Images of Power and Authority in Art Essay

Art has been used to portray figures of power and authority many times in history. Different cultures have different ways of portraying the image to have power and authority. One example of using art to portray images of power and authority is the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin. This was made to commemorate King Naram-Sin for his defeat of Lullubi. The King stands alone at the top, taller than everyone else. This shows that he is more powerful than anyone else. The King also wears a horned helmet that shows godliness. Celestial bodies shine upon him also showing him as a deity. His troops are lined up behind him in an orderly fashion, showing his control and also the discipline and organization of his forces. He and his army have complete control of the subdued enemy, showing that he and his army are superior. Art was also used to portray images of power and authority in the times of Ancient Egypt. This is shown in the Statue of Khafre. On the seat Khafre is sitting in there is an image of intertwined lotus and papyrus which symbolizes united Egypt. The falcon covering his head is Horus, the god the sky and heavens. This implies the pharaoh’s divine status. The pharaoh is also shaped with a canon of ideal proportions, which is suitable for someone as perfect as the pharaoh. Also the expression on the pharaoh’s face is calm and shows eternal strength and life. Many of the traits in both examples constitute how their culture’s image of power and authority. Bibliography 1) Gardner’s Art Through the Ages Tenth Edition, p.50,75-76. 2) www.coco.cc.az.us/apetersen/ _ART201/old_king.htm 3) www.coco.cc.az.us/apetersen/ _ART201/akkad.htm 4) â€Å"Ancient Egypt†, World Book Encyclopedia, 1990. Images of Power and Authority in Art Art has been used to portray figures of power and authority many times in history. Different cultures have different ways of portraying the image to have power and authority. One example of using art to portray images of power and authority is the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin. This was made to commemorate King Naram-Sin for his defeat of Lullubi. T he King stands alone at the top, taller than everyone else. This shows that he is more powerful than anyone else. The King also wears a horned helmet that shows godliness. Celestial bodies shine upon him also showing him as a deity. His troops are lined up behind him in an orderly fashion, showing his control and also the discipline and organization of his forces. He and his army have complete control of the subdued enemy, showing that he and his army are superior. Art was also used to portray images of power and authority in the times of Ancient Egypt. This is shown in the Statue of Khafre. On the seat Khafre is sitting in there is an image of intertwined lotus and papyrus which symbolizes united Egypt. The falcon covering his head is Horus, the god the sky and heavens. This implies the pharaoh’s divine status. The pharaoh is also shaped with a canon of ideal proportions, which is suitable for someone as perfect as the pharaoh. Also the expression on the pharaoh’s face is calm and shows eternal strength and life. Many of the traits in both examples constitute how their cultureâ₠¬â„¢s image of power and authority. Bibliography 1) Gardner’s Art Through the Ages Tenth Edition, p.50,75-76. 2) www.coco.cc.az.us/apetersen/ _ART201/old_king.htm 3) www.coco.cc.az.us/apetersen/ _ART201/akkad.htm 4) â€Å"Ancient Egypt†, World Book Encyclopedia, 1990.

Kinkos

After the reorganization, management layers in the company’s hierarchy were reduced from twelve layers to six. The top management level was represented by the Chief Executive Officer. The company has a centralized approach of management. Many of the decisions that had been made in the stores were made by top management. The concentration of decision-making authority at the upper levels of an organization is often justified based on the need to achieve better coordination and consistency in all the organization activities, operations and policies. Span of Control The Executive Vice President of operations has direct authority over the Vice President of marketing and two general managers for retail operations, operations support, and real estate. These general managers, on the other hand, have a direct control over 18 operations directors. These operations directors have control over the seventy-four district managers and the human resource and technology staff. Grouping Activities in FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Services, Inc. The company was reorganized by geographical region- East, West, Central, and International. Partners who owned the largest group of stores headed up their regional divisions. The stores have been reorganized into a hub- and- spoke configuration. Does Kinko’s use an organic or mechanistic system to achieve integration? Kinko’s uses a mechanistic system to achieve integration. We can see that FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Services, Inc. has exemplified the characteristics of highly formalized and â€Å"bureaucratic† organizations. Kinkos’s was relatively a large company; hence, a mechanistic system is very appropriate in order to manage and monitor all stores. In addition, we can notice that managers provide a considerable direction and control over the other.   The company is highly centralized, wherein all the decisions were made by top-level positions. All the operations of the company and the working behavior of the employees are governed by the instruction and decisions issued by superiors. The company has a hierarchic structure of control of authority. In line to this, there is a vertical direction of communication through the organization. All the interaction made is form top to bottom. The company is highly standardized. Qualifications for top executives have been standardized. Each person must be a strong team player, had previously been with successful organization and each held job with high accountability. The company also used formal specification of methods in the performance of a job. In fact, all stores were connected through the Internet so that jobs could be allocated, distributed, or shared, as the need arose. There is a precise definition of obligation for each position or role. For instance, each operation director has the responsibility on the profit and loss in a distinct geographical market. All of these characteristics exemplified by the company have resembled the characteristics of a mechanistic system. References Allen, Gemmy. (1998). Organizing Process. Retrieved April 1, 2008   

Application of Theory: Early Childhood Essay

Every builder knows â€Å"A house is only as strong as its foundation†. They also know that they have to evaluate and become familiar the land before beginning to work. This rationale can be used as a guideline for teachers across the world, especially with the children in the early childhood stage, ages 2-6, because how teachers assist children in this stage will serve as the foundation for the life ahead of them. A child develops physically, cognitively and socially. It is important for the teachers to know how the child is developing in order for them to effectively teach the students because they lack of understanding can lead problems for the child. Additionally, if the teacher is aware of how the child is developing, they can assist and promote the way their students think, succeed, socialize, and understand their emotions. At this stage, teachers can also begin to promote diversity, because most often, it is in the classroom that children of this age encounter people that are different. Throughout an individual’s life, he or she goes through several stages of development, where they are developing physically, cognitively and socially. These stages begin from the day you are born and continue throughout your lifetime and last up until the day you die. Through each stage, there are certain changes an individual is expected to go through. Looking specifically the early childhood stage, physically, children’s grow rate and body fat declines. It is also during this stage that the children began to rapidly develop their gross (running and jumping) and fine (writing and drawing) motor skills. Most importantly, during early childhood the brain and nervous system are growing. It is in the early childhood stage that the child enters school and their cognitive development is noticeable. Cognitive Development can be defined as the growth of one’s intelligence. During the early childhood stage, the child is developing symbolic reasoning and intuitive thought and they are perceived to be egocentrism. From the assignments they receive in class you can see the child’s rationale and how they see the world when they tell the stories of their pictures. It is also because the child has entered school that they began to develop more socially. Although the children initially develop there social skills from their parents once they begin to attend schooling they develop relationships with their peers. They often want to emulate what they see their friends do from the way the walk to the way the dress. They also want to spend majority of their time playing with the other children. All teachers should understand the different stages that a child goes through in order for them to effectively teach their students. Teachers should understand that successful learning depends on properly setting the stage for her development ? creating an open, supportive, engaging environment that meets a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive needs. (Church and Ravid. 2003) When teachers have a lack of understanding of the development stages it can cause confusion in the classroom. For example, children who are at the early childhood stages are at the point where they often display temper tantrums when things do not go the way that they planned. Not knowing this may not only cause the teacher to become impatience but also cause the students to continue the behavior. Most importantly, teachers who do not understand the development stages may not know where the students need to be. As teachers, we must understand that there may be some influences in the child life that has caused the child’s developments to be halted. Sometimes it only takes five extra minutes spent on a subject, extra work or tutoring for the child to get back on track. In my school, I see that more and more teachers are having problems teaching their students and when they are not mastering the material in the manner the teachers thought they would. Unfortunately, these teachers want to automatically have the child placed in a special education classes or have the resource teacher work with them (My school is working on the inclusion style of teaching for students with learning abilities). If the teacher knew much about the development of the students they would know the differences between a child with learning disabilities and a child that has not been in the environment in which they could properly develop. When a teacher fully understand the development stages and know what stage their children are in they will be in a better position to assist in their students’ development. One important skill a teacher a can assist early childhood children develop, especially children in the early part of the stage, is there listening skills. It is important that teachers know that taking advantage of the world of sounds is a wonderful way to help young children develop their listening skills. (Miller, 2001) Students can read stories, play music, or just simply talk to the students in order for the children to pay attention. If it is something of interest, they will often listen to what is going on. However, having children pay attention to the sounds is not enough; therefore teachers mush request the students to repeat what is going on. This year I have decided to incorporate the Arthur ® cartoon series into my classroom. This series teaches educational lessons through a story plot. I have the kids to pay attention to what is being said and ask them what is going on. I noticed that kids that watch the cartoons will remember what is said and the next time they see the cartoon they are able to cite some the lines along with the characters. Understanding the students’ development stages can also provide teachers information that can be used to help students achieve greater success; because, providing a high quality education for young children is a key to a child’s future success. Foundational skills needed to achieve academic success include social development, cognitive development, and physical development. (Sanders, http://www. pbs. org/teachersource/prek2/issues/703issue. shtm) Additionally, the students must have self-confidence and motivation to succeed. Therefore, the teachers must not only ensure that their students are receiving educational activities that enhance the development in all three areas but they must make sure that the students willingly participate in the activities. Some students may not want to participate in some activities because they may be weak in that area and as mentioned before, children at this stage often have temper tantrums. In my class, I often express to the students that it is important to participate in all the activities whether under my instruction or not. I make sure that I call on everyone student and that they attempt to answer the question. When I know that the student is weak in an area I give them the easier questions first and when they offer the right answer I often will say â€Å"I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!!! â€Å". I also make big news when my students conquer their weakness and make it to the wall of fame and they often continue working to succeed in all areas. Therefore, giving your students praises and encouragement can cause them to strive harder to succeed in class. During the early childhood stage, the child begins to develop a conscience. The child is not only coming to an understanding of what is right from wrong but is often afraid of being caught doing something wrong. Knowing this, teachers must allow students to make decisions on their own. When explaining the rules to the students at the beginning of the year, I often will give each student a hypothetical situation and ask then what they would do and give the opportunity to explain why. By doing this, I am learning how much development the child has in this area. I had one student who had brought candy from home and while I was grading the test I watched him to see if he was going to sneak the candy. He was unaware that I was watching and I surprisingly; he chose not to eat the candy. I called him to the side before the class was to go to lunch and told him I was watching him and I was pleased that he had decided not to eat the candy. In addition, a child needs to have social skills if they want to succeed in class and in life. Helping children to develop a repertoire of positive and appropriate social behavior is a primary goal of early childhood education. Teachers need to coach the solitary child to learn to watch a group at play and then to suggest an appropriate role that helps them enter in. (Coons. 1985) When the students shy away from interacting with the other students the teacher should encourage the students to observe for a will then have them join. I often provide activities where I pair off the students to work together because I notice that it is easier for a child to â€Å"come out of their shell† when there is less people in the class. Each time, I make sure that I make different pairs and by the end of the first month of school each person has spent one-on one time with all the students in the class. Now I am able to incorporated group activities where the whole class is participating and my children are all comfortable in working together as a class to complete assignments. However, the teacher must realize that a child’s social skills will only continue to progress if the child is emotional developing. As instrumental figures in the students’ life, teachers can foster mental health in young children by providing many opportunities for healthy emotional attitudes to develop. Dr. Erik Erikson has made a significant contribution to our understanding of those basic attitudes. It takes a lot of patience combined with good judgment and warm, nurturing relationships to raise emotionally healthy children. But no matter what we do, children are going to feel sad, afraid, anxious and angry from time to time. (http://www. pbs. org/wholechild/providers/dealing. html) Having dealt with Emotional Disordered students, I realize that they are very quick tempered and many small things will make them angry. Although I teach my students not to laugh at each other when someone makes a mistake, there are times when they â€Å"slip up†. When they do the child that made the mistake often feels embarrassed and extremely angry and immediately wants to fight the other students. After disciplining the child who laughed, I pull the child aside tell them that it is totally acceptable to fell embarrassed and angry but you can not express it through fighting. I tell them if this happens again that they should express to the student n words how you feel. The student immediately gives me a smile because I understand and hen this happens to the next time, most of the time, they tell the other kids that they would not like it if it happened to you. This makes it important that teachers explain to the students the concept of diversity and ensure that they tell the students that we are all different in some way; one in which how we learn. Educators must help our children appreciate the diversity and complexity of all people; therefore, in or to fulfill our commitment to diversity and to empowerment of all children and families we serve, schools and early childhood programs need to take the lead in supporting the healthy identity development of this ever increasing population. (Wardle. 1998) Henry Brooks Adams, writer and historian, put it wonderfully when he said, â€Å"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell, where his influence stops. † Teachers of children in the early childhood stage should especially consider this in the classroom. Their students are at the beginning stages of a lifetime of development and it is at this stage that what they observe and learn that will be the building block for who they will be tomorrow. Our lack of understanding can be the negatively effect their future; therefore would should try to provide a learning environment that will assist in development. As teachers, we have the power to promote critical thinking in our students and assist our students in succeeding not only in school but also life. We need to ensure that our students work on being socially and emotional healthy and understand how diverse the world is. If we do all of this, we are increasing the chances of our student to make it in the real world and therefore have demonstrated that we are effective at our jobs. References Church, Ellen Booth, Ravid, Frann. (2003. Sep. ) Setting the Stage for Learning. Scholastic Parent & Child, Vol. 11, Issue 1 Coons, Phyllis. (1985. December) STUDY SAYS TRAINING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD BENEFITS YOUNGSTERS. Boston Globe. Boston, Mass. Miller, Susan. (2001.Oct. ) 3 to 4: Listening and learning. Scholastic Early Childhood Today. New York. Public Broadcast Station (PBS). Dealing with Feelings: Emotional Health. Retrieved September 15, 2005 from http://www. pbs. org/wholechild/providers/dealing. html Sanders, Steve. The Issues: Physically Active for Life. Retrieved on September 15, 2005 from http://www. pbs. org/teachersource/prek2/issues/703issue. shtm. Wardle, Francis. (1998). Meeting the Needs of Multiracial and Multiethnic Children in Early Childhood Settings. Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 26, No. 1.

