know me. I had no idea why would they do that and I guess never will. As I was growing up, I learned that you should never be disrespectful to your elders but I was in that stage where it was funny to do it because other people were doing it too. I could tell that I was changing because of my negative attitude and how I was talking to others that were trying to help me feel better. I did not feel better because I felt like I was still filled with anger, frustration, and depression that I could not control my emotions cause they were all over the place. I didn’t even know how to hide my feelings from people. As I have grown older, I have changed my ways because I prayed to God that I wanted to change and become a different person that people will love and adore. I did not want to be that girl that disrespects people for no apparent reason. I want be a nicer person that will help people with their problems or difficult situations. I want to be able to control my anger and my emotions because I don’t want to do something I will someday regre t doing.

Good Practice in Handling Information Essay

Promote good practice in handling information in health and social care setting Outcome 1 Understand requirements for handling information in health and social care settings 1. Identify legislation and codes of practice that relate to handling information in health and social care. OUTCOME 1 1. Identify legislation and codes of practice that relate to handling information in health and social care. All of the staff need to make sure that confidentiality is paramount. Staff have to read and understand the Data Protection Act of 1998. We have to make sure that we are clear about our standards of conduct, that we are expected to meet. We are encouraged to use the codes of conduct to maintain our own practice is good and we need to look at any area’s where we can improve on. When it comes to Medication, staff have to make sure that all stock is listed on the MAR sheet. The Human Rights Act 1998 details the right to a private life. There is also the GSCC code of practice for social care workers, which provides a clear guide for all those who work in social work, setting out the standards of practice and conduct workers and their employers should meet with regards the handling of information. There is also Caldecott standards which govern the sharing of information based on the Data protection Act. 2. Summarise the main points of legal requirements and codes of practice for handling information in health and social care. DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998 This legal document sets out eight principles which are in essence a code of good practice for processing personal data. These are * Make sure that  things are processed fairly and lawfully. * Processed only for one or more specified and lawful purpose. * Adequate, relevant and not excessive for those purposes. * Accurate and kept up to date – data subjects have the right to have inaccurate personal data corrected or destroyed if the personal information is inaccurate to any matter of fact. * Kept for no longer than is necessary for the purposes it is being processed. * Processed in line with the rights of individuals – this includes the right to be informed of all the information held about them, to prevent processing of their personal information for marketing purposes, and to compensation if they can prove they have been damaged by a data controller’s non-compliance with the Act. * Secured against accidental loss, destruction or damage and against unauthorised or unlawful processing – this applies to you even if your business uses a third party to process personal information on your behalf. * Not transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area – the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein – that do not have adequate protection for individuals’ personal information, unless a condition from Schedule four of the Act can be met. Question 2 – Emma’s Pointer When a new resident is admitted, then they need to have a new care plan. The care plan will show all the medication that they are currently on. If they have any allergies to anything. All personal clothing and possessions are listed. We list how much money they have, if it is over  £20.00 then we take it to the office for safety reasons. Where it is documenated for the resident. 1.2 Emma We have to always make sure that we respect confidential information and clearly explain to any angency workers about policies relating to confidnentialy to both residents and carers. 2. Emma’s pointer Smart sheet does not go up to Handout 6 !!! When maintaining records, you need to record residents : Medication and any changes to their medication Doctor’s visit’s or any other professional bodies Contact with the family Any falls that have occurred Body mapping Any illnesse’s need to be recorded Daily notes need to updated how residents have been during the day and also during the night. Emma’s pointer Question 3 Should there be an incident at work then staff need to make sure that they fill out the relevant paperwork, i.e. if there was an accident on the premises then they need to fill out the an accident form, if there are any injuries sustatained to a resident then a 24 hour observation chart needs to be started.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Consider the means by which history is portrayed in the German film Essay