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media - Essay Example The research study conducted by the major professional organizations of United States has uncovered several important and eye-opening facts about the effects of marketing valance upon the children. The report has been prepared by American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association in which these professional organizations have claimed that the entertainment industry uses to intentionally market valance to the children and consequently the children have to face the deleterious and harmful effects of entertainment violence (Wilson, 2002). The marketing of violence to the children is not something new but the trend was initiated in 1984 when the marketing companies found that due to the deregulation of television by the Federal Communication Commission they have the open opportunity to directly market the toys and other products to the children through the medium of TV programs. The children programs also became commercialized and in turn the children also became an important growing consumer group strongly exploited by the media commercials (Huston, 1992). Along with the time, the essence of commercialism increased within the TV programs and children were offered with the toys directly replicas of the TV programs. The video games, movies and fighting cartoons became popular among the children and the media and toy manufacturing industry joined hands for marketing violence to the children through the toys, games and programs. The trend had very strong impacts upon the psychology and behaviours of the children. The parents mostly reported that they observe gradual change in the attitude of their children and now the children are mostly found more inclined towards violent programs. The nature and behaviour of the children has also changed a lot in the wake of violence marketing by the entertainment industry and the parents commonly complain about the increasing levels of aggression among their children (Huesman n, 2007). The children tend to be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of media violence because they could not understand the world like adults and soon believe whatever they see on the television programs and cartoons. The children don’t have the mental capabilities to think logically about the actions seen on the TV and they give attention towards the things they appear on the screen without realizing the difference between real and drama. The exposure to the violent act also makes them scared and at the same time they also strived to attempt the same things in their real lives as they see on TV. The excitement and power of the entertainment media limit their thoughts and they became addict of violent entertainment soon after having exposure of such programs (Wilson, 2002). The violence marketed through media has an obvious impact upon the personalities of the children and it changed the way they interact with the world and people around them. Since the children learn a lot from their play and other entertainment activities so the media violence also changes their attitude and social behaviours. They learn to attach others and through things upon them in order to show their power and strength to the world. They tend to

All Politics is Local Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

All Politics is Local - Essay Example Moreover, games both online and offline and smart phones are getting attention of learners. (Wagner et al.3) Laptops, videotapes, flash drives, cell phones, cell phones, networks, printers, tablets, computers, scanners, class management software programs, interactive whiteboards, internet technology and gaming consoles have one way or the other affected today’s schools. They have created a division in education system globally. In some way, technology use has serve schools well; modern technology has equalized educational opportunities and is playing an important role in all stakeholders who include parents, students, administrators, teachers, and school communities. For instance, Modern technology has removed geographical and generational barriers from learners; it has also lowered the cost of operational and instructional delivery of modes. This has also facilitated student-center education by allowing student to be more actively involved in technology-driven studying proces s and improve the quality of education aiming at individuals and it has made easier for remedial classes among individual students. Technology has been revolving in order to make studying process more efficient at a manageable cost. This has made legislators, policymakers, governors to have a tough time each year while trying to make attractive choices when it comes to educational improvement options. They have to know whether to use technology to invest in teacher training, class size reduction, or textbooks and tests. First, let us focus how technology has eliminated geographical and other barriers; internet connection has enabled everyone to get any online programs from any place in the globe it has brought impact in educational system. Any location someone is even it is overseas, one can access online program easily. Actually, the isolation or the geographical distance does not matter as it once did. The unseen web has, made a sense of togetherness possible to the whole world, b ecause the virtual classrooms have taken away geographical and time separation across the world. The classes are now archive, whereby someone can hold more jobs a day and later view or listen to class work later. In addition, modern institutions offer massive open online courses for free in order to reach on students from anywhere free so that they can cut the cost o education. Secondly, modern technology has reduced the cost of instructional operation; the overall operational cost of running a school has reduced by far with the use of modern technology. We know that running a brick and mortar school is costly than running an online school. No money I needed to invest in building infrastructure such as dormitories, library, classrooms, and other needed facilities such as parking lots. We do not need all this facilities in online programs, for instances, we can have ebray or cbrary created from consortium of schools from online school. Cybrary will make students who are registered to get resources of this consolidated library. Modern technology enables students and schools to leave behind a very small copy of carbon footprints as stunts do not go anywhere thus saving gas and making their cars to last because there is no wear and tear. The money saved from gas, for instances, can be used to upgrade the laptops o purchasing a quicker internet service provider. The initial cost of putting an online I very cheap compared to starting a traditional school. There is no need of many material things in starting

Econometrics 'A' project for MSc Economics degree course Essay

Econometrics 'A' project for MSc Economics degree course - Essay Example However, in this research we are only interested in examining the effect of total experience and attainment of a specific level of education on the wage differential between the sexes. Total experience was obtained by adding ‘months since hire’ and ‘previous Experience’ This study utilized secondary sources for data collection. The use of secondary data is useful because it is cost efficient and saves time for the independent researcher (Glaser, 1963; Hyman, 1978; Hayashi, 2000). The independent researcher has limited financial resources because he or she works alone. Such researchers are usually professionals who attempt to research some significant social problem on a part-time basis. Description of the Research Design A two-step attempt was made to discover if the income of professional females increases at the same rate as that of males with comparable education as the experience increase. During the first step the existence and strength of a relationshi p between salary and experience for male and female professionals with a given university degree in a specific job were researched using correlational methodology. During the second step a comparison was made between the incomes of males and females with the same experience. Attainment of an educational degree was held constant for each given professional position. The correlational research method was selected as the primary methodology because of its ability to discover relationships among logical variables (Wooldridge, 2008). Research Hypothesis It appears that there is a lack of congruence in the literature in establishing an association between level of income, experience and gender, and also a lack of significant research efforts towards establishing a link between income and experience by gender identification, therefore, the hypothesis was stated as a null hypothesis (Albrect et al., 2003; Atkinson et al., 2003; Blau et al., 2006). Locke, Spirduso, and Silverman (1987) recom mend that if one researches a question where no well-established theory exists one should use the format of the null-hypothesis. There will be no difference in the salary of males and females at given experience when other factors, such as academic degree (bachelor's, master's, or associate degree), and professional position are held constant. Variables The variables in this study's regression analysis are as follows: Male/female relationship (the numerical value of 0 was assigned to the male and 1 to the female variable), education and experience were considered indepen ­dent variables; annual salary depends on the aforementioned variables and therefore is considered the dependent vari ­able. A dummy variable was introduced by multiplying experience by the value of the male/female relationship for the reason mentioned below. The first independent variable, that is, male/female, was selected for its possible effect on the difference in earnings between the sexes. The second inde pendent variable, experience (in months), was chosen for its possible effect on the earning of any individual. The third indepen ­dent variable, education, allows the individual to enter a given professional position. And finally the fourth independent variable, the dummy variable, was supposed to trigger possible changes over time, that is, the closing of the male/female

Phantom of the opera Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Phantom of the opera - Essay Example In the book, the Phantom is described as a ghostly figure that did not have a nose and had a dressing resembling that of an undertaker. In addition, in the book, he is described as a very thin person, in fact a comparison is made to a skeleton. The Phantom possesses an ugly yellow skin, together with deep set eyes that glow in the dark (Leroux 13). The book denotes the Phantom to have been having 3-4 long black hairs which hung down from his forehead. In addition, the books describe the Phantom as having a head that constantly changed at will. In comparison to the movie, the Phantom is seen as a seemingly genuine and caring person. In contrast to the book, the movie brings out the Phantom as not that scaring and demon like (Joel). In addition, instead of a disfigured person, in the movie, the Phantom is seen as handsome shaped man that wore a beautiful white mask. In regard to the lair, in the book, it is described as being a dark area except for some area on the floor which had a shaded lantern. The lantern in the book shines on a gushing fountain set positioned in the wall (Leroux 19). The wall had water splashing down it, and the water disappeared under the floor. Furthermore, it also had black demons that stirred fires in the book. It is described as having a nightmarish darkness, including tapestries on furniture, walls, vases, candlesticks and flowers (Leroux 21). In the book, Daae is seen as seen to be in a chaise lounge, which is a simple bedroom that contained a mahogany bed plus cretonne hangings existing on its walls. In the book, the room basically looked like a funeral room. In comparison to the lair in the movie, it is portrayed as a beautiful place. The walls of the lair in the movie are seen as gray, though had candles placed everywhere that cast glow on the existing brick (Joel). In addition, the antique candlesticks plus the candelabras had been placed everywhere, books placed all around, silk curtains draped about, plus also had the art

Pre-Course Reading and Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pre-Course Reading and Writing - Essay Example These ways are referred to as critical readings. From the new reading tactics, the reader is made to believe in reading for quality instead of quantity. Quality reading refers to a way of reading in which an individual can achieve the best and most important pieces of information from a set of text. It involves analyzing the author of a text, the publisher of a text, the topic of the text and the preview of the text. From the analysis, an individual can easily understand the quality of a text. Reading critically is the most competent feature one can have in terms on acquiring information. In the everyday life, we encounter reading sources which require critical reading in order to get the best out of them. Texts we encounter are significant to both ones professional and scholarly life. Less-Maffei (2012) argues that reading critically is the most important feature one should have in order to get by their daily lives. Ethics and technical communication Ethics is the center for the cre ation of effective communication. Ethics in any organization dictate that communication should be carried out in the most appropriate way. In any society or organization setting, ethics form the basis in which effective communication is created. In an ethical setting, communication is characterized by politeness, common language, openness and based on facts rather than assumptions. According to Less- Maffei (2012) it would be difficult to attain effective communication in both society and organizational settings without ethics. Communication requires ethics to shape the mode in which people relate to each other. To sensitize the issue on ethics in communication, organizations provide guidelines as to which staff and personnel are to communicate to fellow workmates and clients. These guidelines are based on ethical issues. For instance, there is a general assumption that using other languages in an organization setting is wrong and inappropriate. The creation of communication artifac ts has over the years based on the ethical issues in the field. Ethics have also played a vital function when it comes to the improvement of communique sources. Learning and information sources based on communication ethics maintains the clearness and appropriateness of the forms of information people acquire. Writing speaking or listening In an information profession, listening can provide the most success as compared to both writing and speaking. With listening, we are able to acquire a lot of information in which we apply to ones professional life. According to Less-Maffei (2012) listening forms the most integral part of an information profession since relating to people is usually their main goal. When creating a profession relationship listening is the key aim since there is so much to learn about customer expectations. Listening also enables one to gather information and create a research proposal on needs, wants and requirements of one’s profession. Personal expression In relating to the first essay, different individuals would have chosen different choices of discussion in terms of competency. In my case, I chose to read critically for the fact that I value reading as a source of all my information. From reading, I am able to acquire any information at the comfort of experts view. I have both scholarly and profession acquaintances that require a lot of reading. Since I have so much information to research on through reading, I use critical reading which makes the

Sales and purchase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sales and purchase - Essay Example The input data that is required are item category, brand, quantity, cost, customer detail (name, address, phone and birthday), mode of payment, mode of sale and special scheme (e.g. discount). Once these data are entered into the system, it undergoes various processes before finally culminating in the delivery of the item. These processes can be broadly classified into six main areas; 2. The system then differentiates the mode of sale and categorising it into direct sale order or internet based order. This gives the management to make appropriate strategies and plans for their existing or emerging market. 3. With category and brand specified, it then checks for the stock status so that in case of any shortfall, alternative brands can be suggested or sold. This information (category and brand) also help to market other products that may add value to the items asked for. 4. The system then checks for any special offer or discount that the item might have at that particular time. This is an important process because the current market scenario has necessitated introduction of special schemes to attract customers in order to main their competitive edge. 'The ultimate schedule (discount) is one which maximises the suppliers' resultant economic gain, but does so at absolutely no added cost to the buyer' (Monahan, 1984). 5. If the mode of payment is other than cash transaction, the system performs credit check for the customer and accordingly, informs and suggests the customer for alternatives for payment schedules. 6. The system then confirms or refuses the sale/ purchase order and sends the same information on the terminal and generates invoice or sale/ purchase receipt. The completion of sales order is but the first of many other requisites of the input information that are essential for the management of the company. The growth and the future prospects of the business depend on the input data as they are able to divulge vital information about the products and the customers. The sale processing data helps the management to disseminate information that can be categorised into the following output formats; 1. The input data helps to generate current inventory status so that the products that need fresh stocks can be ordered much in advance. 2. The data also helps the management to assess the order flow pattern of the products and services so that the management is able to take appropriate steps in meeting the demands of their customer either by increasing the shopping hours or employing more staff to deal with the rush. This helps the management to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction and general efficiency. This applies both to the days of the months and the specific hours of the day, during which there is marked difference in the sales and purchase pattern. 3. The data also help in finding out the popular items which are sold or purchased as well as the brands that are preferred thus helping the firm to introduce items or products that add value to the ones that are already popular. 4. The management can also maintain its client base by making efforts to

Analyzing a company an dmaking comparisons Research Paper

Analyzing a company an dmaking comparisons - Research Paper Example An analysis of activity ratios and profitability ratios of both companies i.e. ENERSYS and EXIDE is conducted for time period from 2010-2011. The first ratio calculated is profit margin, which is Net Profit/Total Revenue. Net profit margin/Total Revenue is an important measure of profitability and tells how much a company has earned after it has paid off all its expenses. So ENERSYS profitability is calculated to estimate where ENERSYS currently stands in comparison to its competitors. ENERSYS net profit margin is 6% in 2011 and 4% in 2010. Exide’s net profit margin is 1% in 2011 and -4% in 2010. Clearly, ENERSYS is way ahead of Exide in terms of profitability as ENERSYS earns a profit of 6% in 2011over its revenue earned. This means that ENERSYS gets to keep a profit share of 6% after all its expenses has been paid. On the other hand, Exide earns a net profit of only 1% in 2011, which means that Exide gets to keep a profit of only 1% after all its expenses have been paid. So, ENERSYS performs well as it earns more net income then Exide. However, Exide has improved more than ENERSYS since 2010 as Exide’s profit margin improved from -4% to 1%, while ENERSYS’s profit margin increased from 4% to 6% (ENERSYS, 2011). ENERSYS Return on Assets was 6% in 2011, so it earned 6% on its assets which is much better than Exide’s ROA of 1%. . SO, clearly in terms of profitability ENERSYS outperforms Exide. Receivables turnover ratio for ENERSYS was 4.05 in 2011 and 3.98 in 2010, while receivables turnover ratio for Exide was 5.35 in 2011 and 5.23 in 2010. ENERSYS Days Sales outstanding was 89 days in 2011 and 92 days in 2010, while Exide’s days sales outstanding was approximately 68 days in both 2011 and 2010 (Seeking Alpha, 2011).. Looking at the activity ratios for both Exide and ENERSYS, it is surprising to note that Exide performs well then ENERSYS in its asset utilization. Exide is better able to collect its revenue money after sales ha ve been made in few days and so would convert its revenue to cash sooner than ENERSYS. ENERSYS’s competitive financial position is strong in terms of its profitability as it has a higher net income in previous years as compared to its competitors and higher total assets, and has made a lot of capital investments. However, ENERSYS is weaker in utilization of assets and has to put in stringent policies in order to tackle the issue (Yahoo, 2011a). A careful analysis of Free Cash Flow available to the firm will determine which firm is outperforming the other. Calculating the Free Cash Flow to Firm by adding Cash Flow from Operations to Interest expense and fixed investments, it is seen that Exide has greater Free Cash Flow to Firm than ENERSYS. ENERSYS free cash flow to firm is $31945000, while Exide’s Free Cash Flow is $35088000. Also, looking at the cash flow statement of both companies, ENERSYS has a negative cash flow due to higher investment in capital and higher debt financing. However, despite negative cash flow during 2011(Yahoo, 2011b), ENERSYS still has more cash reserves than Exide. This shows that ENERSYS is making profits and is not holding back as it is buying more capital in order to increase and develop further for the future. ENERSYS fixed capital expenditures entails that it will have a much positive outlook in

Ojt Doc Essay Example for Free

Ojt Doc Essay Listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2007 after a successful initial public offering, the company has built its reputation for delivering its projects on time, without sacrificing the beauty and functionality of its developments. Initially finding its niche within the affluent Filipino-Chinese community, ALHI has brought modern condo living to Old Manila through a fusion of current trends and traditional comforts and practices. The company’s developments take inspiration from upscale condos in major cities around the world while incorporating age-old Feng Shui principles. Building on the successful formula of its first project, the 33-storey Lee Tower in Binondo which was sold out within 9 months and delivered ahead of schedule in 2006, ALHI has continued its dynamic and aggressive approach to take on even bigger and bolder challenges. The company has several ongoing developments, with more in the pipeline. It has started turning over units to buyers of its Mayfair Tower along UN Avenue in Ermita, in the heart of colonial Old Manila, and its second condominium in Binondo, the Mandarin Square, which by the end of 2008 is more than 50 percent completed. Both developments will take condo living in Manila to a higher level with first class amenities rivaling the best there is in the country. Anchor Land likewise broke ground for its Solemare Parksuites, its first project outside of the City of Manila, in December of 2008. The 18-storey twin tower residential project at the ASEANA Business Park in Paranaque City, near the humongous Mall of Asia, caters to those who want to be at the center of Metro Manila’s emerging cultural and entertainment hub along scenic Manila Bay. Among the company’s plans are the development of the tallest building in Binondo, Manila, the 56-storey Anchor Skysuites that is guaranteed to further raise the benchmark in the Chinatown district, as well as projects in San Juan, another in Ermita, a fourth project in Binondo, among others. What sets the company apart from other Philippine developers is its ability to execute its business plans. While others give tremendous focus and attention to their business development efforts but hardly sustain them afterwards, Anchor Land makes sure that its business plans are meticulously implemented. The secret lies in the active involvement of its key people in sales and marketing from the conceptualization stage and throughout the development of each project, with each department – from business development to engineering, finance, sales and customer relations – all in constant touch to ensure the seamless, on time delivery of the company’s commitments. In 2008, the company has started to attract the attention not only of local investors, but international award-giving bodies as well for its sterling performance. Anchor Land was one of only two Philippine companies included in Forbes Magazine’s list of 200 Best Companies in Asia with capitalization of under $1 billion, a feat made possible by the company’s sterling financial performance amidst the global economic slowdown. Internally, the company continues to build and strengthen its organization with the goal by recruiting and honing the best talents available in the manpower market, and by maintaining a small but dedicated cadre of sales people who have imbued Anchor Land’s corporate values of discipline, commitment, and excellent service. The company values each and every employee’s contributions, and recognizes them via a rewards and recognition system that puts premium on providing the best service to customers throughout the whole cycle of each and every project. III. Summary of OJT Experience IV. Assessment of the OJT/Practicum Program A. New Knowledge, attitudes and skills acquired Being the intern of the I. T. Department of Anchor Land Holdings Inc. I have learned many things that are beneficial for me and for my well – being. Here is the list of the skills that I acquired during my internship period: -Organization of files. -Networking. -Remote Access. -LAN cables. -LAN and Internet connections. -Centralized server. -Ncomputing technology -Computer building. -Kaspersky Lab. -Organization Security. -Data Back-up. -Routers For Troubleshooting -Printers -Fax Machine -Photocopy Machine. -Outlook. -Web connectivity. -Skype. -Computers. -Routers.