Consider the means by which history is portrayed in the German film The Counterfeiters(2007). How does the film contribute to - Essay Example The authenticity of the events as they have occurred in real life transports the audience to see what people had been subjected to during those dark times. â€Å"Die Falscher â€Å"or â€Å"The Counterfeiters† takes on a new light in the development of the historical construct that was the Nazi concentration camps by introducing divergent characters who are as real as they could possibly be. The reality of human nature as one faces moral problems is an inherent quality that we cannot escape, particularly if we are faced with choices under abnormal circumstances. â€Å"The Counterfeiters† brings a new perspective on the people that seem inconsequential but make the ultimate difference and how their choices bring about the consequences that may reasonably alter the course of history. Consequently, flooding the market with counterfeited bills of the enemy is a viable plot to sway the war, but this intangible notion of a mere possibility in the eyes of prison workers is s econdary to the threat of imminent death. The film presents us inadvertently with an alternate scenario where the dollar was forged earlier and the Nazis could have stood a better chance of winning the entire war. â€Å"The Counterfeiters† shows us that the infamous concentration camps of World War II, just as fundamentally as history itself, are made up of people, people and their choices. As the introduction of Eleanor Roosevelt to the renowned book â€Å"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl† so eloquently puts it, â€Å"living in constant fear and isolation, imprisoned not only by the terrible outward circumstances of war but inwardly by themselves, made me intimately and shockingly aware of war's greatest evil--the degradation of the human spirit.† Though Anne Frank and the people in â€Å"The Counterfeiters† may have had different experiences, the fear and mortification runs parallel between them. The men chosen for ‘Operation Bernhand were ha ndpicked because of their previous professions vital to the operations of a large-scale currency counterfeiting scheme confidential even to other high ranking SS officials. Central to the entire process is Salomon ‘Sally’ Sorowitsch, a world class counterfeiter living the high life in Berlin before he was caught by the Sturmbannfuhrer Friedrich Herzog. â€Å"Like most films about the Holocaust it is a survivor’s tale, and its protagonist, at least at first, seems long on guile and short on scruple† (Scott par.1). The triangle in his uniform represents the tag of a habitual criminal separating him from the other prisoners. Displaying his skills in cunning, Sally finds himself comfortable in the Mauthausen concentration camp by capitalizing on his artistic skills and painting for the Nazi officers. His transfer to the Sachsenhausen camp reunited him with Herzog who privies him to his new role in the forging of the British pound and then onwards to the Americ an dollar. The pivotal dynamics of the story revolves around the struggle between the ideals of two men between Sally Sorowitsch and Adolf Burger. The two represent diverging ethos each with its own viable merit. The film is essentially a story of survival under dire circumstances and how a tactical plan by the Nazis could bring the war to an end. This is framed in the characters of the story and how the human ethical dilemma of choosing between one’

Thursday, September 12, 2019

A Business report of British electricity distributor industry Term Paper

A Business report of British electricity distributor industry - Term Paper Example Other than enabling consumers to access electricity, electricity distribution industry also creates employment, enhances investment and promotes economic growth. This report examines the structure of electricity consumption industry, including the firms that make up the industry and their market share. It also explains the reason for the chosen structure. Furthermore, this report analyses the contribution of the electricity distribution industry to the economy. It also provides a critical analysis of sustainability targets on business plan for the industry as well as the factors that contribute competitive advantage for the electricity distribution industry in UK. The market structure of UK electricity distribution industry is an oligopoly. An oligopoly is a market structure which involves the domination of a few firms in an industry, although smaller firms with small market shares may exist in the market. In this case, a few firms may be concentrated. The UK electricity distribution industry consists of six large electricity distributors with a total of 90% market share. The remaining market share is held by smaller networks owned and operated by Independent Network Operators (IDNOs) which operate within the areas covered by the larger firms. The market shares of major British electricity Distribution Networks (DNOs) is divided by regions, as shown in appendix one. Each serves specific region. The six distributors by region include: UK Power Networks, Western Power Distribution, SSE Power Distribution, SP Energy Networks, Northern Powergrid, and Electricity Northwest. In a competition newsletter of 2014, UK Power Networks (UKPN) analysed the market share of its distributors in its designed regions. The newsletter categorised the market share into three: Eastern Power Networks plc (EPN), London Power Networks plc (LPN) and South Eastern Power Networks plc (SPN). The market shares for the three distributors are

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Joseph Plumb Martin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Joseph Plumb Martin - Essay Example Wit and humor are great assets for a writer. Martin describes about the confusing situations that prevailed in the uncertain battlegrounds. Without able officers to guide, issue orders to the soldiers as to the course of action to be followed everything was in a state of mess in the war-fronts. The soldiers were ill-equipped, untrained and faced life-and death situations often. Most of them were inexperienced and did not possess the skills and intricacies of attacking and defending in warfronts. Martin’s grouse that the authorities did not care for the ordinary soldier is genuine. They defended the people and the cause, and once the war was over they were finding it difficult to defend their poor pensions. This observation of Martin is bone chilling: â€Å"If I chance to die in a civilized country, none will deny me that. A dead body never begs a grave; thanks for that.† (p.179, 180). Martin and fellow-soldiers fought wars with utter dedication in sub-human conditions. Their patriotism was matchless. Martin felt genuine anguish the way the soldiers were treated by the authorities, once the job was done. His language is not that of a bitter critic. His simple words pierce the conscience of a discernable reader, like a sharp dagger. Revolutionary speeches were delivered by the big leaders, theoreticians on the subject of racism, and other think-tanks from the ivory towers. But the real difficulties of the war was borne by the ordinary soldiers, and the goal of freedom for the Nation was accomplished by them fighting from the deadly trenches, with genuine apprehensions about their survival to see the sun rise for another day.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Women In Artwork Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women In Artwork - Essay Example There are also several transformations that have taken place in the artwork field, particularly in the 21st century as many artists have turned to use of technology in designing images and expressing peoples beauty. Apparently, its only a few sculptors that have been left in the field art. Additionally, the demand for sculptures has reduced as people are currently using digital cameras to make images, particularly in 3D images. In this essay paper, an evaluation is discussed on the role of women in art and the various transformations taking place in the field of art. Venus figurine, also known as Venus of Willendorf, for instance, is a statuette that can be traced back in the upper Paleolithic. The statuette, unearthed in Europe, is designed to portray a body of a woman though with some physical features being exaggerated. The sculpture is said to have existed since the gravetian period from 22,000 to 28,000 years back. Materials used for the sculpture included; soft stone such as limestone and steatite, as well as bones or ivory and fired clay. Nefertiti Bust is another renowned artifacts discovered in Egypt during the historical archeological activities by a German archeological team. Nefertiti bust is believed to have been an image of a royal wife of Egypt, in the Pharaoh Akhenaten royal family. Its also believed to be 3,300 years made of limestone and created by a sculptor well known as Thutmose. Cyclades is a renowned island on the southeastern part of Greece with a rich history on artwork, particularly on the discovery of Cyclades Figurines Getty Villa artifacts. In the mid-2000s B.C, a pregnant female figure, with the characteristics of the Spedos and Dokathismata was discovered through archeological activities in the Cyclades Island. Apparently, the artifact is displayed at Getty Villa gallery, it also said to be made of marble and created by Schuster Master In the modern age today, many artist and sculptors have continued to