Segment ideas for school brodcast Essay Example for Free

Segment ideas for school brodcast Essay 1) The segment would be interviewing people on their favorite movie. The segment is trying to show the different genres of movies people like. I would accomplish this by interviewing 10 people. I would put the segment together by interviewing the 10 people; do an introduction, and putting cool music in the background. This would be interesting to see because then people will have a good sense of what a good movie is and watch it. 2) The segment would be if people believed in unicorns or not. This segment would show how many people believe in unicorns. I would accomplish this by interviewing 20 people, do an intro, show 5 interviews, put music in the back and at the end say the ratio of how many people believe in unicorns. This segment would be interesting because students like to take a break from all the facts and listen to pointless things. 3) The segment would be a poem. This segment will show a something that inspirational. I would accomplish this by looking at poems, picking one, putting it on the screen and having the speaker read and explain what it means. This will be interesting because the students will have something to remember throughout the day to keep them working hard. 4) The segment would be a student comedy. This will show the students something that starts their day off good. I would accomplish this by videoing students doing comedy show. I would put the segment together by introducing it then playing the clip of the comedy. This will be interesting to students because in the mornings everyone is tired and laughing will wake them up. 5) This segment would be sports. This will show the students how good or bad our sports teams are. I would accomplish this by getting all the data of our sports teams and putting it in a chart. I would put this together by having a person read the sport data while the table is on the screen. This will be interesting to students because we don’t always have time to go to all the sport games to see who won, so this way we know if we won or not. 6) This segment would be videos of school events. This will show the school events and get more students to attend the events. I would accomplish this by videoing the events. I would put this together by editing the events, and putting music in the background. This will be interesting to student because they will be able to see what they missed in a one-minute video and want to come to the next event. 7) This segment would be an interesting fact. This will give students information that will stick in their brain. I would accomplish this by picking a fact. I would put this together by putting the fact on the screen and having someone read it. This will be interesting to students because they will learn something they didn’t know.

Accounting Ratios for Account Manipulation

Accounting Ratios for Account Manipulation How companies manipulate their accounts using accounting ratios? Abstract The emergence of accounting scandals in the US has shaken the world over. Professionals, stakeholders, shareholders and regulatory authorities blame a multitude of factors for the proliferation of cases like Enron, Tyco, WorldCom and Xerox etc. The researcher is of the view that the rising number of bankruptcies and fraud cases in the corporate sector has been the result of weakness within the financial system and regulatory standards. In the US especially the flexibility of the financial standards has given firms the opportunities to manipulate accounts with the help of financial and accounting professionals for the benefit of top management. These individuals have knowledge of GAAP (generally accepted accounting principle) and its loopholes. They capitalize on these loopholes to the extent of crippling the economy and professional standards. The following research investigates the rationale for firms that resort to accounts manipulation through financial ratios and how it could be curbed. It identifies the measures for counteracting unethical professional behaviour by outlining the core weaknesses within the accounting standards and systems. It also compares the US standards with those of the UK to conclude that the UK is less liable to fraudulent behaviour because its authority has taken measures to strictly regulate accounting professionals, auditors and top executives to avoid engage in accounting manipulation and fraud. Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction Background Rationale Objectives Scope Work Map Chapter 2 Literature review Introduction Enron WorldCom Ratios Differing Accounting Standards in the UK and US Chapter 3 Research Methodology Inductive and Deductive Reasoning Qualitative and Quantitative Research Secondary and Primary Resources Research Rationale Chapter 4 Data collection and analysis Chapter 5 Conclusion and Recommendations Bibliography Appendices Background The growing number of accounting scandals with the likes of Enron, Tyco, WorldCom and Xerox etc. has raised cause for concern for stakeholders, shareholders, professional bodies and trade authorities alike. They are of the view that corporate finance has undergone transformation for the worse in the last ten years. Williams’ research (2002) indicates that accuracy of revenues and earnings help in operational decision support and formulation of corporate strategy for almost 60 percent of the firms. Others, approximately 58 percent, feel financial reporting transparency and compliance (93 percent) with external reporting requirements imperative for effective corporate and industry performance. However, the growing number of scandals related to fraudulent earnings, inflated asset values and understated liabilities have undermined this system of corporate governance (Lev 2003). Investor confidence has been shaken as each scandal reveals the weak foundation of financial information system of public companies and regulatory authority that oversees them. When Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 2, 2001 and WorldCom did the same later, investors blamed their business failures on accounting manipulations. This practice is not new. In fact according to Mishra and Drtina (2004) some 200 companies in the past five years have restated their earnings as a result of accounting manipulations. CFO Magazine survey indicates chief financial officers (CFOs) are forced to misrepresent earnings or are pressured to violate generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to satisfy shareholders and top executive management. Accounting manipulation not only offers the chance for companies like Enron and WorldCom to increase the asset valuation but also to understate liabilities that would appreciate stock prices, hide losses and increase company valuation. The practice is not limited to the US only. In the UK accounting manipulation is also known as creative accounting. According to Amat, Blake and Dowds (1999) creative accounting refers to a process whereby accountants use their knowledge of accounting rules to manipulate the figures reported in the accounts of a business. Since the accounting process itself is flawed in the sense that it provides flexibility, and opportunities for manipulation and misstatement, financial professionals find it easy to engage in creative accounting. The practice helps in presenting increased profits, genuine economic growth and management efficiency whereas the opposite may also be true. According to Kamal Nasser (1993 qt. Amat, Blake and Dowds 1999) Creative accounting is the transformation of financial accounting figures from what they actually are to what preparers desire by taking advantage of the existing rules and/or ignoring some or all of them. The views of these authors indicate that accounting rules in Western countries are weak and offer plenty of room for manipulation. The damage resulting from accounting manipulation affects the accounting principles that the stakeholders, public and investors depend on and use to estimate, judge and predict corporate performance. The usefulness of accounting principles has regulated industries, balanced investment flow and capitalization in the past. However, Enron and the likes have proved that accounting principles (that the masses have depended on in the past) are unreliable. The scandals prove that accounting tools like financial ratio analysis or fundamental analysis for accounts estimation and prediction do not tr uly reflect the value of the investment. Artificial transactions can be used to manipulate balance sheet amount; profits can be moved from period to period; and assets can be re-arranged to depict a positive financial standing. Amat, Blake and Dowds (1999) are also of the view that companies employ creative accounting to smooth income and report a steady growth. This is achieved by manipulating accounts to depict improved profits even in weak economic conditions to harmonize the ongoing income. Investors, following accounting principles often utilize accounting ratios to judge and estimate the performance of firms, consider steady income growth as stability and judge a non-volatile stock as a good investment. Similarly Fox (1997) is of the view that accounts manipulation is for the purpose of normalizing income so that the company’s management can boost share price by reducing the levels of borrowing, lower risks and generate capital through new shares. Using the accounting rules companies often arrange financial accounts so that they would not reflect in the balance sheet, income statement or cash flow statement. The problem arises when the flexibility within the financial principles allows accountants of companies to manipulate accounts to avert investors, banks and financial institutions scrutiny. This kind of flexibility is limited in some countries while it is more pronounced in others. In the US for example the FASB (Financial Accounting Standard Board) rules that income from extended warranties may be recognized at the time of sale. Banks may not recognize this when they calculate the debt to equity ratios to allow the company to borrow through inventory. In the UK on the other hand there is less provision for using bad debts and inventory as a means to decrease liabilities and inadvertently inflate profitability. Thus, accounting manipulation undermines the moral and ethical standards that are expected of public limited companies. Decreasing apparent volatility in income, inflating debts to avoid taxes, smoothing income to create artificial opportunities for investments and manipulating accounting principles to control market mechanisms depict the weakness within the economy. It also reflects on the ethical standards and moral of the profession of accounting and auditing. Despite the knowledge and acknowledgement of this fact, professionals in the UK from a survey (Nasser 1993) indicate creative accounting is a problem that can never be resolved (91 percent). In the US creative accounting is more regular because it capitalizes on the mandate for detailed accounting rather than broad principles, which makes it even harder to detect fraud. The trend in fraud indicates that the foundation of accounting measures and ratios that firms, institutions and public use to estimate financial statements are not reliable. According to Mishra and Drtina (2004) financial statement ratios tend to focus on profitability not quality of the performance of the company. Ratios such as return on assets and return on equity are not adequate to gauge the firms ability to meet debt obligations or to measure the financial distress it is in. Similarly, ratios that accounting models use to tract shifting revenues and expenses through cash flow statement information merely asses the firms cash level based on operations, financing or investing activities. It is limited in calculating the value of the firm based on free cash flows or net income that affect cash flows. As a result, often firms tend to resort to bankruptcy declarations because of the lack of cash inflows. Furthermore, company’s stock performance is based on the performance of the stock prices but these values are risk dependent and the prices are set with the assumption that market value of the firm is efficient and the stock prices reflect information in the financial statements. However, when analysts base their decisions on ratios such as price to earnings, dividend yield and price to book ratios they are wholly dependent on information in the financial statements, which may be fraudulent (Mishra and Drtina 2004). Rationale When firms are constrained by fraud risks such as: opportunities, pressure and rationalization of unethical management, company information itself forms the basis for high risk (Hillison, Pacini and Sinason 1999). According to Cressey (1973) non-sharable financial need is responsible for the unethical practice that result in fraud such as accounts manipulation. The urgency, which forces management to pressure accountants and auditors to commit fraud, is due to the need to appropriate assets and resources to curb financial losses. In the process they undermine their professional integrity (See Appendix 1) (Hillison, Pacini and Sinason 1999). Riahi-Belkaoui and Picur (2000) in their attempt to understand fraud in the accounting environment write 59 percent of a KPMG 1998 Fraud Survey respondents believe fraud will become more prominent in the future. The reasons they cite include economic pressures, inadequate punishment for conviction, weakening social values, insufficient emphasis on prevention and detection, and criminal sophistication. Accounts manipulation is the result of favourable situations in which criminals recognize flexibility within the financial reporting system and audit failure to detect manipulation. Furthermore, when institutions gain power, privileges and position to create an environment conducive to white collar crime, members are likely to acquire earnings management knowledge that are within the framework of the accounting policies and alternatives. Abdelghany (2005) notes that earnings management help financial managers select certain target and tailor the financial results of the firm to match it. The basic premise is that management can manipulate soft numbers resulting from accrual accounting. As mentioned earlier firms engage in accounts manipulation due to several reasons some are unethical while others are due to the environment in which they operate. The approach to manipulate accounting principles to benefit from persistent high quality earnings and influence process decisions motivate firms to smooth income, inflate revenues, restate earnings and deflate liabilities. They try to meet the analysts expectations and company performance predictions (Abdelghany 2005). Other reasons include debt covenant avoidance, costs of investment, sustainable long-term performance and meeting up with bonus plan requirements etc. among others. The pressures of management performance, leadership, market failure, and future losses tend to motivate top management to conceal internal misappropriations and misstatements. The influence of these pressures on the reported statements is great as analysts depend on the information to make investment decisions, debt covenant, and professional pre diction. Abuse in the form of manipulating accounts affects not only the firm but also the industry and the economy at large. Given the above rationale the researcher is of the view that there is a great need to study accounts manipulation and its affect on industries, the public, accounting and auditing professionals, and the investment environment as a whole. Objectives The objectives of this study are as follows: To investigate how firms like Enron and WorldCom engage in accounts manipulation using financial ratios. To investigate the ethical and professional implications of financial ratios manipulation through accounting misstatements, earnings management and restatements. To study the role of the regulatory authority in contributing or deterring accounts manipulation by comparing the accounting standards in the US and UK. Scope The researcher aims to evaluate pertinent industry practice by evaluating case studies of Enron and WorldCom. The researcher shall also delve into issues of accounting principles weaknesses and the role of the authority in contributing to the current trend of accounting fraud and manipulation. Consequently, the study shall benefit professionals who are in the field, trying to find solutions for the current trend and how to curb it. Academicians might find the use of theoretical frameworks to study a current accounting dilemma interesting and contributory to future works. Moreover, the researcher expects the results of the study enumerating to both students and academicians alike who are interested in the study of accounting fraud and manipulation. However, readers might find the scope of this study limited in the sense that it will be focused on accounts manipulation particularly in the use of financial ratios. There are other methods of accounting manipulations, which will be covered briefly in the research. Overall, readers will find the findings useful and informative. Work Map The study shall be divided into the following sections: Chapter 1 introduces the topic through a brief overview of the current norms and practices in accounts manipulation. It also points out reasons why there is a need for the study with objectives for directing the topic for discussion in the following chapters. Chapter 2 is a Literature Review, which shall trace the Enron and WorldCom scandals in the light of accounts manipulation. It also reviews literature on financial ratios fraud and its effects. Lastly, it shall study the accounting standards adopted by the UK and US to compare which one is more prone to accounts manipulation. Chapter 3 shall outline the various methods considered and chosen for the development of the current study. Chapter 4 is an analysis of the data collected and evaluated from the researchers point of view based on the expertise of the scholars discussed in the Literature Review. Chapter 5 shall conclude the findings, and offers some recommendations to resolve the issues outlined in the objectives. Overview An efficient capital market is one that allows prices to shift rapidly in response to the latest information because public information is conveyed efficiently, interpreted and analyzed to make effective decisions. Disclosure therefore is an obligation imposed by law to facilitate market performance. Companies are obligated to provide information so that investors and the public can interpret information to participate in the market decisions. Professional ethics is relegated through understanding among accountants, auditors, management and executives on the premise that the market is entitled to receive full accounts and reports of companies’ performance as per regulatory authority. The form and content of the individual or consolidated accounts is regulated by the company law and by accounting standards issued to the accounting professionals and auditors. However, sometimes publicly traded company financial position becomes tradeoffs due to limited liability, losses and perf ormance pressure. Any compromise in their performance results in negative market reaction, as they are bound by standards and targets set by the public. This kind of market behaviour force companies to resort to unethical practices (Ferran 1999). Alternatively, when regulations change in response to the demand of the market, companies have to reshuffle their internal systems to comply with them. The preparation of accounts in accordance to applicable accounting standards often conflict with the companys standards and values. New accounting information requirements and standards are often viewed with apprehension as they put pressure on the statutory requirements. For example the Listing Rules of the London Stock Exchange require annual reports and accounts of companies to contain â€Å"additional information†. The changing environment therefore creates a problem for companies to align current with past performances (Ferran 1999). To gauge a companys financial standing, analysts use ratios to estimate and evaluate its performance by comparing it with the current status or against the industrys standards. Financial managers of companies are aware of the use of this tool to evaluate companys performance. Within the framework of legal accounting standards they employ planning and capital structure decisions to measure the performance of firms. Ratios such as price to earning, for example, are of particular interest to investors interested in gauging the performance of the company they want to invest in (Pike and Neale 1996). When pressured, accountants can manipulate accounts information, such as interests, liabilities, and pre-tax profits etc, to substantially inflate or deflate certain accounts according to the needs of the firms objectives for the short or long term. For example some companies might inflate earnings per share to depict higher dividend to increase the companys investment attractiveness. Others might deflate liabilities to depict low debt to equity ratio, to create opportunities for borrowing. Whichever the cause, the fact is that firms engage in accounts manipulation within the accounting principles framework. They are within their legal rights to employ such methods, which allow them to create a positive picture to investors, creditors and institutions. How far can firms employ such methods and to what extent constitutes unethical or illegal practice will be investigated in the following sections. Enron Among the recent cases of accounts manipulation is Enron. Enron products and services relate to gas and energy wholesale, as well as retail to a host of customers. The company is considered one of the most innovative with an efficient management team and a leader who is the envy of the industry. According to Mishra and Drtina (2004) Enron filed bankruptcy in 2001 when it had just revealed its strategic plans in the light of asset and non-asset expansions. The companys plan had been to expand into energy trading expertise with a host of new products and services. At the time its share had been traded at $90. From 1999 to 2001 the company underwent great changes in terms of its earnings per share from $1.27 in 1999 to $0.999 in 2000. To deflect speculation, Enron used off-balance sheet partnerships to finance and sustain its investment growth and rating (Mishra and Drtina 2004). This method is not a new practice but is employed by 27 percent of companies. Enron however used it to hide its massive debts by inflating revenue with gain from sale of assets to off-balance sheet partnerships by guaranteeing the partnerships debt with stocks. As a result Enron had to restate its earnings from time to time to reflect the reduction in shareholders’ equity due to the partnership. The stock price started to decline to less than $1 in November 2001 despite the fact that the company had been considered one of the fastest growing companies in the industry. While the book value of the assets tripled from $23.5 billion in 1997 to $65.5 billion in 2000, in actuality Enron had been deteriorating in its market capitalization (Kedia and Philippon 2005). Enron is a typical example of accounts manipulation where misreporting to show increased investment value and simulated income have created artificial resources whereas the company had been running into high level of debt s. The real cost of manipulation eventually reflects in the earnings. Earnings management has been used to boost stock prices so that managers can profit from the share trading but in effect undermine the organizations value. In theory the use of earnings management helps firms to manipulate price earning ratios to, firstly show firms potential activities, and secondly to restate the value of the firm. However, as a consequence, the earnings created theoretical growth in investment and employment depicting strong growth (Kedia and Philippon 2005; Healy and Wahlen 1999). According to the authors, Kedia and Philippon (2005), Enron used an earnings manipulation model, which has resulted real time inefficiencies, as it does not account for the fundamental value of the firms equity or account for the allocation of resources. Wamy’s (2004) investigation reveals that Enron inflated profits by nearly one billion dollars and top employees raked in millions of dollars (they should not have received) through complex and special partnerships to hide debt, inflate profits and to engage in allied unethical and heinous business practices. The companys unique business model depicts human capital as the leveraging point for its investments, instead of fixed assets. Since its people are considered physical assets, it could allocate earnings to these individuals to create higher value for the firm that owns them. Theorists blame the companys manipulated accounts as the basis for its bankruptcy in 2001. Others (Barlev and Haddad 2004; Wamy 2004) blame it on the transition within the accounting framework. Barlev and Haddad (2004) attribute the shift of accounting practices due to the inclusion of the new paradigm of fair value accounting has increased the pace of reporting in firms. The authors in their research prove that the new paradigm improved full disclosure, transparency and management efficiency mandates. However, the weak control system that governs accounts information contributed to abuse and manipulations. It has allowed Enron to sell its stakes to special purpose entities thereby minimizing reported activities. Since Enron took the position that as a result of the decrease in its ownership interest, it no longer controlled [SPEs] and was not required to consolidate [SPEs] in its balance sheet. SPEs had been acquired through bank loans and debt issuance, which resulted in high debt to equity ratio, but hidden from the investors. As business transactions at Enron grew, the company is also confronted with its inability to pay for these transactions (Dodd 2002). Further, the company has also abused the fair value framework by using hedging instruments such as changing fair value of assets and liabilities, variable cash flows and foreign currency exposure to emphasize on its valuation (Barlev and Haddad 2004) by recording inaccurate revenue and earnings growth. Enron reported prices and recognized fictitious unrealized gains to account for pretax income worth $1.41 billion for the year 2000, which is attested by its auditors as being true (Makkawi and Schick 2003). WorldCom WorldCom (now MCI) is one of the largest distance phone companies in the US to declare bankruptcy in 2004. The reason had been accounting irregularities that equal to $11 billion. According to Scharff (2005) the companys declaration had been one of the largest accounting frauds in the US history. The author writes of the perpetrator as being the organizational structure, group processes and culture, which mitigate fraud that had become an integral part of WorldComs operations. WorldComs rationale for following a corrupt course of action stems from groupthink behaviour and competitive industry environment that pressurize members of the organization to make decisions to pursue fraudulent activities (Whyte 1989). Scharff (2005) traces the development of WorldComs bankruptcy and notes that during the 1990s the company had been under strong pressure to maintain cash flows and earnings before interest. As the telecommunication industry is subjected to strict regulations, WorldCom executives resorted to fraud to allocate costs of capital as prepaid. Similarly, it also engaged in improper release of accruals so as to reduce current year expenses to increase earnings. Not only this, the company also ensured that minor revenue entries are made to increase operating earnings (Scharff 2005). The finance and accounts department had been encouraged by top management to engage in fraudulent behaviours (See Appendix 2) to cover for the invulnerable position the organization had been in. However, the most important issue had been when the company found out about loopholes in the GAAP that would support the entries the executives wanted to include. Through them, the company also managed to inflate cash flows for five quarters with the assumption that the company received cash flows from operations whereas most of its activities had been based on accruals. According to Tergesen (2002) the accounts manipulation engaged at WorldCom had been aimed at inflating consolidated cash flows to present a positive operation picture so that investors are attracted in buying its stocks to increase capitalization. Realizing that investors are risk averse, and avoid company stocks that raise cash through financings, such as debts or investment related activities such as assets, WorldCom managed to pose a positive and attractive picture through accounts manipulation. It managed to secure operations cash flows through securitizing, which is the selling of account receivables. Selling of receivables is recognized as cash collections, even though they are collected in the future. Although this practice is regular, the timing and the manner of entry makes it culpably the basis for accounts manipulation. Not only this, Tergesen also notes that WorldCom engaged in capitalizing expenses. This practice involves the capitalization of costs of assets in the bala nce sheet and writing it off as annual instalments. To compensate for the lack of cash, WorldCom also manipulated the GAAP rules of allowing cash raised through securities sales recorded in the â€Å"cash from operations† section, even though the activity is not related to cash flow. (Tergesen 2002). The motivation according to Zekany, Braun and Warder (2004) stemmed from the pressure to meet analysts and investors’ expectations. WorldCom had been closely connected with the stock market and a favourite of investors. To meet analysts’ forecast expectations, WorldCom used its public relation as guidance for meeting such expectations. These expectations are derived from earnings estimates, securities performance and market position of its stocks. WorldCom, pressured from the intensity of investment demand and analysts’ expectations, devised financial measures to meet the financial requirements. To increase the stock market value, the top executive had to engage in expansionary acquisitions, to increase revenue growth. At the same time the companys performance deteriorated along with the industry yet it had to prove that it performs above the others (Zekany, Braun and Warder 2004). The accounting department at WorldCom had become an important functional component under the directives of its executives engaged in accounts manipulation activities to boost E/R ratio. The authors explain that WorldCom adopted the line cost accruals system to compensate for the accrual revenue and the liability reported in the balance sheet. However, since the accrual system is highly risky, it is difficult to make provision for its accurate reportage. The pressure to meet up with the line cost accruals motivated executives to find creative accounting ideas to reduce and save costs. This approach would have been successful, however since the industry had been strived by deterioration, earnings could not be inflated to achieve the expected levels to portray a positive E/R ratio. E/R is basically a ratio to measure the return on business resources available to the management. It is similar to a measure of shareholder equity and management effectiveness. (Alexander 2001). Ratios Fraudulent financial reporting has given new dimensions to corporate fraud. Both external and internal auditors are striving with the legal liability to detect fraudulent financial statements, so as to save damage to their professional reputation and to prevent public dissatisfaction (Kaminski and Wetzel 2004). Previously professionals relied on the efficiency of ratios to detect expectation errors to make decision pertaining to stock prices, risks and value of stocks for future growth. Subsequent decisions are based on the credible reportage. Investors, borrowing institutions and the public, use accounting ratios to predict returns or performance. Ratios rely on earnings and book value to measure a firms value. Performance is predicted by a cross-sectional aggregate and indicators from figures in the financial statements. Investors use strategies such as fundamental ratio analysis, accruals analysis and fundamental value analysis, to account for their decisions and treatment of inve stment portfolios. However, Daniela, Hirshleifer and Teohb (2001) are of the view that these strategies are not effective predictors of future stock returns. They write: Earnings reported on firms financial statements differ from cash flows by accounting adjustments known as accruals. These are designed in principle to reflect better economic circumstanceshigh accruals predict negative long-run future returns. (Daniela, Hirshleifer and Teohb 2001) This strategy is affected by the discretionary working capital accrual and new equity. This is so because investors are fixated by earnings numbers. Consequently they tend to underestimate other accrual factors. Similarly, the authors also note that the fundamental value analysis strategy to predict future stock returns, relies on stock prices from an imputed value based on a fundamental value model (Daniela, Hirshleifer and Teohb 2001). Even in this model the discounted value of expected future residual earnings are defined in the context of normal return employed in future years. In re