Monday, September 9, 2019

Reasons for European Economic Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reasons for European Economic Crisis - Essay Example The essay "Reasons for European Economic Crisis" overviews the reasons for European Economic crisis such as imbalances in international trade, inappropriate and inflexible monetary policy, increasing levels of households, banks, and governments debts, confidence loss in the economic system. The European economic crisis started in 2007 and was preceded by a considerably long duration of low-risk premiums, the growth of real estate bubbles, abundant liquidity, and fast credit growth. The economic misfortunes sequence that began in 2002 created a fiscal dilemma in Europe that included spiraling debt by the governments and banks of a number of European states. Some economists and policy analysts believe that the uncontrolled or unregulated debt resulted to the fiscal quandary that went beyond normal proportions. About 20 European states were in debt as of 2012 and this compounded the problem of European economic crisis because they have closely connected economies and shares a monetary currency. What has been of greater concerns to many analysts is how Europe got into the crisis in the first place. It is believed that focus on social welfare and irresponsibility by some European states evidenced by heavy borrowing and not paying heed to the balance of payment are main facto rs that led to the crisis. This paper will explain in details the reasons for European Economic crisis. Musialkowska and Wroblewski point out that no doubt the European economic crisis was as a result of a combination of various complex factors.

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Research the historical events and circumstances leading up to and Essay

Research the historical events and circumstances leading up to and involving the creation of the Film Production Code - Essay Example Free speech did not extend to film making industry and motion pictures. The industry was concerned over pointed profanity, suggestive or licentious nudity, inference of sex perversion, illegal trafficking of drugs, white slavery, sex hygiene and venereal diseases, scenes of actual childbirth and ridicule of the clergy. One of the films that were produced in the pre-Code period that accelerated the need for the code was the Sign of the Cross. In addition to being profane, proponents of the code believed that the Film Production Code would do away with evident scenes of nudity that made direct inference to sex and ridiculed the clergy (Dixon et. al., 2008). The code was abandoned since it outgrew its importance as TV technology encroached. Movies were faced with serious competitive threats. With televisions, Americans did not have to leave the comfort of their homes to watch moving pictures. Hollywood decided to offer something that could not get on TV broadcasts, and this was under more restrictive censorship code; Motion Picture Association of America. Thus Film Production Code was abandoned (Gilbert,

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Business Proposal-ECONOMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business Proposal-ECONOMICS - Essay Example As there are high number of sellers and producers our product will have an edge over the other products as we have the latest technology for the making of leather shoes. Technology has helped us lower the cost by reducing labor cost. As it is homogenous product, it will be sold at a price determined by the market but our quality at that price will be the best as compared to our competitors (Boyes, 2013). The selected product is elastic as change in the price of the product will also change the demand of the product. An increase in price can cause a fall in the demand of the product and by such market response we know that the market is competitive and there can be a difficulty in making more profit. As there is a difficulty in increasing profit, we will introduce our product at a lower cost while maintaining a high quality in the market (McEacher, 2013). The price of my product with the provided quality will be low as compared in the competitive market, so if there will be an overall increase in the prices of shoes it will not affect the demand of my product as compared to those of my competitors in the market and the demand of my product will be less elastic. If the price of overall footwear decreases, the demand of our product will be elastic as we will also lower our prices because our variable cost is low due to less labor cost. Pricing will have an impact on our business because if the price of footwear falls we will earn less profit than we are earning at the current market price. The theories of economics explain that a firm should keep on producing a product until its marginal cost becomes equal to its marginal revenue because it is the point where the profit is maximized. Quantity supplied will keep on increasing until we are earning the more revenue than cost from an additional unit. As discussed above our prices will be low in the market therefore we can produce more to earn more revenue