Pollution and Plunging Male Fertility :: Pollution Environment Environmental

Pollution and Plunging Male Fertility Several reliable studies have confirmed that fertility among men has decreased as a result of pollution. The average male ejaculation is about three milliliters. This amount of semen can contain between 20 million to 300 million sperm per milliliter semen. To determine the approximate number of sperm per milliliter of semen, technicians must place a drop of semen on a slide and, while looking through a microscope, they count the sperm within a certain sector. Men that have sperm counts below 20 million per milliliter are said to have reduced fertility and those whose counts fall below 5 million are considered sterile. In 1974, C. M. Kinloch-Nelson and Raymond G. Bunge at the University of Iowa, studied the semen quality of men who had fathered two or more children and were about to undergo vasectomies. Of the 386 fertile men studied, 7% of them had sperm concentrations above 100 million per millimeter and the average concentration was 48 million. When they compared their findings to similar studies done in the thirties, they found that sperm counts had been decreasing for 50 years. "They discovered that among healthy adult males who were not being treated for infertility, the average sperm count had declined by about 40 percent, from 120 million sperm cells per milliliter of semen to about 70 million" (Big Drop 36). In 1979, a professor at Florida State University, upon analyzing student semen samples discovered surprisingly low sperm counts and alarmingly high levels of toxic chemicals (including DDT and PLB's). "He suggested that environmental pollution might be causing the sperm decline" (Big Drop 36). The results of his findings triggered studies all over the world, showing counts in the range from 55 to 75 million and others showing numbers well above 100 million. Men exposed to high levels of toxic chemicals on the job were found to have semen containing pollutants. "Most scientists held to the view that changes in counting techniques were responsible for the reported dip" and . . . "after a few headlines, the sperm crisis became yesterday's news" (Big Drop 36). In 1996, Niels E. Skakkebk, a Danish pediatric endocrinologist, began studying male infertility and growth disorders among children . He had been noticing numerous boys with testicles that had not descended and malformed genitals. A study done in 1984 examining 2,000 Danish school boys showed that 7% of them had one or both testicles still inside their bodies.

Role of Women in Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Role of Women in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello, the wife of the protagonist, Desdemona, is the main female character. Secondly, there is the ancient’s wife, Emilia, who is morally ambivalent. Thirdly, there is the girlfriend of Michael Cassio, Bianca, who makes her appearance later in the drama. This essay will analyze the roles of these three women.    At the outset of the play Iago persuades the rejected suitor of Desdemona, Roderigo, to accompany him to the home of Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, in the middle of the night. Once there the two awaken the senator with loud shouts about his daughter’s elopement with Othello. This is the initial reference to the role of women in the play – the role of wife. In response to the noise and Iago’s vulgar descriptions of Desdemona’s involvement with the general, Brabantio arises from bed. Iago’s bawdy references to the senator’s daughter present a second role of women – that of illicit lover. With Roderigo’s help, he gathers a search party to go and find Desdemona and bring her home. The father’s attitude is that life without his Desdemona will be much worse than before:    It is too true an evil: gone she is;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And what's to come of my despised time   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Is nought but bitterness. (1.1)    Here is seen another role or function of women in the drama – that of comforter for the aged. Brabantio is the old father, and he hates to lose the comforting services of his Desdemona. The daughter’s husband Othello expresses his sentiments to Iago regarding his relationship with the senator’s daughter, saying    that I love the gentle Desdemona,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I would not my unhoused free condition   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put into circumscriptio... ...y true!† and accuses him of lying:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You told a lie, an odious, damned lie;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Upon my soul, a lie, a wicked lie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   She false with Cassio! (5.2)    Then she accuses him of causing murder: â€Å"And your reports have set the murder on.† Emilia’s stunning interrogation and conviction of her own husband as the evil mastermind behind the crime results in Iago’s killing her. Despondent Othello, grief-stricken by remorse for the tragic mistake he has made, stabs himself and dies on the bed next to his wife.    Thus it is seen that the roles of women are many and varied – and are key to the successful development of the story.    WORKS CITED    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.         

Essay example --

Ben Dischert February 22 2014 Research paper J.C. Watts is having a very interesting life. He won the Orange bowl as child his uncle was state president of NAACP. J.C. played in the Canadian Football League [CFL]. Won the Orange bowl and had a in the Congress. He was even a Baptist minister. Here’s the life of Julius Caesar Watts Watts was born in Oklahoma on November 9, 1957. He grew up with 5 other siblings: Melvin, Lawrence, Mildred, Gwen and Darlene. J.C. was the second oldest. His parents were Helen and Buddy Watts. When Watts was little, his uncle Wade was state NAACP president of Oklahoma. When Watts started grade school, he was one of the first black kids to go to that school. After making it into high school, he told a story of when â€Å"he made it on the varsity football team as a quarterback but he was the second string. He got so mad about this. He quit the team and went home to tell his dad. But after talking to his dad .J.C. went back to his coach and asked if he could rejoin the team, the coach said â€Å"yes†. Once the coach put him in a game t...

Beowulf, Faustus and Paradise Lost Essay

In Beowulf, Faustus and Paradise Lost undergo a religious transition, from Paganism to Christianity, Christianity to Reformation and Rebel. These changes aptly reflect the historical shift from a boastful and violent view to a more humble and meritorious perspective. We see a shift in consciousness from the writers point of view, beginning during the Medieval epic poem Beowulf and trace the religious shift in this consciousness between Beowulf and Paradise Lost. It can be seen in these texts, (including Faustus) that although Christianity was very much a powerful model against which society was built in the Middle Ages, it is also contradictory in many ways. William Shakespeare is known for his writings on Denmark for his work in Hamlet and it is seen in Hamlet how pagan believes were rolled together with Christianity. However, Beowulf deals with a more sinister form of the pagan/Christianity shift and that is of occult and demonic existence. The monster called Grendel causes great devastation to the public and inhabitants of Denmark, much to the dismay of King Hrothgar who has continued a long lineage of good and mighty kings. At this stage of literature, there was still a vast amount of emphasis placed on mythology and the belief in demons and monsters. One also has to be aware in this case of the parallels to Christian stories that follow the same lines as Beowulf does. For instance, Beowulf does not come from the same tribe as the king and his tribe are known as Geats. If we look at the subtle nature of this story, we can form a link between David and Goliath or even Saint George and the Dragon. Beowulf lies in wait for the monster to arrive at the court and slays Grendel with his bare hands. The same is true but in varying degrees of the Biblical David and Goliath proverb. St George and the Dragon also has the same connotation in it. Beowulf also struggles with Grendel’s mother who comes to avenge her son’s death. Beowulf slays her too but has to swim to the depths of a lake in order to find her. In this tale there is also a sentimental relationship to the story of King Arthur, a legend that has been intertwined with Christianity over the years. In Arthurian legend, Avalon is situated in the middle of a lake from which a ‘lady’ is reputed to hoist the sword of Excalibur – the sword that rules Camelot. Arthurian legend canonizes the same tale found in Beowulf, only making it appear less savage and pagan. â€Å"A throng of sorrows I have borne from Grendel; but God still works wonder on wonder, the Warden-of-Glory.†(Beowulf, XIV: 920-923). There is clear reference above that God was indeed used and referenced in this poem, but God is also used somewhat as a talisman rather than as an all powerful supernatural being. In the same passage, God is referred to as â€Å"the God of ages† and the â€Å"Mighty Maker† (Beowulf, XIV: 936 & 985). Despite these references to God, there is still a great deal of emphasis placed on the monster who is representative of demonic power. There is a symbolic reference to the mother of Grendel and also to the Queen, whom in Christianity can be seen as Delilah and Mary. Grendel’s mother is the dark side of the female Christian form, the one that is corrupt and subject to failure, while Wealhtheow is the mother figure who bestows upon her minions the strength and capability to fight evil. In typically pagan stories, evil and good are not conceptual, but have to be referred to in terms of something tangible. It is for this reason that the numerous offenses undertaken by Beowulf are always against some horrific being such as a monster or a dragon and are never the inner most battles that are truly fought against evil. In Christianity, evil is possessed by every man and woman and the only way to thwart this inner evil, is to have God on your side. The pagan beliefs and mythology create physical representations of the inner battles that mankind faces. The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus is Christopher Marlowe’s best known work. Unlike Beowulf, Faustus is aware of the dangers of the practice he is getting into because he is forewarned that the occult is not to be trifled with. Dr. Faustus essentially sells his soul to Lucifer in exchange for success as a practitioner of the magical arts. Dr Faustus, despite numerous misgivings at various stages of the pledge, accepts that he has now signed his soul to the devil in a blood pact. Together with Mephastophilis, Lucifer’s own right-hand man, Faustus is richly rewarded and begins a series of assaults on humanity which includes the harassment of the Pope himself. In this play the symbolism of power is a great driving force for man’s downfall. Adam and Eve were instructed not to eat from the tree of knowledge upon which forbidden fruit grew, they ate of the fruit and were afflicted. In this story, Faustus too is warned against delving too deep into the occult, but his quest for knowledge and power is too great. Faustus signs the pact with his own blood which is symbolic of Christ’s blood only that in Faustus’ case the blood threw him into sin, while Christ’s blood cleanses it. There is, in the Quatro of 1616 a dialogue between the Good Angel and the Evil Angel. This is extremely important when considering that there had been a deep conflict between Medieval paganism and Renaissance Christianity.

Good vs. Evil †Analytical Sentence Outline Essay

Theme: Good and Evil Create a SocietyParagraph 1:CENTRAL IDEA: Conflicts heavily arise between the two topics of good and evil. THESIS SENTENCE: Through common stories good and evil are portrayed through both protagonist and antagonist view, creating morals and opinions, and how societies views have changed over time. Paragraph 2:TOPIC SENTENCE: Common stories portray good and evil through both a protagonist and antagonist view. Paragraph 3: TOPIC SENTENCE: Significant morals and opinions are shown in stories made up of good and evil. Paragraph 4: TOPIC SENTENCE: Societies views have changes over time by the reality brought out in good and evil. Paragraph 5: CONCLUSION: Good and evil represented the two different thoughts that occur through the mind of people during their extensive lifetime. Conflicts heavily arise between the two topics of good and evil. These conflicts can be extremely realistic or notably exaggerated. They both represent two powers that involve different emotions within your heart. Through common stories, good and evil are portrayed through protagonist and antagonist view, creating morals and opinions, and how society’s views have changed over time. Common stories portray good and evil through a protagonist and antagonist view. The first thing I think of when I hear â€Å"good vs. evil† would be a fairy tale. As in most fairy tales, there is always a good guy and a bad guy. An example of this kind of story would be Beowulf, where as Beowulf is the protagonist and Grendel is the antagonist. Grendel would come into the town and cause chaos every night, until Beowulf came along and had the courage to stand up to the beast. He killed Grendel bare handedly and saved the city from losing any more lives. See more: 5 paragraph essay format People have come to expect the good guy to always save the day, whether he dies or not. Significant morals and opinions are shown in stories made up of good and evil. Teachers have their students read fairy tales at a young age to teach morals of everyday life. For instance, in the tale of Beauty and the Beast, a strong moral is placed. The author made it clear to their audience that â€Å"you should not judge a person by the way they look. † Another example of morals in good versus evil epics could be Cinderella, where the evil stepsisters learn that being cruel can come back in the long run to haunt you. Society’s views have changed over time by the reality brought out in good and evil. People used to feel certain ways about different issues, until morals came out of good and evil tales. Slavery was once considered a good thing. Slaves helped do all the hard work the owners didn’t have time for. Segregation was also considered a good thing. Schools, businesses, and even public restrooms were segregated, keeping the â€Å"dirty† black from disturbing the â€Å"clean† white. Martin Luther King Jr. came along and made a statement. He proved to everyone that slavery and segregation was evil and not necessary for the U. S. The views on racism have since then changed, making everyone have equal rights. Good and evil represented the two different thoughts that occur through the mind of people during their extensive lifetime. The thought of good represents a hero and peace in a fairy tale, whereas the thought of evil comes to mind views of devils and bad guys. People’s heart stings sometimes get pulled while rendering these subjects, which brings together the powers of good and evil.

Why Universities Shouldn’t Increase Tuition Every Year

One major problem with universities today is that they are constantly raising tuition fees. I'm not talking about raising tuition every now and then, I'm talking about those colleges that increase their tuition every year. With today's economy, this is simply not helping the students. The university I am currently attending is planning on increasing the tuition by almost $1,000. This is crazy. What colleges need to start doing is taking a better look at how they are spending their money. It is not the students' fault when the university takes on more than it can handle and has to find ways to make more of a profit. Colleges are already way too expensive for the average person. Most of the time, even with help from federal student aid, students are still having to pay more than they can afford. This forces them to take out loans that they may not be able to pay back in the future. Universities are not considering the fact that the economy is getting to the point where people who went to college and have a degree can't even get a job. Students are doing all the right things by going to college, building their resume, and gaining experience in the real world, but it just isn't enough to get a job. There are too many people competing for just a small amount of jobs that too many people end up empty handed. And when they have to start paying back their loans, they can't do it because they don't have the money. Universities who raise their tuition every year are putting students in an even worse situation. There are other areas of the university where they can find money to make up for whatever they are losing. They just don't look into those possibilities. They just think that the easiest way to solve their problems is to charge the students more money. There are close to 30,000 students who attend my university. If they charge each student an extra $1,000, they will have an increase of $30 million. That's insane to ask students for that much more money. It used to be so much cheaper to go to college. Students used to be able to pay for college much easier, especially if the federal government was helping out. Now, everything is changing and for all the wrong reasons. Students already have to pay for books, housing, meal plans, living expenses, and all these other things in addition to their tuition. Why burden them with even more to pay for? It's not right. It's even worse for students who go to college out of their state. They get charged almost double what a state resident would get charged. These students have no choice but to live on campus and pay even more money. Those who are attending college deserve to get what they pay for. They are getting an education in order to live a good life and to get a good job. Instead of getting this out of their college education, they get this crazy debt that will take their entire lives to pay off.

Blackberry Strategy

BlackBerry’s strategy to gain market share in the mainstream market and The use of promotions to achieve its goals Team JMARCS Bozak, Dasgupta, Feng, Kumar, Sharma, Tu SET: 1G  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MKTG-1102  Ã‚  Ã‚   Instructor: Don Linder  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   October, 22, 09 Introduction: Research In Motion (RIM) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. (Reseach In Motion) RIM was founded in 1984. RIM now has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. BlackBerry is a line of wireless handheld devices that was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager. In 2002, BlackBerry was released, which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services. It delivers information over the wireless data networks of mobile phone service companies. BlackBerry holds the world's second highest market share in the smart phone platform, capturing 21% of worldwide smart phone sales in Q2, 2009. On 30 May 2009, RIM announced the number of BlackBerry subscribers has reached approximately 28. 5 million. (Wikipedia) BlackBerry’s competitor Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007 which was named the Invention of the Year by Time Magazine. Apple iPhone is growing at a very impressive rate and with introduction of iPhone 3GS, Apple looks all set to overtake RIM by mid of 2010 and become number two player in smart phone market. Analysts were saying that RIM is unlikely to maintain its over 50% share in North America due to growing competition from Apple, Motorola, and Palm, among others. (Wikipedia) Problem: How does RIM gain market share in the consumer smart phone market? Key Findings: Consumer behaviour Two types of users for smart phone customers: ? Enterprise customers- BlackBerry was a â€Å"company decision†. ? Non-Enterprise customers- BlackBerry was a â€Å"personal decision†. †¢ According to Canalys Research, touchscreens became the preferred interface, representing 40% of all shipments. Upon recognizing Apple’s success with the iPhone touch screen interface, R IM introduced its own touch screen device called BlackBerry Storm in end of 2008. (Canalys Research) †¢ According to Canalys Research, Smart phones have been opposing the industry norm, with shipments growing despite the global recession. Canalys Research) Company information †¢ An aggressive â€Å"buy-one-get-one† promotion by Verizon Wireless helped RIM’s BlackBerry Curve move past Apple’s iPhone to become the best-selling consumer smartphone in the U. S. in the first quarter (Q1) of 2009. (NPD Group) †¢ iPhone is exclusive to major carriers such as AT (in US), Rogers and Fido (in Canada) and O2, T-Mobile, Vodaphone (in Europe) and many smaller carriers around the world. †¢ Verizon and Vodafone are heavy promoters of BlackBerry. †¢ Palm exclusive to Sprint until 2010. †¢ RIM has successfully expanded its product portfolio to include a wide election of devices and interfaces that appeal to a range of customers at different price po ints. Market Share †¢ The battle between iPhone and BlackBerry is over the Non-Enterprise market, as the users of smartphones are increasing in this segment. †¢ RIM’s consumer smartphone market share increased 15 percent to nearly 50 percent of the smartphone market in US in Q1 2009 versus the prior quarter, as Apple’s and Palm’s share both declined 10 percent each. (NPD Group) †¢ According to NPD’s â€Å"Smartphone Market Update† report, U. S. consumer sales of smartphone handsets in first-quarter, 2009, ranked in the following order: 1. RIM BlackBerry Curve (all 83XX models); 2. Apple iPhone 3G (all models); 3. RIM BlackBerry Storm; 4. RIM BlackBerry Pearl (all models, except flip); 5. T-Mobile G1. (NPD Group) †¢ According to Gartner’s research, the smartphone sales grew 27 percent during the period. In smartphones Nokia came in top but their market share dropped from 47. 4 percent in Q2 2008 to 45 percent in Q2 2009. RIM saw 1. 4 percent jump in market share, which brought their number to 18. 7 percent. Apple saw the biggest jump from 2. 8 percent in 2008 to 13. 3 percent in Q2 2009. (Gartner) Gartner says â€Å"Apple’s expansion into a larger number of countries in the past year has produced a clear effect on sales volumes, as have the recent price adjustments on 8GB 3G iPhone. † (Gartner) Assumptions: RIM has the necessary financial resources or the means by which to promote its product. RIM also needs to have enough financial reserves to absorb lower profits due to aggressive promotions . SWOT Analysis: We have quotes from our research accompanying the statements below. These quotes are designed to further illustrate the meaning of the statements. Strengths Global prominence and financial stability of the BlackBerry brand in North America provides a strong platform for product innovation. â€Å"Over 35 percent of 2007 revenues were from global sales outside North America. Between 2001 and 2007, the company grew its workforce from about 1250 employees to more than 7000 employees. † (Grewal, 2009) †¢ RIM's BlackBerry offers a varied set of products to identify the needs of the different segments of users. RIM has a strong line up of smart phones such BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Pearle with the popular QWERTY keyboard. The new series include clean and sharp BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Storm. RIM has also introduced BlackBerry App World where you can download and purchase apps from a smart phone. So far RIM has established a strong base with professional users because of their product's functionality and security. â€Å"Storm, the new BlackBerry is among RIM's strongest moves so far to appeal to the increasing number of consumers opting for multimedia phones, a market that is increasingly turning to touch-screen devices for their ease of use. † (The Wall Street Journal) †¢ BlackBerry carries a range of reasonably priced products which gives their customers the most selection in the smart phone market. Our checks show AT store reps appear poised to recommend BlackBerry to shoppers deterred by iPhone’s $599 (U. S. ) price tag,† (The Globe and Mail) †¢ RIM's strength in the smart phone market is its impressively sized distribution network to provide products and services to the consumer. â€Å"Retail consumers and corporate clients can buy the BlackBerry from more than 500 carriers and distribution partners in about 170 countries around the world. † (Leader-Post) Weaknesses †¢ RIM has a weak entertainment platform for its product compared to its biggest rival: Apple, which specializes in consumer friendly multimedia device. Below, we have a recent quote from BlackBerry CEO Jim Balsille, who emphasizes the company's need to focus on the non-enterprise market. â€Å"As we head into the third quarter we look forward to gaining traction with BlackBerry services in new market segments to drive the next leg of growth for the company,† (Perez) †¢ BlackBerry is weaker brand compared to Apple and Nokia in the consumer sector. They have only recently started to promote their product for the mainstream consumer. †¢ â€Å"The company expects to ship between 9. 2 million and 9. million BlackBerry smartphones next quarter, as it prepares for follow-ups to popular devices such as the Storm and Bold. But some analysts expressed concern over its push to the mainstream because it would mean that RIM would be competing more directly with its consumer-friendly rivals. † (Perez) †¢ Due to the relatively higher prices of BlackBerry products, it has a harder time competing in emerging markets. â⠂¬Å"Nokia has a strong presence in the low-cost part of the market. And it's likely that the company will continue to maintain strength here, leveraging its massive scale to keep costs low. (Reardon) Opportunities †¢ Consumers are more receptive to purchasing media online. This has a created a market that Apple has capitalized on with its services like iTunes and Apple App Store. RIM has recently introduced their own app store which has so far received positive reviews. â€Å"RIM's app storefront will be key to the firm's long-term success. Just as Apple's App Store and iTunes drive sales of the company's hardware, App World—which has received generally positive reviews—must be attractive enough to lure users away from the other smartphones on the market. † (Gibbs) Due to increased globalization and consumer acceptance of new technology, consumers around the world are ordering smart phones from their local carriers. This opens new markets for RIM to expand in. Despite global recession, the demand for smart phones grew as there was a 27 percent increase from Q2 2008 to Q2 2009. Threats †¢ Growing competition from Apple, Nokia, HTC, and Palm among others. Apple is expanding into a large number of countries while lowering their prices which is increasing their sales volume significantly. Nokia is the largest smart phone provider with ample capital to develop their technology and products. But as the iPhone and other rivals expand their reach, RIM could find itself fighting for previously uncontested territory. † (Leader-Post) †¢ The world economy is going through a downturn. This has inevitably changed the consumer behaviour towards higher end devices. â€Å"The current economic climate is negatively impacting sales of higher end devices,† (Gartner) †¢ RIM is susceptible to lawsuits because it holds countless patents for its products and its immense success makes it a target for patent holding companies like N TP. â€Å"On March 3, 2006, RIM announced that it had settled its BlackBerry patent dispute with NTP. Under the terms of the settlement, RIM has agreed to pay NTP US$612. 5 million in a â€Å"full and final settlement of all claims. † (Reardon) Competitive Analysis: In the global smart phone market, Apple is growing exponentially with market share increasing from 2. 8% to 13. 3%. RIM has a gradual increase in market share of 1. 4%, which brought their number to 18. 7%. Nokia, the top manufacturer of smart phone is lagging behind with market share dropping from 47. 4% to 45%. Nokia is more affordable and is very prominent around the world especially in the emerging markets such as India and China. They lso have a strong base with medium to lower income consumers. Because of the lower price point, they provide limited functionality compared to its counterparts. BlackBerry appeals to a vast customer base and its market is separated by products rather than income. The financially sensitive customers are more accepting of products such as BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Pearl. In t his segment, RIM competes directly with Nokia’s smart phones. This increases the popularity and brand recognition of RIM. RIM also invests heavily towards Research and Development to create superior products for satisfying the demands of higher end consumers. This customer base is more accepting of higher priced products because of their superior quality. This increases the margin RIM enjoys compared to Nokia. Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry Storm/Bold are in the same price range. However, RIM has a varied portfolio of products that range from $100-$500 US dollars. BlackBerry Storm and iPhone 3G are very similar products that share features such as touch screen interface and 3G software and hardware capabilities. Palm, Motorola, HTC and others are very limited in their market share. Their products are usually cheaper compared to RIM and Apple with inferior quality. Examples of the inferior quality will be no built-in Wi-Fi and low-resolution cameras. Unlike RIM and Apple, these companies use third party software such as Windows Mobile which has garnered negative reviews. According to a survey by CFI group, it showed that Windows Mobile users had a low level of customer satisfaction when compared to users of other smart phones. Out of a possible 100 points, Windows Mobile rated only 66, compared with BlackBerry (73), Google Android (77), and iPhone (83). This corresponds with the decrease in Windows Mobile's share of the Smartphone market by 2. % in 2009. (Wikipedia) Target Market: Our target market for the problem is the entertainment-focused users who range in age from mid-teens to early 30s. They see a mobile device as a lifestyle choice, and they're willing to pay extra for a device that'll help keep them entertained. This group will use the device for things like multimedia entertainment, social messaging, and gaming. Our target group needs to be relatively affluent with disposable income; therefore, they will likely be based in developed continents such as North America, Europe and Australia. RECOMMENDATIONS: Alternative 1: â€Å"We gain market share in the consumer smart phone market by lowering the price of BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Bold. The price of the Storm and Bold series will be lowered by $50 in an effort to increase sales by 25%. † Advantages: 1. Lowering the price of BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Bold will be a strong incentive for mainstream consumers to choose those products over BlackBerry's competitors. 2. As lowering the price will make the products more affordable, new users and carriers from other countries will adopt BlackBerry products. . Lowering the price of BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Bold will not only bring in users from the established mainstream consumer base but also new users who are transitioning to smart phones from handsets. This will create a greater awareness of BlackBerry products. BlackBerry could use this recognition to introduce new products. Disadvantages: 1. A part of the customer base might assume the decrease in price will correlate with a decrease in quality. Therefore, they might avoid buying lower priced BlackBerry products. 2. Competitors might lower their price to compete with BlackBerry which will create minimal additional revenue from new customers. The already decreased profit margin from lowered price combined with minimal increase in revenue will decrease profits. 3. RIM might lose money by over producing BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Storm as its sales forecast didn’t meet actual customer demand. They might lose customers and harm their brand by under producing the products as their supply won’t be enough to meet the demands of the customers. This will generate anger and dissatisfaction towards RIM. Alternative 2: We gain market share by offering diverse products targeted to specified segments of consumers (niche marketing). † Advantages: 1. RIM will create new market segments (market segmentation) that will correspond with the needs of specific demographic of consumers. 2. RIM will attract more consumers with the larger line up of products and services. This will be able to exp and their brand name. 3. RIM will have greater margins with these targeted products as customers are willing to pay more for products that are more in sync with their needs. The increased margins will increase the profits. Disadvantages: 1. Introducing new products involves a significant investment in start up for Research and Development. Niche markets are usually much smaller than the mainstream market and therefore it will be harder for RIM to sell enough BlackBerry devices to recuperate its initial investment. 2. Consumers may not be interested in the new products. Keeping in mind the current economic conditions, consumers might delay their purchase of luxury products like a BlackBerry. They might also continue with traditional alternatives like handsets to meet their needs. 3. It will dilute the brand. BlackBerry already has an established brand that their customers identify with. Expanding the product base rapidly will confuse customers about BlackBerry products and negatively affects sales of their bestsellers such as: BlackBerry Storm, Bold, and Curve. Alternative 3: â€Å"We gain market share by increasing advertisements on TV and internet which would increase our brand recognition. † Advantages: 1. With unique and creative marketing campaigns, RIM’s products will be more recognizable compared to its competitors such as Apple and Nokia. RIM will gain market share by getting its competitors customers as well as attracting new customers switching to smart phones. 2. A successful advertising campaign will retain encourage brand loyalty from RIM's existing customers. These customers might choose RIM's product in the future because of their comfort level with the BlackBerry brand. 3. It will attract new customers by detailing the merit of RIM's products over its competitors. Disadvantages: 1. RIM’s campaign might be ineffective because of the oversaturation of advertising campaigns from the different smart phone manufacturers. 2. Increased advertising does not necessarily result in increased sales. RIM might spend excessive amounts on promoting their products which may not be successful and hurt their bottom line. 3. Self-destructive advertising might alienate a portion of their existing customer base. An example would be: RIM's spokesperson (celebrity/athlete) commits a crime. In this case RIM's image might be tarnished by association to the person. Solution: Problem: How does RIM gain market share in the consumer smart phone market? Alternative 3: â€Å"We gain market share by increasing advertisements on TV and internet which would increase our brand recognition. We believe this solution is most likely to succeed and deliver results. For the near term, RIM will follow Apple’s example and attempt to meet the functional and psychological needs of consumers. An example of meeting a psychological need would be to primarily use BlackBerry products as a fashion statement or a status symbol over its inten ded purpose. This is only possible by extensive promotion in order to make the BlackBerry the â€Å"it† brand among the mainstream consumer. BlackBerry has a more diverse selection of products compared to Apple and Nokia. It should capitalize this strength by advertising the benefits of its products to the consumer segments. Promotions will bring in new customers. In future, these new customers might upgrade to other BlackBerry devices. They will also spread the word about BlackBerry creating goodwill and admiration for the brand. Advertising also has a long term goal in mind which is to grow the BlackBerry brand worldwide for years to come. Implementation Plan: Step 1: Divide the consumer base into manageable market segments. Step 2: Target a segment to pursue. Step 3: Determine how BlackBerry would be positioned in the segment. Step 4: Our marketing objective will be to gain share in our segment. Step 5: Communicate the value of the BlackBerry through the use of television, magazines and the Internet. Step 6: We will evaluate our performance and make adjustments for an improved process. Plan B: Problem: How does RIM gain market share in the consumer smart phone market? Alternative 1: â€Å"We gain market share in the consumer smart phone market by lowering the price of BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Bold. The price of the Storm and Bold series will be lowered by $50 in an effort to increase sales by 25%. This plan will also increase BlackBerry’s market share. It will bring in new mainstream customers for the very popular BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Bold. These products are direct competitors for Apple’s iPhone. The price decrease might lure Apple customers to switch to BlackBerry products as the quality difference between the products is minimal. The likelihood of RIM’s competitor s lowering their price to counteract the decrease in their sales is low, because that will lower the margin of the whole sector rather than just one company (RIM). To avoid these price wars, they will let RIM enjoy the increased market share. Course Concepts: Major concepts used were: a) The Marketing Research Process: We used the format showed in Exhibit 5. 1 in page 122 of the Marketing book. We made a rough copy in class that defined the problem clearly and the objectives. We delegated the objectives to group members. We performed researched on it and collected the secondary data. We then analyzed all the data and wrote this paper. b) The Marketing Environment Analysis Framework: We used this framework extensively throughout our project. We analyzed SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) of RIM in detail. SWOT analysis helped us design solutions based on RIM’s strengths and weaknesses. We also made solutions that let us develop the opportunities and guard us from the threats. We integrated the Macroenvironmental Factors such Competitors, Demographics, Social/Cultural and Economic. c) We identified segmentation, targeting and positioning in our Implementation Plan. This helped us focus on a group of customers and to come up with solutions that will meet our goals concerning this group. References Canalys Research. (n. d. ). Smart phones defy slowdown. Retrieved 10 22, 2009, from Press and Research releases: http://www. canalys. com/pr/2009/r2009081. htm Gartner. (n. d. ). 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